Famous people born on February 19th

February 19 gathers an unusually wide spread of talent, spanning revolutionary science, modern literature, and enduring popular music. The date links Renaissance-era inquiry with 20th-century arts and contemporary public life. From sculptors who reshaped visual language to novelists who redefined voice and identity, these birthdays reflect influence across cultures and disciplines.

Notable highlights

• Nicolaus Copernicus (1473) - His heliocentric model helped trigger a scientific revolution that transformed how humanity understands the cosmos.
• Constantin Brancusi (1876) - A pioneer of modern sculpture, he reduced forms to essentials, influencing abstraction for generations.
• Charles Eastman (1858) - A Dakota author and physician who bridged Indigenous and Western worlds through advocacy and memoir.
• Smokey Robinson (1940) - A Motown architect whose songwriting and falsetto style shaped soul and pop for decades.
• Benicio Del Toro (1967) - Known for intense, layered performances, he became a defining character actor of modern cinema.
• Amy Tan (1952) - Her novels brought intergenerational immigrant experience to the mainstream with vivid, intimate storytelling.
• Carson McCullers (1917) - A major Southern voice whose early work captured loneliness and longing with striking empathy.
• John Frankenheimer (1930) - A director celebrated for tense political and psychological dramas with kinetic, immersive filmmaking.
• Helen Fielding (1958) - Creator of Bridget Jones, she helped define modern romantic comedy with sharp social observation.
• Prince Andrew (1960) - A British royal whose public role became closely scrutinized in late-20th and early-21st-century media culture.

On this day

• 1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, authorizing the wartime internment of Japanese Americans.
• 1968 - Students and police clash in the Orangeburg Massacre in South Carolina, a pivotal event in the U.S. civil rights era.
• 1986 - The Soviet Union launches the Mir space station, a landmark in long-duration human spaceflight.
• 2008 - Fidel Castro resigns as President of Cuba, ending decades of leadership and ushering in a political transition.