May 13 facts for kids

May 13 is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 232 days remain until the end of the year.

May 13th is a special day in history, filled with many important events, births of famous people, and special holidays around the world. Let's explore some of the interesting things that have happened on this day!

Historical Events on May 13

Early History: Before 1600

• 1373 – Julian of Norwich, a famous English writer, had special visions of Jesus while she was very ill. She later wrote about these experiences in her book, Revelations of Divine Love.
• 1501 – The explorer Amerigo Vespucci began another journey to explore new lands in the west, this time sailing for Portugal.
• 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots was defeated at the Battle of Langside. This battle was part of a civil war between Queen Mary and those who supported her son, James VI.

Important Moments: 1601 to 1900

• 1612 – A famous sword fight happened between two legendary Japanese swordsmen, Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro, on Ganryū Island. Kojiro sadly died in this duel.
• 1619 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, a Dutch leader, was executed in The Hague. He had been found guilty of betraying his country.
• 1654 – A fleet of ships from Venice, led by Admiral Cort Adeler, bravely broke through enemy lines and defeated the Turkish navy.
• 1779 – The War of the Bavarian Succession ended thanks to Russia and France. They helped negotiate a peace agreement at the Congress of Teschen.
• 1780 – The Cumberland Compact was signed by settlers in what would become Tennessee. This agreement helped set up a democratic government and a fair justice system for them.
• 1830 – Ecuador became an independent country, separating from Gran Colombia.
• 1846 – The United States declared war on Mexico. This happened after a disagreement about the US taking over Texas and a small fight between soldiers.
• 1861 – During the American Civil War, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom announced that her country would remain neutral. This meant they wouldn't take sides in the war.
• 1861 – The Great Comet of 1861 was discovered by John Tebbutt in Australia.
• 1861 – The very first railway line in what is now Pakistan opened. It connected the cities of Karachi and Kotri.
• 1862 – Robert Smalls, a brave enslaved man from the South, secretly sailed the USS Planter (a steamer and gunship) through Confederate lines and gave it to the Union. He later became the first black man to command a United States ship.
• 1888 – Brazil officially ended slavery with a law called the Lei Áurea (which means "Golden Law").

Modern Times: 1901 to Today

• 1909 – The very first Giro d'Italia bicycle race began in Milan, Italy. This is a famous long-distance bike race.
• 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps was created in the United Kingdom. This group later became the Royal Air Force, which is the UK's air force.
• 1917 – In Fátima, Portugal, three children reported seeing the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima.
• 1940 – During World War II, Germany began its invasion of France. On this day, Winston Churchill gave his famous "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the British Parliament.
• 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav colonel Dragoljub Mihailović started fighting against the German occupation. This marked the beginning of the Serbian resistance movement.
• 1943 – World War II: The last Axis troops in Tunisia surrendered after strong attacks by Allied forces.
• 1945 – World War II: The famous photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag by Yevgeny Khaldei was published. It shows Soviet soldiers raising their flag over the German parliament building.
• 1948 – The Kfar Etzion massacre happened, just one day before Israel declared its independence.
• 1950 – The very first Formula One World Championship race took place at Silverstone Circuit. Giuseppe Farina won the race and later became the first Formula One champion.
• 1952 – The Rajya Sabha, which is the upper house of the Parliament of India, held its first meeting.
• 1954 – Chinese middle school students in Singapore protested against the National Service law.
• 1958 – While visiting Caracas, Venezuela, the car carrying US Vice President Richard Nixon was attacked by people protesting against the US.
• 1958 – Ben Carlin became the first and only person to travel around the world in an amphibious vehicle. He traveled over 17,000 kilometers (10,500 miles) by sea and 62,000 kilometers (38,500 miles) by land over ten years!
• 1960 – Many students at the University of California, Berkeley started protesting against a visit by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
• 1967 – Dr. Zakir Husain became the third President of India, and the first Muslim to hold this important position.
• 1972 – A terrible fire broke out in the Sennichi Department Store in Osaka, Japan. Many exits were blocked, and elevators didn't work, leading to 118 deaths.
• 1980 – A strong tornado hit Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declared the area a federal disaster zone.
• 1981 – Mehmet Ali Ağca tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope was seriously injured but survived after emergency surgery.
• 1989 – Large groups of students gathered in Tiananmen Square in China and began a hunger strike to protest.
• 1990 – A big riot happened at a football match in Zagreb, Croatia, between fans of two rival teams, Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade.
• 1992 – Li Hongzhi gave the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, China.
• 1995 – Alison Hargreaves, a British mother, became the first woman to climb Mount Everest without extra oxygen or the help of local guides (sherpas).
• 1996 – Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh caused the deaths of 600 people.
• 1998 – India carried out two more nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following three tests two days earlier. Because of this, the United States and Japan placed economic restrictions on India.
• 2000 – A fireworks storage building exploded in a neighborhood in Enschede, Netherlands. This tragic event killed 23 people and injured 950 others.
• 2014 – An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey killed 301 miners.

Famous People Born on May 13

• 1717 – Maria Theresa, a powerful Archduchess, Queen, and Empress of Austria.
• 1792 – Pope Pius IX, who was the head of the Catholic Church for over 31 years.
• 1842 – Arthur Sullivan, a famous English composer, known for his operettas with W.S. Gilbert.
• 1857 – Ronald Ross, an Indian-English physician who won the Nobel Prize for his work on malaria.
• 1882 – Georges Braque, a French painter and sculptor who helped create the Cubism art movement.
• 1888 – Inge Lehmann, a Danish seismologist who discovered that the Earth has a solid inner core.
• 1907 – Daphne du Maurier, a well-known English novelist and playwright.
• 1914 – Joe Louis, an American boxer who was one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time.
• 1922 – Bea Arthur, an American actress and singer, famous for her roles in TV shows like Maude and The Golden Girls.
• 1931 – Jim Jones, an American cult leader.
• 1937 – Trevor Baylis, an English inventor who created the wind-up radio.
• 1950 – Stevie Wonder, an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer, who is a music legend.
• 1961 – Dennis Rodman, an American basketball player and wrestler, known for his rebounding skills.
• 1964 – Stephen Colbert, an American comedian and talk show host.
• 1968 – Scott Morrison, who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Australia.
• 1977 – Samantha Morton, an English actress and director.
• 1979 – Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland, a member of the Swedish royal family.
• 1986 – Robert Pattinson, an English actor, famous for roles in the Twilight series and The Batman.
• 1986 – Alexander Rybak, a Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter and violinist, who won the Eurovision Song Contest.
• 1993 – Romelu Lukaku, a Belgian footballer who plays as a striker.
• 1993 – Debby Ryan, an American actress and singer.

Notable People Who Died on May 13

• 1573 – Takeda Shingen, a powerful Japanese warlord during the Sengoku period.
• 1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, a legendary Japanese swordsman.
• 1619 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, a Dutch statesman.
• 1832 – Georges Cuvier, a French zoologist who helped create the field of paleontology.
• 1835 – John Nash, a famous English architect who designed many buildings, including the Royal Pavilion.
• 1884 – Cyrus McCormick, an American businessman who co-founded the International Harvester Company, known for farm machinery.
• 1903 – Apolinario Mabini, a Filipino lawyer and politician, who was the first Prime Minister of the Philippines.
• 1930 – Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian scientist, explorer, and academic who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1961 – Gary Cooper, a popular American actor.
• 1972 – Dan Blocker, an American actor best known for his role as Hoss Cartwright in the TV series Bonanza.
• 2018 – Margot Kidder, a Canadian-American actress, famous for playing Lois Lane in the Superman movies.
• 2019 – Doris Day, a beloved American singer and actress.
• 2022 – Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was the second President of the United Arab Emirates.

Special Days and Celebrations

• Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England) – A traditional celebration in a village in England.
• Christian feast day: Many Christians celebrate various saints on this day, including:
  • Our Lady of Fátima
  • Julian of Norwich
  • Servatius
• Rotuma Day (Rotuma) – A national holiday celebrating the culture and history of the island of Rotuma.

See also

In Spanish: 13 de mayo para niños