May 13 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2011

A British tourist was banned from an all-you-can-eat restaurant for eating too much

George Dalmon, a 26-year-old rugby player, was asked not to return to a Brighton restaurant after eating more than 100 plates of food at the buffet. T...

1998

India conducted two underground nuclear tests, surprising the world and prompting Pakistan to follow suit

Major

The tests, code-named 'Operation Shakti,' involved five nuclear devices detonated in the Pokhran desert. The international community was caught comple...

1985

A Philadelphia police helicopter dropped a bomb on the MOVE organization's headquarters, killing 11 people and destroying 65 houses

Major

In one of the most controversial law enforcement actions in U.S. history, police dropped military-grade explosives on a residential neighborhood. The...

1981

Pope John Paul II was shot four times in St. Peter's Square by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca

Major

The assassination attempt occurred during a general audience, with bullets hitting the Pope's abdomen and left hand. John Paul II survived the attack...

1968

Nearly a million French workers went on strike and students occupied university buildings in the May 1968 protests

Major

What started as student protests against capitalism and consumerism exploded into a general strike that nearly toppled Charles de Gaulle's government....

1965

A cat named Blinky became the only animal to survive being mailed across New Zealand in a stamped package

The adventurous feline somehow crawled into a parcel being sent from Auckland to Hastings. After a six-day journey through the postal system without f...

1958

The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 3, which was originally supposed to be the first satellite in space

This massive 2,926-pound satellite was the USSR's third successful orbital launch, but it was actually meant to be their first. Technical delays pushe...

1950

The first ever Formula One World Championship race took place at Silverstone, England

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended the historic British Grand Prix, which attracted 200,000 spectators. Italian driver Giuseppe Farina won th...

1940

Winston Churchill gave his first speech as Prime Minister to the House of Commons, declaring 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat'

Major

Just three days after becoming Prime Minister, Churchill delivered one of the most famous speeches in British history. The phrase became a rallying cr...

1917

Three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal reported seeing an apparition of the Virgin Mary

Major

The first of six reported Marian apparitions occurred, witnessed by Lúcia Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The events at Fátima bec...

1888

Brazil abolished slavery, becoming the last country in the Western Hemisphere to do so

Major

Princess Isabel signed the Lei Áurea (Golden Law) while acting as regent, freeing approximately 700,000 enslaved people without any compensation to sl...

1846

The United States declared war on Mexico after American troops were attacked in disputed territory

Major

President Polk had sent troops into land claimed by both countries between the Nueces River and Rio Grande. When Mexican forces engaged them, Polk dec...

1607

English colonists arrived at Jamestown Island, establishing the first permanent English settlement in North America

Major

After a four-month voyage from England, 104 colonists landed in Virginia and chose a marshy peninsula for their settlement. Despite its terrible locat...