Vintage News · Odd history for February 19

What Happened On February 19

Q: What happened on February 19?

1600: The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America. 1878: Thomas Edison patents the phonograph. 1847: The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party. 1836: King William IV signs Letters Patent establishing the province of South Australia. 1807: Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama, and confined to Fort Stoddert. 2026: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor became the first member of the British royal family to be arrested in 379 years. 2011: Items from the Belitung shipwreck, the largest single collection of Tang-dynasty artefacts found in one location, were first exhibited in Singapore. 1963: 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. 1600: Huaynaputina, a stratovolcano in present-day Peru, produced the largest recorded volcanic explosion in South America. 2026: 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)

46 events and 199 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 19 February →

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10 odd things that happened on February 19

1600 Oddly true
The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America.
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1878 Oddly true
Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1847 First ever
The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party.
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1836 Oddly true
King William IV signs Letters Patent establishing the province of South Australia.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1807 Oddly true
Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama, and confined to Fort Stoddert.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2026 First ever
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor became the first member of the British royal family to be arrested in 379 years.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2011 First ever
Items from the Belitung shipwreck, the largest single collection of Tang-dynasty artefacts found in one location, were first exhibited in Singapore.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1963 First ever
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.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1600 Oddly true
Huaynaputina, a stratovolcano in present-day Peru, produced the largest recorded volcanic explosion in South America.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2026 Oddly true
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)
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2026The 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea officially opens in Pyongyang and lasts for 7 days. (from February 19th to February 25th, 2026) Wikipedia →
2021Mya Thwe Thwe Khine, a 19-year-old protester, becomes the first known casualty of anti-coup protests that formed in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. Wikipedia →
2020Nine people are killed in two domestic terrorist shootings in Hanau, Hesse, Germany. Wikipedia →
2012Forty-four people are killed in a prison brawl in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico. Wikipedia →
2011The debut exhibition of the Belitung shipwreck, containing the largest collection of Tang dynasty artifacts found in one location, begins in Singapore. Wikipedia →
2006A methane explosion in a coal mine near Nueva Rosita, Mexico, kills 65 miners. Wikipedia →
2003An Ilyushin Il-76 military aircraft crashes near Kerman, Iran, killing 275. Wikipedia →
2002NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system. Wikipedia →
1989Flying Tiger Line Flight 066 crashes into a hill near Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Malaysia, killing four. Wikipedia →
1988A Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner operating as AVAir Flight 3378 crashes in Cary, North Carolina, killing 12. Wikipedia →
1986Akkaraipattu massacre: the Sri Lankan Army massacres 80 Tamil farm workers in eastern Sri Lanka. Wikipedia →
1985William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital. Wikipedia →
1985A Boeing 727 operating as Iberia Flight 610 crashes Mount Oiz in Spain, killing 148; it is the deadliest accident to occur in Iberia's history and the deadliest to occur in Basque County. Wikipedia →
1985China Airlines Flight 006 experiences an aircraft upset over the Pacific Ocean, injuring 24. Wikipedia →
1978Egyptian forces raid Larnaca International Airport in an attempt to intervene in a hijacking, without authorisation from the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The Cypriot National Guard and Police forces kill 15 Egyptian commandos and destroy the Egyptian C-130 transport plane in open combat. Wikipedia →
1976Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald Ford's Proclamation 4417. Wikipedia →
1965Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and a communist spy of the North Vietnamese Viet Minh, along with Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Trần Thiện Khiêm, all Catholics, attempt a coup against the military junta of the Buddhist Nguyễn Khánh. Wikipedia →
1963The publication of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique reawakens the feminist movement in the United States as women's organizations and consciousness raising groups spread. Wikipedia →
1960China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket. Wikipedia →
1959The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960. Wikipedia →
1954Transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. Wikipedia →
1949Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University. Wikipedia →
1948The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima: About 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima. Wikipedia →
1943World War II: Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia begins. Wikipedia →
1942World War II: Nearly 250 Japanese warplanes attack the northern Australian city of Darwin, killing 243 people. Wikipedia →
1942World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps. Wikipedia →
1937Yekatit 12: During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Ethiopian nationalists of Eritrean origin attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades. Wikipedia →
1915World War I: The first naval attack on the Dardanelles begins when a strong Anglo-French task force bombards Ottoman artillery along the coast of Gallipoli. Wikipedia →
1913Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country. Wikipedia →
1884More than sixty tornadoes strike the Southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. Wikipedia →
1878Thomas Edison patents the phonograph. Wikipedia →
1847The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party. Wikipedia →
1846In 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. Wikipedia →
1836King William IV signs Letters Patent establishing the province of South Australia. Wikipedia →
1819British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands. Wikipedia →
1807Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama, and confined to Fort Stoddert. Wikipedia →
1726The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia. Wikipedia →
1714Great Northern War: The battle of Napue between Sweden and Russia is fought in Isokyrö, Ostrobothnia. Wikipedia →
1674England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England. Wikipedia →
1649The Second Battle of Guararapes takes place, effectively ending Dutch colonization efforts in Brazil. Wikipedia →
1600The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America. Wikipedia →
1594Having 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. Wikipedia →
607Pope Boniface III is consecrated in Rome. Wikipedia →
356The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan idols in the Roman Empire. Wikipedia →
197Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2018The Guardian
A less timid version of Justin Trudeau won’t cut it. The NDP must be bolder
Martin Lukacs: To challenge the Liberals, Jagmeet Singh will have to overthrow Canada’s neoliberal consensus
Read on The Guardian →
2016The Guardian
The Guardian view on the Brussels summit deal: Cameron delivers a practical package
Editorial: The prime minister did not need to recast Britain’s relationship with the EU but the deal he announced las…
Read on The Guardian →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.