On This Day in History — March 13

Highlights of March 13

• 2013 — Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis, making him the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the first from the Southern Hemisphere. Read more
• 2004 — The Filipino singer Rachelle Ann Go won the reality talent show Search for a Star, performing a cover of Mariah Carey's "Through the Rain" in the grand final. Read more
• 2002 — The Sutton Hoo visitor centre, featuring Rick Kirby's sculpture Sutton Hoo Helmet (pictured in present location) was unveiled by Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney. Read more
• 1996 — A mass shooting at a primary school occurred in Dunblane, Scotland, killing 16 children and a teacher and prompting tighter gun control in the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1988 — The 53.85 km (33.46 mi) Seikan Tunnel opened between the cities of Hakodate and Aomori, Japan. Read more
• 1986 — Claiming the right of innocent passage, the American warships Yorktown and Caron entered Soviet territorial waters in the Black Sea. Read more
• 1985 — One of England's worst incidents of football hooliganism occurred when supporters of Luton Town and Millwall rioted before a match at Kenilworth Road stadium. Read more
• 1964 — Kitty Genovese was murdered in New York City, prompting research into the bystander effect due to the false story that neighbors witnessed the killing and did nothing to help her. Read more
• 1943 — The Holocaust: Nazi troops began the final liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto in German-occupied Poland, sending about 2,000 Jews to the Płaszów labor camp (deportation pictured), with the remaining 5,000 either killed or sent to Auschwitz. Read more
• 1920 — The Kapp Putsch (participants pictured), an attempted coup aiming to undo the German Revolution of 1918–1919, briefly ousted the government of the Weimar Republic. Read more
• 1888 — The eruption of Ritter Island triggered tsunamis that killed up to 3,000 people on nearby islands. Read more
• 1848 — Klemens von Metternich was forced to resign as the foreign minister of Austria following student demonstrations in Vienna. Read more
• 1845 — German composer Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto was premiered in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as the soloist. Read more
• 1811 — Napoleonic Wars: A British frigate squadron defeated a much larger squadron of French and Italian frigates and smaller vessels in the Battle of Lissa (depicted) in the Adriatic Sea. Read more
• 1781 — William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus from the garden of his house in Bath, England, initially considering it to be a comet. Read more
• 1741 — War of Jenkins' Ear: The British began an assault against Spanish forts in the Caribbean in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias. Read more
• 1697 — Nojpetén, capital of the Itza Maya kingdom, fell to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. Read more
• 1567 — A Spanish mercenary army surprised a band of rebels at the Battle of Oosterweel in the Habsburg Netherlands, beginning the Eighty Years' War. Read more

Events

• 2020 — President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency in the United States. Read more
• 2020 — Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality. Read more
• 2020 — Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as the first female President of Greece amid strict COVID-19 measures. Read more
• 2016 — The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people. Read more
• 2016 — Three gunmen attack two hotels in the Ivory Coast town of Grand-Bassam, killing at least 19 people. Read more
• 2015 — Serbian Army Mi-17 helicopter crashes near Belgrade airport while transporting a 5-day-old baby with respiratory problems to hospital, killing all 7 on board. Read more
• 2013 — The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. Read more
• 2012 — The Sierre coach crash kills 28 people, including 22 children. Read more
• 2003 — An article in Nature identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints. Read more
• 1997 — The Missionaries of Charity choose Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as their leader. Read more
• 1996 — The Dunblane massacre leads to the death of sixteen primary school children and one teacher in Dunblane, Scotland. Read more
• 1993 — The 1993 Storm of the Century affects the eastern United States, dropping feet of snow in many areas. Read more
• 1992 — The Mw 6.6 Erzincan earthquake strikes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Read more
• 1989 — Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-29 carrying the TDRS-4 satellite. Read more
• 1988 — The Seikan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world with an undersea segment, opens between Aomori and Hakodate, Japan. Read more
• 1979 — The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts the Prime Minister of Grenada, Eric Gairy, in a coup d'état. Read more
• 1974 — Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802 crashes into the White Mountains near Bishop, California, killing 36. Read more
• 1969 — Apollo 9 returns safely to Earth after testing the Lunar Module. Read more
• 1964 — Kitty Genovese is murdered in New York City, prompting research into the bystander effect due to the false story that neighbors witnessed the killing and did nothing to help her. Read more
• 1957 — Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista. Read more
• 1954 — The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ begins with an artillery barrage by Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp; Viet Minh victory led to the end of the First Indochina War and French withdrawal from Vietnam. Read more
• 1943 — The Holocaust: German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Kraków. Read more
• 1940 — The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union officially ends after the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. Read more
• 1930 — The news of the discovery of Pluto is announced by Lowell Observatory. Read more
• 1920 — The Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic government from Berlin. Read more
• 1900 — British forces occupy Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, during the Second Boer War. Read more
• 1888 — The eruption of Ritter Island triggers tsunamis that kill up to 3,000 people on nearby islands. Read more
• 1884 — The Siege of Khartoum begins. It lasts until January 26, 1885. Read more
• 1862 — The Act Prohibiting the Return of Slaves is passed by the United States Congress, effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and setting the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation. Read more
• 1848 — The German revolutions of 1848–1849 begin in Vienna. Read more
• 1845 — Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto receives its première performance in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as soloist. Read more
• 1825 — Pope Leo XII publishes the apostolic constitution Quo Graviora in which he renewed the prohibition on Catholics joining freemasonry. Read more
• 1815 — Participants at the Congress of Vienna declare Napoleon an outlaw following his escape from Elba. Read more
• 1811 — A French and Italian fleet is defeated by a British squadron off the island of Vis in the Adriatic during the Napoleonic Wars. Read more
• 1809 — Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden is deposed in the Coup of 1809. Read more
• 1781 — William Herschel discovers Uranus. Read more
• 1741 — The Battle of Cartagena de Indias (part of the War of Jenkins' Ear) begins. Read more
• 1697 — Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, falls to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. Read more
• 1639 — Harvard College is named after clergyman John Harvard. Read more
• 1591 — At the Battle of Tondibi in Mali, Moroccan forces of the Saadi dynasty, led by Judar Pasha, defeat the Songhai Empire, despite being outnumbered by at least five to one. Read more
• 1567 — The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. Read more
• 1323 — Siege of Warangal: Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq sends an expeditionary army led by his son, Muhammad bin Tughluq, to the Kakatiya capital Warangal – after ruler Prataparudra has refused to make tribute payments. He besieges the city and finally, after a campaign of 8 months, Prataparudra surrenders on November 9. Read more
• 1261 — The Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Genoa sign a permanent treaty against the Venetians at Nymphaeum. Read more
• 624 — The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. Read more
• 483 — Election of Pope Felix III following the death of Pope Simplicius earlier that month. Read more
• 222 — Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander. Read more

Born on March 13

• 2004 — Coco Gauff, American tennis player Read more
• 2002 — Frank Gore Jr., American football player Read more
• 2001 — Beomgyu, South Korean singer-songwriter Read more
• 2001 — Thomas Dearden, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1998 — Jay-Roy Grot, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1998 — Jack Harlow, American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor Read more
• 1997 — Pyper America, American model, actress, and musician Read more
• 1997 — Landry Shamet, American basketball player Read more
• 1996 — Brayden Point, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1995 — Mikaela Shiffrin, American skier Read more
• 1995 — Jang Su-jeong, South Korean tennis player Read more
• 1994 — Gerard Deulofeu, Spanish footballer Read more
• 1994 — Mohammed Siraj, Indian cricketer Read more
• 1993 — Tyrone Mings, English footballer Read more
• 1992 — Lucy Fry, Australian actress Read more
• 1992 — George MacKay, English actor Read more
• 1992 — Ozuna, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and rapper Read more
• 1992 — L, South Korean actor and singer Read more
• 1991 — Daniel Greig, Australian speed skater Read more
• 1991 — Tristan Thompson, American basketball player Read more
• 1990 — Anicet Abel, Malagasy footballer Read more
• 1990 — Marcell Dareus, American football player Read more
• 1989 — Holger Badstuber, German footballer Read more
• 1989 — Peaches Geldof, English columnist, television personality, and model (died 2014) Read more
• 1989 — Sandy León, Venezuelan baseball player Read more
• 1989 — Marko Marin, German footballer Read more
• 1989 — Robert Wickens, Canadian racing driver Read more
• 1988 — Furdjel Narsingh, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1987 — Marco Andretti, American race car driver Read more
• 1987 — Andreas Beck, German footballer Read more
• 1986 — Neil Wagner, South African-New Zealand cricketer Read more
• 1985 — Alcides, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1985 — Emile Hirsch, American actor Read more
• 1985 — Aleksandra Kosiorek, Polish politician and jurist Read more
• 1984 — Geeta Basra, Indian actress Read more
• 1983 — Kaitlin Sandeno, American swimmer Read more
• 1982 — Izi Castro Marques, Brazilian basketball player Read more
• 1982 — Nicole Ohlde, American basketball player Read more
• 1980 — Caron Butler, American basketball player Read more
• 1980 — Brad Watts, Australian rugby league player Read more

Died on March 13

• 2025 — John Feinstein, American sportswriter and commentator (born 1956) Read more
• 2025 — Raúl Grijalva, United States representative from Arizona (born 1948) Read more
• 2025 — Sofia Gubaidulina, Russian-German pianist and composer (born 1931) Read more
• 2024 — Philippe de Gaulle, French admiral (born 1921) Read more
• 2022 — William Hurt, American actor (born 1950) Read more
• 2021 — Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American professional boxer (born 1954) Read more
• 2021 — Murray Walker, English motorsport commentator and journalist (born 1923) Read more
• 2018 — Emily Nasrallah, Lebanese writer and women's rights activist. (born 1931) Read more
• 2017 — Amy Krouse Rosenthal, American author (born 1965) Read more
• 2016 — Hilary Putnam, American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist (born 1926) Read more
• 2015 — Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (born 1924) Read more
• 2014 — Reubin Askew, American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of Florida (born 1928) Read more
• 2014 — Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond, Irish businessman and politician (born 1944) Read more
• 2014 — Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (born 1932) Read more
• 2014 — Icchokas Meras, Lithuanian-Israeli author and screenwriter (born 1934) Read more
• 2013 — Clive Burr, English drummer and songwriter (born 1957) Read more
• 2011 — Rick Martin, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1951) Read more
• 2010 — Jean Ferrat, French singer-songwriter (born 1930) Read more
• 2009 — Betsy Blair, American actress (born 1923) Read more
• 2009 — Alan W. Livingston, American businessman (born 1917) Read more
• 2007 — Arnold Skaaland, American wrestler and manager (born 1925) Read more
• 2006 — Robert C. Baker, American businessman, invented the chicken nugget (born 1921) Read more
• 2006 — Jimmy Johnstone, Scottish footballer (born 1944) Read more
• 2006 — Maureen Stapleton, American actress (born 1925) Read more
• 2006 — Peter Tomarken, American television personality, game show host (born 1942) Read more
• 2004 — Franz König, Austrian cardinal (born 1905) Read more
• 2002 — Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher and scholar (born 1900) Read more
• 2001 — John A. Alonzo, American actor and cinematographer (born 1934) Read more
• 2001 — Encarnacion Alzona, Filipino historian and educator (born 1895) Read more
• 1999 — Lee Falk, American cartoonist, director, and producer (born 1911) Read more
• 1999 — Garson Kanin, American director and screenwriter (born 1912) Read more
• 1998 — Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (born 1945) Read more
• 1998 — Hans von Ohain, German-American physicist and engineer (born 1911) Read more
• 1996 — Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1941) Read more
• 1995 — Odette Hallowes, French nurse and spy (born 1912) Read more
• 1990 — Bruno Bettelheim, Austrian-American psychologist and author (born 1903) Read more
• 1983 — Paul Citroen, German-Dutch illustrator and educator (born 1896) Read more
• 1976 — Ole Haugsrud, American sports executive (born 1900) Read more
• 1975 — Ivo Andrić, Yugoslav novelist, poet, and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1892) Read more
• 1972 — Tony Ray-Jones, English photographer (born 1941) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast days: Ansovinus; Christian feast days: Christina of Persia; Christian feast days: Gerald of Mayo; Christian feast days: James Theodore Holly (Episcopal Church (USA)); Christian feast days: Nicephorus; Christian feast days: Roderick; Christian feast days: March 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Kasuga Matsuri (Kasuga Grand Shrine, Nara, Japan); National Elephant Day (Thailand); Africa Scout Day

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