On This Day: 19 July

19 July in world history

• 2013The NASA spacecraft Cassini took a photograph of Saturn with Earth in the distance, for which people were invited to "wave at Saturn".
• 2012Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) capture the city of Kobanî without resistance, starting the Rojava conflict in Northeast Syria.
• 2011Guinean President Alpha Condé survives an attempted assassination and coup d'état at his residence in Conakry.
• 1997The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced that it would resume its ceasefire, ending its 28-year campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland.
• 1992A car bomb killed the anti-Mafia judge Paolo Borsellino and five policemen in Palermo, Italy, less than two months after the murder of Borsellino's friend and colleague Giovanni Falcone.
• 1977The world's first Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is transmitted from Navigation Technology Satellite 2 (NTS-2) and received at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 12:41 a.m. Eastern time (ET).
• 1972Dhofar Rebellion: British SAS units help the Omani government against Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman rebels in the Battle of Mirbat.
• 1967Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22, and a twin-engine Cessna 310 collide over Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA. Both aircraft are destroyed and all passengers and crew are killed, including John T. McNaughton, an advisor to Rober
• 1964Vietnam War: At a rally in Saigon, South Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Khánh calls for expanding the war into North Vietnam.
• 1940World War II: Battle of Cape Spada: The Royal Navy and the Regia Marina clash; the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni sinks, with 121 casualties.
• 1936Spanish Civil War: The CNT and UGT call a general strike in Spain – mobilizing workers' militias against the Nationalist forces. People's Olympiad of Barcelona cancelled.
• 1916World War I: Battle of Fromelles: British and Australian troops attack German trenches as part of the Battle of the Somme.
• 1864Taiping Rebellion: Third Battle of Nanking: The Qing dynasty finally defeats the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
• 1848The two-day Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's-rights and feminist convention held in the United States, opened in Seneca Falls, New York.
• 1843SS Great Britain, the first ocean-going ship with both an iron hull and a screw propeller, was launched in Bristol, England.
• 1702Great Northern War: Polish–Saxon forces were defeated by a Swedish army half their size at the Battle of Kliszów.
• 1333Second War of Scottish Independence: Scottish forces under Sir Archibald Douglas were heavily defeated by the English at the Battle of Halidon Hill while trying to relieve Berwick-upon-Tweed.
• 998Arab–Byzantine wars: After initial Byzantine gains at the Battle of Apamea, a lone Kurdish rider killed Byzantine commander Damian Dalassenos, allowing Fatimid troops to turn the tide of the battle.

Born on 19 July

• 1955Roger Binny, Indian cricketer and sportscasterIndia
• 1941Carole Jordan, British astrophysicist and the first female president of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 1935Nick Koback, American baseball player and golfer (died 2015)
• 1909Balamani Amma, Indian poet and author (died 2004)India
• 1892Dick Irvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1957)
• 1827Mangal Pandey, Indian soldier (died 1857)India

Died on 19 July

• 2002Dave Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1952)
• 2002Alan Lomax, American historian, scholar, and activist (born 1915)
• 1980Hans Morgenthau, German-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (born 1904)
• 1975John Alan Coey, American mercenary and medic in the Rhodesian Bush War

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 19 July in history?

2013: The NASA spacecraft Cassini took a photograph of Saturn with Earth in the distance, for which people were invited to "wave at Saturn". 2012: Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) capture the city of Kobanî without resistance, starting the Rojava conflict in Northeast Syria. 2011: Guinean President Alpha Condé survives an attempted assassination and coup d'état at his residence in Conakry. 1997: The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced that it would resume its ceasefire, ending its 28-year campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland.

Which famous people were born on 19 July?

Roger Binny, Indian cricketer and sportscaster (1955); Carole Jordan, British astrophysicist and the first female president of the Royal Astronomical Society (1941); Nick Koback, American baseball player and golfer (died 2015) (1935); Balamani Amma, Indian poet and author (died 2004) (1909).

Which day is observed on 19 July?

Palace Day; Martyrs' Day (Myanmar); Sandinista Day or Liberation Day (Nicaragua).