Calendar date · August

What happened on August 19

On August 19, -295: The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War.

Events

60

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Leo

Featured moment · -295

The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War.

Venus is a Roman goddess whose functions encompass love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the ancestor of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed her as his ancestor.

People

Born on August 19

Chae Hyun-woo 2004– South Korean footballer (born 2004)
Awak Kuier 2001– Finnish basketball player (born 2001)
Keegan Murray 2000– American basketball player (born 2000)
Ethan Cutkosky 1999– American actor (born 1999)
Thomas Flegler 1999– Australian rugby league footballer
Florentino Luís 1999– Portuguese footballer (born 1999)
Jung Ye-rin 1996– South Korean singer and actress (born 1996)
Lachlan Lewis 1996– Australian rugby league footballer (born 1996)
Nafissatou Thiam 1994– Belgian athlete (born 1994)
Show 9 more — notable births on August 19
Fernando Gaviria 1994– Colombian road racing cyclist
Pio Seci 1993– Fiji international rugby league footballer (born 1993)
David Rittich 1992– Czech ice hockey player (born 1992)
Salem Al-Dawsari 1991– Saudi Arabian footballer (born 1991)
Danny Galbraith 1990– Scottish footballer
Romeo Miller 1989– American rapper, singer, and actor (born 1989)
Kirk Cousins 1988– American football player (born 1988)
Veronica Roth 1988– American author (born 1988)
Patrick Chung 1987– Jamaican-American gridiron football player (born 1987)

People

Died on August 19

Maria Branyas American-born Catalan supercentenarian (1907–2024)
Václav Patejdl Slovak musician and composer (1954–2023)
Tekla Juniewicz Polish supercentenarian (1906–2022)
Sonny Chiba Japanese actor and martial artist (1939–2021)
Lars Larsen Danish businessman (1948–2019)
Dick Gregory American comedian, actor, writer, activist and social critic (1932–2017)
Jack Riley American actor (1935–2016)
George Houser Activist for African-American civil rights and African independence (1916–2015)
Sanat Mehta Indian politician and social activist
Show 9 more — notable deaths on August 19
Samih al-Qasim Palestinian Druze poet (1939–2014)
Simin Behbahani Persian poet (1927–2014)
James Foley American journalist (1973–2014)
Candida Lycett Green British author (1942–2014)
Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Saudi royal (1923–2013)
Russell S. Doughten American filmmaker
Abdul Rahim Hatif Afghan politician
Donna Hightower American singer-songwriter (1926–2013)
Donal Henahan American journalist (1921–2012)

Timeline

Every August 19 on record

  1. -295 The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War.

    Ancient Roman goddess of love, sex and fertility

    Venus is a Roman goddess whose functions encompass love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the ancestor of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed her as his ancestor.

  2. -43 In the wake of the murder of Julius Caesar, his nephew and heir, Octavian, uses the threat of military force to compel the Roman Senate to elect him Consul.

    Roman general and dictator (100–44 BC)

    Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general, statesman, and author who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. A member of the First Triumvirate, he led the Roman armies through the Gallic Wars and defeated his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil war. He consolidated power and proclaimed himself dictator for life in 44 BC, helping create the political conditions that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and the emergence of the Roman Empire.

  3. 947 Abu Yazid, a Kharijite rebel leader, is defeated and killed in the Hodna Mountains in modern-day Algeria by Fatimid forces.

    Kharijite Berber leader (c. 873–947)

    Abū Yazīd Makhlad ibn Kaydād, was a member of the Ibadi sect. He opposed the Ismaili Shia rule of the Fatimids in North Africa and sought to restore Ibadi dominance in the region. Known as the Man on the Donkey due to his humble means of transport, Abu Yazid led a rebellion against the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya starting in 944, rallying various Berber tribes and disaffected groups against the Fatimids.

  4. 1153 After a six month siege, Baldwin III of Jerusalem captures Ascalon, obtaining a vast amount of plunder and securing the southern border of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

    King of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163

    Baldwin III was the king of Jerusalem from 1143 until his death. Although he only took up sole rule in 1152 and died young, he was the longest-reigning of the 12th-century kings of Jerusalem. He expanded the borders of the kingdom, paved the way for the later kings' attempts to conquer Egypt, and acted as the defender of the other crusader states in the Levant.

  5. 1458 Pope Pius II is elected the 211th Pope.

    Head of the Catholic Church from 1458 to 1464

    Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464.

  6. 1504 In Ireland, the Hiberno-Norman de Burghs (Burkes) and Cambro-Norman Fitzgeralds fight in the Battle of Knockdoe.
  7. 1561 Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland after spending 13 years in France.
  8. 1604 Eighty Years War: a besieging Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Orange forces the Spanish garrison of Sluis to capitulate.
  9. 1666 Second Anglo-Dutch War: Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 116 to 160 merchant ships, an act later known as "Holmes's Bonfire".
  10. 1692 Salem witch trials: In Salem, province of Massachusetts Bay, Martha Carrier, George Jacobs Sr., John Proctor, John Willard, and clergyman George Burroughs are executed after being convicted of witchcraft.
  11. 1725 J. S. Bach leads the first performance of Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137, a cantata setting the unchanged text of Neander's hymn.
  12. 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart raises his standard in Glenfinnan: The start of the Second Jacobite Rebellion, known as "the 45".
  13. 1745 Ottoman–Persian War: In the Battle of Kars, the Ottoman army is routed by Persian forces led by Nader Shah.
  14. 1759 Battle of Lagos: Naval battle during the Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France.
  15. 1772 Gustav III of Sweden stages a coup d'état, in which he assumes power and enacts a new constitution that divides power between the Riksdag and the King.
Show 15 earlier entries from August 19
  1. 1782 American Revolutionary War: Battle of Blue Licks: The last major engagement of the war, almost ten months after the surrender of the British commander Charles Cornwallis following the Siege of Yorktown.
  2. 1812 War of 1812: American frigate USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada earning the nickname "Old Ironsides".
  3. 1813 Gervasio Antonio de Posadas joins Argentina's Second Triumvirate.
  4. 1839 The French government announces that Louis Daguerre's photographic process is a gift "free to the world".
  5. 1848 California Gold Rush: The New York Herald breaks the news to the East Coast of the United States of the gold rush in California (although the rush started in January).
  6. 1854 The First Sioux War begins when United States Army soldiers kill Lakota chief Conquering Bear and in return are massacred.
  7. 1861 First ascent of Weisshorn, fifth highest summit in the Alps.
  8. 1862 Dakota War: During an uprising in Minnesota, Lakota warriors decide not to attack heavily defended Fort Ridgely and instead turn to the settlement of New Ulm, killing white settlers along the way.
  9. 1903 The Transfiguration Uprising breaks out in East Thrace, resulting in the establishment of the Strandzha Commune.
  10. 1909 The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for automobile racing. William Bourque and his mechanic are killed during the first day's events.
  11. 1920 The Tambov Rebellion breaks out, in response to the Bolshevik policy of Prodrazvyorstka.
  12. 1927 Patriarch Sergius of Moscow proclaims the declaration of loyalty of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Soviet Union.
  13. 1934 The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton, Ohio.
  14. 1934 The German referendum of 1934 approves Adolf Hitler's appointment as head of state with the title of Führer.
  15. 1936 The Great Purge of the Soviet Union begins when the first of the Moscow Trials is convened.

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