On This Day in History – September 19

Major Events

• 1356 – The Battle of Poitiers takes place during the Hundred Years’ War, with the English army defeating the French and capturing King John II of France.
• 1777 – The First Battle of Saratoga (Battle of Freeman’s Farm) begins during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1870 – The Siege of Paris starts during the Franco-Prussian War.
• 1881 – James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, dies from wounds sustained in an assassination attempt earlier that year.
• 1893 – New Zealand becomes the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.
• 1921 – The Great Famine in Russia prompts international aid efforts led by organizations such as the American Relief Administration.
• 1944 – The Moscow Armistice is signed, ending the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union.
• 1957 – The United States conducts its first underground nuclear test in Nevada.
• 1985 – Mexico City is devastated by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, killing thousands and causing widespread destruction.
• 1991 – Ötzi the Iceman, a well-preserved natural mummy from about 3300 BCE, is discovered in the Alps between Austria and Italy.
• 2006 – The Thai military stages a coup d’état, removing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power.
• 2010 – The leaking of confidential U.S. diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks sparks global controversy and diplomatic fallout.
• 2017 – A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes central Mexico on the anniversary of the 1985 disaster, killing hundreds.

Famous Birthdays

• 1551 – Henry III of France, monarch (d. 1589)
• 1749 – Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, French naturalist (d. 1829)
• 1871 – William Howard Taft, 27th U.S. President and later Chief Justice (d. 1930)
• 1905 – Leon Jaworski, American lawyer, Watergate Special Prosecutor (d. 1982)
• 1911 – William Golding, British novelist and Nobel laureate (d. 1993)
• 1926 – James Lipton, American writer, actor, and host (d. 2020)
• 1934 – Brian Epstein, English music entrepreneur, manager of The Beatles (d. 1967)
• 1940 – Bill Medley, American singer, The Righteous Brothers
• 1941 – Cass Elliot, American singer, The Mamas & the Papas (d. 1974)
• 1948 – Jeremy Irons, English actor
• 1952 – Nile Rodgers, American musician, producer, and composer
• 1956 – Micke Spreitz, Swedish athlete and martial artist
• 1974 – Jimmy Fallon, American television host and comedian

Notable Deaths

• 1356 – King John II of France, monarch (b. 1319)
• 1881 – James A. Garfield, 20th U.S. President (b. 1831)
• 1928 – José Félix Uriburu, Argentine general and president (b. 1868)
• 1935 – Konstantin Stanislavski, Russian theatre practitioner (b. 1863)
• 1941 – Konstantin von Neurath, German diplomat (b. 1873)
• 1949 – Richard Strauss, German composer (b. 1864)
• 1961 – Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish diplomat and UN Secretary-General (b. 1905)
• 1971 – Paul Nowak, American basketball player (b. 1914)
• 1972 – Robert Casadesus, French pianist (b. 1899)
• 1995 – Orville Redenbacher, American popcorn entrepreneur (b. 1907)
• 2004 – Skeeter Davis, American country music singer (b. 1931)
• 2015 – Jackie Collins, English romance novelist (b. 1937)
• 2017 – Jake LaMotta, American boxer and world champion (b. 1922)

Holidays

• International Talk Like a Pirate Day (observed internationally)
• Armed Forces Day in Chile
• Independence Day in Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Day of the First Public Appearance of the Slovak National Council (Slovakia)

Fun Facts

1. On this date in 1893, New Zealand made global history by becoming the first self-governing nation to grant women the right to vote.
2. International Talk Like a Pirate Day began as a joke in 1995 but has since grown into a worldwide celebration of playful pirate-speak.
3. Two major earthquakes struck Mexico on this date—one in 1985 and another in 2017—both causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
4. Ötzi the Iceman’s discovery in 1991 provided invaluable insights into life in Europe over 5,000 years ago.