On This Day August 19th

 OTD 

August 19th is the 229th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 134 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

295 BC – The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, was dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War.

1561 – Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland after spending 13 years in France.

1666 – Second Anglo-Dutch War: Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 150 merchant ships, an act later known as "Holmes's Bonfire."

1812 – War of 1812: American frigate USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, earning the nickname "Old Ironsides."

1909 – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for automobile racing. William Bourque and his mechanic are killed during the first day's events.

1953 – Cold War: The CIA and MI6 help overthrow Mohammad Mosaddegh's government in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

1989 – Polish president Wojciech Jaruzelski nominates Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki as the first non-communist prime minister in 42 years.

1989 – Several hundred East Germans cross the frontier between Hungary and Austria during the Pan-European Picnic, part of the events that began the Fall of the Berlin Wall process.

1991 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The August Coup begins when Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is placed under house arrest while on holiday in Foros, Ukraine.

2004 – Google Inc. has its initial public offering on Nasdaq.


Birthdays

232 – Marcus Aurelius Probus, Roman emperor (d. 282) 

1570 – Salamone Rossi, Italian violinist, and composer (probable;[18] d. 1630)

1815 – Harriette Newell Woods Baker, American editor and children's book writer (d. 1893)

1871 – Orville Wright, an American engineer and pilot, co-founded the Wright Company (d. 1948)

1900 – Gilbert Ryle, English philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1976)

1902 – Ogden Nash, American poet (d. 1971)

1919 – Malcolm Forbes, American publisher and politician (d. 1990)

1921 – Gene Roddenberry, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1991)

1939 – Ginger Baker, English drummer and songwriter (d. 2019)

1952 – Jonathan Frakes, American actor and director




Holidays & Observance

National Aviation Day

 In the dawning days of aviation, a handful of audacious dreamers embarked on a journey that defied the laws of gravity and the skepticism of the masses. The likes of Orville and Wilbur Wright, Alberto Santos-Dumont, and Louis Blériot cast aside the shackles of doubt and ridicule, igniting the flames of human flight that burn brightly today.

 Imagine the incredulity that greeted the Wright brothers when they unveiled their flying machine. In an era where flight was but a fanciful notion, Orville and Wilbur, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio, harnessed their ingenious minds to forge wings from dreams. Unperturbed by mockery, they embraced the skies on that fateful day in 1903, proving that their invention was not mere folly but a testament to human ingenuity.

 Across the Atlantic, the debonair Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont faced a similar battle against derision. His 14-bis aircraft was regarded as a spectacle, a whimsical contraption unworthy of serious consideration. Yet, when he soared into the Parisian skies in 1906, he bestowed the gift of flight upon the world, turning skeptics into awestruck believers.

 Meanwhile, the English Channel stood as an insurmountable challenge, taunting those who dared to conquer it. Louis Blériot, the daring Frenchman, accepted the gauntlet and overcame relentless mockery to achieve the unimaginable. In 1909, his monoplane pierced the sky, crossing the tumultuous waters and etching his name in the annals of history.

 These pioneers of the skies shared an unyielding wonder that propelled them beyond the bounds of earthly limitations. Despite facing the scoffs of cynics, their relentless pursuit of flight kindled the flames of imagination for generations to come. Their tales of triumph over ridicule echo through time, a reminder that the human spirit, fueled by curiosity and resilience, can defy gravity. The early aviators, driven by nothing but their dreams and audacity, soared into the heavens and forever changed our perception of what was possible.


Others Include

Crown Princess Mette Marit's day

World Photo Day

World Humanitarian Day

World Honey Bee Day

Saviors of the Apple Feast Day

National Soft Ice Cream Day

National Aviation Day

International Orangutan Day

International Geocaching Day


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