On This Day April 19

1995
Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, is bombed, killing 168. It was the largest domestic terrorist attack in the United States up to that date.

1993
Branch Davidian's compound is burned when FBI agents begin battering holes in the walls and tossing tear gas. Seventy-eight cult members were killed, including leader David Koresh.

1989
A gun-turret explodes on the battleship USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors. The 47-year-old ship had recently been taken out of storage in an effort by Pres. Reagan to create a 600-ship navy.

1982
First African-American astronaut: NASA announces that Guion S. Bluford, Jr. would be the first African-American astronaut. He became the first African-American in space (1983).

1973
First U.S. consumer product sold in the Soviet Union: Pepsi signs a contract with the USSR.

1971
First Space Station: The Soviet Union launches Salyut 1, becoming the first space station in orbit.

1967
The James Bond spoof Casino Royale premiers, cast included Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Jacqueline Bisset, and John Huston.

1964
Mario Andretti: The racing legend makes his first Indy car appearance. He finished 11th.

1951
Korean War: Gen. Douglas MacArthur in his farewell speech to Congress states: "In war there can be no substitute for victory."

1943
LSD - First bad trip: Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, inventor of LSD, takes an experimental dose triggering frightening images and colors.

1939
Bill of Rights: Connecticut passes the Bill of Rights, only 148 years after it was ratified.

1897
First Boston Marathon: John J. McDermott of New York City wins with a time of 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 10 seconds.

1775
The shot "heard round the world": Fired at Lexington Common, starting the American Revolution.

1529
Birth of Protestantism: At the Second Diet of Speyer, Lutheran leaders "protest" for freedom of religion, From then on, the German Lutheran Reformers were known as "Protestants."

1946
Tim Curry, English Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Dr. Frank N. Furter), Legend (1985) and The Hunt For Red October (1990, Oscar).

1937
Elinor Donahue, American actress. TV: Father Knows Best (Betty "Princess" Anderson), The Andy Griffith Show (Andy's girlfriend Ellie) and Get a Life (Chris' mom).

1933 d. 1967
Jayne Mansfield (Vera Jayne Palmer), American actress, sex-symbol. Film: Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter (1955).

1933 d. 1994
Dick Sargent (Richard Cox), American actor. TV: Bewitched (replaced Dick York as Darrin).

1925
Hugh O'Brien (Hugh J. Krampe), American actor. TV: The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (Sheriff Wyatt Earp).

1912 d. 1999
Glenn Theodore Seaborg, American Nobel-winning chemist. He was the co-discoverer of plutonium (1940), for which he shared a 1951 Nobel Prize, the isotope plutonium 239 (1941), americium (1944), curium (1944), berkelium (1949), and californium (1950).

1880 d. 1966
Albert Wallace Hull, American physicist. Inventor of a number of vacuum tubes, including the magnetron (1921) which was important for its use in RADAR.

1877 d. 1934
Ole Evinrude, Norwegian inventor. After rowing a boat to a picnic, he decided there had to be a better way and invented the outboard marine engine (1909).

1813 d. 1872
Samuel Gregory, American medical educator. He founded Boston Female Medical School (1848), the first medical school exclusively for women, because he was opposed to male doctors attending births.

1795 d. 1876
Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, German biologist, founder of micropaleontology - the study of fossil microorganisms.

1127 d. 1212
Saint Felix of Valois, French Monk. He helped found the Trinitarians (c1197).

359 d. 383
Gratian (Flavius Gratianus), Roman Emperor (367-383), helped establish Christianity by persecuting heretics and pagans.

1993 b. ????
Thomas Hooker, American policeman. His life inspired the TV show T.J. Hooker in which he was portrayed by William Shatner. He died in a house fire set by his wife and son.

1993 b. 1959
David Koresh (Vernon Howell), American leader of the Branch Davidians during their 51-day stand off with federal agents (1993) which resulted in a mass suicide of him and his followers.

1987 b. 1910
Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum, American actor. TV: Captain Kangaroo (Mr. Green Jeans).

1944 b. 1900
Thomas Hitchcock Jr., American polo player, the greatest in the history of the sport. He received a 10-goal rating (the highest possible) for 18 of the 19 seasons he played (1922-40). He was killed in an air crash during World War II.

1906 b. 1859
Pierre Curie, French Nobel-winning physicist, pioneer in the study of radioactivity.

1882 b. 1809
Charles Robert Darwin, English evolutionist, author of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859).

1881 b. 1804
Benjamin Disraeli, British prime minister. He once declared "No government can be long secure without a formidable opposition."

1824 b. 1788
Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron), English poet. Writings: Don Juan (1818-24).

1813 b. 1745
Benjamin Rush, American physician, signer of the Declaration of Independence. He co-founded the first the first U.S. anti-slavery society (1774), and established the first U.S. free medical dispensary (1786).

1054 b. 1002
Saint Leo IX, French-born religious leader, 152nd Pope (1049-54).

April 19

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