Today In History
Today is Thursday, April 13, the 103rd day of 2017. There are 262 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1742: “Messiah,” the oratorio by George Frideric Handel featuring the “Hallelujah” chorus, had its first public performance in Dublin, Ireland.
ON THIS DATE
› 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.)
› 1861: At the start of the Civil War, Fort Sumter in South Carolina fell to Confederate forces.
› 1953: “Casino Royale,” Ian Fleming’s first book as well as the first James Bond novel, was published in London by Jonathan Cape Ltd.
› 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.”
› 1970: Apollo 13, fourfifths of the way to the moon, was crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen burst. (The astronauts managed to return safely.)
› 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.
› 1997: Tiger Woods, at age 21 years and 3 1/2 months, became the youngest player to win the Masters Tournament by a record 12 strokes at Augusta National Golf Club.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Movie director Stanley Donen is 93. Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., is 84. Actor Lyle Waggoner is
82. 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. Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov is 54. Actress-comedian Caroline Rhea is 53. Rock musician Lisa Umbarger is 52. Rock musician Marc Ford is 51. Reggae singer Capleton is 50. Actor Ricky Schroder is 47. AActor Kyle Howard is
39. Actress Kelli Giddish is 37. Pop singer Nellie McKay is 35. Rapper/ singer Ty Dolla $ign is 35. Actress Allison Williams is 29. Actress Hannah Marks is 24.