August 19 in History

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

1612 – The “Samlesbury witches,” three women from the Lancashire village of Samlesbury, England, were put on trial, accused of practicing witchcraft, with all three of the Samlesbury women acquitted.

1692 – In Salem, Province of Massachusetts Bay, five people, one woman and four men, including a clergyman, were executed after being convicted of witchcraft at the Salem Witch Trials.

1812 – American frigate USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, earning the nickname “Old Ironsides”.

1848 – The New York Herald published the news to the East Coast of the US about the Gold Rush in California.

1909 – The first automobile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

1934 – The first All-American Soap Box Derby was held in Dayton, Ohio.

#1 Hit August 19, 1950 – November 17, 1950: Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers – Goodnight Irene

1960 – With Korabl-Sputnik 2, the Soviet Union launched the satellite with the dogs Belka and Strelka, 40 mice, two rats, and a variety of plants. All of the creatures survived

1964 – Syncom 3, the first geostationary communication satellite, was launched.

#1 Hit August 19, 1967 – August 25, 1967: The Beatles – All You Need Is Love

1973 – The (real) Texas Chain Saw Massacre occurred

1991 – Black groups targeted Hasidic Jews on the streets of Crown Heights in New York, New York, for three days after two black children were hit by a car driven by a Hasidic man.

#1 Hit August 19, 2006 – September 8, 2006: Fergie – London Bridge