March 19 facts for kids

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

This page tells you about important things that happened, famous people who were born, and notable people who passed away on March 19th throughout history. It's a day filled with many different events, from big changes in countries to the birth of well-known artists and scientists.

Exciting Events Through History

Big Changes Before 1600

• 1279 – A huge battle called the Battle of Yamen took place, where the Mongols won. This victory meant the end of the Song Dynasty in China, a very important time in Chinese history.
• 1284 – The Statute of Rhuddlan was signed. This document officially made the Principality of Wales a part of England.
• 1452 – Frederick III became the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned in Rome by the Pope. This was a very old tradition that ended on this day.
• 1563 – The Edict of Amboise was signed. This agreement helped end the first part of the French Wars of Religion and gave some important freedoms to the Huguenots, who were French Protestants.

From 1601 to 1900: A Time of New Ideas

• 1649 – In England, the House of Commons of England decided to get rid of the House of Lords. They said it was "useless and dangerous" to the people. This was a big change in how England was governed.
• 1687 – Robert Cavelier de La Salle, a famous explorer, was looking for the mouth of the Mississippi River. Sadly, he was killed by his own men during this journey.
• 1808 – Charles IV, the King of Spain, gave up his throne after protests and a revolt. His son, Ferdinand VII, then became king.
• 1812 – Spain created its first modern constitution, known as the Spanish Constitution of 1812. This was a big step for the country.
• 1831 – The first recorded bank robbery in U.S. history happened! Burglars stole a lot of money from the City Bank in New York, but most of it was found later.
• 1865 – The American Civil War saw the start of the Battle of Bentonville. This was one of the last major battles of the war.
• 1885 – Louis Riel announced a new government in Saskatchewan, which started the North-West Rebellion in Canada.

Modern Times: 1901 to Today

• 1918 – The United States Congress officially set up time zones across the country and approved daylight saving time.
• 1920 – The United States Senate said no to the Treaty of Versailles for a second time. This treaty was meant to end World War I.
• 1932 – The famous Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia was opened. It's still a well-known landmark today!
• 1944 – During World War II, the German army took control of Hungary.
• 1945 – In World War II, a dive bomber attacked the American aircraft carrier USS Franklin off the coast of Japan. Many crew members were killed, but the ship managed to return to the U.S.
• 1945 – Adolf Hitler issued his "Nero Decree". This order commanded that all important buildings and facilities in Germany be destroyed as the war was ending.
• 1962 – The Algerian War of Independence came to an end, leading to Algeria's freedom.
• 1965 – A teenage diver named E. Lee Spence discovered the wreck of the SS Georgiana. This ship was a very valuable Confederate cruiser from the American Civil War.
• 1979 – The United States House of Representatives began showing its daily meetings on the cable TV network C-SPAN.
• 1982 – The Falklands War began when Argentinian forces landed on South Georgia Island. This led to a conflict with the United Kingdom.
• 2003 – U.S. President George W. Bush announced the start of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
• 2011 – During the 2011 Libyan civil war, after Muammar Gaddafi's forces failed to take Benghazi, the French Air Force began military action in Libya.
• 2016 – Flydubai Flight 981 crashed while trying to land in Russia, sadly killing everyone on board.
• 2019 – Nursultan Nazarbayev, the first President of Kazakhstan, stepped down from his role after almost 30 years.
• 2023 – The Swiss Government helped arrange a deal for UBS to buy out Credit Suisse to help calm a banking crisis.

Famous People Born on This Day

Born Before 1600

• 1206 – Güyük Khan, who became the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire.
• 1434 – Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, a Japanese shōgun.
• 1534 – José de Anchieta, a Spanish missionary and saint.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

• 1604 – John IV of Portugal, who became the King of Portugal.
• 1721 – Tobias Smollett, a Scottish poet and author.
• 1734 – Thomas McKean, an American lawyer and politician who became the second Governor of Pennsylvania.
• 1813 – David Livingstone, a famous Scottish missionary and explorer.
• 1821 – Richard Francis Burton, an English soldier, geographer, and diplomat.
• 1848 – Wyatt Earp, a well-known American police officer.
• 1860 – William Jennings Bryan, an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st United States Secretary of State.
• 1883 – Norman Haworth, an English chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1883 – Joseph Stilwell, an American general.
• 1900 – Frédéric Joliot-Curie, a French physicist who also won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Born After 1900

• 1905 – Albert Speer, a German architect and politician.
• 1906 – Adolf Eichmann, a German SS officer.
• 1921 – Tommy Cooper, a British magician and comedian.
• 1922 – Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese lieutenant.
• 1925 – Brent Scowcroft, an American general and diplomat.
• 1928 – Patrick McGoohan, an Irish-American actor and director.
• 1933 – Philip Roth, a famous American novelist.
• 1936 – Ursula Andress, a Swiss model and actress.
• 1943 – Mario J. Molina, a Mexican chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1947 – Glenn Close, a well-known American actress and singer.
• 1955 – Bruce Willis, a famous German-American actor and producer.
• 1956 – Yegor Gaidar, a Russian economist and politician.
• 1958 – Andy Reid, an American football coach.
• 1976 – Alessandro Nesta, an Italian footballer.
• 1981 – Kolo Touré, an Ivorian footballer.
• 1987 – AJ Lee, an American wrestler and author.
• 1988 – Clayton Kershaw, an American baseball player.
• 1995 – Héctor Bellerín, a Spanish footballer.
• 1996 – Yung Gravy, an American rapper.

People Who Passed Away on This Day

Deaths Before 1600

• 235 – Severus Alexander, a Roman emperor.
• 1279 – Zhao Bing, a Chinese emperor.
• 1286 – Alexander III, the King of Scotland.
• 1533 – John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, an English nobleman.

Deaths Between 1601 and 1900

• 1687 – René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, the French-American explorer mentioned earlier.
• 1721 – Pope Clement XI.
• 1816 – Philip Mazzei, an Italian-American physician and philosopher.
• 1884 – Elias Lönnrot, a Finnish physician and language expert.

Deaths After 1900

• 1930 – Arthur Balfour, a Scottish-English politician who was once the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1950 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, an American author, famous for creating Tarzan.
• 1950 – Norman Haworth, the English chemist who was born on this day and also passed away on this day.
• 1976 – Paul Kossoff, an English guitarist.
• 1982 – Randy Rhoads, an American guitarist.
• 1987 – Louis de Broglie, a French physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1997 – Willem de Kooning, a Dutch-American painter.
• 2005 – John DeLorean, an American engineer who founded the DeLorean Motor Company.
• 2008 – Arthur C. Clarke, a famous English science fiction writer.
• 2008 – Paul Scofield, an English actor.

Special Days and Celebrations

• Christian Observances:
  • Saint Joseph (Western Christianity; if this date falls on Sunday, the feast is moved to Monday March 20)
    • Saint Joseph's Day (Roman Catholicism and Anglican Communion) related observances:
      • Falles, celebrated on the week leading to March 19 (Valencia)
      • Father's Day (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Honduras, and Bolivia)
      • "Return of the Swallow", an annual event where people watch for the swallows to return to Mission San Juan Capistrano in California.
• Minna Canth's Birthday and the Day of Equality (Finland). This day celebrates equality and the birthday of a famous Finnish writer.
• Kashubian Unity Day (Poland).

See also

In Spanish: 19 de marzo para niños