Today in History: March 13

In 1901, the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, died in Indianapolis at age 67. Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States. Elected in 1888, Harrison was the grandson of William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

This combination of Associated Press file photos shows, left, the financial district during a two-day bank holiday on March 4, 1933, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt about to deliver a fireside chat to the American people on March 12, 1933. On March 15, 1933, the Dow had its biggest percent gain. The stock market had been closed after President Franklin D. Roosevelt temporarily shut down the banks and the government passed an emergency act where the Federal Reserve essentially agreed to insure banks deposits. (AP Photo/File) — In 1933, banks in the U.S. began to reopen after a “holiday” declared by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (AP Photo/File)

In 1934, a gang that included John Dillinger and “Baby Face” Nelson robbed the First National Bank in Mason City, Iowa, making off with $52,344. Captured desperado John Dillinger, wearing vest, strikes a jaunty pose with prosecutor Robert Estill in what would become an infamous image at the Crown Point, Ind., jailhouse, Feb. 1934. (AP Photo)

The first landed paratroopers of the French-Indochinese Union army have a watchful eye on the descent of their comrades, as Operation Castor gets under way, on November 20, 1953, in the hill tops district northwest of Hanoi . Several paratrooper units are launched in a campaign to strenghten the garrison of Dien Bien Phu. (AP Photo) — On March 13, 1954, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu began during the First Indochina War as Viet Minh forces attacked French troops, who were defeated nearly two months later. (AP/Anonymous)

Daily News page 7, July 25, 1995, Headline: Kin see Kitty's killer - He ask new trial amid their glares. The killer of Kitty Genovese took the witness stand yesterday in a moment of high courtroom drama, seeking a new trial more than three decades after the slaying that became a symbol of urban apathy. Members of the Genovese family sat in the first row and glared at Winston Moseley, the first time they have seen him, as he testified in Brooklyn Federal Court that his lawyer in the March 13, 1964, slaying had not effectively represented him. Kitty's brothers Vincent Geneovese and William Genovese showed up at the court. (Photo By: /NY Daily News via Getty Images) — In 1964, bar manager Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, 28, was stabbed to death near her Queens, New York, home; the case gained notoriety over the supposed reluctance of Genovese’s neighbors to respond to her cries for help. (Getty Images)

In 1980, Ford Motor Co. Chairman Henry Ford II announced he was stepping down, the same day a jury in Winamac, Indiana, found the company not guilty of reckless homicide in the fiery deaths of three young women in a Ford Pinto. FILE – In this April 14, 1977, file photo, Henry Ford II appears at a news conference in Dearborn, Mich. Ford named Jim Hackett its 10th CEO Monday, May 22, 2017. However, Ford did not have an official CEO role until the company went public in the 1950s. The grandson of the company’s founder, Henry Ford II was CEO from 1945 to 1979. (AP Photo/Richard Sheinwald, File)

AP Photo/Richard Sheinwald, File

AP: 1357bdaf-9a38-4e46-af0c-b324196ee4d4 — In 2013, Jorge Bergoglio (HOHR’-hay behr-GOHG’-lee-oh) of Argentina was elected pope, choosing the name Francis; he was the first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. Pope Francis speaks from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013, shortly after being elected pope. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who chose the name of Francis, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

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Today is Wednesday, March 13, the 72nd day of 2019.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On March 13, 1954, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu began during the First Indochina War as Viet Minh forces attacked French troops, who were defeated nearly two months later.

On this date:

In 1764, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who served as British Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834 (and for whom Earl Grey tea is named), was born in Falloden, Northumberland.

In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis signed a measure allowing black slaves to enlist in the Confederate States Army with the promise they would be set free.

In 1901, the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, died in Indianapolis at age 67.

In 1925, the Tennessee General Assembly approved a bill prohibiting the teaching of the theory of evolution. (Gov. Austin Peay (pee) signed the measure on March 21.)

In 1928, at least 400 people died when the San Francisquito Canyon in Southern California was inundated with water after the nearly two-year-old St. Francis Dam collapsed just before midnight the evening of March 12.

In 1933, banks in the U.S. began to reopen after a “holiday” declared by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1934, a gang that included John Dillinger and “Baby Face” Nelson robbed the First National Bank in Mason City, Iowa, making off with $52,344.

In 1964, bar manager Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, 28, was stabbed to death near her Queens, New York, home; the case gained notoriety over the supposed reluctance of Genovese’s neighbors to respond to her cries for help.

In 1975, the first Chili’s restaurant was opened in Dallas by entrepreneur Larry Lavine.

In 1996, a gunman burst into an elementary school in Dunblane, Scotland, and opened fire, killing 16 children and one teacher before killing himself.

In 2013, Jorge Bergoglio (HOHR’-hay behr-GOHG’-lee-oh) of Argentina was elected pope, choosing the name Francis; he was the first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium.

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama met with former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, chairman of his Economic Recovery Advisory Board; the president then went before reporters to say his administration was working to create a “post-bubble” model for solid economic growth once the recession ended. Death claimed soprano Anne Wiggins Brown, the original Bess in George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” at age 96; actress Betsy Blair at age 85; and Detroit Pistons’ Hall of Fame owner Bill Davidson at age 86. The Philadelphia 76ers played a final game at the Spectrum, their old home, beating Chicago 104-101.

Five years ago: Seeking to pacify frustrated immigration advocates, President Barack Obama directed the government to find more humane ways to handle deportation for immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew, who’d guided the state through a period of school busing to achieve integration in the 1970s, died in Tallahassee at age 85.

One year ago: President Donald Trump abruptly dumped Secretary of State Rex Tillerson – via Twitter – and moved CIA Director Mike Pompeo from the role of America’s spy chief to its top diplomat. On his first trip to California as president, Trump accused the state of putting “the entire nation at risk” by refusing to take tough action against illegal immigration. Joy Behar of “The View” apologized for suggesting that mental illness was behind claims by people that Jesus Christ talks to them; her comment had come during a discussion about Vice President Mike Pence. A third powerful nor’easter in two weeks slammed the Northeast, bringing blizzard conditions and two feet of snow to some communities. Prosecutors announced plans to seek the death penalty against the former student charged with killing 17 people at a Florida high school.