World News
August 19, last US combat troops leave Iraq – JS
Today is Monday, August 19, the 232nd day of 2024. There are 134 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On August 19, 2010, the last US combat brigade left Iraq, seven years and five months after a US-led invasion marked the start of the Iraq War.
Also on this date:
In 1692, four men and one woman were hanged in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Province, after being convicted of witchcraft; the story of one of the men, John Proctor, inspired Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible.”
In 1807, Robert Fulton’s North River Steamboat arrived in Albany two days after leaving New York on its maiden voyage.
In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the War of 1812, earning the nickname ‘Old Ironsides’.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops landed in Benedict, Maryland, with the aim of capturing Washington DC.
In 1854, 31 American soldiers were killed after one of the soldiers fatally shot Brule Lakota Chief Conquering Bear, sparking the First Sioux War.
In 1909, Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted its first auto race.
In 1934, German voters approved granting sole executive power to Adolf Hitler.
In 1955, heavy rains caused by Hurricane Diane resulted in severe flooding in the northeastern US, killing approximately 200 people.
In 1960, a tribunal in Moscow convicted American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage. (Although Powers was sentenced to 10 years in prison, he was returned to the United States in 1962 as part of a prisoner exchange.)
In 1980, 301 people died aboard Saudia Flight 163 when the jet made a fiery emergency flight into Riyadh airport.
In 2013, South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius was indicted in Pretoria, South Africa, on charges of murder and illegal possession of ammunition for shooting dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home on Valentine’s Day 2013; Pistorius insisted he had mistaken her for an intruder. (Pistorius would be found guilty of murder and sentenced to prison; he was released on parole in January 2024.)
Today’s Birthdays:
- Former tennis player and coach Renee Richards is 90.
- Actor Jill St. John is 84. Author Jack Canfield is 80.
- Rock singer Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) is 79.
- Former President Bill Clinton is 78.
- Actor Gerald McRaney is 77.
- Actor Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”) is 76.
- Former First Lady Tipper Gore is 76.
- Rock bassist John Deacon (Queen) is 73.
- Actor-director Jonathan Frakes is 72.
- Political advisor Mary Matalin is 71.
- Actor Peter Gallagher is 69.
- Actor Adam Arkin is 68.
- Actor Martin Donovan is 67.
- Football Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz is 66.
- Musician Ivan Neville is 65.
- Famer Morten Andersen’s football hall is 64.
- Actor John Stamos is 61.
- Actor Kyra Sedgwick is 59.
- Actor Kevin Dillon is 59.
- Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 58.
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is 57.
- Country singer Clay Walker is 55.
- Rapper Fat Joe is 54.
- Olympic gold medal tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez is 53.
- Actor Erika Christensen is 42.
- Actor Melissa Fumero is 42.
- Olympic gold medal snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis (jay-kuh-BEHL’-ihs) is 39.
- Author Veronica Roth is 36.
- Rapper-TV personality Romeo is 35.
- Actor Ethan Cutkosky (TV: “Shameless”) is 25.
Originally published:
