TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS MONDAY, AUG. 19, the 231st day of 2019. There are 134 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler.
In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the War of 1812, earning the nickname “Old Ironsides.”
In 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces landed at Benedict, Maryland, with the objective of capturing Washington, D.C.
In 1848, the New York Herald reported the discovery of gold in California.
In 1909, the first automobile races were run at the just-opened Indianapolis Motor Speedway; the winner of the first event was auto engineer Louis Schwitzer, who drove a Stoddard-Dayton touring car twice around the 2.5-mile track at an average speed of 57.4 mph.
In 1942, during World War II, about 6,000 Canadian and British soldiers launched a disastrous raid against the Germans at Dieppe, France, suffering more than 50% casualties.
In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford won the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s convention in Kansas City.
In 1980, 301 people aboard a Saudi Arabian L-1011 died as the jetliner made a fiery emergency return to the Riyadh airport.
In 1982, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the second woman to be launched into space.
In 1987, a gun collector ran through Hungerford, England, 60 miles west of London, killing 16 people, including his mother, before turning his gun on himself.
In 1990, Leonard Bernstein conducted what turned out to be the last concert of his career at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the program ended with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
In 2003, a suicide truck bomb struck
U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22, including the top U.N. envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello. A suicide bombing of a bus in Jerusalem killed 22 people.
In 2004, Google began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, ending the day up $15.34 at $100.34.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Actor L.Q. Jones is 92. Actress Debra Paget is 86. USTA Eastern Tennis Hall-of-Famer Renee Richards is 85. Former MLB All-Star Bobby Richardson is 84. Actress Diana Muldaur is 81. Rock musician Ginger Baker (Cream, Blind Faith) is 80. Singer Johnny Nash and actress Jill St. John are 79. Singer Billy J. Kramer is 76. Country singer-songwriter Eddy Raven is 75. Rock singer Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) is 74. Former President Bill Clinton is 73. Actor Gerald McRaney is 72. Tipper Gore, wife of former Vice President Al Gore, actor Jim Carter and pop singermusician Elliot Lurie (Looking Glass) are 71. Rock musician John Deacon (Queen) and bluegrass musician Marc Pruett (Balsam Range) are 68. Actordirector Jonathan Frakes is 67. Political consultant Mary Matalin is 66. Actor Peter Gallagher is 64. Actor Adam Arkin is 63. Singer-songwriter Gary Chapman and actor Martin Donovan are 62. Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Anthony Munoz is 61. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ivan Neville is 60. Actor Eric Lutes is 57. Actor John Stamos is 56. Actress Kyra Sedgwick and actor Kevin Dillon are 54. Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 53. TV reporter Tabitha Soren is 52. Country singer-songwriter Mark McGuinn is 51. Actor Matthew Perry and country singer Clay Walker are 50. Olympic gold medal tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez is 48. Actress Tracie Thoms is 44. Actor Callum Blue is 42. Country singer Rissi Palmer is 38. Actresses Erika Christensen and Melissa Fumero are 37. Pop singer Missy Higgins, actor Peter Mooney and actress Tammin Sursok are 36. Country singer Karli Osborn is 35. Olympic silver medal snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis and actor J. Evan Bonifant are 34. Actor Ethan Cutkosky is 20.
— Associated Press