# What happened on May 13 in history?

**Date:** May 13  
**Events recorded:** 59  
**Years spanned:** 535 – 2014  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/may/13/

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## Featured Event

**2014** — An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_mine_disaster)

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## Events on this date

- **535** — Election of pope Agapetus I following the death of pope John II earlier that month. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Agapetus_I))
- **1110** — Baldwin I of Jerusalem captures the city of Beirut from the Fatimid Caliphate with the help of a Genoese fleet. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_I_of_Jerusalem))
- **1344** — A Latin Christian fleet defeats a Turkish fleet in the battle of Pallene during the Smyrniote crusades. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Church))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich))
- **1501** — Amerigo Vespucci, this time under Portuguese flag, sets sail for western lands. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amerigo_Vespucci))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary%2C_Queen_of_Scots))
- **1612** — Sword duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro on the shores of Ganryū Island. Kojiro dies at the end. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi))
- **1619** — Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_van_Oldenbarnevelt))
- **1654** — A Venetian fleet under Admiral Cort Adeler breaks through a line of galleys and defeats the Turkish navy. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cort_Adeler))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Bavarian_Succession))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Compact))
- **1791** — The British under Charles Cornwallis defeat a Mysorean army under Tipu Sultan in the battle of Arakere. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Cornwallis%2C_1st_Marquess_Cornwallis))
- **1804** — Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusuf_Karamanli))
- **1830** — Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecuador))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Montenegro))
- **1861** — American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War))
- **1861** — The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2F1861_J1_(Tebbutt)))
- **1861** — Pakistan's (then a part of British India) first railway line  opens, from Karachi to Kotri. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Railways))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smalls))
- **1888** — With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), the Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_%C3%81urea))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1909_Giro_d'Italia))
- **1912** — The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Flying_Corps))
- **1917** — Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_F%C3%A1tima))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1943** — World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Vulcan))
- **1945** — World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei's photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Khaldei))
- **1948** — Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre occurs, a day prior to the Israeli Declaration of Independence. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_War))
- **1949** — Aeroflot Flight 17 crashes on approach to Severny Airport in Novosibirsk, killing 25. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_17))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_British_Grand_Prix))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_University_of_San_Marcos))
- **1952** — The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajya_Sabha))
- **1954** — The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_National_Service_riots))
- **1958** — During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, the US Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracas))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1958_crisis_in_France))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Carlin))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California%2C_Berkeley))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakir_Husain))
- **1969** — In the aftermath of the 1969 Malaysian general election, Sino-Malay sectarian violence erupts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Malaysian_general_election))
- **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). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sennichi_Department_Store_Building_fire))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles))
- **1980** — An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujita_scale))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehmet_Ali_A%C4%9Fca))
- **1985** — Police bomb MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_MOVE_bombing))
- **1989** — Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre))
- **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). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinamo%E2%80%93Red_Star_riot))
- **1992** — Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People's Republic of China. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Hongzhi))
- **1995** — Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to ascend Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Hargreaves))
- **1996** — Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderstorm))
- **1998** — Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1998_Indonesia_riots))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokhran-II))
- **1999** — Kosovo War: NATO bombs the village of Koriša, killing at least 87 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_War))
- **2000** — A fireworks storage depot explodes in a residential neighborhood in Enschede, Netherlands, killing 23 people and injuring 950 others. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enschede_fireworks_disaster))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andijan_massacre))
- **2006** — São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_violence_outbreak))
- **2011** — Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Charsadda_bombing))
- **2012** — Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadereyta_Jim%C3%A9nez_massacre))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Gosnell))
- **2014** — An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_mine_disaster))

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## Notable births on May 13

- **2005** — **Romain Esse** — English footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romain_Esse))
- **2003** — **Jaxson Dart** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaxson_Dart))
- **2003** — **Javi Guerra** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javi_Guerra_(footballer%2C_born_2003)))
- **2003** — **Jabari Smith Jr.** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabari_Smith_Jr.))
- **2002** — **Diego López** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_L%C3%B3pez_(footballer%2C_born_May_2002)))
- **1999** — **Óscar Mingueza** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Mingueza))
- **1999** — **Aníbal Moreno** — Argentine footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An%C3%ADbal_Moreno))
- **1998** — **Adrià Pedrosa** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adri%C3%A0_Pedrosa))
- **1998** — **Luca Zidane** — Algerian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luca_Zidane))
- **1997** — **Nico Hoerner** — American baseball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nico_Hoerner))

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## Notable deaths on May 13

- **2025** — **Kit Bond** — American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Missouri (born 1939) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_Bond))
- **2025** — **Danny Lendich** — New Zealand businessperson (born 1944) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Lendich))
- **2025** — **José Mujica** — Uruguayan politician, 40th President of Uruguay (born 1935) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mujica))
- **2024** — **Alice Munro** — Canadian short story writer (born 1931) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Munro))
- **2024** — **Cyril Wecht** — American forensic pathologist (born 1931) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Wecht))
- **2024** — **Samm-Art Williams** — American playwright and screenwriter (born 1946) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samm-Art_Williams))
- **2022** — **Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan** — 2nd President of the United Arab Emirates (born 1948) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalifa_bin_Zayed_Al_Nahyan))
- **2019** — **Doris Day** — American singer and actress (born 1922) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Day))
- **2019** — **Unita Blackwell** — American civil rights activist and politician (born 1933) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unita_Blackwell))
- **2016** — **Murray A. Straus** — American sociologist and academic (born 1926) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_A._Straus))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/may/13/](https://thisday.info/events/may/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.