January 19th in History

January 19 is the 19th day of the year. There are 346 days remaining (347 in leap years) until the end of the year.

On this day in history —

  • The first electric lighting system begins operation (1883)
  • Zeppelins conduct the first bombing raid on a civilian target (1915)
  • Howard Hughes sets a coast-to-coast air speed record (1937)
  • 72% of all TVs in the US watch Ricky’s birth on I Love Lucy (1953)
  • The last German-made Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line (1978)
  • Iran agrees to release US Embassy hostages after 14 months of captivity (1971)
  • The Apple Lisa becomes the first personal computer to have a mouse (1983)
  • The first PC virus is released into the wild (1986)
  • The FBI shuts down Megaupload (2012)

It’s the birthday of —

  • James Watt, electrical engineer (1736)
  • Robert E. Lee, Confederate general (1807)
  • Edgar Allen Poe, writer (1809)
  • Paul Cézanne, painter (1839)
  • Alexander Woollcott, actor and critic (1887)
  • Patricia Highsmith, writer (1921)
  • Jean Stapleton, actress (1923)
  • Tippi Hedren, actress (1930)
  • Richard Lester, filmmaker (1932)
  • Phil Everly, singer-songwriter (1939)
  • Janis Joplin, singer-songwriter (1943)
  • Shelley Fabares, actress and singer (1944)
  • Dolly Parton, singer-songwriter (1946)
  • Paula Deen, chef (1947)
  • Robert Palmer, singer-songwriter (1949)
  • Desi Arnaz, Jr., actor and singer (1953)
  • Katey Segal, actress (1954)
  • Paul Rodriquez, comedian (1955)
  • Thomas Kinkade, painter (1958)

Deaths —

  • William Congreve, playwright (1729)
  • William O. Douglas, Supreme Court justice (1980)
  • Ham the Chimpanzee, first hominid in orbit (1983)
  • Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, guru (1990)
  • James Dickey, writer (1997)
  • Carl Perkins, singer-songwriter (1998)
  • Hedy Lamarr, actress and inventor (2000)
  • Anthony Franciosa, actor (2006)
  • Wilson Pickett, singer-songwriter (2006)
  • Suzanne Pleshette, actress (2008)
  • Stan Musial, baseball player (2013)
  • Earl Weaver, baseball manager (2013)

Holidays and Celebrations —

  • Confederate Heroes Day (Texas)
  • Robert E. Lee Day (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi)
  • Kokborok Day (Tripura, India)
  • Theophany (Orthodox Christianity)
  • World Day of Migrants and Refugees (international)

Informal and made-up holidays include Popcorn Day and Tin Can Day.

(*O.S., or Old Style, when used, refers to the fact that Russia did not convert from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar until 1918.)