This Day in History: April 13

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre was a horrific event in the Indian Independence Movement. Jallianwala Bagh is a garden in the city of Amritsar in northern India. In 1919, British soldiers under the command of General Dyer fired indiscriminately at a crowd of unarmed men, women, and children gathered in the garden. In ten minutes of firing, according to the then government’s figures, 379 people were killed. But according to other estimates, more than 1000 people were killed there. More than 2000 people were injured.

Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was born in Virginia in 1743. He is one of the founding fathers of the United States. He served as the third president from 1801 to 1809. Prior to that, he served as vice president from 1797 to 1801 under President John Adams. He played a prominent role in bringing independence to America, which was part of the British government until then, by raising awareness among the American people about democracy, government by the people, and human rights.

Also Read: This Day in History: April 12

Seamus Heaney’s Birthday

Renowned poet and playwright Seamus Heaney was born in County Derry, Ireland in 1939. He began writing in the 1960s. Heaney, who became the most popular Irish poet after W. B. Yeats, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995.

Duddilla Sripada Rao’s Death

Former Speaker of the United Andhra Pradesh Assembly and MLA Duddilla Sripada Rao was killed in a Naxal attack in 1999 at Annaram in Mahabubnagar district. He was born on March 2, 1935, in Dhanwada village, Kataram mandal, Bhupalpally district. He had the opportunity to contest as an MLA from Manthani on a Congress ticket in the 1984 elections. He was then elected MLA for three more terms. He had the opportunity to work as Speaker of the Assembly.

Sheik Chinna Moulana’s Death

Prominent Indian nadaswaram maestro Sheik Chinna Moulana passed away in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu in 1999. He was born on May 12, 1924, in the village of Karavadi in Prakasam district. He gained international fame for his nadaswaram playing. In 1977, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award. The Films Division produced a film on Dr. Sheik Chinna Moulana.

Also Read: This Day in History: April 11

Dhulipala Sitarama Sastry’s Death

Telugu drama artist and film actor Dhulipala Sitarama Sastry passed away in Guntur in 2007. He was born on September 22, 1922, in Dachepalli, Palnadu mandal, Guntur district. He made a name for himself acting in many films in the Telugu film industry. He was introduced to the film industry with the 1962 film “Bheeshma”. He acted in many mythological films.

Vasireddy Sithadevi’s Death

Famous Telugu novelist and short story writer Vasireddy Sithadevi passed away in 2007. She was born on December 15, 1933, in Chebrolu, Guntur district. Her first novel, “Jeevitam Ante”, was published in 1950. She then wrote about 39 novels and over 100 stories in Telugu.

Other Glimpses from World History on April 13

• Nyayapati Raghava Rao, popularly known as Radio Annayya and founder of Andhra Balananda Sangham, was born in Berhampur, Odisha in 1905.
• Indian writer, Telugu, Sanskrit and English language writer Burra Kamaladevi was born in Visakhapatnam in 1908.
• Indian microbiologist Ponduri Venkata Ramana Rao passed away in 2005. He served in the Army Medical Service from 1944-1947. He served as Regimental Medical Officer and Field Ambulance Officer during World War II.
• An elephant was first taken from India to America in 1796. Until then, elephants were unknown to the Americans.