On this day: August 13

Events on August 13

• 29 BC Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. Wikipedia
• 523 John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. Wikipedia
• 582 Maurice is crowned Emperor of the Byzantine Empire by the dying emperor Tiberius. Wikipedia
• 1516 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
• 1536 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. Wikipedia
• 1553 Michael Servetus is arrested by John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland as a heretic. Wikipedia
• 1704 War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim: English and Imperial forces are victorious over French and Bavarian troops. Wikipedia
• 1724 Bach led the Thomanerchor in Leipzig in the first performance of the chorale cantata, Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101. Wikipedia
• 1724 Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101, a chorale cantata on a famous tune. Wikipedia
• 1762 Anglo-Spanish War: The United Kingdom captured Havana after a five-week siege, holding it until the Treaty of Paris the following year. Wikipedia
• 1868 The 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 affected Hawaii and New Zealand. Wikipedia
• 1876 A performance of Das Rheingold (scene pictured) opened the first performance of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle at the inaugural Bayreuth Festival, attended by emperors and other composers. Wikipedia
• 1898 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. Wikipedia
• 1920 Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Warsaw begins and will last till August 25. The Red Army is defeated. Wikipedia
• 1940 World War II: The German Luftwaffe launched an air operation, codenamed Adlertag, to destroy the British Royal Air Force; its failure indefinitely postponed the German invasion of the United Kingdom. Wikipedia
• 1940 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. Wikipedia
• 1944 World War II: German troops begin the pillage and razing of Anogeia in Crete that would continue until September 5. Wikipedia
• 1954 Radio Pakistan broadcasts the "Qaumī Tarāna", the national anthem of Pakistan for the first time. Wikipedia
• 1960 The Central African Republic declares independence from France. Wikipedia
• 1961 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
• 1968 Alexandros Panagoulis attempts to assassinate the Greek dictator Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens. Wikipedia
• 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. Wikipedia
• 1978 One hundred fifty Palestinians in Beirut are killed in a terrorist attack during the second phase of the Lebanese Civil War. Wikipedia
• 2004 One hundred fifty-six Congolese Tutsi refugees are massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi. Wikipedia
• 2004 Merely 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie struck the U.S. state of Florida, Hurricane Charley inflicted further damage to the region (example pictured). Wikipedia
• 2015 At least 76 people are killed and 212 others are wounded in a truck bombing in Baghdad, Iraq. Wikipedia

Born on August 13

• 1311 Alfonso XI, king of Castile and León (died 1350) Wikipedia
• 1567 Samuel de Champlain, French explorer (died 1635) Wikipedia
• 1814 Anders Jonas Ångström, Swedish physicist and astronomer (died 1874) Wikipedia
• 1819 Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet, Anglo-Irish mathematician and physicist (died 1903) Wikipedia
• 1866 Giovanni Agnelli, Italian businessman, founded Fiat S.p.A. (died 1945) Wikipedia
• 1871 Karl Liebknecht, German politician, co-founded Communist Party of Germany (died 1919) Wikipedia
• 1872 Richard Willstätter, German-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate (died 1942) Wikipedia
• 1888 John Logie Baird, Scottish engineer, invented the television (died 1946) Wikipedia
• 1899 Alfred Hitchcock, English-American director and producer (died 1980) Wikipedia
• 1912 Salvador Luria, Italian-American microbiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1991) Wikipedia
• 1913 Makarios III, Greek archbishop and politician, 1st President of Cyprus (died 1977) Wikipedia
• 1918 Frederick Sanger, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2013) Wikipedia
• 1926 Fidel Castro, Cuban lawyer and politician, ex-President of Cuba (died 2016) Wikipedia
• 1946 Janet Yellen, American economist, 78th United States secretary of the treasury Wikipedia
• 1952 Eugenio Lopez III, Filipino businessperson, CEO and chairman of ABS-CBN Corporation Wikipedia
• 1958 Randy Shughart, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1993) Wikipedia
• 1963 Valerie Plame, American CIA agent and author Wikipedia
• 1963 Sridevi, Indian actress (died 2018) Wikipedia
• 1970 Alan Shearer, English footballer and manager Wikipedia
• 1982 Sebastian Stan, Romanian-American actor Wikipedia
• 1984 Niko Kranjčar, Croatian footballer Wikipedia
• 1992 Lucas Moura, Brazilian footballer Wikipedia

Died on August 13

• 604 Wen, emperor of the Sui Dynasty (born 541) Wikipedia
• 981 Gyeongjong, king of Goryeo (Korea) (born 955) Wikipedia
• 1311 Pietro Gradenigo, doge of Venice Wikipedia
• 1382 Eleanor of Aragon, queen of Castile (born 1358) Wikipedia
• 1826 René Laennec, French physician, invented the stethoscope (born 1781) Wikipedia
• 1863 Eugène Delacroix, French painter and lithographer (born 1798) Wikipedia
• 1865 Ignaz Semmelweis, Hungarian physician and obstetrician (born 1818) Wikipedia
• 1910 Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse and theologian (born 1820) Wikipedia
• 1912 Jules Massenet, French composer (born 1842) Wikipedia
• 1917 Eduard Buchner, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1860) Wikipedia
• 1946 H. G. Wells, English novelist, historian, and critic (born 1866) Wikipedia
• 1965 Hayato Ikeda, Japanese lawyer and politician, 58th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1899) Wikipedia
• 1984 Tigran Petrosian, Georgian-Armenian chess player (born 1929) Wikipedia
• 2004 Julia Child, American chef, author, and television host (born 1912) Wikipedia

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day: Benedetto Sinigardi Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Benildus Romançon Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Cassian of Imola Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Clara Maass (Lutheran Church) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Florence Nightingale, Octavia Hill (Lutheran Church) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Blessed Gertrude of Aldenberg Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Hippolytus of Rome Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Blessed Jakob Gapp Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Jeremy Taylor (Anglican Communion) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: John Berchmans Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Junian of Mairé Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Blessed Marco d'Aviano Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Maximus the Confessor Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Nerses Glaietsi (Catholic Church) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Pope Pontian Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Radegunde Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Wigbert Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: August 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Wikipedia
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Central African Republic from France in 1960. Wikipedia
• International Lefthanders Day (International) Wikipedia
• Women's Day, commemorates the enaction of Tunisian Code of Personal Status in 1956. (Tunisia) Wikipedia
• World Organ Donation Day Wikipedia

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article “August 13” and the articles it links to (authors and history), retrieved 2026-10-09 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; this selection is shared under the same licence. We picked the 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths with the widest coverage across Wikipedia's language editions (counted from Wikidata) and sorted them by year; the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures.