Nepalese crown prince kills king and other royal family members

Nepalese Crown Prince Dipendra killed his father, King Birendra, and eight other royal family members on June 1, 2001 in an event which would come to be known as the Nepalese Royal Massacre. Dipendra then shot himself in the head and died three days later. The crown prince’s motives are still shrouded in mystery, although speculation continues. Nepal would later become a republic on May 28, 2008.

Learn more about the Nepalese Royal Massacre.

THIS DAY @ LAW

French novelist defended Dreyfus in open letter

On January 13, 1898, the French journalist and novelist Emile Zola published an open letter entitled J'accuse in defense of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army who had been dubiously convicted of spying. Learn more about the Dreyfus Affair. Sentenced to prison for libel, Zola fled to England; he was granted amnesty and returned to France, but died of carbon monoxide poisoning before Dreyfus was exonerated.

Douglas Wilder takes office as first elected black governor

On January 13, 1990, Lawrence Douglas Wilder was sworn in as the governor of Virginia by former US Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. Wilder was the first African-American to be elected governor of a U.S. state. He would also serve as Mayor of Richmond, the state's capital city, from 2005 through 2009. Learn more about the life and career of Douglas Wilder.