On This Day, April 13: White supremacists kill dozens in Colfax massacre

UPI Staff
·4 min read
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On April 13, 1873, a mob of former Confederate soldiers and Ku Klux Klan members killed dozens of Black militia men occupying the Grant Parish, La., courthouse. File Image courtesy of Harper's Weekly/Wikimedia
On April 13, 1873, a mob of former Confederate soldiers and Ku Klux Klan members killed dozens of Black militia men occupying the Grant Parish, La., courthouse. File Image courtesy of Harper's Weekly/Wikimedia

April 13 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1742, George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" made its world premiere.

In 1873, a mob of former Confederate soldiers and Ku Klux Klan members killed dozens of Black militia men occupying the Grant Parish, La., courthouse after a contested gubernatorial election. The deadly confrontation came to be known as the Colfax massacre.

In 1932, Democrats at a Jefferson Day luncheon accused the Hoover administration of wrecking the economy, plunging millions into misery and engulfing the government in debt due to extravagance.

In 1943, the Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in Washington on the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth.

Tiger Woods tries on his Green Jacket after winning the 2019 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on April 14, 2019. On April 13, 1997, Woods, 21, won his first Masters, the youngest golfer to accomplish that feat. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Tiger Woods tries on his Green Jacket after winning the 2019 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on April 14, 2019. On April 13, 1997, Woods, 21, won his first Masters, the youngest golfer to accomplish that feat. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

In 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first Black American to win an Oscar for Best Actor, honored for his work in Lilies of the Field.

File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI
File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI
Crewmembers of the Apollo 13 mission step aboard the USS Iwo Jima. On April 13, 1970, an oxygen tank exploded aboard Apollo 13 en route to a planned moon landing. File Photo courtesy of NASA
Crewmembers of the Apollo 13 mission step aboard the USS Iwo Jima. On April 13, 1970, an oxygen tank exploded aboard Apollo 13 en route to a planned moon landing. File Photo courtesy of NASA

In 1970, an oxygen tank exploded aboard Apollo 13 en route to a planned moon landing and one of the three astronauts aboard, Jack Swigert, the command module pilot, famously said, "Houston, we've had a problem." The mission was aborted and the craft, also carrying James Lovell, the commander, and Fred Haise, the lunar module pilot, returned safety to Earth April 17 after some harrowing moments.

In 1972, the first Major League Baseball strike ended, eight days after it began.

Phil Spector listens to comments by the prosecutor as he appears for a pretrial hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Court in downtown Los Angeles October 27, 2005. On April 13, 2009, the music producer was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Los Angeles jury in his second trial for the 2003 slaying of Lana Clarkson, an actress and club hostess. He was sentenced to 19 years-to-life in prison. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

In 1984, Christopher Wilder, the FBI's "most wanted man," accidentally killed himself as police moved in to arrest him in New Hampshire. Wilder was a suspect in the deaths, rapes and disappearances of 11 young women in eight states.

In 1987, the Population Reference Bureau reported the world's population had exceeded 5 billion.

On April 13, 1943, the Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in Washington on the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI
On April 13, 1943, the Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in Washington on the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI

In 1997, Tiger Woods, 21, won the Masters, the youngest golfer to accomplish that feat and the first Black American to win any of the four men's major professional golf tournaments. Woods also won the Masters in 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019.

Tiger Woods arrives to sign copies of his new book, "The 1997 Masters: My Story," at the Union Square Barnes & Noble in New York City on March 20, 2017. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Tiger Woods arrives to sign copies of his new book, "The 1997 Masters: My Story," at the Union Square Barnes & Noble in New York City on March 20, 2017. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Pope Francis celebrates Easter Sunday mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on March 31, 2013. On April 13, 2013, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis appointed eight cardinals to look into ways of reforming the Roman Catholic Church. File Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI
Pope Francis celebrates Easter Sunday mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on March 31, 2013. On April 13, 2013, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis appointed eight cardinals to look into ways of reforming the Roman Catholic Church. File Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI

In 2005, as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty, Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to four bombings that killed two people and injured more than 120. Among the attacks were bombings at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and two abortion clinics. Rudolph was sentenced to life in prison.

In 2009, music producer Phil Spector was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Los Angeles jury in his second trial for the 2003 slaying of Lana Clarkson, an actress and club hostess. He was sentenced to 19 years-to-life in prison.

In 2013, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis appointed eight cardinals to look into ways of reforming the Roman Catholic Church.

In 2023, Tropical Cyclone Isla made landfall in Western Australia with sustained winds of 160 mph, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.