On This Day: 13 November

13 November in world history

• 2022A mass stabbing occurs in Moscow, Idaho in which four University of Idaho students are killed in off-campus housing.
• 2015Islamic State operatives carry out a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris, including suicide bombings, mass shootings and a hostage crisis. The terrorists kill 130 people, making it the deadliest attack in France since the Second World War.
• 2012A total solar eclipse occurs in parts of Australia and the South Pacific.
• 2000Philippine House Speaker Manny Villar passes the articles of impeachment against Philippine President Joseph Estrada.
• 1985The volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupted, causing a volcanic mudslide that buried the town of Armero, Colombia, killing approximately 23,000 people.
• 1974Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed six members of his family in Amityville, New York, events that later inspired the book The Amityville Horror and a subsequent media franchise.
• 1970Bhola cyclone: A 240 km/h (150 mph) tropical cyclone hits the densely populated Ganges Delta region of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), killing an estimated 500,000 people in one night.
• 1969Vietnam War: Anti-war protesters in Washington, D.C. stage a symbolic March Against Death.
• 1966Arab–Israeli conflict: In response to a Fatah landmine incident, the Israeli military conducted a large cross-border assault on the Jordanian-controlled West Bank village of Samu.
• 1956The Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a lower court ruling that invalidated Alabama laws requiring segregated buses, thus ending the Montgomery bus boycott.
• 1947The Soviet Union completes development of the AK-47, one of the first proper assault rifles.
• 1940Walt Disney's Fantasia, the first commercial film shown with stereophonic sound, premiered at the Broadway Theatre in New York City.
• 1927The Holland Tunnel opened, connecting Manhattan with Jersey City under the Hudson River.
• 1922The United States Supreme Court upholds mandatory vaccinations for public school students in Zucht v. King.
• 1916World War I: Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes is expelled from the Labor Party over his support for conscription.
• 1914Zaian War: Zaian Berber tribesmen routed French forces at the Battle of El Herri in Morocco.
• 1775American Revolutionary War: American forces captured Montreal without significant opposition as part of the Invasion of Quebec.
• 1642First English Civil War: Royalist forces engaged the much larger Parliamentarian army at the Battle of Turnham Green near Turnham Green, Middlesex.

Born on 13 November

• 1967Juhi Chawla, Indian actress, singer, and producer, Miss India 1984India
• 1929Fred Phelps, American lawyer, pastor, and activist, founded the Westboro Baptist Church (died 2014)
• 1924Motoo Kimura, Japanese biologist and geneticist (died 1994)
• 1917Vasantdada Patil, Indian farmer and politician, 9th Governor of Rajasthan (died 1989)India
• 1913Lon Nol, Cambodian general and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Cambodia (died 1985)
• 1847Mir Mosharraf Hossain, famous novelist of Bengali literature (died 1912)India

Died on 13 November

• 2025Juan Ponce Enrile, Filipino politician and lawyer (born 1924)
• 1994Motoo Kimura, Japanese biologist and geneticist (born 1924)
• 1969Iskander Mirza, Indian-Pakistani general and politician, 1st President of Pakistan (born 1899)India
• 1963Margaret Murray, Indian-English anthropologist and author (born 1863)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 13 November in history?

2022: A mass stabbing occurs in Moscow, Idaho in which four University of Idaho students are killed in off-campus housing. 2015: Islamic State operatives carry out a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris, including suicide bombings, mass shootings and a hostage crisis. The terrorists kill 130 people, making it the deadliest attack in France since the Second World War. 2012: A total solar eclipse occurs in parts of Australia and the South Pacific. 2000: Philippine House Speaker Manny Villar passes the articles of impeachment against Philippine President Joseph Estrada.

Which famous people were born on 13 November?

Juhi Chawla, Indian actress, singer, and producer, Miss India 1984 (1967); Fred Phelps, American lawyer, pastor, and activist, founded the Westboro Baptist Church (died 2014) (1929); Motoo Kimura, Japanese biologist and geneticist (died 1994) (1924); Vasantdada Patil, Indian farmer and politician, 9th Governor of Rajasthan (died 1989) (1917).

Which day is observed on 13 November?

Sadie Hawkins Day (United States); World Kindness Day.