# What happened on March 13 in history?

**Date:** March 13  
**Events recorded:** 46  
**Years spanned:** 222 – 2020  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/march/13/

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## Featured Event

**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 on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breonna_Taylor)

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## Events on this date

- **222** — Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elagabalus))
- **483** — Election of Pope Felix III following the death of Pope Simplicius earlier that month. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Felix_III))
- **624** — The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Badr))
- **1261** — The Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Genoa sign a permanent treaty against the Venetians at Nymphaeum. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Warangal_(1323)))
- **1567** — The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Oosterweel))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tondibi))
- **1639** — Harvard College is named after clergyman John Harvard. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_College))
- **1697** — Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, falls to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nojpet%C3%A9n))
- **1741** — The Battle of Cartagena de Indias (part of the War of Jenkins' Ear) begins. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cartagena_de_Indias))
- **1781** — William Herschel discovers Uranus. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Herschel))
- **1809** — Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden is deposed in the Coup of 1809. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_IV_Adolf))
- **1811** — A French and Italian fleet is defeated by a British squadron off the island of Vis in the Adriatic during the Napoleonic Wars. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lissa_(1811)))
- **1815** — Participants at the Congress of Vienna declare Napoleon an outlaw following his escape from Elba. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Vienna))
- **1825** — Pope Leo XII publishes the apostolic constitution Quo Graviora in which he renewed the prohibition on Catholics joining freemasonry. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XII))
- **1845** — Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto receives its première performance in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as soloist. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Mendelssohn))
- **1848** — The German revolutions of 1848–1849 begin in Vienna. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_revolutions_of_1848%E2%80%931849))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_Prohibiting_the_Return_of_Slaves))
- **1884** — The Siege of Khartoum begins. It lasts until January 26, 1885. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Khartoum))
- **1888** — The eruption of Ritter Island triggers tsunamis that kill up to 3,000 people on nearby islands. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1888_Ritter_Island_eruption_and_tsunami))
- **1900** — British forces occupy Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, during the Second Boer War. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloemfontein))
- **1920** — The Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic government from Berlin. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapp_Putsch))
- **1930** — The news of the discovery of Pluto is announced by Lowell Observatory. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto))
- **1940** — The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union officially ends after the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War))
- **1943** — The Holocaust: German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Kraków. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu))
- **1957** — Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese))
- **1969** — Apollo 9 returns safely to Earth after testing the Lunar Module. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_9))
- **1974** — Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802 crashes into the White Mountains near Bishop, California, killing 36. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Pacific_Airlines_Flight_802))
- **1979** — The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts the Prime Minister of Grenada, Eric Gairy, in a coup d'état. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_JEWEL_Movement))
- **1988** — The Seikan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world with an undersea segment, opens between Aomori and Hakodate, Japan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seikan_Tunnel))
- **1989** — Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-29 carrying the TDRS-4 satellite. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Discovery))
- **1992** — The Mw  6.6 Erzincan earthquake strikes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Erzincan_earthquake))
- **1993** — The 1993 Storm of the Century affects the eastern United States, dropping feet of snow in many areas. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Storm_of_the_Century))
- **1996** — The Dunblane massacre leads to the death of sixteen primary school children and one teacher in Dunblane, Scotland. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_massacre))
- **1997** — The Missionaries of Charity choose Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as their leader. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missionaries_of_Charity))
- **2003** — An article in Nature identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_(journal)))
- **2012** — The Sierre coach crash kills 28 people, including 22 children. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierre_coach_crash))
- **2013** — The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_conclave))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Belgrade_helicopter_crash))
- **2016** — The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_2016_Ankara_bombing))
- **2016** — Three gunmen attack two hotels in the Ivory Coast town of Grand-Bassam, killing at least 19 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand-Bassam_shootings))
- **2020** — President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency in the United States. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breonna_Taylor))
- **2020** — Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as the first female President of Greece amid strict COVID-19 measures. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katerina_Sakellaropoulou))

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## Notable births on March 13

- **2004** — **Coco Gauff** — American tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Gauff))
- **2002** — **Frank Gore Jr.** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gore_Jr.))
- **2001** — **Beomgyu** — South Korean singer-songwriter ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beomgyu))
- **2001** — **Thomas Dearden** — Australian rugby league player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Dearden))
- **1998** — **Jay-Roy Grot** — Dutch footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay-Roy_Grot))
- **1998** — **Jack Harlow** — American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Harlow))
- **1997** — **Pyper America** — American model, actress, and musician ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyper_America))
- **1997** — **Landry Shamet** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landry_Shamet))
- **1996** — **Brayden Point** — Canadian ice hockey player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brayden_Point))
- **1995** — **Mikaela Shiffrin** — American skier ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikaela_Shiffrin))

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## Notable deaths on March 13

- **2025** — **John Feinstein** — American sportswriter and commentator (born 1956) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Feinstein))
- **2025** — **Raúl Grijalva** — United States representative from Arizona (born 1948) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Grijalva))
- **2025** — **Sofia Gubaidulina** — Russian-German pianist and composer (born 1931) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Gubaidulina))
- **2024** — **Philippe de Gaulle** — French admiral (born 1921) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_de_Gaulle))
- **2022** — **William Hurt** — American actor (born 1950) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hurt))
- **2021** — **Marvelous Marvin Hagler** — American professional boxer (born 1954) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvelous_Marvin_Hagler))
- **2021** — **Murray Walker** — English motorsport commentator and journalist (born 1923) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Walker))
- **2018** — **Emily Nasrallah** — Lebanese writer and women's rights activist. (born 1931) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Nasrallah))
- **2017** — **Amy Krouse Rosenthal** — American author  (born 1965) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Krouse_Rosenthal))
- **2016** — **Hilary Putnam** — American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist (born 1926) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Putnam))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/march/13/](https://thisday.info/events/march/13/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.