1771: Richard Trevithick, inventor, mining engineer, and constructor of the world’s first full-scale working railway steam locomotive
1829: The British Parliament passed the Catholic Emancipation Act, lifting restrictions imposed on Catholics at the time of Henry VIII.
You will also like...
1895: Alfred Dreyfus imprisoned on Devils Island
Accused of selling military secrets to Germany and convicted in an irregular trial against a backdrop of anti-Semitism, French officer Alfred Dreyfus was imprisoned this day in 1895 on Devils Island, off French Guiana.
1919: British troops massacre around 400 unarmed civilians in India
Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered his men to shoot into the crowd, in his own words “to punish the Indians for disobedience.” The Indian independence movement grew considerably after the Amritsar massacre.
1960: The world’s first satellite navigation system is launched
Transit 1B was primarily used by the U.S. Navy to update the navigation systems aboard their Polaris submarines.
1964: For his performance in Lilies of the Field (1963), Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
1970: An oxygen tank explodes on Apollo 13, leaving the spacecraft crippled
The emergency prompted Jack Swigert’s famous quote “Houston, we’ve had a problem”. The crew managed to return to Earth safely.
1970: Mikis Theodorakis is freed
The Greek composer and politician was interned in the concentration camp of Oropos by the right-wing military junta. The solidarity movement demanding his release included Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, and Harry Belafonte.
1978: Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, teacher, political activist, and campaigner for women’s rights died from injuries sustained when she was thrown from the second floor during a military raid on the Kuti family compound, known as the shrine, established by her son, the Pan African musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti
1979: The world record for the longest table tennis doubles marathon was broken with a time of 101 hours.
Lance, Phil & Mark Warren, and Bill Weir from Sacramento, California, began playing on April 9 and were only allowed a five-minute break for each hour they played.
1997: Tiger Woods becomes the youngest-ever golfer to win the Masters Tournament. The then-21-year-old sportsman was also the first person of African heritage to win a major golf title. Tiger Woods is considered one of the most successful golfers of all time.
2014: A Nigerian child bride, 14-year-old Wasila Umaru, killed her 35-year-old husband, after being forced to marry him. After the wedding, the groom, Sani Umaru invited some friends to celebrate in Ungwar Yansoro village, which is close to the city of Kano. However, during the festivities, Wasila slipped some rat poison into the rice that was being served.
2021: Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria apologized for voicing Apu for 30 years. Azaria, a white man, felt he needed to apologize to “every single Indian person” for the harm he did in voicing the iconic Indian shopkeeper.
Births on This Day, April 13
Omawumi, 42 years
Omawumi Megbele, known by her stage name Omawumi was born in 1982. She is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and actress of Itsekiri ethnicity. She is a brand ambassador for Globacom, Konga.com, and Malta Guinness. She’s also part of the campaign called “Rise with the Energy of Africa”.
Dylan Conrique, 20 years
Dylan Conrique was born on 13 April 2004 in Gilroy, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Rookie (2018), Henry Danger (2014), and Chicken Girls (2017).
Ola Rotimi (13 April 1938 – 18 August 2000)
Olawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi, best known as Ola Rotimi, was born in
Sapele, Nigeria on 13 April 1938 to an Ijaw other and a Yoruba father. He was one of Nigeria’s leading playwrights and theatre directors. He has been called “a complete man of the theatre – an actor, director, choreographer and designer – who created performance spaces, influenced by traditional architectural forms.” He died at the age of 62
Kindly like, comment, follow, and share.
