A complete timeline of historical events, famous births, notable deaths, and holidays that occurred on May 13 throughout history.
92
Events
15
Births
4
Deaths
The First Fleet is the name given to the group of eleven ships carrying convicts, the first to do so, that left England in May 1787 and arrived in Australia in January 1788.
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west.
Winston Churchill says "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" in his first speech as Prime Minister to the British House of Commons
Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005.
Approximately 2,000 students begin a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, China, to force a dialogue with the government ahead of a visit by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
The final episode of "Frasier" on NBC is watched by 33 million people
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's first opera "Apollo et Hyacinthus", written when he was 11 years old, premieres in Salzburg
First-ever race of the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship is run at Silverstone, England, and won by Giuseppe Farina of Italy in an Alfa Romeo
American missionary and writer Pearl Sydenstricker (24) weds fellow American missionary and economist John Lossing Buck (26), becoming Pearl S. Buck; divorce in 1935
"Latin Lover" silent actor Rudolph Valentino (27) weds film costume and set designer Natacha Rambova (25) in Mexicali, Mexico; divorce in 1925
Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (25) weds Russian physicist Nina Varsar (23), mostly until her death in 1954
St Agapitus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
The Pantheon (UK: , US: ; Latin: Pantheum, from Ancient Greek Πάνθειον (Pantheion) '[temple] of all the gods') is an ancient 2nd century Roman temple and, since AD 609, a Catholic church called the...
Eligius (Saint Eloy) becomes bishop of Doornik-Noyon
Henry I of Limburg loses the duchy of Lower Lorraine to Godfrey of Louvain
Crusaders march into Beirut causing a bloodbath
As Vizier Mehmet I of Karaman issues a firman (decree) ordering only the Turkish language to be used, not Arabic or Persian
Peter Coutherel banished from Leuven
Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Italian Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola for leading the expulsion of the Medici's from Florence
Exhumed corpse of heretic David Jorisz burned in Basel
Henry III (French: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; Polish: Henryk Walezy; Lithuanian: Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589...
Dutch Admiral Hermites' Nassau fleet blockades Lima, Peru
Cardinal Richelieu of France reputedly creates the table knife
Construction of the Red Fort begins at Shahjahanabad, Mughal Empire (now Dehli, India)
Battle of Grantham: English parliamentary armies beat royalists
Ingen Ryuki invited to become the abbot of Sofokuji temple in Nagasaki
Venetian fleet under Norwegian Admiral Cort Adeler beats Turkish fleet the near the Dardanelles, sinking 15 Turkish galleys
University library at Vienna opens
The War of the Bavarian Succession (German: Bayerischer Erbfolgekrieg; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Saxony and Prussia over...
First performance of Finland's national anthem "Maamme", composed by Fredrik Pacius, Swedish words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg
The Battle of Rocky Face Ridge was fought May 7–13, 1864, in Whitfield County, Georgia, during the Atlanta campaign of the American Civil War. The Union army was led by Maj. Gen.
Battle of Palmito Ranch, near Brownsville, Texas: final engagement of the American Civil War, Private John Jefferson Williams of B Company, 34th Regiment Indiana Infantry is last man killed
Pope Pius IX encyclical "On Greek-Ruthenian rite"
Apeldoorn railway stationn] ; abbreviation: Apd) is a railway station in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The station was opened on 15 May 1876, on the Amsterdam–Zutphen railway.
Caesar Franck's symphonic poem "Lesson Eolides" premieres
Danvers State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts, opens and later serves as inspiration for Arkham Sanitorium in the work of H.P. Lovecraft, which in turn inspires Arkham Asylum of the D.C. Batman universe
Toba indians kill 20 members of French expedition in Argentina, including explorer Jules Nicolas Crevaux
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States–based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962.
"Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888" is a mock-heroic poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer.
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem.
Christian National Labor Workers (CNV) party begins in Netherlands
NY Giant Fred Merkle is 1st to get 6 RBIs in an inning (1st)
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force.
US Secretary of State Bryan sends a note to Germany demanding that Germany disavow the attacks on the Lusitania and make immediate reparations; however, the note is written only to 'pacify exited public opinion', according to Bryan
1st observance of Indian (Native American) Day
1st appearance of Mary to 3 shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal
First US airmail stamps are issued (24 cents)
Pulitzer Prize awarded to Willa Cather for her World War I-based novel "One of Ours"
"Black Friday" on Berlin Stock Exchange
Colonel Jacob Schick is granted a US Patent for the first electric razor (US1757978A)
Joseph Athanase Doumer, commonly known as Paul Doumer, was a French politician who served as the President of France from June 1931 until his assassination in May 1932.
Quiroga government takes office in Spain
SS St Louis departs Hamburg, Germany with 937 Jewish refugees, bound for Havana, Cuba; authorities refused to admit them, and most of the passengers returned to Europe [1]
Aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky pilots first untethered test flight of his VS-300 helicopter in Stratford, Connecticut [1]
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors.
The Italian campaign of World War II, also called the Liberation of Italy following the German occupation in September 1943, consisted of Allied and Axis operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to...
US troops conquer Dakeshi Okinawa
Sarwate & Banerjee add 249 for 10th wkt for Indians v Surrey
US Senate approves the Taft-Hartley Act limiting the power of unions
First British-produced jet bomber, the Canberra, makes its first test flight
Diner's Club issues its 1st credit cards
The Chinese middle school student riots were a series of riots in Singapore that broke out between the Chinese community in 1956, resulting in 13 people killed and more than 120 injured.
The French colonial empire (French: Empire colonial français) consisted of the overseas colonies, protectorates, and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward.
MLB San Francisco Giants teammates Willie Mays & Darryl Spencer each hit 2 HRs & a triple, and combine for 10 RBI in a 16-9 win over the Dodgers at Los Angeles
1st launch of Delta satellite launching vehicle; it failed
Ossie Davis' comedic stage farce "Purlie Victorious", starring the playwright, closes the Longacre, Theatre, NYC, after 261 performances
Several Arab nations break ties with West Germany after it establishes diplomatic relations with Israel
Provo was a Dutch counterculture movement in the mid-1960s that focused on provoking violent responses from authorities using non-violent bait.
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia.
Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane seriously injured in a car accident
die in nightclub atop 7-story Sennichi department store (Osaka Japan)
Hail stones as large as tennis balls hit Wernerville, Tennessee
Henry Rono (12 February 1952 – 15 February 2024) was a Kenyan track and field athlete who specialised in various long-distance running events.
"Utter Glory... Morrissey Hall" opens & closes at Mark Hellinger NYC
Cincinnati Red Ray Knight hits 2 HRs in 5th inning vs NY Mets
Braniff Airways, Inc., which operated as Braniff International Airways from 1948 until 1965, and then Braniff International from 1965 until the cessation of air operations, was a trunk carrier, a...
Carlton Fisk becomes 5th catcher to steal 100 bases
Concrete foundation for ballpark at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) is poured, In downtown Cleveland, Ohio
MLB Cleveland Indians begin a 18 home game win streak at newly opened Jacobs Field
6.5 earthquake hits Greece
India carries out two additional nuclear tests at Pokhran after the three conducted on May 11, resulting in the US and Japan imposing economic sanctions
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi is elected 10th President of Italy
In Enschede, the Netherlands, a fireworks factory explodes, killing 22 people, wounding 950, and resulting in approximately €450 million in damage
Andijan (-JAHN), also spelt Andijon and formerly romanized as Andizhan, is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Andijan Region.
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe.
Portugal slips into double-dip recession after the economy contracts by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2011, with a 0.6% contraction in the last quarter of 2010, it is reported today
49 dismembered bodies are found on a Mexican highway as part of the Mexican drug war
On 13 May 2014, blasting at Eynez coal mine in Soma, Manisa, Turkey, caused an underground mine fire, which burned until 15 May.
22-year-old UK blogger halts the spread of a global ransomware cyberattack by accidentally identifying a "kill switch"
Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger is a French former football manager and player who has been serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development since 2019.
Every African country records cases of COVID-19 as The Kingdom of Lesotho becomes the last country on the continent to record a case
The global COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December...
Witold Pilecki, Polish military officer, known for polish military officer, was born on 1901-05-13.
Jim Jones, American cult leader and mass murderer, known for american cult leader and mass murderer, was born on 1931-05-13.
Roch Carrier is born
Scott Morrison is born
Timnit Gebru is born
Bea Arthur, American actress and comedian, known for american actress and comedian, was born on 1922-05-13. Beatrice Arthur was an American actress, comedian, and singer.
Stephen Colbert, American comedian and television host, known for american comedian and television host, was born on 1965-05-13.
Lena Dunham, American writer and actress, known for american writer and actress, was born on 1987-05-13. Lena Dunham is an American writer, director, actress, and producer.
Robert Pattinson, English actor, known for english actor, was born on 1987-05-13. Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor.
Arthur Sullivan, English musician, known for british composer, was born on 1842-05-13. Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer.
Stevie Wonder, American musician, known for american musician, was born on 1951-05-13.
Morgan Wallen, American musician, known for american country singer, was born on 1994-05-13. Morgan Cole Wallen is an American country and country pop singer from Sneedville, Tennessee.
Joe Louis, American athlete, known for american boxer, was born on 1914-05-13. Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951.
Dennis Rodman, American athlete, known for american basketball player, was born on 1962-05-13. Dennis Keith Rodman is an American former professional basketball player.
Charles Watson-Wentworth is born
Georges Cuvier, French paleontologist, known for french paleontologist, died on 1832-05-13.
Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian polar explorer, known for norwegian polar explorer, died on 1930-05-13. Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Stanislaw Ulam, American mathematician and physicist, known for polish mathematician and physicist, died on 1984-05-13.
José Mujica dies
St Agapitus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
The Pantheon (UK: , US: ; Latin: Pantheum, from Ancient Greek Πάνθειον (Pantheion) '[temple] of all the gods') is an ancient 2nd century Roman temple and, since AD 609, a Catholic church called the...
Eligius (Saint Eloy) becomes bishop of Doornik-Noyon
Henry I of Limburg loses the duchy of Lower Lorraine to Godfrey of Louvain
Crusaders march into Beirut causing a bloodbath
As Vizier Mehmet I of Karaman issues a firman (decree) ordering only the Turkish language to be used, not Arabic or Persian
Peter Coutherel banished from Leuven
Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Italian Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola for leading the expulsion of the Medici's from Florence
Exhumed corpse of heretic David Jorisz burned in Basel
Henry III (French: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; Polish: Henryk Walezy; Lithuanian: Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589...
Dutch Admiral Hermites' Nassau fleet blockades Lima, Peru
Cardinal Richelieu of France reputedly creates the table knife
Construction of the Red Fort begins at Shahjahanabad, Mughal Empire (now Dehli, India)
Battle of Grantham: English parliamentary armies beat royalists
Ingen Ryuki invited to become the abbot of Sofokuji temple in Nagasaki
Venetian fleet under Norwegian Admiral Cort Adeler beats Turkish fleet the near the Dardanelles, sinking 15 Turkish galleys
Charles Watson-Wentworth is born
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's first opera "Apollo et Hyacinthus", written when he was 11 years old, premieres in Salzburg
University library at Vienna opens
The War of the Bavarian Succession (German: Bayerischer Erbfolgekrieg; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Saxony and Prussia over...
The First Fleet is the name given to the group of eleven ships carrying convicts, the first to do so, that left England in May 1787 and arrived in Australia in January 1788.
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west.
Georges Cuvier, French paleontologist, known for french paleontologist, died on 1832-05-13.
Arthur Sullivan, English musician, known for british composer, was born on 1842-05-13. Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer.
First performance of Finland's national anthem "Maamme", composed by Fredrik Pacius, Swedish words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg
The Battle of Rocky Face Ridge was fought May 7–13, 1864, in Whitfield County, Georgia, during the Atlanta campaign of the American Civil War. The Union army was led by Maj. Gen.
Battle of Palmito Ranch, near Brownsville, Texas: final engagement of the American Civil War, Private John Jefferson Williams of B Company, 34th Regiment Indiana Infantry is last man killed
Pope Pius IX encyclical "On Greek-Ruthenian rite"
Apeldoorn railway stationn] ; abbreviation: Apd) is a railway station in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The station was opened on 15 May 1876, on the Amsterdam–Zutphen railway.
Caesar Franck's symphonic poem "Lesson Eolides" premieres
Danvers State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts, opens and later serves as inspiration for Arkham Sanitorium in the work of H.P. Lovecraft, which in turn inspires Arkham Asylum of the D.C. Batman universe
Toba indians kill 20 members of French expedition in Argentina, including explorer Jules Nicolas Crevaux
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States–based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962.
"Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888" is a mock-heroic poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer.
Witold Pilecki, Polish military officer, known for polish military officer, was born on 1901-05-13.
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem.
Christian National Labor Workers (CNV) party begins in Netherlands
NY Giant Fred Merkle is 1st to get 6 RBIs in an inning (1st)
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force.
Joe Louis, American athlete, known for american boxer, was born on 1914-05-13. Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951.
US Secretary of State Bryan sends a note to Germany demanding that Germany disavow the attacks on the Lusitania and make immediate reparations; however, the note is written only to 'pacify exited public opinion', according to Bryan
1st observance of Indian (Native American) Day
American missionary and writer Pearl Sydenstricker (24) weds fellow American missionary and economist John Lossing Buck (26), becoming Pearl S. Buck; divorce in 1935
1st appearance of Mary to 3 shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal
First US airmail stamps are issued (24 cents)
"Latin Lover" silent actor Rudolph Valentino (27) weds film costume and set designer Natacha Rambova (25) in Mexicali, Mexico; divorce in 1925
Bea Arthur, American actress and comedian, known for american actress and comedian, was born on 1922-05-13. Beatrice Arthur was an American actress, comedian, and singer.
Pulitzer Prize awarded to Willa Cather for her World War I-based novel "One of Ours"
"Black Friday" on Berlin Stock Exchange
Colonel Jacob Schick is granted a US Patent for the first electric razor (US1757978A)
Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian polar explorer, known for norwegian polar explorer, died on 1930-05-13. Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Joseph Athanase Doumer, commonly known as Paul Doumer, was a French politician who served as the President of France from June 1931 until his assassination in May 1932.
Jim Jones, American cult leader and mass murderer, known for american cult leader and mass murderer, was born on 1931-05-13.
Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (25) weds Russian physicist Nina Varsar (23), mostly until her death in 1954
Quiroga government takes office in Spain
Roch Carrier is born
SS St Louis departs Hamburg, Germany with 937 Jewish refugees, bound for Havana, Cuba; authorities refused to admit them, and most of the passengers returned to Europe [1]
Winston Churchill says "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" in his first speech as Prime Minister to the British House of Commons
Aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky pilots first untethered test flight of his VS-300 helicopter in Stratford, Connecticut [1]
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors.
The Italian campaign of World War II, also called the Liberation of Italy following the German occupation in September 1943, consisted of Allied and Axis operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to...
US troops conquer Dakeshi Okinawa
Sarwate & Banerjee add 249 for 10th wkt for Indians v Surrey
US Senate approves the Taft-Hartley Act limiting the power of unions
First British-produced jet bomber, the Canberra, makes its first test flight
First-ever race of the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship is run at Silverstone, England, and won by Giuseppe Farina of Italy in an Alfa Romeo
Diner's Club issues its 1st credit cards
Stevie Wonder, American musician, known for american musician, was born on 1951-05-13.
The Chinese middle school student riots were a series of riots in Singapore that broke out between the Chinese community in 1956, resulting in 13 people killed and more than 120 injured.
The French colonial empire (French: Empire colonial français) consisted of the overseas colonies, protectorates, and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward.
MLB San Francisco Giants teammates Willie Mays & Darryl Spencer each hit 2 HRs & a triple, and combine for 10 RBI in a 16-9 win over the Dodgers at Los Angeles
1st launch of Delta satellite launching vehicle; it failed
Ossie Davis' comedic stage farce "Purlie Victorious", starring the playwright, closes the Longacre, Theatre, NYC, after 261 performances
Dennis Rodman, American athlete, known for american basketball player, was born on 1962-05-13. Dennis Keith Rodman is an American former professional basketball player.
Several Arab nations break ties with West Germany after it establishes diplomatic relations with Israel
Stephen Colbert, American comedian and television host, known for american comedian and television host, was born on 1965-05-13.
Provo was a Dutch counterculture movement in the mid-1960s that focused on provoking violent responses from authorities using non-violent bait.
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia.
Scott Morrison is born
Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane seriously injured in a car accident
die in nightclub atop 7-story Sennichi department store (Osaka Japan)
Hail stones as large as tennis balls hit Wernerville, Tennessee
Henry Rono (12 February 1952 – 15 February 2024) was a Kenyan track and field athlete who specialised in various long-distance running events.
"Utter Glory... Morrissey Hall" opens & closes at Mark Hellinger NYC
Cincinnati Red Ray Knight hits 2 HRs in 5th inning vs NY Mets
Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005.
Braniff Airways, Inc., which operated as Braniff International Airways from 1948 until 1965, and then Braniff International from 1965 until the cessation of air operations, was a trunk carrier, a...
Timnit Gebru is born
Stanislaw Ulam, American mathematician and physicist, known for polish mathematician and physicist, died on 1984-05-13.
Carlton Fisk becomes 5th catcher to steal 100 bases
Lena Dunham, American writer and actress, known for american writer and actress, was born on 1987-05-13. Lena Dunham is an American writer, director, actress, and producer.
Robert Pattinson, English actor, known for english actor, was born on 1987-05-13. Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor.
Approximately 2,000 students begin a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, China, to force a dialogue with the government ahead of a visit by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
Concrete foundation for ballpark at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) is poured, In downtown Cleveland, Ohio
MLB Cleveland Indians begin a 18 home game win streak at newly opened Jacobs Field
Morgan Wallen, American musician, known for american country singer, was born on 1994-05-13. Morgan Cole Wallen is an American country and country pop singer from Sneedville, Tennessee.
6.5 earthquake hits Greece
India carries out two additional nuclear tests at Pokhran after the three conducted on May 11, resulting in the US and Japan imposing economic sanctions
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi is elected 10th President of Italy
In Enschede, the Netherlands, a fireworks factory explodes, killing 22 people, wounding 950, and resulting in approximately €450 million in damage
The final episode of "Frasier" on NBC is watched by 33 million people
Andijan (-JAHN), also spelt Andijon and formerly romanized as Andizhan, is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Andijan Region.
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe.
Portugal slips into double-dip recession after the economy contracts by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2011, with a 0.6% contraction in the last quarter of 2010, it is reported today
49 dismembered bodies are found on a Mexican highway as part of the Mexican drug war
On 13 May 2014, blasting at Eynez coal mine in Soma, Manisa, Turkey, caused an underground mine fire, which burned until 15 May.
22-year-old UK blogger halts the spread of a global ransomware cyberattack by accidentally identifying a "kill switch"
Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger is a French former football manager and player who has been serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development since 2019.
Every African country records cases of COVID-19 as The Kingdom of Lesotho becomes the last country on the continent to record a case
The global COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December...
José Mujica dies