National Rice Ball Day
National Garlic Day
Birthday of Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721), American patriot and statesman. The only man to sign all four of the major documents of American independence – the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.
On April 19, 1770, Captain James Cook sighted the eastern coast of what is now Australia.
Patriots’ Day or Battles of Lexington and Concord Day, commemorating the first battle of the Revolutionary War in 1775 (observed in Massachusetts, Maine, and Wisconsin).
Parker Day or John Parker Day, a remembrance day in tribute to John Parker, a captain of the Minutemen who gave the order in 1775 at Lexington not to fire unless fired upon. Remembered for the words “If they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”
April 19, 1782, John Adams secured Dutch Republic’s recognition of the United States as an independent government and the house he purchased in The Hague, Netherlands became first American embassy.
Birthday of Lucretia Garfield (April 19, 1832), wife of James A Garfield; first lady in 1881.
Anniversary of the death of Simon Fraser in 1862, Canadian explorer and fur trader who explored the upper course of the Fraser River.
April 19, 1934, Shirley Temple appeared in her first movie, “Stand Up & Cheer”
1951 – General Douglas MacArthur gave his “Old Soldiers” speech before the U.S. Congress. In the address General MacArthur said that “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”
1960 – Baseball uniforms began displaying player’s names on their backs.
In 1971, Charles Manson was sentenced to death (later commuted life imprisonment) for conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders.
April 19, 1993 – The siege of the Branch Davidians at Mount Carmel Center, near Waco, Texas, ended in a fire that killed 82 people. The “Branch Davidians” are an offshoot (founded in 1959 by Benjamin Roden) of the Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist Church. When Benjamin Roden died in 1978, he was succeeded by his wife Lois Roden. Vernon Howell arrived in Waco in 1981. He had an affair with the then-prophetess of the Branch Davidians, Lois Roden, while he was in his late 20s and she was in her late 60s. Howell wanted a child with her, who, according to his understanding, would be the Chosen One. When she died, her son George Roden inherited the position of prophet and leader of the commune. However, George Roden and Howell began to clash. Howell soon enjoyed the loyalty of the majority of the Branch Davidian community. In 1990, Vernon Howell changed his name to David Koresh, suggesting ties to the biblical King David and to Cyrus the Great (Koresh being Hebrew for Cyrus).
April 19, 1995 – Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, was bombed, killing 168. On June 2, 1997, Timothy McVeigh was found guilty on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy. He was executed in 2001. McVeigh claimed that the bombing was revenge against the government for the sieges at Waco and Ruby Ridge.