What Happened on March 19
Historical Events
- 1279 A Mongolian victory at the naval Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China
- 1644 200 members of Peking imperial family and court commit suicide in loyalty to the Emperor
- 1863 Confederate cruiser SS Georgiana destroyed on her maiden voyage with a cargo of munitions, and medicines then valued over $1,000,000. Wreck discovered exactly 102 years later by teenage diver and pioneer underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence.
- 1920 US Senate rejects Treaty of Versailles for 2nd time refusing to ratify League of Nations' covenant (maintaining isolation policy)
- 1932 The Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened in Sydney, Australia
- 2003 Airstrikes by an American and British-led coalition signal the beginning of the Invasion of Iraq, without United Nations support and in defiance of world opinion
- More Historical Events
Mar 19 in Film & TV
- 1984 American sitcom "Kate & Allie" premieres on CBS TV starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin
Mar 19 in Music
- 1859 Opera "Faust" by Charles Gounod premieres in Paris
Mar 19 in Sport
- 1991 NFL owners strip Phoenix of the 1993 Super Bowl game due to Arizona not recognizing federal holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Did You Know?
1st stone laid for the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, designed by Antoni GaudÃ
On March 19, 1882
David Livingstone
Wyatt Earp
Adolf Eichmann
Jiang Qing
Sirhan Sirhan
Bruce WillisWould You Believe?
The wreck of the SS Georgiana, valued at over $50,000,000, said to have been most powerful Confederate cruiser, discovered by then teenage diver and pioneer underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence exactly 102 years after its destruction.
On March 19, 1965
Famous Weddings
- 1918 American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (17) weds Daisy Parker (21); divorce in 1923
- 1924 American poet e.e. (Edward Estlin) Cummings marries first wife Elaine Orr. The marriage lasts less than 9 months.
- 1956 British "The Doors of Perception" author Aldous Huxley (62) weds American musician and author Laura Archera (45)
Famous Divorces
- 1976 Princess Margaret separates from the Earl of Snowdon, after 16 years
- 1996 Winnie Madikizela-Mandela divorces Nelson Mandela after 38 years of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
Arthur Balfour
Arthur C. Clarke
Paul ScofieldArticles, Photos and Quiz
Dr Livingstone, I Presume?
Explorer David Livingstone, born on this day, spawned one of the most famous encounters when he was found in Africa by journalist Henry Stanley.
March 19, 1813
Invasion of Iraq
US troops in a sandstorm during the invasion of Iraq in 2003
March 19, 2003
Weekly Quiz for March 16 - 22
Who discovered the electric battery this week in 1800? Which country holds the Emerald Buddha sacred? What island did Napoleon escape from in 1815?
