On this day, 72 years ago, June 19, 1953 (May 9, 1953, the Rosenberg couple were executed on charges of espionage. On June 19, 1953, Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg walked to the electric chair calmly and without complaint. The executioner attached electrodes to their temples, tied them up, and then yanked the lever, ending the couple's lives. They were charged with atomic bomb espionage during their lifetime. This was the first time in American history that the couple had been executed at the same time. Earlier that afternoon, the Rosenbergs heard that the Supreme Court had lifted Wednesday's order to stay their execution, and that President Eisenhower had again refused to grant them pardon. The president said they leaked the secret of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union and their espionage put "millions of innocent people at risk" around the world. The president also reiterated his belief that the Rosenberg couple had been given full legal action rights and that their various appeals lasted for two years. 5000 people gathered at Concorde Square in New York to protest the execution, accusing President Eisenhower and praying for the Rosenberg couple and their two children.