12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for November 19, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1493 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island he names San Juan Bautista (now Puerto Rico).
- 1863 – Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery.
- 1942 – Operation Uranus begins as the Soviet Red Army launches its counteroffensive at Stalingrad.
- 1959 – Ford Motor Company announces it will discontinue the Edsel after poor sales.
- 1961 – Michael Rockefeller disappears while on an expedition in Dutch New Guinea.
- 1969 – Apollo 12 astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad and Alan Bean land on the Moon’s Ocean of Storms.
- 1977 – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat arrives in Israel, the first visit by an Arab head of state.
- 1985 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev open their first summit in Geneva.
- 1990 – The Recording Academy revokes Milli Vanilli’s Grammy after revelations of lip-syncing.
- 1994 – The U.K. holds the first National Lottery draw.
- 1999 – China launches Shenzhou 1, its first uncrewed test of a crew-capable spacecraft.
- 2007 – Amazon releases the first Kindle e-reader in the United States.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1938 – Ted Turner, media entrepreneur and philanthropist (87).
- 1942 – Calvin Klein, fashion designer (83).
- 1961 – Meg Ryan, actor/producer (“When Harry Met Sally…”) (64).
- 1962 – Jodie Foster, actor/filmmaker (two-time Oscar winner) (63).
- 1983 – Adam Driver, actor (“Marriage Story,” “Star Wars”) (42).
- 1988 – Patrick Kane, NHL winger (Hart Trophy; Stanley Cup champion) (37).
- 1989 – Tyga, rapper (“Rack City”) (36).
Today’s Deaths:
- 1828 – Franz Schubert, Austrian composer of lieder and symphonies (31).
- 1887 – Emma Lazarus, American poet (“The New Colossus”) (38).
- 1915 – Joe Hill, labor activist and songwriter (IWW) (36).
- 1988 – Christina Onassis, Greek shipping heiress (37).
- 1998 – Alan J. Pakula, American film director/producer (“All the President’s Men”) (70).
- 2017 – Charles Manson, American criminal and cult leader (83).
- 2022 – Jason David Frank, actor/martial artist (“Power Rangers”) (49).
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