October 13
October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). There are 79 days remaining.
Events
- 54 - Roman Empire emperor Claudius I dies after being poisoned by his wife Agrippina.
- 1307 - All Knights Templar in France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into "admitting" heresy.
- 1775 - The United States Continental Congress orders the establishment of the Continental Navy (later renamed the United States Navy).
- 1792 - In Washington, DC, the cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion (known as the White House since 1818) is laid.
- 1812 - War of 1812: Battle of Queenston Heights - On the Niagara frontier in Ontario, Canada, United States forces under General Stephen Van Rensselaerof are repulsed from invading Canada by British and native troops led by Sir Isaac Brock.
- 1843 - In New York City, Henry Jones and 11 others found B'nai B'rith (the oldest Jewish service organization in the world).
- 1845 - A majority of voters in the Republic of Texas approve a proposed constitution, that if accepted by the United States Congress, will make Texas a U.S. state.
- 1918 - Talaat Pasha and the "Young Turk" (C.U.P.) ministry resign and sign an armistice, ending Ottoman participation in World War I
- 1943 - World War II: The new government of Italy sides with the Allies and declares war on Germany.
- 1946 - France adopts the constitution of the Fourth Republic.
- 1960 - 1960 World Series: Baseballer Bill Mazeroski becomes the first person to end a World Series with a home run.
- 1962 - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens on Broadway.
- 1972 - An Aeroflot Ilyushin-62 crashed outside Moscow killing 176
- 1976 - A Bolivian Boeing 707 cargo jet crashes in Santa Cruz, Bolivia killing 100 (97, mostly children killed on the ground)
- 1977 - Four Palestinians hijack a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Somalia and demand release of 11 members of the Red Army Faction.
- 1999 - The United States Senate rejects ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
- 2003 - The Public Library of Science commences publication of an open-access scientific journal, PLoS Biology.
Births
- 1821 - Rudolf Virchow, German doctor, pathologist, biologist, and politician (d. 1902)
- 1853 - Lillie Langtry, actress
- 1876 - Rube Waddell, baseball star (d. 1914)
- 1909 - Art Tatum, jazz pianist (d. 1956)
- 1909 - Herbert Block ("Herblock"), editorial cartoonist (d. 2001)
- 1910 - Ernest McGann, author (d. 1991)
- 1911 - Ashok Kumar, actor, India (d. 2001)
- 1915 - Cornel Wilde, actor (d. 1989)
- 1917 - Burr Tillstrom, puppeteer
- 1918 - Robert Walker, actor (d. 1951)
- 1921 - Yves Montand, singer, actor (d. 1991)
- 1924 - Nipsey Russell, comedian, actor, television personality
- 1925 - Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1925 - Lenny Bruce, comedian (d. 1966)
- 1931 - Eddie Mathews, Baseball Hall of Famer (d. 2001)
- 1938 - Hugo Young, journalist (d. 2003)
- 1940 - Pharoah Sanders, jazz saxophonist
- 1941 - Paul Simon, musician
- 1942 - Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys
- 1946 - Edwina Currie, former British politician
- 1947 - Sammy Hagar, singer
- 1953 - Pat Day, jockey
- 1959 - Marie Osmond, singer, actress, television personality
- 1962 - Jerry Rice, American football star
- 1969 - Nancy Kerrigan, figure skater
- 1978 - Jermaine O'Neal, NBA basketball player
- 1980 - Ashanti, pop music artist, USA
- 1982 - Ian Thorpe, swimmer
Deaths
- 54 - Claudius, Roman emperor
- 1812 - General Sir Isaac Brock, killed at the Battle of Queenston Heights
- 1909 - Francisco Ferrer Guardia, Spanish free-thinker
- 1917 - Florence La Badie, pioneer actress
- 1945 - Milton S. Hershey, founder of Hershey Chocolate Company
- 1966 - Clifton Webb, actor
- 1968 - Bea Benaderet, actress
- 1974 - Ed Sullivan, television personality
- 1979 - Rebecca Clarke, composer and violist
- 1990 - Le Duc Tho, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (b. 1911)
- 2002 - Stephen Ambrose, historian and Dwight Eisenhower biographer.
Holidays
October 12 - October 14 - September 13 - November 13 - more historical anniversaries
