Historical Events on August 19
- 1612: 3 women who hail from the village of Samlesbury, England are put on trial for practicing the dark arts of witchcraft. The trial of these 3 women, who were known as the Samlesbury witches, becomes one of the most famous witch trials in British history.
- 1666: Rear Admiral Robert Holmes attacks the Dutch island Terschelling during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
- 1692: 4 mean and 1 woman are convicted of witchcraft and subsequently executed in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials.
- 1782: The Battle of Blue Licks occurs on this day. It is the last major engagement of the American Revolutionary War.
- 1812: An American frigate known as the USS Constitution defeats the British frigate known as the HMS Guerriere off of the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.
- 1854: The U.S Army kills the Lakota Chief known as Conquering Bear. This results in them all being massacred, as well as the beginning of the First Sioux War.
- 1862: Lakota warriors turn their attack the a settlement known as New Ulm instead of trying to attack the heavily-fortified Fort Ridgely during the American Indian Wars.
- 1909: the first car race takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- 1919: Afghanistan gains its independence from the U.K.
- 1944: French forces, with the aid of Allied troops, rise up against German forces and become the Liberation of Paris.
- 1945: Led by Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh take power in Hanoi, Vietnam during what became known as the August Revolution.
Famous Birthdays on August 19
- English author and philosopher Gilbert Ryle is born in 1900.
- American poet Ogden Nash is born in 1902.
- American novelists James Gould Cozzens is born in 1903.
- American singer-songwriter Jimmy Rowles is born in 1918.
- American publisher Malcolm Forbes is born in 1919.
- American screenwriter, producer and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is born in 1921
- 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton is born in 1946.
- American actor John Stamos is born in 1963.
- American actor Kevin Dillon is born in 1965.
- American actress Kyra Sedgwick is born in 1965.