October 13 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Today

Historical Events

2016

Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first musician to win the award

The Swedish Academy honored Dylan 'for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,' sparking immediate controversy...

2010

The 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days began emerging from the San José Mine in a dramatic rescue

Major

After being trapped 2,300 feet below ground, the miners were pulled to the surface one by one in a specially-designed capsule called 'Phoenix.' The re...

1999

The United States Senate rejected the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, refusing to ratify the nuclear testing ban

In a significant Cold War-era moment, senators voted 51-48 against the treaty that would have banned all nuclear weapons testing. The rejection embarr...

1988

The ceremonial Olympic flame was accidentally extinguished by a rain shower during the Seoul Olympics

In an embarrassing moment during the Games, heavy rain put out the Olympic cauldron at Seoul's main stadium. A stadium worker used a cigarette lighter...

1962

The comedy film 'Lawrence of Arabia' had its world premiere in London

David Lean's epic biographical drama about T.E. Lawrence premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square with a runtime of 222 minutes. The film would go on t...

1947

Captain Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier for the first time in human history

Major

Flying the experimental Bell X-1 rocket plane over California's Mojave Desert, Yeager reached Mach 1.07 (700 mph) at 45,000 feet. Remarkably, he did t...

1943

Italy declared war on Nazi Germany, switching sides in World War II

Major

Just weeks after overthrowing Mussolini and signing an armistice with the Allies, Italy officially joined the war against its former Axis partner. Thi...

1923

Ankara replaced Istanbul as the capital of Turkey

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk moved the capital from the historic city of Istanbul to the more centrally-located Ankara as part of his modernization reforms....

1903

The Boston Red Sox won the first modern World Series, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates

This best-of-nine series marked the beginning of championship play between the American and National Leagues. Boston won five games to three, and it w...

1884

The International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. established Greenwich, England as the prime meridian of the world

Major

Representatives from 25 nations voted to make Greenwich the zero point for longitude, standardizing timekeeping globally. France abstained from voting...

1843

The B'nai B'rith, the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world, was founded in New York City

Twelve German-Jewish immigrants gathered in a lower Manhattan café to establish what would become a major international organization. Originally forme...

1792

The cornerstone of the White House was laid in Washington, D.C.

Major

President George Washington presided over the ceremony marking the beginning of construction on what would become the executive mansion. The building...

1307

King Philip IV of France ordered the mass arrest of Knights Templar on charges of heresy, creating the Friday the 13th superstition

Major

On Friday, October 13, French authorities simultaneously arrested hundreds of Templars across the country in a coordinated dawn raid. The knights were...

Fun Facts from October 13