Today in History: May 13, Pope John Paul II shot and wounded

In the current era is Tuesday May the rd day of There are days left in the year Currently in history On May Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St Peter s Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali A ca A ca was sentenced to life in prison in Italy in July but was pardoned in at the Pope s request Also on this date In the United States Congress formally declared war against Mexico following battles along the disputed U S -Mexico margin in the preceding weeks the Mexican-American War would continue for nearly two years until the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February Related Articles At present in History May tens of thousands die in Sichuan earthquake Currently in History May Deep Blue defeats Kasparov In contemporary times in History May golden spike completes transcontinental railway Currently in History May FDA approves first birth control pill At present in History May Son of Sam killer pleads guilty In in his first speech to the House of Commons as British prime minister Winston Churchill disclosed I have nothing to offer but blood toil tears and sweat In in tennis first so-called Battle of the Sexes Bobby Riggs defeated Margaret Court - - in Ramona California Billie Jean King soundly defeated Riggs at the Houston Astrodome later that year In a tornado struck downtown Kalamazoo Michigan killing five people and injuring In a confrontation between Philadelphia government and the radical group MOVE ended as a police helicopter dropped two bombs onto the group s row house igniting a fire that killed people including five children and destroyed homes In the Obama administration issued a directive requiring society schools to permit transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity In the present day s Birthdays Actor Harvey Keitel is Musician Stevie Wonder is Screenwriter-producer David Simon The Wire is Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman is TV host comedian Stephen Colbert is Musician Darius Rucker Hootie and the Blowfish is Sen Tom Cotton R-Ark is Actor Samantha Morton is Actor-writer-director Lena Dunham is Actor Robert Pattinson is Actor Debby Ryan is Country musician Morgan Wallen is