March 19
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Featured Event
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Construction begins on the Basilica de la Sagrada Família
On this day in 1882, the bishop of Barcelona laid the cornerstone of the Basilica de la Sagrada Família. Architect Francisco de Paula del Villar designed it to be a traditional Gothic revival cathedral, complete with arched windows and flying buttresses. His vision, however, differed from that of the basilica’s chief patron, Josep Maria Bocabella—and in 1883, del Villar resigned. He was replaced by the young architect Antoni Gaudí, whose creativity and willingness to use color transformed the structure into the marvel it is today. [Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
© Axelle/Bauer-Griffin—FilmMagic/Getty Images
American actress Glenn Close, born this day in 1947, earned acclaim for her considerable range and versatility, appearing in such films as The Natural (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), Albert Nobbs (2011), and The Wife (2017).
Famous Birthdays
More on March 19
© Jzehnder1/Dreamstime.com
2014
American church leader Fred Phelps—who founded (1955) the Westboro Baptist Church, which became known for its strident opposition to homosexuality and the gay rights movement, as expressed on picket signs carried by church members at funerals and other events—died at age 84.
Amy Marash
2008
English writer Arthur C. Clarke—who was best known for his visionary science-fiction novels and for his work on Stanley Kubrick’s hugely successful motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)—died at age 90. [Test your knowledge of the names behind famous books in this quiz.]
Ali Heider/AP Images
2003
U.S. President George W. Bush ordered air strikes on Baghdad, thus launching the Iraq War to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who was believed (wrongly) to be manufacturing weapons of mass destruction.
© Luiz Alberto—Archive Photos/Getty Images
1997
Dutch American artist Willem de Kooning, a major exponent of Abstract Expressionism and Action painting, whose series Woman I–VI caused a stir with its violent images and impulsive technique, died at the age of 92. [Take our ultimate art quiz.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1996
One of the worst fires in the history of the Philippines swept through a Manila discotheque, killing 159 of the 400 people in the nightclub, which was intended to hold no more than 35. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Southeast Asia.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1982
Argentine forces mobilized after a dispute between Argentine workers and British scientists on British-controlled South Georgia island, leading to Argentina’s invasion of the Falklands two weeks later. [Take our quiz about the history of war.]
Everett Collection Historical/Alamy
1962
American musician Bob Dylan released his eponymous debut album to mixed reviews. [Test your knowledge of songwriters.]
Donald Bowers/Getty Images
1954
American journalist Jill Abramson, who was the first woman to serve as executive editor (2011–14) of The New York Times, was born. [How much do you know about newspapers?]
© Digital Vision/Getty Images
1931
Nevada legalized gambling, which paved the way for casinos in the state, most notably in Las Vegas. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about U.S. states.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. 3b35372)
1920
Józef Piłsudski was named marshal of Poland. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about famous Europeans.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1918
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Standard Time Act, which established Daylight Saving Time in the United States; the legislation also gave the federal government oversight of the country’s time zones. [Discover the answers to 22 questions about time and timekeeping.]
International Women's Day
1911
The first International Women’s Day was observed.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1860
William Jennings Bryan, a Democratic and Populist leader and a magnetic orator who ran unsuccessfully three times for the U.S. presidency (1896, 1900, 1908), was born. [Test your knowledge of U.S. presidential elections.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1687
While on an expedition to find the mouth of the Mississippi River, French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, was murdered by his men in what is now Texas; La Salle had previously claimed a large region around the river for Louis XIV of France, naming it Louisiana. [Take our quiz about exploration and discovery.]
Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1957.14.843.a)
1452
Frederick III became the last Holy Roman emperor to be crowned by a pope, Nicholas V. [Test your knowledge of kings and emperors.]