On This Day: 13 May

13 May in Indian history

• 2008Nine bombs placed by the Indian Mujahideen, then an unknown terrorist group, exploded in a 15-minute period in Jaipur, India, killing 80 people and injuring more than 200 others.India
• 1998India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.India
• 1967Zakir Husain took office as the first elected Muslim President of India.India
• 1952The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.India

13 May in world history

• 2017Eurovision Song Contest: Portugal won the contest for the first time, with the song "Amar pelos dois," performed by Salvador Sobral.
• 2012Mexican authorities discovered 49 dismembered bodies in Cadereyta Jiménez.
• 1996Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.
• 1990The Dinamo–Red Star riot takes place at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia, between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of Dinamo Zagreb) and the Delije (fans of Red Star Belgrade).
• 1985Police bomb MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
• 1981Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives.
• 1980An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
• 1972The Troubles: A car bomb planted by Ulster loyalists exploded outside a crowded pub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, beginning two days of gun battles between the British Army, the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and the Ulster Volunteer Force.
• 1969In the aftermath of the 1969 Malaysian general election, Sino-Malay sectarian violence erupts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• 1958May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria.
• 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.
• 1913The Russian inventor Igor Sikorsky flew the self-designed Russky Vityaz, the world's first four-engine fixed-wing aircraft.
• 1909The inaugural edition of the Giro d'Italia, a long-distance multiple-stage bicycle race, began in Milan; the Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner.
• 1725Johann Sebastian Bach first performed the church cantata Sie werden euch in den Bann tun, BWV 183 in Leipzig, Germany.

Born on 13 May

• 1989P. K. Subban, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1967Melanie Thornton, American-German singer (died 2001)
• 1931Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (died 1978)
• 1905Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (died 1977)India
• 1857Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1932)India
• 1833Major-General Sir Francis Edward Archibald Chamier, CB, CIE, IMM** British-Indian officer during the British Raj (died 1923)India

Died on 13 May

• 2025José Mujica, Uruguayan politician, 40th President of Uruguay (born 1935)
• 2013Jagdish Mali, Indian photographer (born 1954)India
• 1947Sukanta Bhattacharya, Indian poet and playwright (born 1926)India
• 1903Apolinario Mabini, Filipino lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Philippines (born 1864)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 13 May in history?

2017: Eurovision Song Contest: Portugal won the contest for the first time, with the song "Amar pelos dois," performed by Salvador Sobral. 2012: Mexican authorities discovered 49 dismembered bodies in Cadereyta Jiménez. 2008: Nine bombs placed by the Indian Mujahideen, then an unknown terrorist group, exploded in a 15-minute period in Jaipur, India, killing 80 people and injuring more than 200 others. 1998: India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.

What happened on 13 May in Indian history?

2008: Nine bombs placed by the Indian Mujahideen, then an unknown terrorist group, exploded in a 15-minute period in Jaipur, India, killing 80 people and injuring more than 200 others. 1998: India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India. 1967: Zakir Husain took office as the first elected Muslim President of India.

Which famous people were born on 13 May?

P. K. Subban, Canadian ice hockey player (1989); Melanie Thornton, American-German singer (died 2001) (1967); Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (died 1978) (1931); Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (died 1977) (1905).

Which day is observed on 13 May?

Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England); Rotuma Day (Rotuma).