Major Events From This day in History May 19th

 

1997 Hong Kong Avian Flu

1997 : The first victim of Avian Flu A (H5N1) a three-year-old boy has died in Hong Kong. By the end of the year there were 18 recorded cases with six of the victims dying. Authorities slaughter 1.6 million chickens and other domestic fowl in Hong Kong hoping to prevent further spread of the disease. The World Health Organization and other interested parties are still concerned that the Avian Flu Virus could mutate further causing a similar pandemic to the 1918/1919 Spanish flu pandemic which killed anywhere from 20 to 100 million worldwide, Or between 2.5 to 5% of the worlds human population.

1962 Marilyn Monroe Performs Rendition of "Happy Birthday"

1962 : Marilyn Monroe performed a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy for his forty-fifth birthday during a fund-raiser at New York's Madison Square Garden. The dress she wore that night was noted for being sheer and flesh colored with 2500 rhinestones sewn into it and designed by Jean Louis. The dress sold in 1999 at auction in New York for over US$1.26 million.

1921 U.S.A. Emergency Quota Act

1921 : The Emergency Quota Act was passed into law which limits the number of immigrants admitted into the US. More about Emergency Quota Act

1923 U.S.A. Harry Houdini

1923 : Harry Houdini ex medium, magician, handcuff king, disappearing artist denounced spirit mediums, clairvoyants in a radio interview and has said his good friend Sir A Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) has been duped by tricksters and fraudsters.

1932 U.S.A. 30% Pay Cuts

1932 : As relief funds in city after city are coming to an end and with over 8,000,000 now unemployed and many close to starvation, the federal government is putting through plans for major construction projects on public works the total is in excess of 1 billion dollars but are still waiting for a vote for funding. Also because of the large scale unemployment cuts in up to 40 cents per hour or a 30% wage cut are now in force for 12 months to help together with the mass funding into banks to help keep them solvent and supply much needed capital for businesses to survive.

1964 Soviet Union Hidden Microphones

1964 : The State Department told the press that 40 hidden microphones had been found in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

1967 Soviet Union Nuclear Space Weapons Treaty

1967 : The Soviet Union joins most of the worlds major powers by ratifying the treaty banning nuclear weapons from outer space.

1974 France Valery Giscard d'Estaing

1974 : Valery Giscard d'Estaing is elected President of France, defeating Francois Mitterrand.

1975 Switzerland SALT Talks

1975 : Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko spent the last day of talks on a new treaty about limiting strategic nuclear weapons and both sides have stated the discussion was constructive and friendly and it is hoped that this will help to revive the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) in Geneva.

1982 Italy Sophia Loren

1982 : Actress Sophia Loren began serving a 30-day prison sentence in Italy for failing to report five million lire on her income tax return for 1970.

1986 South Africa Zambia

1986 : South African troops launch multiple raids on Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana in an effort to destroy bases purportedly used by the anti-apartheid organisation the African National Congress (ANC). The Nations of Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Tanzania, form the so-called "frontline states" that support the ANC in their struggle against white minority rule. During the Mid to Late 1980s sanctions imposed by the US, most Commonwealth nations and the European Community forced South Africa to end it's anti-apartheid policies and in 1994 the ANC formed South Africa's first democratically elected government with Mr Mandela as the country's first black president.

1991 Croatia Seeks Independence

1991 : Croatian Voters in Civil war torn Yugoslavia have voted to seek independence and sovereignty, the country is being torn apart by nationalists and ethnic Serbs who wish to be part of Serbia.

1992 U.S.A. 27th Amendment

1992 : The 27th Amendment to the US constitution is ratified.

1994 U.S.A. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

1994 : The former First Lady ( President Kennedy's wife ) Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died today of lymphoma at the age of 64.

2005 U.S.A. Revenge of the Sith

2005 : The final chapter of Star Wars "Revenge of the Sith," opens in movie theaters with movie goers queuing all night.

2005 Rwandan Official Apologizes for Genocide

2005 : The Rwandan defense minister, Marcel Gatsini, apologized for being a part of the Hutu government behind the genocide of 1994. This marks the first time a senior official of the government behind the genocide publicly apologized. Gatsini stated he was fired from the government after the genocide began because he was accused of being too moderate.

2006 U.S.A. Guantanamo Bay

2006 : World Leaders urge the Bush administration to close its prison in Guantanamo Bay, saying the indefinite detention of terror suspects there violated the world's ban on torture.

2007 Record Shipwreck Found Off Cornish Coast

2007 : United States treasure hunters discovered a shipwreck off the coast of Cornwall in the UK, the ship had a record haul of over $500 million estimated worth of gold and silver. A shipwreck expert guessed that the wreck was that of the Merchant Royal that sank in 1642 off the Islands of Scilly. The wreck was found in the Atlantic Ocean just outside the English Channel.

2008 Philippines Shooter Kills Eight People and Injures Others

2008 : A drunken man opened fire in Calamba, Philippines, and killed eight people, five of them children, while injuring another six people with an M-16 rifle. The shooting was reportedly about a family feud, police were unable to capture the suspect at the scene.

2009 Hungary Stork Gets Artificial Beak

2009 : A stork who had probably damaged its beak by flying into a wall was given an artificial beak to repair the damage by specialists at the Hortobagy Birds' Hospital in Hungary. The doctors repaired the bottom beak in a surgery and created a top beak out of resin to replace the other damaged portion.

2012 United States SpaceX Launch Aborted

2012 : The launch of the SpaceX company's cargo craft was aborted after data readings indicated unusual pressure in one of the engine combustion chambers. The company was attempting to become the first private company to launch a cargo craft to be sent to the International Space Station. The craft was later successfully launched and crashed back to earth on May 31st.

2013 Iran Hangs Spies

2013 : The country of Iran has hung two men accused and convicted of spying for Israel and the United States. The execution of the alleged spies only contributed to the tension between Iran and the West over the country's nuclear program.

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