In History, Today on November 19

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, a social policy and climate change bill estimated at $1.75 trillion aimed at major investments in health care, education, climate initiatives, and childcare.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Stratolaunch aircraft, the largest by wingspan ever built, completed its first taxi tests successfully. It was designed to launch rockets into orbit from the air.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 2319, condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria and calling for accountability for those responsible.

Mali hotel attack: Gunmen take 170 hostages at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali.

NASA launches the MAVEN spacecraft to study the Martian atmosphere, aiming to understand the planet's climate history and potential habitability.

The United States Senate passes the Food Safety Modernization Act, which aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it.

Amazon introduced the Kindle, its first e-reader that came with a built-in cellular connectivity feature for downloading books wirelessly.

Nintendo releases the Wii, a revolutionary gaming console that introduces motion-sensing controls, in North America.

Malice at the Palace, a brawl between players and fans, occurs during an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons.

The oil tanker Prestige sinks off the coast of Galicia, Spain, causing a major environmental disaster as it spills thousands of tons of oil into the Atlantic Ocean.

The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee began impeachment hearings against President Bill Clinton.

The United Kingdom's first National Lottery draw is held, with a jackpot of £5.8 million.

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean became the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon.

The United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 377, known as the 'Uniting for Peace' resolution, allowing the General Assembly to act if the Security Council fails to maintain international peace.

Prince Rainier III became the ruler of Monaco after the death of his grandfather, Prince Louis II.

Afghanistan, Iceland, and Sweden joined the United Nations.

The Soviet Union launched Operation Uranus during World War II, a counteroffensive that encircled German forces in Stalingrad.

The Doom Bar, a notorious sandbank at the mouth of the Camel Estuary on the north coast of Cornwall, England, was wrecked by engineers from the Board of Trade.

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

The first edition of The Communist Manifesto was completed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

The first US built locomotive to pull a passenger train made its first trip from Schenectady to Albany, New York.

The University of Warsaw was established.

The Jay Treaty is signed between the United States and Great Britain, intending to resolve lingering issues from the American Revolutionary War and to facilitate ten years of peaceful trade between the United States and Britain.

Battle of Cajamarca: Spanish forces led by Francisco Pizarro captured Inca Emperor Atahualpa in Cajamarca, marking a pivotal moment in the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico during his second voyage to the Americas.

Charles IV of Luxembourg issued the Golden Bull of 1367 to the Kingdom of Bohemia, which outlined the rights and privileges of certain cities and positions within the kingdom.

At the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II makes an influential speech calling for the First Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

The Rashidun Caliphate captures the city of Ctesiphon, the capital of the Sasanian Empire, during the Muslim conquest of Persia.

Libius Severus is declared Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.