May 13
MOVE Bombing in Philadelphia
On May 13, 1985, the Philadelphia Police Department dropped a C-4 bomb on the row house headquarters of MOVE, a Black liberation group. The resulting fire killed 11 people, including 5 children, and destroyed 65 homes in a predominantly Black neighborhood. No officials were criminally charged.
Robert Smalls Commandeers Confederate Ship
On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, an enslaved man forced to work as a pilot, commandeered the Confederate transport ship CSS Planter in Charleston Harbor. He sailed past Confederate forts using secret signals and delivered the ship to the Union Navy, freeing himself and 15 other enslaved people aboard.
Robert Smalls Captures Confederate Ship
On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, an enslaved harbor pilot, took control of the CSS Planter while its white officers were ashore. He sailed the ship past Confederate guns in Charleston Harbor and delivered it to the Union Navy. He later served five terms in the U.S. Congress.
Stevie Wonder Born
Born May 13, 1950, Stevland Hardaway Judkins (Stevie Wonder) signed with Motown at age 11 and produced hits for decades including "Superstition," "Isn't She Lovely," and "I Just Called to Say I Love You." He won 25 Grammy Awards and was instrumental in the campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday.
Birth of Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and became a successful musician.