It happened today – this day in history – September 19
1356: English forces under Edward The Black Prince defeat the French at theBattle of Poitiers and capture the French King during the Hundred Years’ War.
1796: George Washington gives his farewell address as US president.
1876: The first carpet sweeper is patented by Melville Bissell of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
1879: Blackpool Illuminations are switched on for the first time.
1881: US president James Garfield dies aged 49 from wounds suffered when he was shot in July.
1893: New Zealand becomes the first country to grant all women the right to vote.
1896: Dr Acacio Gabriel Viegas detects the first case of the Bombay plague epidemic in Mandvi. It goes on to kill 12 million people in India.
1908: Gustav Mahler’s 7th Symphony premieres in Prague.
1931: Japanese troops conquer Mukden, South Manchuria.
1934: Bruno Haptmann is arrested for kidnapping the Lindbergh baby.
1940: Polish resistance fighter Witold Pilecki is voluntarily captured and sent to Auschwitz in order to smuggle out information and start a resistance.
1945: William Joyce (German progaganda broadcaster Lord Haw Haw) is sentenced to death in London.
1952: While back in Britain for the premiere of his film Limelight, the US prevents Charlie Chaplin from returning to Hollywood until he is investigated by the Immigration Services.
1955: Argentine president Juan Peron resigns and flees.
1959: Soviet first secretary Nikita Khrushchev is denied entry to Disneyland.
1961: American couple Betty and Barney Hill claim that they saw a mysterious craft in the sky and that it tried to abduct them.
1972: An Israeli diplomat was killed when a letter bomb exploded at the embassy in London.
1973: Gram Parsons (Cecil Ingram Connor III), formerly of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, died from a heroin overdose in Joshua Tree, California. His coffin was stolen by manager Phil Kaufman and Michael Martin, a former roadie for The Byrds, and taken to Cap Rock in the California desert, where it was set alight in accordance with Parson’s wishes.
1974: The KGB begin a large-scale operation to discredit Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and cut his communications with Soviet dissidents.
1975: Fawlty Towers premieres on BBC2.
1980:
THAMES | |||
---|---|---|---|
09.30 | Rocket Robin Hood | ||
09.50 | Nature of Things | ||
10.40 | Story Hour | ||
11.30 | White Stone | ||
12.00 | A Handful of Songs | ||
12.10 | Once Upon a Time | ||
12.30 | Home-Made for the Home | ||
13.00 | News at One | ||
13.20 | Thames News | ||
13.30 | For Maddie with Love | ||
14.00 | Houseparty | ||
14.25 | Mid-week Racing | ||
16.15 | The Danedyke Mystery | ||
16.45 | Runaround | ||
17.15 | Emmerdale Farm | ||
17.45 | News at 5.45 | ||
18.00 | Thames News | ||
18.30 – 19.00 | Thames Sport | ||
LONDON WEEKEND | |||
19.00 | Bruce Forsyth’s Play Your Cards Right | ||
19.30 | The Incredible Hulk Starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferigno | ||
20.30 | Holding the Fort | ||
21.00 | The Gentle Touch Police series starring Jill Gascoigne | ||
22.00 | News at Ten | ||
22.30 | Benson American comedy series | ||
23.00 | Seven Ages | ||
23.45 | Sidestreet | ||
BBC ONE | |||
06.40 | Open University | ||
07.55 | Closedown | ||
12.45 | Midday News | ||
13.00 | Pebble Mill at One | ||
13.45 | Bod | ||
14.00 | Closedown | ||
15.20 | Ddeng Mlynedd yn 61 – neu Fwy | ||
15.53 | Regional News (exc London) | ||
15.55 | Play School | ||
16.20 | Laurel and Hardy | ||
16.25 | Puzzle Trail | ||
16.40 | Buford Files and Dinky Dog | ||
17.05 | Four-in-Hand | ||
17.35 | Paddington | ||
17.40 | Evening News | ||
17.55 | Nationwide | ||
19.00 | It’s a Knockout The sixth international heat, in which eight teams compete for the Jeux sans Frontières Silver Trophy | ||
20.20 | Terry and June Terry Scott and June Whitfield sitcom | ||
20.50 | Points of View | ||
21.00 | Nine O’Clock News | ||
21.25 | Starsky and Hutch Police adventure series starring Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul | ||
22.15 | Living Legends | ||
22.45 | News Headlines; Weather | ||
22.50 | The Late Film: Lonely Are the Brave (1962) Starring Kirk Douglas and Walter Matthau | ||
BBC TWO | |||
06.40 | Open University | ||
07.55 | Closedown | ||
11.00 | Play School | ||
11.25 | Closedown | ||
14.30 | Racing from Newbury | ||
16.30 | Closedown | ||
16.50 | Open University | ||
18.55 | International Darts | ||
19.25 | Mid-Evening News | ||
19.35 | MacLeod’s America | ||
19.55 | Gardeners’ World | ||
20.20 | The Southampton International Boat Show 1980 | ||
21.00 | Escape | ||
21.50 | Ronnie Prophet Entertains | ||
22.20 | International Darts | ||
22.45 | Newsnight |
1982: Singles chart:
- Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor
- The Bitterest Pill – The Jame
- Private Investigations – Dire Straits
- Walking On Sunshine – Rocker’s Revenge ft Donnie Calvin
- All Of My Heart – ABC
- There It Is – Shalamar
- Save A Prayer – Duran Duran
- The Message – Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
- Saddle Up – David Christie
- Friend Or Foe – Adam Ant

Album chart:
- The Kids From Fame – Kids From Fame
- Chartbeat Chartheat – Various Artists
- The Dreaming – Kate Bush
- Upstairs At Eric’s – Yazoo
- The Lexicon Of Love – ABC
- New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84) – Simple Minds
- In The Heat Of The Night – Imagination
- Rio – Duran Duran
- Breakout – Various Artists
- Signals – Rush
1983:St Kitts & Nevis declares independence from Britain.
1985: Mexico City is hit by a devastating earthquake.
1986: Two passenger trains collide at Colwich Junction near Rugeley in Staffs, killing one of the drivers and injuring 75.
1988: British swimmer Adrian Moorehouse wins the 100m breaststroke gold medal at the Seoul Olympics.
1990: Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liota, is released.
1997: An Intercity 125 ploughs into a freight train near Southall station, west London, killing six and injuring more than 150. The driver of the Swansea-Paddington service was arrested by London Transport Police.
1999: Songwriter, and record producer, Ed Cobb died. He wrote the hit ‘Tainted Love’.
2004: Europe retains the Ryder Cup.
2006: The Thai military stages a coup in Bangkok. The constitution is revoked and martial law is declared.
2008: George Michael is arrested in a public toilet in the Hampstead Heath area for possession of Class A and C drugs.
2010: “The King’s Speech” directed by Tom Hooper and starring Colin Firth, wins the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
2015: Author Jackie Collins dies aged 77.
2016: Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt.
2017: Champion boxer Jake LaMotta, subject of the film Raging Bull, dies at 95.
2019: Tropical Depression Imelda hits southeast Texas and Louisiana prompting widespread evacuations.
BIRTHDAYS: David McCallum, actor, 87; Paul Williams, songwriter, 80; Freda Payne, singer, 75; John Coughlan, drummer (Status Quo) 74; Lol Creme, guitarist/singer/songwriter/video director (10cc) 73; Ray Cooper, percussionist, 73; Jeremy Irons, actor, 72; Twiggy (Lesley Hornsby), model, 71; Daniel Lanois, record producer, 69; Nile Rodgers, guitarist/songwriter/producer, 68; Lita Ford, guitarist (The Runaways) 62; David Seaman, goalkeeper, 57; Jarvis Cocker, singer-songwriter (Pulp) 57; Trisha Yearwood, country singer, 56; Candy Dulfer, saxophonist, 51; Victoria Silvstedt, model, 46; Jimmy Fallon, comedian, chatshow host, 46; Ryan Dusick drummer (Maroon 5) 43; Scott Bradlee, musician (Postmodern Jukebox) 39; Danielle Panabaker, actress/director, 33.