View todays celebrity birthdays and find out what happened in history today.
What : day is it
August 19th is the day we officially celebrate World Photo Day, World Humanitarian Day and Aviation Day.
1897 – The London Electric Cab Company began operating the electric-powered taxi cabs in London’s West End and the City. They had a range of up to 30 miles, and a top speed of 9 miles an hour. The cabs prove uneconomical and were withdrawn in 1900.
1919 – Afghanistan gained full independence from Britain.
1942 – British and Canadian troops launched a disastrous attack on German-held Dieppe. Of the 6,000 troops involved, only about 2,500 returned. The rest were killed or captured.
1953 – The England cricket team, under captain Len Hutton, won The Ashes against Australia for the first time since the tour of 1932-1933.
1960 – Penguin Books received a summons in response to their plans to publish Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
1969 – The British Army took over control of security in Northern Ireland.
1970 – The 1000th episode of Coronation Street was broadcast. It is the world’s longest-running television soap opera. See ©BB picture of the Rovers Return Public House in the former studio at Quay Street, Manchester.
1975 – Campaigners calling for the release of robber George Davis from prison vandalised the pitch at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds.
1987 – 27 year old gunman Michael Ryan shot dead 16 people during a rampage through Hungerford, Berkshire. 14 people were wounded, and one of the dead was Ryan’s own mother. He proceeded to set fire to his mother’s house, and the worst civil massacre in modern British history ended when he shot himself.
1989 – The offshore, North Sea pirate radio station, Radio Caroline, was raided and silenced by the British and Dutch governments. However broadcasts resumed on 1st October of that year and continued on low/moderate power until fuel for the generator ran out on 6th November 1990. Radio Caroline currently broadcasts 24 hours a day via the Eutelsat satellite and Internet radio.
1993 – Sally Gunnell runs a world record in the women’s 400m hurdles (52.74).
2008 – Chris Hoy encapsulates British dominance of track cycling at the Beijing Olympics beating teammate Jason Kenny to win the sprint, adding to his keirin and team sprint gold medals. On the same day, Victoria Pendleton beats Anna Mears in the women’s cycling sprint final. Also, Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu wins the women’s 400m.
2016 – After a six-way tie for first place in the final of the equestrian individual jumping competition at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Nick Skelton of Great Britain wins gold medal jump-off. On the same day, Britain upsets the heavily favoured Netherlands team to win the women’s field hockey gold medal.
2020 – Apple became the first US company to be valued at $2 trillion. Apple was also the first to be valued at $1 trillion on August 2, 2018, meaning the company doubled in valuation in just over two years.
In the 1970s, Tony the Tiger was given a family in an effort to humanize him. His family included Mama Tony, Mrs. Tony, and a daughter, Antoinette. Theeeyyy’re GONE!
A “kilowarhol” is the unit of measurement used to describe someone who has been famous for 15,000 minutes.
Composer Arthur Sullivan sent a message to Thomas Edison in regard to the phonograph that he was “… terrified at the thought that so much hideous and bad music may be put on record forever.”
TV Quotes… “Heh heh” (Beavis and Butt-head) on “Beavis and Butthead”
If the first two aliens we met were twins we would think their entire species looked the same. #perception
The biggest film of 1943: This is the Army (Musical) earned ~ $12,000,000
Vincent Price did the monologue for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in one take.
US President #1 President George Washington (1789-1797) Despite rumors, his teeth were made of ivory, not wood. You can visit them at the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, Md.
“Doctors say that Nordberg has a 50/50 chance of living, though there’s only a 10 percent chance of that.” – Ed Hocken #moviequotes
The “Dog Days of Summer” meaning comes from the dog star Sirius, and that the star would rise just before the sun mid-summer (the hottest days of the year).
The AOL “Welcome” & “You’ve Got Mail” sounds were recorded in 1989 on a cassette deck.
“If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance.” – Orville Wright
“Middle age is when you’ve met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else.”– Ogden Nash
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” – Coco Chanel
“We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.” – William J. Clinton
“A really good band with a bad drummer is not a good band. A really bad band with a good drummer sounds better.”– Ginger Baker
“There’s nothing on it worthwhile, and we’re not going to watch it in this household, and I don’t want it in your intellectual diet.” – Philo Farnsworth (regarding television)
2018 – Xi’an, China, introduced a pedestrian lane for people who walk while looking at their phones.
1993 – The Holbeck Hall Hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, fell into the sea following a landslide, making news around the world.
1805 – The first Trooping of the Colour took place on Horse Guards Parade. It was Edward VII who moved Trooping the Colour to its June date, because of the vagaries of British weather.