Vintage News · Odd history for October 19

What Happened On October 19

Q: What happened on October 19?

2005: Hurricane Wilma (pictured) became the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 882 mbar (26.05 inHg). 2025: Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are successfully stolen during a heist on the Louvre Museum in Paris.. 2005: Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb. 1752: The Pennsylvania Gazette published a statement by Benjamin Franklin describing a kite experiment (depicted) to determine the electrical nature of lightning. 1812: The French invasion of Russia fails when Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow. 1864: American Civil War: The Battle of Cedar Creek ends the last Confederate threat to Washington, DC. 1789: John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States. 1453: Hundred Years' War: Three months after the Battle of Castillon, England loses its last possessions in southern France. 1386: The Universität Heidelberg holds its first lecture, making it the oldest German university. 2017: Canadian astronomer Robert Weryk discovered ʻOumuamua (depicted), the first known interstellar object detected passing through the Solar System.

56 events and 255 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 19 October →

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10 odd things that happened on October 19

2005 Oddly true
Hurricane Wilma (pictured) became the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 882 mbar (26.05 inHg).
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2025 Oddly true
Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are successfully stolen during a heist on the Louvre Museum in Paris..
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2005 Oddly true
Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1752 Oddly true
The Pennsylvania Gazette published a statement by Benjamin Franklin describing a kite experiment (depicted) to determine the electrical nature of lightning.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1812 Weird
The French invasion of Russia fails when Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1864 Oddly true
American Civil War: The Battle of Cedar Creek ends the last Confederate threat to Washington, DC.
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1789 First ever
John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1453 Oddly true
Hundred Years' War: Three months after the Battle of Castillon, England loses its last possessions in southern France.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1386 First ever
The Universität Heidelberg holds its first lecture, making it the oldest German university.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2017 First ever
Canadian astronomer Robert Weryk discovered ʻOumuamua (depicted), the first known interstellar object detected passing through the Solar System.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2025Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are successfully stolen during a heist on the Louvre Museum in Paris.. Wikipedia →
2019Members of Parliament met at the House of Lords to discuss the United Kingdom's Brexit deal, this was the first Saturday sitting in Parliament since 3 April 1982 during the Falklands War. Wikipedia →
2013One hundred and five people are injured in a train crash in Buenos Aires. Wikipedia →
2012A bomb explosion kills eight people and injures 110 more in Lebanon. Wikipedia →
2005Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity. Wikipedia →
2005Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb. Wikipedia →
2004Thirteen people are killed when Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Adair County, Missouri, while on approach to Kirksville Regional Airport. Wikipedia →
2003Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II. Wikipedia →
2001SIEV X, an Indonesian fishing boat en route to Christmas Island, carrying over 400 migrants, sinks in international waters with the loss of 353 people. Wikipedia →
1989The convictions of the Guildford Four are quashed by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, after they had spent 15 years in prison. Wikipedia →
1988The British government imposes a broadcasting ban on television and radio interviews with members of Sinn Féin and eleven Irish republican and Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups. Wikipedia →
1987The United States Navy conducts Operation Nimble Archer, an attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. Wikipedia →
1987Black Monday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points. Wikipedia →
1986The president of Mozambique and a prominent leader of FRELIMO, along with 33 others, die when their aircraft crashes into the Lebombo Mountains. Wikipedia →
1974Niue becomes a self-governing colony of New Zealand. Wikipedia →
1973President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes. Wikipedia →
1960The United States imposes a near-total trade embargo against Cuba. Wikipedia →
1956The Soviet Union and Japan sign a Joint Declaration, officially ending the state of war between the two countries that had existed since August 1945. Wikipedia →
1955The General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union approves the staging of the first Eurovision Song Contest. Wikipedia →
1953Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is published. Wikipedia →
1950China defeats the Tibetan Army at Chambo. Wikipedia →
1950Korean War: The Battle of Pyongyang ends in a United Nations victory. Hours later, the Chinese Army begins crossing the border into Korea. Wikipedia →
1950Iran becomes the first country to accept technical assistance from the United States under the Point Four Program. Wikipedia →
1948Presidents 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. Wikipedia →
1944United States forces land in the Philippines. Wikipedia →
1944A coup is launched against Juan Federico Ponce Vaides, beginning the ten-year Guatemalan Revolution. Wikipedia →
1943The cargo vessel Sinfra is attacked by Allied aircraft at Crete and sunk. Two thousand and ninety-eight Italian prisoners of war drown with it. Wikipedia →
1943Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University. Wikipedia →
1936New 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. Wikipedia →
1935The League of Nations places economic sanctions on Italy for its invasion of Ethiopia. Wikipedia →
1922British Conservative MPs vote to terminate the coalition government with the Liberal Party. Wikipedia →
1921The Portuguese Prime Minister and several officials are murdered in the Bloody Night coup. Wikipedia →
1914World War I: The First Battle of Ypres begins. Wikipedia →
1912Italo-Turkish War: Italy takes possession of what is now Libya from the Ottoman Empire. Wikipedia →
1900Max Planck discovers Planck's law of black-body radiation. Wikipedia →
1866In 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. Wikipedia →
1864American Civil War: The Battle of Cedar Creek ends the last Confederate threat to Washington, DC. Wikipedia →
1864American Civil War: Confederate agents based in Canada rob three banks in Saint Albans, Vermont. Wikipedia →
1847The novel Jane Eyre is published in London. Wikipedia →
1813War of the Sixth Coalition: Napoleon is forced to retreat from Germany after the Battle of Leipzig. Wikipedia →
1812The French invasion of Russia fails when Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow. Wikipedia →
1805War of the Third Coalition: Austrian General Mack surrenders his army to Napoleon at the Battle of Ulm. Wikipedia →
1791Treaty of Drottningholm, between Sweden and Russia Wikipedia →
1789John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States. Wikipedia →
1781American Revolutionary War: The siege of Yorktown comes to an end. Wikipedia →
1662An English Buccaneer force led by Royal Navy commodore Christopher Myngs launches an attack on Santiago de Cuba which is subsequently sacked. Wikipedia →
1649New Ross town in Ireland surrenders to Oliver Cromwell. Wikipedia →
1596The Spanish ship San Felipe runs aground on the coast of Japan and its cargo is confiscated by local authorities. Wikipedia →
1579James VI of Scotland is celebrated as an adult ruler by a festival in Edinburgh. Wikipedia →
1512Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology. Wikipedia →
1469Ferdinand 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. Wikipedia →
1466The Thirteen Years' War between Poland and the Teutonic Order ends with the Second Treaty of Thorn. Wikipedia →
1453Hundred Years' War: Three months after the Battle of Castillon, England loses its last possessions in southern France. Wikipedia →
1386The Universität Heidelberg holds its first lecture, making it the oldest German university. Wikipedia →
439The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa. Wikipedia →
202 BCSecond Punic War: At the Battle of Zama, Roman legions under Scipio Africanus defeat Hannibal Barca, leader of the army defending Carthage.[citation needed] Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2022The Guardian
The Coalition is seeing red (meat) over the methane pledge – but it’s not just about burping cattle
About half of the CO2-equivalent caused by releasing methane in Australia comes from agriculture. The rest comes main…
Read on The Guardian →
2020The Guardian
Georgia: two rightwing Republicans face Democrat in special election debate
GOP rivals Kelly Loeffler and Doug Collins face Raphael Warnock in virtual debate for Senate seat race with no primary
Read on The Guardian →
1975The New York Times
What's New in Animated Films? Sex, Gluttony and Computers:What's New in Animated Films?
Ralph Bakshi revived public interest in animation as a medium for the seventies with a trio of controversial cartoon…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

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