27 fun facts for April, 13

Discover dozens of fun facts for this special day. Read the summary for a quick recap on what happened.
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Summary
April 13 is a day full of historic events and international celebrations, like Handel's "Messiah" premiere in Dublin, the birthday of US President Thomas Jefferson, the first African American lawyer and the International Day of Human Space Flight. Additionally, the day is observed as Thai Heritage Conservation Day and National Peach Cobbler Day in the United States.
27 Fun facts
  1. On April 13, 1742, George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" premiered in Dublin, Ireland. This musical composition is one of the most famous and performed sacred oratorios, especially during the Christmas season.
  2. Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, was born on April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia.
  3. April 13, 1796, marked the first-ever recorded sighting of a US elephant. A cattle dealer, Jacob Crowninshield, imported an elephant from Bengala, India, and introduced it to the United States.
  4. On April 13, 1831, Richard Trevithick, a British inventor and mining engineer, passed away. He is best known for inventing the first steam-powered locomotive.
  5. The first African American lawyer, Macon Bolling Allen, was admitted to the bar on April 13, 1845, in Maine, United States. He opened his law practice that year and went on to become a judge in South Carolina.
  6. On April 13, 1860, the first Pony Express mail arrived in San Francisco, California, ten days after being sent from St. Joseph, Missouri.
  7. The first edition of The Spectator, a weekly British magazine that covers culture, politics, and current events, was published on April 13, 1911.
  8. On April 13, 1919, Eugene V. Debs, a labor organizer and socialist, entered prison after being convicted for anti-war speech under the Sedition Act of 1918.
  9. April 13, 1932, marked the opening of the Royal Calcutta Turf Club, an equestrian sports organization in Kolkata, India. It is known for its horse racing events.
  10. The RMS Queen Mary, a British ocean liner, sailed from Southampton to New York to begin its World Cruise on April 13, 1939.
  11. On April 13, 1943, Thomas Mann was announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was a German novelist, short story writer, and recipient of the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded for his novel "Buddenbrooks."
  12. The International Day of Human Space Flight, celebrated on April 13, commemorates the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic space flight in 1961. Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space and orbit the Earth.
  13. On April 13, 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first black actor to win an Academy Award for his role in "Lilies of the Field."
  14. On April 13, 1970, during the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon, an oxygen tank explosion forced the crew to abort their mission and return to Earth.
  15. The United States Post Office introduced the first self-adhesive postage stamps on April 13, 1974.
  16. April 13 is annually celebrated as Thai Heritage Conservation Day in Thailand, designed to raise awareness about the preservation of historical sites and cultural heritage.
  17. On April 13, 1990, the Soviet Union admitted that the Katyn Massacre of 1940, where approximately 22,000 Polish nationals were murdered, was carried out by Stalin's secret police.
  18. The World Champion Houston Rockets set the NBA record for the largest margin of victory, defeating the Miami Heat by 56 points on April 13, 1994.
  19. On April 13, 2002, Tiger Woods became the third golfer to win the Masters Tournament back-to-back.
  20. The world's tallest sandcastle, measuring 37.21 feet, was built on April 13, 2007, in Miami, Florida by a team of sand artists.
  21. The first 1000-year-old tree genome was sequenced on April 13, 2016, as part of an international study on the DNA of ancient trees.
  22. April 13, 2018, marked the release of "Avengers: Infinity War," which went on to become the fourth highest-grossing movie worldwide.
  23. On April 13, 2019, the world's largest plane, the Stratolaunch, completed its first test flight over California's Mojave Desert.
  24. April 13 is annually observed as National Peach Cobbler Day in the United States, a day to enjoy a warm and tasty dessert that combines peaches and pastry.
  25. April 13 is also celebrated as National Scrabble Day in the United States in honor of the word-based board game that was created by Alfred Mosher Butts in 1938.
  26. The National Film Awards of India were inaugurated on April 13, 1954. The awards recognize outstanding achievement in Indian cinema.
  27. On April 13, 2020, OPEC, Russia, and other oil-producing countries agreed to reduce oil output by a record margin to address the massive drop in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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