THE DAY IN HISTORY · OCTOBER 19
October 19 in history
What happened on October 19: 5 moments from the Maps of History atlases, in 439, 1781, 1813, 1905 and 1950, each linked to the map that shows it.
— Vandal capture of Carthage
19 Oct 439 — Geiseric seizes Africa’s capital without a siege. The West’s richest tax base and Rome’s grain are gone in a day — the amputation the West does not survive.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE ROME MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown as the band plays “The World Turned Upside Down.” The American war is effectively over.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS MAP →
— Battle of Leipzig
16–19 Oct 1813 — Half a million men, the largest battle in European history to that date. Napoleon’s Germany dissolves in three days.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
— Killing of Koitalel arap Samoei
19 Oct 1905 — The Nandi leader, who had resisted the railway for a decade, is shot dead by a British officer at a meeting called to make peace. Remember him; his people lost their best land.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE TWO ROADS TO INDEPENDENCE MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
— Chinese entry into the Korean War
19 Oct 1950 — The first units of the Chinese People’s Volunteers cross the Yalu at Andong (Dandong) by night, unseen by American reconnaissance. Calling the army “volunteers” let Beijing fight the United States without declaring war. Close to three million Chinese served in Korea over the next three years.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC UNDER MAO MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
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