
Thomas Edison patents incandescent light
Edison received US patent 223,898 for electric lamp.
Tuesday 13 October 2026
What happened, who was born, who we lost — plus today's horoscope for every sign.
Birthday twins
Rosamund Pike1979
Bridget Fonda1964
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart1756Events, inventions, discoveries and releases. Looking for people or sport? See , and below.

Edison received US patent 223,898 for electric lamp.

Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, now Holocaust Memorial Day.
Showing 1-2 of 2 events
What happened on this day · Odd history for today
The first selections for the United States National Recording Registry were announced by the Library of Congress.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
The first selections for the National Recording Registry are announced by the Library of Congress.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Paris Peace Accords officially ends the Vietnam War. Colonel William Nolde is killed in action becoming the conflict's last recorded American combat casualty.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
J. S. Bach led the first performance of Alles nur nach Gottes Willen, BWV 72, concluding his third Christmas season in Leipzig on the Third Sunday after Epiphany.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

Prabowo appears at ease on the global stage and enjoys a high approval rating at home but analysts point to a lack of…
Read on The Guardian →
BMA says medics’ wellbeing is suffering as a result of strain on NHS
Read on The Guardian →INTERNATIONAL Now, Almost Everyone Has Become Energy-Dependent Even our modern-day Newcastle has to bring in some fu…
Read on NYTimes.com →Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API
Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.
Strange but true headlines of the day
From the archives
Classic headlineDid you guess the year?
When was “The first selections for the United States National Recording Registry were announced by the Library of Congress.” happening? Slide to your guess.
The first selections for the United States National Recording Registry were announced by the Library of Congress.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
The first selections for the National Recording Registry are announced by the Library of Congress.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Paris Peace Accords officially ends the Vietnam War. Colonel William Nolde is killed in action becoming the conflict's last recorded American combat casualty.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hall of Fame headlines are manually verified clippings (source linked); nothing is scraped from Newspapers.com. Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Clippings from the Library of Congress, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers site.
Viewing 27 January — today is 13 October.
Composer Mozart was born in Salzburg, child prodigy who composed over 600 works.
Bridget Fonda was born. American actress.
Rosamund Pike was born. English actress.
Five infamous ends — executed, assassinated or murdered — drawn at random from the archive. All infamous ends →

Abraham Lincoln, politician, died on this day in 1865. Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Remembered as: 16th President of the US, led the nation during the Civil War.

Kobe Bryant, professional basketball player, died on this day in 2020. Helicopter crash. Remembered as: Five-time NBA champion with the LA Lakers.

Cleopatra, queen of the ptolemaic kingdom, died on this day in 30 BC. Suicide (historically debated, asp bite). Remembered as: The last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse.

Prince, musician, died on this day in 2016. Fentanyl overdose. Remembered as: Innovative artist known for his eclectic work and flamboyant stage presence.
Today · 27 January
Coming up this week
UN day honoring the victims of the Holocaust and promoting human rights education.
Music · No.1 on this day
The official No.1 singles and albums in the UK and the USA on this date, decade by decade.
2016 10 yrs ago
2006 20 yrs ago
1996 30 yrs ago
1986 40 yrs ago
1976 50 yrs ago
1966 60 yrs ago
1956 70 yrs ago
Finals, medals and records decided on 27 January.
No recorded sporting finals on this date yet.
Sporting almanac
World Cups, Olympics, Wimbledon, the Masters, Super Bowl and more — year by year since 1877.
2016 10 yrs ago
2001 25 yrs ago
1976 50 yrs ago
Learn, laugh, connect with history. Free daily email 7am. 1,000s of searchable events.