Holidays Calendar for May 19, 2021
Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day is annually observed in Turkey on May 19. This holiday commemorates the day, when Mustafa Atatürk landed at the city of Samsun in 1919, and the day, when the Turkish War of Independence began.
Buddha's birthday is a holiday observed by Mahayana Buddhists. It celebrates the birthday of Prince Siddhārtha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. In many east Asian countries (except Japan) it is celebrated on the 8th day of the 4th month in the Chinese calendar.
World IBD Day (World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day) is an annual awareness day observed on May 19. It was established to educate people about two medically incurable diseases, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, that are known collectively as inflammatory bowel disease.
Agender Pride Day is an LGBTQ+ awareness day observed annually on May 19. It was created to raise awareness of agender people and educate the general public about the importance of respecting other people’s gender identity, which includes using one’s preferred pronouns.
World Family Doctor Day is celebrated annually on May 19. It was created to highlight the importance of family medicine in healthcare and celebrate the remarkable work family doctors around the world are doing.
The Vietnamese annually celebrate Hồ Chí Minh's Birthday on May 19. He was an outstanding politician of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and its first president. The birthday of Hồ Chí Minh is a very important holiday for the country.
The Greeks annually commemorate the genocide of their countrymen on May 19, on Greek Genocide Remembrance Day. This memorial day was established by the Greek parliament in 1994.
Every year Sri Lankans commemorate the soldiers who died during the Sri Lankan Civil War, which lasted for almost 30 years. This observance is known as Remembrance Day.
Malcolm X Day is an American holiday celebrated in honor of Malcolm X, an African-American human rights activist and Muslim minister. It is celebrated either on Malcolm’s birthday (May 19), or the third Sunday of May.
Praia City Day (Praia Day) and Praia Municipality Day are municipal holidays in the West African state of Cape Verde celebrated on April 29 and May 19, respectively. They were inaugurated to honor the country’s capital, which is the largest city in Cape Verde, as well as its economic, political and cultural center.
May 19 is National Devil's Food Cake Day. This chocolate cake is America's favorite for its airy and moist texture.
Every year all Americans can make a free hepatitis testing on May 19. This event is known as Hepatitis Testing Day and it's held since 2011.
National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is an annual awareness day observed in the United States on May 19. It was initiated by the Banyan Tree Project and is supported by HIV.gov.
Scouts’ Day in Croatia is celebrated on May 19. This date was chosen to commemorate the first training of Croatian Scouts after the lifting of the ban on Scouting imposed in the aftermath of World War II.
National Mechanical Dry Eye Day, also known as National MDE Day, is observed annually on May 19 to raise awareness of a common age-related eye condition that is often misdiagnosed and disregarded.
Festivals on May 19, 2021
- Golden Five Festival of Student Films and Creative Photography in Moscow, Russia
- Google I/O in Mountain View, USA
- Orlando Fringe in Orlando, USA
- Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Bath Festival in Bath, United Kingdom
- Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto, Canada
- Norfolk & Norwich Festival in Norwich, United Kingdom
- Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire in Marriott-Slaterville, USA
- Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa, Canada
- Lotus Lantern Festival in Seoul, South Korea
- American Independence Film Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine
- Prague Spring International Music Festival in Prague, Czech Republic
- Tennessee Renaissance Festival in Arrington, USA
- Rochester Lilac Festival in Rochester (NY), USA
- Festival Accès Asie in Montreal, Canada
This Day in History
- 2024 A Bell 212 helicopter carrying the president of Iran Ebrahim Raisi and several other government officials crashed near Varzaqan, Iran. All people on board died.
- 2018 The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held on Saturday in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The traditional ceremony was noted for the inclusion of African-American culture.
- 2009 Died: Robert F. Furchgott, American biochemist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, sharing it with two other scientists.
- 2003 Born: JoJo Siwa, American singer, dancer, actress, and media personality. She was included on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
- 1994 Died: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (née Bouvier), the wife of President John Kennedy. She was the First Lady of the US from 1961 until Kennedy's assassination in 1963.
- 1992 Born: Sam Smith, English singer and songwriter. Their numerous accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award, among others.
- 1991 Croatia held an independence referendum. With 83 percent turnout, 93 percent of voters supported the sovereignty and independence of Croatia.
- 1984 Michael Larson won $110,237 in cash and prizes (equal to about $250,000 in today's money) on the television game show Press Your Luck.
- 1982 Born: Rebecca Hall, British and American stage, film, and television actress who won the 2010 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
- 1980 Born: Drew Fuller, American actor and model best known for his roles as Chris Halliwell on Charmed and Trevor LeBlanc on Army Wives.
- 1977 Born: Natalia Oreiro, Uruguayan singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer. Her breakout role was Milagros on the Argentine TV series Muñeca Brava.
- 1971 Died: Ogden Nash, American poet, author, and lyricist best known for his light poetry. He created over five hundred pieces of comic verse.
- 1962 Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" for President John F. Kennedy at the celebration of his 45th birthday, 10 days before the actual date.
- 1961 Soviet spacecraft Venera 1 became the first spacecraft to fly-by another planet by passing Venus. However, it returned no data due to the loss of radio contact.
- 1946 Born: André the Giant (pseudonym of André René Roussimoff), French wrestler and actor best known for his role of Fezzik in The Princess Bride.
- 1944 Born: Peter Mayhew, British-American actor. He was best known for portraying Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series, playing the character from 1977 to 2015.
- 1934 A military coup took place in the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Kimon Georgiev became the new Prime Minister of Bulgaria, replacing Nikola Mushanov.
- 1925 Born: Pol Pot (born Saloth Sar), Cabodian socialist revolutionary, leader of the Khmer Rouge. He served as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea.
- 1921 The United States Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, restricting the number of immigrants admitted to the United States.
- 1914 Born: Max Perutz, Austrian-born British molecular biologist who was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, sharing it with John Kendrew.
- 1912 Died: Bolesław Prus (born Aleksander Głowacki), Polish novelist and short story writer. His best known novels include The Doll and Pharaoh.
- 1910 Born: Nathuram Godse, militant Hindu nationalist who is known as the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. He was hanged on November 15, 1949.
- 1895 Died: José Martí, Cuban writer, poet, translator, revolutionary philosopher, and nationalist leader. He is one of the national heroes of the Republic of Cuba.
- 1890 Born: Ho Chi Minh (born Nguyễn Sinh Côn), Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who served as prime minister and president of North Vietnam.
- 1871 Born: Walter Russell, American polymath primarily remembered for his achievements as a painter, sculptor, builder, and author.
- 1864 Died: Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer whose best known works include Roger Malvin's Burial and The Scarlet Letter.
- 1825 Died: Henri de Saint-Simon, French economic and political theorist who created a political and economic ideology known as industrialism.
- 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte established the National Order of the Legion of Honor. It is the highest decoration in France, which is divided into five degrees.
- 1780 An unusual darkening of the day sky was observed over New England and Eastern Canada. This event is known as New England's Dark Day.
- 1762 Born: Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher who was one of the founding figures of German idealism, which developed from Immanuel Kant's works.
- 1715 Died: Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and statesman. He is best known for having devised the establishment of the Bank of England.
- 1655 The Invasion of Jamaica conducted by the English began during the Anglo-Spanish War. It was the casus belli that resulted in the actual war.
- 1649 The Rump Parliament passed an Act declaring England to be a Commonwealth. It made England a republic for the following eleven years.
- 1536 Died: Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. She was accused of adultery, incest, and high treason and beheaded.
- 1389 Died: Dmitry Donskoy, Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir. He was the first prince of Moscow to challenge Mongol authority in Russia.