Famous people born on August 19th
August 19 is a remarkably wide-ranging birthday on the calendar, linking trailblazing innovators, style-defining creatives, and leaders who shaped public life. The date spans centuries, from early novelists and poets to modern film and television stars. With 45 notable births, it offers a rich mix of art, politics, business, music, and science.
Notable highlights
- Coco Chanel (1883) - Redefined modern fashion with a minimalist, freedom-first aesthetic that made luxury feel wearable.
- Orville Wright (1871) - Co-piloted the first powered, controlled airplane flight, helping launch the aviation age.
- William J. Clinton (1946) - 42nd U.S. president whose 1990s tenure centered on economic growth and major political battles at home.
- Malcolm Forbes (1917) - Expanded Forbes into a global business-media powerhouse and popularized a high-profile, dealmaking brand of publishing.
- Bernard Baruch (1870) - Influential financier and presidential adviser whose counsel shaped U.S. economic and wartime policy across decades.
- Ogden Nash (1902) - Master of light verse, known for playful rhymes and sharp, quotable observations about everyday life.
- Story Musgrave (1935) - Veteran astronaut with an unusually broad career that blended medicine, engineering, and multiple Space Shuttle missions.
- John Deacon (1951) - Queen bassist who wrote or co-wrote enduring hits and helped define the band's rhythmic, melodic foundation.
- Kyra Sedgwick (1965) - Acclaimed television and film actor, celebrated for anchoring long-running ensemble dramas with warmth and grit.
- Frank McCourt (1930) - Pulitzer Prize-winning memoirist whose vivid storytelling brought a hard childhood to global readers.
On this day
- 1839 - The French government announces the invention of the daguerreotype, accelerating photography's spread worldwide.
- 1960 - The first U-2 incident trial begins in Moscow after an American spy plane is shot down over the Soviet Union.
- 1991 - A failed coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev begins, hastening the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
- 2003 - A car bomb devastates the UN headquarters in Baghdad, killing UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and others.