JULY 19 | Birthdays and Events
Famous Birthdays
People born on July 19
Samuel Colt
Died: January 10, 1862
Businessman who founded the Colt's Manufacturing Company.
Charles Horace Mayo
Died: May 26, 1939
Surgeon who co-founded of the Mayo Clinic .
Percy Spencer
Died: September 8, 1969
Physicist who invented the microwave oven.
Daniel William Fry
Died: December 20, 1992
A "contactee" who claimed he had multiple contacts with an alien, who took him on a ride in a remotely piloted alien spacecraft. Fry also founded the UFO religion Understanding, Inc.
Robert Maurer
Died: September 9, 2025
Co-inventor of optical fiber.
Historical Events on July 19
Events that occurred on July 19 throughout history
The first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York.
The first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York. The two-day Women's Rights Convention discussed the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman.
first U.S. Army flying school for Black cadets was dedicated in Alabama.
The first Army flying school for black cadets was dedicated in Tuskegee, Alabama. The program trained the pioneering aviators, navigators, and support personnel who would famously become known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Cartoon characters Tom and Jerry make their debut.
Cartoon characters Tom and Jerry make their debut in the cartoon The Midnight Snack.
The NY City subway introduces the first air-conditioned railcar.
The New York City subway introduces the first air-conditioned railcar. Initially intended as an experiment, Mayor John Lindsey authorized the purchase of 600 additional air-conditioned railcars for the subway.
The world's first GPS signal is transmitted.
The world's first Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is transmitted from Navigation Technology Satellite 2 (NTS-2). The signal was received at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
President Ronald Reagan reviews evidence about the Soviet Union stealing research.
French President François Mitterrand presents the Farwell Dossier to President Ronald Reagan. The Dossier was a collection of documents showing evidence the Soviet Union had been stealing American technological research and development.
The first three-dimensional human head in a CT image is published.
The first three-dimensional human head in a CT image is published. The image used aircraft design techniques that were adapted to make the cranial imaging possible.