12 History Lessons + 6 Births & 5 Deaths for April 19, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1775 – The American Revolutionary War begins with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.
- 1839 – The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as an independent and neutral state.
- 1861 – Baltimore riot: First blood of the U.S. Civil War is shed as Union troops clash with Southern sympathizers.
- 1897 – The first Boston Marathon is held, making it the world’s oldest annual marathon.
- 1903 – The Wright brothers file a patent for their airplane design.
- 1943 – The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins as Jewish residents revolt against Nazi deportations.
- 1960 – South Korean President Syngman Rhee resigns after widespread student protests.
- 1971 – Charles Manson is sentenced to death for the Tate–LaBianca murders (later commuted to life in prison).
- 1989 – A gun turret explosion aboard the USS Iowa kills 47 sailors.
- 1993 – The Waco siege ends in disaster as the FBI storms the Branch Davidian compound; 76 people die.
- 1995 – The Oklahoma City bombing kills 168 people and injures hundreds more in the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.
- 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected as Pope Benedict XVI following the death of Pope John Paul II.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1946 – Tim Curry, actor and singer (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, It) (79)
- 1968 – Ashley Judd, actress and political activist (Double Jeopardy) (57)
- 1978 – James Franco, actor and filmmaker (127 Hours, Pineapple Express) (47)
- 1981 – Hayden Christensen, actor (Star Wars prequels) (44)
- 1987 – Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis star and Grand Slam champion (38)
- 1995 – Marshmello, DJ and music producer known for hits like Happier (30)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1824 – Lord Byron, British Romantic poet (Don Juan, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage) (36)
- 1881 – Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister and novelist (76)
- 1967 – Konrad Adenauer, first post-WWII Chancellor of West Germany (91)
- 1998 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, essayist, and Nobel laureate (84)
- 2020 – Charles Rogers, former NFL wide receiver and college football star (38)
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