International observance days, weeks, and months for May 19, 2026. Plus historical events and birthdays.
May 19, 2026 celebrates World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day. Come back after we have researched why World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day brings awareness to the chronic disease affecting five million people world wide.
People born on May 19
The first Black woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in natural science in the U.S.
Philanthropist and founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins University is named after.
Pharmacologist who started the Pharmacology Department at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Acclaimed contemporary author who has sold over 80 million copies of her work, including My Keepers Sister, Nineteen Minutes, and Small Great Things.
Olympic bronze medalist for archery.
Events that occurred on May 19 throughout history
The first mass production of shoes begins in Lynn, MA by Jan Matzeliger's Consolidated Lasting Machine Company. His machine increased production from 50 pairs a day by hand to up to 700 pairs, cutting shoe prices in half.
The National Society of Colonial Dames of America is founded in NY. The NSCDA in the State of New York was a pioneering chapter in historic preservation. The organization is still operating today.
The California Alien Land Law of 1913 (Webb–Haney Act), prohibited "aliens ineligible for citizenship". The law targeted Japanese immigrants from owning agricultural land or holding long-term leases.
Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act to curb immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe after WWI. This act set the stage for the permanent Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson-Reed Act).
Writer and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois becomes the first Black member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters. This barrier-breaking achievement recognized his profound contributions to American literature and intellectual history, particularly through his works like The Souls of Black Folk.