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On This Day in History — April 19
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Highlights of April 19
- 2020 — A series of attacks in Nova Scotia, Canada, ended when the perpetrator was killed by police, leaving 22 victims dead. Read more
- 2015 — Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American, died of injuries sustained while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department. Read more
- 2005 — Joseph Alois Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI on the second day of the papal conclave. Read more
- 2000 — Air Philippines Flight 541 crashed in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board. Read more
- 1995 — A truck bombing destroyed much of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building (aftermath pictured) in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring more than 680 others. Read more
- 1989 — A gun turret exploded on board the United States Navy battleship Iowa, killing 47 sailors. Read more
- 1987 — The fictional Simpson family made their first appearance in the short "Good Night", aired in a segment of the The Tracey Ullman Show. Read more
- 1984 — "Advance Australia Fair", written by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick, officially replaced "God Save the Queen" as Australia's national anthem. Read more
- 1975 — Aryabhata (pictured), India's first satellite, was launched from Kapustin Yar in the Soviet Union. Read more
- 1971 — Salyut 1, the first space station, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome near Tyuratam in the Soviet Union. Read more
- 1971 — The Doors (pictured) released L.A. Woman, their final album during their lead vocalist Jim Morrison's lifetime. Read more
- 1956 — American actress Grace Kelly (pictured) became the princess consort of Monaco upon her marriage to Rainier III. Read more
- 1927 — American actress Mae West (pictured) was sentenced to ten days in jail for "corrupting the morals of youth" with her play Sex. Read more
- 1903 — Anti-Jewish riots broke out in Kishinev, the capital of Bessarabia Governorate, causing the death of nearly 50 Jews and focusing worldwide attention on the persecution of Jews in Russia. Read more
- 1875 — The Minute Man was unveiled as part of the centennial celebration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Read more
- 1861 — The first bloodshed of the American Civil War took place when Confederate sympathizers in Baltimore, Maryland, attacked members of the Massachusetts militia en route to Washington, D.C. Read more
- 1809 — War of the Fifth Coalition: French general Louis-Nicolas Davout defeated an Austrian force in Lower Bavaria, allowing him to rejoin the main French army. Read more
- 1782 — The States General of the Dutch Republic received John Adams, and the house he had purchased in The Hague became the first United States embassy. Read more
- 1775 — The American Revolutionary War began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in the British colony of Massachusetts. Read more
- 1773 — The Polish Partition Sejm met to discuss the First Partition of Poland, carried out the previous year by Russia, Prussia and Austria. Read more
- 1713 — With no living male heirs, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, issued the Pragmatic Sanction, allowing the Habsburg hereditary possessions to be inherited by a daughter. Read more
- 1506 — In Lisbon, Portugal, a crowd began a massacre of Jews who had been forced to convert to Christianity. Read more
Events
- 2021 — The Ingenuity helicopter becomes the first aircraft to achieve flight on another planet. Read more
- 2020 — A killing spree in Nova Scotia, Canada, leaves 22 people and the perpetrator dead, making it the deadliest rampage in the country's history. Read more
- 2013 — Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is killed in a shootout with police. His brother Dzhokhar is later captured hiding in a boat inside a backyard in the suburb of Watertown. Read more
- 2011 — Fidel Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba after holding the title since July 1961. Read more
- 2008 — The Quito Ultratumba nightclub fire in Quito, Ecuador, kills 19 people and injures at least 24 more. Read more
- 2005 — Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI. Read more
- 2001 — Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on STS-100 carrying the Canadarm2 to the International Space Station. Read more
- 2000 — Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board. Read more
- 1999 — The German Bundestag returns to Berlin. Read more
- 1995 — Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, US, is bombed, killing 168 people including 19 children under the age of six. Read more
- 1993 — The 51-day FBI siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas, US, ends when a fire breaks out. Seventy-six Davidians, including 18 children under age 10, died in the fire. Read more
- 1989 — A gun turret explodes on the USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors. Read more
- 1985 — Two hundred ATF and FBI agents lay siege to the compound of the white supremacist survivalist group The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord in Arkansas; the CSA surrenders two days later. Read more
- 1976 — A violent F5 tornado strikes around Brownwood, Texas, injuring 11 people. Two people were thrown at least 1,000 yards (910 m) by the tornado and survived uninjured. Read more
- 1975 — India's first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia. Read more
- 1975 — South Vietnamese forces withdraw from the town of Xuan Loc in the last major battle of the Vietnam War. Read more
- 1973 — The Portuguese Socialist Party is founded in the German town of Bad Münstereifel. Read more
- 1971 — Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president. Read more
- 1971 — Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station. Read more
- 1971 — Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the Tate–LaBianca murders. Read more
- 1960 — Students in South Korea hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against president Syngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign. Read more
- 1956 — Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco. Read more
- 1943 — World War II: In German-occupied Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins, after German troops enter the Warsaw Ghetto to round up the remaining Jews. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: In German-occupied Poland, the Majdan-Tatarski ghetto is established, situated between the Lublin Ghetto and a Majdanek subcamp. Read more
- 1936 — The Jaffa riots commence, initiating the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. Read more
- 1927 — Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex. Read more
- 1925 — Colo-Colo, the most successful and popular soccer football team in the South American nation of Chile, was founded at the El Llano Stadium in San Miguel, Santiago, by footballer David Arellano and some of his teammates who had also left the Deportes Magallanes club. Read more
- 1903 — The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Palestine and the Western world. Read more
- 1861 — American Civil War: Baltimore riot of 1861: A pro-Secession mob in Baltimore attacks United States Army troops marching through the city. Read more
- 1839 — The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as a kingdom and guarantees its neutrality. Read more
- 1818 — French physicist Augustin Fresnel signs his preliminary "Note on the Theory of Diffraction" (deposited on the following day). The document ends with what we now call the Fresnel integrals. Read more
- 1810 — Venezuela achieves home rule: Vicente Emparán, Governor of the Captaincy General is removed by the people of Caracas and a junta is installed. Read more
- 1809 — An Austrian corps is defeated by the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw in the Battle of Raszyn, part of the struggles of the Fifth Coalition. On the same day the Austrian main army is defeated by a First French Empire Corps led by Louis-Nicolas Davout at the Battle of Teugen-Hausen in Bavaria, part of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory. Read more
- 1782 — John Adams secures Dutch recognition of the United States as an independent government. The house which he had purchased in The Hague becomes the first American embassy. Read more
- 1775 — American Revolutionary War: The war begins during the Battles of Lexington and Concord with a victory of American minutemen and other militia over British forces, later referred to as the "shot heard round the world". Read more
- 1775 — American Revolutionary War: Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Siege of Boston begins with American militias blocking land access to the British-held city. Read more
- 1770 — Captain James Cook, still holding the rank of lieutenant, sights the eastern coast of what is now Australia. Read more
- 1770 — Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI in a proxy wedding. Read more
- 1713 — With no living male heirs, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 to ensure that Habsburg lands and the Austrian throne would be inheritable by a female; his daughter and successor, Maria Theresa, was not born until 1717. Read more
- 1677 — The French army captures the town of Cambrai held by Spanish troops. Read more
- 1608 — In Ireland, O'Doherty's Rebellion is launched by the Burning of Derry. Read more
- 1572 — England and France sign an alliance against Spain in the treaty of Blois. Read more
- 1539 — The Treaty of Frankfurt between Protestants and the Holy Roman Emperor is signed. Read more
- 1529 — Beginning of the Protestant Reformation: After the Second Diet of Speyer bans Lutheranism, a group of rulers (German: Fürst) and independent cities protest the reinstatement of the Edict of Worms. Read more
- 1506 — The Lisbon Massacre begins, in which about two thousand Jews who had been forcibly converted to Christianity are slaughtered by Portuguese Catholics. Read more
- 1042 — Following the attempt of Byzantine Emperor Michael V Kalaphates to depose his wife and empress Zoe Porphyrogenita, a popular uprising in Constantinople breaks out with the intention to restore her. Read more
- 1024 — Election of Pope John XIX following the death of his brother Pope Benedict VIII. Read more
- 531 — Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persians at Raqqa (northern Syria). Read more
- 65 — The freedman Milichus betrays Piso's plot to kill the Emperor Nero and all of the conspirators are arrested. Read more
Born on April 19
- 2016 — The Rizzler, American internet personality Read more
- 2007 — Ben Kindel, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 2003 — Jackson Merrill, American baseball player Read more
- 2002 — Loren Gray, American singer and internet personality Read more
- 2001 — Dalton Knecht, American basketball player Read more
- 2001 — PinkPantheress, British singer-songwriter and record producer Read more
- 1999 — Sebastian Kris, Australian-NewZealand rugby league player Read more
- 1991 — Kelly Olynyk, Canadian basketball player Read more
- 1990 — Jackie Bradley Jr., American baseball player Read more
- 1990 — Kim Chiu, Filipino actress, singer, and dancer Read more
- 1989 — Simu Liu, Canadian actor Read more
- 1987 — Joe Hart, English footballer Read more
- 1987 — Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player Read more
- 1986 — Candace Parker, American basketball player Read more
- 1983 — Joe Mauer, American baseball player Read more
- 1982 — Samuel C. Morrison, Jr., Liberian-American journalist, producer, and screenwriter Read more
- 1982 — Ali Wong, American comedian and actress Read more
- 1981 — Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor Read more
- 1981 — Lise Klaveness, Norwegian footballer and lawyer, president of the Norwegian Football Federation Read more
- 1981 — Troy Polamalu, American football player Read more
- 1979 — Kate Hudson, American actress Read more
- 1978 — James Franco, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Read more
- 1978 — Amanda Sage, American-Austrian painter and educator Read more
- 1976 — Michelle Feldman, American bowler Read more
- 1975 — Jason Gillespie, Australian cricketer and coach Read more
- 1974 — Madeleine Peyroux, American French jazz and blues singer-songwriter Read more
- 1972 — Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira, Brazilian footballer Read more
- 1970 — Kelly Holmes, English athlete and double Olympic champion Read more
- 1968 — Ashley Judd, American actress Read more
- 1968 — Mswati III, King (Ngwenyama) of Eswatini (Swaziland) Read more
- 1966 — Véronique Gens, French soprano and actress Read more
- 1966 — Paul Reiffel, Australian cricketer and umpire Read more
- 1965 — Suge Knight, American record executive Read more
- 1960 — Gustavo Petro, Colombian politician, 34th and current President of Colombia Read more
- 1960 — Frank Viola, American baseball player and coach Read more
- 1957 — Mukesh Ambani, Indian businessman, chairman of Reliance Industries Read more
- 1956 — Anne Glover, Scottish biologist and academic Read more
- 1954 — Trevor Francis, English footballer and manager (died 2023) Read more
- 1952 — Simon Cowell, English conservationist and author (died 2024) Read more
- 1951 — Jóannes Eidesgaard, Faroese educator and politician, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands Read more
Died on April 19
- 2026 — George Ariyoshi, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Hawaii (born 1926) Read more
- 2024 — Daniel Dennett, American philosopher and author (born 1942) Read more
- 2023 — Moonbin, South Korean singer and actor (born 1998) Read more
- 2023 — Ron Hamilton, American musician (born 1950) Read more
- 2022 — Kane Tanaka, Japanese supercentenarian (born 1903) Read more
- 2021 — Walter Mondale, American politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States (born 1928) Read more
- 2021 — Jim Steinman, American composer, lyricist (born 1947) Read more
- 2020 — Ian Whitcomb, English singer-songwriter (born 1941) Read more
- 2017 — Lu Chao-Hsuan, Taiwanese guitarist, performer and educator. (born 1929) Read more
- 2016 — Patricio Aylwin, Chilean politician (born 1918) Read more
- 2015 — Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (born 1919) Read more
- 2015 — Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (born 1924) Read more
- 2013 — François Jacob, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1920) Read more
- 2013 — Al Neuharth, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded USA Today (born 1924) Read more
- 2012 — Levon Helm, American musician and actor (born 1940) Read more
- 2011 — Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (born 1946) Read more
- 2009 — J. G. Ballard, English novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1930) Read more
- 2007 — Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (born 1932) Read more
- 2006 — Albert Scott Crossfield, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (born 1921) Read more
- 2004 — Norris McWhirter, English author and activist co-founded the Guinness World Records (born 1925) Read more
- 2004 — John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (born 1920) Read more
- 2004 — Jenny Pike, Canadian WWII servicewoman and photographer (born 1922) Read more
- 2002 — Reginald Rose, American writer (born 1920) Read more
- 2000 — Louis Applebaum, Canadian composer and conductor (born 1918) Read more
- 1999 — Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian-German SS officer (born 1919) Read more
- 1998 — Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, philosopher, and academic Nobel Prize laureate (born 1914) Read more
- 1993 — David Koresh, American cult leader (born 1959) Read more
- 1993 — George S. Mickelson, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of South Dakota (born 1941) Read more
- 1992 — Frankie Howerd, English actor and screenwriter (born 1917) Read more
- 1991 — Stanley Hawes, English-Australian director and producer (born 1905) Read more
- 1989 — Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (born 1907) Read more
- 1988 — Kwon Ki-ok, Korean pilot (born 1901) Read more
- 1975 — Percy Lavon Julian, American chemist and academic (born 1899) Read more
- 1971 — Luigi Piotti, Italian race car driver (born 1913) Read more
- 1967 — Konrad Adenauer, German politician, 1st Chancellor of Germany (born 1876) Read more
- 1966 — Väinö Tanner, Finnish politician of Social Democratic Party of Finland; the Prime Minister of Finland (born 1881) Read more
- 1961 — Max Hainle, German swimmer (born 1882) Read more
- 1960 — Beardsley Ruml, American economist and statistician (born 1894) Read more
- 1955 — Jim Corbett, British-Indian colonel, hunter, and author (born 1875) Read more
- 1952 — Steve Conway, British singer (born 1921) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Ælfheah of Canterbury (Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox); Christian feast day:
Conrad of Ascoli; Christian feast day:
Emma of Lesum; Christian feast day:
Expeditus; Christian feast day:
George of Antioch; Christian feast day:
Olaus and Laurentius Petri (Lutheran); Christian feast day:
Pope Leo IX; Christian feast day:
Ursmar; Christian feast day:
April 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “April 19”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.