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August 13 in history

182 sourced entries recorded on August 13, from 408 CE to 2025 CE. Every line is quoted from the revision it came from.

Events

  • 408During a review of troops at Pavia, the soldiers stationed at this city murder the dignitaries present, then rage through the city, slaying anyone they suspected of being a supporter of Stilicho.source
  • 554Byzantine Emperor Justinian I issues a pragmatic sanction reorganizing Italy, and rewards the praetorian prefect Liberius for over 60 years of distinguished service, granting him extensive estates in Italy.source
  • 1231King Henry III orders the sheriffs of Hampshire, Dorsetshire and Wiltshire to give Simon de Montfort the possession of the lands of his father, Simon de Montfort the elder.source
  • 1449First Margrave War: Margrave Albrecht takes Lichtenau Fortress from Nuremberg.source
  • 1470An invasion force under the Earl of Warwick and Duke of Clarence leaves Angers, sailing for England.source
  • 1487The siege of Málaga ends, when the Spanish take the Granadan city. Most of the 11,000 surviving residents are taken prisoner and then sold into slavery in Castile and Andalusia.source
  • 1514Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII, is married by proxy to France's King Louis XII in accordance with the August 7 peace treaty.source
  • 1516The Treaty of Noyon is signed. King François I of France recognizes Charles I of Spain's claim to Naples, and Charles recognizes Francis's claim to Milan. The treaty also promised Louise of France to Charles.source
  • 1516The Treaty of Noyon is signed. Francis I of France recognizes Charles I of Spain's claim to Naples, and Charles recognizes Francis's claim to Milan.source
  • 1521Fall of Tenochtitlan: Cuauhtémoc surrenders to Cortés, thus incorporating the Aztec Empire into the Spanish Empire and ending the Late Postclassic period in Mesoamerica.source
  • 1525The coronation of Sophie of Pomerania as Queen consort of Denmark takes place in Copenhagen, a little more than a year after her husband's coronation as King Frederick I. She is granted Lolland and Falster, the castles in Kiel and Plön, and several villages in Holstein for her income.source
  • 1532Union of Brittany and France: The Duchy of Brittany is absorbed into the Kingdom of France.source
  • 1533King François of France dispatches Colonel Pierre de Piton to Morocco with a letter addressed to the ruler, Sultan Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad, in order to establish a trade agreement.source
  • 1547The Duchy of Brittany unites with the Kingdom of France.source
  • 1563Northern Seven Years' War: Denmark–Norway and the Free City of Lübeck declare war against the Kingdom of Sweden.source
  • 1586In Germany, near Köln, the siege of Rheinberg by Spanish Army commander Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma begins and is ultimately won by Spain, despite a defense by the Electorate of Cologne as well as Dutch and English troops.source
  • 1597The Siege of Namwon begins in Korea.source
  • 1607The ship Gift of God of the Plymouth Company arrives at the mouth of the modern-day Kennebec River in Maine. English colonists establish Fort St. George, also known as the Popham Colony. The settlement lasts little more than a year, before residents return to England in the first oceangoing ship built in the New World, a 30-ton pinnace called The Virginia.source
  • 1624Cardinal Richelieu is appointed by Louis XIII of France to be his chief minister, having intrigued against Charles de La Vieuville, Superintendent of Finances, arrested for corruption the previous day.source
  • 1624Cardinal Richelieu is appointed by Louis XIII to be his chief minister, having intrigued against Charles de La Vieuville, Superintendent of Finances, arrested for corruption the previous day.source
  • 1630Thirty Years' War: As a result of heavy pressure from the Prince-electors, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, dismisses general Albrecht von Wallenstein from command of the Imperial Army.source
  • 1645The Second Treaty of Brömsebro is signed, putting an end to the Torstenson War. The island Øsel is ceded to Sweden.source
  • 1645The Treaty of Brömsebro resulted in the ceding of the Norwegian provinces of Jemtland and Herjedalen to Sweden.source
  • 1645The Treaty of Brömsebro is signed between Sweden and Denmark–Norway, ending the Torstenson War and ceding Jemtland, Herjedalen, Gotland and Ösel (Saaremaa) to Sweden, which also holds the province of Halland for a period of 30 years, as a guarantee.source
  • 1650Colonel George Monck forms Monck's Regiment of Foot, forerunner of the Coldstream Guards.source
  • 1650Colonel George Monck forms Monck's Regiment of Foot, forerunner of the Coldstream Guards.source
  • 1651The troops of King Charles II of Scotland force the retreat of English Commonwealth troops at the Battle of Warrington Bridge, the last victory of Scotland over England in battle.source
  • 1675The Massachusetts Council orders that Christian Indians are to be confined to designated praying towns.source
  • 1695August 13–15 – Nine Years' War: Brussels is bombarded by French troops.source
  • 1696The Dutch state of Drenthe makes William III of Orange its Stadtholder.source
  • 1704August 13 (August 2 OS) – War of the Spanish Succession – Battle of Blenheim: Allied troops under John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat the Franco-Bavarian army.source
  • 1704War of the Spanish Succession – Battle of Blenheim: Allied troops under John Churchill, the Earl of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat the Franco-Bavarian army.source
  • 1711Tamachi Raisinhji becomes Jam Sahib (ruling prince) of Nawanagar State in Gujarat, India.source
  • 1713Action between a gallay commanded by Løvendal and two Swedish ships of the line.source
  • 1719In the Battle of Stäket, Crown Prince Frederick I of Sweden leads the successful defense of Stockholm from Russian Admiral Fyodor Apraksin's Baltic Fleet during the Russian Pillage.source
  • 1719The Russian unsuccessfully attacks Stockholm in the Battle of Stäket during the Russian Pillage of 1719–1721.source
  • 1724Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101, a chorale cantata on a famous tune.source
  • 1737Howel Harris and Daniel Rowland meet for the first time, at Defynnog.source
  • 1751The Academy and College of Philadelphia, predecessor to the private University of Pennsylvania, opens its doors, with Benjamin Franklin as president.source
  • 1762Seven Years' War: The Battle of Havana concludes after more than two months, with the surrender of Havana by Spain to Great Britain.source
  • 1762Seven Years' War: The Battle of Havana concludes after more than two months with the surrender of Havana to Britain by Spain.source
  • 1766A hurricane sweeps across the French island colony of Martinique, killing more than 400 people and destroying the plantation owned by Joseph-Gaspard de La Pagerie, the father of the future French Empress Joséphine.source
  • 1784Parliament of Great Britain passes Pitt's India Act (An Act for the better Regulation and Management of the Affairs of the East India Company and of the British Possessions in India). It requires the governor-general to be chosen from outside the Company and makes company directors subject to parliamentary supervision.source
  • 1814The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 is signed in London, returning most possessions of the Dutch Empire acquired by the United Kingdom since 1803 to the Netherlands, although Britain retains the Cape of Good Hope and the South American settlements of Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice (later consolidated as British Guiana). In addition, the British cede the island of Banca off the island of Sumatra, in exchange for the settlement of Cochin, India.source
  • 1816August 12–24 – The Treaty of St. Louis, between the United States and the Council of Three Fires tribes, is signed in St. Louis.source
  • 1816an earthquake in Inverness is the strongest ever in Scotland.source
  • 1816An earthquake in Aberdeen is the strongest ever in Scotland.source
  • 1822August 5–13 – A sequence of earthquakes occurs in the northern part of the Ottoman Empire, causing severe damage from Gaziantep to Antakya in modern Turkey and from Aleppo to Khan Sheikhun in modern Syria. At least 20,000 people are killed.source
  • 1830The Duc de Broglie is appointed Prime Minister of France by Louis Philippe.source
  • 1835Salaverry-Santa Cruz War – Battle of Yanacocha: A united Peru-Bolivian army commanded by Andrés de Santa Cruz defeats Agustín Gamarra at Yanacocha.source
  • 1836Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway authorised.source
  • 1836Last hanging for robbery, Lawrence Curtis at Shrewsbury.source
  • 1847John Russell Hind makes the first British discovery of an asteroid, from London, 7 Iris. On 18 October he discovers 8 Flora.source
  • 1849Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The main Hungarian army, under the lead of Arthur Görgey, capitulates to the Russian troops, led by Theodor von Rüdiger, at Világos. The official end of the Hungarian Revolution, although the fortress of Komárom continue to resist.source
  • 1857Eugene Goddard crosses the Menai Strait in his gas balloon Aurora from Caernarfon Castle to Llanidan.source
  • 1860José Ignacio Pavón (1791-1866) becomes unconstitutional interim President of Mexico, replacing Miguel Miramón. Two days later Miramón becomes president again.source
  • 1864The first fish and chips shop perhaps opens in London.source
  • 1868The 8.5–9.0 Mw Arica earthquake strikes southern Peru, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing 25,000+ deaths and a destructive basin-wide tsunami, that affects Hawaii and New Zealand.source
  • 1868A tsunami caused by the 1868 Arica earthquake in South America causes the only fatalities recorded from tsunamis in New Zealand, with about twenty people swept away in the Chatham Islands.source
  • 1876A performance of Wagner's Das Rheingold opens the first Ring cycle at the first Bayreuth Festival.source
  • 1883Coventry City F.C. are formed as "Singers F.C."source
  • 1886Nagasaki Incident: Chinese troops riot during shore leave in Nagasaki, Japan.source
  • 1886Alexandru Ciurcu demonstrates the first boat powered by a jet engine. It travelled for 15 minutes.source
  • 1887Hibernian F.C. of Scotland defeats Preston North End F.C. of England to win the 'Championship of the World', after the two teams win the Association football Cup competitions in their respective countries.source
  • 1888The Local Government Act, effective from 1889, establishes county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales, redraws some county boundaries, and gives women the vote in local elections. It also declares that "bicycles, tricycles, velocipedes, and other similar machines" be carriages within the meaning of the Highway Acts (which remains the case), and requires that they give audible warning when overtaking "any cart or carriage, or any horse, mule, or other beast of burden, or any foot passenger", a rule abolished in 1930.source
  • 1898Spanish–American War: Battle of Manila – By prior agreement, the Spanish commander surrenders the city of Manila in the Philippines to the United States, in order to keep it out of the hands of Filipino rebels, ending the war.source
  • 1899The battle for the Philippine city of Angeles begins. The U.S. captures the area, the future site of Clark Air Force Base, by August 16.source
  • 1903Tsar Nicolas II appointed Alexeyev as viceroy in charge of all civil and military authority over Russian possessions in the Far East, including Russian-occupied Manchuria, the Liaodong Peninsula, and Russia Amur Military District (present day Primorsky Krai).source
  • 1913Harry Brearley invents stainless steel in Sheffield.source
  • 1914The Teoloyucan Treaties are signed in the State of Mexico.source
  • 1917Rafael Moreno Valle, military physician, politician (PRI), Governor of Puebla (1969-1974) (died 2016).source
  • 1917Beginning of the 1917 general strike.source
  • 1920Irish War of Independence: The Restoration of Order in Ireland Act (passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom) receives Royal Assent, providing for Irish Republican Army activists to be tried by court-martial, rather than by jury in criminal courts.source
  • 1920August 13–25 – Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw – The Red Army is defeated.source
  • 1923The first major seagoing ship arrives at Gdynia, the newly constructed Polish seaport.source
  • 1923Gustav Stresemann is named Chancellor of Germany, and founds a coalition government for the Weimar Republic, where hyperinflation means that more than 4,600,000 marks are now needed to buy a single American dollar.source
  • 1923Grand opening of the Copacabana Palace hotel in Rio de Janeiro.source
  • 1924August 9–17 – the 2nd World Scout Jamboree is held in Ermelunden, Denmark.source
  • 1930The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin is established.source
  • 19301930 Curuçá River event: The area of Curuçá River near latitude 5° S and longitude 71.5° W experiences a meteoric air burst (also known as the Brazilian Tunguska event).source
  • 1937Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Shanghai opens.source
  • 193713 August – 26 November — Battle of Shanghaisource
  • 1937November 26 - Battle of Shanghaisource
  • 1940An RAAF Lockheed Hudson crashes near Canberra, killing three members of Cabinet and the Chief of the General Staff.source
  • 1942August 3–15 – WWII: Operation Pedestal – A British convoy of 14 merchant ships with a massive escort of two battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 7 cruisers, 32 destroyers and smaller ships commanded by Admiral Edward Neville Syfret, sets sail to Malta under relentless attacks by day and night from enemy submarines, aircraft and Axis surface forces. The 55,000 tons of food and fuel (particularly from oil tanker SS Ohio) delivered by this convoy saves Malta from surrender and allows Malta-based aircraft and submarines to resume their attacks against Rommel's supply lines, although over 500 British sea- and airmen are killed and many ships (including carrier HMS Eagle (1918)) are lost.source
  • 1948August 10–23 – The Herrenchiemsee convention prepares the draft for the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany.source
  • 1948Harry Dexter White and Donald Hiss refute allegations of Communism by Whittaker Chambers, before the HUAC.source
  • 19511951 Kurşunlu earthquakesource
  • 1952Japan joins the International Monetary Fund (IMF).source
  • 1953Four million workers go on strike in France to protest against austerity measures.source
  • 1961Berlin Crisis of 1961: Construction of the Berlin Wall begins, restricting movement between East Berlin and West Berlin, and forming a clear boundary between West Germany and East Germany, Western Europe and Eastern Europe (until 1989, when Berlin and Germany both reunified in 1990, following the Fall of the Berlin Wall). On August 22 Ida Siekmann jumps from a window in her tenement building trying to flee to the West, becoming the first of at least 138 deaths at the Wall.source
  • 1961The construction of Malacca State Legislative Assembly in Malacca City, Malacca.source
  • 1962First successful ascent of the Matterhorn's west face, by Renato Daguin and Giovanni Ottin.source
  • 1969Serious border clashes occur between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.source
  • 1973Aviaco Flight 118 crashes while attempting to land at Alvedro Airport.source
  • 1982In Hong Kong, health warnings on cigarette packets are made statutory.source
  • 1984The Oujda Treaty is signed, in Oujda, Morocco. It aims to establish the "Arab-African Union of States" between Libya and Morocco. Morocco will end up cancelling the treaty two years later, before any union is actually established.source
  • 19891989 Alice Springs hot air balloon crash: An accident near Alice Springs, Australia kills thirteen people.source
  • 1993More than 130 die in the collapse of Royal Plaza Hotel at Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand's worst hotel disaster.source
  • 1995Popular daily morning show host Jaime Garzón is shot and killed by two men on a motorcycle while on his way to work.source
  • 1996Data sent back by the Galileo space probe indicates there may be water on one of Jupiter's moons.source
  • 1996Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, an Indonesian journalist, was attacked at his house by two unidentified assailants. He died three days later.source
  • 1997Trey Parker and Matt Stone's animated television comedy series, South Park, started broadcasting with the first episode, Cartman Gets an Anal Probe, on Comedy Central.source
  • 2004August 7–13 – Typhoon Rananim causes widespread destruction as it strikes China.source
  • 2004August 13–29 – The 2004 Summer Olympics are held in Athens, Greece.source
  • 2004August 13 to 29: Angola at the 2004 Summer Olympicssource
  • 2008a Fokker F27-500 cargo aircraft operated by Fly540. crashed about 20 km from the Namber Konton airport near Mogadishu, Somalia. All three crew members died. The aircraft was carrying a shipment of miraa (khat). The plane had departed from Wilson Airport in Nairobi.source
  • 2013August 10 – 17 – Kazakhstan competed at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow, Russia. A team of 17 athletes represented the country in the event.source
  • 2018August 10–20 – Heavy rainfall causes severe floods in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the worst flood to hit the state in a century.source
  • 2019Samoan police confirmed they had foiled an assassination plot against Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.source
  • 2019The main yield curve for U.S. Treasury bonds inverts, as the yield rate for 2-year bonds rises higher than the yield rate for 10-year bonds.source
  • 2020Israel and the UAE agree to normalise relations, marking the third Israel–Arab peace deal.source
  • 2022August 9 – August 18: Guyana at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Gamessource
  • 2024The Supreme Court upholds a controversial provision of the 1938 Sedition and Subversive Activities Act.source
  • 20242024 Kolkata rape and murder: Thousands of doctors and students take part in protests and rallies against domestic violence in cities across the world after the rape and murder of a 31 year old post-graduate trainee doctor in Kolkata on 9 August.source
  • 2025August 7–17 – The 2025 World Games are held in Chengdu, China.source

Births

  • 985Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, Fatimid caliph (died 1021)source
  • 1207Malik ibn al-Murahhal, Moroccan poet (died 1299)source
  • 1311Alfonso XI, nicknamed "Alfonso the Avenger", King of Castile (died 1350)source
  • 1516Hieronymus Wolf, German historian (died 1580)source
  • 1584Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, English politician (died 1640)source
  • 1592William, Count of Nassau-Siegen, German count (died 1642)source
  • 1662Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician (died 1748)source
  • 1666William Wotton, English scholar (died 1727)source
  • 1700Heinrich, count von Brühl, German statesman (died 1763)source
  • 1710August 13 − Andrés Fernández Pacheco, 10th Duke of Escalona, grandee and academician (died 1746)source
  • 1752Queen Marie Caroline of Naples and Sicily (died 1814)source
  • 1762Théroigne de Méricourt, French revolutionary (died 1817)source
  • 1790William Wentworth, explorer and politician (died 1872)source
  • 1792Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, queen of William IV of the United Kingdom (died 1849)source
  • 1819Sir George Gabriel Stokes, Irish mathematician, physicist (died 1903)source
  • 1823Goldwin Smith, English historian (died 1910)source
  • 1827Francisco Gomes de Amorim, poet, dramatist, and novelist (died 1891).source
  • 1871Karl Liebknecht, German politician (died 1919)source
  • 1899Alfred Hitchcock, British-born American film director (died 1980)source
  • 1912Ben Hogan, American golfer (died 1997)source
  • 1926Fidel Castro, Cuban revolutionary and politician (died 2016)source
  • 1946Janet Yellen, American Chair of the Federal Reservesource
  • 1960Phil Taylor, English darts playersource
  • 1963Sridevi, Indian actress (died 2018)source
  • 1967Jeanine Áñez, President of Boliviasource

Deaths

  • 587Radegund, Frankish princesssource
  • 604Emperor Wen of Sui, emperor of the Sui dynasty (born 541)source
  • 604Emperor Wéndi dies, age 63, presumably assassinated by his son Yángdi, after a 23-year reign in which he has attacked hereditary privilege and reduced the power of the military aristocracy. He is succeeded by Yángdi, who becomes the second emperor of the Sui dynasty.source
  • 612Fabia Eudokia, Byzantine empress consortsource
  • 612Empress Eudokia, wife of Heraclius, dies of epilepsy. She leaves two children, and is buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.source
  • 662Maximus the Confessor, Byzantine monk and theologian, dies in exile in Lazica (modern Georgia), on the southeastern shore of the Black Sea.source
  • 662Maximus the Confessor, Byzantine theologiansource
  • 696Takechi, Japanese prince (born c. 654)source
  • 747Wigbert, Anglo-Saxon monksource
  • 900Zwentibold, king of Lotharingia, is killed in battle on the Meuse River, while fighting against his rebellious subjects; subsequently they recognize Louis IV as their rightful suzerain - Lotharingia is then converted from a kingdom to a duchy.source
  • 900Zwentibold, king of Lotharingia (born 870)source
  • 908Al-Muktafi, Abbasid caliphsource
  • 908Abbasid caliph al-Muktafi died and he was succeeded by his nominated heir, his younger brother Jafar (Al-Muqtadir).source
  • 981Gyeongjong, king of Goryeo (Korea) (born 955)source
  • 1090Constance of Normandy, duchess of Brittanysource
  • 1134Irene of Hungary, Byzantine empress (born 1088)source
  • 1173Nerses IV, Catholicos of Armenia (born 1102)source
  • 1297Gertrude of Aldenberg, German noblewoman (born 1227)source
  • 1311Pietro Gradenigo, Doge of the Republic of Venice since 1289, dies after a reign of 22 years. Marino Zorzi is elected by the Venetian nobles to replace Gradenigo as the republic's chief executive officer.source
  • 1311Pietro Gradenigo, Doge of Venicesource
  • 1382Eleanor of Aragon, queen of John I of Castile (born 1358)source
  • 1447Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan (born 1392)source
  • 1447The Milanese War of Succession begins in Italy when Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan since 1412, dies from natural causes. In that Visconti had no male heir, he had bequeathed the Duchy to King Afonso V, ruler of the Kingdom of Naples (in Italy) and the Crown of Aragon (in Spain), as well as his son-in-law Francesco I Sforza and Sigismund, Archduke of Austria.source
  • 1449Louis IV, Elector Palatine (born 1424)source
  • 1473Nicolò Marcello is elected as the new Doge of Venice following the July 28 death of Nicolo Tron.source
  • 1523Gerard David, Flemish artist (born c. 1455)source
  • 1598David Ferguson, reformersource
  • 1608Giambologna, Italian sculptor (born 1529)source
  • 1621John Berchmans, Belgian Jesuit scholastic and saint (born 1599)source
  • 1667Jeremy Taylor, Irish clergyman and writer (born 1613)source
  • 1742Karen Toller, estate owner and ship owner (born 1662).source
  • 1863Eugène Delacroix, French painter (born 1798)source
  • 1865Ignaz Semmelweis, Hungarian physician (born 1818)source
  • 1865Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg, second President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic. (born 1818)source
  • 1882William Stanley Jevons, English economist and logician (born 1835)source
  • 1900Vladimir Solovyov, Russian philosopher and poet (born 1853)source
  • 1910Florence Nightingale, British nurse (born 1820)source
  • 1912Jules Massenet, French composer (born 1842)source
  • 1946H. G. Wells, British science fiction writer, historian (The Time Machine) (born 1866)source
  • 1978Muhammad Siddiq Khan, librarian (born 1910)source
  • 2013Sonatane Tuʻa Taumoepeau-Tupou, 70, politician and diplomat, Foreign Minister (2004–2009).source