May 19 in History: Buick Is Incorporated, Rubik’s Cube Is Invented, and the Edenville Dam Collapses

Discover what happened on May 19 in history, along with notable events that shaped transportation, entertainment, and technology.

What Happened on May 19 in History?

Important events on this day include the incorporation of Buick, the invention of the Rubik’s Cube, and the collapse of Michigan’s Edenville Dam.

MAY 19 – TODAY IN HISTORY:

1796 – The first U.S. game law was approved. The measure called for penalties for hunting or destroying game within Indian territory.

1847 – The first English-style railroad coach was placed in service on the Fall River Line in Massachusetts.

1856 – U.S. Senator Charles Sumner spoke out against slavery.

1857 – The electric fire alarm system was patented by William F. Channing and Moses G. Farmer.

1903 – The Buick Motor Company was incorporated in Detroit, MI.

1906 – The Federated Boys’ Clubs, which later becomes the Boys’ Clubs, was founded.

1911 – The first American criminal conviction that was based on fingerprint evidence occurred in New York, NY.

1921 – Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, which established national quotas for immigrants.

1926 – Thomas Edison spoke on the radio for the first time.

1928 – The first frog-jumping jubilee held in Calaveras County, CA.

1935 – The National Football League (NFL) adopted an annual college draft to begin in 1936.

1958 – Canada and the U.S. formally established the North American Air Defense Command.

1962 – Marilyn Monroe performed a sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday” for President John F. Kennedy. The event was a fund-raiser at New York’s Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.

1965 – FBI agents visited Wand Records to investigate the lyrics to the song “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen.

1972 – A Fond du Lac, WI man consumed eight Big Macs from McDonald’s to begin his streak of eating a Big Mac every day. He has consumed over 32,000 Big Macs. He now averages two a day.

1973 – Secretariat won the second jewel in the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes.

1974 – Erno Rubik invented the puzzle what would later become known as the Rubik’s Cube. The Rubik’s Cube has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different combinations!

1975 – Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” album was released in the United States. It was the first album to be certified a million-seller on its first day of release.

1981 – The Empire State Building was designated a New York City, NY Landmark.

1989 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average passed 2,500 for the first time. The close for the day was 2,501.1.

1992 – Vice President Dan Quayle criticized the CBS sitcom “Murphy Brown” for having its title character decide to bear a child out of wedlock.

1992 – In Massapequa, NY, Mary Jo Buttafuoco was shot and seriously wounded by Amy Fisher. Fisher was her husband Joey’s teen-age lover.

1992 – The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. The amendment prohibits Congress from giving itself midterm pay raises.

1993 – Michael Jackson was honored by the Hollywood Guinness World of Records Museum for setting numerous show business records.

1993 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 3,500 (3,500.03) for the first time.

1994 – The final episode of TV’s “In Living Color” aired on Fox.

1994 – Former First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in New York, NY at 64.

1995 – Susan Lucci lost for the 15th year at the Daytime Emmys.

1996 – The TV show “Murder, She Wrote”, starring Angela Lansbury, came to an end after 12 seasons.

1999 – “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” opened in theaters and set a record for opening day ticket sales of $28.5 million.

1999 – Rosie O’Donnell and Tom Selleck got into an uncomfortable verbal issue concerning gun control on O’Donnell’s talk show.

2000 – The bones of the most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton went on display in Chicago, IL.

2000 – Disney released the movie “Dinosaur.”

2002 – Vecepia “Vee” Towery, an office manager from Portland, OR, won CBS’s “Survivor: Marquesas”.

2003 – Hundreds of Albert Einstein’s scientific papers, personal letters and humanist essays were made available on the Internet. Einstein had given the papers to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in his will.

2005 – “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” brought in $50 million in its opening day.

2006 – The movie “The Da Vinci Code”, starring Tom Hanks, opened in theaters.

2009 – The TV show “Glee” premiered.

2013 – The Yahoo board approved the $1.1 billion purchase of the blogging site Tumblr.

2018 – England’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married. It is estimated that more than three billion people watched the event on television or the internet.

2020 – The Edenville, Michigan dam collapsed, forcing 10,000 people to leave their homes.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MAY 19:

David Hartman – 91 years old (1935) – Journalist and television personality

Nancy Kwan – 87 years old (1939) – Hong Kong-American actress and makeup artist

Shirrel Rhoades – 83 years old (1943) – Author, publisher, and academic

Grace Jones – 78 years old (1948) – Jamaican-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress

Archie Manning – 77 years old (1949) – Football player

Rick Cerone – 72 years old (1954) – Baseball player and sportscaster

James Gosling – 71 years old (1955) – Canadian-American computer scientist, created Java

Bill Laimbeer – 69 years old (1957) – Basketball player and coach

Gregory Poirier – 65 years old (1961) – Director, producer, and screenwriter

John Lee – 62 years old (1964) – South Korean-American football player

Maile Flanagan – 61 years old (1965) – Actress, producer, and screenwriter

Jodi Picoult – 60 years old (1966) – Author and educator

Kyle Eastwood – 58 years old (1968) – Actor and bass player

Ross Katz – 55 years old (1971) – Director, producer, and screenwriter

London Fletcher – 51 years old (1975) – Football player

Josh Paul – 51 years old (1975) – Baseball player and manager

Ed Cota – 50 years old (1976) – Basketball player

Kevin Garnett – 50 years old (1976) – Basketball player

Brandon Inge – 49 years old (1977) – Baseball player

Shooter Jennings – 47 years old (1979) – Country singer, songwriter

Yo Gotti – 45 years old (1981) – Rapper

Michael Che – 43 years old (1983) – Comedian

Marcedes Lewis – 42 years old (1984) – Football player

Mario Chalmers – 40 years old (1986) – Basketball player

Michael Angelakos – 39 years old (1987) – Singer-songwriter and producer

Jordan Pruitt – 35 years old (1991) – Singer-songwriter

Marshmello – 34 years old (1992) – Electronic music producer and DJ

Lainey Wilson – 34 years old (1992) – Singer-songwriter

Elizabeth Mandlik – 25 years old (2001) – Tennis player

Jojo Siwa – 23 years old (2003) – Dancer, singer, actress, and YouTube personality

DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MAY 19:

• Plant Something Day: Discover the meaning of Plant Something Day, its roots in horticulture, and simple ways planting boosts well-being, wildlife, air quality, and community spaces.
• World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day: Discover the impact of World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day, raising global awareness, support, and advocacy for people living with Crohn’s and colitis.
• Malcolm X Day: Malcolm X Day honors the civil rights leader’s legacy, celebrating Black empowerment, social justice, and ongoing activism through education and community events.
• National Devil’s Food Cake Day: Celebrate National Devil’s Food Cake Day by baking, sharing, and savoring this rich, moist chocolate classic that brings people together in sweet indulgence.
• National Barber Mental Health Awareness Day: National Barber Mental Health Awareness Day honors barbers’ emotional labor, encourages check-ins, and promotes mental health support in community barbershops.
• World Fair Play Day: World Fair Play Day celebrates honesty, respect, and sportsmanship in every game, inspiring athletes and fans to carry fair play values into everyday life.
• World Family Doctor Day: World Family Doctor Day honors family physicians who provide continuous, holistic care, strengthen mental resilience, and support healthier communities worldwide.
• National Stop Nausea Day: National Stop Nausea Day raises awareness of nausea’s impact, encourages open conversations, and shares practical ways to find relief, support, and understanding.
• National Vegetarian Week: National Vegetarian Week is a lively celebration that spotlights the vibrant and tasty world of vegetarianism. Organized by the Vegetarian Society, this week-long event is a time to enjoy and explore the many benefits and flavors of a plant-based lifestyle. It aims to inspire people to try new vegetarian dishes...
• National Mechanical Dry Eye Day: National Mechanical Dry Eye Day raises awareness of conjunctival folds that disrupt tear flow, helping patients and eye doctors find accurate diagnosis and relief.
• National May Ray Day: National May Ray Day celebrates sunshine, outdoor fun, and the mood-boosting benefits of vitamin D with picnics, games, crafts, and time in the fresh air.
• Dementia Action Week: Dementia Action Week is a key time of action. It’s time to step up your game on behalf of those who live with the disease. This event means different things while being significant to many different people. But one thing about it is the same -- it should bring us all...
• National Safe Sun Week: National Safe Sun Week is a special time dedicated to educating people about the dangers of too much sun and how to stay safe. Held in the last week of May, right before the Memorial Day holiday, it marks the beginning of summer. This is when folks often start spending...
• Walk to School Week in the UK: Walk to School Week in the UK is a vibrant event encouraging kids to embrace walking as part of their daily routine. This week-long initiative highlights the benefits of walking over driving, making it an engaging and fun experience for children! How to Celebrate Walk to School Week Host a...
• Celebrate Your Elected Officials Day: Celebrate Your Elected Officials Day is all about recognizing the people who speak and act on behalf of the community. These are the leaders who face pressure, make tough choices, and try to improve lives through laws and local action. They often work long hours, juggling complex tasks, without much...
• Hepatitis Testing Day: Imagine feeling perfectly fine while something dangerous grows quietly inside you. That’s the risk with hepatitis B and C. These viruses often don’t cause symptoms right away. Many people live for years without realizing they’re infected. During that time, the virus can damage the liver and spread to others. Hepatitis Testing...
• Foster Care Fortnight: Foster Care Fortnight, an annual event in the UK, typically happens in the first two weeks of May. This initiative is driven by The Fostering Network, a leading charity that promotes foster care awareness and recruitment. The event raises awareness about the growing need for foster carers and their vital...
• British Sandwich Week: British Sandwich Week is a lively celebration of one of Britain's most iconic culinary creations: the sandwich. This week, sandwich lovers from all walks of life come together to indulge in the art of sandwich making and tasting. Whether it’s a classic ham and cheese or a gourmet concoction with...
• International Heritage Breeds Week: Support the survival of classic livestock breeds like Oberhasli goats, Wiltshire Wild Horn sheep, and Gloucester Old Spot pigs during Heritage Breeds Week.
• Epilepsy Awareness Week: Epilepsy Awareness Week is a significant event held annually to highlight epilepsy's impact on millions worldwide. Taking place in May, this week-long event aims to inform and engage people in understanding this neurological condition. The goal is to dispel myths and encourage conversations about epilepsy. The purpose of epilepsy is to...
• Be Nice to Nettles Week: Be Nice to Nettles Week is a vibrant annual event that shines a spotlight on the humble nettle plant. Celebrated in mid-May, this period encourages us to appreciate the ecological and health benefits of nettles. How to Celebrate Be Nice to Nettles Week Here are five quirky and playful ways to dive...
• Tracky Dack Day: Tracky Dack Day is a funny name for a serious cause. This annual event, run by TLC for Kids, encourages people to wear their favorite track pants (aka 'tracky dacks'!) to support children in hospitals! The name brings a smile, but the mission is profound. It raises awareness and funds...

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