19 January History
- 1523 - In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli publishes his 67 Articles, the first manifesto of the Zurich Reformation which attacks the authority of the Pope.
- 1783 - William Pitt becomes the youngest Prime Minister of England at age 24.
- 1847 - New Mexico Governor Charles Bent is slain by Pueblo Indians in Taos.
- 1861 - Georgia secedes from the Union.
- 1902 - The magazine "L'Auto" announces the new Tour de France.
- 1915 - The first German air raids on Great Britain inflict minor casualties.
- 1923 - The French announce the invention of a new gun that has a firing range of 56 miles.
- 1931 - The Wickersham Committee issues a report asking for revisions in the dry law, but no repeal.
- 1937 - Howard Hughes flies from Los Angeles to New York in seven hours and 22 minutes.
- 1937 - In the Soviet Union, the People's Commissars Council is formed under Molotov.
- 1945 - The Red Army captures Lodz, Krakow, and Tarnow.
- 1947 - The French open a drive on Hue, Indochina.
- 1949 - The Chiang Government moves the capital of China to Canton.
- 1950 - Communist Chinese leader Mao recognizes the Republic of Vietnam.
- 1968 - Cambodia charges that the United States and South Vietnam have crossed the border and killed three Cambodians.
- 1981 - The United States and Iran sign an accord on a hostage release in Algiers.
- 1983 - The New Catholic code expands women's rights in the Church.
19 January Birthdays
- 1736 - James Watt, Scottish inventor.
- 1807 - Robert E. Lee, Confederate general during the American Civil War.
- 1809 - Edgar Allan Poe, American author and poet ("Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Raven," "Annabel Lee.")
- 1839 - Paul Cézanne, French post-Impressionist painter (Card Players, L'Oeuvre).
- 1919 - John H. Johnson, editor and publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines.