Major Events

1770 British explorer Captain James Cook first sights Australia. Writes in his log book that "what we have as yet seen of this land appears rather low, and not very hilly, the face of the Country green and Woody, but the Sea shore is all a white Sand."

The Shot Heard Round the World

1775 American Revolution begins in Lexington, Massachusetts, with the "Shot Heard Round the World" fired later that day in Concord

1995 Oklahoma City bombing: Timothy McVeigh sets a truck bomb at Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168. including 19 children, and injuring 500

2011 Fidel Castro resigns his position of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba after 45 years in power [1]

More April 19 Events

Apr 19 in Film & TV

1934 Shirley Temple appears in her 1st feature length film, "Stand Up & Cheer"

Apr 19 in Music

1963 Johnny Cash releases single "Ring of Fire" written by his future wife June Carter and Merle Kilgore

Apr 19 in Sport

1897 1st Boston Marathon (B.A.A. Road Race), won by John J. McDermott in 2:55:10; the world's oldest annual marathon inspired by success of the first marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics