Today in History

  • Sunday, April 7, 2013 1:29pm
  • Life

Today is Monday, April 8, the 98th day of 2013. There are 267 days left in the year.

Today’s highlights:

On April 8, 1913, the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for popular election of United States senators (as opposed to appointment by state legislatures), was ratified. President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform.

On this date:

In 1820, the Venus de Milo statue was discovered by a farmer on the Greek island of Milos.

In 1913, the Republic of China’s first parliament convened.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act, which provided money for programs such as the Works Progress Administration.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered a freeze on wages and prices to combat inflation.

In 1946, the League of Nations assembled in Geneva for its final session.

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman seized the American steel industry to avert a nationwide strike. (The Supreme Court later ruled that Truman had overstepped his authority, opening the way for a seven-week strike by steelworkers.)

In 1963, “Lawrence of Arabia” won the Oscar for best picture at the Academy Awards; Gregory Peck won best actor for “To Kill a Mockingbird” while Anne Bancroft received best actress honors for “The Miracle Worker.”

In 1973, artist Pablo Picasso died in Mougins, France, at age 91.

In 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth’s record.

In 1988, TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart resigned from the Assemblies of God after he was defrocked for rejecting an order from the church’s national leaders to stop preaching for a year amid reports he’d consorted with a prostitute.

In 1993, singer Marian Anderson died in Portland, Ore., at age 96.

In 1994, Kurt Cobain, singer and guitarist for the grunge band Nirvana, was found dead in Seattle from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound; he was 27.

Ten years ago: U.S.-led military strikes in Baghdad hit a hotel housing hundreds of journalists and an Arab television network, killing three journalists. Kidnapper-rapist John Jamelske, who had imprisoned five women and girls, one after another, as sex slaves inside a makeshift dungeon in his DeWitt, N.Y., home, was arrested. Connecticut won its second straight NCAA women’s basketball championship, defeating Tennessee 73-68.

Five years ago: The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, told Congress that hard-won gains in the war zone were too fragile to promise any troop pullouts beyond the summer as he held his ground against impatient Democrats and refused to commit to more withdrawals before President George W. Bush left office in January 2009. American Airlines grounded all 300 of its MD-80 jetliners amid safety concerns about wiring bundles; the carrier ended up canceling more than 3,000 flights over the next four days. Tennessee captured its eighth women’s NCAA championship with a 64-48 victory over Stanford.

One year ago: A U.N.-brokered plan to stop the bloodshed in Syria effectively collapsed after President Bashar Assad’s government raised new, last-minute demands that the country’s largest rebel group swiftly rejected. The U.S. and Afghanistan signed a deal giving Afghans authority over raids of Afghan homes, resolving one of the most contentious issues between the two wartime allies. Bubba Watson saved par from the pine straw and won the Masters on the second hole of a playoff over Louis Oosthuizen.

Associated Press

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

"Unsellable Houses" hosts Lyndsay Lamb (far right) and Leslie Davis (second from right) show homes in Snohomish County to Randy and Gina (at left) on an episode of "House Hunters: All Stars" that airs Thursday. (Photo provided by HGTV photo)
Snohomish twin stars of HGTV’s ‘Unsellable Houses’ are on ‘House Hunters’

Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis show homes in Mountlake Terrace, Everett and Lynnwood in Thursday’s episode.

Gus Mansour works through timing with Jeff Olson and Steven Preszler, far right, during a rehearsal for the upcoming annual Elvis Challenge Wednesday afternoon in Everett, Washington on April 13, 2022. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Hunka hunka: Elvis Challenge returns to Historic Everett Theatre May 4

The “King of Rock and Roll” died in 1977, but his music and sideburns live on with Elvis tribute artists.

2024 Lexus GX 550 (Photo provided by Lexus)
2024 Lexus GX 550 review

The 2024 Lexus GX 550 has been redesigned from the ground up,… Continue reading

(Photo provided by Lexus)
2024 Lexus TX brings three-row seating back to the SUV lineup

The new luxury SUV is available in three versions, including two with hybrid powertrains.

Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz vocalist Greta Matassa comes to Snohomish while “Death by Design” ends its run at the Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds.

Mukilteo Police Chief Andy Illyn and the graphic he created. He is currently attending the 10-week FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. (Photo provided by Andy Illyn)
Help wanted: Unicorns for ‘pure magic’ career with Mukilteo police

“There’s a whole population who would be amazing police officers” but never considered it, the police chief said.

To most, tiles are utilitarian. To some, they’re a sought-after art form.

Collectors particularly prize tiles made by early 20th century art potteries. This Wheatley piece sold for $216 at auction.

Spring plant sales in Snohomish County

Find perennials, vegetable starts, shrubs and more at these sales, which raise money for horticulture scholarships.

beautiful colors of rhododendron flowers
With its big, bright blooms, Washington’s state flower is wowing once again

Whether dwarf or absolutely ginormous, rhodies put on a grand show each spring. Plus, they love the Pacific Northwest.

I accidentally paid twice for my hotel. Can I get a refund?

Why did Valeska Wehr pay twice for her stay at a Marriott property in Boston? And why won’t Booking.com help her?

How do you want your kids to remember you when they grow up?

Childhood flies by, especially for parents. So how should we approach this limited time while our kids are still kids?

Whidbey duo uses fencing to teach self-discipline, sportsmanship to youth

Bob Tearse and Joseph Kleinman are sharing their sword-fighting expertise with young people on south Whidbey Island.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.