# On this day: March 13

March 13 is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years), with 293 days left until the end of the year.

## March 13 in one line

Headline entries for March 13, from Wikipedia: in 1781, William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus from the garden of his house in Bath, England, initially considering it to be a comet; born 1900: Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971); died 1901: Benjamin Harrison, American general and politician, 23rd President of the United States (born 1833). In 2026 it is a Friday, in 2027 a Saturday.

## Events on March 13

- 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)
- 1567 A Spanish mercenary army surprised a band of rebels at the Battle of Oosterweel in the Habsburg Netherlands, beginning the Eighty Years' War. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Oosterweel)
- 1697 Nojpetén, capital of the Itza Maya kingdom, fell to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_conquest_of_Guatemala)
- 1741 War of Jenkins' Ear: The British began an assault against Spanish forts in the Caribbean in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cartagena_de_Indias)
- 1781 William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus from the garden of his house in Bath, England, initially considering it to be a comet. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus)
- 1811 Napoleonic Wars: A British frigate squadron defeated a much larger squadron of French and Italian frigates and smaller vessels in the Battle of Lissa in the Adriatic Sea. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lissa_(1811))
- 1845 German composer Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto was premiered in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as the soloist. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_(Mendelssohn))
- 1848 Klemens von Metternich was forced to resign as the foreign minister of Austria following student demonstrations in Vienna. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klemens_von_Metternich)
- 1848 The German revolutions of 1848–1849 begin in Vienna. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_revolutions_of_1848%E2%80%931849)
- 1888 The eruption of Ritter Island triggered tsunamis that killed 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/Orange_Free_State)
- 1920 The Kapp Putsch, an attempted coup aiming to undo the German Revolution of 1918–1919, briefly ousted the government of the Weimar Republic. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapp_Putsch)
- 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/Moscow_Peace_Treaty)
- 1943 The Holocaust: Nazi troops began the final liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto in German-occupied Poland, sending about 2,000 Jews to the Płaszów labor camp, with the remaining 5,000 either killed or sent to Auschwitz. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w_Ghetto)
- 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)
- 1964 Kitty Genovese was 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)
- 1985 One of England's worst incidents of football hooliganism occurred when supporters of Luton Town and Millwall rioted before a match at Kenilworth Road stadium. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Luton_riot)
- 1986 Claiming the right of innocent passage, the American warships Yorktown and Caron entered Soviet territorial waters in the Black Sea. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_Black_Sea_incident)
- 1988 The 53.85 km (33.46 mi) Seikan Tunnel opened between the cities of Hakodate and Aomori, Japan. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seikan_Tunnel)
- 1996 A mass shooting at a primary school occurred in Dunblane, Scotland, killing 16 children and a teacher and prompting tighter gun control in the United Kingdom. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_massacre)
- 2002 The Sutton Hoo visitor centre, featuring Rick Kirby's sculpture Sutton Hoo Helmet was unveiled by Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Hoo_Helmet_(sculpture))
- 2004 The Filipino singer Rachelle Ann Go won the reality talent show Search for a Star, performing a cover of Mariah Carey's "Through the Rain" in the grand final. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachelle_Ann_Go)
- 2013 Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis, making him the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the first from the Southern Hemisphere. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis)
- 2016 The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_2016_Ankara_bombing)
- 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)

## Born on March 13

- 1593 Georges de La Tour, French painter (probable; (died 1652) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_de_La_Tour)
- 1615 Innocent XII, pope of the Catholic Church (died 1700) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Innocent_XII)
- 1741 Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1790) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1764 Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1845) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Grey%2C_2nd_Earl_Grey)
- 1781 Karl Friedrich Schinkel, German painter and architect, designed the Konzerthaus Berlin (died 1841) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Friedrich_Schinkel)
- 1855 Percival Lowell, American astronomer and mathematician (died 1916) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percival_Lowell)
- 1860 Hugo Wolf, Slovene-Austrian composer (died 1903) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Wolf)
- 1897 Yeghishe Charents, Armenian poet and activist (died 1937) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeghishe_Charents)
- 1899 John Hasbrouck Van Vleck, American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1980) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hasbrouck_Van_Vleck)
- 1900 Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgos_Seferis)
- 1911 L. Ron Hubbard, American author, founder of Scientology (died 1986) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard)
- 1913 Sergey Mikhalkov, Russian author and playwright (died 2009) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Mikhalkov)
- 1942 Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet and author (died 2008) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Darwish)
- 1942 Scatman John, American singer-songwriter (died 1999) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scatman_John)
- 1950 William H. Macy, American actor, director, and screenwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Macy)
- 1956 Dana Delany, American actress and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Delany)
- 1967 Andrés Escobar, Colombian footballer (died 1994) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Escobar)
- 1973 Edgar Davids, Surinamese-Dutch footballer and manager [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Davids)
- 1989 Holger Badstuber, German footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holger_Badstuber)
- 1989 Marko Marin, German footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marko_Marin)
- 1995 Mikaela Shiffrin, American skier [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikaela_Shiffrin)
- 2004 Coco Gauff, American tennis player [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Gauff)

## Died on March 13

- 1711 Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, French poet and critic (born 1636) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Boileau-Despr%C3%A9aux)
- 1808 Christian VII of Denmark (born 1749) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VII)
- 1879 Adolf Anderssen, German mathematician and chess player (born 1818) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Anderssen)
- 1881 Alexander II of Russia (born 1818) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_II_of_Russia)
- 1901 Benjamin Harrison, American general and politician, 23rd President of the United States (born 1833) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Harrison)
- 1906 Susan B. Anthony, American activist (born 1820) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony)
- 1938 Clarence Darrow, American lawyer and author (born 1857) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Darrow)
- 1975 Ivo Andrić, Yugoslav novelist, poet, and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1892) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivo_Andri%C4%87)
- 1996 Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1941) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krzysztof_Kie%C5%9Blowski)
- 2002 Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher and scholar (born 1900) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Georg_Gadamer)
- 2006 Maureen Stapleton, American actress (born 1925) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_Stapleton)
- 2016 Hilary Putnam, American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist (born 1926) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Putnam)
- 2022 William Hurt, American actor (born 1950) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hurt)
- 2025 Sofia Gubaidulina, Russian-German pianist and composer (born 1931) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Gubaidulina)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast days: Ansovinus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansovinus)
- Christian feast days: Christina of Persia [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_of_Persia)
- Christian feast days: Gerald of Mayo [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_of_Mayo)
- Christian feast days: James Theodore Holly (Episcopal Church (USA)) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Theodore_Holly)
- Christian feast days: Nicephorus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikephoros_I_of_Constantinople)
- Christian feast days: Roderick [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Roderick)
- Christian feast days: March 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_13_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Kasuga Matsuri (Kasuga Grand Shrine, Nara, Japan) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasuga-taisha)
- National Elephant Day (Thailand) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Elephant_Day_(Thailand))
- Africa Scout Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouts'_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “March 13”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_13) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/March 13”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/March_13) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“March 13”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_13) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_13?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for March 13 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## March 13 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Friday | 2026-W11 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2027 | Saturday | 2027-W10 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2028 | Monday | 2028-W11 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2029 | Tuesday | 2029-W11 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2030 | Wednesday | 2030-W11 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on March 13

None of the 28 countries we track has a public holiday on March 13 in 2026 or 2027.

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← March 12](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-12/) · [March 14 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-14/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-13/