On This Day May 19th

 OTD

May 19th is the one-hundred-thirty-ninth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 226 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

1499 – Catherine of Aragon is married by proxy to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Catherine is 13, and Arthur is 12.

1536 – Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and incest.

1749 – King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River.

1848 – Mexican-American War: Mexico ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thus ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of four other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for US$15 million.

1883 – Buffalo Bill's 1st Buffalo Bill's Wild West opens in Omaha, Nebraska.

1921 – The United States Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, establishing national quotas on immigration.

1950 – Egypt announces that the Suez Canal is closed to Israeli ships and commerce.

1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy occurs at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's rendition of "Happy Birthday".

 

Birthdays

1462 – Baccio D'Agnolo, Italian woodcarver, sculptor, and architect (d. 1543)

1795 – Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1873)

1897 – Frank Luke, American lieutenant and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1918) The first Pilot to receive the MOA.

1928 – Dolph Schayes, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)

1939 – Dick Scobee, American pilot and astronaut (d. 1986)

1945 – Pete Townshend, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1979 – Shooter Jennings, American country singer, songwriter

 

Holiday Highlight

Plant Something Day

Plant Something Day falls on May 19 every year in the United States. It is an opportunity to encourage more people to add to the vegetation in our environment. It has been established that about 80% of the original forests on Earth have been cleared or destroyed. About 8,000 years ago, forests dominated the land before human activities affected them. These days, crops are mass-produced by farmers who farm certain crops because more can be grown quickly. Producing crops that are easier and inexpensive allows them to make a more significant profit. This means that people have to rely on more readily available plants. Most healthy plants are unavailable to consumers because they may not be as profitable for farmers to produce on a large scale.

There are more than 80,000 edible plant species, a staggering number showcasing our natural world's diversity. However, about 90% of the food we eat comes from only about 30 plants, making our diet more limited than it has to be. Many plants are used for medicine in different parts of the world. Traditional and modern medicine uses about 70,000 plant species to treat various ailments. Despite this, there is a pressing need for more protection for plants. Only about 10% of the world’s plant-rich areas are currently protected, which should make us all pause and consider preserving our plant species.

Plant Something Day was established with a clear purpose: to inspire and motivate more people to grow plants around them. This simple act not only boosts the number of plants in the environment but also allows people to develop some plant species that they may not have been able to access quickly. The benefits are manifold-from improving air quality to providing a source of fresh, organic food, growing plants is a small step that can make a big difference.

 

Holidays And Observance

Boys Club Day

Celebrate Your Elected Officials Day

Hepatitis Testing Day

May Ray Day

National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

National Devil's Food Cake Day

National Ride a Unicycle Day

Pentecost (also known as Whitsunday or Whit Sunday)

Plant Something Day

Stepmother's Day

World Baking Day

World IBD Day

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