June 19 in Pop Culture History

1586 – Some English colonists left the Roanoke Island Colony that was established in 1585 and found empty in July of 1857. It was decided to re-establish the colony leaving 90 men, 17 women, and 11 children at the encampment instead of bringing them further north, in the Chesapeake Bay. Supplies and replenishment were delayed due to the Anglo-Spanish War. The only clue found in the empty colony was the word “CROATOAN” carved into a tree, when a supply ship returned in August 1590.

1718 (Earthquake) Gansu, China

1846 – The first officially recorded, organized baseball game was played under Alexander Cartwright’s rules on Hoboken, New Jersey’s Elysian Fields with the New York Base Ball Club defeating the Knickerbockers 23-1.

1862 – The US Congress prohibited slavery in United States territories, nullifying Dred Scott v. Sandford.

1905 – The first Nickelodeon theater opened in Pittsburgh, PA.

1910 – The first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington.

1941 – Cheerie Oats, later renamed Cheerios, was invented.

1949 – The first-ever NASCAR race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

1952 – I’ve Got A Secret premiered on CBS

1953 – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for spying for the Soviet Union at Sing Sing in New York.

#1 Hit June 19, 1961 – June 25, 1961: Pat Boone – Moody River

#1 Hit June 19, 1965 – June 25, 1965: Four Tops – I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)

#1 Hit June 19, 1971 – July 23, 1971: Carole King – It’s Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move

1978 – The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Broadway Musical) Opened on June 19, 1978, and closed on March 27, 1982

1992 – Batman Returns was released in theaters

1998 – Mulan and The X-Files debuted in theaters

2009 – The Proposal was released in theaters

#1 Hit June 19, 2010 – July 30, 2010: Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – California Gurls

2011 – Falling Skies premiered on TNT

2012 – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange requested asylum in London’s Ecuadorian Embassy for fear of extradition to the US after the publication of previously classified documents.

2015 – Inside Out debuted in theaters