December 19
December 19 is the 354th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 12 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Sagittarius.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On December 19 the Sun's declination is approximately -23.4°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a December 19.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Lillian Trasher (Episcopal Church)
- Christian feast day: O Radix
- Christian feast day: Pope Anastasius I
- Christian feast day: Pope Urban V
- Christian feast day: December 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2016 — Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is assassinated while at an art exhibition in Ankara. The assassin, Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, is shot and killed by a Turkish guard. ↗(10 years ago)more
Andrei Gennadyevich Karlov was a Russian diplomat who served as the Russian ambassador to Turkey and earlier as the Russian ambassador to North Korea.
2016 — A vehicular attack in Berlin, Germany, kills 12 and injures 56 people at a Christmas market. ↗(10 years ago)more
On 19 December 2016, a truck was deliberately driven into the Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, leaving 12 people dead and 56 others injured. One of the victims was the truck's original driver, Łukasz Urban, who was shot dead hours before the attack.
2013 — Spacecraft Gaia is launched by the European Space Agency. ↗(13 years ago)more
Gaia is a retired space observatory of the European Space Agency (ESA) that was launched in 2013 and operated until March 2025. The spacecraft was designed for astrometry: measuring the positions, distances and motions of stars with unprecedented precision, and the positions of exoplanets by measuring attributes about the stars they orbit such as their ap...
2012 — Park Geun-hye is elected the first female president of South Korea. ↗(14 years ago)more
Park Geun-hye is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 until her removal from office in 2017. A member of then Saenuri Party and the eldest daughter of the third president, Park Chung Hee, she was the first woman in the country and the first in East Asia to be elected as head of state.
2005 — Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 crashes into the Government Cut channel immediately after takeoff from Miami Seaplane Base, killing 20. ↗(21 years ago)more
Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 was an aircraft that crashed off Miami Beach, Florida, in the United States on December 19, 2005. All 18 passengers and both of the crew members on board the 1947 Grumman G-73T Turbo Mallard died in the crash, which was attributed to metal fatigue on the starboard wing resulting in separation of the wing from the fuselage.
2005 — A passenger train from Sucha Beskidzka to Żywiec in Poland loses its brakes while on a steep downhill part of the route. It is stopped in a controlled collision in Świnna by a train travelling in opposite direction. 2 drivers and 6 passengers are injured. ↗(21 years ago)more
Sucha Beskidzka is a town in the Żywiec Beskids mountain range in southern Poland, on the Skawa river. It is the county seat of Sucha County. It has been in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship (1975–1998).
2001 — Argentine economic crisis: December riots: Riots erupt in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ↗(25 years ago)more
The 1998–2002 Argentine great depression was an economic depression in Argentina, which began in the third quarter of 1998 and lasted until the second quarter of 2002. It followed fifteen years of stagnation and a brief period of free-market reforms.
1999 — Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-103, the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. ↗(27 years ago)more
Space Shuttle Discovery is a retired American Space Shuttle orbiter. The spaceplane was one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984.
1998 — President Bill Clinton is impeached by the United States House of Representatives, becoming the second president of the United States to be impeached. ↗(28 years ago)more
William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979 and as the governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1992.
1997 — SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River, near Palembang in Indonesia, killing 104. ↗(29 years ago)more
SilkAir Flight 185 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by a Boeing 737-300 from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia to Changi Airport in Singapore that crashed into the Musi River near Palembang, Sumatra, on 19 December 1997, killing all 97 passengers and 7 crew members on board.
- 1995 — The United States Government restores federal recognition to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Native American tribe. ↗(31 years ago)
more
The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi (NHBP) is a federally-recognized tribe of Potawatomi in the United States. The tribe achieved federal recognition on December 19, 1995, and currently has approximately 1,500 members.
1986 — Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union, releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from exile in Gorky. ↗(40 years ago)more
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988.
Notable births
1998 — King Princess, American singer-songwriter and musician ↗(28 years ago)more
Mikaela Mullaney Straus, known professionally as King Princess, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actor from Brooklyn, New York. She was signed to Mark Ronson's label Zelig Records, an imprint of Columbia Records.
1997 — Gabriel Magalhães, Brazilian footballer ↗(29 years ago)more
Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães, also simply known as Gabriel, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as centre-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the Brazil national team. Known for his strength, aggression, tackling and aerial threat, he is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.
1997 — Fikayo Tomori, English footballer ↗(29 years ago)more
Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola "Fikayo" Tomori is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club AC Milan. Born in Canada, he represents the England national team.
1996 — Franck Kessié, Ivorian footballer ↗(30 years ago)more
Franck Yannick Kessié is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and the Ivory Coast national team.
1994 — Maudy Ayunda, Indonesian actress and singer-songwriter ↗(32 years ago)more
Ayunda Faza Maudya, commonly known as Maudy Ayunda is an Indonesian actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author.
1994 — M'Baye Niang, French footballer ↗(32 years ago)more
M'Baye Hamady Niang is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Gençlerbirliği. Born in France, he represented Senegal at international level.
Notable deaths
2024 — Michael Leunig, Australian cartoonist (born 1945) ↗(2 years ago)more
Michael Leunig, typically referred to by his pen name Leunig, was an Australian cartoonist, poet and artist. He was best known for his work for Melbourne's The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
- 2024 — Wincey Willis, British broadcaster (born 1948) ↗(2 years ago)
more
Wincey Willis was a British television and radio broadcaster who achieved national fame in the 1980s. She was perhaps best known for being part of the line up at TV-am, the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchise, in which she was ITV's first female weather presenter, appearing on Good Morning Britain.
2021 — Sally Ann Howes, English-American singer and actress (born 1930) ↗(5 years ago)more
Sally Ann Howes was an English and American actress and singer. Her career on screen, stage and television spanned six decades. She is best known for the role of Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 1963, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her performance in Brigadoon.
2021 — Johnny Isakson, American politician (born 1944) ↗(5 years ago)more
John Hardy Isakson was an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2005 until his resignation in 2019 following health concerns. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Georgia legislature and the United States House of Representatives.
2020 — Rosalind Knight, English actress (born 1933) ↗(6 years ago)more
Rosalind Marie Elliott was an English actress. Her career spanned 70 years on stage, screen, and television. Her film appearances include Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957), Carry On Nurse (1959), Carry On Teacher (1959), Tom Jones (1963), and About a Boy (2002).
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (354) | 2 × 3 × 59 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (12) | 2^2 × 3 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 19122026 · next palindrome year: 2191 |
| Sun declination | -23.44° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 1 days |