James VI and I of the UK was born on June 19, 1566. He was the eldest son of
Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley. He became King of Scotland at 13 months old when his mother was forced to abdicate the throne. James was seen as the most likely heir to the English throne through his great-grandmother Margaret Tudor, who was Henry VIII's oldest sister. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth I, the last of Henry VIII's descendants, he became James I of the UK in March 1603.
French mathematician and physicist
Blaise Pascal was born on June 19, 1623 in Clermont-Ferrand, which is in France's Auvergne region. His father, Étienne Pascal, was a local judge, who also had an interest in science and mathematics. Beginning in 1631, Blaise's father devoted himself entirely to the education of his son, who showed extraordinary mental and intellectual abilities, occasionally taking him along to the Academy of Science meetings.
Though best known for his works in mathematics, including the creation of Pascal's Triangle, which is named after him, and developments in the field of probability, Pascal's earliest contributions were in the applied and natural sciences where he focused on fluids and the concepts of pressure and vacuum. He also invented the mechanical calculator.
German pharmacist Frederick Sertürner was born on June 19, 1783. In December 1804 Sertürner isolated the alkaloid compound
morphine from unripe poppy blossoms. As he found it gave relief from severe pain, and relaxed the patient by making him drowsy, he named the drug after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams. Morphine was the first ever alkaloid to be isolated from any plant.
Charles Spurgeon, the "Prince of Preachers," was born on June 19, 1834, in Kelvedon, in the English county of Essex. His father and grandfather were both independent ministers. In 1854, three months before his 20th birthday, Spurgeon was appointed Baptist pastor at New Park Street Chapel, in Southwark, London. Spurgeon quickly gained fame for his directness in preaching, which seemed to some to border on irreverence. But the power of his sermons led to many conversions.
For more June 19 anniversaries, including the declaration of The War of 1812, The Great Whiskey Fire of Dublin and the marriage of Martin Luther King Jr to Coretta Scott King, check out
OnThatDay.
