Vintage News · Odd history for August 13

What Happened On August 13

Q: What happened on August 13?

1876: A performance of Das Rheingold (scene pictured) opened the first performance of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle at the inaugural Bayreuth Festival, attended by emperors and other composers. 1724: Bach led the Thomanerchor in Leipzig in the first performance of the chorale cantata, Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101. 1898: Carl Gustav Witt discovers 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be found. 1889: William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut is granted United States Patent Number 408,709 for "Coin-controlled apparatus for telephones." 1876: A performance of Wagner's Das Rheingold opens the first Ring cycle at the first Bayreuth Festival. 1806: Battle of Mišar during the Serbian Revolution begins. The battle ends two days later with a Serbian victory over the Ottomans. 1724: Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101, a chorale cantata on a famous tune. 29 BC: Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. 1918: Opha May Johnson became the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. 1997: The animated TV comedy South Park airs its very first episode.

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10 odd things that happened on August 13

1876 First ever
A performance of Das Rheingold (scene pictured) opened the first performance of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle at the inaugural Bayreuth Festival, attended by emperors and other composers.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1724 First ever
Bach led the Thomanerchor in Leipzig in the first performance of the chorale cantata, Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1898 First ever
Carl Gustav Witt discovers 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be found.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1889 Oddly true
William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut is granted United States Patent Number 408,709 for "Coin-controlled apparatus for telephones."
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1876 First ever
A performance of Wagner's Das Rheingold opens the first Ring cycle at the first Bayreuth Festival.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1806 Oddly true
Battle of Mišar during the Serbian Revolution begins. The battle ends two days later with a Serbian victory over the Ottomans.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1724 First ever
Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101, a chorale cantata on a famous tune.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
29 BC First ever
Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1918 First ever
Opha May Johnson became the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1997 First ever
The animated TV comedy South Park airs its very first episode.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2020Israel–United Arab Emirates relations are formally established. Wikipedia →
2015At least 76 people are killed and 212 others are wounded in a truck bombing in Baghdad, Iraq. Wikipedia →
2014A Cessna Citation Excel crashes in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil killing all seven people aboard, including Brazilian Socialist Party presidential candidate Eduardo Campos. Wikipedia →
2008Russo-Georgian War: Russian units occupy the Georgian city of Gori. Wikipedia →
2004One hundred fifty-six Congolese Tutsi refugees are massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi. Wikipedia →
1997The animated TV comedy South Park airs its very first episode. Wikipedia →
1990A mainland Chinese fishing boat Min Ping Yu No. 5202 is hit by a Taiwanese naval vessel and sinks in a repatriation operation of mainland Chinese immigrants, resulting in 21 deaths. This is the second tragedy less than a month after Min Ping Yu No. 5540 incident. Wikipedia →
1978One hundred fifty Palestinians in Beirut are killed in a terrorist attack during the second phase of the Lebanese Civil War. Wikipedia →
1977Members of the British National Front (NF) clash with anti-NF demonstrators in Lewisham, London, resulting in 214 arrests and at least 111 injuries. Wikipedia →
1973Aviaco Flight 118 crashes on approach to A Coruña Airport in A Coruña, Spain, killing all 85 people on the plane and one other one the ground. Wikipedia →
1969The Apollo 11 astronauts enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York City. That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon. Wikipedia →
1968Alexandros Panagoulis attempts to assassinate the Greek dictator Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens. Wikipedia →
1967Two young women became the first fatal victims of grizzly bear attacks in the 57-year history of Montana's Glacier National Park in separate incidents. Wikipedia →
1964Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans are hanged for the murder of John Alan West becoming the last people executed in the United Kingdom. Wikipedia →
1961Cold War: East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started. The day is known as Barbed Wire Sunday. Wikipedia →
1960The Central African Republic declares independence from France. Wikipedia →
1954Radio Pakistan broadcasts the "Qaumī Tarāna", the national anthem of Pakistan for the first time. Wikipedia →
1944World War II: German troops begin the pillage and razing of Anogeia in Crete that would continue until September 5. Wikipedia →
1942Major General Eugene Reybold of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorizes the construction of facilities that would house the "Development of Substitute Materials" project, better known as the Manhattan Project. Wikipedia →
1940World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches an air operation, codenamed Adlertag, during the Battle of Britain in an attempt to destroy the British Royal Air Force. Wikipedia →
1937Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Shanghai begins. Wikipedia →
1920Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Warsaw begins and will last till August 25. The Red Army is defeated. Wikipedia →
1918Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha May Johnson is the first woman to enlist. Wikipedia →
1918Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is established as a public company in Germany. Wikipedia →
1913First production in the UK of stainless steel by Harry Brearley. Wikipedia →
1906The all black infantrymen of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Regiment are accused of killing a white bartender and wounding a white police officer in Brownsville, Texas, despite exculpatory evidence; all are later dishonorably discharged. (Their records were later restored to reflect honorable discharges but there were no financial settlements.) Wikipedia →
1905Norwegians vote to end the union with Sweden. Wikipedia →
1900The steamer Deutschland of Hamburg America Lines sets a new record for the eastward passage when it docks in Plymouth, England, five days, 11 hours and 45 minutes after sailing from New York, breaking by three hours, six minutes its previous mark in its maiden voyage in July. Wikipedia →
1898Spanish–American War: Spanish and American forces engage in a mock battle for Manila, after which the Spanish commander surrendered in order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands. Wikipedia →
1898Carl Gustav Witt discovers 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be found. Wikipedia →
1889William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut is granted United States Patent Number 408,709 for "Coin-controlled apparatus for telephones." Wikipedia →
1876A performance of Wagner's Das Rheingold opens the first Ring cycle at the first Bayreuth Festival. Wikipedia →
1868The 8.5–9.0 Mw Arica earthquake strikes southern Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing 25,000+ deaths and a destructive basin-wide tsunami that affected Hawaii and New Zealand. Wikipedia →
1814The Convention of London, a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United Netherlands, is signed in London, England. Wikipedia →
1806Battle of Mišar during the Serbian Revolution begins. The battle ends two days later with a Serbian victory over the Ottomans. Wikipedia →
1792King Louis XVI of France is formally arrested by the National Tribunal, and declared an enemy of the people. Wikipedia →
1779American Revolutionary War: The Royal Navy defeats the Penobscot Expedition with the most significant loss of United States naval forces prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Wikipedia →
1724Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101, a chorale cantata on a famous tune. Wikipedia →
1704War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim: English and Imperial forces are victorious over French and Bavarian troops. Wikipedia →
1650Colonel George Monck of the English Army forms Monck's Regiment of Foot, which will later become the Coldstream Guards. Wikipedia →
1645Sweden and Denmark sign the Peace of Brömsebro. Wikipedia →
1624The French king Louis XIII appoints Cardinal Richelieu as prime minister. Wikipedia →
1553Michael Servetus is arrested by John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland as a heretic. Wikipedia →
1536Buddhist monks from Kyoto, Japan's Enryaku-ji temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout Kyoto in what will be known as the Tenbun Hokke Disturbance. Wikipedia →
1532Union of Brittany and France: The Duchy of Brittany is absorbed into the Kingdom of France. Wikipedia →
1521After an extended siege, forces led by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés capture Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquer the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Wikipedia →
1516The Treaty of Noyon between France and Spain is signed. Francis I of France recognizes Charles's claim to Naples, and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, recognizes Francis's claim to Milan. Wikipedia →
1415The English invasion of France begins when English king Henry V lands in France. Wikipedia →
1099Election of Pope Paschal II following the death of pope Urban II in the previous month. Wikipedia →
900Count Reginar I of Hainault rises against Zwentibold of Lotharingia and slays him near present-day Susteren. Wikipedia →
871Emperor Louis II of Italy and Empress Engelberga are captured by Prince Adelchis of Benevento. Wikipedia →
582Maurice is crowned Emperor of the Byzantine Empire by the dying emperor Tiberius. Wikipedia →
554Emperor Justinian I issues a Pragmatic Sanction in which he organises the renewed Roman rule over the recently re-conquered Italy. All privileges granted to Romans under the Gothic rule until 538 are confirmed, confiscated estates restored and the participation of the Roman Church in civil government increased. Wikipedia →
523John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. Wikipedia →
29 BCOctavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. Wikipedia →

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.