Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 19, 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the War of 1812, earning the nickname “Old Ironsides.”
On this date:
In A.D. 14, Caesar Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, died at age 76 after a reign lasting four decades; he was succeeded by his stepson Tiberius.
In 1807, Robert Fulton’s North River Steamboat arrived in Albany, two days after leaving New York.
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 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler.
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-percent casualties.
In 1955, torrential rains caused by Hurricane Diane resulted in severe flooding in the northeastern U.S., claiming some 200 lives.
In 1960, a tribunal in Moscow convicted American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage. (Although sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, Powers was returned to the United States in 1962 as part of a prisoner exchange.)
In 1980, 301 people aboard a Saudi Arabian L-1011 died as the jetliner made a fiery emergency return to the Riyadh airport.
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 2010, the last American combat brigade exited Iraq, seven years and five months after the U.S.-led invasion began.
In 2020, Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president in a speech to the party’s virtual convention, cementing her place in history as the first Black woman on a major party ticket. Apple became the first U.S. company to boast a market value of $2 trillion, just two years after becoming the first U.S. company with a $1 trillion market value.
Aug. 19: Actor Debra Paget (“Love Me Tender”) is 90. Actor Diana Muldaur (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 85. Actor Jill St. John is 83. Singer Billy J. Kramer is 80. Country singer-songwriter Eddy Raven is 79. Singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple is 78. Actor Gerald McRaney is 76. Actor Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”) is 75. Singer-guitarist Elliot Lurie of Looking Glass is 75. Bassist John Deacon of Queen is 72. Actor Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 71. Actor Peter Gallagher is 68. Actor Adam Arkin is 67. Singer-songwriter Gary Chapman is 66. Actor Martin Donovan is 66. Singer Ivan Neville is 64. Actor Eric Lutes (“Caroline In The City”) is 61. Actor John Stamos is 60. Actor Kyra Sedgwick is 58. Actor Kevin Dillon (“Entourage”) is 58. Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 57. Former MTV reporter Tabitha Soren is 56. Actor Matthew Perry (“Friends”) is 54. Country singer Clay Walker is 54. Rapper Fat Joe is 53. Actor Tracie Thoms (“Cold Case”) is 48. Actor Erika Christensen (“Parenthood”) is 41. Actor Melissa Fumero (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is 41. Actor Tammin Sursok (“Pretty Little Liars”) is 40. Singer Karli Osborn (SHeDaisy) is 39. Rapper Romeo (formerly Lil’ Romeo) is 34. Actor Ethan Cutkosky (TV’s “Shameless”) is 24.