On This Day: 13 March

13 March in world history

• 2020Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality.
• 2013The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
• 2004The Filipino singer Rachelle Ann Go won the reality talent show Search for a Star, performing a cover of Mariah Carey's "Through the Rain" in the grand final.
• 2003An article in Nature identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints.
• 1992The Mw 6.6 Erzincan earthquake strikes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).
• 1989Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-29 carrying the TDRS-4 satellite.
• 1985One of England's worst incidents of football hooliganism occurred when supporters of Luton Town and Millwall rioted before a match at Kenilworth Road stadium.
• 1964Kitty Genovese was murdered in New York City, prompting research into the bystander effect due to the false story that neighbors witnessed the killing and did nothing to help her.
• 1957Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista.
• 1943The Holocaust: Nazi troops began the final liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto in German-occupied Poland, sending about 2,000 Jews to the Płaszów labor camp, with the remaining 5,000 either killed or sent to Auschwitz.
• 1940The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union officially ends after the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty.
• 1920The Kapp Putsch, an attempted coup aiming to undo the German Revolution of 1918–1919, briefly ousted the government of the Weimar Republic.
• 1888The eruption of Ritter Island triggers tsunamis that kill up to 3,000 people on nearby islands.
• 1845German composer Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto was premiered in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as the soloist.
• 1815Participants at the Congress of Vienna declare Napoleon an outlaw following his escape from Elba.
• 1811Napoleonic Wars: A British frigate squadron defeated a much larger squadron of French and Italian frigates and smaller vessels in the Battle of Lissa (depicted) in the Adriatic Sea.
• 1697Nojpetén, capital of the Itza Maya kingdom, fell to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.
• 1591At the Battle of Tondibi in Mali, Moroccan forces of the Saadi dynasty, led by Judar Pasha, defeat the Songhai Empire, despite being outnumbered by at least five to one.

Born on 13 March

• 1994Mohammed Siraj, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1984Geeta Basra, Indian actressIndia
• 1929Zbigniew Messner, Polish economist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (died 2014)
• 1904Clifford Roach, Trinidadian cricketer and footballer (died 1988)
• 1798Abigail Fillmore, American wife of Millard Fillmore, 14th First Lady of the United States (died 1853)
• 1719John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (died 1797)

Died on 13 March

• 1901Benjamin Harrison, American general and politician, 23rd President of the United States (born 1833)
• 1808Christian VII of Denmark (born 1749)
• 1800Nana Fadnavis, Indian minister and politician (born 1742)India
• 1573Michel de l'Hôpital, French politician (born 1507)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 13 March in history?

2020: Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality. 2013: The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. 2004: The Filipino singer Rachelle Ann Go won the reality talent show Search for a Star, performing a cover of Mariah Carey's "Through the Rain" in the grand final. 2003: An article in Nature identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints.

Which famous people were born on 13 March?

Mohammed Siraj, Indian cricketer (1994); Geeta Basra, Indian actress (1984); Zbigniew Messner, Polish economist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (died 2014) (1929); Clifford Roach, Trinidadian cricketer and footballer (died 1988) (1904).

Which day is observed on 13 March?

Kasuga Matsuri (Kasuga Grand Shrine, Nara, Japan); National Elephant Day (Thailand); Africa Scout Day.