April 13

Today in History
• 0837 - Best view of Halley's Comet in 2000 years
• 1180 - Republic day of Gelnhausen
• 1367 - Battle at Najera Spain: Castilie and England beat Aragon and France
• 1598 - Edict of Nantes grants political rights to French Huguenots
• 1741 - Dutch people protest bad quality of bread
• 1796 - 1st elephant arrives in U.S. from India
• 1829 - English Emancipation Act grants freedom of religion to Catholics
• 1860 - 1st Pony Express reaches Sacramento, California


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Grand National Festival Race Card
• International Plant Appreciation Day
• Last day of Passover
• National Borinqueneers Day
• National Peach Cobbler Day
• National Scrabble Day
• Songkran Water Festival
• Thomas Jefferson Day

Birthdays
• 1229 - Louis II, Duke of Bavaria, ruler of upper Baveria
• 1519 - Catherine de' Medici, Queen of Spain/daughter of Henry II
• 1570 - Guy Fawkes,conspirator convicted in the "Gunpowder Plot" to blow up Parliament
• 1584 - Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria, born in Munich
• 1721 - John Hanson, Maryland, 1st U.S. President under Articles of Confederation
• 1732 - Frederick North, C, British Prime Minister, 1770-82
• 1743 - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, D-R, 3rd President, 1801-09
• 1771 - Richard Trevithick, Cornwall, inventor, steam locomotive