TODAY IN HISTORY - NOVEMBER 19TH

1805 – Ferdinand de Lesseps, French diplomat and engineer, developed the Suez Canal (d. 1894) is born.

1831 – James A. Garfield, American general, lawyer, and politician, 20th President of the United States (d. 1881) is born.

1877 – Giuseppe Volpi, Italian businessman and politician, founded the Venice Film Festival (d. 1947) is born.

1916 – Samuel Goldwyn and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Pictures.

1921 – Roy Campanella, American baseball player and coach (d. 1993) is born.

1938 – Ted Turner, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Turner Broadcasting System is born.

1942 – Calvin Klein, American fashion designer, founded Calvin Klein Inc. is born.

1944 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces the 6th War Loan Drive, aimed at selling US$14 billion in war bonds to help pay for the war effort.

1950 – US General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes Supreme Commander of NATO-Europe.

1955 – National Review publishes its first issue.

1959 – The Ford Motor Company announces the discontinuation of the unpopular Edsel.

1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean land at Oceanus Procellarum (the "Ocean of Storms") and become the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon.

1969 – Association football player Pelé scores his 1,000th goal.

1979 – Iran hostage crisis: Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 female and black American hostages being held at the US Embassy in Tehran.

1985 – Cold War: In Geneva, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time.

1985 – Pennzoil wins a US$10.53 billion judgment against Texaco, in the largest civil verdict in the history of the United States, stemming from Texaco executing a contract to buy Getty Oil after Pennzoil had entered into an unsigned, yet still binding, buyout contract with Getty.

1989 – Tyga, American rapper is born.

1994 – In the United Kingdom, the first National Lottery draw is held. A £1 ticket gave a one-in-14-million chance of correctly guessing the winning six out of 49 numbers.

1998 – Lewinsky scandal: The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings against U.S. President Bill Clinton.