Historical events on January 13

JANUARY 13, 1842

First Anglo-Afghan War: William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British Army, was the sole European of the 14,000 people retreating from Kabul to Jalalabad who evaded capture or death.

The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially Read More

JANUARY 13, 1949

In the first recorded instance of Catholic laity performing a strike action against Catholic clergy, gravediggers at Calvary Cemetery in Queens went on strike.

Catholic laity are the ordinary members of the Catholic Church who are neither clergy nor recipients of Holy Orders or vowed to Read More

JANUARY 13, 1884

Welsh physician William Price (pictured) was arrested for attempting to cremate his deceased infant son; this eventually led to the passing of the Cremation Act 1902 by Parliament.

William Price was a Welsh physician and political activist best known for his support of Welsh nationalism, Chartism and involvement with the Read More

JANUARY 13, 1815

War of 1812: British troops captured Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, in the only battle of the war to take place in the state.

The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in North Read More

JANUARY 13, 1969

British rock band Led Zeppelin released their first album, Led Zeppelin, in the United States.

Rock is a broad genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s Read More

JANUARY 13, 2000

Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as the chief executive officer of Microsoft.

Steven Anthony Ballmer is an American businessman and investor who served as chief executive officer of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. He Read More

JANUARY 13, 1915

About 30,000 people were killed when an earthquake struck the Province of L'Aquila in Italy.

The 1915 Avezzano earthquake or 1915 Fucino earthquake occurred on 13 January in central Italy at 07:52:42 local time. The shock had Read More

JANUARY 13, 1435

Pope Eugene IV promulgated the papal bull Sicut dudum, forbidding the enslavement of the native Guanche of the Canary Islands by the Spanish.

Pope Eugene IV, born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 March 1431 Read More

JANUARY 13, 1968

American singer Johnny Cash recorded his landmark album At Folsom Prison live at Folsom State Prison in California.

John Ray Cash was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from Read More

JANUARY 13, 1847

The Treaty of Cahuenga was signed, informally ending the fighting of the Mexican–American War in California.

The Treaty of Cahuenga, also called the Capitulation of Cahuenga, was an 1847 agreement that ended the Conquest of California, resulting in Read More

JANUARY 13, 2001

The first of two large earthquakes struck El Salvador, killing at least 944 people and destroying over 100,000 homes.

On 13 January 2001, at 11:33 CTZ, a Mw  7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Usulután Department, El Salvador, at a Read More

JANUARY 13, 1963

Togo's first president, Sylvanus Olympio (pictured), was assassinated by military officers in a coup d'état led by Emmanuel Bodjollé, Étienne Eyadéma, and Kléber Dadjo.

Sylvanus Épiphanio Olympio was a Togolese politician who served as prime minister, and then president, of Togo from 1958 until his assassination Read More

JANUARY 13, 2012

The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground on a reef and capsized off Isola del Giglio, Tuscany.

Costa Concordia was a cruise ship operated by Costa Crociere. She was the first of her class, followed by her sister ships Read More

JANUARY 13, 1797

French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle off the coast of Brittany between two British frigates and a French ship of the line ended with hundreds of deaths when the latter ran aground.

The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. Read More

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Historical events on January 13

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