August 13 :: Historical Events

Famous Events

• 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation, the Maya calendar starts.


• 1315 - Louis X of France marries Clemence d'Anjou.


• 1326 - Aradia de Toscano, according to legend/folklore, is initiated into a Dianic witchcraft cult, subsequently founds the tradition of Stregheria later known as the Malandanti.


• 1415 - Hundred Years' War: Henry V of England lands at Chef-en-Caux, France with 8000 men.


• 1516 - Treaty of Noyon between France and Spain signed. In it, Francis recognises Charles's claim to Naples, and Charles recognises Francis's claim to Milan.


• 1521 - Tenochtitlán (present day Mexico City) falls to conquistador Hernán Cortés.


• 1536 - Buddhist monks from Kyōto's Enryaku Temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout Kyoto in the Tenbun Hokke Disturbance. (Traditional Japanese date: July 27, 1536).


• 1553 - Michael Servetus arrested by John Calvin in Geneva as a heretic.


• 1704 - War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim - English and Austrians victorious over French and Bavarians.


• 1814 - The Convention of London, a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United Provinces, is signed in London.


• 1913 - Otto Witte, an acrobat, is crowned King of Albania.


• 1913 - Invention of stainless steel by Harry Brearley.


• 1918 - Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist.


• 1918 - Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) established as a public company in Germany.


• 1920 - Polish-Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw begins, lasts till August 25. The Red Army is defeated.


• 1937 - Battle of Shanghai begins.


• 1940 - World War II: Battle of Britain begins - The Luftwaffe launches a series of attacks on British fighter bases and radar installations.


• 1954 - Radio Pakistan broadcasts National Anthem of Pakistan for the first time.


• 1960 - The Central African Republic declares independence from France.


• 1961 - The German Democratic Republic closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin, to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West.


• 1968 - Alexandros Panagoulis attempts to assassinate the Greek dictator Colonel G. Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens.


• 1979 - The roof of the uncompleted Rosemont Horizon near Chicago, Illinois collapses, killing 5 workers and injuring 16.


• 1996 - Marc Dutroux, his wife Michelle Martin, and Michel Lelièvre are arrested on suspicion of kidnapping. All are found guilty on June 22, 2004, with sentences of life, 30, and 25 years, respectively.


• 2004 - Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, strikes Punta Gorda, Florida and devastates the surrounding area.


• 2004 - Black Friday crackdown by NSS on a peaceful protest in the capital city of Maldives, Malé.


• 2004 - 156 Congolese Tutsi refugees massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi.

Famous Births

• 582 - Arnulf of Metz, French bishop and saint (d. 640)


• 1311 - King Alfonso XI of Castile and Leon (d. 1350)


• 1313 - Aradia de Toscano, Italian insurrectionist, teacher, and witch


• 1584 - Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, English politician (d. 1640)


• 1625 - Rasmus Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and physicist (d. 1698)


• 1662 - Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician (d. 1748)


• 1666 - William Wotton, English scholar (d. 1727)


• 1700 - Heinrich, count von Brühl, German statesman (d. 1763)


• 1717 - Louis François I, Prince of Conti, French military leader (d. 1776)


• 1752 - Marie Caroline of Austria, queen of the Two Sicilies (d. 1814)


• 1764 - Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers, French general (d. 1816)


• 1790 - William Wentworth, Australian explorer and politician (d. 1872)


• 1792 - Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen consort of William IV of the United Kingdom (d. 1849)


• 1803 - Vladimir Odoevsky, Russian philosopher and writer (d. 1869)


• 1814 - Anders Jonas Ångström, Swedish physicist (d. 1874)


• 1818 - Lucy Stone, American suffragette (d. 1893)


• 1819 - George Gabriel Stokes, Irish physicist (d. 1903)


• 1820 - Sir George Grove, English music historian (d. 1900)


• 1823 - Goldwin Smith, English-born historian and journalist (d. 1910)


• 1851 - Felix Adler, German-born educator (d. 1933)


• 1860 - Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter (d. 1926)


• 1866 - Giovanni Agnelli, Italian industrialist (d. 1945)


• 1872 - Richard Willstätter, German chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1942)


• 1879 - John Ireland, English composer (d. 1962)


• 1887 - Julius Freed, American inventor and banker (d. 1952)


• 1888 - John Logie Baird, Scottish television pioneer (d. 1946)


• 1888 - Gleb W. Derujinsky, Russian-American sculptor (d. 1975)


• 1889 - Camillien Houde, Quebec politician, mayor of Montreal (d. 1958)


• 1890 - Ellen Osiier, Danish Olympic champion fencer (d. 1962)


• 1895 - Bert Lahr, American actor (d. 1967)


• 1899 - Alfred Hitchcock, English film director (d. 1980)


• 1902 - Felix Wankel, German engineer and inventor (d. 1988)


• 1904 - Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, American actor (d. 1999)


• 1907 - Sir Basil Spence, Scottish architect (d. 1976)


• 1908 - Gene Raymond, American actor (d. 1998)


• 1911 - William Bernbach, Famous Advertiser (d. 1982)


• 1912 - Ben Hogan, American golfer (d. 1997)


• 1912 - Salvador Luria, Italian-born biologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1991)


• 1913 - Fred Davis, English snooker player (d. 1998)


• 1913 - Makarios III, Archbishop and first President of Cyprus (d.1977)


• 1914 - Luis Mariano, Basque operetta singer (d. 1970)


• 1917 - Sid Gordon, American baseball player (d. 1975)


• 1918 - Frederick Sanger, English chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate


• 1919 - Rex Humbard, American television evangelist (d. 2007)


• 1919 - Sir George Shearing, British jazz pianist


• 1920 - Neville Brand, American actor (d. 1992)


• 1926 - Fidel Castro, Cuban revolutionary and politician


• 1930 - Don Ho, American musician (d. 2007)


• 1930 - Wilmer David Mizell, American baseball player (d. 1999)


• 1930 - Bernard Manning, English comedian (d. 2007)


• 1933 - Doctor Joycelyn Elders, American physician, 15th Surgeon General of the United States


• 1935 - Mudcat Grant, American baseball player


• 1935 - Rod Hull, British television entertainer (d. 1999)


• 1938 - Dave "Baby" Cortez, American pop keyboardist


• 1940 - Tony Cloninger, American baseball player


• 1941 - Erin Fleming, Canadian actress (d. 2003)


• 1944 - Kevin Tighe, American actor


• 1944 - Divina Galica, British athlete and racing driver


• 1945 - Lars Engqvist, Swedish politician


• 1947 - Margareta Winberg, Swedish politician


• 1948 - Kathleen Battle, American soprano


• 1949 - Bobby Clarke, Canadian ice hockey player


• 1951 - Dan Fogelberg, American singer/songwriter (d. 2007)


• 1952 - Herb Ritts, American photographer (d. 2004)


• 1954 - Nico Assumpção, Brazilian bass player (d. 2001)


• 1955 - Paul Greengrass, English film director


• 1955 - Keith Ahlers, British racing driver


• 1955 - Hideo Fukuyama, Japanese racing driver


• 1958 - Fergal Sharkey, musician


• 1958 - Sgt. First Class Randall Shughart, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1993)


• 1959 - Danny Bonaduce, American actor


• 1959 - Tom Niedenfuer, American baseball player


• 1960 - Phil "The Power" Taylor, English darts player


• 1960 - Koji Kondo, Japanese composer


• 1961 - Dawnn Lewis, American actress


• 1961 - Stuart Maconie, English music writer and broadcaster


• 1961 - Tom Perrotta, American novelist


• 1963 - John Slattery, American actor


• 1963 - Sridevi, Indian actress


• 1964 - Jay Buhner, American baseball player


• 1964 - Hank Cheyne, American actor


• 1965 - Hayato Matsuo, Japanese composer


• 1966 - Shayne Corson, Canadian ice hockey player


• 1967 - Amélie Nothomb, Belgian writer


• 1969 - Midori Ito, Japanese figure skater


• 1970 - Will Clarke, American novelist


• 1970 - Elvis Grbac, American football player


• 1970 - Matt Hyson, American professional wrestler


• 1970 - Alan Shearer, English footballer


• 1971 - Moritz Bleibtreu, German actor


• 1971 - Patrick Carpentier, Quebec race car driver


• 1971 - Rolando Molina, Salvadoran-born actor


• 1972 - Kevin Plank, American entrepreneur (Under Armour)


• 1973 - Brittany Andrews, American pornographic actress


• 1973 - Molly Henneberg, American journalist


• 1973 - Eric Medlen, American drag racer and rodeo star (d. 2007)


• 1974 - Jarrod Washburn, American baseball player


• 1975 - Joe Perry, English snooker player


• 1975 - Marty Turco, Canadian ice hockey player


• 1975 - Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistani cricketer


• 1977 - Michael Klim, Australian swimmer


• 1978 - Benjani Mwaruwari, Zimbabwean footballer


• 1979 - Román Colón, Dominican baseball player


• 1979 - Corey Patterson, American baseball player


• 1979 - Taizō Sugimura, Japanese politician


• 1982 - Shani Davis, American speed skater


• 1983 - Ales Hemsky, Czech ice hockey player


• 1983 - Ľubomír Michalík, Slovakian footballer


• 1983 - Sebastian Stan, Romanian-born actor


• 1984 - Niko Kranjčar, Croatian footballer


• 1984 - Heath Pearce, American soccer player


• 1984 - Boone Logan, American baseball player


• 1984 - Baby Blue, American rapper (Pretty Ricky)


• 1986 - Joseph Lapira, American soccer player


• 1992 - Katharine Close, Scripps National Spelling Bee champion

Famous Deaths

• 586 - Radegund, wife of Clotaire I


• 900 - Zwentibold, last King of Lotharingia (b. 870)


• 1134 - Piroska of Hungary, Empress consort of John II Comnenus


• 1382 - Eleanor of Aragon, wife of John I of Castile (b. 1358)


• 1523 - Gerard David, Flemish painter


• 1617 - Johann Jakob Grynaeus, Swiss Protestant clergyman (b. 1540)


• 1667 - Jeremy Taylor, Irish author and bishop (b. 1613)


• 1686 - Louis Maimbourg, French-born historian (b. 1610)


• 1721 - Jacques Lelong, French bibliographer (b. 1665)


• 1744 - John Cruger, Dutch-born Mayor of New York (b. 1678)


• 1749 - Johann Elias Schlegel, German critic and poet (b. 1719)


• 1755 - Francesco Durante, Italian composer (b. 1684)


• 1826 - René Laënnec, French physician (b. 1781)


• 1863 - Eugène Delacroix, French painter (b. 1798)


• 1865 - Ignaz Semmelweis, Austro-Hungarian physician (b. 1818)


• 1910 - Florence Nightingale, English nurse (b. 1820)


• 1912 - Jules Massenet, French composer (b. 1842)


• 1917 - Eduard Buchner, German chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1860)


• 1937 - Arthur Plunkett, Australian civil engineer (b. unknown)


• 1946 - H. G. Wells, English writer (b. 1866)


• 1948 - Elaine Hammerstein, American actress (b. 1897)


• 1958 - Otto Witte, acrobat and King of Albania (b. 1868)


• 1965 - Ikeda Hayato, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1899)


• 1982 - Joe Tex, American singer and songwriter (b. 1933)


• 1984 - Tigran Petrosian, Soviet/Armenian chess player (b. 1929)


• 1989 - Tim Richmond, American race car driver (b. 1955)


• 1989 - Larkin Smith, U.S. Representative from Mississippi (b. 1944)


• 1991 - Jack Ryan, American designer (Barbie) (b. 1926)


• 1995 - Jan Křesadlo, Czech-born writer (b. 1926)


• 1995 - Mickey Mantle, American baseball player (b. 1931)


• 1996 - António de Spínola, Portuguese general and politician, 15^th President of Portugal (b. 1910)


• 1996 - David Tudor, American pianist and composer (b. 1926)


• 1998 - Julien Green, American novelist ((b. 1900)


• 1998 - Nino Ferrer, French-Italian singer and composer (b. 1934)


• 1999 - Jaime Garzón, Colombian journalist and comedian, murdered (b. 1960)


• 2000 - Nazia Hassan, Pakistani pop singer (b. 1965)


• 2001 - Otto Stuppacher, Austrian racing driver (b. 1947)


• 2003 - Ed Townsend, American songwriter and producer (b. 1929)


• 2004 - Julia Child, American chef and television personality (b. 1912)


• 2005 - David Lange, 32^nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1942)


• 2006 - Payao Poontarat, Thai Olympic boxer (b. 1957)


• 2006 - Tony Jay, English actor (b. 1933)


• 2007 - Brian Adams, aka Demolition Crush, American professional wrestler (b. 1964)


• 2007 - Brooke Astor, American philanthropist (b. 1902)


• 2007 - Yone Minagawa, Japanese woman, oldest person (114) (b. 1893)


• 2007 - Phil Rizzuto, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1917)

Famous Holidays and observances

• Roman festivals - Vertumnalia in honor of Vertumnus and Diana, on the Aventine hill.


• International Lefthanders Day.


• Laos - Lao Issara, Day of the Free Laos.


• In Brazil, Friday 13 August (agosto) is considered to be especially filled with sorrow (desgosto).


• RC saints