What Happened on April 13 in History?
Historical events on April 13 range from the birth of a U.S. President and the start of major wars to pioneering achievements in arts and space exploration.
Significant Historical Events
1598: Edict of Nantes – King Henry IV of France issued this decree, granting religious liberty to the Protestant Huguenots.
1861: Fort Sumter Surrenders – After 33 hours of bombardment, Union forces surrendered Fort Sumter to the Confederates, marking a significant early moment in the American Civil War.
1870: Founding of the Met – The Metropolitan Museum of Art was officially incorporated in New York City.
1919: Amritsar Massacre – British troops opened fire on a crowd of unarmed Indian demonstrators in Jallianwala Bagh, killing hundreds and fueling the Indian independence movement.
1943: Jefferson Memorial Dedicated – On the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1970: Apollo 13 Oxygen Tank Explosion – Two days after launch, an oxygen tank exploded on the Apollo 13 spacecraft, forcing the crew to abort their lunar landing and engage in a perilous but successful return to Earth.
1975: Lebanese Civil War Begins – A confrontation between Phalangist paramilitaries and PLO militia in Beirut, known as the Beirut bus massacre, marked the start of the 15-year civil war.
2017: "Mother of All Bombs" Dropped – The U.S. military dropped the GBU-43/B MOAB, the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat, on an Islamic State tunnel complex in Afghanistan.
2024: Iran Attacks Israel – Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel, the first direct military confrontation between the two nations.
Arts, Culture & Science
1742: Handel's Messiah Premiere – George Frideric Handel's famous oratorio Messiah received its world premiere in Dublin, Ireland.
1796: First Elephant in America – The first elephant ever seen in the United States arrived in New York from India.
1960: First Satellite Navigation System – The U.S. Navy successfully launched Transit 1B, the world’s first satellite-based navigation system.
1964: Sidney Poitier’s Historic Oscar – For his role in Lilies of the Field, Sidney Poitier became the first African American man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
1997: Tiger Woods Wins the Masters – At age 21, Tiger Woods became the youngest player and the first person of African American or Asian descent to win the Masters Tournament.
Notable Births
1743: Thomas Jefferson – The 3rd U.S. President and primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
1866: Butch Cassidy – Notorious American outlaw and leader of the "Wild Bunch" gang.
1899: Alfred Mosher Butts – American architect and the inventor of the board game Scrabble.
1906: Samuel Beckett – Nobel Prize-winning Irish playwright, known for Waiting for Godot.
1946: Al Green – Renowned American soul and gospel singer-songwriter.
1963: Garry Kasparov – Former World Chess Champion and grandmaster.
Daily Observances
Thomas Jefferson Day – A day to honor the birth and legacy of the third U.S. President.
National Scrabble Day – Celebrated on the birthday of the game's inventor, Alfred Mosher Butts.
