1. On July 19, 1872, the first public transportation service in Los Angeles began operation. It was a horse-drawn streetcar that ran from the Plaza to the Pico House Hotel.

2. The first recorded baseball game in California took place on July 19, 1858, in San Francisco. The game was played between two teams of firefighters, the Excelsiors and the Eagles.

3. In 1940, on July 19, the first state park in California was established. Humboldt Redwoods State Park is home to some of the tallest and most majestic trees in the world.

4. July 19, 1969, marked the start of the Chappaquiddick incident, in which Senator Edward M. Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on the Massachusetts island of Chappaquiddick, resulting in the death of his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne.

5. On July 19, 1984, the Summer Olympics began in Los Angeles. It was the second time the city hosted the games, and despite boycotts from some countries, it was a successful and memorable event.