May 13

Historic Events

2014

An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners. ›

2013

American physician Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in Pennsylvania of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions, involuntary manslaughter of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges. ›

2012

Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40. ›

2011

Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others. ›

2006

São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil. ›

2005

Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan: Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates. ›

2000

A fireworks storage depot explodes in a residential neighborhood in Enschede, Netherlands, killing 23 people and injuring 950 others. ›

1999

Kosovo War: NATO bombs the village of Koriša, killing at least 87 people. ›

1998

Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped. ›

1998

India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India. ›

1995

Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to ascend Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas. ›

1992

Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People's Republic of China. ›

1990

The Dinamo–Red Star riot takes place at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia, between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of Dinamo Zagreb) and the Delije (fans of Red Star Belgrade). ›

1989

Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike. ›

1985

Police bomb MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents. ›

1981

Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives. ›

1980

An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area. ›

1972

A fire occurs in the Sennichi Department Store in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators result in 118 fatalities (many victims leaping to their deaths). ›

1972

The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured. ›

1969

In the aftermath of the 1969 Malaysian general election, Sino-Malay sectarian violence erupts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ›

1967

Dr. Zakir Husain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969. ›

1960

Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. ›

1958

During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, the US Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators. ›

1958

May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria. ›

1958

Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey. ›

1954

The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place. ›

1952

The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting. ›

1951

The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru. ›

1950

The inaugural Formula One World Championship race takes place at Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Giuseppe Farina, who would go on to become the inaugural champion that year. ›

1949

Aeroflot Flight 17 crashes on approach to Severny Airport in Novosibirsk, killing 25. ›

1948

Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre occurs, a day prior to the Israeli Declaration of Independence. ›

1945

World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei's photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine. ›

1943

World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia. ›

1940

World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons. ›

1917

Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal. ›

1912

The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom. ›

1909

The first edition of the Giro d'Italia, a long-distance multiple-stage bicycle race, begins in Milan; the Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner. ›

1888

With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), the Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery. ›

1862

Southern slave Robert Smalls steals the steamboat Planter, spirits it through Confederate lines and hands it to the United States Navy, who quickly commission it as the gunboat USS Planter and appoint Smalls as captain, thus making him the first black man to command a United States ship. ›

1861

American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights. ›

1861

The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia. ›

1861

Pakistan's (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri. ›

1858

Montenegrin forces under Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš defeat an Ottoman army under Hussein Pasha in the battle of Grahovac. The battle is a significant step towards formal independence and quickly becomes a part of national folklore. ›

1846

Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion. ›

1830

Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia. ›

1804

Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city. ›

1791

The British under Charles Cornwallis defeat a Mysorean army under Tipu Sultan in the battle of Arakere. ›

1780

The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice. ›

1779

War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria acquires the Innviertel. ›

1654

A Venetian fleet under Admiral Cort Adeler breaks through a line of galleys and defeats the Turkish navy. ›

1619

Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason. ›

1612

Sword duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro on the shores of Ganryū Island. Kojiro dies at the end. ›

1568

Mary, Queen of Scots, is defeated at the Battle of Langside, part of the civil war between Queen Mary and the supporters of her son, James VI. ›

1501

Amerigo Vespucci, this time under Portuguese flag, sets sail for western lands. ›

1373

Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love. ›

1344

A Latin Christian fleet defeats a Turkish fleet in the battle of Pallene during the Smyrniote crusades. ›

1110

Baldwin I of Jerusalem captures the city of Beirut from the Fatimid Caliphate with the help of a Genoese fleet. ›

535

Election of pope Agapetus I following the death of pope John II earlier that month. ›