A Day in the Past

Today in the past

What happened on 19 October?

Painting of British and American officers on horseback and on foot lined up for the surrender at Yorktown
Photo: John Trumbull, Public domain

1781 245 years ago

British army surrenders at Yorktown

During the American War of Independence, British forces led by Lord Cornwallis officially surrendered at Yorktown. They had been under siege by American and French troops, led by George Washington and the comte de Rochambeau. The surrender ended the major fighting in North America. It helped the United States win its …

Explore 19 October

Your six-week history planner

This week and the next five weeks, Monday to Sunday. Each day shows its top stories — UK history first — and every one links to the full day.

Saffron edge = a UK story

  1. This week 19 Oct – 25 Oct

    1. Mon 19 Oct Today +125 more on 19 October
    2. Tue 20 Oct +112 more on 20 October
    3. Wed 21 Oct +131 more on 21 October
    4. Thu 22 Oct +116 more on 22 October
    5. Fri 23 Oct +134 more on 23 October
    6. Sat 24 Oct +139 more on 24 October
    7. Sun 25 Oct +125 more on 25 October

  2. Next week 26 Oct – 1 Nov

    1. Mon 26 Oct +131 more on 26 October
    2. Tue 27 Oct +121 more on 27 October
    3. Wed 28 Oct +131 more on 28 October
    4. Thu 29 Oct +123 more on 29 October
    5. Fri 30 Oct +120 more on 30 October
    6. Sat 31 Oct +122 more on 31 October
    7. Sun 1 Nov +157 more on 1 November

  3. In 2 weeks 2 Nov – 8 Nov

    1. Mon 2 Nov +112 more on 2 November
    2. Tue 3 Nov +143 more on 3 November
    3. Wed 4 Nov +115 more on 4 November
    4. Thu 5 Nov +125 more on 5 November
    5. Fri 6 Nov +83 more on 6 November
    6. Sat 7 Nov +147 more on 7 November
    7. Sun 8 Nov +133 more on 8 November

  4. In 3 weeks 9 Nov – 15 Nov

    1. Mon 9 Nov +151 more on 9 November
    2. Tue 10 Nov +131 more on 10 November
    3. Wed 11 Nov +143 more on 11 November
    4. Thu 12 Nov +134 more on 12 November
    5. Fri 13 Nov +112 more on 13 November
    6. Sat 14 Nov +124 more on 14 November
    7. Sun 15 Nov +132 more on 15 November

  5. In 4 weeks 16 Nov – 22 Nov

    1. Mon 16 Nov +127 more on 16 November
    2. Tue 17 Nov +132 more on 17 November
    3. Wed 18 Nov +135 more on 18 November
    4. Thu 19 Nov +125 more on 19 November
    5. Fri 20 Nov +128 more on 20 November
    6. Sat 21 Nov +125 more on 21 November
    7. Sun 22 Nov +102 more on 22 November

  6. In 5 weeks 23 Nov – 29 Nov

    1. Mon 23 Nov +115 more on 23 November
    2. Tue 24 Nov +126 more on 24 November
    3. Wed 25 Nov +124 more on 25 November
    4. Thu 26 Nov +126 more on 26 November
    5. Fri 27 Nov +135 more on 27 November
    6. Sat 28 Nov +134 more on 28 November
    7. Sun 29 Nov +115 more on 29 November

Planner key: explorer badges

Each story gets a badge for its topic. Collect them all — tap a badge to explore that topic through the year.

For teachers and parents

Every day has a printable worksheet with a “how long ago?” maths starter, a put-them-in-order timeline and a quick quiz — all built from that day’s real history. Stories about war, disasters and crime are kept out of the calendar and tucked away in a separate “For older readers” section.

Today’s worksheet How to use the site in class