Hundreds of Cuban exiles trained by the CIA invade Cuba's Bay of Pigs trying to topple Fidel Castro from power. But the invasion fails a political embarrassment for President John F. Kennedy just months after taking office. "This was a struggle of Cuban patriots against a Cuban dictator. While we could not be expected to hide our sympathies, we made it repeatedly clear that the armed forces of this country would not intervene in any way." 1970, the 3 astronauts of Apollo 13 splash down safely in the Pacific Ocean days after a ruptured oxygen tank cripples their spacecraft. 1790, Benjamin Franklin, author, publisher, inventor and one of America’s most famous founding fathers dies in Philadelphia at age 84.

1837, JP Morgan, a financial giant and American capitalism during the late 19th and early 20 of century is born in Hartfort, Connecticut.

And 1964, an automotive legend is born. Ford rolls out its sporty new convertible---the Mustang at the New York World's Fair. It's an instant hit. Today In History, April 17th, David Melendy, the Associated Press