/year

February 19 in history

197 sourced entries recorded on February 19, from 197 CE to 2025 CE. Every line is quoted from the revision it came from.

Events

  • 197Battle of Lugdunum: Emperor Septimius Severus defeats the self-proclaimed emperor Clodius Albinus at Lugdunum (modern Lyon). Albinus commits suicide; legionaries sack the town.source
  • 356Emperor Constantius II issues a decree closing all pagan temples in the Roman Empire, and ordering the banishment once again of the anti-Arian patriarch of Alexandria, Athanasius. He tries to have him arrested during a vigil service, but Athanasius flees to the Nitrian desert in Upper Egypt.source
  • 607The vacancy (sede vacante) that has existed on the papal throne, since the death last year of Sabinian, ends with the election of a Rome-born deacon of the Catholic Church. Pope Boniface III is appointed as the 66th pope, but dies the same year.source
  • 842The Medieval Iconoclastic Controversy ends, as a council in Constantinople formally reinstates the veneration of icons in the churches.source
  • 1184Second Battle of Uji: Japanese forces under Minamoto no Yoshinaka are defeated by his cousins, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Yoritomo, for the control of Japan.source
  • 1274Comtat Venaissin in southern France was ceded to the Papal States.source
  • 1291Philip IV of France, Alfonso III of Aragón, Charles II of Naples and Pope Nicholas IV signed the Treaty of Tarascon to formalize the end of Aragonese Crusade.source
  • 1302The Italian artist Cimabue completes construction of the image of John the Evangelist, a major portion of the mosaic Christ Enthroned, in the Pisa Cathedral, after 94 days. Cimabue dies shortly afterward, and the full mosaic will not be completed until 1320.source
  • 1327Other Silesian nobles follow the example of Casimir of Cieszyn at Opava and swear homage to King John of Bohemia, including the Piast nobles Leszek of Racibórz, Siemowit of Bytom and George of Bytom.source
  • 1349Jewish persecutions during the Black Death: The entire Jewish community in the remote German village of Saulgau is wiped out.source
  • 1376Jan III becomes the new Duke of Oświęcim in Poland upon the death of his father, Jan II of Oświęcim.source
  • 1378In England, John Wycliffe, who has been trying to promote ideas for Catholic reform and has published a tract outlining his theses, appears at the Church of St. Paul before a group of bishops headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon of Sudbury, to defend his actions. With a citation having directed him to appear "on the thirtieth court-day" after receipt, Wycliffe arrives before the bishops to proceed with trial, but proceedings are halted when Sir Lewis Clifford, dispatched by Joan of Kent, Princess of Wales, acting as the regent for her son, King Richard II the Kingdom, directs that the bishops are "not to presume to determine anything against John Wycliffe. According to a chronicler, "Struck with terror, they at once abandoned the business of their meeting," but they subsequently order Wycliffe to appear at Lambeth in March.source
  • 1388Chief Justice Robert Tresilian, one of the five advisors to King Richard convicted of treason in absentia, is discovered hiding in sanctuary at Westminster and is dragged by a mob into the Parliament. Because he was already convicted, Tresilian is hanged in publicon the same day.source
  • 1399The Principality of Piombino is formed after Prince Gherardo Appiani sells the city of Pisa to the Duchy of Milan for 200,000 florins and possession of five cities and three islands (including Elba).source
  • 1402Sigismund of Křižanov, Prokop of Luxemburg and King Wenceslas IV of Bohemia carry out an unsuccessful raid on the military garrison of Jihlava in an attack against the Kingdom of Croatia, led by Sigismund of Luxembourg. The Bohemians are routed, and Wenceslas is captured.source
  • 1408Battle of Bramham Moor: A royalist army defeats the last remnants of the Percy Rebellion.source
  • 1541Petru Rareș becomes the Prince of Moldavia for a second time, overthrowing the Voivode Alexandru Cornea at Suceava (now in Romania) at the direction of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman.source
  • 1564Armistice between Sweden and Denmark-Norway in Swedish Estonia.source
  • 1572Harrow School is founded, with a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I of England.source
  • 1594The coronation of Sigismund III Vasa as King of Sweden takes place at Uppsala.source
  • 1600The Huaynaputina volcano in Peru erupts, in what is still the worst recorded volcanic eruption in South America.source
  • 1616The first recorded eruption of Mayon Volcano, the Philippines' most active volcano, takes place.source
  • 1618Richard Wingfield is created first Viscount Powerscourt.source
  • 1619Ove Gjedde captures two French privateers off Cape Verde.source
  • 1624The last parliament of King James I of England begins its session.source
  • 1624King Filipe III of Portugal issues a decree prohibiting the enslavement of Chinese people in Portugal or in its colonies.source
  • 1662A royal decree introduces the subdivision Amt as a replacement for the len subdivision.source
  • 1674England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. Its provisions come into effect gradually (see November 10).source
  • 1679Ajit Singh Rathore becomes the new Maharaja of the Jodhpur State a principality in India also known as Marwar, located in the modern-day Rajasthan state.source
  • 1682William Sheridan consecrated Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh in the Church of Ireland.source
  • 1683the Evans Baronetcy, of Kilcreene in the County of Kilkenny, is created in the Baronetage of Ireland in favour of William Evans.source
  • 1692Princess Anne leaves the court after quarrelling with her sister, Queen Mary.source
  • 1709Tokugawa Ienobu becomes the sixth shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan, after the death of the shōgun Tsunayoshi, who had been head of government since 1680.source
  • 1719Queen Ulrika Eleonora signs the new constitution.source
  • 1719The execution of Georg Heinrich von Görtz.source
  • 1731Empress Anna Ioannovna signed a decree accepting the Young Horde of the Kazakh Khanate under Russian protection. This act marked the beginning of Kazakhstan's gradual integration into the Russian Empire.source
  • 1746Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, issues a proclamation offering an amnesty to participants in the Jacobite rebellion, directing them that they can avoid punishment if they turn their weapons in to their local Presbyterian church.source
  • 1766Thomas Kymer is granted an Act of Parliament allowing him to construct the Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal.source
  • 1767The Earl of Shelburne, British Secretary of State for the Southern Department (which has jurisdiction over Britain's American colonies) fires the unpopular Governor of West Florida, George Johnstone, and summons him back to London.source
  • 1777the Langrishe Baronetcy, of Knocktopher Abbey in the County of Kilkenny, is created in the Baronetage of Ireland for Hercules Langrishe, Member of Parliament for Knocktopher in the Irish House of Commons.source
  • 1780The legislature of New York votes to allow its delegates to cede a portion of its western territory to the Continental Congress for the common benefit of the war.source
  • 1787William Herschel first uses the 40-foot telescope under construction for him at Slough.source
  • 1797Treaty of Tolentino: Pope Pius VI signs a peace treaty with Revolutionary France. He is forced to deliver works of art, treasures, territory, the Comtat Venaissin, and 30 million francs.source
  • 1803An Act of Mediation, issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, establishes the Swiss Confederation to replace the Helvetic Republic. Under the terms of the act, Graubünden, St. Gallen, Thurgau, the Ticino and Vaud become Swiss cantons.source
  • 1803Ohio is admitted as the 17th U.S. state.source
  • 1807Burr conspiracy: In Alabama, former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is tried for conspiracy, but acquitted.source
  • 1807Burr conspiracy: Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested on charges of treason. He is accused of plotting to annex parts of Louisiana and Mexico to become part of an independent republic.source
  • 1811Peninsular War – Battle of the Gebora: An outnumbered French force under Édouard Mortier routs and nearly destroys the Spanish, near Badajoz, Spain.source
  • 1819Captain William Smith sights Williams Point, the northeast extremity of Livingston Island in the South Shetlands, the first land discovered south of latitude 60° S.source
  • 1819William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands in the Antarctic.source
  • 1828The Boston Society for Medical Improvement is established in the United States.source
  • 1828The Boston Society for Medical Improvement is established.source
  • 1841The Governor Fenner, carrying emigrants to America, sinks off Holyhead after colliding with a steamer, with the loss of 123 lives.source
  • 1846Texas annexation: United States president James K. Polk's annexation of the Republic of Texas is finalized by Texas president Anson Jones in a formal ceremony of transfer of sovereignty. The newly formed Texas state government is officially installed in Austin.source
  • 1849Theatre Royal disaster: 65 people, almost all under the age of 20, are crushed to death in a panic caused by a small fire in the Theatre Royal, Dunlop Street, Glasgow.source
  • 1852Phi Kappa Psi fraternity is founded in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, at Jefferson College.source
  • 1857Lundhill Colliery explosion at Wombwell in the South Yorkshire Coalfield kills 189 miners.source
  • 1862Gethin Pit disaster, Abercanaid: the first of two firedamp explosions at this colliery near Merthyr Tydfil kills 47 men and boys.source
  • 1867Battle of Inlon River: The Qing dynasty defeats the Nien rebels in Hubei, China.source
  • 1868In the Passage of Humaitá, a Brazilian naval force succeeds in dashing past a Paraguayan fortress on the River Paraguay, considered by some the turning point in the Paraguayan War.source
  • 1872The Municipal District of Dubbo is established, following the approval of the Colonial Secretary.source
  • 1876Third Carlist War: Government troops under General Primo de Rivera drive through the weak Carlist forces protecting Estella and take the city by storm.source
  • 1877April 12 - Siege of Kumamoto Castlesource
  • 1878The phonograph is patented by Thomas Edison.source
  • 1881First Wales national game, played at Blackheath against England. Wales lose heavily.source
  • 1881Kansas becomes the first U.S. state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.source
  • 1883Pacifist leaders Te Whiti o Rongomai and To hu are released from prison, where they had been held without trial since November 1881.source
  • 1893February 11–19 – White Star Line cargo liner SS Naronic sinks without a trace in heavy seas on the Liverpool–New York transatlantic passage.source
  • 1896Braamfontein Explosion: A train carrying 56 tons of dynamite explodes at Braamfontein, Johannesburg, killing more than 78 people.source
  • 1896A train carrying 56 tons of dynamite explodes at Braamfontein, Johannesburg, killing more than 78 people.source
  • 1897World's first Women's Institute founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario.source
  • 1903Cape Central – Swellendam to Riversdale, 64 mi.source
  • 1913Mexican Revolution: With Madero and Pino Suárez removed, Pedro Lascuráin serves as President for less than an hour, before General Victoriano Huerta, leader of the coup, takes office.source
  • 1913Victoriano Huerta elected presidentsource
  • 1913February 9–19 — Ten Tragic Dayssource
  • 1918February 19–25 – WWI: The Imperial Russian Navy evacuates Tallinn through thick ice, over the Gulf of Finland.source
  • 1919February 16–21 – Estonian War of Independence: Uniformed peasants in Saaremaa rebel against the government of Estonia; the rebellion is crushed by government forces, leaving more than 200 dead.source
  • 1920February 12–24 – Conference of London: Leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Italy meet to discuss the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire.source
  • 1921The French Third Republic and Second Polish Republic form a defensive alliance.source
  • 1922First issue of Borba, the newsletter of the banned Yugoslav Communist Party, published in Zagreb.source
  • 1927A general strike takes place in Shanghai in protest against the presence of British troops.source
  • 1927In the United States, the silent romantic comedy film It starring Clara Bow, is released, popularising the concept of the "It girl".source
  • 1928February 11 – 19 – The 1928 Winter Olympics are held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the first as a separate event. Sonja Henie of Norway wins her first gold medal, in women's figure skating.source
  • 1931The Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia is dissolved and reformed as the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, an autonomous republic of Soviet Georgia, resulting in public protests.source
  • 1932Halkevleri, a project to educate citizens mostly in rural areas, open.source
  • 1936February 10–19 – Second Italo-Ethiopian War: Battle of Amba Aradam – Italian forces gain a decisive tactical victory, effectively neutralizing the army of the Ethiopian Empire.source
  • 1937The red, white and blue colours of the flag of the Netherlands are confirmed by royal decree.source
  • 1937Yekatit 12: During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Eritrean nationalists attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades. Italian security guards fire into the crowd of Ethiopian onlookers. Authorities exact further reprisals, which include indiscriminately slaughtering native Ethiopians over the next 3 days, detaining thousands of Ethiopians at Danan and slaughtering almost 300 monks at the Debre Libanos Monastery.source
  • 1937Airliner VH-UHH (Stinson) goes down over Lamington National Park, bound for Sydney, killing 5 people.source
  • 193821 people working on the Wairoa-Gisborne railway are drowned when a flash flood hits a works camp at Kopuawhara near Mahia.source
  • 1942President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, allowing the United States military to define areas as exclusionary zones. These zones affect the Japanese on the West Coast, and Germans and Italians primarily on the East Coast.source
  • 1942Bombing of Darwin: The Japanese 1st Air Fleet under Admiral Chūichi Nagumo bombs Darwin, Australia. This force comprises the aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Hiryū and Sōryū and a powerful force of escorting surface ships. During the attack, 188 planes led by Mitsuo Fuchida destroy 11 vessels and wreck a lot of the harbor infrastructure, killing some 240 people.source
  • 1946Tore Schei, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norwaysource
  • 1948An Avro Lincoln bomber crashes at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland, killing 16 Royal Australian Air Force personnel.source
  • 1948The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta.source
  • 1950Konrad Adenauer tries unsuccessfully to negotiate with East Germany, to begin reunification.source
  • 1951A CIA confidential report that was released in 2010 stated there was an alleged bombing of the Soviet Embassy in the capital city of Tirana which initially killed eight people and wounded six others. Immediately after the explosion, 12 more, including six policemen and an Albanian deputy, were killed after the Albanian Security Police allegedly opened fire on the crowd. One thousand more were arrested after this incident.source
  • 1951Jean Lee becomes the last woman hanged in Australia, when she and her two pimps are hanged for the murder and torture of a 73-year-old bookmaker.source
  • 1952Knut Hamsun, author, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate (born 1859)source
  • 1952February 14–25 – The Winter Olympics are held in Oslo, Norway.source
  • 1953Georgia approves the first literature censorship board in the United States.source
  • 19541954 transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.source
  • 1955The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established, at a meeting in Bangkok.source
  • 1956February 14–25 – The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is held in Moscow.source
  • 1958February 19–20 – Rt Hon Ellen Fairclough first woman to assume the duties of Prime Minister for two days during John Diefenbaker's absence from the country.source
  • 1959First of the London and Zürich Agreements under which the United Kingdom agrees to grant independence to Cyprus.source
  • 1964the andacollo tragedy occurs, in which 7 miners were buried alive in the flor de té copper mine. later they would be rescued with the help of relatives and miners in the area.source
  • 1968The television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood premieres on National Educational Television in the United States and becomes one of the longest running children's shows ever.source
  • 1972Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972source
  • 1975The first SAFRA clubhouse is opened in Toa Payoh.source
  • 1978Egyptian raid on Larnaca International Airport: Egyptian Special Forces attempt to rescue several hostages in Larnaca, Cyprus; 20 Egyptian commandos are injured or killed.source
  • 1981February 17–22 – Pope John Paul II visits the Philippines.source
  • 1981February 17–22 – First papal visit of Pope John Paul II in the country; during the visit, he beatified Lorenzo Ruiz.source
  • 1982February 11-19: the 1982 Amílcar Cabral Cup took place in Praiasource
  • 1982The Boeing 757 is flown for the first time.source
  • 1984February 8–19 – The 1984 Winter Olympics are held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.source
  • 1985William J. Schroeder becomes the first patient with an artificial heart to leave the hospital.source
  • 1985Iberia Airlines Flight 610 crashes, killing all 148 on board.source
  • 1986The United States Senate approves a treaty outlawing genocide.source
  • 1986King Hussein of Jordan declares the failure of the Palestinian-Jordanian Joint Action Agreement signed in 1985. In his declaration, Hussein accuses the PLO of breaking their promise to recognise United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 338.source
  • 1986Akkaraipattu massacre: Approximately 80 Sri Lankan Tamil farm workers were allegedly killed by the Sri Lankan Army personnel and their bodies were found burnt in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.source
  • 1986The Soviet Union launches the Mir space station.source
  • 1988A cease-fire is declared, ending the Thai–Laotian Border War.source
  • 1988ceasefire agreement ends Thai–Laotian Border War.source
  • 1994Yitzhak Yitzhaky (born 1936), Israeli educator and politician.source
  • 1999Hugo Gonzalez, swimmersource
  • 2000Goran Karan won Dora 2000 to become Croatia's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "Kad zaspu anđeli".source
  • 2001The 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak begins.source
  • 2002NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.source
  • 2007Microblogging social network Tumblr is launched to the public.source
  • 2010the court case Philip Morris v. Uruguay begins.source
  • 2011April 2 – The 2011 Cricket World Cup is held in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka with India defeating Sri Lanka in the final.source
  • 2012Iran suspends oil exports to Britain and France, following sanctions put in place by the European Union and the United States in January.source
  • 2013A Yemeni Air Force plane crashes in Sana'a, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others.source
  • 20172000 people spread the march of the 2017 Belarusian protests from the capital of Minsk to other cities in Belarus against a 2015 tax law.source
  • 2017The Ecuadorian general election was held alongside a referendum on tax havens. In the first round of the presidential elections, PAIS Alliance candidate Lenín Moreno received 39% of the vote, while his nearest rival was Guillermo Lasso of the Creating Opportunities party, and a second election round was required.source
  • 201919 February 2019 – The Tajikistan Football Federation announces that the season will consist of Istiklol, Khujand, Kuktosh, Regar-TadAZ, Khatlon, CSKA Pamir, Panjshir and Istaravshan.source
  • 2025The government declares a dengue fever outbreak after rising cases nationwide.source

Births

  • 1461Domenico Grimani, Italian nobleman (died 1523)source
  • 1473Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer and mathematician (died 1543)source
  • 1497Matthäus Schwarz, German fashion writer (died 1574)source
  • 1526Charles de L'Ecluse, Flemish botanist (died 1609)source
  • 1532Jean-Antoine de Baïf, French poet and member of the Pléiade (died 1589)source
  • 1532Jean-Antoine de Baïf, poet and member of La Pléiade (d.1589)source
  • 1552Melchior Klesl, Austrian statesman and cardinal (died 1630)source
  • 1594Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, elder son of King James I & VI and Anne of Denmark (died 1612)source
  • 1594Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (died 1612 in England)source
  • 1611Andries de Graeff, Dutch politician (died 1678)source
  • 1630Shivaji, Indian warrior king, founder of the Maratha Kingdom (died 1680)source
  • 1643Bolle Luxdorph, civil servant and landowner (died 1698 in Sweden)source
  • 1712Arthur Devis, English painter (died 1787)source
  • 1717David Garrick, English actor (died 1779)source
  • 1817King William III of the Netherlands (died 1890)source
  • 1865Sven Hedin, Swedish scientist, explorer (died 1952)source
  • 1876Constantin Brâncuși, Romanian sculptor (died 1957)source
  • 1880Álvaro Obregón, 39th President of Mexico (died 1928)source
  • 1953Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentine lawyer and politician, President of Argentina and Vice President of Argentinasource
  • 1960Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, British former prince and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburghsource
  • 1995Nikola Jokić, Serbian basketball playersource
  • 1998Chappell Roan, American singer and songwritersource
  • 2005Alma Deutscher, British composer and former child prodigysource

Deaths

  • 197Clodius Albinus, Roman general and usurpersource
  • 446Leontius of Trier, Bishop of Triersource
  • 1133Irene Doukaina, Byzantine empress (born 1066)source
  • 1138Irene Doukaina, Byzantine empresssource
  • 1274Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Afghan Sufi poet (born 1177)source
  • 1300Munio of Zamora, Spanish friar and bishop (born 1237)source
  • 1301Pietro Gerra, Italian cleric, archbishop and patriarchsource
  • 1351Jean II des Granges, Abbott of Bec Abbeysource
  • 1369Abu Ishaq Ibrahim II, the Muslim Caliph of Tunis, is killed in a shipwreck at the age of 32 and is succeeded by his 12-year-old son Abu-al-Baqa Khalid II.source
  • 1408Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf, English rebel (in battle)source
  • 1414Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (born 1353)source
  • 1434In India, Mubarak Shah II, the Sultan of Delhi, is assassinated. His nephew, Muhammad Shah IV becomes the new Sultan.source
  • 1445Leonor of Aragon, queen of Portugal (born 1402)source
  • 1491Enno I, Count of East Frisia (1466–1491) (born 1460)source
  • 1505Matilda of Hesse, German noblewoman (born 1473)source
  • 1564Francisco Coutinho III, Count of Redondo and the Viceroy of Portuguese India, dies and is succeeded by João de Mendonça Furtadosource
  • 1590Philipp IV, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (born 1514)source
  • 1596Blaise de Vigenère, French cryptographer, diplomat, scientist, and author (born 1523)source
  • 1596Blaise de Vigenère, diplomat, cryptographer, translator and alchemist (born 1523)source
  • 1622Sir Henry Savile, English educator (born 1549)source
  • 1635Franco Burgersdijk, Dutch logician (born 1590)source
  • 1654Edmund Chilmead, writer (born 1610)source
  • 1658Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester (born 1612)source
  • 1689Khushal Khattak, Afghan poet (born 1613)source
  • 1696Giovanni Pietro Bellori, Italian painter and biographer (born 1613)source
  • 1709Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shōgun (born 1646)source
  • 1716Dorothe Engelbretsdotter, hymn and poem writer (born 1634).source
  • 1789Nicholas Van Dyke, American lawyer and President of Delaware (born 1738)source
  • 1822Insurrection for Brazilian independence in Bahia, where nun Joana Angélica is killed.source
  • 1822Jerónimo Francisco de Lima, composersource
  • 1827Armand Augustin Louis de Caulaincourt, French general, diplomat (born 1773)source
  • 1868Venancio Flores (59), Uruguayan politician and military figure, president of Uruguay in the period 1853-1855 and interim governor in the period 1865-1868; assassinated (born 1808).source
  • 1887Eduard Douwes Dekker, Dutch writer (born 1820)source
  • 1936Billy Mitchell, American general, military aviation pioneer (born 1879)source
  • 1997Deng Xiaoping, 92, Chinese politician leader of the People's Republic of China, complications of lung infections.source
  • 1999The Second Sadr uprising breaks out in majority Shia cities and neighborhoods in Iraq after a Shia cleric, Muhammad al-Sadr is assassinated in Najaf.source