What Happened on June 19?

June 19 is Juneteenth — the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free — and the date the Civil Rights Act passed the Senate in 1964 and President Lincoln outlawed slavery in U.S. territories in 1862.

• 1862 — Congress bans slavery in U.S. territories

  On June 19, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a law abolishing slavery in all federal territories — a step toward nationwide emancipation during the Civil War. Read the full story →

• 1865 — Union troops announce freedom in Galveston, Texas — the origin of Juneteenth

  On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, telling enslaved African Americans they were free — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Read the full story →

• 1880 — James A. Garfield wins the Republican presidential nomination

  On June 19, 1880, the Republican convention in Chicago nominated James A. Garfield for president on the 36th ballot — launching a brief presidency cut short by assassination. Read the full story →

• 1910 — The first Father's Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington

  On June 19, 1910, Spokane, Washington, held the nation's first official Father's Day celebration — inspired by Sonora Smart Dodd, who wanted to honor her single father. Read the full story →

• 1963 — Pope Paul VI is elected head of the Roman Catholic Church

  Cardinals elected Giovanni Battista Montini as Pope Paul VI on June 21, 1963 — but the conclave began June 19 after Pope John XXIII's death, continuing the reform era of Vatican II. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Lou Gehrig (1903–1941) · Salman Rushdie (1947) · Paula Abdul (1962) · Macklemore (1983)

Days & observances

Juneteenth National Independence Day · World Sickle Cell Day · National Flip Flop Day · World Sauntering Day