[Gravdigr]

Today is May 13.

Abbotsbury Garland Day is celebrated today in Abbotsbury, Dorset, England.


Events

1780 – The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in early Tennessee.

1787 – Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England, with eleven ships full of convicts (the "First Fleet") to establish a penal colony in Australia.

1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on Mexico.

1861 – The Great Comet of 1861



is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.

1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch: In far south Texas, the last organized land battle of the Civil War ends with a Confederate victory.

1912 – The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.

1939 – The first commercial FM radio station in the United States is launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The station later becomes WDRC-FM.

1940 – World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons.

1958 – During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.

1958 – Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, the Half-Safe,



having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.

1969 - Led Zeppelin became one of the first major British rock group to appear in Hawaii, when they appeared at The Civic Auditorium, Honolulu. A review in the Honolulu Advertiser stated: 'The showmanship exceeded any rock performance here to date. I wondered before the concert if Led Zeppelin could sound as good as their Atlantic album – they sounded better'.

1970 - The world premiere of The Beatles film 'Let It Be'



took place in New York City. The film which was originally planned as a television documentary features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public. Released just after the album, it was the final original Beatles release.

1972 – The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.

1971 - On his twenty-first birthday Stevie Wonder received all his childhood earnings. Despite having earned $30 million so far, he received only $1 million.

1980 – An F3 tornado strikes the heart of downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing 5, injuring 79, leaving 1,200 homeless, and doing $50 million ($147,817,354 in 2017 dollars) in damage in a path 11 miles long. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.

1981 – Pope John Paul II was shot and critically wounded in an assassination attempt in St Peter's Square, Vatican City.

1985 – Police release a bomb on MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing 11 MOVE members and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.

1995 – Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.

1996 - Oasis became the fastest selling group in UK history after all 330,000 tickets for their summer shows sold out in just nine hours.

2008 - The US Postal Service issued a 42-cent postage stamp in honour of Frank Sinatra.



The design showed a 1950s-vintage image of Sinatra.

2012 - Donald Dunn, bassist with Booker T and the MG's died in his sleep after playing a show at the Blue Note night club in Tokyo the night before.

2012 – Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40.



1221 – Alexander Nevsky, 1904 – Louis Duffus, 1907 – Daphne du Maurier, 1914 – Joe Louis, 1914 – Johnnie Wright♪ ♫(Johnnie & Jack, married to Kitty Wells), 1922 – Bea Arthur, 1927 – Fred Hellerman♪ ♫(The Weavers), 1931 – Jim Jones (leader of The Peoples Temple cult), 1939 – Harvey Keitel, 1941 – Ritchie Valens, 1943 – Mary Wells, 1945 – Magic Dick(J. Geils Band), 1950 – Danny Kirwan♪ ♫(Fleetwood Mac), 1950 – Stevie Wonder, 1951 – Paul Thompson(Roxy Music), 1952 – John Kasich, 1961 – Dennis Rodman, 1964 – Stephen Colbert, 1965 – Lari White (appears in the beginning and end of the Tom Hanks movie CastAway, at the end she gives Hanks directions on the road at the end of her driveway), 1966 – Darius Rucker, 1969 – Buckethead, 1977 – Samantha Morton, 1978 – Mike Bibby, 1986 – Lena Dunham, 1986 – Robert Pattinson



1884 – Cyrus McCormick (co-founded the International Harvester Company), 1961 – Gary Cooper, 1972 – Dan Blocker, 1975 – Bob Wills♪ ♫, 1977 – Mickey Spillane, 2001 – Jason Miller ('Father Damien' in The Exorcist), 2012 – Donald "Duck" Dunn(Booker T. & The M.G.s), 2013 – Dr. Joyce Brothers