May 13 Historical Events
The following events took place on May 13. The list is arranged in chronological order.
Found 66 events. Showing 1 - 30.
- 1373Julian of Norwich has visions which are later transcribed in her Revelations of Divine Love.
- 1515Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk are officially married at Greenwich.
- 1568Battle of Langside: The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother.
- 1619Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.
- 1648Construction of the Red Fort at Delhi is completed.
- 1779War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from it (the Innviertel).
- 1780The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in early Tennessee.
- 1787Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England, with eleven ships full of convicts (the “First Fleet”) to establish a penal colony in Australia.
- 1804Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city.
- 1830Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.
- 1846Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on Mexico.
- 1848First performance of Finland’s national anthem.
- 1861American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a “proclamation of neutrality” which recognizes the breakaway states as having belligerent rights.
- 1861The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
- 1861Pakistan’s (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.
- 1862The USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, steals through Confederate lines and is passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship.
- 1864American Civil War: Battle of Resaca: The battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta.
- 1865American Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch: In far south Texas, more than a month after Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, the last land battle of the Civil War ends with a Confederate victory.
- 1880In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway.
- 1888With the passage of the Lei Áurea (“Golden Law”), Brazil abolishes slavery.
- 1909The first Giro d'Italia starts from Milan. Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna will be the winner.
- 1912The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.
- 1917Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
- 1923Robert Bellarmine, a Doctor of the Catholic Church, is beatified.
- 1939The first commercial FM radio station in the United States is launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The station later becomes WDRC-FM.
- 1940World 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.
- 1940Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands flees her country to Great Britain after the German invasion. Princess Juliana takes her children to Canada for their safety.
- 1941World War II: Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting with German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance.
- 1943World War II: German Afrika Korps and Italian troops in North Africa surrender to Allied forces.
- 1948Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre is committed by Arab irregulars, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel on May 14.
What no one tells you about your first name’s personality. Are there magical powers hidden in your given name? Every moniker has an undeniable character and personality. Check out Mark’s personality and get smart about names today. (Sponsored links)