Today is Monday, August 19, the 232nd day of the 12 months 2024. There are 134 days left within the 12 months.
Today in history:
On August 19, 2010, the last American combat brigade left Iraq, seven years and five months after a US-led invasion marked the start of the Iraq War.
Also on this date:
In 1692, 4 men and one woman were hanged in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Province, after being found guilty of witchcraft. The story of one among these men, John Proctor, inspired Arthur Miller's play The Witch Hunt.
In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia within the War of 1812 and was subsequently nicknamed “Old Ironsides”.
In 1814, through the War of 1812, British troops landed in Benedict, Maryland with the aim of taking Washington DC
In 1854, 31 U.S. soldiers were killed when one among them shot the Brule Lakota chief Conquering Bear, triggering the First Sioux War.
In 1909, the primary automobile race took place on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In 1934, German voters approved the transfer of sole executive power to Adolf Hitler.
In 1955, torrential rains from Hurricane Diane caused severe flooding within the northeastern United States, killing about 200 people.
In 1960, a Moscow tribunal convicted American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage. (Although he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers was returned to the United States in 1962 as a part of a prisoner exchange.)
In 1980, 301 people died on board Saudia Flight 163 when the plane made an emergency landing at Riyadh airport amid fire.
In 2013, South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius was charged with murder and illegal possession of ammunition in Pretoria, South Africa, for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home on Valentine's Day 2013. Pistorius claimed he mistook her for an intruder. (Pistorius was found guilty of murder and sentenced to prison.) he was released on parole in January 2024.)
Today's birthdays:
- Former tennis player and coach Renee Richards is 90.
- Actress Jill St. John is 84. Author Jack Canfield is 80.
- Rock singer Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) is 79.
- Former President Bill Clinton is 78.
- Actor Gerald McRaney is 77.
- Actor Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”) is 76.
- Former First Lady Tipper Gore is 76.
- Rock bassist John Deacon (Queen) is 73.
- Actor and director Jonathan Frakes is 72.
- Political advisor Mary Matalin is 71.
- Actor Peter Gallagher is 69.
- Actor Adam Arkin is 68.
- Actor Martin Donovan is 67.
- Anthony Munoz, a member of the Football Hall of Fame, is 66.
- The musician Ivan Neville is 65.
- Morten Andersen, a member of the Football Hall of Fame, is 64.
- Actor John Stamos is 61.
- Actress Kyra Sedgwick is 59.
- Actor Kevin Dillon is 59.
- Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 58.
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is 57.
- Country singer Clay Walker is 55.
- Rapper Fat Joe is 54.
- Olympic tennis champion Mary Joe Fernandez is 53.
- Actress Erika Christensen is 42.
- Actress Melissa Fumero is 42.
- Olympic snowboard champion Lindsey Jacobellis (jay-kuh-BEHL'-ihs) is 39.
- The creator Veronica Roth is 36.
- The rapper and tv star Romeo is 35.
- Actor Ethan Cutkosky (TV: “Shameless”) is 25.
Originally published:
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