October 19^th in history

Encyclopædia Britannica presents people and events from this day in history:

Jonathan Swift: Biography of the Day

Jonathan Swift

Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift, considered the foremost prose satirist in English and known for his famed novel Gulliver's Travels and shorter works such as A Tale of a Tub and A Modest Proposal, died this day in 1745.

 

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis: 19 October 1781 - This Day in History

On this day in 1781, Britain's Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington, commander of the American army, at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending the American Revolution and assuring America's independence.

More Events on this day:

1987: The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted nearly 23 percent, the largest one-day drop in the stock market's history.

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.

1812: Napoleon began his disastrous retreat from Russia.