A Day in the Past

On this day: 19 August

148 things happened on 19 August, from AD 14 to 2017. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

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In the UK 10

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

Around the world 33

1848 178 years ago

California Gold Rush: The New York Herald breaks the news to the East Coast of the United States of the gold rush in California (although the rush started in January).

Find out more: California gold rush (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

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

  1. In which year did this happen: “Seven Years' War: Having damaged several French vessels, British ships pursued”?

    1. 1604
    2. 1759
    3. 1897
    Show the answer

    B: 1759. 1759 — that’s 267 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan, Scotland, in”?

    1. 1951
    2. 1745
    3. 1561
    Show the answer

    B: 1745. 1745 — that’s 281 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan, Scotland, in
    2. Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland
    3. Seven Years' War: Having damaged several French vessels, British ships pursued
    Show the answer

    B: Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland. 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan, Scotland, in · 1561: Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland · 1759: Seven Years' War: Having damaged several French vessels, British ships pursued Find it on the page

  4. “Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland” happened in 1561. How many years ago was that?

    1. 455 years
    2. 465 years
    3. 475 years
    Show the answer

    B: 465 years. 2026 − 1561 = 465. Find it on the page

Born on this day 39

Famous people whose birthday is 19 August.

Remembering 21

Well-known people who died on 19 August.

Special days 17

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

For older readers 28 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 “August 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.