Today is Friday, August 19, 231st day of 2011. There are 134 days left in the year.
1099 ― Crusaders beat Saracens in Battle of Ascalon
1263 ― King James I or Argon censors Hebrew writings
1787 ― W. Herschel discovers Enceladus, a moon of Saturn
1888 ― First beauty contest (Spa, Belgium), 18-year-old West Indian wins
1934 ― Plebiscite in Germany approved sole executive power to Adolph Hitler
1960 ― Sputnik 5 carries two dogs, three mice into orbit (later recovered alive)
1978 ― 422 die in an arson fire at a movie theater in Iran
1985 ― Japan launches its second probe of Halley's Comet, Suisei
1988 ― Iran-Iraq begin a ceasefire in their eight-year-old war (11 p.m., EDT)
1991 ― Coup in Russia deposes Mikhail Gorbachev