October 13th in History

USS Constellation

October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). There are 79 days remaining until the end of the year. (Illustration: Detail from “USS Constellation vs. Insurgente,” by Rear Admiral John W. Schmidt)

On This Day in History

  • King Philip IV orders the mass arrest of members of the Knights Templar, including leader Jacques de Molay (1307)
  • This day does not exist in Italy, Poland, Portugal, or Spain because of the introduction of the Gregorian calendar (1582)
  • Charles Messier discovers the Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51a) (1773)
  • The United States Navy (Continental Navy) is officially established (1775)
  • The cornerstone of the White House is laid (1792)
  • ני ברית (B’nai B’rith), the oldest Jewish service organization in the world, is founded (1843)
  • Greenwich, England, is established as the Zero Meridian (1884)
  • The Boston Braves complete the first World Series sweep in history (1914)
  • Paddington Bear makes his debut (1958)

Birthdays

  • Lillie Langtry, actress and royal mistress (1853)
  • Rube Waddell, baseball player (1876)
  • Conrad Richter, novelist (1890)
  • Herblock, editorial cartoonist (1909)
  • Art Tatum, pianist (1909)
  • Cornel Wilde, actor (1915)
  • Burr Tillstrom, puppeteer (1917)
  • Robert Walker, actor (1918)
  • Laraine Day, actress (1920)
  • Yves Montand, actor (1921)
  • Lenny Bruce, comedian (1925)
  • Margaret Thatcher, UK prime minister (1925)
  • Killer Kowalski, wrestler (1926)
  • Eddie Mathews, baseball player (1931)
  • Nάνα Μούσχουρη (Nana Mouskouri), singer (1934)
  • Pharaoh Sanders, saxophone player (1940)
  • Paul Simon, singer-songwriter (1941)
  • Pamela Tiffin, actress (1942)
  • Sammy Hagar, singer (1947)
  • نصرت فتح علی خان (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), ਕਵਾਲੀ (Qawwali) singer (1948)
  • Lacy J. Dalton, country singer (1946)
  • John Ford Coley, singer-songwriter (1948)
  • Beverly Johnson, supermodel (1952)
  • Marie Osmond, singer (1959)
  • Nancy Kerrigan, figure skater (1969)
  • Sacha Baron Cohen, comedian (1971)
  • Brian Dawkins, football player (1973)
  • Ashanti, singer-songwriter (1980)

Deaths

  • Claudius, emperor of Rome (54)
  • 日蓮 (Nichiren), Japanese Buddhist monk (1282)
  • E. C. Segar, Thimble Theater (Popeye) creator (1938)
  • Milton S. Hershey, chocolatier (1945)
  • Clifton Webb, actor (1966)
  • Bea Benaderet, actress and cartoon voice (1968)
  • Otto Binder, science fiction writer (1974)
  • Ed Sullivan, television host (1974)
  • Lê Đức Thọ, North Vietnamese revolutionary (1990)
  • Stephen Ambrose, historain (2002)
  • Al Martino, Godfather crooner (2009)
  • Gary Collins, actor and talk show host (2012)

Holidays

  • Floating of the Lamps (Thailand)
  • Fontanalia (ancient Rome)
  • Friendship Day (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)
  • International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction (International)
  • International Newspaper Carriers Day (US)
  • International Skeptics Day (October 13 or first Friday the 13th of the year, primarily US)
  • National Peanut Festival (US)
  • National Police Day (Thailand)
  • National Pumpkin Festival (US)
  • Rwagasore Day (Burundi)
  • Texas Constitution Day (Texas)
  • Translation Holiday of the Relics of St. Edward the Confessor (Christianity)
  • Yorkshire Pudding Day (UK)