On This Day - What Happened On October 19 | Britannica

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1781 Surrender of Lord Cornwallis On this day in 1781, Britain's Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, handing a huge victory to American General George Washington and effectively ending the American Revolution and assuring America's independence. Architect of the Capitol

Featured Biography

Jonathan Swift Anglo-Irish author and clergyman bornNovember 30, 1667Dublin, IrelanddiedOctober 19, 1745 (aged 77)Dublin, IrelandCourtesy of The National Portrait Gallery, London 1969 Trey Parker American screenwriter, actor, and producer 1962 Evander Holyfield American boxer 1945 John Lithgow American actor 1944 Peter Tosh Jamaican singer and songwriter 1931 John le Carré British writer See All Biographies On This Day

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2025 Thieves broke into the Louvre in Paris and stole jewelry valued at an estimated €88 million (about $102 million). The burglary was among the costliest in the museum's history. What's the most stolen work of art in history?© Antonella865/Dreamstime.com 2003 Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa, who had won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her charity work. How does someone become a saint?Tim Graham—Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1987 The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted nearly 23 percent, the largest one-day percentage drop in the index's history, on what became known as Black Monday. Watch: What caused the Black Monday stock market crash?© Comstock Images/Jupiterimages 1914 During World War I, the First Battle of Ypres began in western Flanders; the Allies and Germans settled into the trench warfare that would characterize the remainder of the war on the Western Front. Sort fact from fiction in our World War I quizEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1897 Industrialist George M. Pullman, inventor of the Pullman sleeping car used on railroads, died in Chicago. Take our quiz about American industry and innovationBrown Brothers 1864 Confederate soldiers based in Canada crossed into St. Albans, Vermont, and robbed three banks in order to agitate the Union during the American Civil War. How much do you know about the American Civil War?Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1812 Napoleon began a disastrous retreat after his invasion of Russia. Take our quiz about Napoleon BonaparteCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.15 1789 John Jay, a Founding Father of the United States, was sworn in as the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-17681) SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.