132 things happened on 19 October, from 202 BC to 2019. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1781 · 245 years ago
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 fig…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Three months after defeat at the Battle of Castillon, England lost its last possessions in southern France. This came at the very end of the Hundred Years' War. That was a long series of conflicts between England and France, which historians date from 1337 to 1453. Despite its name, it actually lasted 116 years.
UK story
King James VI of Scotland made a grand royal entry into Edinburgh to mark his coming of age. He was only 13 years old, and had spent his childhood at Stirling Castle. Now he was ready to rule as an adult. In 1603 he also became King of England and Ireland, joining the crowns together.
UK story
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 independence from Britain.
UK story
Members of Parliament met on a Saturday to discuss the Brexit deal, the plan for the UK leaving the European Union. Parliament does not normally sit at weekends. The last Saturday sitting had been on 3 April 1982, during the Falklands War. That made this a rare day in the history of Parliament.
UK story
British Conservative MPs vote to terminate the coalition government with the Liberal Party.
UK story
The British government restricted the broadcast of the voices of representatives from Sinn Féin and several Irish republican and loyalist paramilitary groups on television and radio.
A newspaper called The Pennsylvania Gazette printed a statement by Benjamin Franklin describing a kite experiment. Its aim was to show that lightning is a kind of electricity. Franklin was an American scientist, inventor and statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Lightning is extremely dangerous, so never try this yourself.
German scientist Max Planck discovered what is now called Planck's law. It describes the light and other radiation given off by a perfect 'black body' at a particular temperature. Planck is known as the originator of quantum theory. This branch of physics changed how scientists understand atoms and even tinier particles.
During the First World War, Allied forces began fighting German troops at the First Battle of Ypres. Ypres is a town in West Flanders, Belgium. The British Expeditionary Force fought there alongside French and Belgian armies. The battle was part of the Western Front, the long line of fighting that stretched across France and Belgium.
Fahrenheit 451, a novel by the American writer Ray Bradbury, was published. It imagines a future where books are banned and 'firemen' burn any that they find. The story follows a fireman called Guy Montag, who starts to question his job. In the end he decides to protect books and knowledge instead.
At a meeting of its members, the European Broadcasting Union agreed to stage the first Eurovision Song Contest. The union is a group of public broadcasters from many countries. The song contest idea was based on the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. The very first Eurovision was held the following year, in 1956.
Second Punic War: At the Battle of Zama, Roman legions under Scipio Africanus defeat Hannibal Barca, leader of the army defending Carthage.[citation needed]
The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa.
The Universität Heidelberg holds its first lecture, making it the oldest German university.
The Thirteen Years' War between Poland and the Teutonic Order ends with the Second Treaty of Thorn.
Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain.
Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology.
New Ross town in Ireland surrenders to Oliver Cromwell.
John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.
Treaty of Drottningholm, between Sweden and Russia
War of the Third Coalition: Austrian General Mack surrenders his army to Napoleon at the Battle of Ulm.
The French invasion of Russia fails when Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow.
War of the Sixth Coalition: Napoleon is forced to retreat from Germany after the Battle of Leipzig.
The novel Jane Eyre is published in London.
In accordance with the Treaty of Vienna, Austria cedes Veneto and Mantua to France, which immediately awards them to Italy in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the French annexation of Savoy and Nice.
Italo-Turkish War: Italy takes possession of what is now Libya from the Ottoman Empire.
The League of Nations places economic sanctions on Italy for its invasion of Ethiopia.
New York World-Telegram reporter Herbert Ekins won a race against two other New York newspaper journalists to travel around the world on commercial airline flights. He accomplished the feat in 18 ½ days. His opponents were New York Evening Journal reporter Dorothy Kilgallen, who finished in second place, and New York Times reporter Leo Kieran.
Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University.
United States forces land in the Philippines.
Presidents North Carolina Gave the Nation, a monument honoring three presidents of the United States, was dedicated at the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Korean War: The Battle of Pyongyang ends in a United Nations victory. Hours later, the Chinese Army begins crossing the border into Korea.
China defeats the Tibetan Army at Chambo.
Iran becomes the first country to accept technical assistance from the United States under the Point Four Program.
The Soviet Union and Japan sign a Joint Declaration, officially ending the state of war between the two countries that had existed since August 1945.
The United States imposes a near-total trade embargo against Cuba.
Vietnam War: The Siege of Plei Me began with the first major confrontation between soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army and the U.S. Army.
A group of ethnic Hutu military officers failed in their attempt to overthrow the Burundian government.
President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes.
Niue becomes a self-governing colony of New Zealand.
Iran–Iraq War: U.S. Navy forces destroyed two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf in response to an Iranian missile attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker three days earlier.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 22.6 percent on Black Monday, the largest one-day percentage decline in the stock market index's history.
Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II.
Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.
Hurricane Wilma (pictured) became the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 882 mbar (26.05 inHg).
Canadian astronomer Robert Weryk discovered ʻOumuamua (depicted), the first known interstellar object detected passing through the Solar System.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “British army surrenders at Yorktown”?
A: 1781. 1781 — that’s 245 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “England loses its last lands in southern France”?
A: 1453. 1453 — that’s 573 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: England loses its last lands in southern France. 1781: British army surrenders at Yorktown · 1579: Thirteen-year-old James VI begins his adult rule in Edinburgh · 1453: England loses its last lands in southern France Find it on the page
“Thirteen-year-old James VI begins his adult rule in Edinburgh” happened in 1579. How many years ago was that?
C: 447 years. 2026 − 1579 = 447. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 19 October.
UK story
The English author Philip Pullman was born. He is best known for His Dark Materials, a fantasy trilogy. Its first book, Northern Lights, won the Carnegie Medal and was later named the 'Carnegie of Carnegies'. In 2017 he began a second trilogy set in the same world, called The Book of Dust.
UK story
The actor Michael Gambon was born. Many people know him as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, a role he played from 2004 to 2011. He also had a long stage career and acted in many plays by William Shakespeare. In 1998 he was knighted for his services to drama.
Well-known people who died on 19 October.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 19 October somewhere in the world.
UK story
Oxfordshire Day celebrates the historic English county of Oxfordshire. The date is also the main feast day of St Frideswide. She is the patron saint of both the city and the University of Oxford. A patron saint is a saint who is believed to look after a particular place or group of people.
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 “October 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.