Events That Happened on April 19

The Ingenuity helicopter becomes the first aircraft to achieve flight on another planet.

A killing spree in Nova Scotia, Canada, leaves 22 people and the perpetrator dead, making it the deadliest rampage in the country's history.

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.

Fidel Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba after holding the title since July 1961.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI.

Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on STS-100 carrying the Canadarm2 to the International Space Station.

Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board.

The German Bundestag returns to Berlin.

Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, USA, is bombed, killing 168 people including 19 children under the age of six.

The 51-day FBI siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas, USA, ends when a fire breaks out. Seventy-six Davidians, including 18 children under age 10, died in the fire.

A gun turret explodes on the USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors.

The Simpsons first appear as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, first starting with "Good Night".

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.

Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia's national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.

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.

India's first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia.

South Vietnamese forces withdraw from the town of Xuan Loc in the last major battle of the Vietnam War.

The Portuguese Socialist Party is founded in the German town of Bad Münstereifel.

Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president.

Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station.

Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the Tate–LaBianca murders.

Students in South Korea hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against president Syngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign.

Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco.

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.

Albert Hofmann deliberately doses himself with LSD for the first time, three days after having discovered its effects on April 16, an event commonly known and celebrated as Bicycle Day.

World War II: In German-occupied Poland, the Majdan-Tatarski ghetto is established, situated between the Lublin Ghetto and a Majdanek subcamp.

The Jaffa riots commence, initiating the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine.

Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.

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.

The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Palestine and the Western world.

American Civil War: Baltimore riot of 1861: A pro-Secession mob in Baltimore attacks United States Army troops marching through the city.

The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as a kingdom and guarantees its neutrality.

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.

Venezuela achieves home rule: Vicente Emparán, Governor of the Captaincy General is removed by the people of Caracas and a junta is installed.

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.

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.

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".

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.

Captain James Cook, still holding the rank of lieutenant, sights the eastern coast of what is now Australia.

Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI in a proxy wedding.

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.

The French army captures the town of Cambrai held by Spanish troops.

In Ireland, O'Doherty's Rebellion is launched by the Burning of Derry.

The Treaty of Frankfurt between Protestants and the Holy Roman Emperor is signed.

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.

The Lisbon Massacre begins, in which accused Jews are slaughtered by Portuguese Catholics.

Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persians at Raqqa (northern Syria).

The freedman Milichus betrays Piso's plot to kill the Emperor Nero and all of the conspirators are arrested.

The Rizzler, American internet personality

Jackson Merrill, American baseball player

Loren Gray, American singer and internet personality

Dalton Knecht, American basketball player

Sebastian Kris, Australian-NewZealand rugby league player

Kelly Olynyk, Canadian basketball player

Jackie Bradley Jr., American baseball player

Kim Chiu, Filipino actress, singer, and dancer

Simu Liu, Canadian actor

Joe Hart, English footballer

Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player

Candace Parker, American basketball player

Joe Mauer, American baseball player

Samuel C. Morrison, Jr., Liberian-American journalist, producer, and screenwriter

Ali Wong, American comedian and actress

Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor

Lise Klaveness, Norwegian footballer and lawyer, president of the Norwegian Football Federation

Troy Polamalu, American football player

Kate Hudson, American actress

James Franco, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Amanda Sage, American-Austrian painter and educator

Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira, Brazilian footballer

Kelly Holmes, English athlete and double Olympic champion

Ashley Judd, American actress

Mswati III, King (Ngwenyama) of Eswatini (Swaziland)

Véronique Gens, French soprano and actress

Suge Knight, American record executive

Kim Weaver, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic

Ara Gevorgyan, Armenian pianist, composer, and producer

Gustavo Petro, Colombian politician, 34th and current President of Colombia

Frank Viola, American baseball player and coach

Mukesh Ambani, Indian businessman, chairman of Reliance Industries

Anne Glover, Scottish biologist and academic

Trevor Francis, English footballer and manager (died 2023)

Simon Cowell, English conservationist and author (died 2024)

Jóannes Eidesgaard, Faroese educator and politician, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands

Tim Curry, English actor and singer

James Heckman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Bernie Worrell, American keyboard player and songwriter (died 2016)

Margo MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician (died 2014)

Alan Price, English keyboard player, singer, and composer

Michel Roux, French-English chef and author (died 2020)

Bobby Russell, American singer-songwriter (died 1992)

Clay Shaw, American accountant, judge, and politician (died 2013)

Stanley Fish, American theorist, author, and scholar

Antonio Carluccio, Italian-English chef and author (died 2017)

Elinor Donahue, American actress

Joseph Estrada, Filipino politician, 13th President of the Philippines

Wilfried Martens, Belgian politician, 60th Prime Minister of Belgium (died 2013)

Jack Pardee, American football player and coach (died 2013)

Dudley Moore, English actor, comedian, and pianist (died 2002)

Justin Francis Rigali, American cardinal

Dickie Goodman, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 1989)

Jayne Mansfield, American model and actress (died 1967)

Fernando Botero, Colombian painter and sculptor (died 2023)

Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist and author (died 2004)

John Horlock, English engineer and academic (died 2015)

Azlan Shah of Perak, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (died 2014)

Cora Sue Collins, American child actress (died2025)

Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (died 1997)[citation needed]

John Kraaijkamp, Sr., Dutch actor (died 2011)

Hugh O'Brian, American actor (died 2016)

Erich Hartmann, German colonel and pilot (died 1993)

Anna Lee Aldred, American jockey (died 2006)

Leon Henkin, American logician (died 2006)

Roberto Tucci, Italian Jesuit leader, cardinal, and theologian (died 2015)

Marvin Mandel, American lawyer and politician, 56th Governor of Maryland (died 2015)

Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (died 2013)

Ragnar Ulstein, Norwegian journalist and war historian (died 2019)

Sol Kaplan, American pianist and composer (died 1990)

Sven Hassel, Danish-German soldier and author (died 2012)

Ken Carpenter, American discus thrower and coach (died 1984)

Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1999)

Irena Eichlerówna, Polish actress (died 1990)

Eliot Ness, American law enforcement agent (died 1957)

Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author and screenwriter (died 1989)

Iracema de Alencar, Brazilian film actress (died 1978)

Richard Hughes, English author, poet, and playwright (died 1976)

Roland Michener, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Governor General of Canada (died 1991)

Rhea Silberta, American Yiddish songwriter and singing teacher (died 1959)

George O'Brien, American actor (died 1985)

Cemal Tollu, Turkish lieutenant and painter (died 1968)

Constance Talmadge, American actress and producer (died 1973)

Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman and philanthropist (died 1970)

Jiroemon Kimura, Japanese super-centenarian, oldest verified man ever (died 2013)

Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (died 1966)

Germaine Tailleferre, French composer and educator (died 1983)

Françoise Rosay, French actress (died 1974)

Otto Georg Thierack, German jurist and politician (died 1946)

Karl Tarvas, Estonian architect (died 1975)

Henry Jameson, American soccer player (died 1938)

Richard von Mises, Austrian-American mathematician and physicist (died 1953)

Getúlio Vargas, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 14th President of Brazil (died 1954)

Arthur Robertson, Scottish runner (died 1957)

Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American engineer, invented the outboard motor (died 1934)

Ernst Rüdin, Swiss psychiatrist, geneticist, and eugenicist (died 1952)

Sydney Barnes, English cricketer (died 1967)

Alice Salomon, German social reformer (died 1948)

Hemmo Kallio, Finnish actor (died 1940)

Amalie Andersen, Norwegian actress (died 1924)

Julius Krohn, Finnish poet and journalist (died 1888)

José Echegaray, Spanish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1916)

Mary Louise Booth, American writer, editor and translator (died 1889)

Louis Amédée Achard, French journalist and author (died 1875)

Sarah Bagley, American labor organizer (died 1889)

Ferdinand I of Austria (died 1875)

Deaf Smith, American soldier (died 1837)

Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French pianist and composer (died 1858)

William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish admiral (died 1831)

Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, English admiral and politician (died 1833)

Karl von Ordóñez, Austrian violinist and composer (died 1786)

Roger Sherman, American lawyer and politician (died 1793)

James Nares, English organist and composer (died 1783)

Vasily Tatishchev, Russian ethnographer and politician (died 1750)

Jacques Lelong, French author (died 1721)

Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, German husband of Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (died 1716)

George St Lo(e), Royal Navy officer and administrator (died 1718)

Willem Drost, Dutch painter (died 1659)

Christoph Bach, German musician (died 1661)

Michel Le Tellier, French politician, French Minister of Defence (died 1685)

Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet, English politician (died 1647)

Frederick IV, King of Naples (died 1504)

Daniel Dennett, American philosopher and author (born 1942)

Moonbin, South Korean singer and actor (born 1998)

Ron Hamilton, American musician (born 1950)

Kane Tanaka, Japanese supercentenarian (born 1903)

Walter Mondale, American politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States (born 1928)

Jim Steinman, American composer, lyricist (born 1947)

Ian Whitcomb, English singer-songwriter (born 1941)

Lu Chao-Hsuan, Taiwanese guitarist, performer and educator. (born 1929)

Patricio Aylwin, Chilean politician (born 1918)

Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (born 1919)

Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (born 1924)

François Jacob, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1920)

Al Neuharth, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded USA Today (born 1924)

Levon Helm, American musician and actor (born 1940)

Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (born 1946)

J. G. Ballard, English novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1930)

Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (born 1932)

Albert Scott Crossfield, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (born 1921)

Norris McWhirter, English author and activist co-founded the Guinness World Records (born 1925)

John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (born 1920)

Jenny Pike, Canadian WWII servicewoman and photographer (born 1922)

Reginald Rose, American writer (born 1920)

Louis Applebaum, Canadian composer and conductor (born 1918)

Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian-German SS officer (born 1919)

Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, philosopher, and academic Nobel Prize laureate (born 1914)

David Koresh, American cult leader (born 1959)

George S. Mickelson, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of South Dakota (born 1941)

Frankie Howerd, English actor and screenwriter (born 1917)

Stanley Hawes, English-Australian director and producer (born 1905)

Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (born 1907)

Kwon Ki-ok, Korean pilot (born 1901)

Percy Lavon Julian, American chemist and academic (born 1899)

Luigi Piotti, Italian race car driver (born 1913)

Konrad Adenauer, German politician, 1st Chancellor of Germany (born 1876)

Väinö Tanner, Finnish politician of Social Democratic Party of Finland; the Prime Minister of Finland (born 1881)

Max Hainle, German swimmer (born 1882)

Beardsley Ruml, American economist and statistician (born 1894)

Jim Corbett, British-Indian colonel, hunter, and author (born 1875)

Steve Conway, British singer (born 1921)

Ernst Robert Curtius, French-German philologist and scholar (born 1886)

Ulrich Salchow, Danish-Swedish figure skater (born 1877)

Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (born 1878)

Jack McNeela, Irish Republican Army, died on hunger strike

Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English cartographer and politician (born 1856)

William Morton Wheeler, American entomologist and zoologist (born 1865)

Georges-Casimir Dessaulles, Canadian businessman and politician (born 1827)

Alexander Alexandrovich Chuprov, Russian-Swiss statistician and theorist (born 1874)

Ephraim Shay, American engineer, designed the Shay locomotive (born 1839)

Thomas Playford II, English-Australian politician, 17th Premier of South Australia (born 1837)

Charles Sanders Peirce, American mathematician and philosopher (born 1839)

Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (born 1836)

Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1859)

Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer (born 1850)

Oliver Mowat, Canadian politician, third Premier of Ontario, eighth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (born 1820)

Alfred Horatio Belo, American publisher, founded The Dallas Morning News (born 1839)

Martin Körber, Estonian-German pastor, composer, and conductor (born 1817)

Charles Darwin, English biologist and theorist (born 1809)

Benjamin Disraeli, English journalist and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1804)

Robert Jameson, Scottish mineralogist and academic (born 1774)

Jean-Jacques Lartigue, Canadian bishop (born 1777)

James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, Bahamian-English admiral and politician, 36th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (born 1756)

Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German astronomer and mathematician (born 1765)

Lord Byron, English-Scottish poet and playwright (born 1788)

Benjamin Rush, American physician and educator (born 1745)

Richard Price, Welsh-English preacher and philosopher (born 1723)

Jacob Emden, German rabbi and author (born 1697)

Canaletto, Italian painter and etcher (born 1697)

Nicholas Saunderson, English mathematician and academic (born 1682)

Elizabeth Hamilton, countess of Orkney (born 1657)

Christina, queen of Sweden (born 1626)

Antonio de Solís y Ribadeneyra, Spanish historian and playwright (born 1610)

Sigismondo d'India, Italian composer (born 1582)

Jagat Gosain, Mughal empress (born 1573)

Thomas Bastard, English priest and author (born 1566)

Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, English poet, playwright, and politician, Lord High Treasurer (born 1536)

Paolo Veronese, Italian painter (born 1528)

Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (born 1530)

Michael Stifel, German monk and mathematician (born 1487)

Philip Melanchthon, German theologian and reformer (born 1497)

Adolph III, count of Waldeck (born 1362)

Thomas West, 1st Baron West, English nobleman (born 1335)

Robert II, king of Scotland (born 1316)

Gerasimus I, patriarch of Constantinople

Leo IX, pope of the Catholic Church (born 1002)

Gothelo I, duke of Lorraine

Hisham II, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (born 966)

Ælfheah of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint (born 954)

Judith of Bavaria, Frankish empress

Christian feast day: Ælfheah of Canterbury (Anglican, Catholic)

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)

Bicycle Day, a psychedelic holiday