Discover what happened on March 19 in history, along with notable celebrity birthdays and fun Days of the Year to celebrate.
What Happened on March 19 in History?
Important events on this day include the first bank robbery in America, Congress establishing time zones and approving Daylight Saving Time, and Elvis Presley buying Graceland.
MARCH 19 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1628 – The Massachusetts colony was founded by Englishmen.
1822 – The city of Boston, MA, was incorporated.
1831 – The first bank robbery in America was reported. The City Bank of New York, NY, lost $245,000 in the robbery.
1855 – The newspaper, “The Grand Rapids Herald”, published its first edition in Grand Rapids, MI.
1865 – Grand Rapids, MI put their first steam fire engine into service.
1915 – Pluto was photographed for the first time. However, it was not known at the time.
1917 – The Supreme Court upheld the Adamson Act that made the eight-hour workday for railroads constitutional.
1918 – Congress established time zones and approved Daylight Saving Time.
1925 – The law was passed that required fisherman to purchase a license to fish in the state of Michigan.
1931 – The state of Nevada legalized gambling.
1931 – Alka Seltzer went on sale.
1953 – The Academy Awards aired on television for the first time.
1954 – Viewers saw the first televised prize fight shown in color when Joey Giardello knocked out Willie Tory in round seven at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.
1954 – The first rocket-driven sled that ran on rails was tested in Alamogordo, NM.
1957 – Elvis Presley bought the mansion he would name “Graceland”, in Memphis, TN for $100,000.
1977 – The last episode of television’s “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” aired.
1979 – The U.S. House of Representatives began broadcasting their daily business on TV via the C-SPAN cable network.
1981 – The Buffalo Sabres set an NHL record when they scored 9 goals in one period against Toronto.
1984 – The TV show “Kate and Allie” premiered.
1985 – IBM announced their plans to stop making the PC jr computer.
1985 – The Senate voted to authorize production of the MX missile.
1985 – “Spin Magazine” began publishing.
1987 – Televangelist Jim Bakker resigned from the PTL due to a sex scandal involving Jessica Hahn. He handed over control to Jerry Falwell.
1988 – Michael Jackson purchased a ranch near Santa Ynez, CA, and built his own personal zoo and amusement park. He called it Neverland.
1998 – Major League Baseball approves Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers for a reported $350 million.
1999 – Johnny Carson, at age 73, underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
2000 – Vector Data Systems conducted a simulation of the 1993 Branch Davidian siege in Waco, TX. The simulation showed that the government had not fired first.
2002 – Actor Ben Kingsley was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
2003 – President George W. Bush announced that U.S. forces had launched a strike against “targets of military opportunity” in Iraq.
2004 – Paul “Peewee Herman” Reubens pleaded guilty to possessing vintage photos of naked children.
2007 – Naomi Campbell arrived at New York City’s Department of Sanitation to begin a week sweeping the building, her community service for tossing a phone at her maid’s head.
2013 – NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity discovered further evidence of water-bearing minerals.
2018 – The last male northern white rhinoceros, Sudan, died, ensuring a chance of extinction for the species.
2020 – Art Van Furniture ends it’s bankruptcy liquidation sale early to limit social contact due to COVID 19.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MARCH 19:
Renée Taylor – 93 years old (1933) – Actress, producer, and screenwriter
Ruth Pointer – 80 years old (1946) – Musician
Glenn Close – 79 years old (1947) – Actress, singer, and producer
David Schnitter – 78 years old (1948) – Saxophonist and educator
Blase J. Cupich – 77 years old (1949) – Theologian and cardinal
Harvey Weinstein – 74 years old (1952) – Film producer and sex offender
Scott May – 72 years old (1954) – Basketball player
Bruce Willis – 71 years old (1955) – German-American actor and producer
Dudley Bradley – 69 years old (1957) – Basketball player
Andy Reid – 68 years old (1958) – Football player and coach
Neil LaBute – 63 years old (1963) – Director and screenwriter
Mary Scheer – 63 years old (1963) – Actress and comedian
Vladimir Konstantinov – 59 years old (1967) – Russian-American ice hockey player
Tyrone Hill – 58 years old (1968) – Basketball player and coach
Connor Trinneer – 57 years old (1969) – Actor
Bun B – 53 years old (1973) – Rapper and songwriter
Antonio Daniels – 51 years old (1975) – Basketball player
Derek Chauvin – 50 years old (1976) – Criminal and former police officer
Andre Miller – 50 years old (1976) – Basketball player
David Ross – 49 years old (1977) – Baseball player and manager
Virginia Williams – 48 years old (1978) – Actress
Abby Brammell – 47 years old (1979) – Actress
Sheldon Brown – 47 years old (1979) – Football player
Theo Von – 46 years old (1980) – Stand-up comedian
Casey Jacobsen – 45 years old (1981) – Basketball player and sportscaster
Jonathan Fanene – 44 years old (1982) – Football player
Landon Powell – 44 years old (1982) – Baseball player and manager
Ahmad Bradshaw – 40 years old (1986) – Football player
AJ Lee – 39 years old (1987) – Wrestler and author
Clayton Kershaw – 38 years old (1988) – Baseball player
Ben Uzoh – 38 years old (1988) – Nigerian-American basketball player
EJ Manuel – 36 years old (1990) – Football player
Garrett Clayton – 35 years old (1991) – Actor and singer
Philip Daniel Bolden – 31 years old (1995) – Actor
Yung Gravy – 30 years old (1996) – Rapper
Quenton Nelson – 30 years old (1996) – Football player
Caylee Cowan – 28 years old (1998) – Actress
Julian Love – 28 years old (1998) – Football player
Nico Collins – 27 years old (1999) – Football player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MARCH 19:
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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.
