Events on Apr 19
- 0607Comet 1P / 607 H1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0898 AUs of Earth
- 1451Alam Shah of Delhi resigns throne
- 1524Pope Clemens VII fires Netherlands Inquisitor-General French Van de Holly
- 15292nd Parliament of Spiers bans Lutheranism
- 1539Charles, protestant German monarch, signs Treaty of Frankrfurt
- 1552Mauritius of Saksen captures Karel
- 1587Sir Frances Drake sails into Cadiz Spain and sinks Spanish fleet
- 1591Chartres surrenders to King Henri IV in France
- 1619Theatrum Anatomicum opens in Amsterdam
- 1713Emperor Karel VI ends Pragmatic Sanctions
- 1770Amsterdam buys Van Aerssens family 1 / 3 part of Suriname
- 1770Captain James Cook 1st sees Australia
- 1774CW Glucks opera "Iphigenia in Aulis, " premieres in Paris
- 1775Minutemen Captain John Parker orders not to fire unless fired upon
- 1775Revolution begins-Lexington Common, shot "heard round the world"
- 1782Netherlands recognizes US
- 182533 patriotic exiles return to Uruguay
- 1837Cheyney University forms as the Institute for Colored Youth
- 1839Treaty of London constitutes Belgium an independent kingdom and Luxembourg a Grand Duchy
- 1852California Historical Society forms
- 1853Netherlands Van Hall government forms
- 1861Baltimore riots-4 soldiers, 9 civilians killed
- 1861Lincoln orders blockade of Confederate ports (Civil War)
- 1863Union troops / fleet occupy For Huger, Virginia
- 1864Naval Engagement at Cherbourg, FR: USS Kearsage vs. CSS Alabama
- 1874Barracks on Alcatraz Island destroyed in fire
- 1877Opera "Les Cloches de Cornerville" is produced (Paris)
- 1890Henry Morton Stanley inaugurated in Brussels
- 1892Charles Duryea takes 1st American-made auto out for a spin (Mass)
- 18971st American marathon ran, John J McDermott wins in 2:55:10 (Boston)
Born on Apr 19
- 1320Pedro I: King of Portugal (1357-67)
- 1605Orazio Benevoli: Composer
- 1660Sebastian Duron: Composer
- 1700Georg Abraham Schneider: Composer
- 1715James Nares: Composer
- 1721Roger Sherman: Signer (Declaration of Independence, Constitution)
- 1728Francisco Albergati Capacelli: Italian playwright
- 1737Geert Reinders: Dutch cattle breeder / inoculation propagandist
- 1768Adrian H Haworth: English entomologist / Botanist
- 1771Giuseppe Cartufo: Composer
- 1772David Ricardo: Economist
- 1785Alexandre Pierre Francois Boely: Composer
- 1795Christian Gottfried Ehrenburg: German zoologist
- 1798Franz Joseph Glaser: Composer
- 1798Heinrich Maria von Hess: Historical painter
- 1801Gustav T Fechner [Dr Mises]: German philosopher / physicist
- 1817John Philip: Painter
- 1821Mortimer Dormer Leggett: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
- 1830Rudolf Cornely: German bible expert / Jesuit
- 1832Jose Echegaray y Eizaguirre: Mathematician / dramatist (Nobel 1904)
- 1832Lucretia Rudolph Garfield: 1st lady (1881)
- 1840Andrea Bezzola: Writer
- 1850Edward John Gregory: Painter / engraver
- 1850Theo Mann-Bouwmeester: Dutch actress (Pink Bernd, Hedda Gabler)
- 1857Lucien Levy-Bruhl: Philosopher
- 1858May Robson [Mary J Robison]: Melbourne, Victoria -- Actress (Apple Annie)
- 1858Siegfried Ochs: Composer
- 1861Warden Oncle [Edward Vermeulen]: Flemish farmer / writer
- 1866Henri WA Deterding: Dutch oil magnate (Royal Oil, Shell)
- 1868Max Von Schillings: German composer / conductor (Der Pfeifertag)
Died on Apr 19
- 0843Judith: French empress / 2nd Wife of Louis de Vrome
- 1044Gothelo: Duke of Neth-Lotharingen
- 1054Leo IX [Bruno von Egesheim und Dagsburg]: Pope (1049-54), dies at 51
- 1390Robert II: King of Scotland
- 1529John Cuspinianus [Spiessheimer]: German physician, dies at about 55
- 1560Philipp Melanchton (Schwazerd): Church reformer, dies at 63
- 1567Michael Stifel: German Theologist / mathematician, dies at about 79
- 1588Paolo Veronese (Cagliari): Painter
- 1608Earl of Dorset: Poet / statesman
- 1645Anton van Diemen: Governor-General (Netherlands East Indies), dies at about 51
- 1689Christina: Queen of Sweden (1644-54)
- 1706Galenus Abrahamsz de Haen: Dutch baptist leader
- 1739Nicholas Saunderson: Mathematician
- 1768Filippo della Valle: Italian sculptor, dies at about 70
- 1770Esprit Joseph Antoine Blanchard: Composer, dies at 74
- 1772Johann Peter Kellner: Composer, dies at 66
- 1773Florian Johann Deller: Composer, dies at 43
- 1776Jacob Israel Emden [Jacob ben Tswi]: German rabbi, dies at 78
- 1799Pieter Hellendaal: Violinist / Organist / Composer (Glees), dies at 78
- 1813Benjamin Rush: Physician / abolotionist (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 67
- 1824George Gorden Noel "Lord" Byron: Poet, dies at 36
- 1852Vasili A Zjukovski: Russian folk Poet / translator (Homerus), dies at 69
- 1862Louis Powell Harvey: US Governor of Wisconsin, drowns
- 1862Simon Fraser: Canadian explorer
- 1870Andreas Schelfhout: Painter / etcher / lithographer, dies at 83
- 1870Camille Marie Stamaty: Composer, dies at 59
- 1870William Henry Havergal: Composer, dies at 77
- 1874Owen Jones: Architect
- 1876Samuel Sebastian Wesley: Composer, dies at 65
- 1881Benjamin Disraeli: 1st Earl (Beaconsfield) / Novelist
Historical events on April 20
- 0850Guntherus becomes Bishop of Cologne
- 11392nd Lateran Council (10th ecumenical council) opens in Rome
- 1505Jews are expelled from Orange Burgandy by Philibert of Luxembourg
- 1551John Dudley becomes English Earl Marshal
- 1650VOC-management sets new guidelines
- 1653Cromwell routes English parliament to house
- 1657Battle in Santa Cruz Bay, Tenerife: English fleet under Robert Blake sinks Spanish silver fleet
- 1702Comet C / 1702 H1 approaches within 0.0437 AUs of Earth
- 1770Captain Cook arrives in New South Wales
- 1775British begin siege of Boston
- 1777New York adopts new constitution as an independent state
- 1792France declares war on Austria, Prussia and Sardinia
- 1799Napoleon issues a decree calling for establishing Jerusalem for Jews
- 1809Napoleon I defeats Austria at Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria
- 1836Territory of Wisconsin created
- 1853Harriet Tubman starts Underground Railroad
- 1861Battle of Norfolk, Virginia
- 1861Colonel Robert E Lee resigns from Union army
- 18713rd Enforcement Act (President can suspend writ of habeas corpus)
- 1872San Francisco Bar Association organized
- 18791st mobile home (horse drawn) used in a journey from London and Cyprus
- 1884Pope Leo XIII encyclical "On Freemasonry"
- 1888246 reported killed by hail in Moradabad, India
- 1894136,000 mine workers strike in Ohio for pay increase
- 1898US Assay Office in Deadwood, South Dakota opens
- 1902Marie and Pierre Curie isolate radioactive element radium
- 19037th Boston Marathon won by John Lorden of Mass in 2:41:29.8
- 1903New York Highlanders play their 1st game, with Jack Chesbro losing 3-1 to Al Orth and Washington
- 1904Louisiana Purchase Exposition opens in St. Louis
- 190812th Boston Marathon won by Tom Morrissey of New York in 2:25:43.2
Born on April 20
- 1494John Agricola [Schneider]: German theologist / Prime Minister
- 1592John Eliot: St. Germans, Cornwall -- English MP / author
- 1594Matthaus Apelles von Lowenstern: Composer
- 1705Balthasar Schmid: Composer
- 1725Johann Friedrich Kloffler: Composer
- 1726Jozef de Ferraris: French / Austrian Earl / General / cartographer
- 1745Philippe Pinel: Physician (founder of psychiatry)
- 1748Georg Michael Telemann: Composer
- 1748Guillaume Albert Teniers: Composer
- 1761Johann Gottlieb Karl Spazier: Composer
- 1808Louis-Napoleon [Napoleon III]: Emperor of France (1852-71)
- 1809John Smith Preston: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1881
- 1824Alfred Holt Colquitt: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1894
- 1826Dina M Craik: Writer
- 1827John Gibbon: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
- 1839Carol I: King of Romania (1881-1914)
- 1850Daniel Chester: French / American sculptor (Minute Man)
- 1857Charles LP "Philip" Zilcken: Painter / author (HW Knife Day)
- 1857Hermann Bang: Writer
- 1858Auguste Chapuis: Composer
- 1860Charles Gordon Curtis: US attorney / inventor (Curtis Turbine)
- 1860Pieter Jelles Troelstra: Dutch MP (SDAP)
- 1866Victor Hollaender: Composer
- 1870Simeon Roncal: Composer
- 1871William Henry Davies: Wales, United Kingdom -- Poet (Autobiography of a Super Tramp)
- 1876Gerard J Arbous: Actor / publicist (Prince William of Orange)
- 1879Robert Lynd: Irish writer / critic (Pleasures of Ignorance)
- 1881Nikolai Miaskovsky: Novogeorievsk, Poland -- Composer (Kirov is With Us)
- 1881Sem Dresden: Composer / conductor
- 1893Harold Lloyd: Burchard, Nebraska -- Silent comic (Why Worry, Safety Last)
Died on April 20
- 1164Victor IV [Ottaviano Montecello]: Italian antipope (1159-64)
- 1314Clement V [Bertrand Got]: Pope (1305-14) move papacy to Avignon
- 1317Agnes van Montepulciano: Italian mystic / saint
- 1534Elizabeth Barton [St Magd van Kent]: British prophet
- 1632Nicolas Antione: Converted to Judiasm, burned at the stake
- 1643Christoph Demantius: Composer, dies at 75
- 1662Gerard Terborch [the Elder]: Painter
- 1695Georg Caspar Weckler: Composer, dies at 63
- 1768Giovanni AC Canaletto: Italian Painter / cartoonist (Rialto), dies at 70
- 1769Pontiac: Indian chief to Ottawa, murdered
- 1786John Goodricke: English deaf and dumb astronomer, dies at 21
- 1812George Clinton: 4th US VP, dies at 73, 1st VP to die in office
- 1820Arthur Young: Author (Annals of Agriculture)
- 1821Franz K Achard: German physicist / chemist, dies at 67
- 1836Johan I Jozef: Monarch of Liechtenstein / Field Marshal, dies at 75
- 1839Giuseppe Rossini: Father of Italian Composer Gioacchino Rossini
- 1869Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe: Composer, dies at 72
- 1869Piotr Studzinski: Composer, dies at 42
- 1872Ljudwit Gaj: Croatian writer / Poet (Pjesma iz Zagorja), dies at 62
- 1900Mebel Mercer: Popular British singer
- 1906Australian wombat; oldest known marsupial: Dies in London Zoo at 26
- 1908Henry Chadwick: Sports reporter (baseball), dies at 85
- 1912Bram Stoker: Irish theater manager / writer (Dracula)
- 1932Giuseppe Peano: Mathematician
- 1935Juliaan de Vriendt: Flemish painter, dies at 92
- 1941Barend ter Haar: Dutch lawyer, dies in Buchenwald at 49
- 1947Christian X: King of Denmark (1912-47), dies at 76
- 1953Erich Weinert: Writer, dies at 62
- 1956Jaap Vranken: Organist / Composer (Stabat mater)
- 1956Lieven Duvosel: Flemish music Composer (Levensschets), dies at 78
Events on Apr 21
- 0953Otto I the Great gives Utrecht fishing rights
- 1420Treaty of Saint Maartens Dike
- 1453Turkish fleet sinks ships Golden Receiver in Constantinople
- 1509Henry the VIII becomes King of England
- 1521Battle at Villalar: Emperor Charles I beats Communards
- 1526Battle at Panipat: Mogol Emperor Babur beats Sultan Ibrahim Lodi
- 1572France and England sign anti-Spanish military covenant
- 1649Maryland Toleration Act passed, allowing all freedom of worship
- 1654England and Sweden sign trade agreement
- 1689William III and Mary Stuart proclaimed King and Queen of England
- 1739Spain and Naples-Austria sign peace accord
- 1785Russian tsarina Catharina II ends noble privileges
- 1789John Adams sworn in as 1st US VP (9 days before Washington)
- 1794New York City formally declares coast of Ellis Island publically owned, so they can build forts to protect NYC from British
- 1828Noah Webster publishes 1st American dictionary
- 1857Alexander Douglas patents the bustle
- 1862Congress establishes US Mint in Denver, Colorado
- 1878New York installs 1st firehouse pole
- 1878Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Inscrutabili
- 1878Ship Azor leaves Charleston with 206 blacks for Liberia
- 1884Potters Field reopened as Madison Park
- 1892Black Longshoremen strike for higher wages in St. Louis, Missouri
- 1898Spanish-American War begins
- 1904Ty Cobb makes his pro debut for Augusta (South Atlantic League)
- 1910Cleveland Naps play 1st game at League Park, lose to Detroit Tigers 5-0
- 1913German passenger ship Imperator runs aground
- 1913Gideon Sundback of Sweden patents the zipper
- 1914US marines occupy Vera Cruz, Mexico, stay 6 months
- 1925Chuvash Autonomous Region in RSFSR becomes Chuvash ASSR
- 1930Fire at Ohio State Penitentiary kills 322
Born on Apr 21
- 1488Ulrich von Hutten: German poet / humanist / patriot
- 1546Arcangelo Crivelli: Composer
- 1619John A van Riebeeck: Colonial director / founder (Cape Colony)
- 1672Johann Philipp Kafer: Composer
- 1713Louis Duke de Noailles: Marshal of France
- 1729Catharina II [the Great]: Writer / emperess of Russia (1762-96)
- 1730Antonin Kammel: Composer
- 1749Johann Michael Malzat: Composer
- 1774Jean-Baptiste Biot: French physicist / astronomer (balloonist)
- 1775Alexander Anderson: United States -- Engraver / illustrator (Shakespeare)
- 1779William Knyvett: Composer
- 1795Vincenzo Pallotti: Italian Saint
- 1803Levin Minn Powell: Commander (Union Navy), died in 1885
- 1806Peter van Schendel: Dutch painter
- 1809Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter: Secy State (Confederacy)
- 1814Beni Egressy: Composer
- 1816Louis Trezevant Wigfall: Confederate Army, died in 1874
- 1824Anselmo Clave: Composer
- 1828Hippolyte Taine: French philosopher / historian (Voyage in Italy)
- 1834William Rufus Terrill: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1862
- 1837Fredrik Bajer: Denmark -- Politican / feminist / pacifist (Nobel 1908)
- 1840Franz Xaver Haberl: German priest / musicologist (Magister choralis)
- 1849Oskar Hertwig: Germany -- Embryologist - discovered fertilization
- 1853Charles-Theodore Malherbe: Composer
- 1854Eusapia Palladino: Napolitanse with parergische phenomenons
- 1854Wladyslaw Rzepko: Composer
- 1864Max Weber: German sociologist / economist / historian (Ancient Judaism)
- 1867Benjamin A Jesurun: Antillian literary
- 1871Leo Blech: Composer
- 1871Vojtech Rihovsky: Composer
Died on Apr 21
- 1073Alexander II [Anselmo da Baggio]: Pope (1061-73)
- 1109Anselmus: Philosopher / Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1509Henry VII: 1st Tudor King of England (1485-1509), dies at 52
- 1552Peter Apianus [Bennewitz / Bienewitz]: German astronomer, dies at 50
- 1652Pietro Della Valle: Composer, dies at 66
- 1696Andres de Sola: Composer, dies at 61
- 1730Jan Palfijn: Flemish Physician / inventor (forceps), dies at 79
- 1736Frans Eugenius: Duke / prince of Savoye, dies at 72
- 1871Elisabeth Grube: Writer
- 1878Temistocle Solera: Composer, dies at 62
- 1898Louis Theodore Gouvy: Composer, dies at 78
- 1899Heinrich Kiepert: German cartographer / geographer, dies at 80
- 1900Heinrich Vogl: Composer, dies at 55
- 1910Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens]: Auther (Huckleberry Finn), dies at 74
- 1918"Red Baron" [Manfred von Richtofen]: Shot down in WWI at 25
- 1924Eleanora Duse: Ital actress (La Gioconda, La Locandiera), dies at 64
- 1930Christine [Elizabeth C] Poolman: Dutch actress (Mother), dies at 79
- 1930Robert S Bridges: Poet laureate (Testament of beauty), dies at 85
- 1938Muhammad Iqbal: Brt E Indies lawyer / Pakistan national hero, dies at 65
- 1939Herman Finck: Composer, dies at 66
- 1946John M Keynes: English economist (How to pay for the war?), dies at 62
- 1948Carlos Lopez Buchardo: Composer, dies at 66
- 1952[Richard] Stafford Cripps: English Minister of Plane-manufacturing, dies at 62
- 1952Leslie Banks: Actor (Henry V, 21 Days, Eye Witness), dies at 61
- 1961James Melton: Opera tenor (Ford Festival), dies at 57
- 1962Frederick Handley Page: Designer of 1st big airplane (40 seats)
- 1965Edward V Appleton: English physicist (Nobel Prize 1947), dies at 72
- 1968Norman Demuth: Composer, dies at 69
- 1968Toby Halicki: Car-crash film producer 48, killed shooting stunt
- 1971Edmund Lowe: Actor (Front Page Detective), dies at 81