This Day in History on 19 August
The historical events hold a lot of value for aspirants who are sitting for UPSC competitive exams including the IAS Exam.
On this page, we will list all historical events that occurred on 19 August. The students can refer them while preparing for all competitive exams and banking exams.
Important Days
International Photography Day
World Humanitarian Day
Important Events
295 BC: The first temple to Venus built, the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
1600: Ahmednagar was captured by Akbar the great.
1757: The first Rupee coin of East India Company was minted in Kolkata.
1862: American Indian Wars: 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.
1909: The first automobile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1919: Afghanistan got independence from United Kingdom.
1944: The last Japanese troops driven out of India.
1946: Cabinet Mission’s plan announced an interim government, which was formed by reconstituting the Viceroy’s Executive Council. The Muslim League took umbrage and started direct action. Riots broke out as Muslims attacked Hindu’s in Calcutta and the rest of Bengal. The Viceroy persuaded the Muslim League to join the government. But the League declined to join the Constituent Assembly unless the demand for a seperate state of “Pakistan” was conceded.
1949: Bhuvaneshvar became the capital of Odisha.
1976: Nagarjun Sagar University was established in Andhra Pradesh.
1977: An earthquake measuring 7.7-8.9 on the Richter Scale hits the Indian Ocean. It is believed to be the strongest ever earthquake.
1979: Pol Pot, ex-dictator of Cambodia, is sentenced to death for genocides in his absence by the Vietnamese-backed Cambodian government.
1989: Poland became the first country in Eastern Europe to end one-party rule as Solidarity’s Tadeusz Mazowiecki took office as prime minister.
1992: K.R.Narayanan elected the ninth Vice President of India.
1994: Rupee made fully convertible on the current account.
1999: India’s role in ASEAN, ARF is lauded at a colloquium in Singapore.
2013: The Dhamara Ghat train accident kills at least 37 people in the Indian state of Bihar.
Birth/Birth Anniversary
1871: Orville wright, American engineer and pilot, co-founder of Wright Company. Best known for his invention of world-first motor-operated Aeroplane with his brother Wilbur Wright.
1883: Coco Chanel, a French fashion designer who revolutionized women’s clothing.
1887: Sundar Sastri Satyamurti, Indian freedom fighter and politician.
1903: Gangadhar Devram Khanolkar, biographer and critic, was born.
1907: Hajari Prasad Dwivedi, Indian historian and author.
1910: Sister Alphonsa, teacher and social worker, was born at Kudamaloor, Kerala.
1913: Peter Kemp, Indian-English soldier and author (d. 1993)
1918: Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, 9th president of India.
1927: Ananta Narsinha Naik, social reformer and politician, was born at Bandora, Goa.
1928: Shiv Prasaad Singh, Indian Hindi writer(d.1998)
1946: Bill Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 42nd president of United States.
1950: Sudha Murti, Indian social worker, and author. Chairperson of the Infosys foundation.
1965: Hemant Birje, Indian actor\
1967: Satya Nandella, Indian American engineer and business executive. He is the CEO of Microsoft succeeding Steve Ballmer in 2014.
1967: Khandro Rinpoche, Indian spiritual leader
Death/ Death Anniversary
14 AD Augustus, the Roman Emperor.
1934: Dr. Hiralal died. He was a distinguished historian and contributed numerous articles to ‘Indian Antiquary’, ‘Epigraphia Indica’, The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, etc. He was also an honorary correspondent in Archaeology to the Government of India.
1947: Vinayak Damodar Karnataki (Master Vinayak), famous Marathi actor, director and producer, died.
1662: Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, and physicist who laid the foundation of the modern theory of probability.
1968: George Gamow was a Russian theoretical physicist best known for his contribution to George Lemaitre’s theory of Big Bang.
1976: Jan Nisar Akhtar, India poet of Urdu Gazal and Nazm. He was a part of the progressive writers’ movement.
1980: Otto Frank, German Swiss businessman, father of Anne Frank.
1993: Utpal Dutt, Indian actor and film director.
1993: Y. D. Lokurkar, senior journalist, died.
1994: Linus Pauling, American chemist and biologist. Nobel prize laureate.
2000: Bineshwar Brahma, Indian poet, author, and educator (b. 1948)
2015: Sanat Mehta, Indian activist and politician (b. 1935)