February 13

Events

*1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed.
*1503 - Disfida di Barletta - Famous challenge between 13 Italian and 13 French knights near Barletta.
*1542 - Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery.
*1575 - Henry III of France is crowned at Rheims.
* 1575 - Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont.
*1633 - Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.
*1635 - The first public school in the U.S., Boston Latin School, is founded.
*1668 - Spain recognizes Portugal as an independent nation.
*1689 - William and Mary are proclaimed co-rulers of England.
*1692 - Massacre of Glencoe : About 78 Macdonalds at Glen Coe, Scotland are killed early in the morning for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange.
*1815 - The Cambridge Union Society is founded.
*1866 - Jesse James and his gang commit the first armed bank robbery in United States history during peacetime in Liberty, Missouri.
*1880 - Work begins on the covering of the Senne, burying Brussels's primary river and creating the modern central boulevards.
* 1880 - Thomas Edison observes the Edison effect.
*1881 - The feminist newspaper "La Citoyenne" is first published in Paris by the activist Hubertine Auclert.
*1894 - Auguste and Louis Lumière patent the "Cinematographe", a combination movie camera and projector.
*1899 - Tallahassee, Florida records its all time coldest temperature of -2 degrees Fahrenheit.
*1914 - Copyright: In New York City the ASCAP (for American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.
*1920 - The Negro National League is formed.
*1934 - The Soviet steamship "Cheliuskin" sinks in the Arctic Ocean.
*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.
*1945 - World War II: Red Army forces take Budapest, Hungary from Wehrmacht forces.
* 1945 - World War II: Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to Dresden, Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment (see Bombing of Dresden in World War II).
*1955 - Israel obtains 4 of the 7 Dead Sea scrolls.
*1960 - Nuclear testing: France tests its first atomic bomb.
*1971 - Vietnam War: Backed by American air and artillery support, South Vietnamese troops invade Laos.
*1974 - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union.
*1975 - A fire erupts in the World Trade Center in New York City, New York.
*1978 - Hilton bombing: a bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman.
*1979 - An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 1/2-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.
*1981 - A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky.
*1984 - Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
*1990 - German reunification: An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany.
*1991 - Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy a bunker in Baghdad. The bunker was being used as a military communications outpost and unknown to allied forces, as a shelter for Iraqi civilians.
* 1997 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7,000 for the first time closing at 7,022.44.
*2000 - The last original "Peanuts" comic strip appears in newspapers one day after Charles M. Schulz dies.
*2001 - An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale hits El Salvador, killing at least 400.
*2004 - The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics discovers the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star "BPM 37093".
*2007 - Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on charges of embezzlement during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election.
*2008 - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes an historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations.

Births

*1457 - Mary of Burgundy, daughter of Charles the Bold and wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1482)
*1480 - Girolamo Aleandro, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1542)
*1599 - Pope Alexander VII (d. 1667)
*1672 - Étienne François Geoffroy, French chemist (d. 1731)
*1683 - Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, Italian painter and Fortune teller (d. 1754)
*1721 - John Reid, British army general and composer (d. 1807)
*1728 - John Hunter, Scottish surgeon (d. 1793)
*1743 - Joseph Banks, English botanist and naturalist (d. 1820)
*1754 - Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, French politician (d. 1838)
*1766 - Thomas Robert Malthus, English demographer and political economist (d. 1834)
*1768 - Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, French marshal (d. 1835)
*1769 - Ivan Krylov, Russian fabulist (d. 1844)
*1805 - Peter Gustav Dirichlet, German mathematician (d. 1859)
*1811 - François Achille Bazaine, French marshal (d. 1888)
*1835 - Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (d. 1908)
*1855 - Paul Deschanel, French President (d. 1922)
*1873 - Feodor Chaliapin, Russian bass (d. 1938)
*1876 - Fritz Buelow, German-born American baseball player (d. 1933)
*1879 - Sarojini Naidu, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1949)
*1881 - Eleanor Farjeon, English author (d. 1965)
*1884 - Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American athlete, inventor, and businessman (d. 1961)
*1885 - Bess Truman, First Lady of the United States, wife of President Harry S. Truman (d. 1982)
*1891 - Kate Roberts, Welsh nationalist and writer (d. 1985)
* 1891 - Grant Wood, American painter (d. 1942)
*1900 - Roy Harrod, English economist (d. 1978)
*1903 - Georges Simenon, Belgian writer (d. 1989)
*1906 - Agostinho da Silva, Portuguese philosopher (d. 1994)
*1907 - Katy de la Cruz, Filipino singer (d. 2004)
*1910 - William Shockley, American physicist and eugenicist, Nobel Laureate (d. 1989)
*1911 - Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Pakistani Urdu poet, Lenin Peace Prize winner (d. 1984)
*1915 - Aung San, Burmese general and politician (d. 1947)
* 1915 - Lyle Bettger, American actor (d. 2003)
*1918 - Patty Berg, American golfer (d. 2006)
*1919 - Tennessee Ernie Ford, American musician (d. 1991)
* 1919 - Eddie Robinson, American football coach (d. 2007)
*1920 - Boudleaux Bryant, American songwriter (d. 1987)
* 1920 - Eileen Farrell, American opera soprano (d. 2002)
*1922 - Francis Pym, British Foreign Secretary 1982-83
* 1922 - Gordon Tullock, American economist
*1923 - Michael Anthony Bilandic, American politician (d. 2002)
* 1923 - Yfrah Neaman, Lebanese violinist (d. 2003)
* 1923 - Chuck Yeager, American fighter and test pilot
*1924 - Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, French journalist (d. 2006)
*1928 - Dorothy McGuire, American singer (The McGuire Sisters)
*1929 - Omar Torrijos, Panamanian ruler (d. 1981)
*1930 - Ernst Fuchs, Austrian artist
*1932 - Susan Oliver, American actress (d. 1990)
*1933 - Paul Biya, Cameroon politician
* 1933 - Costa Gavras, Greek-French filmmaker
* 1933 - Kim Novak, American actress
* 1933 - Caroline Blakiston, British actress
*1934 - George Segal, American actor
*1935 - Dr. Don Panoz, American entrepreneur and motorsports impresario (ALMS)
*1937 - Ali El-Maak, Sudanese writer (d. 1992)
*1938 - Oliver Reed, English actor (d. 1999)
*1939 - Beate Klarsfeld, German Nazi hunter
*1941 - Andrea Conte, First Lady of Tennessee
* 1941 - Sigmar Polke, German painter
*1942 - Carol Lynley, American actress
* 1942 - Peter Tork, American musician and actor (The Monkees)
*1943 - Geoff Edwards, American game show host
*1944 - Rebop Kwaku Baah, Nigerian percussionist (d. 1983)
* 1944 - Stockard Channing, American actress
* 1944 - Jerry Springer, American television host
* 1944 - Bo Svenson, Swedish-born actor
* 1944 - Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Indian actor (d. 2006)
*1945 - King Floyd, American musician (d. 2006)
*1945 - David Tremlett, English Artist
*1946 - Louis Kondos, Greek actor
* 1946 - Colin Matthews, British composer
*1947 - Mike Krzyzewski, American basketball player and coach
*1950 - Peter Gabriel, English musician (Genesis), composer and humanitarian
*1951 - Greg Fulginiti, American mastering engineer
* 1951 - David Naughton, American actor and singer
*1952 - Freddy Maertens, Belgian cyclist
*1953 - Rico J. Puno, Filipino pop singer
* 1954 - Donnie Moore, American baseball player (d. 1989)
*1955 - Joe Birkett, American lawyer
*1956 - Peter Hook, English bassist (Joy Division and New Order)
* 1956 - Yiannis Kouros, Greek-Australian runner
* 1956 - Princess Alia bint Al Hussein, Jordanian Royal Family member
* 1956 - Liam Brady, Irish footballer
*1957 - Denise Austin, American fitness expert
*1958 - Pernilla August, Swedish actress
* 1958 - Marc Emery, Canadian cannabis activist
* 1958 - Derek Riggs, British artist
* 1958 - Tip Tipping, British actor and stuntman (d. 1993)
*1959 - Gaston Gingras, National Hockey League defenceman
* 1959 - Gord Hampson, Canadian ice hockey player
*1960 - Pierluigi Collina, Italian football referee
* 1960 - Gary Patterson, American football coach
* 1960 - Matt Salinger, American actor
* 1960 - Artur Yusupov, Russian-German chess player
*1961 - Henry Rollins, American musician
* 1961 - Marc Crawford, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
*1962 - Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, American politician
*1964 - Mark Patton, American actor
* 1964 - Ylva Johansson, Swedish politician
*1966 - Jeff Waters, Canadian musician (Annihilator)
*1967 - Stanimir Stoilov, Bulgarian footballer and coach
*1968 - Kelly Hu, American actress
*1969 - Ahlam, Bahraini singer
*1970 - Karoline Krüger, Norwegian singer
*1971 - Sonia, British singer
* 1971 - Mats Sundin, Swedish ice hockey player
* 1971 - Todd Williams, American baseball player
*1972 - Charlie Garner, American football player
*1974 - Gus Hansen, Danish professional poker player
* 1974 - Robbie Williams, English singer
* 1974 - Jeff Duran, American radio personality
*1975 - Iván González, Puerto Rican writer and musician
*1976 - Martin Sastre, Uruguayan artist
* 1976 - Feist, Canadian singer and songwriter
* 1976 - Dave Padden, Canadian musician (Annihilator)
*1977 - Randy Moss, American football player
* 1977 - Ben Collins, British racing driver
*1978 - Mini Anden, Swedish model and actress
*1978 - Hamish Glencross, Scottish guitarist My Dying Bride
*1979 - Rafael Márquez, Mexican footballer
* 1979 - Mena Suvari, American actress
*1980 - Sebastian Kehl, German footballer
*1981 - Luisão, Brazilian footballer
* 1981 - Liam Miller, Irish footballer
* 1981 - Luke Ridnour, American basketball player
*1982 - Michael Turner, Running Back for the San Diego Chargers
*1982 - Lanisha Cole, American model
*1983 - Mike Nickeas, American baseball player
*1985 - Kwak Ji-min, South Korean actress
* 1985 - Alexandros Tziolis, Greek footballer
* 1985 - David Padgett, American basketball player
*1986 - Luke Moore, English footballer
* 1986 - Jamie Murray, Scottish tennis player
*1989 - Carly McKillip, Canadian actress
*1989 - Rhys Palmer, Australian footballer
*1989 - Rodrigo Possebon, Brazilian Footballer
*1990 - Olivia Allison, British synchronized swimmer

Deaths

* 858 - Kenneth I of Scotland
*1130 - Pope Honorius II
*1141 - Béla II of Hungary (b. 1110)
*1219 - Minamoto no Sanetomo, Japanese shogun (b. 1192)
*1332 - Andronikos II Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1259)
*1539 - Isabella d'Este, Marquise of Mantua (b. 1474)
*1542 - Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII of England (executed) (b. 1525)
*1571 - Benvenuto Cellini, Italian artist (b. 1500)
*1585 - Alfonso Salmeron, Spanish Jesuit biblical scholar (b. 1515)
*1592 - Jacopo Bassano, Italian painter
*1600 - Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter (b. 1538)
*1602 - Alexander Nowell, English clergyman
*1608 - Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski, Lithuanian prince (b. 1526)
*1624 - Stephen Gosson, English satirist (b. 1554)
*1657 - Miles Sindercombe, attempted assassin of Oliver Cromwell
*1660 - King Charles X of Sweden (b. 1622)
*1662 - Elizabeth Stuart (b. 1596)
*1727 - William Wotton, English scholar (b. 1666)
*1728 - Cotton Mather, American Puritan minister (b. 1663)
*1732 - Charles-René d'Hozier, French historian (b. 1640)
*1787 - Ruđer Bošković, Croatian scientist and diplomat (b. 1711)
* 1787 - Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French statesman and diplomat (b. 1717)
*1813 - Samuel Ashe, Governor of North Carolina (b. 1725)
*1818 - George Rogers Clark, American military leader (b. 1752)
*1826 - Petr Alekseevich Pahlen, Russian general (b. 1745)
*1837 - Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and writer (b. 1809
*1845 - Henrik Steffens, Norwegian-German philosopher (b. 1773)
*1883 - Richard Wagner, German composer (b. 1813)
*1888 - Jean Baptiste Lamy, 1st Archbishop of Santa Fe (b. 1814)
*1889 - João Maurício Wanderley, Brazilian magistrate and politician (b. 1885)
*1905 - Konstantin Savitsky, Russian painter (b. 1844)
*1906 - Albert Gottschalk, Danish painter (b. 1866)
*1942 - Epitácio Pessoa, Brazilian president (b. 1865)
*1950 - Rafael Sabatini, Italian author (b. 1875)
*1951 - Lloyd C. Douglas, American author (b. 1877)
*1952 - Josephine Tey, English author (b. 1896)
*1958 - Georges Rouault, French painter (b. 1871)
*1958 - Dame Christabel Pankhurst, a leading suffragette (English) "Queen of the mob" (b.1880)
*1964 - Werner Heyde, German psyhiatrist (b. 1902)
*1968 - Mae Marsh, American actress (b. 1895)
*1975 - André Beaufre, French General (b. 1902)
*1976 - Murtala Mohammed, Nigerian military leader (b. 1938)
* 1976 - Lily Pons, French-born soprano (b. 1904)
*1980 - David Janssen, American actor (b. 1931)
*1984 - Andre Stander, South African police captain and bank robber (b. 1946)
*1989 - Wayne Hays, American politician (b. 1911)
*1991 - Arno Breker, German sculptor (b. 1900)
*1992 - Nikolay Bogolyubov, Russian mathematician (b. 1909)
*1996 - Martin Balsam, American actor (b. 1919)
*1997 - Mark Krasnosel'skii, Russian-Ukrainian mathematician (b. 1920),Jessica Browne,singer and dancer
*2000 - James Cooke Brown, American author and inventor (b. 1921)
*2002 - Waylon Jennings, American musician (b. 1937)
*2003 - Kid Gavilan, Cuban boxer (b. 1926)
* 2003 - Axel Jensen, Norwegian author (b. 1932)
* 2003 - Walt Rostow, U.S. government official (b. 1916)
*2004 - Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, Chechen leader (b. 1952)
*2005 - Nelson Briles, baseball player (b. 1943)
* 2005 - Lúcia Santos, Carmelite nun and Fatima visionary (b. 1907)
* 2005 - Maurice Trintignant, French race car driver (b. 1917)
*2005 - Dick Weber, American professional bowler (b. 1929)
* 2005 - Emilios T. Harlaftis, Greek astrophysicist (b. 1965)
*2006 - Andreas Katsulas, Greek-American actor (b. 1946)
* 2006 - Peter Frederick Strawson, British philosopher (b. 1919)
*2007 - Elizabeth Jolley, Australian writer (b. 1923)
* 2007 - Charlie Norwood, American politician (b. 1941)
* 2007 - Johanna Sällström, Swedish actress (b. 1974)
* 2007 - Richard Gordon Wakeford, Air Marshal, Royal Air Force (b. 1922)
*2008 - Roger Voisin, Trumpet player, Boston Symphony (b. 1918)

Holidays and observances

*Saint Beatrice
*Saint Ermenildis
*Saint Fulcran
*Saint Polyeuctus
*See also February 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

External links

* [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day?mth=Feb&day=13 On this day in Canada]
*
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/13 BBC: On This Day] ----