THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010

Today is Thursday, August 19, the 231st day of 2010. There are 134 days left in the year.

1099 ― Crusaders beat Saracens in Battle of Ascalon

1888 ― First beauty contest (Spa, Belgium), 18-year-old West Indian wins

1934 ― Plebiscite in Germany approved sole executive power to Adolph Hitler

1942 ― First American offensive in Pacific in WWII, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

1951 ― Bill Veeck (Browns) sends Eddie Gaedel, a 3'7" midget, to pinch-hit

1979 ― Crew of Soyuz 32 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 34 after 175-day flight

1981 ― Two U.S. Navy F-14 jet fighters shot down two Soviet-built Libyan SU-22

1985 ― Japan launches its second probe of Halley's Comet, Suisei

1988 ― Iran-Iraq begin a ceasefire in their 8-year-old war (11 p.m. EDT)

1991 ― Coup in Russia deposes Mikhail Gorbachev