Today In History [19th May, 2015]

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.

Today in History
May 19
715           St. Gregory II begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
1535           French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail for North America.
1536           Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, is beheaded on Tower Green.
1568           Defeated by the Protestants, Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England where Queen Elizabeth imprisons her.
1588           The Spanish Armada sets sail from Lisbon, Spain.
1608           The Protestant states form the Evangelical Union of Lutherans and Calvinists.
1635           Cardinal Richelieu of France intervenes in the great conflict in Europe by declaring war on the Hapsburgs in Spain.
1643           The French army defeats a Spanish army at Rocroi, France.
1780           Near total darkness descends on New England at noon. No explanation is found.
1856           Senator Charles Sumner speaks out against slavery.
1858           A pro-slavery band led by Charles Hameton executes unarmed Free State men near Marais des Cygnes on the Kansas-Missouri border.
1863           Union General Ulysses S. Grant's first attack on Vicksburg is repulsed.
1864           The Union and Confederate armies launch their last attacks against each other at Spotsylvania, Virginia.
1921           Congress sharply curbs immigration, setting a national quota system.
1935           The National Football League adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936.
1964           U.S. diplomats find at least 40 microphones planted in the American embassy in Moscow.
1967           U.S. planes bomb Hanoi for the first time.

Born on May 19
1762           Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher.
1879           Lady Nancy Astor (Nancy Witcher Langhorne), the first woman to sit in the British House of Commons.
1890           Ho Chi Minh (Nguyen That Thanh), Vietnamese nationalist and political leader.
1895           Johns Hopkins, merchant and philanthropist.
1925           Malcolm X (Malcolm Little), African-American activist.
1934           James Lehrer, broadcast journalist.
1941           Jane Brody, food and health writer.
1941           Nora Ephron, screenwriter and director.