On This Day — 13 May

2014

An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners.

Soma mine disaster

2013

American physician Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in Pennsylvania of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions, involuntary manslaughter of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges.

Kermit Gosnell

2012

Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40.

Cadereyta Jiménez massacre

2011

Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others.

2011 Charsadda bombing

2006

São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil.

2006 São Paulo violence outbreak

2005

Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan: Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates.

Andijan massacre

2000

A fireworks storage depot explodes in a residential neighborhood in Enschede, Netherlands, killing 23 people and injuring 950 others.

Enschede fireworks disaster

1999

Kosovo War: NATO bombs the village of Koriša, killing at least 87 people.

Kosovo War

1998

Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped.

May 1998 Indonesia riots

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.

Pokhran-II

1996

Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.

Thunderstorm

1995

Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to ascend Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.

Alison Hargreaves

1992

Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People's Republic of China.

Li Hongzhi

1990

The 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).

Dinamo–Red Star riot

1985

Police bomb MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.

1985 MOVE bombing

1981

Mehmet 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.

Mehmet Ali Ağca

1980

An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.

Fujita scale

1972

A fire occurs in the Sennichi Department Store in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators result in 118 fatalities (many victims leaping to their deaths).

Sennichi Department Store Building fire

1972

The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.

The Troubles

1969

In the aftermath of the 1969 Malaysian general election, Sino-Malay sectarian violence erupts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

1969 Malaysian general election

1967

Dr. Zakir Husain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969.

Zakir Husain

1960

Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

University of California, Berkeley

1958

During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, the US Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.

Caracas

1958

May 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.

May 1958 crisis in France

1958

Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.

Ben Carlin

1954

The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place.

1954 National Service riots

1952

The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.

Rajya Sabha

1951

The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru.

National University of San Marcos

1950

The inaugural Formula One World Championship race takes place at Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Giuseppe Farina, who would go on to become the inaugural champion that year.

1950 British Grand Prix

1949

Aeroflot Flight 17 crashes on approach to Severny Airport in Novosibirsk, killing 25.

Aeroflot Flight 17

1948

Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre occurs, a day prior to the Israeli Declaration of Independence.

1948 Arab–Israeli War

1945

World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei's photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine.

Yevgeny Khaldei

1943

World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia.

Operation Vulcan

1940

World 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.

World War II

1917

Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.

Our Lady of Fátima

1912

The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.

Royal Flying Corps

1909

The first edition of the Giro d'Italia, a long-distance multiple-stage bicycle race, begins in Milan; the Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner.

1909 Giro d'Italia

1888

With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), the Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery.

Lei Áurea

1862

Southern slave Robert Smalls steals the steamboat Planter, spirits it through Confederate lines and hands it to the United States Navy, who quickly commission it as the gunboat USS Planter and appoint Smalls as captain, thus making him the first black man to command a United States ship.

Robert Smalls

1861

American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights.

American Civil War

1861

The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.

C/1861 J1 (Tebbutt)

1861

Pakistan's (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.

Pakistan Railways

1858

Montenegrin forces under Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš defeat an Ottoman army under Hussein Pasha in the battle of Grahovac. The battle is a significant step towards formal independence and quickly becomes a part of national folklore.

Principality of Montenegro

1846

Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion.

Mexican–American War

1830

Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.

Ecuador

1804

Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city.

Yusuf Karamanli

1791

The British under Charles Cornwallis defeat a Mysorean army under Tipu Sultan in the battle of Arakere.

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis

1780

The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice.

Cumberland Compact

1779

War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria acquires the Innviertel.

War of the Bavarian Succession

1654

A Venetian fleet under Admiral Cort Adeler breaks through a line of galleys and defeats the Turkish navy.

Cort Adeler

1619

Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt

1612

Sword duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro on the shores of Ganryū Island. Kojiro dies at the end.

Miyamoto Musashi

1568

Mary, Queen of Scots, is defeated at the Battle of Langside, part of the civil war between Queen Mary and the supporters of her son, James VI.

Mary, Queen of Scots

1501

Amerigo Vespucci, this time under Portuguese flag, sets sail for western lands.

Amerigo Vespucci

1373

Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love.

Julian of Norwich

1344

A Latin Christian fleet defeats a Turkish fleet in the battle of Pallene during the Smyrniote crusades.

Latin Church

1110

Baldwin I of Jerusalem captures the city of Beirut from the Fatimid Caliphate with the help of a Genoese fleet.

Baldwin I of Jerusalem

535

Election of pope Agapetus I following the death of pope John II earlier that month.

Pope Agapetus I