Today in History
May 19th
1536: Anne Boleyn Beheaded
Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, was beheaded in the Tower of London. She had
allegedly been having an affair with multiple people, including her brother Lord Rochford. Her
uncle presided over the trial and she was found guilty of treason.
Read about Anne Boleyn:
tudor.simplenet.com
1857: Channing and Farmer Patented Electric Fire Alarm
William F. Channing and Moses G. Farmer patented the electric fire alarm, and it was first used
in a massive scale in Boston, Massachusetts. The original system consisted of 40 street fire
alarm boxes connected by telegraph circuits to a central office.
The Fire Department in Columbus, Ohio, installed its own electric fire alarm system in the late
1860s:
fire.ci.columbus.oh.us
1895: Jose Marti Killed
Cuban writer and poet Jose Marti was killed by Spanish troops during a pro-independence
battle. Marti, one of Cuba's most well-known intellectuals, wrote about the injustices of
colonialism and the importance of "Panamericanism," a movement that sought Latin American
social and political unity.
More about Jose Marti:
megastories.com
1935: Lawrence of Arabia Died
Englishman T.E. (Thomas Edward) Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, died after
a motorcycle accident in Dorset, England. Lawrence, the object of worldwide fame for at least
two generations, was a guerrilla leader in the Arab Revolt of 1916-18, which expelled the Turks
from western Arabia and Syria during World War I.
1971: Former Soviet Union Launched Mars 2
The former Soviet Union launched Mars 2, a spacecraft intended to land on Mars, take pictures
of the Martian surface and make various atmospheric and soil measurements. However, a
mechanical malfunction led the spacecraft to crash against the surface of the planet.
Despite the crash, Mars 2 was able to send pictures and data back to Earth:
nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov
Holidays & Events
May 19
Ataturk Commemoration and Youth and Sports Day, World Championship Pun-off
TURKEY: ATATURK COMMEMORATION AND YOUTH AND SPORTS DAY
This holiday in Turkey celebrates many different themes simultaneously. May 19 is Youth and
Sports Day. It is known locally as Genclik Bayrami. This day also commemorates the arrival of
Mustafa Kamal Ataturk at the Black Sea port of Samsun. He began to organize nationalist
forces and his arrival is key to the beginning of the War of Independence in 1919.
Learn about Turkey:
turkishodyssey.com
More about Ataturk:
cs.umd.edu
UNITED STATES: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PUN-OFF
Wretched wordplay is the order of the day in Austin, Texas today. The O.Henry Museum hosts
its 24th annual World Championship Pun-Off. There are a series of categories of punning. In a
freestyle competition punsters perform prepared material of up to 90 seconds vying for the title
of Punniest of Show. In others participants are paired and given topics and time limits from
which they must develop their puns.
O.Henry is the author of "The Gift of the Magi":
auburn.edu
Visit the O.Henry Museum:
ci.austin.tx.us
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