March 19th in History
On this day in history —
- One of the largest naval battles in history, the Battle of Yamen (厓門戰役), results in the end of the Song Dynasty at the hands of invading Mongols (1279)
- The most powerful Confederate cruiser, the CSS Georgiana, is sunk outside Charleston, South Carolina (1863)
- The first motion picture footage is taken by the Lumière brothers (1895)
- Time zones and Daylight Savings Time begin in the USA (1918)
- Nevada legalizes gambling and easy divorce as a response to the Great Depression (1931)
- The Sydney (Australia) Harbor Bridge opens (1932)
- The first combat unit of the Tuskegee Airmen is activated (1941)
- Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti commits suicide rather than risk jail (1943)
- Hitler issues the “Nero Decree” to destroy German infrastructure rather than let it fall into Allied hands. It is not carried out. (1945)
- Pool champion Willie Mosconi sets a world record of running 526 consecutive balls without a miss (1954)
- Bob Dylan’s first album is released. It attracts little notice. (1962)
- C-SPAN goes live (1979)
- The Falklands War begins (1981)
- Jim Bakker leaves The PTL Club as a result of scandal and financial irregularities. (1987)
- The NATO Libyan intervention begins (2011)
It’s the birthday of —
- Bruce Willis, actor (1955)
- Harvey Weinstein, producer (1952)
- Glenn Close, actress (1947)
- Sirhan Sirhan (سرحان بشارة سرحان), assassin (1944)
- Joe Kapp, football player (1938)
- Ursula Andress, sex symbol (1936)
- Philip Roth, author (1933)
- Ornette Coleman, saxophonist (1930)
- Patrick McGoohan, prisoner and secret agent man (1928)
- Richie Ashburn, baseball player (1927)
- Brent Scowcroft, national security advisor (1925)
- Tige Andrews, Mod Squad boss (1920)
- Irving Wallace, author (1916)
- Jay Berwanger, first Heisman winner (1914)
- Adolf Eichmann, Nazi (1906)
- Albert Speer, Nazi (1905)
- John Sirica, Watergate judge (1904)
- Frédéric Joliot-Curie, scientist (1900)
- Jackie “Moms” Mabley, comedienne (1894)
- Earl Warren, Supreme Court chief justice (1891)
- William Jennings Bryan, “great commoner” (1860)
- Alfred von Tirpitz, admiral (1849)
- Wyatt Earp, lawman (1848)
- Sir Richard Francis Burton, adventurer (1821)
- David Livingstone, presumably (1813)
Deaths —
- Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction writer (2008)
- Paul Scofield, actor (2008)
- Luther Ingram, singer (2007)
- Calvert DeForest, aka Larry “Bud” Melman (2007)
- John DeLorean, car designer (2005)
- “Joltin’ Jo” Weaver, Girls Professional Baseball League player (2000)
- Willem de Kooning, artist (1997)
- Bun Cook, hockey player (1988)
- Anne Klein, fashion designer (1974)
- Edward Platt, Get Smart chief (1974)
- Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan creator (1950)
- “Big Bill” Thompson, Chicago mayor (1944)
- Arthur Balfour, British prime minister (1930)
- Robert de La Salle, Great Lakes explorer (1687)
- Ibn Khaldun (أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون الحضرمي), historian and philosopher (1406)
Holidays —
- Minna Canth’s Day (Finland)
- Father’s Day (Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Honduras, and Bolivia)
- Return of the Swallows (Mission San Juan Capistrano, California)
- Saint Joseph’s Day (Western Christianity)
- Unity Day (Kashubian region of Poland)
- Quinquatria (Ancient Rome)