August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 134 days remaining until the end of the year.
- 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus, compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul.
- 1504 - Battle of Knockdoe.
- 1561 - An 18-year-old Mary Queen of Scots returns to Scotland, after spending 13 years in France.
- 1692 - Salem witch trials: in Salem, Massachusetts, Province of Massachusetts Bay five people, one woman and four men, including a clergyman, are executed after being convicted of witchcraft.
- 1745 - Jacobite Rising, Prince Charles Edward Stuart lands from a French warship in Glenfinnan, raises his standard and marches on London - the start of the Second Jacobite Rebellion known as "the 45".
- 1768 - Saint Isaac's Cathedral is founded in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
- 1772 - Gustavus III of Sweden stages a Coup d'état, in which he assumes power and enacts a new constitution that divides power between the Riksdag and the King.
- 1782 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Blue Licks - the last major engagement of the war, almost ten months after the surrender of the British commander Lord Cornwallis following the Siege of Yorktown.
- 1812 - War of 1812: American frigate USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerrière off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada earning her nickname "Old Ironsides".
- 1813 - Gervasio Antonio de Posadas joins Argentina's second triumvirate.
- 1839 - Presentation of Jacque Daguerre's new photographic process to the French Academy of Sciences.
- 1848 - California Gold Rush: the New York Herald breaks the news to the East Coast of the United States of the gold rush in California (although the rush started in January).
- 1861 - First ascent of Weisshorn, fifth highest summit in the Alps.
- 1862 - Indian Wars: during an uprising in Minnesota, Lakota warriors decide not to attack heavily-defended Fort Ridgely and instead turn to the settlement of New Ulm, killing white settlers along the way.
- 1878 - Manuel L. Quezon : 2nd President of the Philippines
- 1895 - American frontier murderer and outlaw, John Wesley Hardin, is killed by an off-duty policeman in a saloon in El Paso, Texas.
- 1915 - World War I: the Battle of Van begins
- 1919 - Afghanistan gains full independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1927 - Metropolitan Sergius proclaims the declaration of loyalty of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Soviet state.
- 1934 - The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton, Ohio.
- 1934 - The creation of the position Führer is approved by the German electorate with 89.9% of the popular vote.
- 1942 - World War II: Operation Jubilee - the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division leads an amphibious assault by allied forces on Dieppe, France.
- 1944 - World War II: Liberation of Paris - Paris rises against German occupation with the help of Allied troops.
- 1945 - Vietnam War: Viet Minh led by Ho Chi Minh take power in Hanoi, Vietnam.
- 1953 - Cold War: the CIA helps to overthrow the government of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
- 1955 - In the Northeast United States, severe flooding caused by Hurricane Diane, claims 200 lives.
- 1960 - Cold War: in Moscow, downed American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to ten years imprisonment by the Soviet Union for espionage.
- 1960 - Sputnik program: Sputnik 5 - the Soviet Union launches the satellite with the dogs Belka and Strelka, 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants.
- 1965 - Japanese prime minister Eisaku Sato becomes the first post-World War II sitting prime minister to visit Okinawa.
- 1975 - The cricket test match between England and Australia is called off after the pitch is vandalised by supporters of George Davis.
- 1980 - Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar burns after making an emergency landing at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing 301 people.
- 1981 - Gulf of Sidra Incident: United States fighters intercept and shoot down two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jets over the Gulf of Sidra.
- 1987 - Hungerford Massacre: in the United Kingdom, Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with an assault rifle and then commits suicide.
- 1989 - Polish president Wojciech Jaruzelski nominates Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki to be the first non-communist Prime Minister in 42 years.
- 1989 - Raid on offshore pirate station, Radio Caroline in North Sea by British and Dutch governments.
- 1990 - Leonard Bernstein conducts his final concert, ending with Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7.
- 1991 - Collapse of the Soviet Union, August Coup: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is placed under house arrest while on holiday in the town of Foros, Crimea.
- 1991 - Hurricane Bob hits the Northeast.
- 1999 - In Belgrade, tens of thousands of Serbians rally to demand the resignation of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia President Slobodan Milošević.
- 2002 - A Russian Mi-26 helicopter carrying troops is hit by a Chechen missile outside of Grozny, killing 118 soldiers.
- 2003 - A car-bomb attack on United Nations headquarters in Iraq kills the agency's top envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other employees.
- 2003 - A Hamas planned suicide attack on a bus in Jerusalem kills 23 Israelis, 7 of them children in the Jerusalem bus 2 massacre.
- 2005 - The first-ever joint military exercise between Russia and China, called Peace Mission 2005 begins.
- 2005 - A series of strong storms lashes Southern Ontario spawning several tornadoes as well as creating extreme flash flooding within the city of Toronto and its surrounding communities. In Toronto, it is also dubbed as the Toronto Supercell.
- 1342 - Katharine of Bohemia, Duchess of Bavaria (d. 1395)
- 1398 - Marqués de Santillana, Spanish poet (d. 1458)
- 1557 - Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1608)
- 1590 - Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, English soldier (d. 1649)
- 1596 - Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine and Queen of Bohemia (d. 1662)
- 1621 - Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Dutch painter (d. 1674)
- 1631 - John Dryden, English poet (d. 1700)
- 1646 - John Flamsteed, English astronomer (d. 1719)
- 1686 - Eustace Budgell, English writer (d. 1737)
- 1686 - Nicola Porpora, Italian composer (d. 1768)
- 1689 - Samuel Richardson, English writer (d. 1761)
- 1711 - Edward Boscawen, British admiral (d. 1761)
- 1743 - Madame du Barry, French courtesan (d. 1793)
- 1846 - Luis Martín, Spanish Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1906)
- 1848 - Gustave Caillebotte, French Painter (d. 1894)
- 1853 - Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (d. 1926)
- 1870 - Bernard Baruch, American financier (d. 1965)
- 1871 - Orville Wright, American aviation pioneer (d. 1948)
- 1875 - Stjepan Seljan, Croatian explorer (d. 1936)
- 1878 - Manuel L. Quezon, 2nd President of the Philippines (d. 1944)
- 1881 - George Enescu, Romanian composer (d. 1955)
- 1883 - José Mendes Cabeçadas, 95th Prime Minister of Portugal and 9th President of Portugal (d. 1965)
- 1883 - Coco Chanel, French clothing designer (d. 1971)
- 1883 - Elsie Ferguson, American film actress (d. 1961)
- 1892 - Alfred Lunt, American actor (d. 1977)
- 1896 - Olga Baclanova, Russian-born actress (d. 1974)
- 1899 - Charlie Hall, English comedian actor (d. 1959)
- 1900 - Colleen Moore, American film actress.(d. 1988)
- 1900 - Gilbert Ryle, British philosopher (d. 1976)
- 1902 - Ogden Nash, American poet (d. 1971)
- 1902 - J. B. L. Reyes, Filipino jurist (d. 1994)
- 1903 - James Gould Cozzens, American novelist (d. 1978)
- 1906 - Philo Farnsworth, American inventor (d. 1971)
- 1907 - Thruston B. Morton, American politician (d. 1982)
- 1912 - Austin Dobson, British racing driver (d. 1963)
- 1913 - Richard Simmons, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1913 - John Argyris, Greek aeronautical engineer, one of the creators of the Finite Element Method (d. 2004)
- 1914 - Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer (d. 2005)
- 1915 - Ring Lardner Jr, American journalist and screenwriter (d. 2000)
- 1915 - Alfred Rouleau, French Canadian businessman and administrator (Desjardins Group) (d. 1985)
- 1919 - Malcolm Forbes, American publisher (d. 1990)
- 1921 - Gene Roddenberry, American television producer (d. 1991)
- 1925 - Claude Gauvreau, Canadian playwright (d. 1971)
- 1926 - Arthur Rock, American venture capitalist
- 1928 - Bernard Levin, English journalist, author, and broadcaster (d. 2004)
- 1928 - Norman Brooks, Canadian singer (d. 2006)
- 1930 - Frank McCourt, Irish-American author
- 1931 - Willie Shoemaker, American jockey (d. 2003)
- 1932 - Thomas P. Salmon, 75th Governor of Vermont
- 1934 - Renée Richards, American physician
- 1935 - Bobby Richardson, American baseball player
- 1938 - Diana Muldaur, American actress
- 1939 - Ginger Baker, English musician (Cream)
- 1940 - Johnny Nash, American singer-songwriter
- 1940 - Jill St. John, American actress
- 1942 - Fred Thompson, American politician and actor
- 1943 - Billy J. Kramer, British singer
- 1944 - Buzz Kilman, Chicago radio personality
- 1944 - Bodil Malmsten, Swedish writer
- 1944 - Charles Wang, Chinese-born philanthropist
- 1945 - Ian Gillan, English singer (Deep Purple)
- 1946 - Bill Clinton, American politician, forty-second President of the United States
- 1946 - Beat Raaflaub, Swiss conductor
- 1946 - Dawn Steel, American film producer (d. 1997)
- 1947 - Dave Dutton, English actor
- 1947 - Terry Hoeppner, American football coach (d. 2007)
- 1947 - Gerard Schwarz, American conductor
- 1948 - Gerald McRaney, American actor
- 1948 - Tipper Gore, Second Lady of the United States
- 1950 - Jennie Bond, British journalist
- 1950 - Graeme Beard, Australian cricketer
- 1951 - John Deacon, English musician (Queen)
- 1951 - Gustavo Santaolalla, Argentine film composer
- 1952 - Jonathan Frakes, American actor and director
- 1953 - Nanni Moretti, Italian film actor, director and producer
- 1953 - Mary Matalin, American political consultant
- 1954 - Oscar Larrauri, Argentine racing driver
- 1955 - Peter Gallagher, American actor
- 1955 - Ned Yost, American baseball player and manager
- 1956 - Adam Arkin, American actor
- 1957 - Li-Young Lee, Indonesia-born American poet
- 1957 - Christine Soetewey, Belgian high jumper
- 1957 - Ian Gould, England cricketer
- 1957 - Paul-Jan Bakker, Netherland cricketer
- 1958 - Anthony Muñoz, American football player
- 1958 - Gary Gaetti, American baseball player
- 1958 - Brendan Nelson, Australian politician
- 1959 - Ricky Pierce, American basketball player
- 1959 - Susan Cummings, Monegasque-born American heiress and convicted murderer
- 1960 - Morten Andersen, American football player
- 1961 - Jonathan Coe, British author
- 1962 - Tammy Bruce, American political commentator
- 1962 - Valérie Kaprisky, French actress
- 1963 - John Stamos, American actor
- 1963 - Yip Sai Wing, Hong Kong musician (Beyond)
- 1963 - Joey Tempest, Swedish singer (Europe)
- 1965 - Kyra Sedgwick, American actress
- 1965 - Kevin Dillon, American actor
- 1965 - Maria de Medeiros, Portuguese actress and director
- 1966 - Lilian Garcia, wrestling announcer
- 1966 - Lee Ann Womack, American musician
- 1968 - Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, Greek windsurfer
- 1968 - Mark McGuinn, country music singer
- 1969 - Nate Dogg, American rapper
- 1969 - Kirk Herbstreit, American football analyst (College GameDay)
- 1969 - Emigdio Preciado, Hispanic fugitive on FBI's Most Wanted list
- 1969 - Paula Jai Parker, American actress
- 1969 - Matthew Perry, Canadian actor
- 1969 - Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, Japanese baseball player
- 1969 - Patrick Van Horn, American actor
- 1969 - Clay Walker, American singer
- 1970 - Fat Joe, American rapper
- 1970 - Jeff Tam, Major League Baseball Player
- 1971 - João Vieira Pinto, Portuguese football player
- 1972 - Roberto Abbondanzieri, Argentine footballer
- 1972 - Sammi Cheng Sau Man, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1972 - Chihiro Yonekura, Japanese singer
- 1973 - Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
- 1973 - Callum Blue, British actor
- 1973 - Marco Materazzi, Italian footballer
- 1973 - Carl Bulfin, New Zealand cricketer
- 1975 - Chynna Clugston, American comic book creator
- 1975 - Tracie Thoms, American actress
- 1975 - Marco Coti Zelati, Italian bassist (Lacuna Coil)
- 1977 - Iban Mayo, Spanish cyclist
- 1978 - Chris Capuano, American baseball player
- 1979 - Dave Douglas, American musician (Relient K)
- 1979 - Oumar Kondé, Swiss footballer
- 1980 - Jun Jin, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
- 1980 - Darius Danesh, Scottish singer-songwriter & actor
- 1980 - Paul Parry, Welsh footballer
- 1980 - Michael Todd, American musician (Coheed and Cambria)
- 1982 - Erika Christensen, American actress
- 1982 - J. J. Hardy, American baseball player
- 1982 - Kevin Rans, Belgian pole vaulter
- 1983 - Missy Higgins, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1983 - John McCargo, American football player
- 1983 - Tammin Sursok, Australian actress & singer
- 1983 - Mike Conway, British racing driver
- 1984 - Micah Alberti, American actor
- 1984 - Alessandro Matri, Italian footballer
- 1984 - Ryan Taylor, English footballer
- 1985 - Megan Rochell, American singer
- 1986 - Saori Kimura, Japanese volleyball player
- 1987 - Anaïs Lameche, Swedish singer (Play)
- 1987 - Ileana D'Cruz, Indian actress
- 1987 - Richard Stearman, English footballer
- 1988 - Travis Tedford, American actor
- 1989 - Romeo, American rapper
- 1998 - Ella Guevara, Filipino actress
- 14 - Augustus, Roman Emperor (b. 63 BC)
- 1186 - Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (b. 1158)
- 1245 - Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence (b. 1195)
- 1284 - Alphonso, Earl of Chester, son of Edward I of England (b. 1273)
- 1297 - Saint Louis of Toulouse, French Catholic bishop (b. 1274)
- 1493 - Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1415)
- 1580 - Andrea Palladio, Italian architect (b. 1508)
- 1646 - Alexander Henderson, Scottish theologian
- 1662 - Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1623)
- 1680 - Jean Eudes, French catholic priest, founder of the Eudists (b. 1601)
- 1753 - Balthasar Neumann, German architect (b. 1687)
- 1819 - James Watt, Scottish inventor (b. 1736)
- 1822 - Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, French mathematician (b. 1749)
- 1883 - Jeremiah S. Black, American statesman (b. 1810)
- 1889 - Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, French writer (b. 1838)
- 1895 - John Wesley Hardin, American gunfighter (b. 1853)
- 1900 - Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian composer (b. 1833)
- 1914 - Franz Xavier Wernz, German Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1844)
- 1923 - Vilfredo Pareto, Italian sociologist and economist (b. 1845)
- 1929 - Sergei Diaghilev, Russian ballet impresario (b. 1872)
- 1936 - Federico García Lorca, Spanish author (b. 1898)
- 1944 - Günther von Kluge, German field marshal (b. 1882)
- 1945 - Tomas Burgos, Chilean philanthropist (b. 1875)
- 1950 - Giovanni Giorgi, Italian physicist (b. 1871)
- 1954 - Alcide De Gasperi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1881)
- 1957 - David Bomberg, English painter (b. 1890)
- 1957 - Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Swedish meteorologist (b. 1898)
- 1959 - Jacob Epstein, American-born sculptor (b. 1880)
- 1959 - Blind Willie McTell, American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist (b. 1901)
- 1963 - Kathleen Parlow, Canadian violinist (b. 1890)
- 1967 - Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourg-born editor and publisher (b. 1884)
- 1968 - George Gamow, Ukrainian-born physicist (b. 1904)
- 1969 - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German architect (b. 1886)
- 1970 - Paweł Jasienica, Polish historian (b. 1909)
- 1975 - Mark Donohue, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1937)
- 1975 - Jim Londos, wrestler (b. 1897)
- 1976 - Alastair Sim, Scottish actor and rector of Edinburgh University (b. 1900)
- 1976 - Ken Wadsworth, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1946)
- 1977 - Groucho Marx, American comedian and actor (b. 1890)
- 1979 - Dorsey Burnette, American singer (b. 1932)
- 1980 - Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank (b. 1889)
- 1981 - Jessie Matthews, English actress (b. 1907)
- 1982 - August Neo, Estonian wrestler (b. 1908)
- 1986 - Hermione Baddeley, English actress (b. 1906)
- 1994 - Linus Pauling, American chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Peace (b. 1901)
- 1995 - Pierre Schaeffer, French composer (b. 1910)
- 2000 - Antonio Pugliese, Italian professional wrestler (b. 1941)
- 2000 - Bineshwar Brahma, Bodo littérateur and religious figure (birth date unknown)
- 2001 - Donald Woods, South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist (b. 1933)
- 2001 - Betty Everett, American singer and pianist (b. 1939)
- 2003 - Carlos Roberto Reina, President of Honduras (b. 1926)
- 2003 - Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (b. 1948)
- 2005 - Bueno de Mesquita, Dutch comedian and actor (b. 1918)
- 2008 - Levy Mwanawasa, Zambian politician (b. 1948)
- 2008 - LeRoi Moore, American musician (Dave Matthews Band) (b. 1961)
