Did you know
The Prussian Confederation was a group of cities and nobles in Prussia that sought to end the Teutonic Order's rule in the region.
October 19 in History
1466 — The Thirteen Years' War between Poland and the Teutonic Order ends with the Second Treaty of Thorn
October 19 spans 56 recorded events across recorded history, from 202 BC to 2025. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
56 events
202 BC – 2025
Today in history
More major events on October 19
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1900 Max Planck discovers Planck's law of black-body radiation. Source
- 2019 Members of Parliament met at the House of Lords to discuss the United Kingdom's Brexit deal, this was the first Saturday sitting in Parliament since 3 April 1982 during the Falklands War. Source
- 1956 The Soviet Union and Japan sign a Joint Declaration, officially ending the state of war between the two countries that had existed since August 1945. Source
Did you know
The war began in 1454 when the Prussian Confederation asked the Polish king, Casimir IV, for assistance against the Teutonic Order.
Did you know
The conflict involved several key battles, including the Battle of Chojnice in 1454 and the Battle of Świecino in 1462.
Did you know
The Teutonic Order was a German military order that had ruled much of Prussia since the 13th century.
Did you know
The Second Treaty of Thorn, which ended the war, was signed on October 19, 1466, and led to the Teutonic Order becoming a vassal of the Polish crown.
-202
Second Punic War: At the Battle of Zama, Roman legions under Scipio Africanus defeat Hannibal Barca, leader of the army defending Carthage.[citation needed]
War between Rome and Carthage (218–201 BC)
439
The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa.
King of the Vandals and Alans (r. 428–477)
1386
The Universität Heidelberg holds its first lecture, making it the oldest German university.
Public university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
1453
Hundred Years' War: Three months after the Battle of Castillon, England loses its last possessions in southern France.
Medieval Anglo-French conflicts, 1337–1453
1469
Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain.
King of Aragon from 1479 to 1516
1512
Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology.
German priest, theologian and author (1483–1546)
1579
James VI of Scotland is celebrated as an adult ruler by a festival in Edinburgh.
King of Scotland from 1567 to 1625, King of England and Ireland from 1603
1596
The Spanish ship San Felipe runs aground on the coast of Japan and its cargo is confiscated by local authorities.
Spanish shipwreck in Japan with political consequences
1649
New Ross town in Ireland surrenders to Oliver Cromwell.
Town in County Wexford, Ireland
1662
An English Buccaneer force led by Royal Navy commodore Christopher Myngs launches an attack on Santiago de Cuba which is subsequently sacked.
17th/18th century Caribbean privateers
1781
American Revolutionary War: The siege of Yorktown comes to an end.
1775–1783 conflict in North America
1789
John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.
American Founding Father (1745–1829)
1791
Treaty of Drottningholm, between Sweden and Russia
Treaty between Russia and Sweden against France
1805
War of the Third Coalition: Austrian General Mack surrenders his army to Napoleon at the Battle of Ulm.
1805 battle during the War of the Third Coalition
1812
The French invasion of Russia fails when Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow.
1812 conflict during the Napoleonic Wars
1813
War of the Sixth Coalition: Napoleon is forced to retreat from Germany after the Battle of Leipzig.
1813 battle of the Napoleonic Wars
1864
American Civil War: The Battle of Cedar Creek ends the last Confederate threat to Washington, DC.
1861–1865 conflict in the United States
1864
American Civil War: Confederate agents based in Canada rob three banks in Saint Albans, Vermont.
Raid during the American Civil War
1866
In accordance with the Treaty of Vienna, Austria cedes Veneto and Mantua to France, which immediately awards them to Italy in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the French annexation of Savoy and Nice.
Settlement ending the Third War of Italian Independence
1900
Max Planck discovers Planck's law of black-body radiation.
German physicist (1858–1947)
1912
Italo-Turkish War: Italy takes possession of what is now Libya from the Ottoman Empire.
1911–1912 war in Libya and the Aegean Sea
1914
1921
The Portuguese Prime Minister and several officials are murdered in the Bloody Night coup.
October 1921 radical revolt
1922
British Conservative MPs vote to terminate the coalition government with the Liberal Party.
Government of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922
1935
The League of Nations places economic sanctions on Italy for its invasion of Ethiopia.
1935–1936 war between Italy and Ethiopia
1936
New York World-Telegram reporter Herbert Ekins won a race against two other New York newspaper journalists to travel around the world on commercial airline flights.
He accomplished the feat in 18 ½ days. His opponents were New York Evening Journal reporter Dorothy Kilgallen, who finished in second place, and New York Times reporter Leo Kieran.
1943
The cargo vessel Sinfra is attacked by Allied aircraft at Crete and sunk.
Two thousand and ninety-eight Italian prisoners of war drown with it.
1943
Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University.
Aminoglycoside antibiotic
1944
A coup is launched against Juan Federico Ponce Vaides, beginning the ten-year Guatemalan Revolution.
President of Guatemala from July 1944 until his popular overthrow in October 1944
1948
Presidents North Carolina Gave the Nation, a monument honoring three presidents of the United States, was dedicated at the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Monument in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
1950
China defeats the Tibetan Army at Chambo.
Battle between Chinese and Tibetan forces
1950
Korean War: The Battle of Pyongyang ends in a United Nations victory.
Hours later, the Chinese Army begins crossing the border into Korea.
1950
Iran becomes the first country to accept technical assistance from the United States under the Point Four Program.
Foreign aid program established by U.S. President Harry Truman in 1949
1955
The General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union approves the staging of the first Eurovision Song Contest.
1956
The Soviet Union and Japan sign a Joint Declaration, officially ending the state of war between the two countries that had existed since August 1945.
1956 restoration of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Japan
1960
The United States imposes a near-total trade embargo against Cuba.
Ongoing restriction on trade with Cuba by the United States
1973
President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes.
1971–73 recordings by President Nixon
1986
The president of Mozambique and a prominent leader of FRELIMO, along with 33 others, die when their aircraft crashes into the Lebombo Mountains.
1986 aviation accident in South Africa
1987
The United States Navy conducts Operation Nimble Archer, an attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.
1987 US attack on Iranian oil platforms in the Iran-Iraq War
1987
Black Monday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points.
Global stock market crash
1988
The British government imposes a broadcasting ban on television and radio interviews with members of Sinn Féin and eleven Irish republican and Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups.
Partial ban on voices of specific speakers
1989
The convictions of the Guildford Four are quashed by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, after they had spent 15 years in prison.
People wrongly convicted of terrorism
2001
SIEV X, an Indonesian fishing boat en route to Christmas Island, carrying over 400 migrants, sinks in international waters with the loss of 353 people.
Indonesian illegal immigrant boat to Australia; sank in international waters (2001)
2003
Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II.
Albanian-Indian Catholic saint (1910–1997)
2004
Thirteen people are killed when Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Adair County, Missouri, while on approach to Kirksville Regional Airport.
2004 aviation accident in Missouri
2005
Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.
President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003
2005
Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb.
Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2005
2012
A bomb explosion kills eight people and injures 110 more in Lebanon.
2012 car bomb attack in Beirut, Lebanon
2013
One hundred and five people are injured in a train crash in Buenos Aires.
Rail disaster in Argentina
2019
Members of Parliament met at the House of Lords to discuss the United Kingdom's Brexit deal, this was the first Saturday sitting in Parliament since 3 April 1982 during the Falklands War.
Upper house of the UK Parliament
2025
Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are successfully stolen during a heist on the Louvre Museum in Paris..
Symbols of French power, 752–1825