On Aug. 19, 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler as Fuhrer.
On Aug. 19, 1883, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the influential French fashion designer, was born. Following her death on Jan. 10, 1971, her obituary appeared in The Times.
On This Date
| 1929 | The comedy "Amos 'n' Andy" made its network radio debut on NBC. |
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| 1960 | A tribunal in Moscow convicted American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage. |
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| 1969 | Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis began three days of recording sessions that yielded the album "Bitches Brew." |
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| 1976 | President Gerald R. Ford won the Republican presidential nomination at the party's national convention in Kansas City. |
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| 1977 | Comedian Groucho Marx died at age 86. |
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| 1994 | President Bill Clinton halted the nation's three-decade open-door policy for Cuban refugees. |
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| 1996 | A judge sentenced former Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker to four years' probation for his Whitewater crimes. |
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| 2004 | The Internet search engine Google went public. |
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| 2005 | A Texas jury found pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. liable for the death of a man who'd taken the once-popular painkiller Vioxx. |
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| 2010 | A federal grand jury indicted retired baseball player Roger Clemens for allegedly lying to Congress about steroid use. (Clemens' trial this year ended in a mistrial.) |
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| 2010 | The last American combat brigade exited Iraq, seven years and five months after the U.S.-led invasion began. |
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Current Birthdays
Actor Kevin Dillon ("Entourage") turns 46 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
Actress Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer") turns 46 years old today.
AP Photo/Vince Bucci
| 1939 | Ginger Baker, Rock musician (Cream, Blind Faith), turns 72 |
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| 1940 | Jill St. John, Actress, turns 71 |
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| 1942 | Fred Thompson, Actor, former U.S. senator, R-Tenn., turns 69 |
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| 1946 | Bill Clinton, Former president, turns 65 |
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| 1948 | Tipper Gore, Wife of former Vice President Al Gore, turns 63 |
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| 1948 | Gerald McRaney, Actor ("Major Dad"), turns 63 |
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| 1953 | Mary Matalin, Political consultant, turns 58 |
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| 1955 | Peter Gallagher, Actor, turns 56 |
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| 1956 | Adam Arkin, Actor, turns 55 |
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| 1960 | Morton Andersen, Football player, turns 51 |
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| 1963 | John Stamos, Actor ("Full House'), turns 48 |
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| 1966 | Lee Ann Womack, Country singer, turns 45 |
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| 1967 | Tabitha Soren, MTV reporter, turns 44 |
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| 1969 | Matthew Perry, Actor ("Friends"), turns 42 |
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| 1970 | Fat Joe, Rapper, turns 41 |
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| 1975 | Tracie Thoms, Actress ("Cold Case"), turns 36 |
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| 1982 | Erika Christensen, Actress, turns 29 |
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| 1989 | Romeo, Rapper, turns 22 |
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Historic Birthdays
Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel8/19/1883 - 1/10/1971French dress designer.Go to obituary »
| 73 | John Flamsteed 8/19/1646 - 12/31/1719
English founder of the Greenwich Observatory |
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| 50 | Jeanne Becu du Barry 8/19/1743 - 12/8/1793
French mistress of Louis XV |
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| 73 | Seth Thomas 8/19/1785 - 1/29/1859
American clock manufacturer; pioneered mass production |
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| 94 | Bernard Baruch 8/19/1870 - 6/20/1965
American financier and adviser to United States presidents |
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| 73 | Georges Enesco 8/19/1881 - 5/4/1955
Romanian violinist and composer |
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| 91 | Ton Duc Thang 8/19/1888 - 3/30/1980
Vietnamese communist leader; succeeded Ho Chi Minh |
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| 84 | Alfred Lunt 8/19/1892 - 8/3/1977
American actor |
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| 88 | Colleen Moore 8/19/1900 - 1/25/1988
American actress |
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| 68 | Ogden Nash 8/19/1902 - 5/19/1971
American poet |
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| 74 | James Gould Cozzens 8/19/1903 - 8/9/1978
American novelist |
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| 70 | Gene Roddenberry 8/19/1921 - 10/24/1991
American creator of the Star Trek series |
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