What Happened On
Bush On Osama bin Laden - I Just Don't Spend That Much Time On Him
March 13, 2002
When asked about Osama bin Laden, U.S. President George W. Bush responds, "So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you."
Shortly after the 9/11 Attacks, Bush had stated, "I want justice. There's an old poster out west, as I recall, that said, Wanted: Dead or Alive."
UFOs - Phoenix Lights
March 13, 1997
Thousands of people witness lights over Arizona and Nevada in a space of about 300 miles. Many believe these were UFOs, while others claim they were flares dropped by the USAF.
U.S. Army Kills 6,000 Sheep with Nerve Gas
March 13, 1968
The U.S. Army accidentally kills 6,000 sheep with nerve gas, but denied it for 30 years - until finally admitting they had known all along that they had caused it.
An army aircraft was flying a nerve gas test mission over the Dugway Proving Ground with chemical dispensers containing the nerve agent VX when a malfunction caused one of the dispensers to fail to completely empty. As the aircraft gained altitude after its bombing run, the remaining VX gas leaked out behind the aircraft over ranches outside of Salt Lake City, eventually settling over a flock of sheep, killing 6,000 of them. People working in the area developed nervous-system illnesses that were indicative of low levels of VX exposure.
The Army initially denied responsibility for the incident. However, a 1970 study conducted by the Army showed incontrovertible evidence that the gas test killed the sheep, stating that VX was found in both snow and grass samples from the area. This report was not released to the public until 28 years later in 1998.
The international outcry over the incident led U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1969 to ban all open-air chemical weapons testing.
Hitler Assassination Attempt
March 13, 1943
As Adolf Hitler was boarding a plane, Henning von Tresckow asked a member of Hitler's staff to deliver a package containing brandy to a friend in Berlin. The package actually contained a bomb with a 30-minute fuse. Tresckow planned on using Hitler's death for a coup against the Nazi high command. However, due to a defective fuse, the bomb did not go off and Hitler landed safely in Berlin.
Tresckow continued to plan assassination attempts, but was unable to succeed. After another failed attempt in 1944, Tresckow committed suicide.
Donald's Happy Birthday
March 13, 1934
The birthday of the cartoon character Donald Fauntleroy Duck is given in the cartoon, Donald's Happy Birthday (1949). However, Disney celebrates his birthday as June 9, 1934, which is his debut in the film The Wise Little Hen.
Civil War - Confederacy Authorizes the Use of Slaves in Combat
March 13, 1865
The Confederate Congress authorizes the use of slaves in combat roles for the army. The Confederacy was in serious need of bodies to defend the itself against the Union. Up to this time slaves had worked behind the lines for the Confederacy as cooks, servants, and laborers, but were officially banned from fighting in combat roles, even though a few did. Soldiers who owned slaves were allowed to bring slaves with them to work as servants.
Confederate general Robert E. Lee requested that slaves who fought be freed, but the law specified they would remain slaves and were not guaranteed to receive their freedom upon conclusion of the war.
Feeling that the use of slaves would necessitate their eventual freedom, some politicians argued against the law protesting, "What did we go to war for, if not to protect our property?"
But, with the end of the war occurring only a few weeks later, there is no record of any black units being accepted into the Confederate Army as a result of this law.
Rights of Man
March 13, 1791
The first part of Thomas Paine's book Rights of Man arguing that popular political revolution is permissible when a government does not safeguard the natural rights of its people and used these points to defend the French Revolution. It was in response to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790). It sold 1,000,000 copies. The second part was printed in 1792.
Uranus
March 13, 1781
The planet Uranus is discovered by Sir William Herschel. It was the first planet discovered by telescope. At first he thought it was a comet, but observations from other astronomers proved it was a planet.
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is classified as an ice giant. It is the only planet whose name is derived from Greek mythology (Greek god of the sky Ouranos).
Pluto
March 13, 1930
The discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto is announced; it had been discovered from pictures taken earlier by the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.
Birthdays
Sean Kenney
Born March 13, 1944
American actor. Best known for playing the physically disabled Christopher Pike, the first captain of the USS Enterprise, in the original Star Trek TV series.
Jeffrey Hunter played Christopher Pike in the unaired pilot episode, The Cage, for the original Star Trek TV series. When the pilot was rejected, Hunter quit the show and was replaced by William Shatner as James T. Kirk. A later episode, The Menagerie, used footage from the pilot, but used actor Sean Kenney as the older, disabled Christopher Pike.
Kenney also played Lieutenant DePaul in the Star Trek episodes Arena and A Taste of Armageddon.
Edward "Butch" O'Hare
Born March 13, 1914 d. 1943
U.S. naval aviator. Chicago's O'Hare airport is named after him. In 1942 he single-handedly attacked nine Japanese bombers, shooting down five, saving the USS Lexington from certain destruction. These actions made him the U.S. Navy's first flying ace, and the Navy's first WWII recipient of the Medal of Honor. He died in action the following year.
His father, "Easy Eddie" O'Hare, was Al Capone's lawyer, but turned against Capone and helped convict Capone for income tax evasion. Afterwards, he was ambushed and shot to death in his car (1939). Many believe Capone ordered the hit.
Percival Lowell
Born March 13, 1855 d. 1916
American astronomer. He predicted the existence of the dwarf planet Pluto, which was discovered in 1930 - 14 years after his death.
He also popularized the idea that intelligent life had constructed canals on Mars - This was later proved to be false.
Adam Clayton
Born March 13, 1960
Irish bass guitarist, with U2. Music: Sunday Bloody Sunday (1983) and With You Or Without You (1987, #1).
Dana Delany
Born March 13, 1956
American Emmy-winning actress. TV: China Beach (1988-91, Lt. Colleen McMurphy) and Desperate Housewives (2007-12, Katherine Mayfair).
Photo Credit: Richard Sandoval
Charo (María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza)
Born March 13, 1941
Spanish-American singer, TV personality.
Neil Sedaka
Born March 13, 1939
American singer, songwriter. Music: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (1962, #1) and Laughter in the Rain (1965, #1).
William Joseph Casey
Born March 13, 1913 d. 1987
CIA director (1981-87).
Founder of Scientology
L. Ron Hubbard (Lafayette Ronald Hubbard)
Born March 13, 1911 d. 1986
American author. Founded the Church of Scientology (1954) and author of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (1950).
Hubbard lost the rights to Dianetics in a 1952 bankruptcy, and then went on to found the Church of Scientology, which he grew into a worldwide organization.
He had a prolific writing career in the 1930s with numerous stories and articles published in magazines of the day.
Hubbard experienced a near death experience during a tooth extraction in 1938, during which time he was given the inspiration for his manuscript Excalibur. The underlying theme of Excalibur was, "All life is directed by one command and one command only—SURVIVE!" This would become the basis of Dianetics.
Scientology Churches include an office set aside for Hubbard's reincarnation, with a desk plaque bearing his name, and pen and paper for him to continue writing novels.
Innocent XII
Born March 13, 1615 d. 1700
Italian religious leader, 242nd Pope (1691-1700).
Deaths
Susan Brownell Anthony
Died March 13, 1906 b. 1820
American woman's rights leader.
Benjamin Harrison
Died March 13, 1901 b. 1833
American politician. 23rd U.S. President (1889-93). His support of spending programs during his term earned Congress the name "The Billion Dollar Congress." He was the first sitting U.S. President to attend a major league baseball game (June 6, 1892 Cincinnati beat Washington 7-4).
The oldest existing recording of a U.S. president's voice is of Harrison circa 1889 regarding the first Pan-American Congress of 1889.
The first known recording of a U.S. president's voice was that of Rutherford B. Hayes, but that recording has been lost.
William Hurt
Died March 13, 2022 b. 1950
American Oscar-winning actor. Film: Altered States (1980), Body Heat (1981), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985, Oscar), and Broadcast News (1987).
"Marvelous" Marvin Hagler
Died March 13, 2021 b. 1954
American Hall of Fame boxer, middleweight champion (1980-87).
Betsy Blair (Betsy Boger)
Died March 13, 2009 b. 1923
American actress. TV: thirtysomething (Ellyn's mother). She was married to Gene Kelly (1941-57 divorced). She was blacklisted due to an investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Maureen Stapleton
Died March 13, 2006 b. 1925
American Oscar-Tony-Emmy-winning actress. Film: Reds (1981, Oscar) and Cocoon (1985). TV: Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975).
Garson Kanin
Died March 13, 1999 b. 1912
American director, playwright. Broadway: Born Yesterday (1946, film versions 1950, 1993). He was married to actress Ruth Gordon.
John Holmes (John Curtis Estes)
Died March 13, 1988 b. 1944
American porn star. He appeared in over 2,000 pornographic films. Died of AIDS. His life was the basis for the films Boogie Nights (1997) and Wonderland (2003).
Monkey Trial Lawyer
Clarence Darrow
Died March 13, 1938 b. 1857
American lawyer. Defender of John Scopes in the famous Tennessee Scopes Monkey Trial (1925).
Elihu Thomson
Died March 13, 1937 b. 1853
English-born engineer and inventor. He was awarded over 700 patents and invented the recording wattmeter used in electricity usage meters.
Austin Flint
Died March 13, 1886 b. 1812
American physician, pioneer in heart research. He co-founded Buffalo Medical College.