July 19: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Due to climate change, a deadly heatwave landed in North-East America.

Temperatures reached above 100°F (38°C) in cities on the east coast of the United States, such as New York City and Washington, D.C.

Selena Gomez’s debut studio album “Stars Dance” was released.

Marvel’s superhero movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” hit the theaters.

US President Ronald Reagan was made aware that the USSR was stealing US technology and research.

NASA’s Apollo 11 orbited the moon.

The crew spent a day in the moon's orbit while preparing for a moon landing the following day.

“The Midnight Snack” cartoon was released, making it Tom and Jerry’s very first appearance.

Adolf Hitler offered peace to Great Britain if they would surrender and allow Germany to dominate the country.

Maurice-François Garin won the first Tour de France.

The idea for the race was thought up by a French journalist working for L'Auto, a sports magazine. The magazine approved the idea and sponsored the race in an effort to increase its sales. The event proved to be a huge success as both a bicycle race and a way to increase the magazine's profits, and thus the Tour de France was born.

The Seneca Falls Convention became the first-ever US women’s rights convention.

The two-day event was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott and took place in Seneca Falls, New York.

Brunel’s SS Great Britain ship was launched after taking four years to build.

The steamship became the world's largest ship of its time.

George IV succeeded his father, George III, as King of the United Kingdom.

In Rosetta, Egypt, French troops discovered a black stone carved with two ancient Egyptian texts and one Ancient Greek text.

Now known as the Rosetta Stone, it became the key to deciphering hieroglyphics and helped researchers crack countless codes.

Five women were hanged for witchcraft as part of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, US.

The Great Fire of Rome started when the merchant shops around the Circus Maximus caught fire.

Circus Maximus was the first and largest chariot racing and entertainment venue of the Roman Empire. The fire continued for nine days, destroying two-thirds of Rome.