Friday, May 13, 2011
May 13 is the only Friday the Thirteenth of the year 2011. Despite the deep-rooted superstition that this is a day for bad happenings, Friday the Thirteenths in history have seen some positive events. Here are eight of them.
1. Alfred Dreyfus Reinstated (July 13, 1906)
The French government restored Dreyfus, a Jewish officer, to the army twelve years after he had been wrongly convicted of treason and banished to Devil's Island.
2. ASCAP Organized (February 13, 1914)
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers was formed in New York City to collect royalties when copyrighted music is performed in public for profit.
3. First Woman Flight Instructor Licensed (October 13, 1939)
After completing 200 hours of flight, Evelyn Pinckert Kilgore received the first instructor's license ever issued to an aviatrix. During World War II she trained pilots in Pomona, California.
4. Greek Patriots Retake Athens (October 13, 1944)
On this day the three-and-a-half-year Nazi occupation of Athens ended.
5. President Lyndon Johnson Cracks Down on Sex Discrimination (October 13, 1967)
President Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order designed to rid the United States government of sex bias.
6. Poland Privatizes Companies (July 13, 1990)
Poland’s lower house of Parliament passed legislation to privatize 80 percent of the national economy, allowing workers to purchase shares in the companies for which they worked. Poland's senate approved the bill two weeks later.
7. First All-Female Crew Wins an America’s Cup Qualifying Race (January 13, 1995)
Led by Leslie Egnot and J.J. Isler, the 16-woman crew of America3 defeated Dennis Connor’s Stars & Stripes in the opening match of the U.S. America’s Cup trials.
8. European Union Accepts 10 New Members (December 13, 2002)
The European Union announced that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia would become members on May 1, 2004.
-David Wallechinsky
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