March 19

March 19 is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 287 days remaining until the end of the year.

• 1279 – A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the rule of the Song Dynasty in China.
• 1452 – Frederick, Holy Roman Emperor is crowned in Rome.
• 1563 – The Edict of Amboise is signed, granting some freedoms to Huguenots in France.
• 1616 – Walter Raleigh is released from the Tower of London after 13 years.
• 1649 – The English House of Commons passes an act banning the House of Lords.
• 1808 – Charles IV of Spain abdicates the throne, but soon becomes King again because of the Napoleonic Wars.
• 1812 – The Cadiz Cortes declare the Spanish Constitution of 1812.
• 1848 – March Revolution in Berlin.
• 1853 – The Taiping reform movement occupies and makes Nanjing in China its capital city until 1864.
• 1861 – The First Taranaki War ends in New Zealand.
• 1863 – American Civil War: The Confederate cruiser SS Georgiana is destroyed on its first voyage. It is re–discovered 102 years later.
• 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Bentonville begins in North Carolina.
• 1882 – The first stone of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona is laid. It was designed by Antoni Gaudi, and is, as of 2014, not finished yet.
• 1885 – Louis Riel declares a provisional government in Saskatchewan, Canada, starting the Northwest Rebellion.
• 1895 – The Lumière brothers record their first cinematograph footage.

• 1915 – Pluto is photographed for the first time, but is not considered as a planet.
• 1918 – US Congress establishes Time Zones and Daylight Saving Time.
• 1920 – The United States Senate rejects the Treaty of Versailles for a second time.
• 1921 – Irish War of Independence: In Crossbarry, County Cork, Ireland, over 100 IRA volunteers escape an attempt by over 1,300 British forces to encircle them.
• 1931 – Gambling is legalised in Nevada.
• 1932 – Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened.
• 1941 – World War II: 99th Pursuit Squadron, Tuskegee Airmen, the first black unit of the United States Army Corps, is activated.
• 1944 – World War II: Nazi forces occupy Hungary.
• 1945 – World War II: Off the coast of Japan, a dive bomber hits aircraft carrier USS Franklin, killing 724 crew members.
• 1946 – French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion becomes overseas Departements of France.
• 1954 – Joey Giardello knocks out Willie Tory in round seven at Madison Square Garden in New York City in the first televised prize boxing fight shown in color.
• 1954 – Willie Mosconi sets world record by running 526 balls in a row without a miss. during a straight pool competition at the East High Billiard Club in Springfield, Ohio.
• 1958 – The Monarch Underwear Company fire in Manhattan kills 24 people.
• 1962 – Algerian War of Independence: A ceasefire enters effect.
• 1970 – Chancellor of Germany Willy Brandt meets East Germany's Prime Minister Willi Stoph in Erfurt in an attempt at closer relations.
• 1979 – The United States House of Representatives begins broadcasting its day–to–day business via the cable television network C–SPAN.
• 1982 – Argentine forces land on the island of South Georgia, two weeks before the invasion of the Falkland Islands.
• 1988 – The rock band Nirvana holds its first concert.
• 1996 – Nelson Mandela and Winnie Mandela divorce.

• 2002 – Zimbabwe is suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations over human rights abuses and electoral fraud.
• 2003 – George W. Bush orders the Invasion of Iraq.
• 2004 – President of Taiwan Chen Shui-bian is shot and injured a day before the Presidential election.
• 2004 – A bus crash kills 21 people near Konginkangas, Finland. It is the deadliest road accident in Finnish history.
• 2006 – The Winter Paralympics in Turin end.
• 2006 – In a controversial election, Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko wins 80% of the vote, leading to demonstrations in Minsk.
• 2008 – GRB 080319B: A cosmic burst that is the farthest object visible to the eye (without using a telescope) is briefly observed.
• 2011 – By 3,000 miles, the Moon makes its closest approach to Earth in 18 years.
• 2011 – 2011 Libyan protests: UN–authorised military intervention begins against Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi in Libya.
• 2012 – Four people are killed in a shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France. It is believed to be linked with three murders over the previous week. The attacker, Mohammed Merah, is killed after a stand–off with police three days later.
• 2013 – Over 50 people are killed in bomb attacks in Baghdad, to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War.
• 2013 – Inauguration of Pope Francis.
• 2016 – Flydubai Flight 981 crashes shortly before landing at Rostov on Don, Southern Russia, killing all 62 people on board.

• 968 – Ethelred the Unready, Saxon king of England (d. 1016)
• 1434 – Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (d. 1443)
• 1488 – Johannes Magnus, Swedish bishop (d. 1544)
• 1534 – Jose de Anchieta, Spanish missionary (d. 1597)
• 1601 – Alonzo Cano, Spanish painter, sculptor and architect (d. 1667)
• 1603 – King John IV of Portugal (d. 1656)
• 1629 – Tsar Alexis of Russia (d. 1676)
• 1661 – Francesco Gasparini, Italian composer and teacher (d. 1727)
• 1721 – Tobias Smollett, Scottish poet and writer (d. 1771)
• 1734 – Thomas McKean, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1817)
• 1742 – Tupac Amaru II, Inca revolutionary (d. 1781)
• 1749 – Princess Louisa of Great Britain (d. 1768)
• 1778 – Edward Pakenham, British general (d. 1815)
• 1813 – David Livingstone, Scottish missionary, doctor and explorer (d. 1873)
• 1821 – Richard Francis Burton, English explorer, diplomat and writer (d. 1890)
• 1823 – Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria (d. 1914)
• 1824 – William Allingham, Irish writer (d. 1889)
• 1829 – Carl Frederik Tietgen, Danish financier and industrialist (d. 1901)
• 1844 – Minna Canth, Finnish writer and women's rights activist (d. 1897)
• 1848 – Wyatt Earp, American Western figure (d. 1929)
• 1849 – Alfred von Tirpitz, German admiral (d. 1930)
• 1860 – William Jennings Bryan, United States Secretary of State (d. 1925)
• 1861 – Lomer Gouin, 13th Premier of Quebec (d. 1929)
• 1864 – Charles M. Russell, American painter, sculptor, illustrator and writer (d. 1926)
• 1866 – Emilio De Bono, Italian general and politician (d. 1944)
• 1871 – Baroness Mary Vetsera, member of the Austrian nobility (d. 1889)
• 1872 – Anna Held, Polish–born stage performer (d. 1918)
• 1873 – Mex Reger, German pianist, composer and conductor (d. 1916)
• 1876 – Felix Jacoby, German classical philologist (d. 1959)
• 1883 – Walter Haworth, British chemist (d. 1950)
• 1883 – Joseph Stilwell, American general (d. 1946)
• 1888 – Josef Albers, German artist (d. 1976)
• 1889 – King Manuel II of Portugal (d. 1932)
• 1891 – Earl Warren, American politician and jurist (d. 1974)
• 1892 – James Van Fleet, American general (d. 1992)
• 1893 – Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra, President of Ecuador (d. 1979)
• 1894 – Moms Mabley, American comedienne, actress and singer (d. 1975)
• 1895 – Ion Barbu, Romanian writer and mathematician (d. 1961)
• 1897 – Betty Compson, American actress (d. 1974)
• 1898 – Karl Theodor Bleek, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1969)
• 1900 – Frédéric Joliot, French physicist (d. 1958)

• 1902 – Louisa Ghijs, Belgian stage actress (d. 1985)
• 1905 – Albert Speer, Nazi official (d. 1981)
• 1906 – Adolf Eichmann, Nazi official (d. 1962)
• 1909 – Attilio Demaria, Argentine footballer (d. 1990)
• 1909 – Louis Hayward, British actor (d. 1985)
• 1912 – William Frankland, British immunologist
• 1912 – Hugh Watt, Interim Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1980)
• 1913 – Alexander Pokryshkin, Russian pilot (d. 1985)
• 1914 – Jay Berwanger, American football player (d. 2002)
• 1915 – Patricia Morison, American soprano and actress
• 1916 – Eric Christmas, English–Canadian actor (d. 2000)
• 1916 – Irving Wallace, American writer and screenwriter (d. 1990)
• 1917 – Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist and composer (d. 1950)
• 1917 – Laszlo Szabo, Hungarian chess player (d. 1998)
• 1919 – Lennie Tristano, American jazz pianist, composer and educator (d. 1978)
• 1920 – Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian writer (d. 2002)
• 1921 – Tommy Cooper, Welsh comedy magician (d. 1984)
• 1921 – Emile Bongiorni, French footballer (d. 1949)
• 1922 – Hiroo Onoda, Japanese soldier (d. 2014)
• 1922 – Guy Lewis, American basketball player (d. 2015)
• 1923 – Giuseppe Rotunno, Italian cinematographer
• 1924 – Joe Gaetjens, Haitian–American soccer player (d. 1964)
• 1924 – Mary Wimbush, British actress (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Brent Scowcroft, American general and diplomat
• 1927 – Allen Newell, American computer scientist (d. 1992)
• 1928 – Hans Küng, Swiss theologian, priest and writer
• 1928 – Patrick McGoohan, American actor (d. 2009)
• 1930 – Giuseppe Rotunno, Italian chef
• 1932 – Gail Kobe, American actress (d. 2013)
• 1932 – Peter Hall, English town planner and geographer (d. 2014)
• 1933 – Philip Roth, American writer
• 1935 – Nancy Malone, American actress (d. 2014)
• 1936 – Ursula Andress, Swiss actress
• 1937 – Egon Krenz, East German political leader
• 1942 – Richard Dobson, American singer and songwriter
• 1942 – Heather Robertson, Canadian journalist and writer (d. 2014)
• 1943 – Mario Monti, Italian economist and former Prime Minister of Italy
• 1943 – Mario J. Molina, Mexican chemist
• 1944 – Said Musa, former Prime Minister of Belize
• 1944 – Tom Constanten, American musician (Grateful Dead)
• 1944 – Sirhan Sirhan, Palestinian–born assassin
• 1946 – Ruth Pointer, American singer (Pointer Sisters)
• 1947 – Glenn Close, American actress
• 1947 – Marinho Peres, Brazilian footballer
• 1949 – Hirofumi Hirano, Japanese politician
• 1949 – Valery Leontiev, Russian singer

• 1952 – Harvey Weinstein, American movie producer
• 1952 – Chris Brubeck, American jazz musician
• 1953 – Ricky Wilson, American musician
• 1953 – Ian Blair, English police officer, London Metropolitan Police
• 1954 – Cho Kwang-Rae, South Korean football manager
• 1954 – Jill Abramson, American journalist
• 1954 – Rashid Nugmanov, Kazakhstani director and activist
• 1955 – Bruce Willis, American actor
• 1955 – Pino Daniele, Italian musician (d. 2015)
• 1956 – Yegor Gaidar, Soviet politician (d. 2009)
• 1958 – Fred Stoller, American comedian, actor and voice artist
• 1959 – Terry Hall, British singer
• 1961 – Jos Lansink, Dutch–Belgian equestrian
• 1961 – Rune Bratseth, Norwegian footballer
• 1961 – Dana Reeve, American actress (d. 2006)
• 1966 – Michael Crockart, Scottish politician
• 1966 – Olaf Marschall, German footballer
• 1967 – Vladimir Konstantinov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1967 – Katia Tiutiunnik, Australian violist and composer
• 1968 – Tyrone Hill, American basketball player
• 1969 – Gary Jules, American singer
• 1973 – Ashley Giles, English cricketer
• 1973 – Sergey Makarov, Russian javelin thrower

• 1976 – Alessandro Nesta, Italian footballer
• 1976 – Rachel Blanchard, Canadian actress
• 1977 – Jorma Taccone, American director, actor and screenwriter
• 1977 – Fayez Banihammad, 9–11 terrorist (d. 2001)
• 1979 – Franco Brienza, Italian footballer
• 1979 – Christos Patsatzoglou, Greek footballer
• 1979 – Hedo Turkoglu, Turkish basketball player
• 1979 – Ivan Ljubicic, Croatian tennis player
• 1979 – Abby Brammell, American actress
• 1981 – Kolo Touré, Ivorian footballer
• 1982 – Brad Jones, Australian footballer
• 1982 – Eduardo Saverin, Brazilian entrepreneur
• 1983 – Evan Bourne, American professional wrestler
• 1984 – Tanushree Dutta, Indian model and actress
• 1986 – Tyler Bozak, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – AJ Lee, American professional wrestler
• 1987 – Milos Teodosic, Serbian basketball player
• 1988 – Clayton Kershaw, American baseball player
• 1991 – Aleksandr Kokorin, Russian footballer
• 1991 – Keacy Carty, West Indian cricketer
• 1997 – Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuanian swimmer
• 1999 – Tatum McCann, American actress
• 2007 – Prince Abdullah bin Ali of Jordan

• 1238 – Duke Henry I of Poland (b. 1163)
• 1279 – Emperor Bing of Song of China (b. 1271)
• 1286 – Alexander III of Scotland (b. 1241)
• 1330 – Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, English politician (b. 1301)
• 1406 – Ibn Khaldun, Arab historian (b. 1332)
• 1612 – Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill, Belarussian saint (b. 1585)
• 1623 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1556)
• 1637 – Peter Pazmany, Hungarian cardinal and statesman (b. 1570)
• 1649 – Gerardus Vossius, Dutch classical scholar and theologian (b. 1577)
• 1687 – Robert Cavalier de La Salle, French explorer (b. 1643)
• 1721 – Pope Clement XI (b. 1649)
• 1746 – Grand Duchess Anna Leopolodovna of Russia (b. 1718)
• 1783 – Charles Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1713)
• 1806 – James Jackson, English–born American politician, Governor of Georgia (b. 1757)
• 1816 – Philip Mazzai, Italian physician (b. 1730)
• 1866 – John Dunn, Australian bushranger hanged in Sydney (b. c. 1840)
• 1871 – Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger, Austrian mineralogist (b. 1795)
• 1882 – Karl Robert Jakobson, Estonian politician, journalist and teacher (b. 1841)
• 1884 – Elias Lönnrot, Finnish physician and writer (b. 1802)
• 1900 – John Bingham, American politician and lawyer (b. 1815)

• 1908 – Eduard Zeller, German theologian and philosopher (b. 1814)
• 1914 – Giuseppe Mercalli, Italian volcanologist (b. 1850)
• 1915 – Antonio Agliardi, Italian cardinal (b. 1832)
• 1916 – Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (b. 1848)
• 1930 – Arthur Balfour, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1848)
• 1939 – Lloyd L. Gaines, American activist (b. 1911)
• 1942 – Clinton Hart Merriam, American zoologist, ornithologist and entomologist (b. 1855)
• 1943 – Frank Nitti, Italian–American gangster (b. 1883)
• 1944 – William Hale Thompson, mayor of Chicago (b. 1869)
• 1950 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, American writer (b. 1875)
• 1950 – Walter Haworth, British chemist (b. 1883)
• 1950 – Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1872)
• 1974 – Edward Platt, American actor (b. 1916)
• 1976 – Albert Dieudonné, French actor and novelist (b. 1889)
• 1978 – Gaston Julia, French mathematician (b. 1893)
• 1982 – Randy Rhoads, American musician (b. 1956)
• 1986 – Sabino Barinaga, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1922)
• 1987 – Louis de Broglie, French physicist (b. 1892)
• 1988 – Bun Cook, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1904)
• 1989 – Valérie Quennessen, French actress (b. 1957)
• 1995 – Yasuo Yamada, Japanese voice actor (b. 1932)
• 1997 – Willem de Kooning, Dutch artist (b. 1904)
• 1998 – E. M. S. Namboodiripad, Indian politician, 1st Chief Minister of Kerala (b. 1909)
• 1999 – Tofilau Eti Alesana, Prime Minister of Samoa (b. 1924)

• 2005 – John DeLorean, American engineer and businessman (b. 1925)
• 2007 – Luther Ingram, American soul singer and songwriter (b. 1937)
• 2008 – Arthur C. Clarke, British writer (b. 1917)
• 2008 – Hugo Claus, Belgian writer (b. 1929)
• 2008 – Paul Scofield, British actor (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Paul Angelis, English actor (b. 1943)
• 2011 – Knut, famous polar bear (b. 2006)
• 2011 – Gustav Lantschner, Austrian–German skier (b. 1910)
• 2013 – Holger Juul Hansen, Danish actor (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Irina Petrescu, Romanian actress (b. 1941)
• 2014 – Robert Schwarz Strauss, American politician and diplomat (b. 1918)
• 2014 – Heather Robertson, Canadian journalist and writer (b. 1942)
• 2014 – Lawrence Walsh, American lawyer and judge (b. 1912)
• 2014 – Patrick Joseph McGovern, American technology executive (b. 1937)
• 2014 – Ernest Mühlen, Luxembourg politician (b. 1926)
• 2014 – Fred Phelps, American pastor (Westboro Baptist Church) (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Gerda van der Kade-Koudijs, Dutch athlete (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Gus Douglass, American politician (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Danny Schechter, American journalist and moviemaker (b. 1942)
• 2016 – Roger Agnelli, Brazilian businessman (b. 1959)
• 2016 – José Artetxe, Spanish footballer (b. 1930)
• 2016 – Jack Mansell, English footballer (b. 1927)
• 2017 – Jimmy Breslin, American journalist and writer (b. 1928)
• 2017 – Li Li-Hua, Chinese actress (b. 1924)
• 2017 – Len Mitzel, Canadian politician (b. 1946)
• 2017 – Chinu Modi, Indian poet and critic (b. 1939)
• 2017 – Roger Pingeon, French cyclist (b. 1940)

• Saint Joseph's Day (Roman Catholicism, Church of England) and related observances:
  • Las Fallas (Valencia, Spain)
  • Father's Day (Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Honduras, Bolivia)
• Unity Day (Kashubia, northern Poland)