2016 Berlin truck attack
A vehicular attack in Berlin, Germany, kills 12 and injures 56 people at a Christmas market.
What happened on December 19
29 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1154 to 2024.
Standout on December 19
2013
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency's spacecraft Gaia was launched with the goal of constructing the largest and most precise star catalogue ever made.
About December 19
December 19 is the 353rd day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 353 of 365 (354 in leap years)12 days left in the year (12 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Saturday in 2026, Sunday in 2027, Tuesday in 2028, Wednesday in 2029, Thursday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 51 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♐ Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- December birthstone
- Turquoise / Tanzanite / Zircongood fortune, wisdom and success
- December birth flower
- Narcissus / Holly / Poinsettiarespect, hope and good wishes
- Next occurrence
- In 53 days
- Roman numerals
- XIX.XIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 250thThomas Paine1776
- 70thJohn Bodkin Adams1956
- 40thMikhail Gorbachev1986
- 30thFranck Kessié1996
- 25th1998–2002 Argentine great depression2001
- 10th2016 Berlin truck attack2016
- 10thAndrei Karlov2016
- 10thAndrei Karlov2016
December 19 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- 2016 Berlin truck attack · Andrei Karlov · Andrei Karlov
- 25 years ago2001
- 1998–2002 Argentine great depression
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on December 19 — ages this year
- 1998King Princessturns 28
- 1997Gabriel Magalhãesturns 29
- 1997Fikayo Tomoriturns 29
- 1996Franck Kessiéturns 30
- 1994Maudy Ayundaturns 32
- 1994M'Baye Niangturns 32
Historical events 29
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Andrei Karlov
Andrei Karlov (pictured), Russia's ambassador to Turkey, was assassinated at an art gallery in Ankara.
Gaia (spacecraft)
Spacecraft Gaia is launched by the European Space Agency.
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency's spacecraft Gaia was launched with the goal of constructing the largest and most precise star catalogue ever made.
Park Geun-hye
Park Geun-hye is elected the first female president of South Korea.
Sucha Beskidzka
A passenger train from Sucha Beskidzka to Żywiec in Poland loses its brakes while on a steep downhill part of the route. It is stopped in a controlled collision in Świnna by a train travelling in opposite direction. 2 drivers and 6 passengers are injured.
Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101
Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 crashes into the Government Cut channel immediately after takeoff from Miami Seaplane Base, killing 20.
1998–2002 Argentine great depression
Argentine economic crisis: December riots: Riots erupt in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-103, the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.
Bill Clinton
President Bill Clinton is impeached by the United States House of Representatives, becoming the second president of the United States to be impeached.
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic, the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time with a worldwide total of more than US$2.2 billion, was released in the United States.
SilkAir Flight 185
SilkAir Flight 185 crashed into the Musi River in Indonesia, killing 104 people.
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi
The United States Government restores federal recognition to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Native American tribe.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union, releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from exile in Gorky.
Aeroflot Flight 101/435
Aeroflot Flight 101/435 was hijacked by its co-pilot; it landed in a cow pasture in China, where he was apprehended.
Sino-British Joint Declaration
China and the United Kingdom signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, agreeing to the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997.
FIFA World Cup
The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
FIFA World Cup Trophy
The Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to the winner of the FIFA World Cup, was stolen from the offices of the Brazilian Football Confederation.
Penlee lifeboat disaster
Sixteen lives are lost when the Penlee lifeboat goes to the aid of the stricken coaster Union Star in heavy seas.
1977 Bob–Tangol earthquake
The Ms 5.8 Bob–Tangol earthquake strikes Kerman Province in Iran, destroying villages and killing 665 people.
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller is sworn in as Vice President of the United States under President Gerald Ford under the provisions of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Apollo program
Apollo program: The last crewed lunar flight, Apollo 17, carrying Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt, returns to Earth.
Harold Holt
Harold Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia, is officially presumed dead.
South Vietnam
The ruling junta of South Vietnam, led by Nguyễn Khánh, initiated a coup, dissolving the High National Council, a civilian advisory body.
John Bodkin Adams
British physician and suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams was arrested in connection with the death of Edith Alice Morrell.
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol (illustration pictured), a novella by Charles Dickens about the miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation after being visited by ghosts, was published.
Nullification crisis
Nullification crisis: American vice president John C. Calhoun's South Carolina Exposition and Protest, written to protest the Tariff of Abominations, was presented to the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine published the first in a series of pamphlets entitled The American Crisis, opening with the line: "These are the times that try men's souls."
Henry II of England
Henry II (depicted) was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey, London.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Karin Söder
Karin Söder, Swedish educator and politician, 33rd Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (born 1928)
Greville Janner
Greville Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone, Welsh-English lawyer and politician (born 1928)
Igor Rodionov
Igor Rodionov, Russian general and politician, 3rd Russian Minister of Defence (born 1936)
Dick Thornton (Canadian football)
Dick Thornton, American-Canadian football player and coach (born 1939)
Roberta Leigh
Roberta Leigh (Rita Shulman Lewin), British writer, artist and TV producer (born 1926).
Robert Bork
Robert Bork, American lawyer, judge, and scholar, United States Attorney General (born 1927)
Amnon Lipkin-Shahak
Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Israeli general and politician, 22nd Transportation Minister of Israel (born 1944)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
O Antiphons
Christian feast day: O Radix
Pope Urban V
Christian feast day: Pope Urban V
Lillian Trasher
Christian feast day: Lillian Trasher (Episcopal Church)
Saint Nicholas Day
Christian feast day: Saint Nicholas Day
Goa Liberation Day
Goa Liberation Day (Goa, India)
Pope Anastasius I
Christian feast day: Pope Anastasius I
December 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: December 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Public holidays in Anguilla
National Heroes and Heroines Day (Anguilla)
Spread across the centuries
- 12th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century2
- 20th century37
- 21st century28
Earliest: Henry II of England (1154). Most recent: Michael Leunig (2024).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about December 19
What day of the year is December 19?
December 19 is the 353rd day of the year, with 12 days left after it.
What star sign is December 19?
December 19 falls under Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21), a fire sign ruled by Jupiter. The birthstone for the month is Turquoise or Tanzanite or Zircon.
How many things happened on December 19?
We record 77 entries for December 19: 29 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1154 to 2024.
Who was born on December 19?
King Princess (1998) is among the notable births on December 19. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the December 19 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like December 19
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.