May 19
| May 19 in recent years |
| 2010 (Wednesday) |
| 2009 (Tuesday) |
| 2008 (Monday) |
| 2007 (Saturday) |
| 2006 (Friday) |
| 2005 (Thursday) |
| 2004 (Wednesday) |
| 2003 (Monday) |
| 2002 (Sunday) |
| 2001 (Saturday) |
| 2000 (Friday) |
May 19 is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 226 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 1499 – Catherine of Aragon, is married by proxy to Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales. Catherine is 13 and Arthur is 12.
- 1535 – French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona's two sons (whom Cartier had kidnapped during his first voyage).
- 1536 – Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and incest.
- 1568 – Queen Elizabeth I of England orders the arrest of Mary, Queen of Scots.
- 1643 – Thirty Years' War: French forces under the duc d'Enghien decisively defeat Spanish forces at the Battle of Rocroi, marking the symbolic end of Spain as a dominant land power.
- 1649 – An Act of Parliament declaring England a Commonwealth is passed by the Long Parliament. England would be a republic for the next eleven years.
- 1749 – King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River.
- 1780 – New England's Dark Day: A combination of thick smoke and heavy cloud cover causes complete darkness to fall on Eastern Canada and the New England area of the United States at 10:30 A.M.
- 1802 – Napoleon Bonaparte founds the Légion d'Honneur.
- 1828 – U.S. President John Quincy Adams signs the Tariff of 1828 into law, protecting wool manufacturers in the United States.
- 1848 – Mexican-American War: Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo thus ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of four other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for $15 million USD.
- 1864 – American Civil War: the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ends.
- 1897 – Oscar Wilde is released from Reading Gaol.
- 1919 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what is later termed the Turkish War of Independence. The anniversary of this event is also regarded as a date of remembrance for Pontic Greeks on the Greek genocide.
- 1921 – The U.S. Congress passes the Emergency Quota Act establishing national quotas on immigration.
- 1922 – The Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union is established.
- 1943 – World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set Monday, May 1, 1944 as the date for the Normandy landings ("D-Day"). It would later be delayed over a month due to bad weather.
- 1950 – A barge containing munitions destined for Pakistan explodes in the harbor at South Amboy, New Jersey, devastating the city.
- 1961 – Venera program: Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly-by another planet by passing Venus (the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).
- 1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's rendition of Happy Birthday.
- 1971 – Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.
- 1991 – Croatians vote for independence in a referendum.
Births
- 1593 – Jacob Jordaens, Flemish painter (d. 1678)
- 1700 – José de Escandón, Spanish colonial governor (d. 1770)
- 1724 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, British admiral and politician (d. 1779)
- 1744 – Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German-born wife of King George III of the United Kingdom (d. 1818)
- 1762 – Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher (d. 1814)
- 1773 – Arthur Aikin, English mineralogist (d. 1854)
- 1795 – Johns Hopkins, American philanthropist (d. 1873)
- 1797 – Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain (d. 1818)
- 1827 – Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French statesman (d. 1896)
- 1861 – Dame Nellie Melba, Australian opera singer (d. 1931)
- 1870 – Albert Fish, American serial killer (d. 1936)
- 1871 – Walter Russell, American polymath (d. 1963)
- 1874 – Gilbert Laird Jessop, English cricketer (d. 1955)
- 1879 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-born British politician, the first woman to sit as an MP in the House of Commons (d. 1964)
- 1880 – Sir Albert Richardson, English architect (d. 1964)
- 1881 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, 1st President of Turkey (d. 1938)
- 1882 – Mohammed Mosaddeq, Prime Minister of Iran (d. 1967)
- 1890 – Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnamese leader (d. 1969)
- 1891 – Oswald Boelcke, German World War I pilot (d. 1916)
- 1897 – Frank Luke, American World War I pilot (d. 1918)
- 1898 – Julius Evola, Italian far-right philosopher and esotericist (d. 1974)
- 1906 – Bruce Bennett, American athlete and actor (d. 2007)
- 1908 – Percy Williams, Canadian athlete (d. 1982)
- 1908 – Merriam Modell, American author (d. 1994)
- 1909 – Sir Nicholas Winton, British wartime humanitarian
- 1910 – Alan Melville, South African cricketer, Wisden COY 1948, (d. 1983)
- 1910 – Nathuram Godse, Indian assassin of Mahatma Gandhi (d. 1949)
- 1914 – Max Perutz, Austrian-born British molecular biologist, Nobel laureate (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Go Seigen, Japanese Go player
- 1914 – Alex Shibicky, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Abraham Pais, Dutch-born American physicist (d. 2000)
- 1919 – Mitja Ribičič, Slovenian Communist politician, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia
- 1921 – Yuri Kochiyama, American civil rights activist
- 1921 – Karel van het Reve, Dutch writer (d. 1999)
- 1921 – Daniel Gélin, French actor (d. 2002)
- 1922 – Joe Gilmore, Irish barman and cocktail creator, the longest running Head Barman at The Savoy Hotel's American Bar
- 1924 – Sandy Wilson, British composer
- 1925 – Malcolm X, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
- 1925 – Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator (d. 1998)
- 1925 – Guy Provost, French Canadian actor (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Swami Kriyananda, Indian teacher and author
- 1926 – Peter Zadek, German theatre director (d. 2009)
- 1928 – Colin Chapman, British car designer, founder of Lotus Cars (d. 1982)
- 1928 – Dolph Schayes, American basketball player and coach
- 1929 – John Stroger, American politician (d. 2008)
- 1930 – Lorraine Hansberry, American playwright (d. 1965)
- 1931 – Eric Tappy, Swiss tenor
- 1931 – Bob Anderson, British racing driver (d. 1967)
- 1932 – Alma Cogan, English singer (d. 1966)
- 1932 – Paul Erdman, American economist and author (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Claude Blanchard, French Canadian comedian and actor (d. 2006)
- 1934 – Jim Lehrer, American television journalist
- 1934 – Ruskin Bond, Indian author
- 1934 – Bill Fitch, American basketball head coach
- 1935 – David Hartman, American actor and television personality
- 1937 – Pat Roach, English actor and wrestler (d. 2004)
- 1938 – Madge Hindle, English actress
- 1938 – Moisés da Costa Amaral, East Timorese leader (d. 1989)
- 1939 – Livio Berruti, Italian athlete
- 1939 – James Fox, English actor
- 1939 – Nancy Kwan, Hong Kong actress
- 1939 – Dick Scobee, American astronaut (d. 1986)
- 1940 – Mickey Newbury, American musician (d. 2002)
- 1940 – Jan Janssen, Dutch cyclist
- 1941 – Bobby Burgess, American dancer, singer and one of Walt Disney's original "Mouseketeers"
- 1941 – Nora Ephron, American screenwriter
- 1942 – Gary Kildall, American computer programmer (d. 1994)
- 1942 – Robert Kilroy-Silk, British politician and television presenter
- 1944 – Peter Mayhew, British-American actor
- 1945 – Pete Townshend, English guitarist (The Who)
- 1946 – André the Giant, French professional wrestler (d. 1993)
- 1946 – Claude Lelièvre, Belgian commissioner for children's rights
- 1947 – Michele Placido, Italian actor and director
- 1947 – Paul Brady, Northern Ireland singer/songwriter
- 1947 – David Helfgott, Australian pianist
- 1948 – Grace Jones, Jamaican singer and actress
- 1949 – Dusty Hill, American singer and bassist (ZZ Top)
- 1949 – Archie Manning, American football player
- 1951 – Joey Ramone, American vocalist and songwriter (The Ramones) (d. 2001)
- 1951 – Dick Slater, American professional wrestler
- 1952 – Bert van Marwijk, Dutch footballer and coach
- 1953 – Shavarsh Karapetyan, Armenian finswimmer
- 1953 – Dawud M. Mu'Min, American convicted murderer (d. 1997)
- 1953 – Victoria Wood, English comedian and actress
- 1954 – Phil Rudd, Australian drummer (AC/DC)
- 1955 – James Gosling, Canadian computer programmer
- 1956 – Steven Ford, American actor
- 1957 – Bill Laimbeer, American basketball player and coach
- 1959 – Nicole Brown Simpson, American murder victim (d. 1994)
- 1961 – Gregory Poirier, American screenwriter and director
- 1963 – Filippo Galli, Italian footballer
- 1963 – Yazz, English singer
- 1964 – Miloslav Mečíř, Slovakian tennis player
- 1964 – Sean Whalen, American actor
- 1965 – Boris, French singer
- 1965 – Cecilia Bolocco, Chilean television presenter and 1987 Miss Universe
- 1965 – Maile Flanagan, American actress
- 1966 – Marc Bureau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 – Sophia Crawford, English actress and martial artist
- 1966 – Jodi Picoult, American writer
- 1966 – Polly Walker, English actress
- 1967 – Massimo Taccon, Italian painter and sculptor
- 1968 – Kyle Eastwood, American jazz musician
- 1970 – Choi Kyung-Ju, South Korean golfer
- 1970 – Mario Dumont, Canadian politician
- 1970 – Jason Gray-Stanford, Canadian actor
- 1971 – Ross Katz, American film producer
- 1971 – Psicosis, Mexican professional wrestler
- 1972 – Jenny Berggren, Swedish singer (Ace of Base)
- 1972 – Claudia Karvan, Australian actress
- 1974 – Andrew Johns, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1975 – Masanobu Ando, Japanese actor
- 1975 – Jonas Renkse, Swedish musician
- 1975 – London Fletcher, American football player
- 1975 – Delma Gonçalves, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 – Josh Paul, American baseball player
- 1976 – Ed Cota, American basketball player
- 1976 – Kevin Garnett, American basketball player
- 1976 – Gail Simmons, Canadian food critic and television personality (Top Chef)
- 1977 – Manuel Almunia, Spanish footballer
- 1977 – Brandon Inge, American baseball player
- 1977 – Natalia Oreiro, Uruguayan singer and actress
- 1977 – Kelly Sheridan, Canadian voice actress
- 1978 – Marcus Bent, English footballer
- 1978 – Kim Zolciak, American reality show star and singer
- 1979 – Diego Forlán, Uruguayan footballer
- 1979 – Barbara Nedeljakova, Slovak actress
- 1979 – Andrea Pirlo, Italian footballer
- 1980 – Drew Fuller, American actor and model
- 1980 – Tony Hackworth, English footballer
- 1981 – Bong Tae-gyu, South Korean actor
- 1981 – Luciano Figueroa, Argentine footballer
- 1981 – Georges St. Pierre, Canadian mixed martial artist
- 1981 – Michael Leighton, Canadian hockey player
- 1982 – Kevin Amankwaah, English footballer
- 1982 – Pål Steffen Andresen, Norwegian footballer
- 1983 – Eve Angel, Hungarian pornographic actress
- 1983 – Jessica Fox, English actress
- 1984 – Marcedes Lewis, American football player
- 1985 – Chris Loudon, Scottish darts player
- 1986 – Mario Chalmers, American basketball player
- 1986 – Eric Lloyd, American actor
- 1987 – David Edgar, Canadian footballer
- 1987 – Mariano Torres, Argentine footballer
- 1991 – Jordan Pruitt, American singer
Deaths
- 804 – Alcuin, English monk and scholar (b. c.735)
- 988 – Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 909)
- 1102 – Stephen II, Count of Blois (b. c.1045)
- 1125 – Vladimir Monomakh, Russian prince (b. 1053)
- 1296 – Pope Celestine V (b. 1215)
- 1319 – Louis d'Évreux, son of Philip III of France (b. 1276)
- 1389 – Dmitri Donskoi, Grand Prince of Muscovy (b. 1350)
- 1526 – Emperor Go-Kashiwabara of Japan (b. 1464)
- 1531 – Jan Łaski, Polish statesman and diplomat (b. 1456)
- 1536 – Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII of England (b. 1501 or 1507)
- 1601 – Costanzo Porta, Italian composer (b. 1528 or 1529)
- 1610 – Thomas Sanchez, Spanish theologian (b. 1550)
- 1637 – Isaac Beeckman, Dutch scientist and philosopher (b. 1588)
- 1715 – Charles Montagu, English poet and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1661)
- 1786 – John Stanley, English composer (b. 1712)
- 1795 – Josiah Bartlett, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1729)
- 1795 – James Boswell, Scottish biographer (b. 1740)
- 1798 – William Byron, 5th Baron Byron, English nobleman, Freemason and duelist (b. 1722)
- 1821 – Camille Jordan, French politician (b. 1771)
- 1825 – Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon, French political philosopher (b. 1760)
- 1864 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American author (b. 1804)
- 1865 – Sengge Rinchen, Mongol Qing Dynasty field marshal (b. 1811)
- 1876 – Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Dutch politician (b. 1801)
- 1885 – Peter W. Barlow, English engineer (b. 1809)
- 1895 – José Martí, Cuban independence leader (b. 1853)
- 1898 – William Ewart Gladstone, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1809)
- 1904 – Auguste Molinier, French historian (b. 1851)
- 1907 – Benjamin Baker, English engineer (b. 1840)
- 1912 – Bolesław Prus, Polish writer (b. 1847)
- 1915 – John Simpson Kirkpatrick, stretcher bearer with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli during World War I (b. 1892)
- 1918 – Raoul Lufbery, French-American World War I fighter pilot and flying ace (b. 1885)
- 1935 – T. E. Lawrence, English soldier, known as Lawrence of Arabia (b. 1888)
- 1940 – Diego Mazquiarán, Spanish matador (b. 1895)
- 1943 – Kristjan Raud, Estonian painter (b. 1865)
- 1945 – Philipp Bouhler, German Nazi leader (b. 1889)
- 1946 – Booth Tarkington, American novelist (b. 1869)
- 1954 – Charles Ives, American composer (b. 1874)
- 1958 – Archie Scott-Brown, English race car driver (b. 1927)
- 1958 – Ronald Colman, English actor (b. 1891)
- 1963 – Walter Russell, American polymath (b. 1871)
- 1965 – Tu'i Malila, the world's oldest tortoise (b. circa 1777)
- 1969 – Coleman Hawkins, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Ogden Nash, American poet (b. 1902)
- 1975 – Li Tobler, Swiss actress (b. 1948)
- 1983 – Jean Rey, President of the European Commission (b. 1902)
- 1984 – John Betjeman, English poet and Poet Laureate (b. 1906)
- 1986 – Jimmy Lyons, American musician (b. 1931)
- 1987 – James Tiptree, Jr, American author (b. 1915)
- 1989 – CLR James, West Indian writer and journalist (b. 1901)
- 1994 – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, First Lady of the United States 1961-1963 (b. 1929)
- 1994 – Luis Ocaña, Spanish cyclist (b. 1945)
- 1998 – Sōsuke Uno, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1922)
- 1999 – James Blades, English percussionist (b. 1901)
- 1999 – Candy Candido, American actor (b. 1913)
- 2000 – Yevgeny Khrunov, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1933)
- 2001 – Susannah McCorkle, American singer (b. 1946)
- 2002 – John Gorton, 19th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1911)
- 2002 – Walter Lord, American writer (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Camoflauge, American rapper (b. 1981)
- 2004 – Mary Dresselhuys, Dutch actress (b. 1907)
- 2005 – Henry Corden, American actor and voice artist (b. 1921)
- 2006 – Freddie Garrity, English vocalist (Freddie and the Dreamers) (b. 1940)
- 2007 – Dean Eyre, New Zealand politician (b. 1914)
- 2008 – Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright (b. 1928)
- 2009 – Velupillai Prabhakaran, Sri Lankan founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (b. 1954)
- 2009 – Robert F. Furchgott, American chemist, Nobel Laureate (b. 1916)
- 2009 – Herbert York, American physicist (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Nicholas Maw, British composer (b. 1935)
Holidays and observances
External links