12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for September 19, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1356 – Battle of Poitiers: the English defeat France and capture King John II.
- 1692 – Giles Corey is pressed to death during the Salem witch trials.
- 1777 – First Battle of Saratoga (Freeman’s Farm) is fought near Saratoga, New York.
- 1796 – George Washington’s Farewell Address is first published in Claypoole’s American Daily Advertiser.
- 1881 – President James A. Garfield dies; Chester A. Arthur will assume the presidency.
- 1893 – New Zealand becomes the first self-governing nation to grant women the right to vote.
- 1941 – German forces enter and occupy Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine.
- 1957 – “Rainier,” the first fully contained underground nuclear test, is conducted in Nevada.
- 1983 – St. Kitts and Nevis gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1985 – The 8.0 Mexico City earthquake strikes, killing thousands.
- 1991 – Hikers discover Ötzi the Iceman in the Ötztal Alps.
- 1995 – The Unabomber manifesto is published by The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1948 – Jeremy Irons, Academy Award–winning actor (Reversal of Fortune; The Lion King) (77)
- 1952 – Nile Rodgers, Chic co-founder, producer/guitarist (“Le Freak,” “Get Lucky”) (73)
- 1964 – Trisha Yearwood, Grammy-winning country singer (“She’s in Love with the Boy”) (61)
- 1971 – Sanaa Lathan, actor (Love & Basketball; The Best Man) (54)
- 1974 – Jimmy Fallon, comedian and host of The Tonight Show (51)
- 1976 – Alison Sweeney, actor/host (Days of Our Lives; The Biggest Loser) (49)
- 1987 – Danielle Panabaker, actor (The Flash; Sky High) (38)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1692 – Giles Corey, Salem witch-trials victim pressed to death (81)
- 1881 – James A. Garfield, 20th U.S. president (assassination complications) (49)
- 1954 – Miles Franklin, Australian novelist (My Brilliant Career) (74)
- 1973 – Gram Parsons, country-rock musician (The Byrds; Flying Burrito Brothers) (26)
- 1985 – Italo Calvino, Italian novelist (Invisible Cities) (61)
- 2013 – Hiroshi Yamauchi, longtime Nintendo president (85)
- 2019 – Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, former president of Tunisia (83)
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