Discover what happened on July 19 in history as remarkable achievements, historic milestones, technological advances, and unforgettable moments helped shape the world we know today.
What Happened on July 19 in History?
Important events on this day include the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, Apollo 11 entering lunar orbit, the transmission of the world’s first GPS signal, Marilyn Monroe’s first screen test, and the debut of The Conjuring.
JULY 19 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1799 – The Rosetta Stone was found in Egypt. The stone contained the same text written in hieroglyphics, Demotic script, and Ancient Greek, allowing scholars to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.
1848 – The Women’s Rights Convention took place in Seneca Fall, NY. Bloomers were introduced at the convention.
1939 – Fiberglass sutures were used for the first time by Dr. Roy P. Scholz.
1946 – Marilyn Monroe acted in her first screen test.
1954 – Elvis Presley’s first single was released by Sun Records. It was “That’s Alright (Mama)” backed by Blue Moon of Kentucky.
1969 – Apollo 11 and its astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins went into orbit around the moon.
1971 – The topping out ceremony of Two World Trade Center (the South Tower) took place in New York, NY. An earlier ceremony for One World Trade Center took place on December 23, 1970.
1974 – The Senate Judicial Committee recommended that President Richard Nixon be impeached.
1975 – After being linked in orbit for two days, the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts separated.
1977 – The world’s first Global Positioning System (GPS) signal was successfully transmitted by Navigation Technology Satellite-2 (NTS-2), marking the beginning of modern satellite navigation.
1982 – The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 14% of the population had an income below the official poverty level in 1981.
1983 – The first three-dimensional reconstruction of a human head in a CT was published.
1984 – Geraldine Ferraro was nominated by the Democratic Party to become the first woman from a major political party to run for the office of U.S. Vice-President.
1985 – Those are some big shoes to fill…George Bell won first place in a biggest feet contest. He had a shoe size of 28-1/2. He’s tall as well, standing 7′ 10″ tall.
1985 – Christa McAuliffe, of New Hampshire, was chosen to be the first schoolteacher to ride aboard the Space Shuttle. She died with six others when the Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986.
1989 – United Flight 232 crashed in Sioux City, IA, killing 111, with 185 other passengers surviving the crash.
1990 – Baseball’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose was sentenced in Cincinnati, OH, to five months in prison for tax evasion.
1991 – The movie “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” premiered in theaters.
1995 – The movie “Clueless” premiered in theaters.
1995 – The MTV show “Road Rules” premiered, putting six strangers together to live in an RV and travel across the country.
2003 – A 42 year old Austrian man received the world’s first tongue transplant. During a 14 hour surgery, doctors removed a malignant tumor and were able to successfully attach a new tongue.
2005 – Governor Jennifer Granholm signed a law requiring customers to show photo I.D. to purchase some cold and flu medicines. The law was aimed at restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine — the key ingredient for making meth.
2007 – The TV series “Mad Men” debuted on AMC.
2013 – The horror movie “The Conjuring” premiered in theaters.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JULY 19:
Earl Hamilton – 135 years old (1891) – Baseball player
Rachel Robinson – 104 years old (1922) – Professor, registered nurse, and the widow of baseball player Jackie Robinson
Samuel John Hazo – 98 years old (1928) – Author
Vikki Carr – 85 years old (1941) – Singer and actress
Edwin Schlossberg – 81 years old (1945) – Designer, author, and husband of Carolyn Kennedy
Bernie Leadon – 79 years old (1947) – Guitarist and songwriter
Abel Ferrara – 75 years old (1951) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Howard Schultz – 73 years old (1953) – Businessman and author
Steve O'Donnell – 72 years old (1954) – Screenwriter and producer
Srđa Trifković – 72 years old (1954) – Serbian-American journalist and historian
Alvan Adams – 72 years old (1954) – Basketball player
Robert Gibson – 68 years old (1958) – Wrestler
David Robertson – 68 years old (1958) – Conductor
Lisa Lampanelli – 65 years old (1961) – Comedian, actress, and author
Campbell Scott – 65 years old (1961) – Actor, director, and producer
Anthony Edwards – 64 years old (1962) – Actor and director
Teresa Edwards – 62 years old (1964) – Basketball player
David Segui – 60 years old (1966) – Baseball player
Robb Flynn – 58 years old (1968) – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Jim Norton – 58 years old (1968) – Comedian, actor, and author
Matthew Libatique – 57 years old (1969) – Cinematographer
Bill Chen – 56 years old (1970) – Poker player and software designer
Michael Modest – 55 years old (1971) – Wrestler
Vince Spadea – 52 years old (1974) – Tennis player
Preston Wilson – 52 years old (1974) – Baseball player and sportscaster
Tony Mamaluke – 49 years old (1977) – Wrestler and manager
Rick Ankiel – 47 years old (1979) – Baseball player
Chris Sullivan – 46 years old (1980) – Actor
Jimmy Gobble – 45 years old (1981) – Baseball player
Christopher Bear – 44 years old (1982) – Drummer
Phil Coke – 44 years old (1982) – Baseball player
Jared Padalecki – 44 years old (1982) – Actor
Adam Morrison – 42 years old (1984) – Basketball player
LaMarcus Aldridge – 41 years old (1985) – Basketball player
Yan Gomes – 39 years old (1987) – Brazilian-American baseball player
Jon Jones – 39 years old (1987) – Mixed martial artist
Shane Dawson – 38 years old (1988) – Comedian and actor
Trent Williams – 38 years old (1988) – Football player
Patrick Corbin – 37 years old (1989) – Baseball player
James Austin Johnson – 37 years old (1989) – Actor and comedian
Zach Werenski – 29 years old (1997) – Ice hockey player
Karl Jacobs – 28 years old (1998) – YouTuber and streamer
Tyler Downs – 23 years old (2003) – Diver
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JULY 19:
Today's special observances are temporarily unavailable. Please check back soon.
For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
