On This Day: 13 September

13 September in Indian history

• 2008Five bomb blasts took place in Delhi, India, killing at least 20 people as part of a series of attacks perpetrated by the Indian Mujahideen.India
• 1948Deputy Prime Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel orders the Army to move into Hyderabad to integrate it with the Indian Union.India
• 1759French and Indian War: British forces won the Battle of the Plains of Abraham near Quebec City, despite General James Wolfe being mortally wounded.India

13 September in world history

• 2013Taliban insurgents attack the United States consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, with two members of the Afghan National Police reported dead and about 20 civilians injured.
• 2007The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
• 1997A German Air Force Tupolev Tu-154 and a United States Air Force Lockheed C-141 Starlifter collide in mid-air near Namibia, killing 33.
• 1988Hurricane Gilbert reached a minimum pressure of 888 mb (26.22 inHg) with sustained flight-level winds of 185 mph (295 km/h), making it the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record at the time.
• 1987Goiânia accident: A radioactive object is stolen from an abandoned hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, contaminating many people in the following weeks and causing some to die from radiation poisoning.
• 1985Super Mario Bros., one of the most influential and best-selling video games in history, was first released in Japan for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
• 1971Chairman Mao Zedong's second in command and successor Marshal Lin Biao flees China after the failure of an alleged coup. His plane crashes in Mongolia, killing all aboard.
• 1968Cold War: Albania leaves the Warsaw Pact.
• 1964South Vietnamese generals Lâm Văn Phát and Dương Văn Đức staged a coup attempt after being demoted by junta leader Nguyễn Khánh.
• 1862American Civil War: Union soldiers find a copy of Robert E. Lee's battle plans in a field outside Frederick, Maryland. It is the prelude to the Battle of Antietam.
• 1847Mexican–American War: Six teenage military cadets known as Niños Héroes die defending Chapultepec Castle in the Battle of Chapultepec. American troops under General Winfield Scott capture Mexico City in the Mexican–American War.
• 1814War of 1812: Fort McHenry in Baltimore's Inner Harbor was attacked by British forces during the Battle of Baltimore, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write "Defence of Fort McHenry", later used as the lyrics to the United States national anthem.
• 1782American Revolutionary War: Franco-Spanish troops launch the unsuccessful "grand assault" during the Great Siege of Gibraltar.
• 1541After three years of exile, French theologian John Calvin returned to Geneva to reform the church under a system of Christian theology later known as Calvinism.
• 533The Byzantines under Belisarius defeated the Vandal King Gelimer at the Battle of Ad Decimum near Carthage, and began the "Reconquest of the West" under Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.

Born on 13 September

• 1980Viren Rasquinha, Indian field hockey playerIndia
• 1965Annie Duke, American poker player and author
• 1937Don Bluth, American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Sullivan Bluth Studios and Fox Animation Studios
• 1936Stefano Delle Chiaie, Italian activist, founded National Vanguard (died 2019)
• 1933Eileen Fulton, American actress (died 2025)
• 1865William Birdwood, Indian-English field marshal (died 1951)India

Died on 13 September

• 2012Ranganath Misra, Indian lawyer and jurist, 21st Chief Justice of India (born 1926)India
• 1929Jatindra Nath Das, Indian activist (born 1904)India
• 1557John Cheke, English scholar and politician, Secretary of State for England (born 1514)
• 531Kavad I, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran (born 473)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 13 September in history?

2013: Taliban insurgents attack the United States consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, with two members of the Afghan National Police reported dead and about 20 civilians injured. 2008: Five bomb blasts took place in Delhi, India, killing at least 20 people as part of a series of attacks perpetrated by the Indian Mujahideen. 2007: The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. 1997: A German Air Force Tupolev Tu-154 and a United States Air Force Lockheed C-141 Starlifter collide in mid-air near Namibia, killing 33.

What happened on 13 September in Indian history?

2008: Five bomb blasts took place in Delhi, India, killing at least 20 people as part of a series of attacks perpetrated by the Indian Mujahideen. 1948: Deputy Prime Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel orders the Army to move into Hyderabad to integrate it with the Indian Union. 1759: French and Indian War: British forces won the Battle of the Plains of Abraham near Quebec City, despite General James Wolfe being mortally wounded.

Which famous people were born on 13 September?

Viren Rasquinha, Indian field hockey player (1980); Annie Duke, American poker player and author (1965); Don Bluth, American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Sullivan Bluth Studios and Fox Animation Studios (1937); Stefano Delle Chiaie, Italian activist, founded National Vanguard (died 2019) (1936).

Which day is observed on 13 September?

Day of the Programmer, during a non-leap year. (Russia); Día de los Niños Héroes (Mexico); Engineer's Day (Mauritius); Roald Dahl Day (Africa, United Kingdom, Latin America).