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On This Day in History — February 13

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Highlights of February 13

2017 — Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was assassinated using VX nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Read more
2012 — The first Vega rocket was launched by the European Space Agency from the Guiana Space Centre. Read more
2010 — A terrorist bombing at a bakery popular among foreigners in Pune, India, killed 17 people and injured 60 others. Read more
1991 — Gulf War: The United States Air Force dropped two laser-guided "smart bombs" on an air-raid shelter in Baghdad, Iraq, which was believed to be a military command site, killing at least 408 civilians. Read more
1987 — Federal agents began to issue indictments against county-level supervisors in Mississippi after Operation Pretense exposed massive corruption in the state's local governments. Read more
1981 — Explosions caused by the ignition of hexane vapors destroyed more than 13 miles (21 km) of sewer lines in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Read more
1961 — Geode prospectors near Olancha, California, discovered what they claimed to be a 500,000-year-old rock with a 1920s-era spark plug encased within (pictured). Read more
1960 — African-American college students staged the first of the Nashville sit-ins (sign at protest pictured) at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee, as part of a nonviolent direct-action campaign to end racial segregation in the U.S. Read more
1891 — Frances Coles was killed in the last of eleven unsolved murders of women that took place in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London. Read more
1867 — Work began on the covering of the Senne (pictured), burying the polluted main river of Brussels to allow for urban renewal in the centre of the city. Read more
1692 — Members of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands were massacred, allegedly for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William III and Mary II. Read more
1660 — The four-year-old Charles XI became King of Sweden upon his father's death. Read more

Events

2021 — Former U.S. President Donald Trump is acquitted in his second impeachment trial. Read more
2021 — A major winter storm causes blackouts and kills at least 82 people in Texas and northern Mexico. Read more
2017 — Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, is assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Read more
2012 — The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Read more
2011 — For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855. Read more
2010 — A bomb explodes in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India, killing 17 and injuring 60 more. Read more
2008 — Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations. Read more
2007 — Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted on charges of embezzlement during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election. Read more
2004 — The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Read more
2001 — A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits El Salvador, killing at least 315. Read more
1996 — The Nepalese Civil War is initiated in the Kingdom of Nepal by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). Read more
1991 — Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed. Read more
1984 — Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Read more
1983 — A cinema fire in Turin, Italy, kills 64 people. Read more
1981 — A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky. Read more
1979 — An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) long section of the Hood Canal Bridge. Read more
1978 — Hilton bombing: A bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman. Read more
1975 — Fire at One World Trade Center (North Tower) of the World Trade Center in New York. Read more
1967 — American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain. Read more
1961 — An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug. Read more
1960 — With the success of a nuclear test codenamed "Gerboise Bleue", France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons. Read more
1960 — Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. Read more
1955 — Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls. Read more
1955 — Twenty-nine people are killed when Sabena Flight 503 crashes into Monte Terminillo near Rieti, Italy. Read more
1954 — Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game. Read more
1951 — Korean War: Battle of Chipyong-ni, which represented the "high-water mark" of the Chinese incursion into South Korea, commences. Read more
1945 — World War II: The siege of Budapest concludes with the unconditional surrender of German and Hungarian forces to the Red Army. Read more
1945 — World War II: Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to Dresden, Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment. Read more
1935 — A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of Charles Lindbergh. Read more
1931 — The British Raj completes its transfer from Calcutta to New Delhi. Read more
1920 — The Negro National League is formed. Read more
1914 — Copyright: In New York City the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members. Read more
1913 — The 13th Dalai Lama proclaims Tibetan independence following a period of domination by Manchu Qing dynasty and initiates a period of almost four decades of independence. Read more
1880 — Thomas Edison observes thermionic emission. Read more
1867 — Work begins on the covering of the Senne, burying Brussels's primary river and creating the modern central boulevards. Read more
1861 — Italian unification: The Siege of Gaeta ends with the capitulation of the defending fortress, effectively bringing an end of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Read more
1849 — The delegation headed by Metropolitan bishop Andrei Șaguna hands out to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria the General Petition of Romanian leaders in Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina, which demands that the Romanian nation be recognized. Read more
1820 — The Assassination of the Duke of Berry takes place in Paris. The Duke of Berry, nephew of Louis XVIII, is stabbed to death while attending the Paris Opera. Read more
1755 — Treaty of Giyanti signed by VOC, Pakubuwono III and Prince Mangkubumi. The treaty divides the Javanese kingdom of Mataram into two: Sunanate of Surakarta and Sultanate of Yogyakarta. Read more
1726 — Parliament of Negrete between Mapuche and Spanish authorities in Chile brings an end to the Mapuche uprising of 1723–26. Read more
1692 — Massacre of Glencoe: Almost 80 Macdonalds at Glen Coe, Scotland are killed early in the morning for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange. Read more
1689 — William III and Mary II are proclaimed co-rulers of England. Read more
1660 — With the accession of young Charles XI of Sweden, his regents begin negotiations to end the Second Northern War. Read more
1642 — The Clergy Act becomes law, excluding bishops of the Church of England from serving in the House of Lords. Read more
1633 — Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. Read more
1542 — Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery. Read more
1503 — Challenge of Barletta: Tournament between 13 Italian and 13 French knights near Barletta. Read more
1462 — The Treaty of Westminster is finalised between Edward IV of England and the Scottish Lord of the Isles. Read more
1352 — War of the Straits: The Battle of the Bosporus is fought in a stormy sea into the night between the Genoese, Venetian, Aragonese, and Byzantine fleets. Read more
1322 — The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th. Read more
1258 — Siege of Baghdad: Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire, orders his army to sack and plunder the city of Baghdad, which they had just captured. Read more
962 — Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor and Pope John XII co-sign the Diploma Ottonianum, recognising John as ruler of Rome. Read more

Born on February 13

2005 — Sergio Mestre, Spanish footballer Read more
2003 — Raúl Asencio, Spanish footballer Read more
2002 — Jaden Ivey, American basketball player Read more
2002 — Sophia Lillis, American actress Read more
2001 — Kaapo Kakko, Finnish ice hockey player Read more
2000 — Vitinha, Portuguese footballer Read more
1995 — Kendall Fuller, American football player Read more
1995 — Georges-Kévin Nkoudou, French-Cameroonian footballer Read more
1994 — Memphis Depay, Dutch footballer Read more
1992 — Keith Appling, American basketball player Read more
1991 — Eliaquim Mangala, French footballer Read more
1991 — Vianney, French singer Read more
1991 — Luke Voit, American baseball player Read more
1990 — Nathan Eovaldi, American baseball player Read more
1990 — Mamadou Sakho, French footballer Read more
1989 — Rodrigo Possebon, Brazilian footballer Read more
1988 — Ryan Goins, American baseball player Read more
1988 — Dave Rudden, Irish author Read more
1987 — Eljero Elia, Dutch footballer Read more
1986 — Luke Moore, English footballer Read more
1986 — Aqib Talib, American football player Read more
1985 — Somdev Devvarman, Indian tennis player Read more
1985 — J. R. Giddens, American basketball player Read more
1985 — Kwak Ji-min, South Korean actress Read more
1985 — Al Montoya, American ice hockey player Read more
1984 — Hinkelien Schreuder, Dutch swimmer Read more
1983 — Mike Nickeas, Canadian baseball player Read more
1983 — Anna Watkins, English rower Read more
1982 — Even Helte Hermansen, Norwegian guitarist and composer Read more
1982 — Michael Turner, American football player Read more
1981 — Luisão, Brazilian footballer Read more
1981 — Luke Ridnour, American basketball player Read more
1980 — Carlos Cotto, Puerto Rican-American wrestler and boxer Read more
1979 — Anders Behring Breivik, Norwegian mass murderer Read more
1979 — Rafael Márquez, Mexican footballer Read more
1979 — Rachel Reeves, English economist and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer Read more
1979 — Mena Suvari, American actress and fashion designer Read more
1978 — Niklas Bäckström, Finnish ice hockey player Read more
1978 — Philippe Jaroussky, French singer Read more
1978 — Cory Murphy, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Read more

Died on February 13

2025 — Jim Guy Tucker, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Arkansas (born 1943) Read more
2021 — Kadir Topbaş, Turkish politician (born 1945) Read more
2019 — Callistus Ndlovu, Zimbabwean academic and politician (born 1936) Read more
2018 — Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, French-born Danish royal (born 1934) Read more
2017 — Ricardo Arias Calderón, Panamanian politician (born 1933) Read more
2017 — Aileen Hernandez, American union organizer and activist (born 1926) Read more
2017 — Seijun Suzuki, Japanese filmmaker (born 1923) Read more
2017 — Kim Jong-nam, North Korean politician (born 1971) Read more
2017 — E-Dubble, American rapper (born 1982) Read more
2016 — O. N. V. Kurup, Indian poet and academic (born 1931) Read more
2016 — Antonin Scalia, American lawyer and judge, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (born 1936) Read more
2015 — Faith Bandler, Australian activist and author (born 1918) Read more
2015 — Stan Chambers, American journalist and actor (born 1923) Read more
2014 — Balu Mahendra, Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (born 1939) Read more
2014 — Richard Møller Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager (born 1937) Read more
2014 — Ralph Waite, American actor and activist (born 1928) Read more
2014 — Laura Motta, Brazilian catholic nun (born 1919) Read more
2013 — Gerry Day, American journalist and screenwriter (born 1922) Read more
2013 — Miles J. Jones, American pathologist and physician (born 1952) Read more
2013 — Pieter Kooijmans, Dutch judge and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for The Netherlands (born 1933) Read more
2013 — Andrée Malebranche, Haitian artist (born 1916) Read more
2013 — Yuko Tojo, Japanese activist and politician (born 1939) Read more
2012 — Russell Arms, American actor and singer (born 1920) Read more
2012 — Louise Cochrane, American-English screenwriter and producer (born 1918) Read more
2012 — Daniel C. Gerould, American playwright and academic (born 1928) Read more
2010 — Lucille Clifton, American poet and academic (born 1936) Read more
2010 — Dale Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1936) Read more
2009 — Edward Upward, English author and educator (born 1903) Read more
2008 — Kon Ichikawa, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1915) Read more
2007 — Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (born 1923) Read more
2007 — Charlie Norwood, American captain and politician (born 1941) Read more
2007 — Richard Gordon Wakeford, English air marshal (born 1922) Read more
2006 — P. F. Strawson, English philosopher and author (born 1919) Read more
2005 — Nelson Briles, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1943) Read more
2005 — Lúcia Santos, Portuguese nun (born 1907) Read more
2004 — François Tavenas, Canadian engineer and academic (born 1942) Read more
2004 — Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, Chechen politician, 2nd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (born 1952) Read more
2003 — Kid Gavilán, Cuban-American boxer (born 1926) Read more
2003 — Walt Whitman Rostow, American economist; 7th United States National Security Advisor (born 1916) Read more
2002 — Waylon Jennings, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1937) Read more

Holidays & observances

Black Love Day (United States); Children's Day (Myanmar); Christian feast day: Absalom Jones (Episcopal Church (USA)); Christian feast day: Blessed Agostina Camozzi; Christian feast day: Benignus of Todi; Christian feast day: Agabus (for catholics); Christian feast day: Castor of Karden; Christian feast day: Dyfnog; Christian feast day: Ermenilda of Ely; Christian feast day: Fulcran; Christian feast day: Jordan of Saxony; Christian feast day: Paul Liu Hanzuo; Christian feast day: February 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); World Radio Day

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “February 13”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.