Today
Wednesday August 19 2026
- Day of the year
- 231/ 365
- Week
- 342,026
- Days left
- 13463%
- Moon
- 46%Waxing crescent
Today is Wednesday, August 19, 2026. It is day 231 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 134 remain, and 63% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 34.
What's celebrated on this date
World Humanitarian Day
WorldwideUnited Nations — International Days
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Alcide De GasperiItalian politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party (1881-1954)
- Jean EudesFrench Catholic priest (1601–1680)
- Louis of ToulouseFrench Catholic bishop and saint
- SebaldusGerman saint
- Ezequiel MorenoSpanish bishop and Catholic saint (1848-1906)
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 06:11
- Sunset
- 19:49
- Length of day
- 13h 38m−2 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 13:00
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Summer
began on June 21, 2026
Next season
Autumn — 34 days, September 22, 2026 (September equinox)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Labor Day — September 7, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waxing crescent
Illumination : 46%
Moon age : 6.9 days
- Next full moon
- August 28, 2026
- Next new moon
- September 11, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Leo
until August 23, 2026 — Virgo
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
1561
Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland after spending 13 years in France. Wikipedia
1692
Salem witch trials: In Salem, province of Massachusetts Bay, Martha Carrier, George Jacobs Sr., John Proctor, John Willard, and clergyman George Burroughs are executed after being convicted of witchcraft. Wikipedia
1812
War of 1812: American frigate USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada earning the nickname "Old Ironsides". Wikipedia
1934
The German referendum of 1934 approves Adolf Hitler's appointment as head of state with the title of Führer. Wikipedia
1942
World War II: Operation Jubilee (The Dieppe Raid): The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division leads an amphibious assault by allied forces on Dieppe, France and fails. Wikipedia
1945
August Revolution: Viet Minh led by Ho Chi Minh take power in Hanoi, Vietnam. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1953
Cold War: The CIA and MI6 help to overthrow the government of Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Wikipedia
1960
Sputnik program: Korabl-Sputnik 2: The Soviet Union launches the satellite with the dogs Belka and Strelka, 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants. Wikipedia
1960
Cold War: In Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, downed American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to ten years imprisonment by the Soviet Union for espionage. Wikipedia
1991
Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The August Coup begins when Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is placed under house arrest while on holiday in the town of Foros, Ukraine. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day August 19
- 1646John Flamsteed, English astronomer and academic (died 1719)
- 1743Madame du Barry, French mistress of Louis XV (died 1793)
- 1848Gustave Caillebotte, French painter and engineer (died 1894)
- 1881George Enescu, Romanian violinist, pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1955)
- 1883Coco Chanel, French fashion designer, founded the Chanel Company (died 1971)
- 1906Philo Farnsworth, American inventor, invented the Fusor, key figure in the invention of television (died 1971)
- 1924Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2011)
- 1946Bill Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas, 42nd President of the United Statesturns 80 years
Died on this day August 19
- 1245Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence (born 1195)
- 1580Andrea Palladio, Italian architect, designed the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore (born 1508)aged 72 years
- 1662Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (born 1623)aged 39 years
- 1680Jean Eudes, French priest, founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (born 1601)aged 79 years
- 1753Johann Balthasar Neumann, German engineer and architect, designed Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (born 1687)aged 66 years
- 1994Linus Pauling, American chemist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1901)aged 93 years
- 2003Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (born 1948)aged 55 years
- 2008Levy Mwanawasa, Zambian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Zambia (born 1948)aged 60 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 06:11 and sets at 19:49, giving 13h 38m of daylight — 2 minutes less than yesterday. It has been summer since June 21, 2026; autumn opens in 34 days, on September 22, 2026 (September equinox).
The moon is a waxing crescent, 46% illuminated. The next full moon falls on August 28, 2026 and the next new moon on September 11, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches August 19 to Alcide De Gasperi, Jean Eudes and Louis of Toulouse.
August 19 is World Humanitarian Day, designated by the United Nations or one of its agencies.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 18, returns to Scotland after spending 13 years in France (1561); Salem witch trials: In Salem, province of Massachusetts Bay, Martha Carrier, George Jacobs Sr., John Proctor, John Willard, and clergyman George Burroughs are executed after being convicted of witchcraft (1692). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
John Flamsteed was born on August 19, 1646; Ramon Berenguer IV died on August 19, 1245.
128 days remain until Christmas and 135 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — August 19 falls under the sign of Leo.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 63%
- of the year elapsed
- 128
- until Christmas
- 135
- until New Year
- 559
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26