May 19 in History

A helicopter crash in Iran leaves 8 people dead, including the country's president Ebrahim Raisi & foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is held at St George's Chapel, Windsor, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.

EgyptAir Flight 804 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea while traveling from Paris to Cairo, killing all on board.

The Refugio oil spill deposited 142,800 U.S. gallons (3,400 barrels) of crude oil onto an area in California considered one of the most biologically diverse coastlines of the west coast.

Three gas cylinder bombs explode in front of a vocational school in the Italian city of Brindisi, killing one person and injuring five others.

A car bomb explodes near a military complex in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, killing nine people.

The Royal Thai Armed Forces concludes its crackdown on protests by forcing the surrender of United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship leaders.

President of Romania Traian Băsescu survives an impeachment referendum and returns to office from suspension.

A mass shooting starts in Moscow, Idaho, which would leave 3 non-shooters dead and 3 more injured, before the shooter committed suicide the next day.

Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-101 to resupply the International Space Station.

The Sierra Gorda biosphere, the most ecologically diverse region in Mexico, is established as a result of grassroots efforts.

Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on mission STS-77.

SAM Colombia Flight 501 crashes on approach to José María Córdova International Airport in Medellín, Colombia, killing 132.

Croatians vote for independence in a referendum.

The Firearm Owners Protection Act is signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.

The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail.

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".

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).

At Silchar Railway Station, Assam, 11 Bengalis die when police open fire on protesters demanding state recognition of Bengali language in the Bengali Language Movement.

The North Vietnamese Army establishes Group 559, whose responsibility is to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam; the resulting route is the Ho Chi Minh trail.

A barge containing munitions destined for Pakistan explodes in the harbor at South Amboy, New Jersey, devastating the city.

Syrian demonstrators in Damascus are fired upon by French troops injuring twelve, leading to the Levant Crisis.

Winston Churchill's second wartime address to the U.S. Congress

World War II: In the aftermath of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Task Force 16 heads to Pearl Harbor for repairs.

Zveno and the Bulgarian Army engineer a coup d'état and install Kimon Georgiev as the new Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

Finnish cavalry general C. G. E. Mannerheim is appointed the field marshal.

The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union is established.

The United States Congress passes the Emergency Quota Act establishing national quotas on immigration.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what is later termed the Turkish War of Independence.

The Norwegian football club Rosenborg BK is founded.

Parks Canada, the world's first national park service, is established as the Dominion Parks Branch under the Department of the Interior.

Great Britain annexes Tonga Island.

Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking.

Buffalo Bill's first Buffalo Bill's Wild West opens in Omaha, Nebraska.

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 US$15 million.

Captain Sir John Franklin and his ill-fated Arctic expedition depart from Greenhithe, England.

U.S. President John Quincy Adams signs the Tariff of 1828 into law, sparking outrage in the South and leading to the Nullification crisis.

Napoleon Bonaparte founds the Legion of Honour.

Napoleon Bonaparte and his expedition force leave France to invade Egypt.

New England's Dark Day, an unusual darkening of the day sky, is observed over the New England states and parts of Canada.

American Revolutionary War: A Continental Army garrison surrenders in the Battle of The Cedars.

King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River.

Jean-Pierre Christin develops the centigrade temperature scale.

John III Sobieski becomes king of Poland-Lithuania.

The Invasion of Jamaica begins during the Anglo-Spanish War.

An Act of Parliament declaring England a Commonwealth is passed by the Long Parliament. England would be a republic for the next eleven years.

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.

The Prome Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in present-day Myanmar.

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and incest.

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).

Catherine of Aragon is married by proxy to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Catherine is 13 and Arthur is 12.

John II of Castile defeats the Infantes of Aragon at the First Battle of Olmedo.

Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev.

The Byzantine Empire reconquers Melitene under the leadership of John Kourkouas.

Pope Gregory II is elected.

Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assault Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace.

Jojo Siwa, American dancer, singer, actress, and YouTube personality

Riccardo Calafiori, Italian footballer

Rafa Marín, Spanish footballer

Elizabeth Mandlik, American tennis player

Michael Carcone, Canadian ice hockey player

Taane Milne, New Zealand rugby league player

Carlos Guzmán, Mexican footballer

Michele Camporese, Italian footballer

Ola John, Dutch footballer

Felise Kaufusi, New Zealand-Tongan rugby league player

Evgeny Kuznetsov, Russian ice hockey player

Marshmello, American electronic music producer and DJ

Sam Smith, English singer-songwriter

Heather Watson, British tennis player

Lainey Wilson, American singer-songwriter

Jordan Pruitt, American singer-songwriter

Michael Angelakos, American singer-songwriter and producer

David Edgar, Canadian soccer player

Mariano Torres, Argentinian footballer

Mario Chalmers, American basketball player

Malakai Black, Dutch professional wrestler

Marcedes Lewis, American football player

Michael Che, American comedian

Jessica Fox, English actress

Kevin Amankwaah, English footballer

Pål Steffen Andresen, Norwegian footballer

Klaas Vantornout, Belgian cyclist

Luciano Figueroa, Argentinian footballer

Yo Gotti, American rapper

Michael Leighton, Canadian ice hockey player

Sina Schielke, German sprinter

Klaas-Erik Zwering, Dutch swimmer

Tony Hackworth, English footballer

Andrea Pirlo, Italian footballer

Diego Forlán, Uruguayan footballer

Shooter Jennings, American country singer, songwriter

Marcus Bent, English footballer

Dave Bus, Dutch footballer

Manuel Almunia, Spanish footballer

Wouter Hamel, Dutch singer and guitarist

Brandon Inge, American baseball player

Natalia Oreiro, Uruguayan singer-songwriter and actress

Ed Cota, American basketball player

Kevin Garnett, American basketball player

Pretinha, Brazilian footballer

London Fletcher, American football player

Josh Paul, American baseball player and manager

Jonas Renkse, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Andrew Johns, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster

Emma Shapplin, French soprano

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indian actor

Dario Franchitti, Scottish race car driver

Jenny Berggren, Swedish singer-songwriter

Claudia Karvan, Australian actress, producer, and screenwriter

Ross Katz, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Andres Salumets, Estonian biologist, biochemist, and educator

Stuart Cable, Welsh drummer (died 2010)

K. J. Choi, South Korean golfer

Regina Narva, Estonian chess player

Nia Zulkarnaen, Indonesian actress, singer and producer

Kyle Eastwood, American actor and bass player

Alexia, Italian singer

Geraldine Somerville, Irish-born English actress

Marc Bureau, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Jodi Picoult, American author and educator

Polly Walker, English actress

Maile Flanagan, American actress, producer, and screenwriter

Peter Jackson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster (died 1997)

John Lee, South Korean-American football player

Miloslav Mečíř, Slovak tennis player

Filippo Galli, Italian footballer and manager

Vadim Cojocaru, Moldovan politician (died 2021)

Gregory Poirier, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Wayne Van Dorp, Canadian ice hockey player

Bill Laimbeer, American basketball player and coach

James Reyne, Nigerian-Australian singer-songwriter

Oliver Letwin, English philosopher and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Martyn Ware, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer

James Gosling, Canadian-American computer scientist, created Java

Rick Cerone, American baseball player and sportscaster

Lena Einhorn, Swedish director, writer and physician

Hōchū Ōtsuka, Japanese voice actor

Phil Rudd, Australian-New Zealand drummer

Patrick Hodge, Lord Hodge, Scottish lawyer and judge

Shavarsh Karapetyan, Armenian finswimmer

Florin Marin, Romanian footballer and manager

Victoria Wood, English actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (died 2016)

Charlie Spedding, English runner

Bert van Marwijk, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager

Joey Ramone, American singer-songwriter (died 2001)

Dick Slater, American wrestler (died 2018)

Tadeusz Ślusarski, Polish pole vaulter (died 1998)

Dusty Hill, American singer-songwriter and bass player (died 2021)

Philip Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath, English politician

Archie Manning, American football player

Grace Jones, Jamaican-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress

Paul Brady, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Christopher Chope, English lawyer and politician

David Helfgott, Australian pianist

Claude Lelièvre, Belgian activist

Michele Placido, Italian actor and director

André the Giant, French-American wrestler and actor (died 1993)

Pete Townshend, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Peter Mayhew, English-American actor (died 2019)

Eddie May, English footballer and manager (died 2012)

Shirrel Rhoades, American author, publisher, and academic

Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research Inc. (died 1994)

Robert Kilroy-Silk, English television host and politician

Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2012)

Igor Judge, Baron Judge, Maltese-English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (died 2023)

Jan Janssen, Dutch cyclist

Mickey Newbury, American country/pop singer-songwriter (died 2002)

Livio Berruti, Italian sprinter

James Fox, English actor

Nancy Kwan, Hong Kong-American actress and makeup artist

Jānis Lūsis, Latvian javelin thrower and coach (died 2020)

Dick Scobee, American pilot, and astronaut (died 1986)

Moisés da Costa Amaral, East Timorese politician (died 1989)

Herbie Flowers, English musician (died 2024)

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, Ukrainian long jumper and coach

Pat Roach, English wrestler (died 2004)

David Hartman, American journalist and television personality

Ruskin Bond, Indian author and poet

Jim Lehrer, American journalist and author (died 2020)

Edward de Bono, Maltese physician, author, and academic (died 2021)

Alma Cogan, English singer (died 1966)

Paul Erdman, American economist and author (died 2007)

Bill Fitch, American basketball player and coach (died 2022)

Elena Poniatowska, Mexican intellectual and journalist

Bob Anderson, English race car driver (died 1967)

Trevor Peacock, English actor, screenwriter and songwriter (died 2021)

Eugene Genovese, American historian and author (died 2012)

Lorraine Hansberry, American playwright and director (died 1965)

Helmut Braunlich, German-American violinist and composer (died 2013)

Richard Larter, Australian painter (died 2014)

John Stroger, American politician (died 2008)

Colin Chapman, English engineer and businessman, founded Lotus Cars (died 1982)

Thomas Kennedy, English air marshal (died 2013)

Gil McDougald, American baseball player and coach (died 2010)

Dolph Schayes, American basketball player and coach (died 2015)

Serge Lang, French-American mathematician, author and academic (died 2005)

Edward Parkes, English engineer and academic (died 2019)

Peter Zadek, German director and screenwriter (died 2009)

Pol Pot, Cambodian general and politician, 29th Prime Minister of Cambodia (died 1998)

Malcolm X, American minister and activist (died 1965)

Sandy Wilson, English composer and songwriter (died 2014)

Arthur Gorrie, Australian hobby shop proprietor (died 1992)

Leslie Broderick, English lieutenant and pilot (died 2013)

Harry W. Brown, American colonel and pilot (died 1991)

Daniel Gélin, French actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2002)

Yuri Kochiyama, American activist (died 2014)

Karel van het Reve, Dutch historian and author (died 1999)

Tina Strobos, Dutch psychiatrist known for rescuing Jews during World War II (died 2012)

Georgie Auld, Canadian-American saxophonist, clarinet player, and bandleader (died 1990)

Mitja Ribičič, Italian-Slovenian soldier and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (died 2013)

Abraham Pais, Dutch-American physicist, historian, and academic (died 2000)

Renée Asherson, English actress (died 2014)

Max Perutz, Austrian-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2002)

Alex Shibicky, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2005)

John Vachon, American photographer and journalist (died 1975)

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (died 1996)

Alan Melville, South African cricketer (died 1983)

Nicholas Winton, English banker and humanitarian (died 2015)

Manik Bandopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (died 1956)

Merriam Modell, American author (died 1994)

Percy Williams, Canadian sprinter (died 1982)

Bruce Bennett, American shot putter and actor (died 2007)

Sven Thofelt, Swedish modern pentathlete and épée fencer (died 1993)

Ruth Ella Moore, American scientist (died 1994)

Lubka Kolessa, Ukrainian-Canadian pianist and educator (died 1997)

Lothar Rădăceanu, Romanian journalist, linguist, and politician (died 1955)

Julius Evola, Italian philosopher and painter (died 1974)

Frank Luke, American lieutenant and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1918)

H. Bonciu, Romanian author, poet, and journalist (died 1950)

Oswald Boelcke, German captain and pilot (died 1916)

Eveline Adelheid von Maydell, German-American illustrator (died 1962)

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese politician, 1st President of Vietnam (died 1969)

Tản Đà, Vietnamese poet and author (died 1939)

Henry B. Richardson, American archer (died 1963)

Ion Jalea, Romanian soldier and sculptor (died 1983)

Francis Biddle, American lawyer and judge, 58th United States Attorney General (died 1968)

David Munson, American runner (died 1953)

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (official birthday), Turkish field marshal and statesman, 1st President of Turkey (died 1938)

Albert Richardson, English architect and educator, designed the Manchester Opera House (died 1964)

Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (died 1964)

Alfred Laliberté, Canadian sculptor and painter (died 1953)

Gilbert Jessop, English cricketer and soldier (died 1955)

Walter Russell, American painter, sculptor, and author (died 1963)

Nellie Melba, Australian soprano and actress (died 1931)

John Jacob Abel, American biochemist and pharmacologist (died 1938)

James Watney, Jr., English politician, brewer and cricketer (died 1886)

Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French academic and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 1896)

Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (died 1873)

Arthur Aikin, English chemist and mineralogist (died 1854)

Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher and academic (died 1814)

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German-born Queen to George III of the United Kingdom (died 1818)

Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (died 1779)

José de Escandón, 1st Count of Sierra Gorda, Spanish sergeant and politician (died 1770)

Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland, English soldier and noble (died 1665)

Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist and composer (died 1667)

Claude Vignon, French painter (died 1670)

Baccio D'Agnolo, Italian woodcarver, sculptor and architect (died 1543)

John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton, English soldier and politician (died 1462)

Christian Malanga, Congolese politician, businessman and military officer (born 1983)

Victims in the 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash:

Victims in the 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash:

Andy Rourke, English bassist (born 1964)

Paul Mooney, American comedian (born 1941)

Zhengzhang Shangfang, Chinese linguist (born 1933)

Nawshirwan Mustafa, General coordinator of the Movement for Change (Gorran) (born 1944)

Stanislav Petrov, Lt. Colonel in Soviet Air Defence Forces (born 1939)

Alan Young, English-born Canadian-American actor (born 1919)

Morley Safer, Canadian-born American journalist (born 1931)

Bruce Lundvall, American businessman (born 1935)

Ted McWhinney, Australian-Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1924)

Happy Rockefeller, American philanthropist, socialite; 31st Second Lady of the United States (born 1926)

Robert S. Wistrich, English historian, author, and academic (born 1945)

Simon Andrews, English motorcycle racer (born 1982)

Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (born 1926)

Sam Greenlee, American author and poet (born 1930)

Vincent Harding, American historian and scholar (born 1931)

Gabriel Kolko, American historian and author (born 1932)

Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, Polish boxer (born 1934)

G. Sarsfield Ford, American lawyer and jurist (born 1933)

Robin Harrison, English-Canadian pianist and composer (born 1932)

Neil Reynolds, Canadian journalist and politician (born 1940)

Bob Boozer, American basketball player (born 1937)

Tamara Brooks, American conductor and educator (born 1941)

Ian Burgess, English race car driver (born 1930)

Gerhard Hetz, German-Mexican swimmer (born 1942)

Phil Lamason, New Zealand soldier and pilot (born 1918)

Garret FitzGerald, Irish lawyer and politician, 8th Taoiseach of Ireland (born 1926)

Jeffrey Catherine Jones, American artist (born 1944)

Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916)

Nicholas Maw, English composer and academic (born 1935)

Clint Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1913)

Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright and screenwriter (born 1928)

Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (born 1940)

Dean Eyre, New Zealand politician (born 1914)

Mary Dresselhuys, Dutch actress and screenwriter (born 1907)

John Gorton, Australian lieutenant and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1911)

Walter Lord, American historian and author (born 1917)

Alexey Maresyev, Russian soldier and pilot (born 1916)

Susannah McCorkle, American singer (born 1946)

Sōsuke Uno, Japanese soldier and politician, 75th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1922)

John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (born 1917)

Jacques Ellul, French sociologist, philosopher, and academic (born 1912)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, American journalist, 37th First Lady of the United States (born 1929)

Luis Ocaña, Spanish cyclist (born 1945)

Yiannis Papaioannou, Greek composer and educator (born 1910)

James Tiptree, Jr., American psychologist and author (born 1915)

Jimmy Lyons, American saxophonist (born 1931)

Maqbular Rahman Sarkar, Bangladeshi academic (born 1928)

John Betjeman, English poet and academic (born 1906)

Jean Rey, Belgian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the European Commission (born 1902)

Joseph Schull, Canadian playwright and historian (born 1906)

Albert Kivikas, Estonian-Swedish journalist and author (born 1898)

Ogden Nash, American poet (born 1902)

Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist and clarinet player (born 1901)

Walter Russell, American painter, sculptor, and author (born 1871)

Gabriele Münter, German painter (born 1877)

Jadunath Sarkar, Indian historian (born 1870)

Archie Scott Brown, Scottish race car driver (born 1927)

Ronald Colman, English actor (born 1891)

Charles Ives, American composer and educator (born 1874)

Daniel Ciugureanu, Romanian physician and politician, Prime Minister of Moldova (born 1884)

Booth Tarkington, American novelist and dramatist (born 1869)

Philipp Bouhler, German soldier and politician (born 1889)

Kristjan Raud, Estonian painter and illustrator (born 1865)

Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Azerbaijani-Turkish journalist and publicist (born 1869)

Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, British Islamic scholar (born 1875)

T. E. Lawrence, British colonel and archaeologist (born 1888)

Gervais Raoul Lufbery, French-American soldier and pilot (born 1885)

John Simpson Kirkpatrick, English-Australian soldier (born 1892)

Bolesław Prus, Polish journalist and author (born 1847)

Benjamin Baker, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (born 1840)

Gabriel Dumont, Canadian Métis leader (born 1837)

Auguste Molinier, French librarian and historian (born 1851)

Jamsetji Tata, Indian businessman, founded Tata Group (born 1839)

Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer (born 1856)

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, South African general and politician, 1st President of the South African Republic (born 1819)

William Ewart Gladstone, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1809)

José Martí, Cuban journalist, poet, and philosopher (born 1853)

Peter W. Barlow, English engineer (born 1809)

Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Dutch historian and politician (born 1801)

John Baker, English-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of South Australia (born 1813)

Sengge Rinchen, Mongolian general (born 1811)

Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (born 1804)

Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, Estonian-German physician, botanist, and entomologist (born 1793)

Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon, French philosopher and theorist (born 1760)

Camille Jordan, French lawyer and politician (born 1771)

William Byron, 5th Baron Byron, English lieutenant and politician (born 1722)

Josiah Bartlett, American physician and politician, 4th Governor of New Hampshire (born 1729)

James Boswell, Scottish biographer (born 1740)

John Stanley, English organist and composer (born 1712)

Button Gwinnett, British-born American politician and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence (born 1735)

Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1661)

Isaac Beeckman, Dutch scientist and philosopher (born 1588)

Mariam-uz-Zamani, Empress of the Mughal Empire (born 1542)

Thomas Sanchez, Spanish priest and theologian (born 1550)

García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete (born 1535)

Costanzo Porta, Italian composer (born 1528)

Anne Boleyn, Queen Consort of England (1533–1536); second wife of Henry VIII

Jan Łaski, Polish archbishop and diplomat (born 1456)

Emperor Go-Kashiwabara of Japan (born 1464)

John I of Aragon (born 1350)

Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Prince of Muscovy (born 1350)

Louis, Count of Évreux (born 1276)

Saint Ivo of Kermartin, French canon lawyer (born 1253)

Pope Celestine V (born 1215)

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Saint Bashnouna, Egyptian saint and martyr

Vladimir II Monomakh, Grand Prince of Kiev

Stephen, Count of Blois (born 1045)

Dunstan, English archbishop and saint (born 909)

Robert, archbishop of Trier

Alcuin, English monk and scholar (born 735)