October 13
Events
- AD 54 - Roman emperor Claudius dies from poisoning under mysterious circumstances.
- 409 - Vandals and Alans cross the Pyrenees and appear in Hispania.
- 1269 - The present church building at Westminster Abbey is consecrated.
- 1307 - Hundreds of Knights Templar in France are arrested at dawn by King Phillip the Fair, and later confess under torture to heresy.
- 1332 - Rinchinbal Khan becomes the Khagan of the Mongols and Emperor of the Yuan dynasty, reigning for only 53 days.
- 1399 - Coronation of Henry IV of England at Westminster Abbey.
- 1644 - A Swedish–Dutch fleet defeats the Danish fleet at Fehmarn and captures about 1,000 prisoners.
- 1710 - Port Royal, the capital of French Acadia, falls in a siege by British forces.
- 1775 - The Continental Congress establishes the Continental Navy.
- 1792 - In Washington, D.C., the cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion is laid.
- 1793 - French Revolutionary Wars: Austro-Prussian victory over Republican France at the First Battle of Wissembourg.
- 1812 - War of 1812: Sir Isaac Brock's British and native forces repel an invasion of Canada by General Rensselaer's United States forces.
- 1821 - The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire is publicly proclaimed.
- 1843 - In New York City, B'nai B'rith, the oldest Jewish service organization in the world, is founded.
- 1881 - First known conversation in modern Hebrew by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and friends.
- 1884 - The International Meridian Conference establishes the meridian of the Greenwich Observatory as the prime meridian.
- 1885 - The Georgia Institute of Technology is founded in Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1892 - Edward Emerson Barnard discovers first comet discovered by photographic means.
- 1903 - The Boston Red Sox win the first modern World Series, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth game.
- 1908 - Margaret Travers Symons bursts into the UK parliament and became the first woman to speak there.
- 1911 - Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, becomes the first Governor General of Canada of royal descent.
- 1915 - First World War: The Battle of the Hohenzollern Redoubt marks the end of the Battle of Loos.
- 1917 - The "Miracle of the Sun" is witnessed by an estimated 70,000 people in the Cova da Iria in Portugal.
- 1921 - Soviet republics sign the Treaty of Kars to formalize the borders between Turkey and the South Caucasus states.
- 1923 - Ankara becomes the capital of Turkey.
- 1943 - World War II: Marshal Pietro Badoglio announces that Italy has officially declared war on Germany.
- 1944 - World War II: The Soviet Riga Offensive captures the city.
- 1946 - France adopts the constitution of the Fourth Republic.
- 1962 - The Pacific Northwest experiences a cyclone the equal of a Cat 3 hurricane, with winds above 150 mph. 46 people die.
- 1972 - Aeroflot Flight 217 crashes outside Moscow, killing 174.
- 1972 - Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes mountains. 28 survive the crash. All but 16 succumb before rescue on December 23.
- 1976 - The first electron micrograph of an Ebola virus is taken at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Dr. F. A. Murphy.
- 1977 - Hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
- 1983 - Ameritech Mobile Communications launches the first US cellular network in Chicago.
- 1990 - Syrian forces attack free areas of Lebanon, removing General Michel Aoun from the presidential palace.
- 2010 - The mining accident in Copiapó, Chile ends as all 33 trapped miners arrive at the surface after a record 69 days underground.
- 2013 - A stampede occurs in India during the Hindu festival Navratri, killing 115 and injuring more than 110.
- 2016 - The Maldives announces its decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 2019 - Kenyan Brigid Kosgei sets a new world record for a woman runner with a time of 2:14:04 at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.
Births
- 467 - Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, emperor of Northern Wei
- 1162 - Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile
- 1381 - Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, English politician, Lord High Treasurer of England
- 1453 - Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, son and heir of Henry VI of England
- 1474 - Mariotto Albertinelli, Italian painter and educator
- 1499 - Claude of France
- 1563 - Francis Caracciolo, Italian Catholic priest
- 1566 - Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, Irish politician, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland
- 1613 - Luisa de Guzmán, Spanish-Portuguese wife of John IV of Portugal
- 1696 - John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, English courtier and politician, Lord Privy Seal
- 1703 - Andrea Belli, Maltese architect and businessman
- 1713 - Allan Ramsay, Scottish-English painter
- 1756 - James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, English admiral and politician, 36th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland
- 1768 - Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, French admiral and explorer
- 1820 - John William Dawson, Canadian geologist and academic
- 1821 - Rudolf Virchow, German physician, biologist, and politician
- 1825 - Charles Frederick Worth, English fashion designer, founded House of Worth
- 1844 - Ernest Myers, English poet and author
- 1853 - Lillie Langtry, English actress and singer
- 1862 - Mary Kingsley, English explorer and author
- 1870 - Albert Jay Nock, American theorist, author, and critic
- 1872 - Leon Leonwood Bean, American hunter, businessman, and author, founded L.L.Bean
- 1873 - Georgios Kafantaris, Greek politician and Prime Minister of Greece
- 1874 - József Klekl, Slovene-Hungarian priest and politician
- 1876 - Rube Waddell, American baseball player
- 1878 - Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian priest and author
- 1879 - Edward Hennig, American gymnast
- 1880 - Sasha Chorny, Russian poet and author
- 1887 - Jozef Tiso, Slovak priest and politician, President of Slovakia
- 1890 - Conrad Richter, American journalist and novelist
- 1891 - Irene Rich, American actress
- 1893 - Kurt Reidemeister, German mathematician connected to the Vienna Circle
- 1895 - Mike Gazella, American baseball player and manager
- 1899 - Piero Dusio, Italian footballer, businessman and race car driver
- 1900 - Gerald Marks, American composer
- 1902 - Arna Bontemps, American librarian, author, and poet
- 1902 - Karl Leichter, Estonian musicologist and academic
- 1904 - Wilfred Pickles, English actor and radio host
- 1905 - Yves Allégret, French director and screenwriter
- 1905 - Coloman Braun-Bogdan, Romanian footballer and manager
- 1909 - Herblock, American author and illustrator
- 1909 - Art Tatum, American jazz pianist
- 1911 - Ashok Kumar, Indian film actor
- 1911 - Millosh Gjergj Nikolla, Albanian poet and author
- 1912 - Cornel Wilde, Slovak-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1913 - Igor Torkar, Slovenian poet and playwright
- 1915 - Terry Frost, English painter and academic
- 1917 - George Osmond, American talent manager
- 1918 - Robert Walker, American actor
- 1919 - Jackie Ronne, American explorer
- 1920 - Laraine Day, American actress
- 1921 - Yves Montand, Italian-French actor and singer
- 1922 - Nathaniel Clifton, American athlete
- 1923 - John C. Champion, American screenwriter and producer
- 1923 - Rosemary Anne Sisson, English author and playwright
- 1923 - Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer
- 1924 - Terry Gibbs, American vibraphone player and bandleader
- 1924 - Moturu Udayam, Indian activist and politician
- 1924 - Roberto Eduardo Viola, Argentinian general and politician, 44th President of Argentina
- 1925 - Lenny Bruce, American comedian and actor
- 1925 - Armand Mouyal, Algerian-French fencer and police officer
- 1925 - Margaret Thatcher, English chemist and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1925 - Gustav Winckler, Danish singer-songwriter
- 1926 - Ray Brown, American bassist and cellist
- 1926 - Tommy Whittle, Scottish-English saxophonist
- 1926 - Killer Kowalski, American wrestler
- 1926 - Eddie Yost, American baseball player and coach
- 1927 - Lee Konitz, American saxophonist and composer
- 1927 - Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th President of Turkey
- 1929 - Richard Howard, American poet, critic, and translator
- 1929 - Walasse Ting, Chinese-American painter and poet
- 1930 - Bruce Geller, American screenwriter and producer
- 1931 - Raymond Kopa, French footballer
- 1931 - Eddie Mathews, American baseball player and manager
- 1932 - Johnny Lytle, American vibraphone player and drummer
- 1932 - Liliane Montevecchi, French-Italian actress, dancer and singer
- 1933 - Thomas Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
- 1933 - Raynald Fréchette, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician
- 1934 - Nana Mouskouri, Greek singer and politician
- 1935 - Etterlene DeBarge, American singer-songwriter
- 1935 - Bruce Morrow, American radio host and actor
- 1936 - Chitti Babu, Indian veena player and composer
- 1938 - Shirley Caesar, American gospel singer-songwriter
- 1938 - Hugo Young, English journalist and author
- 1939 - Larry Bowie, American football player
- 1939 - Melinda Dillon, American actress
- 1940 - Chris Farlowe, English rock, blues, and soul singer
- 1940 - Pharoah Sanders, American saxophonist and bandleader
- 1941 - Neil Aspinall, Welsh-English record producer and manager
- 1941 - Paul Simon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1941 - John Snow, English cricketer
- 1942 - Rutanya Alda, Latvian-American actress
- 1942 - Bob Bailey, American baseball player and manager
- 1942 - Jerry Jones, American businessman
- 1942 - Walter McGowan, Scottish boxer
- 1943 - Peter Sauber, Swiss businessman, founded the Sauber F1 Team
- 1944 - Robert Lamm, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1945 - Dési Bouterse, Surinamese general and politician, 9th President of Suriname
- 1946 - Levon Ananyan, Armenian journalist and author
- 1946 - Edwina Currie, English politician
- 1946 - Lacy J. Dalton, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 - Joe Dolce, American-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 - Sammy Hagar, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1948 - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani musician, Qawwal & World Music artist
- 1949 - Tom Mees, American sportscaster
- 1949 - Patrick Nève, Belgian race car driver
- 1950 - Mollie Katzen, American chef and author
- 1950 - Annegret Richter, German sprinter
- 1950 - Simon Nicol, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1951 - Stephen Bayley, Welsh journalist, author, and critic
- 1952 - Mundo Earwood, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 - John Simpson, English lexicographer and scholar
- 1953 - Pat Day, American jockey
- 1954 - George Frazier, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1954 - Claude Ribbe, French historian and academic
- 1955 - John Ferenzik, American keyboard player, guitarist, and composer
- 1956 - Chris Carter, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1956 - Don Paige, American runner
- 1956 - Joseph Toal, Scottish bishop
- 1956 - Sinan Sakić, Serbian singer
- 1957 - Reggie Theus, American basketball player and coach
- 1958 - Maria Cantwell, American lawyer and politician
- 1958 - Jair-Rôhm Parker Wells, American bassist and composer
- 1959 - Marie Osmond, American singer, actress, and television spokesperson
- 1960 - Joey Belladonna, American singer-songwriter
- 1960 - Tim Brewster, American football player and coach
- 1960 - Ari Fleischer, American journalist and politician, 24th White House Press Secretary
- 1960 - Eric Joyce, Scottish soldier and politician
- 1960 - Peter Keisler, American lawyer and politician, United States Attorney General
- 1961 - Rachel De Thame, English gardener and television presenter
- 1961 - Doc Rivers, American basketball player and coach
- 1962 - T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh, American actress and author
- 1962 - Kelly Preston, American actress
- 1962 - Jerry Rice, American football player and sportscaster
- 1963 - Colin Channer, Jamaican-American author and academic
- 1963 - Chip Foose, American engineer and television host
- 1964 - Fanie de Villiers, South African cricketer
- 1964 - Nie Haisheng, Chinese general, pilot, and astronaut
- 1964 - Christopher Judge, American actor and producer
- 1964 - Marco Travaglio, Italian journalist and author
- 1965 - Johan Museeuw, Belgian cyclist
- 1966 - Larry Collmus, American sportscaster
- 1966 - John Regis, English sprinter
- 1966 - Baja Mali Knindža, Serbian singer
- 1967 - Scott Cooper, American baseball player
- 1967 - Trevor Hoffman, American baseball player
- 1967 - Javier Sotomayor, Cuban high jumper
- 1967 - Steve Vickers, English footballer
- 1967 - Kate Walsh, American actress and producer
- 1968 - Tisha Campbell-Martin, American actress and singer
- 1969 - Nancy Kerrigan, American figure skater and actress
- 1969 - Cady McClain, American actress and singer
- 1970 - Serena Altschul, American journalist
- 1970 - Rob Howley, Welsh rugby player and coach
- 1970 - Paul Potts, English tenor
- 1971 - Sacha Baron Cohen, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1971 - Billy Bush, American television journalist and radio host
- 1971 - Pyrros Dimas, Albanian-Greek weightlifter and politician
- 1972 - Summer Sanders, American swimmer and sportscaster
- 1973 - Brian Dawkins, American football player and coach
- 1973 - Peter Dumbreck, Scottish race car driver
- 1973 - Matt Hughes, American wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1977 - Gareth Batty, English cricketer
- 1977 - Benjamin Clapp, American drummer
- 1977 - Antonio Di Natale, Italian footballer
- 1977 - Justin Peroff, Canadian drummer and actor
- 1977 - Paul Pierce, American basketball player
- 1978 - Jermaine O'Neal, American basketball player
- 1979 - Wes Brown, English footballer
- 1979 - Mamadou Niang, Senegalese footballer
- 1980 - Ashanti, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1980 - David Haye, English boxer
- 1980 - Magne Hoseth, Norwegian footballer
- 1980 - Scott Parker, English footballer
- 1981 - Ryan Ashford, English footballer
- 1981 - Taylor Buchholz, American baseball player
- 1982 - Antonio Pavanello, Italian rugby player
- 1982 - Ian Thorpe, Australian swimmer
- 1986 - Gabriel Agbonlahor, English footballer
- 1986 - Sergio Pérez Moya, Mexican footballer
- 1987 - Adrian Poparadu, Romanian footballer
- 1987 - Nikita Satalkin, Russian footballer
- 1987 - Tochinoshin Tsuyoshi, Georgian sumo wrestler
- 1988 - Scott Jamieson, Australian footballer
- 1988 - Enrique Pérez, Mexican footballer
- 1989 - Breno Borges, Brazilian footballer
- 1989 - Luke Kelly, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, member of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress
- 1989 - Clive Rose, Australian cricketer
- 1990 - Emma Flood, Norwegian tennis player
- 1990 - Andrej Rendla, Slovak footballer
- 1990 - Adrián Sardinero, Spanish footballer
- 1994 - Ryan Matterson, Australian rugby league player
- 1995 - Jimin, South Korean singer with BTS
- 2001 - Caleb McLaughlin, American actor
Deaths
- 54 - Claudius, Roman emperor
- 807 - Simpert, bishop of Augsburg
- 982 - Jing Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty
- 1093 - Robert I, count of Flanders
- 1100 - Guy I, count of Ponthieu
- 1195 - Gualdim Pais, Portuguese crusader
- 1240 - Razia Sultana, sultan of Delhi
- 1282 - Nichiren, Japanese Buddhist priest
- 1382 - Peter II, king of Cyprus
- 1415 - Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, English politician, Lord High Treasurer of England
- 1435 - Hermann II, count of Croatia
- 1562 - Claudin de Sermisy, French composer
- 1605 - Theodore Beza, French theologian and scholar
- 1673 - Christoffer Gabel, German-Danish accountant and politician
- 1687 - Geminiano Montanari, Italian astronomer and lens maker
- 1694 - Samuel von Pufendorf, German historian, economist, and jurist
- 1706 - Iyasu I, emperor of Ethiopia
- 1715 - Nicolas Malebranche, French priest and philosopher
- 1759 - John Henley, English clergyman and author
- 1788 - Robert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent, Irish poet and politician
- 1812 - Isaac Brock, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada
- 1815 - Joachim Murat, French general
- 1822 - Antonio Canova, Italian sculptor
- 1825 - Maximilian I Joseph, king of Bavaria
- 1841 - Patrick Campbell, Scottish admiral
- 1869 - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French poet, author, and critic
- 1882 - Arthur de Gobineau, French philosopher and author
- 1890 - Samuel Freeman Miller, American lawyer and jurist
- 1904 - Pavlos Melas, French-Greek captain
- 1905 - Henry Irving, English actor and manager
- 1909 - Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, Spanish philosopher and academic
- 1911 - Sister Nivedita, Irish-Indian social worker, author, and educator
- 1917 - Florence La Badie, American actress
- 1919 - Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Danish author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1926 - Hans E. Kinck, Norwegian philologist and author
- 1930 - T. Alexander Harrison, American painter and educator
- 1931 - Ernst Didring, Swedish author
- 1938 - E. C. Segar, American cartoonist, created Popeye
- 1945 - Milton S. Hershey, American businessman, founded The Hershey Company
- 1950 - Ernest Haycox, American soldier and author
- 1955 - Manuel Ávila Camacho, Mexican general and politician, 45th President of Mexico
- 1956 - Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı, Turkish poet and author
- 1961 - Prince Louis Rwagasore, Burundi politician, Prime Minister of Burundi
- 1966 - Clifton Webb, American actor and dancer
- 1968 - Bea Benaderet, American actress and voice artist
- 1973 - Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, Turkish ethnographer and author
- 1973 - Albert Mandler, Austrian-Israeli general
- 1974 - Otto Binder, American author
- 1974 - Anatoli Kozhemyakin, Soviet footballer
- 1974 - Ed Sullivan, American journalist and talk show host
- 1979 - Antonio Berni, Argentinian painter, illustrator, and engraver
- 1981 - Rebecca Clarke, English viola player and composer
- 1985 - Tage Danielsson, Swedish author, actor, and director
- 1987 - Walter Houser Brattain, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1987 - Kishore Kumar, Indian singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
- 1987 - Nilgün Marmara, Turkish poet and author
- 1990 - Hans Namuth, German-American photographer
- 1990 - Lê Đức Thọ, Vietnamese general and politician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1992 - James Marshall, American author and illustrator
- 1993 - Otmar Gutmann, Founder of The Pygos Group and creator of Pingu
- 1996 - Beryl Reid, English actress
- 1998 - Dmitry Nikolayevich Filippov, Russian businessman and politician
- 1999 - Michael Hartnett, Irish poet
- 2000 - Jean Peters, American actress
- 2001 - Peter Doyle, Australian singer-songwriter
- 2002 - Stephen Ambrose, American historian and author
- 2002 - Keene Curtis, American actor
- 2003 - Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 2004 - Enrique Fernando, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 13th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
- 2004 - Bernice Rubens, Welsh author
- 2005 - Vivian Malone Jones, American activist
- 2006 - Wang Guangmei, Chinese philanthropist and politician, 2nd Spouse of the President of the People's Republic of China
- 2007 - Bob Denard, French soldier and academic
- 2008 - Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player
- 2009 - Stephen Barnett, American scholar and academic
- 2010 - Vernon Biever, American photographer
- 2011 - Barbara Kent, Canadian-born American actress
- 2012 - Stuart Bell, English lawyer and politician
- 2012 - Gary Collins, American actor
- 2012 - Tomonobu Imamichi, Japanese philosopher and academic
- 2013 - Martin Drewes, German soldier and pilot
- 2013 - Joe Meriweather, American basketball player and coach
- 2013 - Tommy Whittle, Scottish-English saxophonist
- 2013 - Takashi Yanase, Japanese poet and illustrator, created Anpanman
- 2014 - John Bradfield, English biologist and businessman, founded Cambridge Science Park
- 2014 - Antonio Cafiero, Argentinian accountant and politician, Governor of Buenos Aires Province
- 2014 - Margaret Hillert, American author and poet
- 2014 - Mohammad Sarengat, Indonesian sprinter
- 2014 - Pontus Segerström, Swedish footballer
- 2015 - Rosalyn Baxandall, American historian, author, and academic
- 2015 - Bruce Hyde, American academic and actor
- 2015 - Michael J. H. Walsh, English general
- 2016 - Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand
- 2016 - Dario Fo, Italian playwright, actor, director, and composer Nobel Prize laureate
- 2016 - Jim Prentice, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Alberta
- 2017 - Albert Zafy, Malagasy politician
- 2018 - Annapurna Devi Indian surbahar player of Hindustani classical music
Holidays and observances
- Azerbaijani Railway Day
- Christian feast day:
- *Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar
- *Daniel and companions, of Ceuta
- *Edward the Confessor
- *Gerald of Aurillac
- *Blessed Maddalena Panattieri
- *Theophilus of Antioch
- *October 13
- Doi taikomatsuri October 13–15
- International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
- National Police Day
- Paramedics' Day
- Rwagasore Day
