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 1861, at the start of the Civil War, Fort Sumter in South Carolina fell to Confederate forces.
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 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 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 1997, Tiger Woods, at age 21 years and 31⁄2 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.
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.
One year ago: A task force issued a report that said Chicago police had “no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color.”