121 things happened on 19 February, from AD 197 to 2026. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1819 · 207 years ago
English sea captain William Smith, from Blyth in Northumberland, discovered the South Shetland Islands. These islands lie off Graham Land in Antarctica. It was the first discovery ever made south of 60 degrees south, in the area now covered by the Antarctic T…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
England and the Dutch Republic signed the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War, which was fought mainly at sea. The treaty gave the colony of New Netherland in North America back to England. Its main town, New Amsterdam, stood at the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The English had first taken it in 1664 and renamed it New York, after the Duke of York.
UK story
English sea captain William Smith, from Blyth in Northumberland, discovered the South Shetland Islands. These islands lie off Graham Land in Antarctica. It was the first discovery ever made south of 60 degrees south, in the area now covered by the Antarctic Treaty.
UK story
King William IV signed Letters Patent, an official royal document, establishing the Province of South Australia. It was planned as a new British colony, paid for by selling land. The first settlers arrived on Kangaroo Island in July 1836. Governor John Hindmarsh then proclaimed the new province at Glenelg on 28 December 1836.
UK story
Manchester United played their first match at their new stadium, Old Trafford, against Liverpool. The home fans did not get a win, as Liverpool won 4–3. Sandy Turnbull scored the first ever goal at the ground. Nicknamed the 'Theatre of Dreams', Old Trafford is now the largest club football stadium in the United Kingdom.
American inventor Thomas Edison received a patent for the phonograph, which he had invented in 1877. It was a machine that could record sounds and play them back. Sounds were recorded as a groove on a turning cylinder, and a needle traced the groove to play them again. Later versions were called gramophones and record players.
Leaders from the UK, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus met at Lancaster House in London. They agreed a plan for Cyprus, which Britain ruled, to become independent. Cyprus was proclaimed an independent country on 16 August 1960. Britain kept two military bases on the island, at Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft began mapping the surface of Mars with a heat-sensing camera. Its job is to look for signs of water and ice, past or present, and to study Mars's rocks and radiation. It also passes messages between rovers on Mars and Earth. Its name is a tribute to the writer Arthur C. Clarke and the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Objects from the Belitung shipwreck went on display for the first time, in Singapore. The wreck is an Arabian sailing ship, called a dhow, that sank around 830 AD on its way home from China. It went down off Belitung Island in Indonesia. Its cargo is the largest collection of objects from China's Tang dynasty ever found in one place.
The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan idols in the Roman Empire.
Pope Boniface III is consecrated in Rome.
Having already been elected to the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa is crowned King of Sweden, having succeeded his father John III of Sweden in 1592.
The Second Battle of Guararapes takes place, effectively ending Dutch colonization efforts in Brazil.
Great Northern War: The battle of Napue between Sweden and Russia is fought in Isokyrö, Ostrobothnia.
The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia.
Peninsular War: Outnumbered French forces under Édouard Mortier routed and nearly destroyed Spanish troops at the Battle of the Gebora near Badajoz, Spain.
In Austin, Texas, the newly formed Texas state government is officially installed. The Republic of Texas government officially transfers power to the State of Texas government following the annexation of Texas by the United States.
The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party.
More than sixty tornadoes strike the Southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
A blockade against Venezuela (depicted), caused by President Cipriano Castro's refusal to pay foreign debts, was lifted.
Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.
The Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia (flag pictured) was dissolved and reformed as the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union within Georgia.
World War II: U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forcible relocation of over 112,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps.
World War II: Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia begins.
World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima: About 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima.
The Southeast Asian Youth Conference, which is believed to have inspired armed communist rebellions in different Asian countries, opened in Calcutta, India.
Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
Transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.
China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket.
Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, a non-fiction book credited with sparking the beginning of second-wave feminism in the United States, was first published.
Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, along with Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Trần Thiện Khiêm attempted a coup against the military junta of Nguyễn Khánh.
Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald Ford's Proclamation 4417.
The 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea officially opens in Pyongyang and lasts for 7 days. (from February 19th to February 25th, 2026)
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Old Trafford football stadium hosts its first match”?
B: 1910. 1910 — that’s 116 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands near Antarctica”?
B: 1819. 1819 — that’s 207 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands near Antarctica. 1836: William IV signs the papers creating the Province of South Australia · 1910: Old Trafford football stadium hosts its first match · 1819: William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands near Antarctica Find it on the page
“William IV signs the papers creating the Province of South Australia” happened in 1836. How many years ago was that?
C: 190 years. 2026 − 1836 = 190. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 19 February.
Nicolaus Copernicus was a mathematician and astronomer. He came up with a model of the universe with the Sun, not the Earth, at its centre. His book explaining it was published just before he died in 1543, and it helped to start the Scientific Revolution. An ancient Greek astronomer, Aristarchus, had suggested a similar idea long before.
UK story
Henry Frederick was the eldest son of King James VI and I, and heir to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland. Many people saw him as a bright and promising future king. Sadly, he died of typhoid fever in 1612, aged 18. His younger brother became heir instead and later ruled as King Charles I.
Well-known people who died on 19 February.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 19 February somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “February 19” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.