
1842: Queen Victoria travelled by train for the first time, from Slough (near Windsor Castle) to Paddington, accompanied by Prince Albert. A special coach had been built earlier, but the Queen had been reluctant to try this new form of travel. The inaugural royal train journey took place on June 13, 1842, and lasted just 25 minutes. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to use the train. At her behest, the train was not allowed to exceed a speed of 64 kilometers per hour. Every two hours, the train had to stop to allow Queen Victoria to use the restroom. On her first journey, the engine driver was assisted by the great civil engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

1865: Confederacy approves Black soldiers – On March 13, 1865, with the main Rebel armies facing long odds against much larger Union armies, the Confederacy, in a desperate measure, reluctantly approves the use of Black troops.

1950: South Africa implements the Group Areas Act
The law assigned geographically separate residential and business areas for different racial groups, forcing non-whites from the most developed areas. It was a major pillar of the apartheid system of racial segregation and oppression.
1953: The Chuka Massacre occurs in Kenya when members of the British Kingโs African Rifles B Company capture and executed 20 people suspected of being Mau Mau fighters during the rebellion against colonial rule. No one is ever tried or held accountable for the massacre.

1961: President Kennedy proposes Alliance for Progress. President John F. Kennedy proposes a 10-year, multibillion-dollar aid program for Latin America. The program came to be known as the Alliance for Progress and was designed to improve U.S. relations with Latin America, which had been severely damaged in recent years.

1970: The Long and Winding Road (song)’ became the Beatles’ last Number 1 single in the United States. McCartney originally wrote the song at his farm in Scotland saying ‘I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration.’
1971: The New York Times publishes the Pentagon Papers
The secret study of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War revealed the government’s lies concerning the scale of U.S. activities in Vietnam and neighboring countries. Daniel Ellsberg, an employee of the RAND Corporation, leaked the documents to the New York Times, and he was later tried but not convicted of espionage.
1982: Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982 until his death in 2005. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982. He was the eighth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.

1983: Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the central solar system
The U.S. space probe crossed the orbit of Neptune, which at the time was classified as the furthest planet from the Sun.
2000: The leaders of South Korea and North Korea meet in an historic summit
The talks were initiated by then President of South Korea, Kim Dae-jung. For the implementation of his โSunshine Policyโ, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.

2002: The United States withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
The ABM Treaty was signed in 1972 by the Soviet Union and the United States. It regulated the establishment of anti-ballistic missile shields against nuclear missiles. Critics bemoaned the treaty’s termination for its potential negative effect on nuclear proliferation.
2005: After a 14-week trial that became a media circus, American pop singer Michael Jackson was acquitted of child-molestation charges.

2023: Donald Trump became the first former U.S. president to be charged with federal crimes as he was arraigned in a Miami courtroom; he pleaded not guilty to 37 felony charges that related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY: June 13
Sam Amuka-Pemu, 89 years
Nigerian journalist and publisher, was born on 13 June 1935 in Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria. After years as a reporter and editor, he became a major media force when he co-founded The Punch in 1971 and the Vangaurd newspaper in 1983.ย

Abdulsalami Abubakar, 82 years
Abdulsalami Abubakar GCFR is a Nigerian statesman and retired Nigerian army general who served as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff from 1997 to 1998. He succeeded General Sani Abacha upon the latter’s death. He returned Nigeria to democracy by ending military rule, setting up presidential elections, and handing power over to the election winner, Olusegun Obasanjo.

1944: Ban Ki-moon, 80 years
Ban Ki-moon is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade between 2004 and 2006.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, 70 years
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala GCON is a Nigerian-American economist, born on 13 June 1954 in Ogwashi-Ukwu, Nigeria. She has been serving as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization since March 2021. She is the first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization as Director-General. A global development expert, she was the first woman and the first African to serve as Director General of the World Trade Organisation.
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