Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

March 13

2002
President Bush: When asked about Osama bin Laden, 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."

1989
All fruit from Chile is quarantined, by the FDA, after finding cyanide in two grapes.

1986
Halley's Comet: The European satellite Giotto goes within 335 miles of the nucleus of the comet.

1968
An Army nerve gas test kills 6,000 sheep outside of Salt Lake City due to a shift in wind direction; if it had shifted the other way...

1964
A woman, in Queens N.Y., dies after being chased and repeatedly stabbed for 30 minutes while 38 neighbors watched and did nothing; they didn't want to get involved.

1930
Pluto: The discovery of the planet is announced; it had been discovered from pictures taken earlier by the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.

1791
The Rights of Man, by Thomas Paine, is printed in response to Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France.

1781
Uranus: The planet is discovered by Sir William Herschel. It was the first planet discovered by telescope.

1960
Adam Clayton, Irish bass guitarist, with U2 Sunday Bloody Sunday (1983) and With You Or Without You (1987, #1).

1957
Dana Delany, American actress. TV: China Beach (Lt. Colleen McMurphy).

1939
Neil Sedaka, American singer, songwriter. Music: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (1962, #1) and Laughter in the Rain (1965, #1).

1914     d. 1943
Edward Henry O'Hare, U.S. naval aviator, for whom Chicago's O'Hare airport is named. In 1942 he shot down five incoming Japanese bombers saving the USS Lexington from certain destruction, for which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor. He died in action.

1913     d. 1987
William Joseph Casey, CIA director (1981-87).

1911     d. 1986
L. Ron Hubbard (Lafayette Ronald Hubbard), American author, founded the Church of Scientology and author of Dianetics.

1855     d. 1816
Pervical Lowell, American astronomer. He predicted the existence of the planet Pluto, although it wasn't discovered until 1930.

1781     d. 1830
Johann Rudolf Wyss, Swiss author. Writings: The Swiss Family Robinson (1813). He also wrote the Swiss national anthem.

1733     d. 1804
Joseph Priestley, English clergyman, scientist, discovered the pencil eraser (1770) and oxygen (1774).

1615     d. 1700
Innocent XII, Italian religious leader, 242nd Pope (1691-1700).

2006     b. 1925
Maureen Stapleton, American Oscar-Tony-Emmy-winning actress. Film: Reds (1981, Oscar) and Cocoon (1985). TV: Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975).

1988     b. 1944
John Holmes (John Curtis Estes), American porn star, died of AIDS. He appeared in over 2,000 pornographic films. His life was the basis for the films Boogie Nights (1997) and Wonderland (2003).

1938     b. 1857
Clarence Darrow, American lawyer, defender of John Scopes in the famous Tennessee Monkey Trial (1925).

1906     b. 1820
Susan Brownell Anthony, woman's rights leader.

1901     b. 1833
Benjamin Harrison, 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 U.S. President to a attend a major league baseball game (June 6, 1892 Cincinnati beat Washington 7-4).

1886     b. 1812
Austin Flint, American physician, pioneer in heart research. He co-founded Buffalo Medical College.

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