On this day: May 13

Events on May 13

• 1725 Johann Sebastian Bach first performed the church cantata Sie werden euch in den Bann tun, BWV 183 in Leipzig, Germany. Wikipedia
• 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
• 1830 Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia. Wikipedia
• 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
• 1861 Pakistan's (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri. Wikipedia
• 1888 With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), the Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery. Wikipedia
• 1909 The inaugural edition of the Giro d'Italia, a long-distance multiple-stage bicycle race, began in Milan; the Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner. Wikipedia
• 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
• 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
• 1954 The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place. Wikipedia
• 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
• 1958 During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, the US Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators. Wikipedia
• 1969 Sino-Malay race riots began in Kuala Lumpur, leaving at least 190 people dead, with the government declaring a state of emergency and suspending the Parliament of Malaysia until 1971. Wikipedia
• 1969 In the aftermath of the 1969 Malaysian general election, Sino-Malay sectarian violence erupts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Wikipedia
• 1980 An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area. Wikipedia
• 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
• 1985 Police bomb MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents. Wikipedia
• 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
• 1995 Alison Hargreaves became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest without the aid of Sherpas or bottled oxygen. Wikipedia
• 1995 Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to ascend Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas. Wikipedia
• 1996 Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people. Wikipedia
• 1998 Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped. Wikipedia
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 2014 An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners. Wikipedia

Born on May 13

• 1221 Alexander Nevsky, Russian prince and saint (died 1263) Wikipedia
• 1717 Maria Theresa, Archduchess, Queen, and Empress; Austrian wife of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1780) Wikipedia
• 1730 Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English politician, Prime Minister of Great Britain (died 1782) Wikipedia
• 1792 Pope Pius IX (died 1878) Wikipedia
• 1822 Francis, Duke of Cádiz, King Consort of Queen Isabella II of Spain (died 1902) Wikipedia
• 1840 Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1897) Wikipedia
• 1857 Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1932) Wikipedia
• 1882 Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (died 1963) Wikipedia
• 1905 Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (died 1977) Wikipedia
• 1907 Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (died 1989) Wikipedia
• 1914 Joe Louis, American boxer (died 1981) Wikipedia
• 1938 Giuliano Amato, Italian academic and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Italy Wikipedia
• 1939 Harvey Keitel, American actor Wikipedia
• 1950 Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer Wikipedia
• 1961 Dennis Rodman, American basketball player, wrestler, and actor Wikipedia
• 1964 Stephen Colbert, American comedian and talk show host Wikipedia
• 1968 Scott Morrison, Australian politician, 30th Prime Minister of Australia Wikipedia
• 1983 Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer Wikipedia
• 1986 Robert Pattinson, English actor Wikipedia
• 1986 Alexander Rybak, Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, violinist, and actor Wikipedia
• 1993 Romelu Lukaku, Belgian footballer Wikipedia
• 1993 Debby Ryan, American actress and singer Wikipedia

Died on May 13

• 189 Emperor Ling of Han, Chinese emperor (born 156) Wikipedia
• 1832 Georges Cuvier, French zoologist and academic (born 1769) Wikipedia
• 1836 John Littlejohn, American sheriff and Methodist preacher (born 1756) Wikipedia
• 1878 Joseph Henry, American physicist and academic (born 1797) Wikipedia
• 1916 Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (born 1859) Wikipedia
• 1929 Arthur Scherbius, German electrical engineer, invented the Enigma machine (born 1878) Wikipedia
• 1930 Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian scientist, explorer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1861) Wikipedia
• 1938 Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1861) Wikipedia
• 1961 Gary Cooper, American actor (born 1901) Wikipedia
• 1988 Chet Baker, American singer and trumpet player (born 1929) Wikipedia
• 2019 Doris Day, American singer and actress (born 1922) Wikipedia
• 2022 Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 2nd President of the United Arab Emirates (born 1948) Wikipedia
• 2024 Alice Munro, Canadian short story writer (born 1931) Wikipedia
• 2025 José Mujica, Uruguayan politician, 40th President of Uruguay (born 1935) Wikipedia

Holidays and observances

• Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: André-Hubert Fournet Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Our Lady of Fátima Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Conchita Barrecheguren (Roman Catholic) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Gerard of Villamagna Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Glyceria Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: John the Silent (Roman Catholic) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Julian of Norwich (Roman Catholic) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Frances Perkins (Episcopal Church (USA)) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Servatius Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: May 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Wikipedia
• Rotuma Day (Rotuma) Wikipedia

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article “May 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.