Historical Events on November 19

  • 1816: The University of Warsaw is founded on this day.
  • 1847: The Montreal & Lachine Railway Line – the 2nd Canadian railway line in service is opened.
  • 1863: At Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincold delivers the now famous Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a military cemetary.
  • 1941: The HMAS Sydney and the HSK Kormoran engage in an epic battle that ends up sinking both ships during World War II.
  • 1942: At the Battle of Stalingrad during WWII, Soviet General Georgy Zhukov begins Operation Uranus. This operation counter-strikes at the city of Stalingrad and would become responsible for turning the tide of the battle in the Soviet Union’s favor.
  • 1943: After a mass escape attempt and a foiled uprising, The Nazis dismantle the Janowska Concentration Camp in Lemberg, Ukraine. As a result, over six-thousand Jews are murdered.
  • 1944: The 6th War Loan Drive is announced by United States’ President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The purpose of this drive is to sell at least $14 billion dollars in war bonds to pay for the war effort.
  • 1944: 30 members of the Luxembourgish resistance defend Vianden against the Waffen SS at the Battle of Vianden.
  • 1946: Afghanistan joins the United Nations.
  • 1946: Iceland and Sweden join the U.N.
  • 1955: The 1st issue of the National Review is published.
  • 1959: The Edsel automobile – an automobile model that turned out to be highly unpopular with the public – is discontinued by the Ford Motor Company.

Famous Birthdays on November 19

  • American general, lawyer and 20th President of the United States, James A. Garfield is born in 1831.
  • German psychologist and sociologist Wilhelm Delthey is born in 1833.
  • Italian businessman and founder of the Venice Film Festival, Giuseppe Volpi is born in 1877.
  • American chemist and Nobel Prize laureate James B. Summer is born in 1887.
  • American actress Meg Ryan is born in 1961.
  • American actress Jodie Foster is born in 1962.
  • American actress Terry Farrell is born in 1963.