History of Today 19 July: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 19 July. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 19 July. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 19 July 2026, 01:02 AM

Important Events on 19 July in History

19 Jul 2018: The Knesset passes the controversial Nationality Bill, which defines the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Gunmen in Egypt's western desert province of New Valley Governorate attack a military checkpoint, killing at least 21 soldiers. Egypt reportedly declares a state of emergency on its border with Sudan. Read more
19 Jul 2012: Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) capture the city of Kobanî without resistance, starting the Rojava conflict in Northeast Syria. Read more
19 Jul 2011: Guinean President Alpha Condé survives an attempted assassination and coup d'état at his residence in Conakry. Read more
19 Jul 1997: The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army resumes a ceasefire to end their 25-year paramilitary campaign to end British rule in Northern Ireland. Read more
19 Jul 1994: Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901 is destroyed by a bomb after takeoff from Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport in Colón, Panama, killing 21. Read more
19 Jul 1992: A car bomb kills Judge Paolo Borsellino and five members of his escort. Read more
19 Jul 1989: United Airlines Flight 232 crashes in Sioux City, Iowa, killing 111. Read more
19 Jul 1985: The Val di Stava dam collapses killing 268 people in Val di Stava, Italy. Read more
19 Jul 1983: The first three-dimensional reconstruction of a human head in a CT is published. Read more
19 Jul 1982: In one of the first militant attacks by Hezbollah, David S. Dodge, president of the American University of Beirut, is kidnapped. Read more
19 Jul 1981: In a private meeting with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, French President François Mitterrand reveals the existence of the Farewell Dossier, a collection of documents showing the Soviet Union had been stealing American technological research and development. Read more
19 Jul 1980: Opening of the Summer Olympics in Moscow. Read more
19 Jul 1979: The Sandinista rebels overthrow the government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua. Read more
19 Jul 1979: The oil tanker SS Atlantic Empress collides with another oil tanker, causing the largest ever ship-borne oil spill. Read more
19 Jul 1977: The world's first Global Positioning System (GPS) signal was transmitted from Navigation Technology Satellite 2 (NTS-2) and received at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 12:41 a.m. Eastern time (ET). Read more
19 Jul 1976: Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal is created. Read more
19 Jul 1972: Dhofar Rebellion: British SAS units help the Omani government against Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman rebels in the Battle of Mirbat. Read more
19 Jul 1969: Chappaquiddick incident: U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy crashes his car into a tidal pond at Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Read more
19 Jul 1967: Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 and a twin-engine Cessna 310 collided over Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew were killed, including John T. McNaughton, an advisor to Robert McNamara. Read more
19 Jul 1964: Vietnam War: At a rally in Saigon, South Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Khánh calls for expanding the war into North Vietnam. Read more
19 Jul 1963: Joe Walker flies a North American X-15 to a record altitude of 106,010 meters (347,800 feet) on X-15 Flight 90. Exceeding an altitude of 100 km, this flight qualifies as a human spaceflight under international convention. Read more
19 Jul 1961: Tunisia imposes a blockade on the French naval base at Bizerte; the French would capture the entire town four days later. Read more
19 Jul 1957: The largely autobiographical novel The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold by Evelyn Waugh was published. Read more
19 Jul 1952: Opening of the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. Read more
19 Jul 1947: Prime Minister of the shadow Burmese government, Bogyoke Aung San and eight others are assassinated. Read more
19 Jul 1947: Korean politician Lyuh Woon-hyung is assassinated. Read more
19 Jul 1943: World War II: Rome is heavily bombed by more than 500 Allied aircraft, inflicting thousands of casualties. Read more
19 Jul 1942: World War II: The Second Happy Time of Hitler's submarines comes to an end, as the increasingly effective American convoy system compels them to return to the central Atlantic. Read more
19 Jul 1940: World War II: Battle of Cape Spada: The Royal Navy and the Regia Marina clash; the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni sinks, with 121 casualties. Read more
19 Jul 1940: Field Marshal Ceremony: First occasion in World War II that Adolf Hitler appoints field marshals due to military achievements. Read more
19 Jul 1940: World War II: Army order 112 forms the Intelligence Corps of the British Army. Read more
19 Jul 1936: Spanish Civil War: The CNT and UGT call a general strike in Spain – mobilizing workers' militias against the Nationalist forces. People's Olympiad of Barcelona cancelled. Read more
19 Jul 1934: The rigid airship USS Macon surprised the USS Houston near Clipperton Island with a mail delivery for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, demonstrating its potential for tracking ships at sea. Read more
19 Jul 1916: World War I: Battle of Fromelles: British and Australian troops attack German trenches as part of the Battle of the Somme. Read more
19 Jul 1903: Maurice Garin wins the first Tour de France. Read more
19 Jul 1900: The first line of the Paris Metro opens for operation. Read more
19 Jul 1870: Franco-Prussian War: France declares war on Prussia. Read more
19 Jul 1864: Taiping Rebellion: Third Battle of Nanking: The Qing dynasty finally defeats the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Read more
19 Jul 1863: American Civil War: Morgan's Raid: At Buffington Island in Ohio, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan's raid into the north is mostly thwarted when a large group of his men are captured while trying to escape across the Ohio River. Read more
19 Jul 1848: Women's rights: A two-day Women's Rights Convention opens in Seneca Falls, New York. Read more
19 Jul 1845: Great New York City Fire of 1845: The last great fire to affect Manhattan begins early in the morning and is subdued that afternoon. The fire kills four firefighters and 26 civilians and destroys 345 buildings. Read more
19 Jul 1843: Brunel's steamship the SS Great Britain is launched, becoming the first ocean-going craft with an iron hull and screw propeller, becoming the largest vessel afloat in the world. Read more
19 Jul 1832: The British Medical Association is founded as the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association by Sir Charles Hastings at a meeting in the Board Room of the Worcester Infirmary. Read more
19 Jul 1821: Coronation of George IV of the United Kingdom. Read more
19 Jul 1817: Unsuccessful in his attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi for the Russian-American Company, Georg Anton Schäffer is forced to admit defeat and leave Kauaʻi. Read more

Famous Births on 19 July

19 Jul 2006: Dani Muñoz, Spanish footballer Daniel Muñoz Navas is a Spanish footballer who plays as a left-back for Super League Greece club Iraklis. Read more
19 Jul 2003: Tyler Downs, American diver Tyler Downs is an American competitive diver. He represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2024 Summer Olympics. Read more
19 Jul 1999: Kim So-hye, South Korean actress and singer Kim So-hye, known mononymously as Sohye, is a South Korean actress and singer under S&P Entertainment. She is a former member of the girl musical group I.O.I, finishing fifth on Mnet's survival show Produce 101. She is best known on her acting roles in Poetry Story (2017), Kang Deok-soon's Love History (2017), Best Chicken (2019), and My Lovely Boxer (2023). Read more
19 Jul 1998: Erin Cuthbert, Scottish footballer Erin Jacqueline Cuthbert is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Women's Super League and is a member of the Scotland national team. She studied at University of the West of Scotland, combining graduation from the Open University with being a professional football player. Read more
19 Jul 1998: Karl Jacobs, American YouTuber and streamer Karl Thomas Jacobs, formerly known online as GamerBoyKarl, is an American YouTuber, author, writer, and producer. He rose to prominence as a member of MrBeast's on-screen cast and then developed his own videos, primarily Minecraft content. Jacobs is the creator of the anthology series Tales from the SMP set in the Dream SMP, which was adapted into a series of comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. He was also a co-host of the Banter podcast with fellow YouTubers Sapnap and GeorgeNotFound. Read more
19 Jul 1998: Ronaldo Vieira, Bissau-Guinean footballer Ronaldo Augusto Vieira Nan is a Bissau-Guinean professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes and the Guinea-Bissau national team. Read more
19 Jul 1997: Zach Werenski, American ice hockey player Zachary Kenneth Werenski is an American professional ice hockey player who is a defenseman and alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted eighth overall by Columbus in the 2015 NHL entry draft, Werenski has become one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. In 2026, he won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman. Werenski was co-recipient in June 2026 of the Excellence in Sports Award from the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in Troy, Michigan. Read more
19 Jul 1996: Paul Momirovski, Australian rugby league player Paul Momirovski is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a centre and winger for the Lézignan Sangliers in the Super XIII. Read more
19 Jul 1994: Christian Welch, Australian rugby league player Christian Welch is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL). Read more
19 Jul 1992: Jake Nicholson, English footballer Jake Charlie Nicholson is an English former footballer. He is a product of the West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur youth academies. He has also represented England at under-19 level. Read more
19 Jul 1991: Eray İşcan, Turkish footballer Eray İşcan is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Read more
19 Jul 1989: Patrick Corbin, American baseball player Patrick Alan Corbin is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, and Texas Rangers. He won the 2019 World Series with the Nationals, recording the win in Game 7. Read more
19 Jul 1989: Sam McKendry, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player Sam McKendry is a former New Zealand Māori and New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a prop for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. Read more
19 Jul 1989: James Austin Johnson, American actor and comedian James Austin Johnson, is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live, which he joined as a featured player for the show's 47th season in 2021. Known for his skills as an impressionist, he has impersonated both sitting U.S. Presidents during his time on SNL, playing both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Johnson was promoted to a repertory player in 2023. Read more
19 Jul 1988: Shane Dawson, American comedian and actor Shane Lee Yaw, known online as Shane Dawson, is an American YouTuber, actor, filmmaker, writer, and musician. Dawson was one of the first people to rise to fame on YouTube after he began making videos in 2008 at the age of 19 and garnered over 500 million views during the next two years. Read more
19 Jul 1988: Kevin Großkreutz, German footballer Kevin Großkreutz is a semi-retired German professional footballer who plays as a right back and winger for TuS Eichlinghofen. Read more
19 Jul 1988: Jakub Kovář, Czech ice hockey player Jakub Kovář is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Extraliga. He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 4th round of the 2006 NHL entry draft. He is the older brother of Jan Kovář. Read more
19 Jul 1988: Trent Williams, American football player Trent Williams is an American professional football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). Williams is considered one of the greatest offensive tackles of all time, having made twelve Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and was selected by the Washington Redskins fourth overall in the 2010 NFL draft. Read more
19 Jul 1987: Yan Gomes, Brazilian-American baseball player Yan Gomes is a Brazilian former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago Cubs. Read more
19 Jul 1987: Jon Jones, American mixed martial artist Jonathan Dwight Jones is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed from 2008 to 2025. During his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he was the Light Heavyweight Champion from 2011 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2020, and the Heavyweight Champion from 2023 to 2025, as well as the interim Light Heavyweight Champion in 2016. He is regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. Read more
19 Jul 1987: Marc Murphy, Australian footballer Marc Murphy is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited with the first overall selection in the 2005 AFL draft and served as the captain of Carlton from the 2013 season to 2018. He is the son of John Murphy. Read more
19 Jul 1986: Leandro Greco, Italian footballer Leandro Greco is an Italian football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder. Read more
19 Jul 1986: Jinder Mahal, Canadian wrestler Yuvraj Singh Dhesi is a Canadian professional wrestler. He currently performs on the independent circuit under his real name, stylized as Raj Dhesi. He is best known for his tenures in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Jinder Mahal and is a former one-time WWE Champion, WWE United States Champion, and two-time WWE 24/7 Champion. Read more
19 Jul 1985: LaMarcus Aldridge, American basketball player LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 16 seasons. He played college basketball for two seasons with the Texas Longhorns. Aldridge was selected second overall in the 2006 NBA draft. After spending nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs in 2015. In March 2021, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets after the Spurs bought out his contract. He retired after two weeks due to an irregular heartbeat, but returned to the Nets the following season after receiving medical clearance. Read more
19 Jul 1985: Zhou Haibin, Chinese footballer Zhou Haibin is a Chinese football coach and retired professional footballer who spent the majority of his playing career at Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng. Read more
19 Jul 1985: Marina Kuzina, Russian basketball player Marina Kuzina is a Russian basketball player who competed for the Russian National Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. She was also part of the 2012 Summer Olympics Russian team who missed out on a bronze medal, losing the bronze medal match 74-83 to Australia. Read more
19 Jul 1985: Hadi Norouzi, Iranian footballer (died 2015) Hadi Norouzi was an Iranian footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his career with Persepolis in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Read more
19 Jul 1984: Andrea Libman, Canadian voice actress Andrea Libman is a Canadian actress. She is known for providing voice acting in various animated shows, such as voicing the characters of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the Discovery Family series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and its spinoffs. She has also appeared in Little Women, Andre, and a guest role on The X-Files. Read more
19 Jul 1984: Adam Morrison, American basketball player Adam John Morrison is an American former professional basketball player. Morrison played for three years at Gonzaga University and was considered to be one of the top college basketball players in 2005–06. He was a finalist for the Naismith and the Wooden Award. He was named Co-Player of the Year with Duke's JJ Redick by the United States Basketball Writers Association and won the 2006 Chevrolet Player of the Year award. He played for the Charlotte Bobcats from 2006 to 2009, and for the L.A. Lakers from 2009 to 2010, where he won two NBA championships. Read more
19 Jul 1984: Ryan O'Byrne, Canadian ice hockey player Ryan David O'Byrne is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2007 to 2013 with the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche and the Toronto Maple Leafs. During this time, O'Byrne founded the Ryan O'Byrne Charity Camp, a non-profit hockey camp for youth. At the conclusion of the 2012–13 season, O'Byrne went on to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Swiss National League (NL), and Swedish Hockey League, before retiring from a ten-year professional hockey career in 2016. Read more
19 Jul 1984: Lewis Price, Welsh footballer Lewis Peter Price is a retired Welsh international professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the First-Team Goalkeeping Coach for EFL Championship club Oxford United. Read more
19 Jul 1983: Helen Skelton, English television host and actress Helen Elizabeth Skelton is an English television presenter who appears regularly on BBC1's Morning Live. Read more
19 Jul 1983: Fedor Tyutin, Russian ice hockey player Fedor Anatolievich Tyutin is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Tyutin was drafted in the second round, 40th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2001 NHL entry draft. Read more
19 Jul 1982: Christopher Bear, American drummer Christopher Robert Bear is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer. He is best known as a member of the Brooklyn-based indie-rock group Grizzly Bear, with whom he has recorded five studio albums. In 2025, Bear joined Dirty Projectors, recording a trio-based studio album with founding member Dave Longstreth and bassist Karl McComas-Reichl. Read more
19 Jul 1982: Phil Coke, American baseball player Phillip Douglas Coke is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Pitching primarily in relief, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Coke's MLB career spanned from 2008 to 2016. He won a World Series championship as a member of the Yankees in 2009. Read more
19 Jul 1982: Jared Padalecki, American actor Jared Tristan Padalecki is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Sam Winchester in the TV series Supernatural. He rose to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000–2005) as well as the films Flight of the Phoenix (2004), House of Wax (2005) and Friday the 13th (2009). Read more
19 Jul 1982: Jess Vanstrattan, Australian footballer Jess Kedwell Vanstrattan is a retired Australian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
19 Jul 1981: Nenê, Brazilian footballer Anderson Luiz de Carvalho, known as Nenê, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série C club Botafogo-PB. As of 2025, he is the oldest player to score in a Série A match, having set this record on 21 August 2025 at 44 years and 32 days old. He is also one of a few players in football with most official appearances ever. Read more
19 Jul 1981: David Bernard, Jamaican cricketer David Eddison Bernard is a West Indian cricketer who has played for the West Indies in Tests and ODIs. He played his second Test for a weakened West Indies team on 9 July 2009. In the second Test he scored 17 and 69. Read more
19 Jul 1981: Mark Gasnier, Australian rugby player and sportscaster Mark Gasnier is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A rugby league New South Wales State of Origin and international representative centre, he played eleven seasons in the National Rugby League with the St. George Illawarra Dragons, punctuated by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. Gasnier was a member of the Dragons' NRL premiership-winning team in 2010. He retired at the end of the 2011 season. He is the nephew of the 1960s St. George star Reg Gasnier. Read more
19 Jul 1981: Jimmy Gobble, American baseball player Billy James Gobble is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox. Read more
19 Jul 1981: Grégory Vignal, French footballer Grégory Vignal is a French football coach and former professional player. Read more
19 Jul 1980: Xavier Malisse, Belgian tennis player Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis coach and a former professional player. Born in the north-western Flemish city of Kortrijk and nicknamed X-Man, he is one of only two Belgian men to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP Tour, with a career-high singles ranking of world No. 19. Read more
19 Jul 1980: Giorgio Mondini, Italian race car driver Giorgio Mondini is an Italo-Swiss former racing driver who last competed in the 2018 European Le Mans Series. In 2004, he was champion of the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup series. He previously served as a Formula One test driver for Midland. Read more
19 Jul 1980: Chris Sullivan, American actor Chris Sullivan is an American actor and musician. He starred on Cinemax's The Knick as Tom Cleary, and on the NBC drama This Is Us as Toby Damon, for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Read more
19 Jul 1979: Rick Ankiel, American baseball player Richard Alexander Ankiel is an American former professional baseball center fielder and pitcher. He spent most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but also played for the Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, and New York Mets. Read more
19 Jul 1979: Josué Anunciado de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer Josué Anunciado de Oliveira, known as simply Josué, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He played for the Brazil national team from 2007 to 2010, winning the 2007 Copa América and playing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Read more
19 Jul 1979: Dilhara Fernando, Sri Lankan cricketer Congenige Randhi Dilhara Fernando is a former professional Sri Lankan international cricketer. He played as a right-handed pace bowler and was a key member of the Sri Lankan teams which finished as runners-up in the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cups. Fernando won the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with his country. Read more
19 Jul 1979: Luke Young, English footballer Luke Paul Young is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Read more
19 Jul 1977: Jean-Sébastien Aubin, Canadian ice hockey player Jean-Sébastien Aubin is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings. Read more
19 Jul 1977: Tony Mamaluke, American wrestler and manager Charles John Spencer is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Tony Marinara and with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Tony Mamaluke. Read more
19 Jul 1977: Ed Smith, English cricketer and journalist Edward Thomas Smith is an English author and journalist, former professional cricketer, and cricket commentator. He played first-class cricket for Kent, Middlesex and England. Read more
19 Jul 1976: Benedict Cumberbatch, English actor Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English actor. He has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globes. In 2014, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2015, he was appointed a CBE for services to performing arts and charity. Read more
19 Jul 1976: Gonzalo de los Santos, Uruguayan footballer and manager Gonzalo de los Santos da Rosa is an Uruguayan retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and is a manager. Read more
19 Jul 1975: Luca Castellazzi, Italian footballer Luca Castellazzi is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He serves as the goalkeeper coach of AC Milan young team under 17. Read more
19 Jul 1974: Rey Bucanero, Mexican wrestler Arturo García Ortiz, better known under the ring name Rey Bucanero, is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) from 1992 to 2026. His ring name is Spanish for "Buccaneer King", which was originally reflected in his mask that featured a skull face and an eye patch. Ortiz was unmasked in 1999 and has worked unmasked ever since. Read more
19 Jul 1974: Francisco Copado, German footballer and manager Francisco Alberto Copado Álvarez is a German retired footballer who played as a striker or midfielder. Read more
19 Jul 1974: Josée Piché, Canadian ice dancer Josée Piché is a Canadian former ice dancer. She was born in Montreal and competed with partner Pascal Denis for 17 years, winning a bronze medal at the 2000 Canadian Figure Skating Championships and finishing 23rd at the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships, their final competition together. Read more
19 Jul 1974: Vince Spadea, American tennis player Vincent Spadea is a former professional tennis player from the United States. Read more
19 Jul 1974: Preston Wilson, American baseball player and sportscaster Preston James Richard Wilson is an American former professional baseball center fielder and currently the manager of the Aberdeen Ironbirds of the MLB Draft League. He played all or parts of ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2007 for the New York Mets, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals. He is both the nephew and stepson of former New York Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson. Read more
19 Jul 1973: Martin Powell, English keyboard player and songwriter Martin Powell is an English musician. In 1991, Powell auditioned for the position of bass player in the band My Dying Bride but was turned down as the band had just filled the position. Upon informing the band he was also a violin and keyboard player, he was hired as a session musician, before becoming the band's permanent violinist and keyboardist. Read more
19 Jul 1973: Scott Walker, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Scott Walker is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who currently serves as the co-owner and team president of the Guelph Storm in the OHL. He previously held the position of player development consultant for the Vancouver Canucks. Read more
19 Jul 1972: Ebbe Sand, Danish footballer and manager Ebbe Sand is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a striker for Brøndby IF in Denmark and FC Schalke 04 in Germany. He was the Bundesliga top scorer in 2001 and won the DFB-Pokal in 2001 and 2002 with Schalke. On the international stage, he played for the Denmark national team at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 2000 and 2004 European Championships. At the 1998 World Cup, he scored the fastest-ever World Cup goal by a substitute – 16 seconds after entering the match. Read more
19 Jul 1972: Tully Bevilaqua, Australian basketball player Tully Louise Bevilaqua is an Australian retired professional women's basketball player. She previously served as an assistant with the Phoenix Mercury in 2023; she was added to the Indiana Fever coaching staff as a video associate in 2024. She formerly played for the San Antonio Stars in the WNBA and the Perth Lynx in Australia's WNBL. The 5'7" Bevilaqua's play style is energetic and disruptive, so much so that she is usually in the top 10 in steals. In the 2005 regular season, she had more steals per turnover than any other player. Read more
19 Jul 1971: Rene Busch, Estonian tennis player and coach Rene Busch is a tennis coach and former Estonian tennis player. He achieved his career high ATP ranking in 1995 on No.793. Read more
19 Jul 1971: Vitali Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer and politician, Mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Volodymyrovych Klychko, known as Vitali Klitschko, is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer who has served as the mayor of Kyiv since 2014. He previously served as the head of the Kyiv City State Administration until the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Read more
19 Jul 1971: Michael Modest, American wrestler Michael K. Cariglio is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Michael Modest. Modest ran the promotion Pro Wrestling Iron with tag partner Donovan Morgan and Frank Murdoch until its closure in 2005. Modest has also wrestled in Japan for Pro Wrestling Noah, winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship after defeating Yoshinobu Kanemaru. He has also wrestled in Canada, Mexico and Ireland. He is perhaps best known for his appearances in the wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat, the film Ready to Rumble, and the TV special Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets. Read more
19 Jul 1971: Catriona Rowntree, Australian television host Catriona Rowntree is an Australian television and radio presenter. Read more
19 Jul 1971: Lesroy Weekes, Montserratian cricketer Lesroy Charlesworth Weekes in Montserrat, Lesser Antilles, West Indies) is a former first-class cricketer. Read more
19 Jul 1970: Bill Chen, American poker player and software designer William Chen is an American quantitative analyst, poker player, and software designer. Read more
19 Jul 1970: Christopher Luxon, New Zealand politician, 42nd Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Mark Luxon is a New Zealand politician and businessman who has served as the 42nd prime minister of New Zealand since 2023. A member of the National Party, he has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Botany since 2020 and previously served as leader of the Opposition from 2021 to 2023. Prior to entering politics, he was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Air New Zealand from 2013 to 2019. Read more
19 Jul 1970: Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish lawyer and politician, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon is a Scottish politician who was First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 1999 to 2026, firstly as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral region and then as the member for Glasgow Southside from 2007 to 2026. Read more
19 Jul 1969: Matthew Libatique, American cinematographer Matthew José Libatique ASC, LPS is an American cinematographer. He is best known for his collaborations with directors Darren Aronofsky, Joel Schumacher, Spike Lee, and Bradley Cooper. He has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography – for Black Swan (2010), A Star Is Born (2018), and Maestro (2023). He is also a two-time Independent Spirit Award winner, and two-time BAFTA Award nominee. Read more
19 Jul 1968: Robb Flynn, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Robert Conrad Flynn is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal band Machine Head, being the only member to feature on every album. Flynn formed the band along with Adam Duce, Logan Mader and Tony Costanza after leaving Bay Area thrash band Vio-lence. Read more
19 Jul 1968: Pavel Kuka, Czech footballer and manager Pavel Kuka is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a forward. He represented his national team on 87 occasions, scoring 29 goals. At club level Kuka started in 1987 with Rudá Hvězda Cheb in the Czechoslovak First League before transferring to Slavia Prague two years later. During the 1993–94 season he moved to Germany, where he played in the Bundesliga for 1. FC Kaiserslautern, 1. FC Nürnberg and VfB Stuttgart. In 2000 he returned to Slavia, where he spent a further five years before retiring from top-level football in 2005. Read more
19 Jul 1968: Jim Norton, American comedian, actor, and author James Joseph Norton is an American comedian, radio personality, actor, author, and television and podcast host. Norton has been the co-host of the podcast UFC Unfiltered with Matt Serra since 2016, and the host of Jim Norton Can't Save You since January 2025. He is well known for co-hosting morning radio shows Opie and Anthony, Opie with Jim Norton, and Jim Norton & Sam Roberts on SiriusXM Radio from October 2016 through December 2024, and The Chip Chipperson Podcast from 2017 until 2023. Read more
19 Jul 1967: Yael Abecassis, Israeli model and actress Yael Abecassis is an Israeli actress and model. Read more
19 Jul 1967: Jean-François Mercier, Canadian comedian, screenwriter, and television host Jean-François Mercier is a comedian, screenwriter and television host from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Mercier's comedy features his scruffy appearance and mixes social criticism with vulgarity, curse words and expressions of anger. Read more
19 Jul 1966: David Segui, American baseball player David Vincent Segui is an American former professional baseball first baseman who currently serves as a hitting coach for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. During a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, and Cleveland Indians. Read more
19 Jul 1965: Evelyn Glennie, Scottish musician Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Read more
19 Jul 1965: Claus-Dieter Wollitz, German footballer and manager Claus-Dieter Wollitz is a German football coach and former player, who is the current director of football and manager of 2. Bundesliga club FC Energie Cottbus. Read more
19 Jul 1964: Teresa Edwards, American basketball player Teresa Edwards is an American former women's basketball player and four time Olympic gold medalist. Read more
19 Jul 1964: Masahiko Kondō, Japanese singer-songwriter and race car driver Masahiko Kondō , or Matchy, is a Japanese singer, lyricist, actor, racing car manager and former semi-professional racing driver. He was a member of the Tanokin Trio. Kondō is also a semi-professional racing driver and a racing team owner. He founded the racing team Kondo Racing in 2000, which currently competes in both Super Formula and Super GT. Read more
19 Jul 1963: Thomas Gabriel Fischer, Swiss musician Thomas Gabriel Fischer, also known by the stage names Tom Warrior and Satanic Slaughter, is a Swiss musician. He led the extreme metal bands Hellhammer and Celtic Frost, and is currently the frontman of the bands Triptykon and Triumph of Death. Read more
19 Jul 1963: Garth Nix, Australian author Garth Richard Nix is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the Old Kingdom, Seventh Tower and Keys to the Kingdom series. He has frequently been asked if his name is a pseudonym, to which he has responded, "I guess people ask me because it sounds like the perfect name for a writer of fantasy. However, it is my real name." Read more
19 Jul 1962: Anthony Edwards, American actor and director Anthony Charles Edwards is an American actor, director, and producer. He played Dr. Mark Greene on the first eight seasons of ER, for which he received a Golden Globe Award and six Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was nominated for four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards. He has appeared in various films and television series, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Top Gun, Zodiac, Gotcha!, Miracle Mile, Revenge of the Nerds, Thunderbirds, Planes, Northern Exposure, and Designated Survivor. Read more
19 Jul 1962: Craig Muni, Canadian ice hockey player Craig Douglas James Muni is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 819 National Hockey League (NHL) games throughout his career. Read more
19 Jul 1961: Harsha Bhogle, Indian journalist and author Harsha Bhogle is an Indian cricket commentator and journalist. Read more
19 Jul 1961: Maria Filatova, Russian gymnast Maria Evgenievna Filatova is a retired Russian gymnast who competed at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics. Read more
19 Jul 1961: Lisa Lampanelli, American comedian, actress, and author Lisa Lampanelli is an American former stand-up comedian, actress, and insult comic. Read more
19 Jul 1961: Benoît Mariage, Belgian director and screenwriter Benoît Mariage is a Belgian film director. Read more
19 Jul 1961: Hideo Nakata, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker. Read more
19 Jul 1961: Campbell Scott, American actor, director, and producer Campbell Scott is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards, a Genie Award, a Drama Desk Award, and the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize, among others. Read more
19 Jul 1960: Atom Egoyan, Egyptian-Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter Atom Egoyan is an Armenian-Canadian filmmaker. One of the most preeminent directors of the Toronto New Wave, he emerged during the 1980s and made his career breakthrough with Exotica (1994), a hyperlink film set in a strip club. He followed this with his most critically acclaimed film, The Sweet Hereafter (1997), an adaptation of the Russell Banks novel of the same name, for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Read more
19 Jul 1960: Kevin Haskins, English drummer and songwriter Kevin Michael Dompe, born and best known as Kevin Michael Haskins, is an English drummer, best known from the British rock group Bauhaus. He was also a member of Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets. Read more
19 Jul 1959: Juan J. Campanella, Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter Juan José Campanella is an Argentine television and film director, writer and producer. He achieved worldwide attention with the release of The Secret in Their Eyes (2009), for which he was awarded the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Read more
19 Jul 1958: Brad Drewett, Australian tennis player and sportscaster (died 2013) Brad Drewett was an Australian tennis player and ATP official. He was the 1975 and 1977 Australian Open junior champion and the youngest player at age 17 to win the title since Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe. He was also the third-youngest Australian Open quarterfinalist in his first Grand Slam appearance, at 17 years 5 months in 1975, behind Boris Becker, 17 years 4 days in 1984 and Goran Ivanišević, 17 years 4 months in 1989. Read more
19 Jul 1958: Robert Gibson, American wrestler Robert Gibson is an American professional wrestler. He is best known as one half of the tag team known as The Rock 'n' Roll Express, with Ricky Morton. He has competed in singles competition also, and has won various singles championships throughout his career. Gibson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of The Rock 'n' Roll Express, on March 31, 2017. Read more
19 Jul 1958: David Robertson, American conductor David Eric Robertson is an American conductor. He was chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and was formerly music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 2005 until 2018. He is Director of Orchestral Studies at Juilliard. Read more
19 Jul 1956: Mark Crispin, American computer scientist, designed the IMAP (died 2012) Mark Reed Crispin is best known as the father of the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), having invented it in 1985 during his time at the Stanford Knowledge Systems Laboratory. He is the author or co-author of numerous RFCs and was the principal author of UW IMAP, one of the reference implementations of the IMAP4rev1 protocol described in RFC 3501. He also designed the MIX mail storage format. Read more
19 Jul 1955: Roger Binny, Indian cricketer and sportscaster Roger Michael Humphrey Binny is a former Indian cricketer who was the 36th president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He was the president of Karnataka State Cricket Association from 2019 to 2022. Binny was part of the India Team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the 1985 World Championship of Cricket, being India's highest wicket-taker in both tournaments. He was also the head coach of the Indian U-19 team that won the 2000 Under-19 Cricket World Cup and has served as a national selector. He has also worked as a developmental officer in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The Indian team won the T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025 when Binny was the president of BCCI. Read more
19 Jul 1955: Dalton McGuinty, Canadian lawyer and politician, 24th Premier of Ontario Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. is a Canadian former politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearly 70 years earlier. In 2011, he became the first Liberal premier to secure a third consecutive term since Oliver Mowat after his party was re-elected in that year's provincial election. Read more
19 Jul 1954: Mark O'Donnell, American playwright (died 2012) Mark O'Donnell was an American writer and humorist. Read more
19 Jul 1954: Steve O'Donnell, American screenwriter and producer Steve O'Donnell is an American television writer. His credits include Late Night with David Letterman, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, and The Chris Rock Show. Read more
19 Jul 1954: Srđa Trifković, Serbian-American journalist and historian Srđa Trifković is a Serbian-American publicist, politician and historian. He is currently a foreign affairs editor for the paleoconservative magazine Chronicles, and a politics professor at the University of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read more
19 Jul 1954: Alvan Adams, American basketball player Alvan Leigh Adams is an American former professional basketball player. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adams was named as the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1975 and selected as an NBA All-Star in 1976. He retired in 1988 and holds Suns records for games played (988), minutes played (27,203), rebounds (6,937) and steals (1,289). Raised in Oklahoma City, Adams was nicknamed the "Oklahoma Kid". Read more
19 Jul 1953: Howard Schultz, American businessman and author Howard D. Schultz is an American businessman and author who was the chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks from 1986 to 2000, and from 2008 to 2017, and interim CEO from 2022 to 2023. Schultz owned the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team from 2001 to 2006. Read more
19 Jul 1952: Allen Collins, American guitarist and songwriter (died 1990) Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was an American guitarist, and one of the founding members of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He co-wrote many of the band's songs with frontman and original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. Read more
19 Jul 1952: Jayne Anne Phillips American novelist and short story writer Jayne Anne Phillips is an American novelist and short story writer who was born in the small town of Buckhannon, West Virginia. She was a professor of English at Rutgers-Newark from 2005 to 2020 and helped establish the MFA program at Rutgers University-Newark. Read more
19 Jul 1951: Abel Ferrara, American director, producer, and screenwriter Abel Ferrara is an American filmmaker, actor and musician. Closely associated with the independent film movement in the United States, he is known for his provocative and often-controversial films which use and redefine neo-noir imagery. His best-known works include the New York-set, gritty crime thrillers The Driller Killer (1979), Ms .45 (1981), Fear City (1984), King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992), and The Funeral (1996), chronicling violent crime in urban settings with spiritual overtones. Read more
19 Jul 1950: Per-Kristian Foss, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Finance Per-Kristian Foss (born 19 July 1950) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party and from 2014 to 2021 the Auditor General of Norway. Read more
19 Jul 1950: Freddy Moore, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2022) Demi Gene Moore is an American actress and producer. After rising to prominence in the 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. Her accolades include a Golden Globe, a Critics' Choice Award, and an Actor Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2025, she appeared on Time's 100 most influential people in the world list, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that year. Read more
19 Jul 1950: Adrian Noble, English director and screenwriter Adrian Keith Noble is a theatre director, and was also the artistic director and chief executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1990 to 2003. Read more
19 Jul 1949: Kgalema Motlanthe, South African politician, 3rd President of South Africa Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe is a South African politician who served as the president of South Africa from 25 September 2008 to 9 May 2009, following the resignation of Thabo Mbeki. Thereafter, he was deputy president under Jacob Zuma from 9 May 2009 to 26 May 2014. Read more
19 Jul 1948: Keith Godchaux, American keyboard player and songwriter (died 1980) Keith Richard Godchaux was an American pianist best known for his tenure in the rock group the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1979. Following their departure from the Dead, he and his wife Donna formed the Heart of Gold Band in 1980, but Godchaux died from injuries sustained in a car accident shortly after their first concert. Read more
19 Jul 1947: André Forcier, Canadian director and screenwriter André Forcier is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. His work has been linked to Latin American magic realism by its use of fantasy but is firmly rooted in Quebec's reality. His unromanticized, even Rabelaisian, portraits of people on the fringe of society, especially in Bar Salon, Au clair de la lune, Une Historie inventée, Le Vent du Wyoming and The Countess of Baton Rouge, blend observations of minutia of everyday life with elements of fantasy and imaginary. Read more
19 Jul 1947: Hans-Jürgen Kreische, German footballer and manager (died 2026) Hans-Jürgen "Hansi" Kreische was an East German footballer who played as a forward for Dynamo Dresden and the East Germany national team. Read more
19 Jul 1947: Bernie Leadon, American guitarist and songwriter Bernard Matthew Leadon III is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of four country rock bands: Hearts & Flowers, Dillard & Clark, Linda Ronstadt & the Corvettes and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He is a multi-instrumentalist coming from a bluegrass background. He introduced elements of this music to a mainstream audience during his tenure with the Eagles. Read more
19 Jul 1947: Brian May, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and astrophysicist Sir Brian Harold May is an English musician, animal welfare activist, and astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen, which he co-founded with singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor. His guitar work and songwriting contributions helped Queen become one of the most successful acts in music history. Read more
19 Jul 1946: Alan Gorrie, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician Alan Edward Gorrie is a Scottish bassist, guitarist, keyboardist and singer. He was a founding member of the Average White Band and was one of two original members in the group's final line-up alongside Onnie McIntyre. Read more
19 Jul 1946: Ilie Năstase, Romanian tennis player and politician Ilie Theodoriu Năstase is a Romanian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the inaugural world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 40 weeks. Năstase is one of ten players to have won over 100 total ATP-level titles, with 64 in singles and 45 in doubles, among which seven majors: two in singles, three in men's doubles and two in mixed doubles. He also won four Masters Grand Prix year-end championships. He was the first professional sports figure to sign an endorsement contract with Nike, doing so in 1972. Năstase also wrote several novels in French in the 1980s, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. Read more
19 Jul 1945: Paule Baillargeon, Canadian actress, director, and screenwriter Paule Baillargeon is a Canadian actress and film director. She won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, and was a nominee for Best Director for The Sex of the Stars . Her film roles have included August 32nd on Earth , Jesus of Montreal , A Woman in Transit , Réjeanne Padovani and Days of Darkness . Read more
19 Jul 1945: Edwin Schlossberg, American designer, author, and husband of Carolyn Kennedy Edwin Arthur Schlossberg is an American designer, artist, and author. A pioneer and leader of interactive museum installations, he is the founder and principal designer of ESI Design, a multidisciplinary firm specializing in interactive environments for discovery learning and communication. An author of eleven books including Interactive Excellence: Defining and Developing New Standards for the Twenty-first Century, Schlossberg’s artworks have also appeared in solo exhibitions and museum collections in the United States and around the world. Read more
19 Jul 1944: Tim McIntire, American actor and singer (died 1986) Timothy John McIntire was an American character actor who starred as Alan Freed in the film American Hot Wax (1978), as singer George Jones in the television movie Stand by Your Man (1981), and for his performances in The Gumball Rally (1976) and Brubaker (1980). Read more
19 Jul 1944: Andres Vooremaa, Estonian chess player (died 2022) Andres Vooremaa was an Estonian chess player, who twice won the Estonian Chess Championship. He was awarded the Soviet Master title in 1969. Read more
19 Jul 1943: Han Sai Por, Singaporean sculptor and academic Han Sai Por is a Singaporean sculptor and artist. A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), East Ham College of Art, Wolverhampton College of Art, and Lincoln University, New Zealand, she worked as a teacher and later as a part-time lecturer at NAFA, the LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, and the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, before becoming a full-time artist in 1997. Read more
19 Jul 1943: Carla Mazzuca Poggiolini, Italian journalist and politician Carla Mazzuca Poggiolini is a professional journalist and Italian politician who served in both chambers of the Italian Parliament. She is the wife of Danilo Poggiolini. Read more
19 Jul 1941: Vikki Carr, American singer and actress Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martinez Cardona, known by her stage name Vikki Carr, is an American vocalist. She has a singing career that spans more than six decades. Read more
19 Jul 1941: Carole Jordan, British astrophysicist and the first female president of the Royal Astronomical Society Dame Carole Jordan was a British physicist, astrophysicist, astronomer and academic. She was Professor Emeritus of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow at Somerville College, Oxford. From 1994 to 1996, she was President of the Royal Astronomical Society; she was the first woman to hold this position. She won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2005; she was only the third female recipient following Caroline Herschel in 1828 and Vera Rubin in 1996. She was head of the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford from 2003 to 2004 and 2005 to 2008, and was one of the first female professors in Astronomy in Britain. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 for services to physics and astronomy. Read more
19 Jul 1941: Neelie Kroes, Dutch politician and diplomat, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Neelie Kroes is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and businessperson who served as European Commissioner from 22 November 2004 to 1 November 2014. Read more
19 Jul 1938: Jayant Narlikar, Indian astrophysicist and astronomer (died 2025) Jayant Vishnu Narlikar was an Indian astrophysicist who performed research on alternative cosmology. He was also an author who wrote textbooks on cosmology, popular science books, and science fiction novels and short stories. Read more
19 Jul 1938: Tom Raworth, English poet and academic (died 2017) Thomas Moore Raworth was an English-Irish poet, publisher, editor, and teacher who published over 40 books of poetry and prose during his life. His work has been translated and published in many countries. Raworth was a key figure in the British Poetry Revival. Read more
19 Jul 1937: George Hamilton IV, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2014) George Hege Hamilton IV was an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, switching to country music in the early 1960s. Read more
19 Jul 1937: Karen Dalton, American country blues and folk singer, guitarist, and banjo player (died 1993) Karen J. Dalton was an American country blues singer, guitarist, and banjo player. She was associated with the early 1960s Greenwich Village folk music scene, particularly with Fred Neil, the Holy Modal Rounders, and Bob Dylan. Although she did not enjoy much commercial success during her lifetime, her music has gained significant recognition since her death. Artists like Nick Cave, Devendra Banhart, and Joanna Newsom have noted her as an influence. Read more
19 Jul 1937: Richard Jordan, American actor (died 1993) Robert Anson Jordan Jr., known professionally as Richard Jordan, was an American actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays. His films include: Logan's Run, Les Misérables, Old Boyfriends, Raise the Titanic, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Yakuza, Interiors, The Bunker, Dune, The Secret of My Success, Timebomb, The Hunt for Red October, Posse and Gettysburg. Read more
19 Jul 1936: David Colquhoun, English pharmacologist and academic David Colquhoun is a British pharmacologist at University College London (UCL). He has contributed to the general theory of receptor and synaptic mechanisms, and in particular the theory and practice of single ion channel function. He held the A.J. Clark chair of Pharmacology at UCL from 1985 to 2004, and was the Hon. Director of the Wellcome Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1985 and an honorary fellow of UCL in 2004. Colquhoun runs the website DC's Improbable Science, which is critical of pseudoscience, particularly alternative medicine, and managerialism. Read more
19 Jul 1935: Nick Koback, American baseball player and golfer (died 2015) Nicholas Nicholie Koback was a Russian American professional baseball player whose career spanned eight seasons, three of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Pittsburgh Pirates (1953–55). At the age of 17, Koback signed with the Pirates as a bonus baby out of Hartford Public High School. He made his MLB debut without ever playing in the minor leagues. At the time, he was the youngest Pittsburgh Pirates player ever. During his first career start, Koback caught a complete game shutout by Pirates pitcher Murry Dickson. Most of Koback's time with Pittsburgh was spent as a bullpen catcher. Over his three-year MLB career, Koback compiled a .121 batting average with one run scored, four hits, one triple and one base on balls in 16 games played. The majority of his playing career was spent in the minor leagues with the Lincoln Chiefs, Williamsport Grays (1956), Hollywood Stars (1956–57), New Orleans Pelicans (1956–57), Columbus/Gastonia Pirates (1958) and Charleston Senators (1960). He batted and threw right-handed. During his career, he weighed 187 pounds (85 kg) and stood at 6 feet (180 cm). After retiring from baseball, Koback played pro–am golf in Connecticut. Read more
19 Jul 1934: Francisco de Sá Carneiro, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Portugal (died 1980) Francisco Manuel Lumbrales de Sá Carneiro was a Portuguese politician, who was one of the founders and the first leader of the Social Democratic Party. He served as Prime Minister of Portugal for eleven months during 1980, until his death in a plane crash in Camarate on 4 December 1980. Read more
19 Jul 1932: Buster Benton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1996) Arley "Buster" Benton was an American blues guitarist and singer. He played guitar in Willie Dixon's Blues All-Stars and is best known for his solo rendition of Dixon's song "Spider in My Stew." Benton was tenacious, and despite the amputation of parts of both legs in the latter part of his lengthy career, he never stopped playing his own version of Chicago blues. Read more
19 Jul 1932: Jan Lindblad, Swedish biologist and photographer (died 1987) Jan Victor Armas Lindblad was a Swedish naturalist, writer, photographer, film maker, and whistling artist who imitated animals. Read more
19 Jul 1932: Szilárd Keresztes, Hungarian Greek Catholic bishop (died 2025) Szilárd Keresztes was a Hungarian Greek Catholic bishop. He was Bishop of Hajdúdorog and apostolic administrator of the Apostolic Exarchate of Miskolc from 1975 to 2008. Read more
19 Jul 1929: Gaston Glock, Austrian engineer and businessman, co-founded Glock Ges.m.b.H. (died 2023) Gaston Glock was an Austrian engineer and businessman. He founded the company Glock in 1963. When he entered the 1980 competition for a new Austrian service pistol, he hired two engineers who had worked on the development of HK's first two polymer-frame pistols, the VP70 and P9 models. The first Glock pistol, chambered in 9x19mm and named the Glock 17 because of it being Gaston Glock's 17th patent, and not because it holds 17 rounds, entered Austrian military and police service in 1982. It became one of the most influential and popular handguns of the 20th century, leading to a succession of other models in a variety of sizes and chamberings as well as an industry-wide trend toward polymer-frame, striker-fired pistols. Read more
19 Jul 1929: Orville Turnquest, Bahamian politician Sir Orville Alton Turnquest is a Bahamian politician who was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of External Relations of the Bahamas from 1992 to 1994, and the sixth governor-general of the Bahamas from 3 January 1995 until his retirement on 13 November 2001. Read more
19 Jul 1928: Samuel John Hazo, American author Samuel John Hazo is a poet, playwright, fiction novelist, and the founder and director emeritus of the International Poetry Forum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also McAnulty Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Duquesne University, where he taught for forty-three years. Read more
19 Jul 1928: Choi Yun-chil, South Korean long-distance runner and a two-time national champion in the marathon (died 2020) Choi Yoon-chil was a South Korean long-distance runner who was a two-time Olympian and a two-time national champion in the marathon. Read more
19 Jul 1926: Helen Gallagher, American actress, singer, and dancer (died 2024) Helen Gallagher was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She received three Daytime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Donaldson Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Read more
19 Jul 1925: Sue Thompson, American singer (died 2021) Sue Thompson was an American pop and country music singer. She is best known for the million selling 1961 hits "Sad Movies " and "Norman", "James " (1962), and "Paper Tiger" (1965). Read more
19 Jul 1924: Stanley K. Hathaway, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 40th United States Secretary of the Interior (died 2005) Stanley Knapp Hathaway was an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Wyoming from 1967 to 1975 and as the 40th United States secretary of the interior under President Gerald Ford from June to October 1975. Read more
19 Jul 1924: Pat Hingle, American actor and producer (died 2009) Martin Patterson Hingle was an American actor. He was best known to screen audiences for his character roles, often as tough blue-collar authority figures, in over 200 productions between 1954 and 2008. Read more
19 Jul 1924: Arthur Rankin Jr., American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2014) Arthur Gardner Rankin Jr. was an American director, producer and screenwriter, who mostly worked in animation. Co-creator of Rankin/Bass Productions with his friend Jules Bass, he created stop-motion and traditional animation features such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, and the 1977 cartoon special of The Hobbit. He is credited on over 1,000 television programs. Read more
19 Jul 1923: Theo Barker, English historian (died 2001) Theodore Cardwell Barker, usually known as Theo Barker, was a British social and economic historian. Read more
19 Jul 1923: Alex Hannum, American basketball player and coach (died 2002) Alexander Murray Hannum was an American professional basketball player and coach. Known as Sarge because of his military background, Hannum played center for six different teams, most notably the Milwaukee Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he spent three seasons. Read more
19 Jul 1923: Joseph Hansen, American author and poet (died 2004) Joseph Hansen was an American crime writer and poet, best known for a series of novels featuring private eye Dave Brandstetter. Read more
19 Jul 1923: William A. Rusher, American lawyer and journalist (died 2011) William Allen Rusher was an American lawyer, author, activist, and conservative columnist. He was one of the founders of the modern conservative movement and was one of its most prominent spokesmen for thirty years as publisher of National Review magazine, which was edited by William F. Buckley Jr. Historian Geoffrey Kabaservice argues that, "in many ways it was Rusher, not Buckley, who was the founding father of the conservative movement as it currently exists. We have Rusher, not Buckley, to thank for the populist, operationally sophisticated, and occasionally extremist elements that characterize the contemporary movement." Read more
19 Jul 1923: Lon Simmons, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2015) Lonnie Alexander "Lon" Simmons was an American sports announcer, best known for his play-by-play broadcasts of San Francisco Giants baseball and San Francisco 49ers football. Read more
19 Jul 1922: George McGovern, American lieutenant, historian, and politician (died 2012) George Stanley McGovern was an American politician, diplomat, and historian from South Dakota who served in both chambers of the United States Congress, first as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing South Dakota's 1st congressional district from 1957 to 1961, and then as a United States Senator from 1963 to 1981. McGovern also served as the director of Food for Peace in 1961 and 1962 under President John F. Kennedy. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's presidential nominee in the 1972 presidential election. Read more
19 Jul 1922: Rachel Robinson, American professor, registered nurse, and the widow of baseball player Jackie Robinson Rachel Annetta Robinson is an American former professor and registered nurse. She is the widow of professional baseball player Jackie Robinson. After her husband's death, she founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Read more
19 Jul 1921: Harold Camping, American evangelist, author, radio host (died 2013) Harold Egbert Camping was an American Christian radio broadcaster and evangelist. Beginning in 1958, he served as president of Family Radio, a California-based radio station group that, at its peak, broadcast to more than 150 markets in the United States. In October 2011, he retired from active broadcasting following a stroke, but still maintained a role at Family Radio until his death. Camping was notorious for issuing a succession of failed predictions of dates for the End Times, which temporarily gained him a global following and millions of dollars of donations. Read more
19 Jul 1921: André Moynet, French soldier, race car driver, and politician (died 1993) André Moynet was a much decorated French wartime fighter pilot who moved on to become a test pilot and an entrepreneur-businessman. He was also a politician. Read more
19 Jul 1921: Elizabeth Spencer, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (died 2019) Elizabeth Spencer was an American writer. Spencer's first novel, Fire in the Morning, was published in 1948. She wrote a total of nine novels, seven collections of short stories, a memoir, and a play. Her novella The Light in the Piazza (1960) was adapted for the screen in 1962 and transformed into a Broadway musical of the same name in 2005. She was a five-time recipient of the O. Henry Award for short fiction. Read more
19 Jul 1921: Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2011) Rosalyn Sussman Yalow was an American medical physicist, and a co-winner of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for development of the radioimmunoassay technique. She was the second woman, and the first American-born woman, to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Read more
19 Jul 1920: Robert Mann, American violinist, composer, and conductor (died 2018) Robert Nathaniel Mann was a violinist, composer, conductor, and founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, as well as a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music. Mann, the first violinist at Juilliard, served on the school's string quartet for over fifty years until his retirement in 1997. Read more
19 Jul 1920: Richard Oriani, Salvadoran-American metallurgist and engineer (died 2015) Richard A. Oriani was an El Salvador-born American chemical engineer and metallurgist who was instrumental in the study of the effects of hydrogen in metal. He also made significant contributions to the field of cold fusion. Read more
19 Jul 1919: Patricia Medina, English-American actress (died 2012) Patricia Paz Maria Medina was a British actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954) and Mr. Arkadin (1955). Read more
19 Jul 1919: Miltos Sachtouris, Greek poet and author (died 2005) Miltos Sachtouris was a Greek poet. He was a descendant of Georgios Sachtouris, whose origins were the Island of Ydra. When he was young he abandoned his law studies to follow his real passion, poetry, adopting the pen name Miltos Chrysanthis. Sachtouris wrote his first poetry collection, The Music of My Islands, under his pen name in 1941. Read more
19 Jul 1919: Ron Searle, English-Canadian soldier, publisher, and politician, 4th Mayor of Mississauga (died 2015) Ronald Alfred Searle was an English-born Canadian soldier, publisher, and politician who served as the fourth mayor of Mississauga, Ontario from 1976 to 1978. Read more
19 Jul 1917: William Scranton, American captain and politician, 13th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (died 2013) William Warren Scranton was an American Republican Party politician and diplomat. Scranton served as the 38th governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967, and as United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1976 to 1977. Read more
19 Jul 1916: Phil Cavarretta, American baseball player and manager (died 2010) Philip Joseph Cavarretta was an American professional baseball first baseman, outfielder, and manager. He was known to friends and family as "Phil" and was also called "Philibuck", a nickname bestowed by Cubs manager Charlie Grimm. Read more
19 Jul 1915: Åke Hellman, Finnish painter (died 2017) Åke Fredrik Hellman was a Swedish-speaking Finnish still life and portrait artist and art professor. He worked as art teacher at the University of Helsinki. In 1963, he received the order of the Lion of Finland. Read more
19 Jul 1914: Marius Russo, American baseball player (died 2005) Marius Ugo Russo was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from 1939 to 1943 and in 1946). He batted right-handed and threw left-handed. Read more
19 Jul 1913: Kay Linaker, American actress and screenwriter (died 2008) Mary Katherine Linaker was an American actress and screenwriter who appeared in many B movies during the 1930s and 1940s, most notably Kitty Foyle (1940). Linaker used her married name, Kate Phillips, as a screenwriter, notably for the cult film The Blob (1958). She is credited with coining the name "The Blob" for the movie, which was originally titled The Molten Meteor. Read more
19 Jul 1912: Peter Leo Gerety, American prelate (died 2016) Peter Leo Gerety was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Newark from 1974 to 1986. He previously served as Bishop of Portland in Maine from 1969 to 1974. Gerety was the oldest living Catholic bishop in the world at the time of his death at age 104. Read more
19 Jul 1909: Balamani Amma, Indian poet and author (died 2004) Nalapat Balamani Amma was an Indian poet who wrote in Malayalam. Amma (Mother), Muthassi (Grandmother), and Mazhuvinte Katha are some of her well-known works. She was a recipient of many awards and honours, including the Padma Bhushan, Saraswati Samman, Sahitya Akademi Award, and Ezhuthachan Award. She was the mother of writer Kamala Das, also known as Madhavikutty. Read more
19 Jul 1908: Daniel Fry, American contactee (died 1992) Daniel William Fry was an American contactee of the 1950s who claimed he had multiple contacts with an alien and took a ride in a remotely piloted alien spacecraft. Fry was born in Verdon Township, Minnesota. He was also the founder of the UFO religion Understanding, Inc., though Fry insisted it was not a religion. Read more
19 Jul 1908: Hans Trippel, German engineer, developed Amphicar (died 2001) Hans Trippel was a German industrial designer, responsible for the designs of the Trippel SG6, Mercedes-Benz Gullwing's door and the Amphicar. Read more
19 Jul 1907: Isabel Jewell, American actress (died 1972) Isabel Jewell was an American actress, who rose to prominence in the 1930s and early 1940s. Some of her more famous films were Ceiling Zero, Marked Woman, A Tale of Two Cities, Lost Horizon, and Gone with the Wind. Read more
19 Jul 1904: Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, American lawyer and farmer (died 1985) Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith was an American gentleman farmer and the great-grandson of Abraham Lincoln. In 1975, he became the last known undisputed legal descendant of Lincoln when his sister, Mary Lincoln Beckwith, died without children. Read more
19 Jul 1902: Samudrala Sr., Indian singer, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1968) Samudrala Raghavacharya, also known as Samudrala Sr., was an Indian screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer, director, and producer known for his works in Telugu cinema. Samudrala Senior made his screen debut in 1937, and known for his collaborations with Ghantasala. Read more
19 Jul 1899: Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay, Indian physician, author, poet, and playwright (died 1979) Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay was an Indian Bengali-language writer, physician, and playwright, best known by his pen name Banaphul,. His oeuvre spanned novels, poetry, plays, essays and over 400 short stories, the genre for which he is best remembered. For his contribution to literature, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1975, India's third-highest civilian honor. Read more
19 Jul 1898: Herbert Marcuse, German-American sociologist and philosopher (died 1979) Herbert Marcuse was a German and American philosopher, social critic, and political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Born in Berlin, Marcuse studied at the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin and then at the University of Freiburg, where he received his PhD under the supervision of Martin Heidegger. He was a prominent figure in the Frankfurt-based Institute for Social Research, which later became known as the Frankfurt School. In his written works, he criticized capitalism, modern technology, Soviet Communism, and popular culture, arguing that they represent new forms of social control. Read more
19 Jul 1896: Reginald Baker, English film producer (died 1985) Reginald Poynton Baker, MC FCA FRSA was a British film producer and a major contributor to the development of the British film industry.
Along with his younger brother Leslie Forsyth, he played a decisive role in establishing Ealing Studios.
He was the father of Conservative MP Peter Baker.
Baker died in Australia aged 89. Read more
19 Jul 1896: A. J. Cronin, Scottish physician and novelist (died 1981) Archibald Joseph Cronin (Cronogue) (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981) was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is The Citadel (1937), about a Scottish physician who serves in a Welsh mining village, and then moves into a highly paid private practice in London where he becomes disillusioned with the greed and incompetence of some doctors. In writing the book, Cronin utilized his experiences both as a medical inspector of mines, and a physician on Harley Street. The Citadel exposed unfairness in British medicine and helped inspire the National Health Service. Read more
19 Jul 1896: Bob Meusel, American baseball player and sailor (died 1977) Robert William Meusel was an American professional baseball player. A left and right fielder, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eleven seasons from 1920 through 1930, all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was best known as a member of the Yankees' championship teams of the 1920s, nicknamed "Murderers' Row", during which time the team won its first six American League (AL) pennants and first three World Series titles. Read more
19 Jul 1895: Xu Beihong, Chinese painter and academic (died 1953) Xu Beihong, also known as Ju Péon, was a Chinese painter. Read more
19 Jul 1894: Aleksandr Khinchin, Russian mathematician and academic (died 1959) Aleksandr Yakovlevich Khinchin was a Soviet mathematician and one of the most significant contributors to the Soviet school of probability theory. Read more
19 Jul 1894: Khawaja Nazimuddin, Bangladeshi-Pakistani politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Pakistan (died 1965) Sir Khwaja Nazimuddin was a East Pakistani politician and statesman who served as the second governor-general of Pakistan from 1948 to 1951, and then as the second prime minister of Pakistan from 1951 to 1953. Read more
19 Jul 1894: Percy Spencer, American physicist and inventor of the microwave oven (died 1969) Percy LaBaron Spencer was an American physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor of the microwave oven. As a boy he was twice orphaned and began work at a young age, never finishing grammar school. During the night shift, he taught himself topics such as calculus, trigonometry, physics, and chemistry, establishing a lifelong habit of self-education or "solving my own situation" as he called it. Read more
19 Jul 1893: Vladimir Mayakovsky, Russian actor, playwright, and poet (died 1930) Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky was a Russian poet, playwright, artist, and actor. During his early, pre-Revolution period leading into 1917, Mayakovsky became renowned as a prominent figure of the Russian Futurist movement. He co-signed the Futurist manifesto, A Slap in the Face of Public Taste (1913), and wrote such poems as A Cloud in Trousers (1915) and Backbone Flute (1916). Mayakovsky produced a large and diverse body of work during the course of his career: he wrote poems, wrote and directed plays, appeared in films, edited the art journal LEF, and produced agitprop posters in support of the Communist Party during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. Read more
19 Jul 1892: Dick Irvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1957) James Dickinson "Dick" Irvin Jr. was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played for professional teams in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, the Western Canada Hockey League, and the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1916 to 1928, when he had to retire from repeated injuries. Irvin was one of the greatest players of his day, balancing a torrid slap shot and tough style with gentlemanly play. For his playing career, Irvin was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958. After playing, Irvin built a successful career as a coach in the NHL with the Chicago Black Hawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens. He coached his teams to the Stanley Cup Finals 16 times in 26 years as a full-time head coach, winning one Stanley Cup coaching Toronto and three coaching Montreal, finishing with over 600 wins as a coach. He also served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Read more
19 Jul 1891: Earl Hamilton, American baseball player Earl Andrew Hamilton was an American left-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers (1916), Pittsburgh Pirates (1918–23), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1924) of Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched a no-hitter against Detroit on August 30, 1912, becoming the first player to pitch a no-hitter without recording a strikeout. The Tigers did get a run on a Ty Cobb walk and an error, making the final score 5-1 Browns. Hamilton also batted left-handed and ended his career with an average pitcher's batting average of .153 in 733 at bats. Read more
19 Jul 1890: George II of Greece (died 1947) George II was King of Greece from 27 September 1922 until 25 March 1924, and again from 25 November 1935 until his death on 1 April 1947. Read more
19 Jul 1888: Enno Lolling, German physician (died 1945) Enno Lolling was a Nazi doctor. As a member of the SS, he served as a Lagerarzt at Dachau concentration camp. He later headed up the medical division for all the SS concentration camps. Lolling committed suicide in Flensburg as the war was ending. Read more
19 Jul 1886: Michael Fekete, Hungarian-Israeli mathematician and academic (died 1957) Michael (Mihály) Fekete was a Hungarian-Israeli mathematician. Read more
19 Jul 1884: Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, British-born German nobleman and Nazi politician (died 1954) Charles Edward was at various points in his life a British prince and royal duke, a German duke, and a Nazi politician. He was the last ruling Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a state of the German Empire, from 30 July 1900 to 14 November 1918. He later held multiple positions in the Nazi regime, including leader of the German Red Cross, and acted as an unofficial diplomat for the German government. Read more
19 Jul 1883: Max Fleischer, Austrian-American animator and producer (died 1972) Max Fleischer was an American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków, in Austrian Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios, which he co-founded with his younger brother Dave. He brought such comic characters as Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman to the movie screen, and was responsible for several technological innovations, including the Rotoscope, the "Follow the Bouncing Ball" technique pioneered in the Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes films, and the "Stereoptical Process". Film director Richard Fleischer was his son. Read more
19 Jul 1881: Friedrich Dessauer, German physicist and philosopher (died 1963) Friedrich Dessauer was a German physicist, a philosopher, a socially engaged entrepreneur and a journalist. Read more
19 Jul 1877: Arthur Fielder, English cricketer (died 1949) Arthur Fielder was an English cricketer who played as a fast bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team from 1900 to 1914. He played a major role in Kent's four County Championship wins in the years before World War I and toured Australia twice with the England team, making six Test match appearances. He was chosen as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1907. Read more
19 Jul 1876: Joseph Fielding Smith, American religious leader, 10th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (died 1972) Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. was an American religious leader and writer who served as the tenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1970 until his death in 1972. He was the son of former church president Joseph F. Smith and the great-nephew of church founder Joseph Smith. Read more
19 Jul 1875: Alice Dunbar Nelson, American poet and activist (died 1935) Alice Dunbar Nelson was an American poet, journalist, and political activist. Among the first generation of African Americans born free in the Southern United States after the end of the American Civil War, she was one of the prominent African Americans involved in the artistic flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance. She gained recognition for her poetry, short stories, and essays that explored themes of race, gender, and respectability; for her journalism and newspaper columns advocating for Black women’s rights and anti-lynching legislation; and for her editorial work on two influential anthologies that highlighted African American literature. Read more
19 Jul 1869: Xenophon Stratigos, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister of Transport (died 1927) Xenophon Stratigos was a Greek military officer. He played a major role in the Balkan Wars of 1912–13 and the Asia Minor Campaign of the Greco-Turkish War in 1921–22, serving also as de facto Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff in 1916–17 and in 1921. He retired from the army in September 1921 and served as Minister for Transport in 1922. Condemned to life imprisonment at the Trial of the Six, he was later pardoned and left for Switzerland, where he lived until his death. Read more
19 Jul 1868: Florence Foster Jenkins, American soprano and educator (died 1944) Florence Foster Jenkins was an American socialite and amateur coloratura soprano who became known and mocked for her flamboyant performance costumes and notably poor singing ability. Stephen Pile, in his book The Book of Heroic Failures ranked her "the world's worst opera singer … No one, before or since, has succeeded in liberating themselves quite so completely from the shackles of musical notation." Read more
19 Jul 1865: Georges Friedel, French mineralogist and crystallographer (died 1933) Georges Friedel was a French mineralogist and crystallographer. Read more
19 Jul 1865: Charles Horace Mayo, American surgeon, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic (died 1939) Charles Horace Mayo was an American medical practitioner and was one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic along with his brother William James Mayo, Augustus Stinchfield, Christopher Graham, Edward Star Judd Jr., Henry Stanley Plummer, Melvin Millet, and Donald Balfour. Read more
19 Jul 1864: Fiammetta Wilson, English astronomer (died 1920) Fiammetta Wilson was a British astronomer elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1916. Read more
19 Jul 1860: Lizzie Borden, American woman, tried and acquitted for the murders of her father and step-mother in 1892 (died 1927) Lizzie Andrew Borden was an American woman who was tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892, axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and Borden spent the remainder of her life in Fall River. She died of pneumonia at age 66, nine days before the death of her older sister Emma. Read more
19 Jul 1849: Ferdinand Brunetière, French scholar and critic (died 1906) Ferdinand Vincent-de-Paul Marie Brunetière was a French writer and critic. Read more
19 Jul 1846: Edward Charles Pickering, American astronomer and physicist (died 1919) Edward Charles Pickering was an American astronomer and physicist and the older brother of William Henry Pickering. Along with Carl Vogel, Pickering discovered the first spectroscopic binary stars. He wrote Elements of Physical Manipulations. Read more
19 Jul 1842: Frederic T. Greenhalge, English-American lawyer and politician, 38th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1896) Frederic Thomas Greenhalge was an American lawyer and politician in Massachusetts. He served in the United States House of Representatives and was the 38th governor of Massachusetts. He was elected three consecutive times, but died early in his third term. He was the state's first foreign-born governor. Read more
19 Jul 1835: Justo Rufino Barrios, Guatemalan president (died 1885) Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón was a Guatemalan politician and military general who served as President of Guatemala from 1873 to his death in 1885. He was known for his liberal reforms and his attempts to reunite Central America. During his rule, Guatemala had a close relationship with the United States. Read more
19 Jul 1834: Edgar Degas, French painter, sculptor, and illustrator (died 1917) Edgar Degas was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Read more
19 Jul 1827: Mangal Pandey, Indian soldier (died 1857) Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier who played a key role in the events that led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which resulted in the dissolution of the East India Company and the beginning of the British Raj through the Government of India Act 1858. He was a sepoy in the 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry. In 1984, the Republic of India issued a postage stamp in his memory. His life and actions have also been portrayed in several Indian cinematic productions. Read more
19 Jul 1822: Princess Augusta of Cambridge (died 1916) Princess Augusta of Cambridge was a member of the British royal family as the granddaughter of George III. She married into the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and became Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Read more
19 Jul 1819: Gottfried Keller, Swiss author, poet, and playwright (died 1890) Gottfried Keller was a Swiss poet and writer of German literature. Best known for his novel Green Henry and his cycle of novellas called Seldwyla Folks, he became one of the most popular narrators of literary realism in the late 19th century. Read more
19 Jul 1814: Samuel Colt, American businessman, founded the Colt's Manufacturing Company (died 1862) Samuel Colt was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company and made the mass production of revolvers commercially viable. Read more
19 Jul 1800: Juan José Flores, Venezuelan general and politician, 1st President of Ecuador (died 1864) Juan José Flores y Aramburu was a Venezuelan-born military general who became the first, third and fourth President of the new Republic of Ecuador. He is often referred to as "The Founder of the Republic" or "Founder of Ecuador." Read more

Notable Deaths on 19 July

19 Jul 2024: Toumani Diabaté, Malian musician (born 1965) Toumani Diabaté was a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he was involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles of music. In 2006, a panel commissioned by The Independent named him one of the fifty best African artists across media. In its obituary, The Times described him as "a bold and innovative musical visionary". Read more
19 Jul 2024: Iryna Farion, Ukrainian linguist and politician (born 1964) Iryna Dmytrivna Farion was a Ukrainian linguist and nationalist politician who served as a deputy in the Verkhovna Rada from 2012 to 2014. She served as a political member of Svoboda in 2005 until her assassination in 2024. She was a professor at the Department of Ukrainian Language at Lviv Polytechnic's Institute of Humanitarian and Social Sciences. Read more
19 Jul 2024: Kevan Gosper, Australian athlete and administrator (born 1933) Richard Kevan Gosper, AO was an Australian athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. He was a Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, and combined chairman and CEO of Shell Australia. Gosper died on 19 July 2024, at the age of 90. Read more
19 Jul 2024: Sheila Jackson Lee, American lawyer and politician (born 1950) Sheila Jackson Lee was an American lawyer and politician who was the U.S. representative for Texas's 18th congressional district, from 1995 until her death in 2024. The district includes most of central Houston. She was a member of the Democratic Party and served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council before being elected to the House. She was also co-dean of Texas's congressional delegation. Read more
19 Jul 2024: Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Vietnamese politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (born 1944) Nguyễn Phú Trọng was a Vietnamese politician and political theorist who served as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 2011 until his death. As the head of the party's Secretariat, Politburo and Central Military Commission, Trọng was Vietnam's paramount leader. From 2018 to 2021, he also served concurrently as the tenth president of Vietnam. Read more
19 Jul 2024: Ray Reardon, Welsh snooker player and police officer (born 1932) Raymond Reardon was a Welsh professional snooker player who dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning the World Snooker Championship six times and claiming more than a dozen other professional titles. Due to his dark widow's peak and prominent eye teeth, he was nicknamed "Dracula". Read more
19 Jul 2024: James C. Scott, American political scientist and anthropologist (born 1936) James Campbell Scott was an American political scientist and anthropologist specializing in comparative politics. He was a comparative scholar of agrarian and non-state societies. Read more
19 Jul 2024: Esta TerBlanche, South African actress (born 1973) Esta TerBlanche was a South African actress, best known for her roles on television soap operas in both South Africa and the United States. Read more
19 Jul 2019: Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor, director, and producer (born 1944) Rutger Oelsen Hauer was a Dutch actor, with a career that spanned over 170 roles across nearly 50 years, beginning in 1969. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Read more
19 Jul 2018: Jon Schnepp, American producer, director, voice actor, editor, writer, cartoonist, animator, and cinematographer (born 1967) Jonathan David Schnepp was an American animator, producer, director, writer, editor, voice actor, and media host. Read more
19 Jul 2018: Denis Ten, Kazakhstani figure skater (born 1993) Denis Yurievich Ten was a Kazakhstani figure skater. He was the 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World medalist, the 2015 Four Continents champion, the 2017 Winter Universiade champion, and an eight-time national champion of Kazakhstan. Read more
19 Jul 2016: Garry Marshall, American actor, director, and producer (born 1934) Garry Kent Marshall was an American screenwriter, director, producer and actor. Marshall began his career in the 1960s as a writer for The Lucy Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show until he developed the television adaptation of Neil Simon's play The Odd Couple. He rose to fame in the 1970s for creating the ABC sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984). Read more
19 Jul 2015: Van Alexander, American composer and conductor (born 1915) Van Alexander was an American bandleader, arranger, and composer. Read more
19 Jul 2015: Galina Prozumenshchikova, Ukrainian-Russian swimmer and journalist (born 1948) Galina Nikolayevna Prozumenshchikova was a Soviet breaststroke swimmer who also competed in medley relays. She won five Olympic medals in 1964, 1968 and 1972 and five European Championships medals in 1966 and 1970. Her first Olympic medal, the gold in 200 m breaststroke in 1964, was the first Olympic gold in swimming for the Soviet Union. From 1964 to 1966, she set five world records: four in 200 m and one in 100 m breaststroke events. Between 1963 and 1972, she won 15 national titles and set 27 national records. Read more
19 Jul 2015: Carmino Ravosa, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (born 1930) Carmino Ravosa was an American composer and lyricist, singer, pianist, as well as a producer, director, and musical historian. Ravosa, who wrote music for children for decades, was one of the most popular songwriters for schools in America. He was an author and editor for Silver Burdett & Ginn's music textbook series "World of Music" and "The Music Connection", and the composer of the theme musicals in the two series. Ravosa also was the songwriter for the CBS children's shows Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room, the PBS program Shining Time Station, and the PBS publication Sesame Street Magazine. Read more
19 Jul 2015: Gennadiy Seleznyov, Russian journalist and politician, 2nd Speaker of the Duma (born 1947) Gennadiy Nikolayevich Seleznyov was a Russian politician, the Chairman of the State Duma from 1996 to 2003. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Rubem Alves, Brazilian theologian (born 1933) Rubem Azevedo Alves was a Brazilian Presbyterian theologian, philosopher, educator, writer and psychoanalyst. Alves was one of the founders of Latin American liberation theology. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Skye McCole Bartusiak, American child actress and child model (born 1992) Skye McCole Bartusiak was an American child actress and child model. She appeared in The Patriot (2000), Don't Say a Word (2001), as Rose Wilder in Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder (2002), as Megan Matheson on season 2 of 24 (2002–03), Boogeyman (2005), and Kill Your Darlings (2006). Read more
19 Jul 2014: David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist and academic (born 1917) David Easton was a Canadian-born American political scientist. From 1947 to 1997, he served as a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Paul M. Fleiss, American pediatrician and author (born 1933) Paul Murray Fleiss was an American pediatrician and author known for his unconventional medical views. Fleiss was a popular and sought-after pediatrician in the Greater Los Angeles area, both among poor and middle-class patients living near his Los Feliz office and among Southern California celebrities. Fleiss was a breastfeeding and anti-circumcision advocate. He recommended but did not insist upon childhood vaccinations, and stated he could be "convinced either way" as to whether HIV causes AIDS. In 1995, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bank fraud in relation to his daughter Heidi's prostitution ring. Read more
19 Jul 2014: James Garner, American actor (born 1928) James Scott Garner was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than fifty theatrical films, including The Great Escape (1963), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Grand Prix (1966), Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969), Victor/Victoria (1982), and Murphy's Romance (1985), for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He also starred on television in Maverick and The Rockford Files. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Jerzy Jurka, Polish biologist (born 1950) Jerzy Władysław Jurka was a Polish–American computational and molecular biologist known for his pioneering work on repetitive DNA and transposable elements (TEs) in eukaryotic genomes. He served as the assistant director of research at the Linus Pauling Institute prior to founding and directing the Genetic Information Research Institute (GIRI) in Mountain View, California. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Ray King, English footballer and manager (born 1924) Raymond King was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made 278 league and cup appearances in an 11-year career in the Football League. He was the younger brother of Frank and George King. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Ingemar Odlander, Swedish journalist (born 1936) Hertur Roland Ingemar Odlander was a Swedish journalist who worked for Sveriges Television on its news programmes Aktuellt and Rapport. Between 1975 and 1978 Odlander was the first ever Swedish foreign news reporter stationed in Nairobi. From 1978 and until his death in 2014 Odlander was married to Christina Jutterström. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Harry Pougher, English cricketer (born 1941) Harry Pougher was an English cricketer. Pougher was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. Read more
19 Jul 2014: Leen Vleggeert, Dutch politician (born 1931) Leendert "Leen" Vleggeert was a Dutch politician. He served as a member of the Senate of the Netherlands between 1981 and 1983 for the Labour Party. He was also mayor of Puttershoek (1977–1982), interim-mayor of Heinenoord (1980–1982), mayor of Gorinchem (1982–1990), Spijkenisse (1990–1996) and lastly interim-mayor of Vlaardingen (2002). Read more
19 Jul 2014: John Winkin, American baseball player, coach, and journalist (born 1919) John W. Winkin Jr. was an American baseball coach, scout, broadcaster, journalist and collegiate athletics administrator. Winkin led the University of Maine Black Bears baseball team to six College World Series berths in an 11-year span. In 2007, at age 87, he was the oldest active head coach in any collegiate sport at any NCAA level. In all, 92 of his former players wound up signing professional baseball contracts. Elected to 11 different halls of fame, including the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013, he finished his college baseball coaching career in 2008 with 1,043 total wins, which ranks 52nd all-time among NCAA head coaches. He died in 2014. Read more
19 Jul 2013: Mikhail Gorsheniov, Russian singer-songwriter (born 1973) Mikhail "Gorshok" Gorsheniov was a lead singer and composer of Russian horror punk/hard rock band Korol i Shut. Read more
19 Jul 2013: Geeto Mongol, Canadian-American wrestler and trainer (born 1931) Newton Tattrie was a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Geeto Mongol. Read more
19 Jul 2013: Mel Smith, English actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1952) Melvyn Kenneth Smith was an English actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He worked on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones with his comedy partner, Griff Rhys Jones. Smith and Jones founded Talkback, which grew to be one of the United Kingdom's largest producers of television comedy and light entertainment programming. Read more
19 Jul 2013: Bert Trautmann, German footballer and manager (born 1923) Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
19 Jul 2013: Phil Woosnam, Welsh-American soccer player and manager (born 1932) Phillip Abraham Woosnam was a Welsh association football inside-right and manager. A native of Caersws, Powys, Wales, Woosnam played for numerous clubs in Wales, England and one in the United States. He played international football for Wales. He was described as a "gifted inside-forward with a pronounced football intelligence". Read more
19 Jul 2013: Peter Ziegler, Swiss geologist and academic (born 1928) Peter Alfred Ziegler was a Swiss geologist, who made contributions to the understanding of the geological evolution of Europe and the North Atlantic borderlands, of intraplate tectonics and of plate tectonic controls on the evolution and hydrocarbon potential of sedimentary basins. Ziegler's career consists of 33 years as exploration geologist with the petroleum industry, 30 of which with Shell, and 20 years of university teaching and research. Read more
19 Jul 2013: Leyla Erbil, Turkish author (born 1931) Leyla Erbil was a Turkish writer. She was one of the leading female contemporary writers of Turkey, author of six novels, three collections of short stories and a book of essays. She was the first Turkish female writer to be nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature by PEN International in 2002.
Erbil was a co-founder of the Union of Turkish Artists and the Writers Syndicate of Turkey. Read more
19 Jul 2012: Humayun Ahmed, Bangladeshi director and playwright (born 1948) Humayun Ahmed was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and academic. His breakthrough was his debut novel Nondito Noroke published in 1972. He wrote over 200 fiction and non-fiction books. He was one of the most popular authors and filmmakers in post-independence Bangladesh. Read more
19 Jul 2012: Tom Davis, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1952) Thomas James Davis was an American comedian, writer, and author. He is best known for his comedy partnership with Al Franken, as half of the comedy duo "Franken & Davis" on Saturday Night Live. Read more
19 Jul 2012: Mohammad Hassan Ganji, Iranian meteorologist and academic (born 1912) Mohammad Hassan Ganji, Ph.D. was an Iranian meteorologist and academic. He was born in Birjand. He is credited as being the father of modern geography in Iran. Read more
19 Jul 2012: Omar Suleiman, Egyptian general and politician, 16th Vice President of Egypt (born 1935) Omar Mahmoud Suleiman was an Egyptian army general, politician, diplomat, and intelligence officer. A leading figure in Egypt's intelligence system beginning in 1986, Suleiman was appointed to the long-vacant vice presidency by President Hosni Mubarak on 29 January 2011. On 11 February 2011, Suleiman announced Mubarak's resignation and ceased being vice president; governing power was transferred to the Armed Forces Supreme Council, of which Suleiman was not a member in 2011. A new head of intelligence services was appointed by the ruling Supreme Council. Suleiman withdrew from the political scene and did not appear in public after announcing Mubarak's resignation. Read more
19 Jul 2012: Sylvia Woods, American businesswoman, co-founded Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem (born 1926) Sylvia Woods was an American restaurateur who founded the restaurant Sylvia's in Harlem on Lenox Avenue, New York City with her husband, Herbert Woods, in 1962. The soul food eatery is a popular gathering place for Harlem residents and tourists not far from the Apollo Theater. Read more
19 Jul 2012: Valiulla Yakupov, Islamic cleric (born 1963) Valiulla Makhmutovich Yakupov was a prominent Muslim cleric in Tatarstan, Russia, and the deputy to the Muslim province's chief mufti. He was also known as a strong critic of radical Islamist organisations which advocate Salafism, a radical form of Islam. According to news agency Interfax, Yakupov founded Russia's first Islamic literary publishing house. Yakupov was killed by suspected radical Islamists in 2012. Read more
19 Jul 2010: Cécile Aubry, French actress, author, television screenwriter and director (born 1928) Cécile Aubry was a French film actress, author, television screenwriter and director. Read more
19 Jul 2010: Jon Cleary, Australian author and playwright (born 1917) Jon Stephen Cleary was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including The Sundowners (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and The High Commissioner (1966), the first of a long series of popular detective stories featuring Sydney Police Inspector Scobie Malone. A number of Cleary's works have been the subject of film and television adaptations. Read more
19 Jul 2009: Frank McCourt, American author and educator (born 1930) Francis McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book Angela's Ashes, a tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood. Read more
19 Jul 2009: Henry Surtees, English race car driver (born 1991) Henry John Surtees was a British racing driver and the son of John Surtees. He died during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch when he was struck by a wheel which came off another car which had spun into a wall. Read more
19 Jul 2008: Dercy Gonçalves, Brazilian comedian and actress (born 1907) Dolores Gonçalves Costa, known by her stage name Dercy Gonçalves, was a Brazilian actress, comedian and singer. In her 86-year-long career, she worked in the theater, revues, film, radio and television, becoming famous by her humorous use of vulgar language. In 1991, at the age of 84, she caused controversy by exposing her breasts while parading with a Samba school in Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval. Read more
19 Jul 2007: A. K. Faezul Huq, Bangladeshi journalist, lawyer, and politician (born 1945) Abul Kalam Faezul Huq was a Bangladeshi politician, lawyer, and columnist. He was first elected as a member of the Pakistan National Assembly from the Nazirpur-Banaripara-Sharupkati constituency for the Awami League in 1970. He served two terms in the Bangladesh Parliament, where he was state minister for jute and textiles. Read more
19 Jul 2007: Roberto Fontanarrosa, Argentinian cartoonist (born 1944) Roberto Alfredo Fontanarrosa, popularly known as El Negro Fontanarrosa, was an Argentine cartoonist, comics artist and writer. During his extended career, Fontanarrosa became one of the most acclaimed historieta artists of his country, as well as a respected fiction and short story writer. He created two hugely popular comic strips, as well as their parodic protagonists: Inodoro Pereyra, a gaucho, and Boogie, el aceitoso, a gun-for-hire. He also created the comic book Los Clásicos según Fontanarrosa, which contained a selection of humorous parodies of universal literature mainstays originally published in the magazine Chaupinela, in the 1970s. Read more
19 Jul 2006: Jack Warden, American actor (born 1920) Jack Warden was an American actor who worked in film and television. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). He received a BAFTA nomination for Shampoo, and won a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in Brian's Song (1971). Read more
19 Jul 2005: Edward Bunker, American author and screenwriter (born 1933) Edward Heward Bunker was an American author of crime fiction, screenwriter, and actor. He wrote numerous books, some of which have been adapted into films. He wrote the scripts for—and acted in—Straight Time (1978), Runaway Train (1985), and Animal Factory (2000). He also played a minor role in Reservoir Dogs (1992). Read more
19 Jul 2004: Sylvia Daoust, Canadian sculptor (born 1902) Sylvia Daoust, CM, CQ RCA was a Canadian sculptor who was one of the first female sculptors in Quebec. She studied at the Council of Arts & Manufactures and the École des Beaux-Arts, with Charles Maillard and Maurice Feliz, and later with Edwin Holgate at the Art Association of Montreal. Read more
19 Jul 2004: J. Gordon Edwards, American entomologist, mountaineer, and DDT advocate (born 1919) J. Gordon Edwards was an American entomologist and proponent of the use and safety of the pesticide DDT. He was professor of entomology at San Jose State University for 40 years, and namesake to the university's entomology museum. He was an outspoken critic of Rachel Carson and efforts to ban DDT, famously eating the substance to demonstrate its safety to humans. He was also a noted mountain climber, spending nine seasons as a ranger-naturalist in Glacier National Park during the 1940s and '50s, and returning often to collect insects and map routes. His 1961 book A Climber's Guide to Glacier National Park, republished several times since, made him known as the "patron saint of climbing" in the park, where he died while hiking, aged 84. Read more
19 Jul 2004: Francis A. Marzen, American priest and journalist (born 1924) Francis A. Marzen was a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, former editor of the Hawaii Catholic Herald and an information specialist for the City & County of Honolulu in the administration of Mayor Frank Fasi. Read more
19 Jul 2004: Zenkō Suzuki, Japanese politician, 70th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1911) Zenkō Suzuki was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1980 to 1982. Read more
19 Jul 2003: Bill Bright, American evangelist and author, founded the Campus Crusade for Christ (born 1921) William R. Bright was an American evangelist. In 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles, he founded Campus Crusade for Christ as a ministry for university students. In 1952 he wrote The Four Spiritual Laws. In 1979 he produced the film Jesus. Read more
19 Jul 2003: Pierre Graber, Swiss politician, President of the Swiss National Council (born 1908) Pierre Graber was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1970–1978). Read more
19 Jul 2002: Dave Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1952) Dave Carter was an American folk music singer-songwriter who described his style as "post-modern mythic American folk music". He was one half of the duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, who were heralded as the new "voice of modern folk music" in the months before Carter's unexpected death in July 2002. They were ranked as number one on the year-end list for "Top Artists" on the Folk Music Radio Airplay Chart for 2001 and 2002, and their popularity has endured in the years following Carter's death. Joan Baez, who went on tour with the duo in 2002, spoke of Carter's songs in the same terms that she once used to promote a young Bob Dylan:"There is a special gift for writing songs that are available to other people, and Dave's songs are very available to me. It's a kind of genius, you know, and Dylan has the biggest case of it. But I hear it in Dave's songs, too. Read more
19 Jul 2002: Alan Lomax, American historian, scholar, and activist (born 1915) Alan Lomax was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activist, oral historian, filmmaker and son of folklorist John Lomax. Lomax produced recordings, concerts, and radio shows in the U.S. and in England which played an important role in preserving folk music traditions in both countries and helped start both the American and British folk revivals of the 1940s, 1950s, and especially the early 1960s. He collected material first with his father, folklorist and collector John Lomax, and later, alone and with others. Lomax recorded thousands of songs and interviews for the Archive of American Folk Song, of which he was the director, at the Library of Congress on aluminum and acetate discs. Read more
19 Jul 1998: Elmer Valo, Polish-American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1921) Elmer William Valo, born Imrich Valo, was a Slovak American professional baseball right fielder, coach, and scout in Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Read more
19 Jul 1994: Victor Barbeau, Canadian author and academic (born 1896) Victor Barbeau, was a Quebec writer and academic. Read more
19 Jul 1992: Paolo Borsellino, Italian lawyer and judge (born 1940) Paolo Emanuele Borsellino was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian Mafia. After a long and distinguished career, culminating in the Maxi Trial in 1986–1987, on 19 July 1992, Borsellino was killed by a car bomb in Via D'Amelio, near his mother's house in Palermo. Read more
19 Jul 1990: Eddie Quillan, American actor (born 1907) Edward Quillan was an American film actor and singer whose career began as a child on the vaudeville stages and silent film and continued through the age of television in the 1980s. Read more
19 Jul 1989: Kazimierz Sabbat, Polish businessman and politician, President of the Republic of Poland (born 1913) Kazimierz Aleksander Sabbat, was President of Poland-in-exile from 8 April 1986 until his death, 19 July 1989, after serving as Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile. Read more
19 Jul 1985: Janusz Zajdel, Polish author (born 1938) Janusz Andrzej Zajdel was a Polish science fiction author, second in popularity in Poland to Stanisław Lem. His major genres were social science fiction and dystopia. His main recurring theme involved the gloomy prospects for a space environment into which mankind carried totalitarian ideas and habits: Red Space Republics, or Space Labor Camps, or both. His heroes desperately try to find meaning in the world around them. Read more
19 Jul 1984: Faina Ranevskaya, Russian actress (born 1896) Faina Georgiyevna Ranevskaya was a Soviet actress. She is recognized as one of the greatest Soviet actresses in both tragedy and comedy. She was also famous for her aphorisms. Read more
19 Jul 1984: Aziz Sami, Iraqi writer and translator (born 1895) Aziz Sami Bey Abi-Samim was an Iraqi writer and translator. Born in Kirkuk, then part of the Ottoman Empire he moved to Istanbul to continue his studies and taught in schools in various parts of the Ottoman Empire, before ending up in Iraq upon the empire's disintegration. He held several government positions in the Ministries of Finance and Education. After the 14 July Revolution moved to the Institute of Fine Arts as dean there. Read more
19 Jul 1982: Hugh Everett III, American physicist and mathematician (born 1930) Hugh Everett III was an American physicist who proposed the relative state interpretation of quantum mechanics. This influential approach later became the basis of the many-worlds interpretation (MWI). Everett's theory dropped the wave function collapse postulate of quantum measurement theory, incorporating the observer in the same quantum state as the observation result. The quantum statistic becomes a measure of the branching of the universal wave function. Read more
19 Jul 1981: Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (born 1919) Roger Doucet was a Canadian tenor best known for singing the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", at televised games of the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Alouettes, and Montreal Expos during the 1970s. He was particularly known for his bilingual version of the anthem, which began in French and ended in English, in recognition of the two languages of Canada. Read more
19 Jul 1980: Margaret Craven, American journalist and author (born 1901) Margaret Craven was an American writer. Read more
19 Jul 1980: Nihat Erim, Turkish jurist and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1912) İsmail Nihat Erim was a Turkish politician and jurist. He served as the 13th prime minister of Turkey for almost 14 months after the 1971 Turkish military memorandum. He was assassinated by the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front in Istanbul in 1980. Read more
19 Jul 1980: Hans Morgenthau, German-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (born 1904) Hans Joachim Morgenthau was a German-American jurist and political scientist who was one of the major 20th-century figures in the study of international relations. Morgenthau's works belong to the tradition of realism in international relations theory; he is usually considered among the most influential realists of the post-World War II period. Morgenthau made landmark contributions to international relations theory and the study of international law. His Politics Among Nations, first published in 1948, went through five editions during his lifetime and was widely adopted as a textbook in U.S. universities. While Morgenthau emphasized the centrality of power and "the national interest," the subtitle of Politics Among Nations—"the struggle for power and peace"—indicates his concern not only with the struggle for power but also with the ways in which it is limited by ethical and legal norms. Read more
19 Jul 1977: Karl Ristikivi, Estonian geographer, author, and poet (born 1912) Karl Ristikivi was an Estonian writer. He is known as one of the best Estonian writers for his historical novels. Read more
19 Jul 1975: Lefty Frizzell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1928) William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell was an American country and honky-tonk singer-songwriter. Read more
19 Jul 1975: John Alan Coey, American mercenary and medic in the Rhodesian Bush War John Alan Coey was a U.S. Marine who served in the Rhodesian Army as one of the "Crippled Eagles", a loosely organised group of U.S. expatriates fighting for the unrecognized government of Rhodesia during that country's Bush War. A devout Christian, vitriolic anti-communist, he was the first American fatality of the war. He moved to Rhodesia to join its army in 1972, the day after graduating from college in his home town of Columbus, Ohio, and served until he was killed in action in 1975. He kept a journal throughout his service that was posthumously published as A Martyr Speaks. Read more
19 Jul 1974: Ernő Schwarz, Hungarian-American soccer player and coach (born 1904) Ernő Schwarz or Schwarcz was a Hungarian American soccer player, coach and promoter who served as head coach of the United States men's national soccer team. He played professionally in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria and the United States, earning two caps, scoring two goals, with the Hungarian national team in 1922. Schwarz founded, owned, managed and played for the New York Americans in the first and second American Soccer Leagues. He was also the ASL and International Soccer League vice president. His daughter was married to United States national team player Ben Zinn. Read more
19 Jul 1969: Stratis Myrivilis, Greek soldier and author (born 1890) Efstratios Stamatopoulos was a Greek writer. He is known for writing novels, novellas, and short stories under the pseudonym Stratis Myrivilis. He is associated with the "Generation of the '30s". He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times. Read more
19 Jul 1967: John T. McNaughton, United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and an advisor to Robert McNamara (born 1921) John Theodore McNaughton was an American government official who was United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Robert S. McNamara's closest advisor. He died in a plane crash at age 45, just before he was to become Secretary of the Navy. Read more
19 Jul 1967: Odell Shepard, American poet and politician, 66th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (born 1884) Odell Shepard was an American professor, poet, and politician who was the 86th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1941 to 1943. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1938. Read more
19 Jul 1965: Syngman Rhee, South Korean journalist and politician, 1st President of South Korea (born 1875) Syngman Rhee, also known by his art name Unam, was a Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 until his resignation in 1960. His administration was characterised by authoritarianism, limited economic development, and in the late 1950s growing political instability and public opposition to his rule. Rhee previously was the first president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea from 1919 until his impeachment in 1925 and again as the last president from 1947 to 1948. Read more
19 Jul 1963: William Andrew, English priest (born 1884) William Shaw Andrew MC was an Anglican priest in the mid 20th Century. Read more
19 Jul 1947: U Razak, Burmese educator and politician (born 1898) U Razak was a Burmese politician and an educationalist. Of mixed Bamar-Indian ancestry, he was a cabinet minister in Aung San's pre-independence interim government, and was assassinated on 19 July 1947 along Sung San and six other cabinet ministers. July 19 is commemorated each year as Martyrs' Day in Myanmar. Razak was Minister of Education and National Planning, and was chairman of the Burma Muslim Congress. Read more
19 Jul 1947: Aung San, Burmese general and politician (born 1915) Aung San was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his goal was realized. Aung San is considered to be the founder of modern-day Myanmar and the Tatmadaw, and is commonly referred to by the titles "Father of the Nation", "Father of Independence", and "Father of the Tatmadaw". Read more
19 Jul 1947: Lyuh Woon-hyung, South Korean politician (born 1886) Lyuh Woon-hyung, also known by his art name Mongyang, was a Korean independence activist and reunification activist. Read more
19 Jul 1943: Yekaterina Budanova, Russian captain and pilot (born 1916) Yekaterina Vasilyevna Budanova, nicknamed Katya (Катя), was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II. Usually credited with five or more aerial victories, along with Lydia Litvyak, she is often considered one of the world's two female fighter aces. She was shot down by either Luftwaffe ace Georg Schwientek of JG 52 or ace Emil Bitsch, of JG 3. Read more
19 Jul 1943: Carlo Zangarini, Italian poet and opera librettist (born 1873) Carlo Zangarini i was an Italian librettist, poet, and academic. He lived his entire life in the city of Bologna, and is best remembered today for penning the libretti for the operas La fanciulla del West (1910) by composer Giacomo Puccini, I gioielli della Madonna (1911) by composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, and Conchita (1911) by Riccardo Zandonai. Read more
19 Jul 1941: Špiro Bocarić, Serbian painter, victim of Genocide of Serbs Spiridon "Špiro" Bocarić was a Serb painter. Read more
19 Jul 1939: Rose Hartwick Thorpe, American poet and author (born 1850) Rose Hartwick Thorpe was an American poet and writer, remembered largely for the narrative poem, Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight (1867), which gained national popularity and circulated abroad in a number of translations. Other poems followed, among them being "The Station Agent's Story", "Red Cross", and "In a Mining Town". Although a busy and prolific author, she was ill for some years. In 1888, she and her family moved to San Diego, California, living in Rosemere, Pacific Beach. Thorpe gave San Diego's "False Bay" the new moniker "Mission Bay" in a poem published in 1888 in The Golden Era; the name persists today. Read more
19 Jul 1933: Kaarle Krohn, Finnish historian and academic (born 1863) Kaarle Krohn was a Finnish folklorist, professor and developer of the geographic-historic method of folklore research. He was born into the influential Krohn family of Helsinki. Krohn is best known outside of Finland for his contributions to international folktale research. He devoted most of his life to the study of the epic poetry that forms the basis for the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. Read more
19 Jul 1930: Robert Stout, Scottish-New Zealand politician, 13th Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1844) Sir Robert Stout was a New Zealand politician who was the 13th premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand. He was the only person to hold both these offices. He was noted for his support of liberal causes such as women's suffrage, and for his strong belief that philosophy and theory should always triumph over political expediency. Read more
19 Jul 1925: John Indermaur, British lawyer (born 1851) John Indermaur was a British lawyer and legal writer, with his writing focus was on common law. He is known for having written An Epitome of Leading Common Law Cases in 1875, Principles of Common Law in 1876, and The Student's Guide to Trusts and Partnerships in 1885. Read more
19 Jul 1913: Clímaco Calderón, Colombian lawyer and politician, 15th President of Colombia (born 1852) Clímaco Calderón Reyes was a Colombian lawyer and politician, who became 15th President of Colombia for one day, following the death of President Francisco Javier Zaldúa. Read more
19 Jul 1896: Abraham H. Cannon, American publisher and religious leader (born 1859) Abraham Hoagland Cannon was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read more
19 Jul 1882: John William Bean, English criminal and failed regicide (born 1824) John William Bean was a British criminal and mental patient. He was most known for attempting in 1842 to assassinate Queen Victoria with a gun loaded with paper and tobacco. Born a dwarf with a hunchback, Bean shot at the Queen because he wanted to be transported to a penal colony as he was unhappy with his life in England. Instead he was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for misdemeanour assault. Bean died in 1882 after committing suicide. Read more
19 Jul 1878: Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1847) Yegor (Egor) Ivanovich Zolotaryov was a Russian mathematician. Read more
19 Jul 1857: Stefano Franscini, Swiss statistician and politician (born 1796) Stefano Franscini was a Swiss politician and statistician. He was one of the initial members of the Swiss Federal Council elected in 1848 and Switzerland's first native Italian speaking federal councillor. Franscini was affiliated to the Liberal Radical Party of Switzerland. During his office tenure he held the Department of Home Affairs. Important elements of his political legacy include political reforms in the Ticino during the 1830s and 1840s, Switzerland's first federal population census in 1850, and the creation of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in 1854/1855. Read more
19 Jul 1855: Konstantin Batyushkov, Russian poet and translator (born 1787) Konstantin Nikolayevich Batyushkov was a Russian poet, essayist and translator of the Romantic era. He also served in the diplomatic corps, spending an extended period in 1818 and 1819 as a secretary to the Russian diplomatic mission at Naples. Read more
19 Jul 1850: Margaret Fuller, American journalist and critic (born 1810) Sarah Margaret Fuller, sometimes referred to as Margaret Fuller Ossoli, was an American journalist, editor, critic, translator, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movement. She was the first American female war correspondent and full-time book reviewer in journalism. Her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century is considered the first major feminist work in the United States. Read more
19 Jul 1838: Pierre Louis Dulong, French physicist and chemist (born 1785) Pierre Louis Dulong FRS FRSE was a French physicist and chemist. He is remembered today largely for the law of Dulong and Petit, although he was much-lauded by his contemporaries for his studies into the elasticity of steam, conduction of heat, and specific heats of gases. He worked most extensively on the specific heat capacity and the expansion and refractive indices of gases. His collaboration with Alexis Thérèse Petit led to the discovery of the Dulong–Petit law on heat capacity. Read more
19 Jul 1824: Agustín de Iturbide, Mexican general and emperor (born 1783) Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu, commonly known as Agustín de Iturbide and later by his regnal name Agustín I, was the first Emperor of Mexico from 1822 until his abdication in 1823. Read more
19 Jul 1814: Matthew Flinders, English navigator and cartographer (born 1774) Captain Matthew Flinders was an English Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to utilise the name Australia to describe the entirety of that continent including Van Diemen's Land, a title he regarded as being "more agreeable to the ear" than previous names such as Terra Australis. Read more
19 Jul 1810: Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prussian queen (born 1776) Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III. The couple's happy, though short-lived, marriage produced nine children, including the future monarchs Frederick William IV of Prussia and William I, German Emperor. Read more

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