April 19th
1775
The "shot heard around the world" was fired. Colonial Minute Men took on British Army regulars at Lexington and Concord, Mass., starting the American Revolution.
1882
Naturalist Charles Darwin, developer of the theory of evolution, died at age 73.
1897
The first Boston Marathon was run.
1933
The United States went off the gold standard.
1943
The Warsaw ghetto uprising began, one of the first mass rebellions against the Nazis.
1960
Baseball uniforms began displaying player's names on their backs.
1971
Charles Manson is sentenced to death for the Sharon Tate murders.
1987
The Simpsons premieres as a short cartoon on The Tracey Ullman Show
1992
English comedian, actor and singer Benny Hill died at age 68.
1993
The siege at Waco, Texas, ended when FBI moved into the Branch Davidian compound with tear gas and cult members set fire to the compound killing over 80 people.
1995
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., was destroyed by a car bomb. 168 people, including 19 children were killed in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history up to that time.
1999
Cal Ripken Jr. (Baltimore Orioles) was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his 19 year career. He was suffering from a back problem.
Birthdays
84 Hugh O'Brian Actor
72 Elinor Donahue Actress ("Father Knows Best")
67 Alan Price Rock musician (The Animals)
66 Jack Roush Racing entrepreneur
63 Tim Curry Actor
62 Mark "Flo" Volman Singer (The Turtles, Flo and Eddie)
57 Tony Plana Actor ("Ugly Betty")
55 Bob Rock Record producer & musician
47 Al Unser, Jr. Race car driver
46
BirdDok Cigar Asylum Inmate
44 Suge Knight Record company executive (Tha Row)
41 Ashley Judd Actress
40 Jesse James Television personality and motorcycle builder
31 James Franco Actor ("Milk," "Spider-Man")
30 Kate Hudson Actress
28 Hayden Christensen Actor
28 Catalina Sandino Moreno Actress
28 Troy Polamalu Football player
22 Courtland Mead Actor
22 Maria Sharapova Tennis player
72 Roger Sherman 4/19/1721 - 7/23/1793 American statesman and signer of the Declaration of Independence
54 Eliot Ness 4/19/1903 - 5/16/1957 American crime fighter; headed the "Untouchables" in Chicago
34 Jayne Mansfield 4/19/1933 - 6/29/1967 American motion picture actress
66 Dudley Moore 4/19/1935 - 3/27/2002 English actor, comedian and musician