May 19
1961 – Venera program: Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly-by another planet by passing Venus (the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).
1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's rendition of "Happy Birthday".
1991 – Croatians vote for independence in a referendum.
1997 – The Sierra Gorda Biosphere, the most ecologically diverse region in Mexico, is established as a result of grassroots efforts.
1881 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, 1st President of Turkey (d. 1938), wbt
1890 – Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnamese leader (d. 1969), wbt
1925 – Malcolm X, American civil rights activist (d. 1965), wbt
1925 – Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator (d. 1998), wbt
1951 – Joey Ramone, American vocalist and songwriter (The Ramones) (d. 2001), wbt