✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 50th day of the year

February 19

A look at February 19 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Nicolaus Copernicus, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♓ZodiacPisces ◈BirthstoneAmethyst ❀Birth flowerViolet
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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2011

    Belitung shipwreck

    The debut exhibition of the Belitung shipwreck, containing the largest collection of Tang dynasty artifacts found in one location, begins in Singapore.

    Archaeological discovery
  2. 2006

    Methane

    A methane explosion in a coal mine near Nueva Rosita, Mexico, kills 65 miners.

    Hydrocarbon compound (CH4) in
  3. 1965

    Phạm Ngọc Thảo

    Colonel 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.

    North Vietnamese spy (1922–1965)
  4. 1963

    Betty Friedan

    The 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.

    American feminist writer and
  5. 1959

    Cyprus

    The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.

    Island country in the
  6. 1948

    Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence

    The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta.

    1948 conference
  7. 1942

    World War II

    World War II: Nearly 250 Japanese warplanes attack the northern Australian city of Darwin, killing 243 people.

    1939–1945 global conflict
  8. 1937

    Yekatit 12

    Yekatit 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.

    1937 massacre of Ethiopians
  9. 1915

    World War I

    World 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.

    1914–1918 global conflict
  10. 197

    Septimius Severus

    Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.

    Roman emperor from 193
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Famous birthday twins

Born on February 19

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

b. 1960

second son of Elizabeth II

Nicolaus Copernicus

b. 1473

Prussian mathematician and astronomer

Danielle Bunten Berry

b. 1949

American game designer and programmer

Beth Ditto

b. 1981

American singer

Eddie Arcaro

b. 1916

American jockey and sportscaster

Paul Haarhuis

b. 1966

Dutch tennis player and coach

David Gross

b. 1941

American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

b. 1953

Argentine lawyer and politician, President of Argentina and Vice President of Argentina

Deaths

  • 2016Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher
  • 2001Stanley Kramer, American director and producer
  • 1997Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician, paramount leader and 1st Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
  • 1952Knut Hamsun, Norwegian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1951André Gide, French novelist, essayist, and dramatist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1897Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician and academic

Holidays & observances

  • —Army Day (Mexico)
  • —Brâncuși Day (Romania)
  • —Christian feast day: Barbatus of Benevento
  • —Christian feast day: Boniface of Brussels
  • —Christian feast day: Conrad of Piacenza
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Elisabetta Picenardi
  • —Christian feast day: Lucy Yi Zhenmei (one of Martyrs of Guizhou)
  • —Christian feast day: February 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

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