Today is Thursday, April 13, the 103rd day of 2017. There are 262 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On April 13, 1742, “Messiah,” the oratorio by George Frideric Handel featuring the “Hallelujah” chorus, had its first public performance in Dublin, Ireland.
On this date:
In 1613, Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, was captured by English Capt. Samuel Argall in the Virginia Colony. (During a yearlong captivity, Pocahontas converted to Christianity and ultimately opted to stay with the English.)
In 1743, the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, was born in Shadwell in the Virginia Colony.
In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, Fort Sumter in South Carolina fell to Confederate forces.
In 1917, American business tycoon James “Diamond Jim” Brady, known for his jewelry collection as well as his hearty appetite, died in Atlantic City, New Jersey at age 60.
In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. on the 200th anniversary of the third American president’s birth.
In 1953, “Casino Royale,” Ian Fleming’s first book as well as the first James Bond novel, was published in London by Jonathan Cape Ltd.
In 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first black performer in a leading role to win an Academy Award for his performance in “Lilies of the Field.”
In 1967, the movie “Casino Royale,” a star-studded James Bond spoof very loosely based on the Ian Fleming novel, had its world premiere in London.
In 1970, Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon, was crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen burst. (The astronauts managed to return safely.)
In 1986, Pope John Paul II visited the Great Synagogue of Rome in the first recorded papal visit of its kind to a Jewish house of worship.
In 1992, the Great Chicago Flood took place as the city’s century-old tunnel system and adjacent basements filled with water from the Chicago River. “The Bridges of Madison County,” a romance novel by Robert James Waller, was published by Warner Books.
In 1997, Tiger Woods, at age 21 years and 3ฝ months, became the youngest player to win the Masters Tournament by a record 12 strokes at Augusta National Golf Club.
Ten years ago: A day after a dining hall suicide bombing claimed by al-Qaida, Iraq’s parliament met in an extraordinary session on a Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, to declare it would not bow to terrorism; a bouquet of red roses and a white lily sat in the place of a lawmaker who was killed in the attack.
Five years ago: President Barack Obama arrived in Cartagena, Colombia, to attend the Summit of the Americas; however, the visit was overshadowed by a prostitution scandal involving a group of Secret Service agents and officers who had gone to Cartagena to prepare for the president’s trip. North Korea’s much-touted satellite launch ended in a nearly $1 billion failure. (The North succeeded in launching a satellite eight months later.) Jennifer Capriati was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
One year ago: President Barack Obama visited CIA headquarters, where he claimed progress in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State group. U.S. officials accused Russian attack planes of buzzing a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea multiple times during the previous two days. A task force issued a report which said that Chicago police had “no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color.” A judge in Fort Worth, Texas ordered 19-year-old Ethan Couch, who had used an “affluenza” defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck, to serve nearly two years in jail. The Golden State Warriors became the first 73-win team by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104, breaking the 1996 72-win record of the Chicago Bulls. Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his final game, wrapping up 20 years in the NBA in Los Angeles’ 101-96 victory over Utah.
Today’s Birthdays: Movie director Stanley Donen (DAH’-nehn) is 93. Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., is 84. Actor Lyle Waggoner is 82. Actor Edward Fox is 80. Actor Paul Sorvino is 78. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lester Chambers is 77. Movie-TV composer Bill Conti is 75. Rock musician Jack Casady is 73. Actor Tony Dow is 72. Singer Al Green is 71. Actor Ron Perlman is 67. Actor William Sadler is 67. Singer Peabo Bryson is 66. Bandleader/rock musician Max Weinberg is 66. Bluegrass singer-musician Sam Bush is 65. Rock musician Jimmy Destri is 63. Singer-musician Louis Johnson (The Brothers Johnson) is 62. Comedian Gary Kroeger is 60. Actress Saundra Santiago is 60. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., is 57. Rock musician Joey Mazzola (Sponge) is 56. Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov is 54. Actress Page Hannah is 53. Actress-comedian Caroline Rhea (RAY) is 53. Rock musician Lisa Umbarger is 52. Rock musician Marc Ford is 51. Reggae singer Capleton is 50. Actor Ricky Schroder is 47. Rock singer Aaron Lewis (Staind) is 45. Actor Bokeem Woodbine is 44. Singer Lou Bega is 42. Actor-producer Glenn Howerton is 41. Actor Kyle Howard is 39. Actress Kelli Giddish is 37. Actress Courtney Peldon is 36. Pop singer Nellie McKay (mih-KY’) is 35. Rapper/singer Ty Dolla $ign is 35. Actress Allison Williams is 29. Actress Hannah Marks is 24.
Thought for Today: “The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy.” — Eudora Welty, American author (born this date in 1909, died 2001).
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
