On This Day — 13 February

2021

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is acquitted in his second impeachment trial.

Donald Trump

2021

A major winter storm causes blackouts and kills at least 82 people in Texas and northern Mexico.

February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm

2017

Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, is assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Kim Jong-nam

2012

The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

European Space Agency

2011

For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

2010

A bomb explodes in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India, killing 17 and injuring 60 more.

2010 Pune bombing

2008

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations.

Kevin Rudd

2007

Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted on charges of embezzlement during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election.

Taiwan

2004

The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

2001

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits El Salvador, killing at least 315.

Seismic magnitude scales

1996

The Nepalese Civil War is initiated in the Kingdom of Nepal by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre).

Nepalese Civil War

1991

Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed.

Gulf War

1984

Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Konstantin Chernenko

1983

A cinema fire in Turin, Italy, kills 64 people.

Cinema Statuto fire

1981

A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky.

Louisville sewer explosions

1979

An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.

February 13, 1979, windstorm

1978

Hilton bombing: A bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman.

Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing

1975

Fire at One World Trade Center (North Tower) of the World Trade Center in New York.

World Trade Center (1973–2001)

1967

American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain.

Codex Madrid (Leonardo)

1961

An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug.

Coso artifact

1960

With the success of a nuclear test codenamed "Gerboise Bleue", France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons testing

1960

Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville sit-ins

1955

Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls.

Israel

1955

Twenty-nine people are killed when Sabena Flight 503 crashes into Monte Terminillo near Rieti, Italy.

Sabena Flight 503

1954

Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game.

Frank Selvy

1945

World War II: The siege of Budapest concludes with the unconditional surrender of German and Hungarian forces to the Red Army.

World War II

1945

World War II: Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to Dresden, Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment.

Royal Air Force

1935

A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of Charles Lindbergh.

Flemington, New Jersey

1931

The British Raj completes its transfer from Calcutta to New Delhi.

British Raj

1920

The Negro National League is formed.

Negro National League (1920–1931)

1914

Copyright: In New York City the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.

Copyright

1913

The 13th Dalai Lama proclaims Tibetan independence following a period of domination by Manchu Qing dynasty and initiates a period of almost four decades of independence.

13th Dalai Lama

1880

Thomas Edison observes thermionic emission.

Thomas Edison

1867

Work begins on the covering of the Senne, burying Brussels's primary river and creating the modern central boulevards.

Covering of the Senne

1861

Italian unification: The Siege of Gaeta ends with the capitulation of the defending fortress, effectively bringing an end of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Unification of Italy

1849

The delegation headed by Metropolitan bishop Andrei Șaguna hands out to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria the General Petition of Romanian leaders in Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina, which demands that the Romanian nation be recognized.

Andrei Șaguna

1755

Treaty of Giyanti signed by VOC, Pakubuwono III and Prince Mangkubumi. The treaty divides the Javanese kingdom of Mataram into two: Sunanate of Surakarta and Sultanate of Yogyakarta.

Treaty of Giyanti

1726

Parliament of Negrete between Mapuche and Spanish authorities in Chile brings an end to the Mapuche uprising of 1723–26.

Parliament of Negrete (1726)

1692

Massacre of Glencoe: Almost 80 Macdonalds at Glen Coe, Scotland are killed early in the morning for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange.

Massacre of Glencoe

1689

William and Mary are proclaimed co-rulers of England.

William III of England

1660

With the accession of young Charles XI of Sweden, his regents begin negotiations to end the Second Northern War.

Charles XI of Sweden

1642

The Clergy Act becomes law, excluding bishops of the Church of England from serving in the House of Lords.

Clergy Act 1640

1633

Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.

Galileo Galilei

1542

Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery.

Catherine Howard

1503

Challenge of Barletta: Tournament between 13 Italian and 13 French knights near Barletta.

Challenge of Barletta

1462

The Treaty of Westminster is finalised between Edward IV of England and the Scottish Lord of the Isles.

Treaty of Westminster (1462)

1352

War of the Straits: The Battle of the Bosporus is fought in a stormy sea into the night between the Genoese, Venetian, Aragonese, and Byzantine fleets.

War of the Straits

1322

The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.

Ely Cathedral

1258

Siege of Baghdad: Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire, orders his army to sack and plunder the city of Baghdad, which they had just captured.

Siege of Baghdad

962

Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the Diploma Ottonianum, recognizing John as ruler of Rome.

Otto the Great