April 19, federal building bombed in Oklahoma City

Welcome to Saturday, April 19, 2025, the 109th day of the year with 256 days remaining.

Historical Highlights:

On this day in 1995, Timothy McVeigh orchestrated the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, resulting in the tragic loss of 168 lives. McVeigh was later convicted and executed in 2001.

Other notable events on April 19:

– In 1775, the American Revolutionary War commenced with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, marking the beginning of a long conflict between American colonists and the British Army.

– The inaugural Boston Marathon took place in 1897, with John J. McDermott emerging as the first winner after completing the course in 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 10 seconds.

– During World War II in 1943, the courageous Jewish uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto against Nazi forces began, although it ultimately ended in tragedy.

– In 1977, the Supreme Court ruled in Ingraham v. Wright that severe spanking of schoolchildren by faculty members did not violate the ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

– The USS Iowa tragedy occurred in 1989, claiming the lives of 47 sailors due to a gun turret explosion during training exercises in the Caribbean.

– Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected as Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 during the first conclave of the new millennium.

– The capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, took place in 2013 after a city-wide manhunt.

– In 2015, the death of Freddie Gray, a young Black man who suffered a fatal spinal cord injury in police custody, sparked outrage and legal actions in Baltimore.

Birthdays Today:

• Roberto Carlos – 84
• Tim Curry – 79
• Al Unser Jr. – 63
• Ashley Judd – 57
• Luis Miguel – 55
• James Franco – 47
• Kate Hudson – 46
• Hayden Christensen – 44
• Troy Polamalu – 44
• Ali Wong – 43
• Joe Mauer – 42
• Candace Parker – 39
• Maria Sharapova – 38
• Simu Liu – 36