2013 in History

Events in History

Events 1 - 100 of 609

Contract of Interest

Jan 18 Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is indicted on corruption charges stemming from post-Hurricane Katrina business contracts and bribes

Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin — Mayor of New Orleans
Ray Nagin

Jan 19 Four climbers are killed by an avalanche in Glen Coe, Scotland
Jan 19 Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
Jan 20 Austria votes to maintain compulsory military service in a referendum
Jan 21 30 people are killed in a car bombing in Salamiyeh, Syria
Jan 21 41 people are injured after two trains collide in Vienna, Austria
Jan 21 18 people are killed and 24 are injured after a bus falls down a ravine in Yungas, Bolivia

Jan 21 1 person is killed and 15 are injured by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Indonesia
Jan 21 Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Netherlands’ Minister of Finance, becomes the President of the Euro Group
Jan 22 A series of Baghdad car bombings kill 17 people
Jan 22 The Bank of Japan doubles its inflation target to 2% and announces open-ended asset purchases for 2014 in the hope of ending deflation
Jan 23 23 people are killed in a mosque suicide bombing in Tuz Khormato, Iraq
Jan 23 18 people are killed in a market shooting in Damboa, Nigeria
Jan 23 US armed forces overturns 1994 ban on women serving in combat
Jan 24 17 people are killed and 34 are injured in a bus crash in Taperas, Bolivia
Jan 24 A Japanese Coast guard ship engages a Taiwanese activist ship in the Senkaku Islands dispute
Jan 24 Russian police kill 13 rebels in Vedeno District, Chechnya
Jan 25 8 people are killed by 2 car bombs in Golan Heights, Syria
Jan 25 Islamist forces are driven out of Hombori by the Malian army
Jan 25 6 civilians and 1 police officer are shot dead and 456 people are injured during a nationwide protest against Egypt’s 2011 revolution
Jan 25 50 people are killed and 90 are injured in a prison riot in Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Jan 25 Tropical cyclone Oswald makes landfall in Queensland, Australia, causing mass flooding
Jan 25 Initial GDP figures for the fourth quarter of 2012 show the UK economy shrank by 0.3% raising fears of a triple dip recession
Jan 26 30 people are killed during a violent protest in Port Said, Egypt
Jan 26 10 people are killed and 20 are injured by a suicide bombing in Kunduz, Afghanistan
Jan 26 The United States Sentencing Commission is hacked by Anonymous in response to the suicide of Aaron Swartz
Jan 26 Miloš Zeman wins the Czech Republic’s presidential election
Jan 27 20 police officers have been killed in a series of bomb attacks in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Jan 27 In Port Said, Egypt, protests result in 7 people being killed and 630 are injured
Jan 27 11 people are killed and 32 are injured after a bus crashes down a ravine in Serta, Portugal
Jan 28 10 people are killed and 11 are injured in after a freight train collides with a bus in Heihe City, China
Jan 28 Iran’s Pishgam rocket successfully completes a return trip of sending a monkey into space

Jan 28 20 people are killed after a Bombardier CRJ200 airliner crashes outside Almaty, Kazakhstan
Jan 30 South Korea successfully launches its rocket Naro-1 which was carrying a scientific satellite
Jan 31 300 people are injured in a train collision in Pretoria, South Africa
Jan 31 36 people are killed and 126 are injured in an explosion at Torre Ejecutiva Pemex, Mexico

Event of Interest

Feb 1 John Kerry succeeds Hillary Clinton as US Secretary of State

US Secretary of State John Kerry — US Secretary of State
John Kerry

US Secretary of State, Senator and US First Lady Hillary Clinton — US Secretary of State, Senator and US First Lady
Hillary Clinton

Feb 1 The Nigerian Army bombs a Boko Haram camp, killing 18 people
Feb 1 21 people are killed and 30 are wounded by a market suicide bombing in Hangu, Pakistan
Feb 1 26 people are killed after a fireworks truck explodes and causes a highway to collapse in Henan, China
Feb 1 Zenit-3SL, a Ukrainian-Russian carrier rocket, fails 40 seconds after liftoff and crashes into the Pacific Ocean
Feb 2 23 people are killed and 8 are injured after militants attacked an army base in the Lakki Marwat District, Pakistan

Event of Interest

Feb 2 Shinzō Abe, Japan’s Prime Minister vows to defend the Senkaku Islands "at all costs"

Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe — Prime Minister of Japan
Shinzō Abe

Feb 2 18 people are killed and 34 are injured after a bus catches fire after falling down a ravine in Gansu province, China
Feb 3 33 people are killed by a suicide bombing by an explosive-packed truck in Kirkuk, Iraq
Feb 4 20 people are killed after an apartment building was struck by a rocket in Aleppo, Syria
Feb 4 22 people are killed and 44 are injured after a suicide bombing in Taji, Iraq
Feb 4 8 people are killed and 30 are injured after a bus collides with two vehicles and flips in Yucaipa, California
Feb 4 22 people are killed and 24 are injured after a bus and a truck collide in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Feb 4 Paris, France annuls 213 year old law banning women from wearing trousers
Feb 5 UK House of Commons votes in favour of same-sex marriage
Feb 5 The US Postal Service announces the cessation of Saturday first-class mail delivery from August 2013
Feb 6 A magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurs off the Solomon Islands coast causing the death of nine people
Feb 7 Eugène Delacroix's painting "Liberty Leading the People" is vandalized at the Louvre-Lens museum, Northern France
Feb 7 Azerbaijan launches its first satellite, Azerspace-1
Feb 8 29 people are killed and 69 are injured in a series of Iraq bombings
Feb 8 16 people are killed and 27 are wounded by a market bombing in Kalaya, Pakistan
Feb 8 100, 000 people march to demand justice for the atrocities of the Bangladesh Liberation War in Dhaka
Feb 8 A massive blizzard begins in the US and Canada that resulted in 15 deaths, 5,300 cancelled flights, and loss of power for 900,000 people
Feb 9 5 people are killed after Cessna plane crashes on a Brussels runway
Feb 10 36 people are killed and 39 are injured in a stampede at a train station in Allahabad, India
Feb 10 5 people are killed by a falling lifeboat from the cruise ship Thomson Majesty in the Canary islands
Feb 10 Nigeria defeat Burkina Faso 1-0 to win the football 2013 Africa Cup of Nations
Feb 11 18 coal miners are killed in an explosion in the Komi region, Russia

Event of Interest

Feb 11 Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation from February 28, the first pope to resign since 1415

265th Pope Benedict XVI — 265th Pope
Benedict XVI

Feb 12 North Korea allegedly conducts its third nuclear test, saying it was a nuclear device that could be weaponized
Feb 13 16 Muslim insurgents are killed in an attack on a Narathiwat military base, Thailand
Feb 13 10 civilians, including 3 children, are killed by a NATO airstrike in the Kunar Province, Afghanistan
Feb 13 Sir Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, says he believes "a recovery is in sight" after fears raised about a triple dip recession
Feb 14 A suicide bombing kills 4 police officer and injures 5 in Dagestan
Feb 14 Oscar Pistorius, a South African amputee sprinter, is charged with the murder of Reeva Steenkamp

Birthdays in History

Jul 22 Prince George of Cambridge, son of Prince William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, England (3rd in line to the English throne), born in London, England

Weddings in History

Jan 19 "Big Brother" Daniele Donato (26) weds Dominic Briones at the Newland House Museum in Huntington Beach, California
Feb 14 Wedding planner to the stars Preston Bailey (63) weds Theo Bleckmann (47) at Empire State Building
Feb 16 "Devious Maids" actress Dania Ramirez (33) weds director Bev Land on the beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Mar 30 ER actor Mekhi Phifer (38) weds long time girlfriend Reshelet Barnes at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, California
Apr 20 "Hart of Dixie" actor Scott Porter (33) weds Kelsey Mayfield in Austin, Texas
May 19 Former Armor for Sleep frontman Ben Jorgensen (29) weds actress Katrina Bowden (24) at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in NYC, New York
Jun 1 "How to Make It in America" actress Lake Bell (34) weds tattoo artist Scott Campbell at The Marigny Opera House in New Orleans, Louisiana
Jun 7 "Client List" actress Alicia Lagano (34) weds manager Hector Rendon at the Malibu Lake Mountain Club in Agoura Hills, California
Jun 8 Celebrity chef Curtis Stone (37) weds actress Lindsay Price (36) at a private villa in Mallorca, Spain
Jun 8 Princess Madeleine of Sweden (30) weds banker Christopher O'Neill at The Royal Palace Church in Stockholm, Sweden
Jun 14 90210 actor Matt Lanter (30) weds longtime girlfriend Angela Stacy at the Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California
Jun 15 "Hart of Dixie" actor Cress Williams (42) weds girlfriend Kristen Torrianni in Texas
Jun 21 Actor Peter Scolari (57) weds broadway actress Tracy Shayne in NYC, New York
Jun 22 Former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland (45) weds photographer Jamie Wachtel in Los Angeles, California
Jun 28 Writer Josh Kilmer-Purcell (43) weds physician Brent Ridge in Sharon Springs, New York
Jul 2 Actor John Barrowman (46) weds longtime boyfriend Scott Gill in California
Jul 20 "Modern Family" actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (37) weds lawyer Justin Mikita in NYC, New York
Jul 26 Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik (47) weds Melina Gallo at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California
Aug 31 "Blue Crush" actress Kate Bosworth (30) weds director Michael Polish (42) in Philipsburg, Montana

Wedding of Interest

Sep 21 US billionaire investor and active supporter of liberal political causes George Soros (83) weds health care and education consultant Tamiko Bolton (42) at his estate in Bedford, New York

Investor and Political Activist George Soros — Investor and Political Activist
George Soros

Oct 12 Actor Ben Feldman (33) weds longtime girlfriend Michelle Mulitz at Smokey Glen Farm in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Oct 12 "30 Rock" actor Keith Powell weds visual artist Jill Knox at Tribeca Rooftop in NYC, New York
Oct 19 Actress Danielle Fishel (32) weds Tim Belusko in Los Angeles
Oct 20 Actor Rider Strong (33) weds actress Alexandra Barreto (31) in Oregon
Oct 26 Actress Christina Ricci (33) weds dolly grip James Heerdegen in Manhattan, New York
Nov 2 'N Sync founding member Chris Kirkpatrick (42) weds his girlfriend Karly Skladany in Orlando, Florida
Nov 2 "Smash" actress Megan Hilty (32) weds Brian Gallagher at a chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 22 Actress Lacey Chabert (31) weds longtime boyfriend David Nehdar in Los Angeles, California

Divorces in History

Divorce of Interest

Jun 7 Russian President Vladimir Putin announces his divorce from his wife on national TV

Divorce of Interest

Nov 20 Business magnate Rupert Murdoch (82) divorces Wendi Deng (44) due to irreconcilable differences after 13 years of marriage

Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch — Media Mogul
Rupert Murdoch

Deaths in History

Jan 2 Margaret A. Brewer, American soldier & first female general officer in US Marine Corps, dies at 82
Jan 4 Yevgeny Pepelyaev, Soviet fighter pilot, dies at 94
Jan 5 Bruce McCarty, American architect, dies at 92
Jan 7 Fred L. Turner, American businessman (CEO of McDonalds, 1977-2004), dies from complications of pneumonia at 80
Jan 8 Kenojuak Ashevak, Canadian Inuit artist, dies from lung cancer at 85
Jan 8 Jeanne Manford, American gay rights activist, dies at 92
Jan 9 James M. Buchanan, American economist (Nobel Memorial 1986), dies at 93
Jan 10 Evan Connell, American author, dies at 88
Jan 11 Aaron H. Swartz, American computer programmer, dies from an apparent suicide at 26
Jan 11 Lars Werner, Swedish communist leader, dies at 77
Jan 15 Jennings Michael Burch, American writer (They Cage the Animals at Night), dies at 71
Jan 16 Abigail Van Buren [Pauline Phillips], American columnist and radio show host known for "Dear Abby" advice column, twin sister of fellow advice columnist Ann Landers (Eppie Lederer), dies from complications from Alzheimer's disease at 94
Jan 21 Alden Winship Clausen, American banker (President of World Bank), dies at 89
Jan 22 Ellen Blazer [Esther Clara Blazer], Dutch TV director (Sonja), dies at 81
Jan 26 Hiroshi Nakajima, Japanese doctor, dies at 84
Jan 29 Frank Hahn, British economist, dies at 87

Ed Koch

Feb 1 Ed Koch, American congressman and New York City Mayor (1977-89), dies of heart failure at 88

Feb 2 Chris Kyle, American sniper, is shot at 38
Feb 3 Cardiss Collins, American politician (first African-American woman to represent the Midwest in Congress), dies at 81
Feb 4 Theresia van der Pant, Dutch sculptor, dies at 88
Feb 5 Stuart Freeborn, English motion picture make-up artist, dies at 98
Feb 9 Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-born American martial artist, dies at 99
Feb 10 Eugenio Trias, Spanish philosopher, dies at 70
Feb 12 Hennadiy Udovenko, Ukrainian politician and diplomat (UN General Assembly President, 1997-98), dies at 81
Feb 19 Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist (Nobel 1996), dies at 75
Feb 25 C Everett Koop, American pediatric surgeon, health administrator and 13th US Surgeon General (1982-89), dies at 96
Feb 27 Stephane Hessel, German-born French diplomat, dies at 95
Feb 28 Bruce Reynolds, English criminal, dies at 81
Feb 28 Donald A. Glaser, American physicist (Nobel 1960), dies at 86

Hugo Chávez

Mar 5 Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela, dies from respiratory failure at 58

Mar 7 Elmar Tampõld, Estonian-Canadian architect, dies at 92
Mar 14 Mirja Hietamies, Finnish skier, dies at 82
Mar 15 Booth Gardner, American politician, dies from Parkinson's disease at 76
Mar 17 Jan van Houwelingen, Dutch politician (Undersecretary of Defense (CDA), dies at 73
Mar 18 Muhammad Mahmood Alam, Pakistani general and fighter ace, dies at 77
Mar 20 James Herbert, British horror writer, dies at 69

Chinua Achebe

Mar 21 Chinua Achebe, Nigerian poet and novelist (Things Fall Apart), dies at 82

Mar 22 Aya Zikken, Dutch author (Atlasvlinder, Rameh), dies at 93
Mar 23 David Bond, British sailor, dies at 90
Mar 24 Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author, dies at 86
Mar 25 Anthony Lewis, American journalist (Pulitzer Prize 195,1963) & author, dies from kidney and heart failure at 85
Mar 26 Yury Rudov, Soviet fencer, dies at 82
Apr 4 Carmine Infantino, American comic book artist, dies at 87
Apr 7 John St Aubyn, 4th Baron St Levan, English peer (St Michael's Mount), dies at 94

Margaret Thatcher

Apr 8 Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister (1979-1990) dies of a stroke at 87

Apr 9 David Hayes, American sculptor, dies from leukemia at 82
Apr 9 Zao Wou-Ki, Chinese French painter (Juin-Octobre 1985), dies at 93
Apr 10 Robert Edwards, British physiologist, IVF pioneer, and Nobel laureate, dies at 87
Apr 10 Raymond Boudon, French sociologist, dies at 79
Apr 11 Hilary Koprowski, Polish virologist and immunologist, dies at 96
Apr 14 Dennis Moran, American computer hacker, dies from overdose at 30
Apr 15 Sal Castro, Mexican-American activist, dies from thyroid cancer at 79
Apr 19 Patrick Garland, British director (Doll House), dies at 78
Apr 19 François Jacob, French biologist and bacteriologist (Nobel 1965), dies at 92
Apr 20 Howard Phillips, American politician, dies from dementia and Alzheimer's disease at 72
Apr 20 Struther Arnott, Scottish molecular biologist and chemist (cancer research), dies at 78
Apr 21 Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, dies at 107

Shakuntala Devi

Apr 21 Shakuntala Devi, Indian writer and mental calculator known as the "Human Computer", stops calculating at 83 due to complications from severe respiratory problems

Apr 23 Robert W. Edgar, American businessman and politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 7th district), dies from a heart attack at 69
May 4 Christian de Duve, British cytologist and biochemist (Nobel 1974), dies from euthanasia at 95
May 4 Morgan Morgan-Giles, British Naval officer and politician, dies at 98
May 4 Otis Bowen, American politician, US Sec of Health & Human Services (1985-89), dies at 95
May 5 Sarah Kirsch, German poet, dies at 78
May 6 Giulio Andreotti, Italian Prime Minister, dies at 94
May 8 Taylor Mead, American writer, actor and performer (Factory, Taylor Mead's Ass), dies at 88
May 13 Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, dies from respiratory failure at 85
May 16 Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist (tunneling microscope-Nobel 1986), dies at 79
May 16 Bernard Waber, American children's book author, dies from kidney failure at 88
May 17 Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentinean dictator, dies from complications from a fall at 87
May 22 Fusilier Lee Rigby, British Army soldier, murdered near the Royal Artillery Barracks in London by two Islamic terrorists, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale
May 24 Michel Crozier, French sociologist, dies at 90
May 26 Jack Vance, American sci-fi author, dies at 96
May 31 Tim Samaras, American tornado chaser, dies from tornado injuries at 55
Jun 2 John Gilbert, British politician and Minister (Labour), dies at 86
Jun 3 Frank Lautenberg, American Politician, dies from complications from pneumonia at 89
Jun 5 Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Irish paramilitary and political leader of Sinn Féin, dies at 80
Jun 6 Jerome Karle, American chemist and Nobel Laureate, dies at 94
Jun 6 Tom Sharpe, British satirist and author, dies from complications from diabetes at 85
Jun 7 Pierre Mauroy, Prime Minister of France (1981-84), dies from lung cancer at 84
Jun 8 Paul Cellucci, American politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts and former United States Ambassador to Canada, dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 65
Jun 8 John Boyd [Boyd Bradfield Upchurch], American sci-fi author (The Last Starship from Earth), dies at 93
Jun 9 Iain Banks, Scottish author, dies from gallbladder cancer at 59
Jun 10 Barbara Vucanovich, American politician, dies at 91
Jun 11 Robert Fogel, American economic historian (Nobel Prize 1993), dies at 86
Jun 15 Kenneth G. Wilson, American physicist (Nobel 1982), dies from lymphoma at 77
Jun 19 Gyula Horn, Hungarian Prime Minister (1994-8), dies at 80
Jun 19 Glyn England, British electrical engineer and CEO (CEGB, Windcluster Ltd), dies at 92
Jun 24 Emilio Colombo, Italian Prime Minister (1970-72, dies at 93
Jun 26 Bert Stern, American photographer, dies at 83
Jul 1 William Gray III, American politician, dies from natural causes at 71
Jul 1 William H. Gray III, American politician (Rep-D-PA, 1978-1991), dies at 71
Jul 2 Arlan Stangeland, American politician, dies at 83

Douglas Engelbart

Jul 2 Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist (computer mouse, Engelbart's Law), dies at 88

Jul 2 Sef Imkamp, Dutch politician, dies at 88
Jul 2 Anthony Llewellyn, Welsh-American scientist and NASA astronaut, dies at 80
Jul 2 Fawzia Fuad, Egyptian princess who became Queen of Iran as the first wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, dies at 91
Jul 3 Radu Vasile, Prime Minister of Romania (1998-99), dies at 70
Jul 7 Donald J. Irwin, American politician (32nd Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut), dies from heart failure at 86
Jul 11 Eugene Wilkinson, American naval officer, dies at 94
Jul 11 Robert Crichton-Brown, Australian businessman and CEO (Rothmans International), dies at 93

2012
On This Day in History
2014