Effigy in Worcester Cathedral

John (1166–1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death. The youngest of the four surviving sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, he became Henry's favourite after a revolt by his brothers Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey. Despite rebelling against King Richard, who was away on the Third Crusade, he became king after Richard's death. War with France broke out in 1202; John achieved early victories, but shortages of resources led to the loss of the Duchy of Normandy and most other French lands. His judicial reforms had a lasting effect on English law and provided him with revenue from fines and court fees. An argument with Pope Innocent III led to John's excommunication from 1209 to 1213. John faced a rebellion by many of his barons, and although they agreed to the Magna Carta peace accord in 1215, neither side complied with it, and civil war broke out shortly afterwards. John died of dysentery while on campaign in late 1216. (Full article...)

Haukilahti water tower

• ... that the Haukilahti water tower (pictured) has a water container inspired by The Jetsons?
• ... that Margaret Thatcher had to wait while a series of parish ministers objected before she could give her "Sermon on the Mound"?
• ... that Tungia Baker owned a cloak given to her by King Korokī Mahuta?
• ... that the owners of New York City's Grand Prospect Hall produced and starred in cheaply shot commercials, parodied on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Saturday Night Live?
• ... that Peter Macari extorted $500,000 from Qantas Airways, and that more than $200,000 remains unaccounted for?
• ... that the Gabby Petito disappearance has led to renewed media interest in the June 2021 disappearance of Lauren Cho?
• ... that the Pakistani film Shehr e Tabassum was the first animated cyberpunk film to be made by an Urdu development team?
• ... that Stinson Jarvis believed Druids controlled history?

Sir David Amess

• British Member of Parliament Sir David Amess (pictured) dies after being stabbed during a constituency meeting.
• Severe Tropical Storm Kompasu kills 40 people in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
• In cricket, the Indian Premier League concludes with Chennai Super Kings defeating Kolkata Knight Riders in the final in Dubai.
• A building fire in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, kills at least 46 people and injures 41 others.

October 19

Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky by Benjamin West

• 1596 – The Spanish ship San Felipe was shipwrecked on the Japanese island of Shikoku, and its cargo confiscated by the local daimyō.
• 1752 – The Pennsylvania Gazette published a statement by Benjamin Franklin describing a kite experiment (depicted) to determine the electrical nature of lightning.
• 1943 – World War II: Allied aircraft sank the German cargo ship Sinfra, killing mostly Italian POWs.
• 1955 – At a meeting of its general assembly, the European Broadcasting Union approved the staging of the first Eurovision Song Contest.
• 1987 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 22.6 percent on Black Monday, the largest one-day percentage decline in the stock market index's history.