Скачать или смотреть On This Day: May 19 - Key Events That Shaped America

May 19th, 1849, James K. Polk died. James K. Polk, who served as the 11th president of the United States from 1845 to 1849, died on this day in 1849 at the age of 63. He had served only one term and was the last of the so-called second term presidents, meaning that he followed a president who had served more than one term. In his single term, he managed to accomplish quite a bit. But his health began to fail him near the end of his presidency, and he died just four months after leaving office.In 1846, Polk went to war with Mexico, which resulted in the Mexican War. And the war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which gave the United States about half of Mexico's territory, including California, Nevada, Utah and parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. The phrase "54, 40 or fight" was a campaign slogan that Polk used in the election of 1844 when he ran against Henry Clay. And it was a reference to the border dispute with Britain over the Oregon Territory. And while the slogan was popular with Democrats, it didn't really specify where the border should be. But when the British did not agree to the entire territory, Polk compromised and settled for the northern border at the 49th parallel. May 19th, 1910, the New York Times published an article detailing the sinking of the Titan. Now, the story of the Titan is indeed a fascinating one. The Titan was a 14,000 ton ship that sank off the coast of the Azores Islands after colliding with an American schooner named the captain. The Titan had been built for the wealthy owner, E.J. Smith, who had spared no expense in making it luxurious. And it was considered the finest yacht in the world. It had staterooms, Turkish baths, a swimming pool, a gym, even an onboard hospital. It was truly the height of luxury living in the early 20th century.