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Today in history: April 13
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Kobe Bryant of the Lakers scored 60 points in his final game, wrapping up 20 years in the NBA.
1743: Thomas Jefferson
In 1743, the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, was born in Shadwell in the Virginia Colony.
ASSOCIATED PRESS1863: Fort Sumter
In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, Fort Sumter in South Carolina fell to Confederate forces.
AP1953: Ian Fleming
In 1953, “Casino Royale,” Ian Fleming’s first book as well as the first James Bond novel, was published in London by Jonathan Cape Ltd.
ASSOCIATED PRESS1964: Sidney Poitier
In 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first Black performer in a leading role to win an Academy Award for his performance in “Lilies of the Field.”
Edwin Reichert1970: Apollo 13
On April 13, 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.)
Anonymous1997: Tiger Woods
In 1997, Tiger Woods became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament and the first player of partly African heritage to claim a major golf title.
Ron Frehm1999: Dr. Jack Kevorkian
In 1999, right-to-die advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian was sentenced in Pontiac, Michigan, to 10 to 25 years in prison for second-degree murder in the lethal injection of a Lou Gehrig’s disease patient. (Kevorkian ended up serving eight years.)
AP2005: Eric Rudolph
In 2005, 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, Alabama, and Atlanta.
RICHARD MILLER2009: Phil Spector
In 2009, music producer Phil Spector was found guilty by a Los Angeles jury of second-degree murder in the shooting of actor Lana Clarkson (he was later sentenced to 19 years to life in prison; he died in prison in January 2021).
STF2011: Barry Bonds
A federal jury in San Francisco convicted baseball slugger Barry Bonds of a single charge of obstruction of justice, but failed to reach a verdict on the three counts at the heart of allegations that he’d knowingly used steroids and human growth hormone and lied to a grand jury about it.
Gene Puskar2016: Golden State Warriors
In 2016, the Golden State Warriors became the NBA’s first 73-win team by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104, breaking the 1996 72-win record of the Chicago Bulls.
Eric Risberg2016: Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant of the Lakers scored 60 points in his final game, wrapping up 20 years in the NBA.
Reed SaxonRelated to this collection
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