On 19th October 1216 on the death of King John of England, his son Henry III acceded to the throne. As he was only nine years old, he was placed under the guardianship of William Marshal, who also served as regent of the kingdom until the end of Henry's minority in 1226.
1330 17-year-old English King Edward III captures his mother's lover and the country's de facto ruler Roger Mortimer at Nottingham Castle (later has him hanged).
1492 Christopher Columbus sights the island he names “Isabela,” believed to be present-day Fortune Island (Long Cay) in the Bahamas.
1781 British forces under General Charles Cornwallis sign terms of surrender to George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown at 2 p.m., effectively ending the American Revolutionary War.
1914 World War I - The start of the First Battle of Ypres. It saw the British and French defeat repeated German attempts to break their lines in an attempt to capture the channel ports.
1914 Wartime licensing laws came into operation, premises having to close at 10 p.m.
1939 Hermann Goering announces that the 'Office of the Four-Year Plan' will seize all Polish and Jewish property in Nazi occupied areas.
On 19th October 1987, heavy flooding affected many parts of Wales. Four people were killed when the Glanrhyd Bridge near Llandeilo was washed away by the swollen River Tywi and a passenger train from Swansea to Shrewsbury, fell into the river.
19 Oct 1968 18 year old Peter Frampton meet Steve Marriott at a Small Faces show in London. After striking up a friendship, the two started planning a new group which emerged as Humble Pie next April.
