On This Day in History - July 19th - Almanac

Today is Wednesday, July 19, the 200th day of 2017 with 165 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning star is Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include American firearms inventor Samuel Colt in 1814; French painter Edgar Degas in 1834; Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic, in 1865; author A.J. Cronin in 1896; former U.S. Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota (1972 Democratic presidential nominee) in 1922; former CIA agent-turned-author Philip Agee in 1935; singer Vikki Carr in 1941 (age 76); tennis Hall of Fame member Ilie Nastase in 1946 (age 71); musician Bernie Leadon (Eagles) in 1947 (age 70); Queen guitarist Brian May in 1947 (age 70); actor Anthony Edwards in 1962 (age 55); sportscaster Stuart Scott in 1965; actor Benedict Cumberbatch in 1976 (age 41); actor Jared Padalecki in 1982 (age 35); actor Trai Byers in 1983 (age 34); basketball player LaMarcus Aldridge in 1985 (age 32).

On this date in history:

In 1848, "bloomers," a radical departure in women's clothing, were introduced to the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y. They were named after Amelia Jenks Bloomer.

In 1911, Pennsylvania became the first U.S. state to pass laws censoring movies.

In 1946, Marilyn Monroe was given her first screen test at Twentieth Century-Fox Studios. Even without sound, the test was enough to earn Monroe her first contract.

In 1969, John Fairfax of Britain arrived at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to become the first person to row across the Atlantic alone.

In 1989, a crippled DC-10 jetliner crash-landed in a cornfield in Sioux City, Iowa. One-hundred-eighty-four of the 296 people aboard survived.

In 1991, boxer Mike Tyson raped a contestant in the Miss Black America pageant in Indianapolis. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, but was convicted in 1992.

In 1993, the Pentagon announced its "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy toward homosexuals in the U.S. military.

In 1996, the Summer Olympics opened in Atlanta with a record 197 countries taking part.

In 1997, the IRA declared a cease-fire in its long war to force Britain out of Northern Ireland.

In 2005, U.S. Appeals Court Judge John Roberts was nominated by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Supreme Court, replacing Sandra Day O'Connor, who resigned. After the death of William Rehnquist, Roberts' nomination was changed to make him chief justice.

In 2007, on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at more than 14,000 for the first time.

In 2010, a speeding express train slammed into the rear of a train preparing to leave a West Bengal station in India, killing more than 60 people and injuring about 100 others.

In 2012, the U.S. Defense Department said military personnel would be permitted to march in uniform in a San Diego Gay Pride Parade.

In 2013, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a "hard decision" on asylum-seekers. In the future, he said, the so-called boat people would be sent to Papua New Guinea.

In 2014, actor James Garner, a star in many movies and the TV hits Maverick and The Rockford Files, died at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86.

A thought for the day: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." -- Mark Twain