So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

October 19th


- Constitution Day, in honor of the country's independence (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) in 1974. (Niue)
- Armilustrium (Roman Empire)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Mother Teresa Day (Albania)

October 19th


- 2007 - Philippines. A bomb explosion rocked Glorietta 2, a shopping mall in Makati. The blast killed 11 and injured more than 100 people.
- 2005 - Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.
- 2005 - Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb.
- 2004 - Myanmar prime minister Khin Nyunt is ousted and placed under house arrest by the State Peace and Development Council on charges of corruption.
- 2004 - Care International aid worker Margaret Hassan is kidnapped in Iraq.
- 2003 - Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II.
- 2001 - SIEV-X, an Indonesian fishing boat en-route to Christmas Island, carrying over 400 asylum seekers, sinks in international waters with the loss of 353 people.
- 1989 - The convictions of the Guildford Four are quashed by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, after they had spent 15 years in prison.
- 1987 - In retaliation for Iranian attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy disables three of Iran's offshore oil platforms.
- 1987 - Black Monday - the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points.
- 1986 - Samora Machel, President of Mozambique and a prominent leader of FRELIMO, and 33 others die when their Tupolev 134 plane crashes into the Lebombo Mountains.
- 1983 - Maurice Bishop, Prime Minister of Grenada, is overthrown and executed in a military coup d'état led by Bernard Coard.
- 1976 - Battle of Aishiya in Lebanon.
- 1974 - Niue becomes a self-governing colony of New Zealand.
- 1973 - President Richard Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes.
- 1969 - The first Prime Minister of Tunisia in twelve years, Bahi Ladgham, is appointed by President Habib Bourguiba.
- 1959 - The first discothèque opens.
- 1954 - First ascent of Cho Oyu
- 1950 - The People's Liberation Army takes control of the town of Qamdo; this is sometimes called the "Invasion of Tibet".
- 1950 - The People's Republic of China joins the Korean War by sending thousands of troops across the Yalu river to fight United Nations forces.
- 1944 - United States forces land in the Philippines.
- 1943 - Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University.
- 1935 - The League of Nations places economic sanctions on fascist Italy for its invasion of Ethiopia.
- 1933 - Germany withdraws from the League of Nations.
- 1921 - Portuguese Prime Minister António Granjo and other politicians are murdered in a Lisbon coup.
- 1917 - The Love Field in Dallas, Texas is opened.
- 1914 - The First Battle of Ypres begins.
- 1912 - Italy takes possession of Tripoli, Libya from the Ottoman Empire.
- 1904 - Polytechnic University of the Philippines founded as Manila Business School through the superintendence of the American C.A. O'Reilley.
- 1873 - Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Rutgers universities draft the first code of American football rules.
- 1864 - Battle of Cedar Creek – Union Army under Philip Sheridan destroy the Confederate Army under Jubal Early.
- 1864 - St. Albans Raid – Confederate raiders launch an attack on Saint Albans, Vermont from Canada.
- 1822 - In Parnaíba; Simplício Dias da Silva, João Cândido de Deus e Silva and Domingos Dias declare the independent state of Piauí.
- 1813 - The Battle of Leipzig concludes, giving Napoleon Bonaparte one of his worst defeats.
- 1812 - Napoleon I of France retreats from Moscow.
- 1789 - Chief Justice John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.
- 1781 - At Yorktown, Virginia, representatives of British commander Lord Cornwallis handed over Cornwallis' sword and formally surrendered to George Washington and the comte de Rochambeau.
- 1649 - New Ross town, Co. Wexford, Ireland, surrenders to Oliver Cromwell.
- 1512 - Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology (Doctor in Biblia).
- 1469 - Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain.
- 1466 - The Thirteen Years War ends with the Second Treaty of Thorn.
- 1453 - The French recapture of Bordeaux brings the Hundred Years' War to a close, with the English retaining only Calais on French soil.
- 1216 - King John of England dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry.
- 439 - The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa.
- -202 - Second Punic War: At the Battle of Zama, Roman legions under Scipio Africanus defeat Hannibal Barca, leader of the invading Carthaginian army.

October 19th


- 1993 - Abby Sunderland, American sailor
- 1990 - Janet Leon, Swedish singer and dancer (Play)
- 1989 - Miroslav Stoch, Slovakian footballer
- 1985 - Terry Etim, English mixed martial artist
- 1984 - Kaio de Almeida, Brazilian swimmer
- 1982 - Louis Oosthuizen, South African golfer
- 1982 - Gonzalo Pineda, Mexican footballer
- 1981 - Christian Bautista, Philippine singer
- 1981 - Heikki Kovalainen, Finnish race car driver
- 1980 - Rajai Davis, American baseball player
- 1980 - Benjamin Salisbury, American actor
- 1979 - Marc Elliott, British actor
- 1979 - José Luis López, Mexican footballer
- 1979 - Brian Robertson, American trombonist (Suburban Legends)
- 1978 - Enrique Bernoldi, Brazilian race car driver
- 1978 - Zakhar Dubenskiy, Russian footballer
- 1978 - James Roberts, British Ice Hockey Player
- 1978 - Henri Sorvali, Finnish musician
- 1977 - Louis-José Houde, Canadian stand-up comic
- 1977 - Jason Reitman, Canadian filmmaker
- 1977 - Raúl Tamudo, Spanish footballer
- 1977 - Habib Beye, Senegalese footballer
- 1976 - Michael Young, baseball player
- 1976 - Joy Bryant, American actress
- 1976 - Omar Gooding, American actor
- 1976 - Desmond Harrington, American actor
- 1976 - Dan Smith, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 - Hicham Arazi, Moroccan tennis player
- 1973 - Joaquin Gage, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Keith Foulke, American baseball pitcher
- 1972 - Pras, American musician
- 1970 - Chris Kattan, American comedian and actor
- 1969 - John Edward, American TV Psychic
- 1969 - Trey Parker, American cartoonist and actor
- 1969 - DJ Sammy, Spanish DJ
- 1969 - Erwin Sánchez, Bolivian footballer
- 1967 - Amy Carter, daughter of US President Jimmy Carter
- 1967 - Davina McCall, English television presenter
- 1967 - Yoko Shimomura, Japanese composer
- 1966 - Roger R. Cross, Jamaican-born actor
- 1966 - Jon Favreau, American actor, writer and director
- 1966 - Dimitris Lyacos, Greek poet and playwright
- 1966 - Sinitta, American singer
- 1965 - Brad Daugherty, American basketball player
- 1965 - Ty Pennington, American television personality
- 1964 - Jorge Luis Gonzales, Cuban-born American boxer
- 1963 - Prince Laurent of Belgium
- 1962 - Tracy Chevalier, American author
- 1962 - Evander Holyfield, American boxer
- 1961 - Sunny Deol, Indian actor
- 1960 - Jennifer Holliday, American singer and actress
- 1959 - Nir Barkat, Israeli politician
- 1958 - Lou Briel, Puerto Rican singer and actor
- 1958 - Tiriel Mora, Australian actor
- 1958 - Michael Steele, American political figure
- 1957 - Dorinda Clark-Cole, American gospel singer
- 1957 - Doug Kirby, American author and travel guide
- 1957 - Ray Richmond, American columnist and critic
- 1957 - Karl Wallinger, Welsh musician
- 1956 - Grover Norquist, American political figure
- 1956 - Didier Theys, Belgian racing driver
- 1956 - Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (d. 1993)
- 1956 - Bruce Weber, American basketball coach
- 1955 - Melpo Kosti, Greek actress
- 1954 - Sam Allardyce, English football manager
- 1954 - Deborah Blum, American writer
- 1954 - Joe Bryant, American basketball player
- 1953 - Lionel Hollins, American basketball player and coach
- 1952 - Verónica Castro, Mexican actress and singer
- 1951 - Demetrios Christodoulou, Greek physicist, recipient of the Bôcher Memorial Prize
- 1949 - Lynn Dickey, American football player
- 1949 - Jamie McGrigor, British politician
- 1948 - Dave Mallow, American voice actor
- 1948 - Patrick Simmons, American musician
- 1947 - Giorgio Cavazzano, Italian comic strip artist
- 1946 - Philip Pullman, English writer
- 1945 - Divine, American actor (d. 1988)
- 1945 - Patricia Ireland, American attorney and feminist
- 1945 - John Lithgow, American actor
- 1945 - Jeannie C. Riley American country and gospel singer
- 1944 - George McCrae, American soul singer
- 1944 - Peter Tosh, Jamaican reggae singer (The Wailers) (d. 1987)
- 1943 - Robin Holloway, British composer
- 1943 - Takis Ikonomopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1942 - Andrew Vachss, American author and attorney
- 1941 - Simon Ward, British actor
- 1940 - Michael Gambon, Irish-born British actor
- 1937 - Marilyn Bell, Canadian swimmer
- 1937 - Peter Max, American artist
- 1936 - James Bevel, American activist (d. 2008)
- 1936 - Tony Lo Bianco, American actor
- 1932 - Robert Reed, American actor (d. 1992)
- 1931 - John le Carré, English novelist
- 1928 - Lou Scheimer, American animation producer
- 1927 - Pierre Alechinsky, Belgian painter
- 1926 - Arne Bendiksen, Norwegian singer and songwriter (d. 2009)
- 1926 - Joel Feinberg, American philosopher (d. 2004)
- 1925 - Emilio Eduardo Massera, Argentine naval officer and National Reorganization Process figure (d. 2010)
- 1922 - Jack Anderson, American journalist (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Pandurang Shastri Athavale, Indian philosopher (d. 2003)
- 1920 - Harry Alan Towers, English film producer and screenwriter (d. 2009)
- 1918 - Charles Evans, British mountaineer (d. 1995)
- 1917 - Walter Munk, Austrian-born American oceanographer
- 1916 - Jean Dausset, French immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 2009)
- 1916 - Emil Gilels, Ukrainian pianist (d. 1985)
- 1915 - Farid al-Atrash, Syrian composer, musician, and actor (d. 1974)
- 1913 - Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian poet and songwriter (d. 1980)
- 1910 - Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Indian-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
- 1910 - Shunkichi Hamada, Japanese field hockey player (d. 2009)
- 1910 - Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (d. 1980)
- 1909 - Cozy Cole, American jazz drummer (d. 1981)
- 1909 - Marguerite Perey, French physicist (d. 1975)
- 1908 - Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian composer (d. 1981)
- 1907 - Roger Wolfe Kahn, American bandleader (d. 1962)
- 1903 - Tor Johnson, Swedish wrestler and actor (d. 1971)
- 1901 - Arleigh Burke, American admiral (d. 1996)
- 1900 - Erna Berger, German soprano (d. 1990)
- 1900 - Bill Ponsford, Australian cricketer (d. 1991)
- 1900 - Roy Worters, Canadian ice hockey goaltender (d. 1957)
- 1899 - Miguel Ángel Asturias, Guatemalan writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
- 1897 - Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, Pakistani scientist and scholar (d. 1994)
- 1896 - Bob O'Farrell, American baseball player (d. 1988)
- 1895 - Frank Durbin, last American veteran of the Battle of Verdun (d. 1999)
- 1895 - Lewis Mumford, American historian (d. 1990)
- 1885 - Charles Merrill, American investment banker (d. 1956)
- 1882 - Umberto Boccioni, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1916)
- 1876 - Mordecai Brown, American baseball player (d. 1945)
- 1873 - Jaap Eden, Dutch skater and cyclist (d. 1925)
- 1873 - John Barton King, American cricketer (d. 1965)
- 1868 - Bertha Landes, American politician (d. 1943)
- 1862 - Auguste Lumière, French inventor (d. 1954)
- 1858 - George Albert Boulenger, Belgian naturalist (d. 1937)
- 1851 - Empress Myeongseong, Empress of Korea (d. 1895)
- 1850 - Annie Smith Peck, American mountaineer (d. 1935)
- 1826 - Ralph Tollemache, British clergyman (d. 1895)
- 1810 - Cassius Clay, American abolitionist (d. 1903)
- 1784 - James Henry Leigh Hunt, English Romantic critic, essayist, and poet (d. 1859)
- 1784 - John McLoughlin, Canadian fur trader (d. 1857)
- 1721 - Joseph de Guignes, French orientalist (d. 1800)
- 1720 - John Woolman, American Quaker preacher and abolitionist (d. 1772)
- 1718 - Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie, Marshal of France (d. 1804)
- 1688 - William Cheselden, English surgeon and anatomist (d. 1752)
- 1680 - John Abernethy, Irish Protestant minister (d. 1740)
- 1658 - Adolf Friedrich II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1704)
- 1610 - James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English statesman and soldier (d. 1688)
- 1605 - Thomas Browne, English writer (d. 1682)
- 1582 - Dmitry Ivanovich, Russian Tsarevich (d. 1591)
- 1562 - Archbishop George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1633)
- 1433 - Marsilio Ficino, Italian philosopher (d. 1499)
- 1276 - Prince Hisaaki, Japanese shogun (d. 1328)