History for October 19

History for October 19 - On-This-Day.com:
Thomas Browne 1605 - Physician, author, Charles Merrill 1885 - Founder of Merrill-Lynch, Jack Anderson 1922 - Columnist, commentator, author


John le Carre (David Cornwell) 1931 - Author ("The Russia House"), Peter Max 1937 - Artist, John Lithgow 1945 - Actor (Movie:"Twilight Zone-The Movie," TV: "3rd Rock from the Son")


1765 - In the U.S., The Stamp Act Congress met and drew up a declaration of rights and liberties.


1781 - British General Charles Lord Cornwallis surrendered to U.S. General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. It was to be the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War.


1814 - In Baltimore, MD, the first documented performance of "The Defence of Fort McHenry" with music took place at the Holliday Street Theatre. The work was later published under the title "The Star-Spangled Banner."


1933 - Basketball was introduced to the 1936 Olympic Games by the Berlin Organization Committee.


1959 - Patty Duke, at the age of 12, made her Broadway debut in "The Miracle Worker." The play lasted for 700 performances.


1960 - The United States imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.


1983 - The U.S. Senate approved a bill establishing a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.


1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 508 points. It was the worst one-day percentage decline, 22.6%, in history.