May 19 in History

The royal wedding was watched by an estimated 29 million viewers worldwide and broke royal protocol in several ways, including an African American bis... see more

Nelson Mandela's wife was convicted for her role in the 1976 Soweto uprising protests against apartheid. The sentence was later suspended on appeal. S... see more

At 48, he became France's youngest president of the Fifth Republic, narrowly defeating Socialist candidate François Mitterrand. He modernized France d... see more

While it successfully reached Mars, the lander crashed due to its descent system failing, making it an unintentional impact rather than a controlled l... see more

The massive cheddar cheese, a gift from the Wisconsin Cheese Foundation, arrived at the White House on a custom-built cart. It measured 6 feet in diam... see more

'Woman Haters' premiered as the comedy trio's debut, though it was unusual in that all dialogue was spoken in rhyme. Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly... see more

As Earth passed through the comet's tail, many people panicked because astronomers had detected cyanogen gas in it. Entrepreneurs sold 'comet pills' a... see more

The celebrated writer emerged from Reading Gaol broken in health and spirit after his conviction for homosexual acts. He immediately left for France,... see more

Known as 'New England's Dark Day,' the sky turned completely black at noon, terrifying residents who thought the apocalypse had arrived. Candles were... see more