Interesting Facts of October 19th
- October 19th, 1781, marked the decisive victory of the American forces over the British at the Siege of Yorktown. This victory by American and French forces led by George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau was pivotal in the American Revolutionary War and effectively ended major operations in North America.
- On October 19th, 1987, a date often referred to as Black Monday, stock markets around the world crashed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell by 508 points, a 22.61% loss in a single day, which was the largest one-day percentage drop in history at that time.
- October 19th is the feast day of Saints Isaac Jogues, John de Brébeuf, and their companions, who are known as the North American Martyrs or Canadian Martyrs in the Roman Catholic Church. They were a group of Jesuit missionaries who were martyred in the mid-17th century in the area of present-day Canada and upstate New York.
- October 19, 1812, witnessed the French army led by Napoleon Bonaparte retreating from Moscow, marking the beginning of the end of the emperor's invasion of Russia. The harsh winter and Russian tactics of scorched earth and guerrilla warfare decimated Napoleon's Grand Army, leading to a significant defeat.
- Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19th, 2003, making her Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Beatification is the third of four steps in the canonization process in the Roman Catholic Church and is a recognition of a person's entrance into heaven with the ability to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name.