Vintage News · Odd history for February 13

What Happened On February 13

Q: What happened on February 13?

1891: Frances Coles was killed in the last of eleven unsolved murders of women that took place in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London. 1322: The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th. 2012: The first Vega rocket was launched by the European Space Agency from the Guiana Space Centre. 1960: African-American college students staged the first of the Nashville sit-ins (sign at protest pictured) at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee, as part of a nonviolent direct-action campaign to end racial segregation in the U.S. 2021: A major winter storm causes blackouts and kills at least 82 people in Texas and northern Mexico. 2012: The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. 2011: For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855. 2008: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations. 1978: Hilton bombing: A bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman. 1960: Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.

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10 odd things that happened on February 13

1891 Oddly true
Frances Coles was killed in the last of eleven unsolved murders of women that took place in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1322 Oddly true
The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2012 First ever
The first Vega rocket was launched by the European Space Agency from the Guiana Space Centre.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1960 First ever
African-American college students staged the first of the Nashville sit-ins (sign at protest pictured) at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee, as part of a nonviolent direct-action campaign to end racial segregation in the U.S.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2021 Oddly true
A major winter storm causes blackouts and kills at least 82 people in Texas and northern Mexico.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2012 First ever
The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2011 First ever
For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2008 Oddly true
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1978 Oddly true
Hilton bombing: A bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1960 First ever
Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2021Former U.S. President Donald Trump is acquitted in his second impeachment trial. Wikipedia →
2021A major winter storm causes blackouts and kills at least 82 people in Texas and northern Mexico. Wikipedia →
2017Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, is assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Wikipedia →
2012The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Wikipedia →
2011For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855. Wikipedia →
2010A bomb explodes in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India, killing 17 and injuring 60 more. Wikipedia →
2008Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations. Wikipedia →
2007Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted on charges of embezzlement during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election. Wikipedia →
2004The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Wikipedia →
2001A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits El Salvador, killing at least 315. Wikipedia →
1996The Nepalese Civil War is initiated in the Kingdom of Nepal by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). Wikipedia →
1991Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed. Wikipedia →
1984Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Wikipedia →
1983A cinema fire in Turin, Italy, kills 64 people. Wikipedia →
1981A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky. Wikipedia →
1979An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) long section of the Hood Canal Bridge. Wikipedia →
1978Hilton bombing: A bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman. Wikipedia →
1975Fire at One World Trade Center (North Tower) of the World Trade Center in New York. Wikipedia →
1967American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain. Wikipedia →
1961An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug. Wikipedia →
1960With the success of a nuclear test codenamed "Gerboise Bleue", France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons. Wikipedia →
1960Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. Wikipedia →
1955Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls. Wikipedia →
1955Twenty-nine people are killed when Sabena Flight 503 crashes into Monte Terminillo near Rieti, Italy. Wikipedia →
1954Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game. Wikipedia →
1951Korean War: Battle of Chipyong-ni, which represented the "high-water mark" of the Chinese incursion into South Korea, commences. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: The siege of Budapest concludes with the unconditional surrender of German and Hungarian forces to the Red Army. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to Dresden, Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment. Wikipedia →
1935A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of Charles Lindbergh. Wikipedia →
1931The British Raj completes its transfer from Calcutta to New Delhi. Wikipedia →
1920The Negro National League is formed. Wikipedia →
1914Copyright: In New York City the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members. Wikipedia →
1913The 13th Dalai Lama proclaims Tibetan independence following a period of domination by Manchu Qing dynasty and initiates a period of almost four decades of independence. Wikipedia →
1880Thomas Edison observes thermionic emission. Wikipedia →
1867Work begins on the covering of the Senne, burying Brussels's primary river and creating the modern central boulevards. Wikipedia →
1861Italian unification: The Siege of Gaeta ends with the capitulation of the defending fortress, effectively bringing an end of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Wikipedia →
1849The delegation headed by Metropolitan bishop Andrei Șaguna hands out to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria the General Petition of Romanian leaders in Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina, which demands that the Romanian nation be recognized. Wikipedia →
1820The Assassination of the Duke of Berry takes place in Paris. The Duke of Berry, nephew of Louis XVIII, is stabbed to death while attending the Paris Opera. Wikipedia →
1755Treaty of Giyanti signed by VOC, Pakubuwono III and Prince Mangkubumi. The treaty divides the Javanese kingdom of Mataram into two: Sunanate of Surakarta and Sultanate of Yogyakarta. Wikipedia →
1726Parliament of Negrete between Mapuche and Spanish authorities in Chile brings an end to the Mapuche uprising of 1723–26. Wikipedia →
1692Massacre of Glencoe: Almost 80 Macdonalds at Glen Coe, Scotland are killed early in the morning for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange. Wikipedia →
1689William III and Mary II are proclaimed co-rulers of England. Wikipedia →
1660With the accession of young Charles XI of Sweden, his regents begin negotiations to end the Second Northern War. Wikipedia →
1642The Clergy Act becomes law, excluding bishops of the Church of England from serving in the House of Lords. Wikipedia →
1633Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. Wikipedia →
1542Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery. Wikipedia →
1503Challenge of Barletta: Tournament between 13 Italian and 13 French knights near Barletta. Wikipedia →
1462The Treaty of Westminster is finalised between Edward IV of England and the Scottish Lord of the Isles. Wikipedia →
1352War of the Straits: The Battle of the Bosporus is fought in a stormy sea into the night between the Genoese, Venetian, Aragonese, and Byzantine fleets. Wikipedia →
1322The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th. Wikipedia →
1258Siege of Baghdad: Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire, orders his army to sack and plunder the city of Baghdad, which they had just captured. Wikipedia →
962Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor and Pope John XII co-sign the Diploma Ottonianum, recognising John as ruler of Rome. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2020The Guardian
Sunrise airs 'frightening' coronavirus travel map – from 2010
Channel Seven morning show among those to use decade-old air travel map to illustrate contagion fears. Plus: Trump no…
Read on The Guardian →
2019The Guardian
Lyft donates $700,000 to Oakland after quietly battling city taxes
Donation will aid transportation in low-income neighborhoods, but tax could have generated far more money
Read on The Guardian →
1975The New York Times
Rhodesians’ Political Discussions Appear to Hit a Snag
white and black Rhodesian leaders meet for 2d time in wk, but meeting only lasts 45 mins in contrast to 2 hrs of disc…
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.