A Day in the Past

On this day: 19 July

126 things happened on 19 July, from AD 64 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 10

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 32

AD 64 1,962 years ago

The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city.

Find out more: AD 64 (Wikipedia)
1963 63 years ago

Joe Walker flies a North American X-15 to a record altitude of 106,010 meters (347,800 feet) on X-15 Flight 90. Exceeding an altitude of 100 km, this flight qualifies as a human spaceflight under international convention.

TransportSpace Find out more: Joseph A. Walker (Wikipedia)
1981 45 years ago

In a private meeting with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, French President François Mitterrand reveals the existence of the Farewell Dossier, a collection of documents showing the Soviet Union had been stealing American technological research and development.

Find out more: Ronald Reagan (Wikipedia)
2018 8 years ago

The Knesset passes the controversial Nationality Bill, which defines the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

Find out more: Knesset (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “Mary I was proclaimed Queen of England, deposing Lady Jane Grey”?

    1. 1997
    2. 1843
    3. 1553
    Show the answer

    C: 1553. 1553 — that’s 473 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced that it would”?

    1. 1553
    2. 1970
    3. 1997
    Show the answer

    C: 1997. 1997 — that’s 29 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced that it would
    2. SS Great Britain, the first ocean-going ship with both an iron hull and a
    3. Mary I was proclaimed Queen of England, deposing Lady Jane Grey
    Show the answer

    C: Mary I was proclaimed Queen of England, deposing Lady Jane Grey. 1997: The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced that it would · 1843: SS Great Britain, the first ocean-going ship with both an iron hull and a · 1553: Mary I was proclaimed Queen of England, deposing Lady Jane Grey Find it on the page

  4. “SS Great Britain, the first ocean-going ship with both an iron hull and a” happened in 1843. How many years ago was that?

    1. 193 years
    2. 183 years
    3. 173 years
    Show the answer

    B: 183 years. 2026 − 1843 = 183. Find it on the page

Born on this day 31

Famous people whose birthday is 19 July.

Remembering 18

Well-known people who died on 19 July.

Special days 8

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 19 July somewhere in the world.

For older readers 27 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

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.

Where these facts come from

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 “July 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.