August 13 in History

The Apollo 11 astronauts enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York City. That eveni

1969 — The Apollo 11 astronauts enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York City

That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon.

August 13 spans 54 recorded events across recorded history, from 29 BC to 2020. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By · — Wikipedia

Historical Events 54 events 29 BC – 2020

More major events on August 13

The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.

  1. 1779 American Revolutionary War: The Royal Navy defeats the Penobscot Expedition with the most significant loss of United States naval forces prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Source
  2. 1898 Carl Gustav Witt discovers 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be found. Source
  3. 1960 The Central African Republic declares independence from France. Source

Did you know

In 1969, The Apollo 11 astronauts enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York City. That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the joint-highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President for award of the Medal or any person selected by the President upon his own initiative", and was created to recognize people who have made "an especially meritorious contribution tothe security or national interests of the United States, or world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

In 1969, The Apollo 11 astronauts enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York City. That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

Did you know

In 1969, The Apollo 11 astronauts enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York City. That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

-29 Augustus
Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.
Roman emperor from 27 BC to AD 14
Wikipedia source
523 Pope_John_I
John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas.
Head of the Catholic Church from 523 to 526
Wikipedia source
554 Justinian_I
Emperor Justinian I issues a Pragmatic Sanction in which he organises the renewed Roman rule over the recently re-conquered Italy.
All privileges granted to Romans under the Gothic rule until 538 are confirmed, confiscated estates restored and the participation of the Roman Church in civil government increased.
Wikipedia source
582 Maurice_(emperor)
Maurice is crowned Emperor of the Byzantine Empire by the dying emperor Tiberius.
Roman emperor from 582 to 602
Wikipedia source
871 Louis_II_of_Italy
Emperor Louis II of Italy and Empress Engelberga are captured by Prince Adelchis of Benevento.
Ruler of the Carolingian Empire from 844 to 875
Wikipedia source
900
Count Reginar I of Hainault rises against Zwentibold of Lotharingia and slays him near present-day Susteren.
Lotharingian noble (c. 850–915)
Wikipedia source
1099 Pope_Paschal_II
Election of Pope Paschal II following the death of pope Urban II in the previous month.
Head of the Catholic Church from 1099 to 1118
Wikipedia source
1415 Hundred_Years'_War,_1415–1453
The English invasion of France begins when English king Henry V lands in France.
Third phase of the Hundred Years' War
Wikipedia source
1516 War_of_the_League_of_Cambrai
The Treaty of Noyon between France and Spain is signed.
Francis I of France recognizes Charles's claim to Naples, and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, recognizes Francis's claim to Milan.
Wikipedia source
1521 Fall_of_Tenochtitlan
After an extended siege, forces led by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés capture Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquer the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.
1521 conquest of the Aztec capital by the Spanish Empire and rival indigenous tribes
Wikipedia source
1532 Union_of_the_Duchy_of_Brittany_with_the_Crown_of_France
Union of Brittany and France: The Duchy of Brittany is absorbed into the Kingdom of France.
1491 unification via royal marriage
Wikipedia source
1536 Kyoto
Buddhist monks from Kyoto, Japan's Enryaku-ji temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout Kyoto in what will be known as the Tenbun Hokke Disturbance.
City in the Kansai region of Japan
Wikipedia source
1553 Michael_Servetus
Michael Servetus is arrested by John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland as a heretic.
16th-century Spanish theologian, physician, cartographer and Renaissance humanist
Wikipedia source
1624 Louis_XIII
The French king Louis XIII appoints Cardinal Richelieu as prime minister.
King of France from 1610 to 1643
Wikipedia source
1645 Treaty_of_Brömsebro_(1645)
Sweden and Denmark sign Peace of Brömsebro.
Peace treaty between Sweden and Denmark–Norway
Wikipedia source
1650 George_Monck,_1st_Duke_of_Albemarle
Colonel George Monck of the English Army forms Monck's Regiment of Foot, which will later become the Coldstream Guards.
English military officer and politician (1608–1670)
Wikipedia source
1704 War_of_the_Spanish_Succession
War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim: English and Imperial forces are victorious over French and Bavarian troops.
1701–1714 European great power conflict
Wikipedia source
1724 Johann_Sebastian_Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101, a chorale cantata on a famous tune.
German composer (1685–1750)
Wikipedia source
1779 American_Revolutionary_War
American Revolutionary War: The Royal Navy defeats the Penobscot Expedition with the most significant loss of United States naval forces prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1775–1783 conflict in North America
Wikipedia source
1792 Louis_XVI
King Louis XVI of France is formally arrested by the National Tribunal, and declared an enemy of the people.
King of France from 1774 to 1792
Wikipedia source
1806 Battle_of_Mišar
Battle of Mišar during the Serbian Revolution begins.
The battle ends two days later with a Serbian victory over the Ottomans.
Wikipedia source
1814
The Convention of London, a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United Netherlands, is signed in London, England.
1814 treaty also known as the Convention of London
Wikipedia source
1868 1868_Arica_earthquake
The 8.5–9.0 Mw Arica earthquake struck southern Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing 25,000+ deaths and a destructive basin wide tsunami that affected Hawaii and New Zealand.
Southern Peru Earthquake and Pacific Ocean Tsunami
Wikipedia source
1876 Das_Rheingold
A performance of Wagner's Das Rheingold opens the first Ring cycle at the first Bayreuth Festival.
1869 opera by Richard Wagner
Wikipedia source
1889 Hartford,_Connecticut
William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut is granted United States Patent Number 408,709 for "Coin-controlled apparatus for telephones."
Capital city of Connecticut, U.S.
Wikipedia source
1898 Spanish–American_War
Spanish–American War: Spanish and American forces engage in a mock battle for Manila, after which the Spanish commander surrendered in order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands.
1898 conflict between Spain and the United States
Wikipedia source
1898 Carl_Gustav_Witt
Carl Gustav Witt discovers 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be found.
German astronomer (1866–1946)
Wikipedia source
1900 SS_Deutschland_(1900)
The steamer Deutschland of Hamburg America Lines set a new record for the eastward passage when it docked on Plymouth, England, five days, 11 hours and 45 minutes after sailing from New York, breaking by three hours, six minutes its previous mark in its maiden voyage in July.
German passenger ship
Wikipedia source
1905 1905_Norwegian_union_dissolution_referendum
Norwegians vote to end the union with Sweden.
Wikipedia source
1906 25th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)
The all black infantrymen of the U.S.
Army's 25th Infantry Regiment are accused of killing a white bartender and wounding a white police officer in Brownsville, Texas, despite exculpatory evidence; all are later dishonorably discharged. (Their records were later restored to reflect honorable discharges but there were no financial settlements.)
Wikipedia source
1913 Stainless_steel
First production in the UK of stainless steel by Harry Brearley.
Steel alloy resistant to corrosion
Wikipedia source
1918 United_States_Marine_Corps
Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time.
Opha May Johnson is the first woman to enlist.
Wikipedia source
1918 BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is established as a public company in Germany.
German automotive manufacturer
Wikipedia source
1920 Polish–Soviet_War
Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Warsaw begins and will last till August 25.
The Red Army is defeated.
Wikipedia source
1937 Second_Sino-Japanese_War
Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Shanghai begins.
1937–1945 conflict in East Asia
Wikipedia source
1940 World_War_II
World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches an air operation, codenamed Adlertag, during the Battle of Britain in an attempt to destroy the British Royal Air Force.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
Wikipedia source
1942 Eugene_Reybold
Major General Eugene Reybold of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers authorizes the construction of facilities that would house the "Development of Substitute Materials" project, better known as the Manhattan Project.
Wikipedia source
1944 Razing_of_Anogeia
World War II: German troops begin the pillage and razing of Anogeia in Crete that would continue until September 5.
Razing of Greek village and massacre of civilians by Nazi Germans, 1944
Wikipedia source
1954 Radio_Pakistan
Radio Pakistan broadcasts the "Qaumī Tarāna", the national anthem of Pakistan for the first time.
Pakistan National Radio Broadcaster
Wikipedia source
1960 Central_African_Republic
The Central African Republic declares independence from France.
Country in Central Africa
Wikipedia source
1961 Cold_War
Cold War: East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started.
The day is known as Barbed Wire Sunday.
Wikipedia source
1964
Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans are hanged for the murder of John Alan West becoming the last people executed in the United Kingdom.
1964 robbery/murder, resulting in last use of death penalty in Britain
Wikipedia source
1967 Night_of_the_Grizzlies
Two young women became the first fatal victims of grizzly bear attacks in the 57-year history of Montana's Glacier National Park in separate incidents.
1969 nonfiction novel by Jack Olsen
Wikipedia source
1968 Alexandros_Panagoulis
Alexandros Panagoulis attempts to assassinate the Greek dictator Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens.
20th-century Greek politician and poet (1939–1976)
Wikipedia source
1973 Aviaco_Flight_118
Aviaco Flight 118 crashes on approach to A Coruña Airport in A Coruña, Spain, killing all 85 people on the plane and one other one the ground.
1973 plane crash in Spain
Wikipedia source
1977 National_Front_(UK)
Members of the British National Front (NF) clash with anti-NF demonstrators in Lewisham, London, resulting in 214 arrests and at least 111 injuries.
British fascist and white supremacist political party
Wikipedia source
1978 Palestinians
One hundred fifty Palestinians in Beirut are killed in a terrorist attack during the second phase of the Lebanese Civil War.
Arab national group of the Levant
Wikipedia source
1990
A mainland Chinese fishing boat Min Ping Yu No.
5202 is hit by a Taiwanese naval vessel and sinks in a repatriation operation of mainland Chinese immigrants, resulting in 21 deaths. This is the second tragedy less than a month after Min Ping Yu No. 5540 incident.
Wikipedia source
2004 Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
One hundred fifty-six Congolese Tutsi refugees are massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi.
Country in Central Africa
Wikipedia source
2008 Russo-Georgian_War
Russo-Georgian War: Russian units occupy the Georgian city of Gori.
2008 war between Russia and Georgia
Wikipedia source
2014 Cessna_Citation_Excel
A Cessna Citation Excel crashes in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil killing all seven people aboard, including Brazilian Socialist Party presidential candidate Eduardo Campos.
Medium-sized business jet
Wikipedia source
2015
At least 76 people are killed and 212 others are wounded in a truck bombing in Baghdad, Iraq.
Terrorist attack in Iraq
Wikipedia source
2020 Israel–United_Arab_Emirates_relations
Israel–United Arab Emirates relations are formally established.
Bilateral relations
Wikipedia source

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