12 History Lessons + 5 Births & 7 Deaths for July 19, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1553 – Lady Jane Grey is deposed as Queen of England after just nine days; Mary I begins her reign.
- 1848 – The first women’s rights convention in the U.S., the Seneca Falls Convention, begins in New York.
- 1870 – Franco-Prussian War begins as France declares war on Prussia.
- 1900 – The first line of the Paris Métro opens for operation.
- 1941 – Winston Churchill launches his “V for Victory” campaign during World War II.
- 1943 – Rome is bombed by Allied forces during World War II for the first time.
- 1961 – TWA Flight 529 crashes near Chicago, killing all 73 people aboard.
- 1979 – The Sandinistas overthrow the Somoza regime in Nicaragua.
- 1980 – The 1980 Summer Olympics open in Moscow; over 60 countries boycott the games.
- 1985 – Christa McAuliffe is chosen to be the first teacher in space for NASA’s Challenger mission.
- 1992 – Anti-Mafia judge Paolo Borsellino is assassinated by the Sicilian Mafia in Palermo, Italy.
- 2013 – Detroit files the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history (formally accepted the next day).
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1941 – Vikki Carr, American singer known for crossover pop and Latin music (84)
- 1947 – Brian May, guitarist of Queen and astrophysicist (78)
- 1976 – Benedict Cumberbatch, actor (Sherlock, Doctor Strange) (49)
- 1978 – Michelle Heaton, English pop singer and television personality (47)
- 1982 – Jared Padalecki, actor (Supernatural) (43)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1814 – Matthew Flinders, British navigator who led the first circumnavigation of Australia (40)
- 1881 – Ferdinand de Lesseps, French diplomat and developer of the Suez Canal (76)
- 1937 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor and Nobel laureate known for radio telegraphy (63)
- 1965 – Syngman Rhee, first president of South Korea (90)
- 1977 – Groucho Marx, American comedian and film star (86)
- 1986 – Frank Fontaine, comedian and singer known from The Jackie Gleason Show (64)
- 2016 – Garry Marshall, American director and creator of Happy Days, Pretty Woman (81)
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