June 19 is the 170th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 195 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about June 19th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about June 19th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- World Sickle Cell Day
- National Martini Day
- National Garfield the Cat Day
- World Sauntering Day
- Juneteenth
- Fathers Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – June 19
2002: Steve Fossett takes off on his record-breaking balloon flight
The American adventurer lifted off from Northam in Western Australia to commence history’s first solo flight around the world in any aircraft. On July 3, after having traveled 33,195 km (20,626 mi), he touched down again in Queensland, Australia.
1987: An ETA car bomb kills 21 in Barcelona
The 1987 Hipercor bombing was one of the bloodiest attacks by Basque separatist organization, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or ETA.
1978: Garfield, the lazy cat makes his debut
The first Garfield comic strip by Jim Davis appeared in 41 newspapers on that day. It currently holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip.
1964: The U.S. Senate passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964
18 Senators unsuccessfully launched a filibuster to prevent passage of the law against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Richard Russel stated, “We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states.” The bill was signed into law on July 2, 1964.
1913: South Africa implements the Natives Land Act
The law limited the areas of land that could be owned by black people to “native reserve” areas, which comprised less than 10 percent of the country’s total area. It was in force until Apartheid was dismantled in the 1990s.
1981: The lobby of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel after the fourth-floor walkway suddenly collapsed onto the second-floor walkway suspended from it causing both of them to crash into the crowded dance floor, killing 114 and injuring 216. July 17, 1981.

1939: Acrobatic driver, USA, 1939

1911: mugshots of a 33-year-old bank robber called Joseph Stalin, taken in 1911.

Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, June 19
1978: Dirk Nowitzki, German basketball player
1964: Boris Johnson, British politician
1947: Salman Rushdie, Indian author
1945: Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician, Nobel Prize laureate
1861: José Rizal, Filipino polymath
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, June 19
2013: James Gandolfini, American actor
1993: William Golding, English author, poet, playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
1991: Jean Arthur, American actress
1937: J. M. Barrie, Scottish author, playwright
1312: Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English nobleman