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What Happened On
Houston, we've had a problem here
April 13, 1970
An Apollo 13 oxygen tank explodes, endangering the crew and causing the planned Moon landing to be aborted. One of the problems that had to be overcome was the need to adapt the Command Module's square carbon dioxide scrubber cartridges to fit the Lunar Module, which took a round cartridge. This was done by drawing air through them with a suit return hose (shown in photo).
Note: The actual phrase was "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here", spoken by Jack Swigert. After being asked to repeat the transmission Jim Lovell responded with "Uh, Houston, we've had a problem". In the 1995 movie Apollo 13, the line was shortened to the more dramatic, "Houston, we have a problem".
The Jefferson Memorial
April 13, 1943
The Washington D.C. monument to Thomas Jefferson is dedicated.
Billy the Kid Sentenced to Hang
April 13, 1881
The notorious outlaw Billy the Kid is sentenced to hang for the murder of Sheriff William J. Brady during the Lincoln County Cattle War. He escaped by killing two deputies, but was killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett three months later.
First Run of the Pony Express
April 13, 1860
The Pony Express arrives in Sacramento, California, completing it first run in only 10 days. It had departed from St. Joseph, Missouri on April 3. Until then, sending a message across the U.S. could take months. However, the Pony Express was a financial failure, with rates of $5 per ounce (hundreds of dollars in today's money), the average person could not afford to use it. The completion of the first U.S. transcontinental telegraph line in 1861 made the Pony Express obsolete.
Edgar Allan Poe's Balloon Hoax
April 13, 1844
The famous writer Edgar Allan Poe tricks The Sun, a New York newspaper, into publishing a fictional account of a balloon crossing of the Atlantic. He perpetrated the hoax as revenge since he believed the newspaper's The Great Moon Hoax (1835) had plagiarized his story, "The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall". Poe felt The Sun had made tremendous profits from his story without giving him a cent.
Phil Spector Murder Case
April 13, 2009
Music producer Phil Spector is found guilty of second degree murder of the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson in his home.
Iraq Attempts to Assassinate George Bush
April 13, 1993
The government of Iraq attempts to assassinate former U.S. President George H. W. Bush with a car bomb while he was visiting Kuwait City. Saddam denied involvement, but had previously promised to hunt down and punish Bush, even after he left office.
A 175-pound car bomb was found in Kuwait city during Bush's visit. U.S. intelligence services determined that key elements of the bomb were made in Iraq. Two Iraqi's believed to be involved in the plot confessed, claiming they had met with individuals they believed to be associated with the Iraqi Intelligence Service who gave them a van loaded with explosives with instructions to kill Bush. They later retracted their confessions, claiming they had been tortured into confessing.
President Bill Clinton retaliated two months later by launching 23 Tomahawk missiles against the headquarters of the Iraqi Intelligence Service.
First Patent for an Animal Species
April 13, 1988
The "Harvard mouse" is patented. Its altered genes make it highly susceptible to cancer and therefore useful in research.
Zsa Zsa Gabor Husband Number 8
April 13, 1983
The Hungarian beauty queen, Zsa Zsa Gabor, marries her 8th husband. The marriage was annulled the following day.
Jimmy's World
April 13, 1981
Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke wins a Pulitzer for her story of an eight-year-old heroin addict. It was later revealed that she made the story up.
$2 Dollar Bill
April 13, 1976
The new U.S. $2 bill is placed in circulation.
First Black to Win a Best Actor Oscar
April 13, 1964
Sidney Poitier wins for his portrayal of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field.
First Fire Insurance Company
April 13, 1752
The first fire insurance company is organized, in Philadelphia.
Birthdays
Tony Dow (Anthony Lee Dow)
Born April 13, 1945 d. 2022
American actor. Best known for playing Wally Cleaver in Leave it to Beaver (1957-63) and in The New Leave It to Beaver (1983-89). He also served in the U.S. National Guard (1965-68).
Most Hated Woman in America - Banned Bible Reading
Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Born April 13, 1919 d. 1995
American atheist. Known for getting Bible reading banned in U.S. public schools (1963). She filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore public school system, claiming her son's refusal to participate in Bible readings at public school resulted in bullying that was condoned by school administrators. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court resulting in the banning of Bible reading in public schools (1963). School prayer had been banned the previous year. As a result, Life magazine called her "the most hated woman in America." She then went on to found the organization American Atheists (1963) and created the first issues of American Atheist Magazine (1963). Her son, the subject of the court case, later converted to Christianity and became a Baptist minister. O'Hair, her other son Jon, and her granddaughter were kidnapped and murdered by former disgruntled employee David Roland Waters. After discovering that Waters had stolen $54,000 from American Atheists, O'Hair exposed him and his other crimes to American Atheists members. His crimes included a 1977 incident in which Waters allegedly beat and urinated on his mother and the murder of another teenager at the age of 17. Enraged, Waters and some accomplices kidnapped O'Hair and the others and forced her to withdraw $600,000 which they used to purchase gold coins. The kidnappers then killed their three victims and mutilated their bodies. Most of the gold coins were placed in a rented storage locker, where they were stolen by a gang of thieves targeting storage lockers and never recovered.
The Netflix movie The Most Hated Woman in America is based on her murder.
Inventor of Scrabble
Alfred Mosher Butts
Born April 13, 1899 d. 1993
American architect, inventor of the game Scrabble (1933). Butts originally called the game "Lexiko," then "Criss-Cross Words." In 1948, unable to sell it to game companies he sold the manufacturing rights to James Brunot, but retained royalty rights. Brunot changed the name to "Scrabble" and also changed the board and simplified the rules. It is now one of the best-selling games of all time. Butts hand tabulated the frequency of letters in words using the dictionary and various newspapers to determine the number and scores of tiles. The word "Scrabble" actually means "to scratch or scramble for something."
Photo Credit: Elektrik Fanne
Photo Credit: Elektrik Fanne
Sir Robert Watson-Watt
Born April 13, 1892 d. 1973
British inventor. He is considered the inventor of Radar (1935). Although others had also done research on it, he was the first to create a working system. RADAR is an acronym for "RAdio Detection And Ranging."
Inventor of Duck Tape
Vesta Stoudt
Born April 13, 1891 d. 1966
American inventor. Vesta Stoudt invented duck tape. While working at an ordnance plant during World War II, she noticed that the way ammunition boxes were sealed made them difficult to open quickly and this could cost soldiers precious time in battle. So, she developed a waterproof, tearable cloth tape to solve the problem. Her bosses at the plant were unimpressed, so she wrote a letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt:
"I suggested we use a strong cloth tape to close seams, and make tab of same. It worked fine, I showed it to different government inspectors they said it was all right, but I could never get them to change tape."
Roosevelt liked the idea and sent it to the War Production Board who implemented her tape. The tape was made with a woven fabric, known as "duck cloth", coated in waterproof plastic with a layer of rubber-based adhesive and could be torn by hand without the need for scissors. The tape worked great on ammo boxes and soon GIs found it was also useful for fixing leaks, repairing equipment, and even closing up wounds on the battlefield.
Stoudt received Chicago Tribune's War Worker Award for her idea.
So yes, it was originally called "Duck Tape", because it was first made from duck cloth. It wasn't used for duct work until many years later.
Butch Cassidy (George LeRoy Parker)
Born April 13, 1866 d. 1908
American outlaw, boasted of never having killed a man. He and the Sundance Kid were reported killed in 1908 by Bolivian troops after a robbery, but his sister claimed he lived in the U.S. until 1937.
Woolworth Bros store, opened in 1880 in Scranton, PA
Woolworth Bros store, opened in 1880 in Scranton, PA
Frank Winfield Woolworth
Born April 13, 1852 d. 1919
American businessman. Founder of Woolworth's (1879). His first store failed within three months, but he tried again and the rest is history.
Thomas Jefferson
Born April 13, 1743 d. 1826
American politician. 3rd U.S. President (1801-09), 2nd U.S. Vice-President (1797-1801). Author of the Declaration of Independence, and the first U.S. Secretary of State (1790-93). Both he and John Adams died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson is credited with inventing the swivel chair, using the first one he made to write much of the Declaration of Independence.
Fawkes and members of the Gunpowder Plot being hanged, drawn, and quartered
Fawkes and members of the Gunpowder Plot being hanged, drawn, and quartered
Guy Fawkes
Born April 13, 1570 d. 1606
English conspirator. He is known for his part in the Gunpowder Plot, in which he and his fellow conspirators attempted to blow up King James I and the English Parliament. They were caught and executed.
Ricky Schroder
Born April 13, 1970
American actor. TV: Silver Spoons (Ricky Stratton).
Al Green
Born April 13, 1946
American soul singer, songwriter, Let's Stay Together (#1, 1971) and I'm Still In Love With You (1972).
Bill Conti
Born April 13, 1942
American Oscar-winning composer and conductor. Created the music for the Rocky movies. Composed the scores for Rocky (and four of its sequels), For Your Eyes Only, Dynasty, and The Right Stuff (Oscar).
Edward Fox
Born April 13, 1937
British actor. Film: The Day of the Jackal (1973, the Jackal) and Never Say Never Again (1983, James Bond's superior 'M').
Lyle Waggoner in Wonder Woman
Lyle Waggoner in Wonder Woman
Lyle Waggoner
Born April 13, 1935 d. 2020
American actor. TV: The Carol Burnett Show (1967-74) and Wonder Woman (1975-79, Steve Trevor).
Don Adams (Donald James Yarmy)
Born April 13, 1923 d. 2005
American actor. TV: Get Smart (1965-70, Agent 86, Maxwell Smart), Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963-66, voice of Tennessee Tuxedo), and Inspector Gadget (1983-85, voice of Gadget).
Don Adams' character Maxwell Smart's shoe phone is humorously referred to as the first "Smart" phone.
Adams served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. However, he contracted blackwater fever, a serious complication of malaria, known for a 90% fatality rate and was hospitalized for more than a year in New Zealand. After his recovery, he served as a Marine drill instructor in the U.S.
Howard Keel (Harold Keel)
Born April 13, 1919 d. 2004
American actor. TV: Dallas (1981-91, Clayton Farlow). Film: Show Boat (1951), Kiss Me Kate (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954).
Calvin Coolidge Jr.
Born April 13, 1908 d. 1924
American Presidential Son. The youngest son of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. He died at the age of 16 from blood poisoning he got from a blister on his toe he received while playing tennis on the White House courts.
Herman Long
Born April 13, 1866 d. 1909
American baseball player. He holds the record for most career errors (1,037 errors during 1,877 games from 1889-1904). In 1900 he led the National League in home runs.
James Harper
Born April 13, 1795 d. 1869
American publisher. Co-founded Harper & Row, Publishers.
Deaths
Photo Credit: Mysid
Photo Credit: Mysid
John Archibald Wheeler
Died April 13, 2008 b. 1911
American theoretical physicist. He popularized the term "Black Hole" (1967, a collapsed star) and coined the term "Wormhole" (1957, a shortcut connecting two separate points in spacetime). Quote: "If you haven't found something strange during the day it hasn't been much of a day."
Haynes driving his first automobile, the Pioneer
Haynes driving his first automobile, the Pioneer
Elwood Haynes
Died April 13, 1925 b. 1857
American automobile pioneer. He developed the second U.S. automobile company (1894), Haynes-Apperson, later becoming the Haynes Automobile Company. He also discovered tungsten chrome steel (1881) and patented stainless steel (1919). In 1895, while driving one of his early automobiles, he swerved to avoid a street car and struck a curb, busting his tire and axle. This is believed to be the first automobile accident in the U.S.
He also created the first set of stainless steel silverware.
Frank Bank
Died April 13, 2013 b. 1942
American actor. TV: Leave It to Beaver (1957-63, Lumpy Rutherford).
Larry Parks (Samuel Lawrence Klausman Parks)
Died April 13, 1975 b. 1914
American actor. Film: The Jolson Story (1946, title role) and Jolson Sings Again (1949, title role). He admitted to having been a member of a Communist party cell, which led to his blacklisting by all Hollywood studios.