This Day in History – April 13, 2011

0837 Best view of Halley’s Comet in 2000 years 1796 1st elephant arrives in US from Bengal India 1829 English Emancipation Act grants freedom of religion to Catholics 1860 1st Pony Express reaches Sacramento CA 1863 Hospital for Ruptured & Crippled in New York is 1st orthopedic hospital 1902 JC Penney opens his 1st store in Kemmerer WY 1928 1st trans atlantic flight Europe-US (Fitzmaurice-von Hünefeld-Köhl) 1933 1st flight over Mount Everest (Lord Clydesdale) 1934 4.7 million US families report receiving welfare payments 1943 FDR dedicates Jefferson Memorial 1953 1st game of Milwaukee Braves, they beat Cincinnati Reds 2-0 1954 Baltimore Orioles 1st game, lose to Tigers in Detroit 3-0 1954 Milwaukee Braves’ Hank Aaron’s 1st game 1955 20.33″ (51.64 cm) of rainfall, Axis AL (state record) 1957 Due to lack of funds, Saturday mail delivery in the US is temporarily halted 1959 Vatican edict forbids Roman Catholics from voting for communists 1966 Pan Am places $525,000,000 order for 25 Boeing 747s 1970 Apollo 13 announces “Houston, we’ve got a problem!” as Beech-built oxygen tank explodes en route to Moon 1979 Longest doubles ping-pong match ends after 101 hours 1984 Pete Rose becomes 1st National League to get get 4,000 hits in a career 1992 American Airlines reduces its 1st-class fares 20%-50% 1992 Crystal Pepsi begins test marketing in Providence, Denver & Dallas 1992 Great Chicago Flood – Chicago‘s underground tunnels flood ]]]]> ]]>