This day in history

[April 20, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, April 13, the 103rd day of 2010. There are 262 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On April 13, 1743, the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, was born in Shadwell, Va.

On this date:

In 1598, King Henry IV of France endorsed the Edict of Nantes, which granted rights to the Protestant Huguenots. The edict was abrogated in 1685 by King Louis XIV, who declared France entirely Catholic again.

In 1742, Handel's "Messiah" was first performed publicly, in Dublin, Ireland.

In 1860, the Pony Express completed its inaugural run from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif., in 10 days.

In 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was incorporated in New York. The original museum opened in 1872.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial.

In 1958, American Van Cliburn, 23, won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition for piano in Moscow; Russian Valery Klimov won the violin competition.

In 1960, the U.S. Navy's Transit 1B navigational satellite was successfully launched into orbit.

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 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.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton, during a question-and-answer session with newspaper editors, heatedly said "I'm not ashamed" about being impeached and said he was "not interested" in being pardoned for any alleged crimes in the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Whitewater investigation.

Five years ago: A defiant Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to carrying out the deadly bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and three other attacks in back-to-back court appearances in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta. Contract worker Jeffrey Ake (ayk) was shown at gunpoint on a videotape aired by Al-Jazeera television, two days after he was kidnapped near Baghdad. Gymnast Paul Hamm (hahm) received the 75th Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete.

One year ago: The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's April 5 rocket launch. President Barack Obama allowed Americans to make unlimited transfers of money and visits to relatives in Cuba. Music producer Phil Spector was found guilty by a Los Angeles jury of second-degree murder in the shooting of actress Lana Clarkson. He was later sentenced to 19 years to life in prison. Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych died in an accident on his Massachusetts farm; he was 54. Harry Kalas, whose "Outta here!" home run calls thrilled Philadelphia baseball fans, died after collapsing in the broadcast booth before the Phillies' 9-8 victory over the Nationals in Washington; he was 73.

Today's birthdays: Movie director Stanley Donen is 86. Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., is 77. Actor Lyle Waggoner is 75. Actor Edward Fox is 73. Playwright Lanford Wilson is 73. Actor Paul Sorvino is 71. Poet Seamus Heaney is 71. Movie-TV composer Bill Conti is 68. Rock musician Jack Casady is 66. Actor Tony Dow is 65. Singer Al Green is 64. Author-journalist Christopher Hitchens is 61. Actor Ron Perlman is 60. Actor William Sadler is 60. Singer Peabo Bryson is 59. Bandleader/rock musician Max Weinberg is 59. Bluegrass singer-musician Sam Bush is 58. Rock musician Jimmy Destri is 56. Singer-musician Louis Johnson (The Brothers Johnson) is 55. Comedian Gary Kroeger is 53. Actress Saundra Santiago is 53. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., is 50. Rock musician Joey Mazzola (Sponge) is 49. Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov is 47. Actress Page Hannah is 46. Actress-comedian Caroline Rhea (RAY) is 46. Rock musician Lisa Umbarger is 45. Rock musician Marc Ford is 44. Reggae singer Capleton is 43. Actor Ricky Schroder is 40. Rock singer Aaron Lewis (Staind) is 38. Actor Bokeem Woodbine is 37. Singer Lou Bega is 35. Actor-producer Glenn Howerton is 34. Actress Courtney Peldon is 29. Pop singer Nellie McKay (mih-KY') is 28.

Thought for today: "Go on failing. Go on. Only next time, try to fail better." -- Samuel Beckett, Irish playwright and author born this date in 1906, died in 1989

[Associated Press]

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