Trying a new format for "Today in history" Now with MORE history......Let me know if less is better.
May 13th
* 1497 – Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola.
* 1515 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk are officially married at Greenwich.
* 1568 – Battle of Langside: the forces of Mary Queen of Scots are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother.
* 1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.
* 1648 – Construction of the Red Fort at Delhi is completed.
* 1779 – War of Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from them (the Innviertel).
* 1787 – Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England with eleven ships full of convicts (First Fleet) to establish a penal colony in Australia.
* 1804 – Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derne from the Americans attack the city.
* 1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.
* 1846 – Mexican-American War: The United States declares war on Mexico.
* 1848 – First performance of Finland's national anthem.
* 1861 – American Civil War: Queen Victoria of Britain issues a "proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the breakaway states as having belligerent rights.
* 1861 – The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
* 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Resaca – the battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta, Georgia.
* 1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch – in far south Texas, more than a month after Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender, the last land battle of the Civil War ends with a Confederate victory.
* 1880 – In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway.
* 1888 – With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), Brazil abolishes slavery.
* 1909 – The first Giro d'Italia takes place in Milan. Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna is the winner.
* 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps (now the Royal Air Force) is established in the United Kingdom.
* 1913 – Igor Sikorsky becomes the first man to pilot a four-engine aircraft.
* 1917 – Three children report the first apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal.
* 1939 – The first commercial FM radio station in the United States is launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The station later becomes WDRC-FM.
* 1940 – World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins as the German army crosses the Meuse River. Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons.
* 1940 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands flees the Nazi invasion in the Netherlands to Great Britain. Princess Juliana takes her children to Canada for their safety.
* 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting with German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance.
* 1943 – World War II: German Afrika Korps and Italian troops in North Africa surrender to Allied forces.
* 1948 – 1948 Arab-Israeli War: the Kfar Etzion massacre is committed by Arab irregulars, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel on May 14.
* 1950 – The first round of the Formula 1 World Championship is held at Silverstone.
* 1952 – The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.
* 1954 – The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese Middle School students in Singapore, take place.
* 1958 – During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
* 1958 – The trade mark Velcro is registered.
* 1958 – May 1958 crisis: a group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers, demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria.
* 1960 – Hundreds of UC Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Thirty-one students are arrested, and the Free Speech Movement is born.
* 1967 – Dr. Zakir Hussain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of Indian Union. He holds this position till August 24, 1969.
* 1969 – Race riots, later known as the May 13 Incident, take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
* 1970 - Raptorsurce's own Little Buddah born on this date.
* 1972 – Faulty electrical wiring ignites a fire underneath the Playtown Cabaret in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators cause 118 fatalities, with many victims leaping to their deaths.
* 1980 – An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
* 1981 – Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives.
* 1985 – Police storm MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing 11 MOVE members and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
* 1989 – Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike.
* 1992 – Li Hongzhi gave the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People's Republic of China.
* 1994 – Johnny Carson makes his last television appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
* 1996 – Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.
* 1998 – Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped.
* 1998 – India carries out two nuclear tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
* 2000 – In Enschede, the Netherlands, a fireworks factory explodes, killing 22 people, wounding 950, and resulting in approximately €450 million in damage.
* 2001 – Silvio Berlusconi's House of Freedoms coalition wins the Italian general elections.
* 2005 – The Andijan Massacre occurs in Uzbekistan.
* 2006 – 2006 São Paulo violence: a major rebellion occurs in several prisons in Brazil.
* 2007 – Construction of the Calafat-Vidin Bridge between Romania and Bulgaria begins.
Birthdays today...
* 1024 – Hugh of Cluny, French saint (d. 1109)
* 1254 – Maria of Brabant, queen of France (d. 1321)
* 1588 – Ole Worm, Danish physician (d. 1654)
* 1638 – Richard Simon, French Biblical critic (d. 1712)
* 1655 – Pope Innocent XIII (d. 1724)
* 1699 – Marquis of Pombal, Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1782)
* 1707 – Carl von Linné, Swedish scientist (d. 1778)
* 1712 – Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von Bernstorff, Danish statesman (d. 1772)
* 1717 – Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (d. 1780)
* 1730 – Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1782)
* 1742 – Archduchess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (d. 1798)
* 1753 – Lazare Carnot, French general, politician, and mathematician (d. 1823)
* 1792 – Blessed Pope Pius IX (d. 1878)
* 1794 – Louis-Leopold Robert, French painter (d. 1835)
* 1795 – Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist (d. 1875)
* 1822 – Francis of Assisi of Bourbon, King Consort of Spain (d. 1902)
* 1830 – Zebulon Baird Vance, three-time governor of North Carolina (d. 1894)
* 1840 – Alphonse Daudet, French novelist (d. 1897)
* 1842 – Arthur Sullivan, English composer (d. 1900)
* 1856 – Tom O'Rourke, American boxing manager (d. 1938)
* 1857 – Ronald Ross, English physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1932)
* 1882 – Georges Braque, French painter (d. 1963)
* 1883 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek doctor, inventor of the Pap smear (d. 1962)
* 1894 – Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, 2nd President of Iceland (d. 1972)
* 1898 – Justin Tuveri, Italian veteran of the First World War (d. 2007)
* 1904 – Louis Duffus, South African cricketer (d. 1984)
* 1907 – Dame Daphne du Maurier, English author (d. 1989)
* 1911 – Robert Middleton, American film and television actor (d. 1977)
* 1912 – Gil Evans, Canadian musician (d. 1988)
* 1912 – Judah Nadich, American rabbi (d. 2007)
* 1913 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian president (d. 1980)
* 1914 – Joe Louis, American boxer (d. 1981)
* 1918 – T. Balasaraswati, Bharatanatyam dancer (d. 1984)
* 1920 – Gareth Morris, British flautist (d. 2007)
* 1922 – Michael Ainsworth, British cricketer (d. 1978)
* 1922 – Beatrice Arthur, American actress (d.2009)
* 1923 – Red Garland, American hard bop jazz pianist (d.1984)
* 1924 – Harry Schwarz, South African anti-apartheid politician, lawyer and diplomat
* 1924 – Theodore Mann, American theatre producer and director
* 1926 – Wallace Breem, British author (d. 1990)
* 1927 – Archie Scott-Brown, English race car driver (d. 1958)
* 1927 – Herbert Ross, American director (d. 2001)
* 1928 – Édouard Molinaro, French film actor, director and screenwriter
* 1928 – Enrique Bolaños, President of Nicaragua
* 1928 – Jim Shoulders, Champion rodeo cowboy (d. 2007)
* 1930 – Mike Gravel, Former Democratic Senator of Alaska and 2008 Presidential Candidate
* 1930 – José Jiménez Lozano, Spanish writer
* 1930 – Vernon Shaw, former president of Dominica
* 1931 – Jim Jones, American cult leader (d. 1978)
* 1934 – Leon Wagner, baseball player (d. 2004)
* 1935 – Dominic Cossa, American baritone
* 1937 – Roch Carrier, Canadian novelist
* 1937 – Roger Zelazny, American author (d. 1995)
* 1937 – Trevor Baylis, English inventor of the wind-up radio
* 1937 – Zohra Lampert, American actress
* 1938 – Laurent Beaudoin, French Canadian businessman (Bombardier)
* 1938 – Giuliano Amato, Italian politician
* 1939 – Harvey Keitel, American actor
* 1939 – Hildrun Claus, German athlete
* 1940 – Bruce Chatwin, British writer (d. 1989)
* 1941 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress
* 1941 – Joe Brown, British singer
* 1941 – Ritchie Valens, American singer (d. 1959)
* 1941 – Jody Conradt, American college basketball coach
* 1943 – Kurt Trampedach, Danish artist
* 1943 – Mary Wells, American singer (d. 1992)
* 1944 – Armistead Maupin, American author
* 1945 – Sam Anderson, American actor
* 1945 – Magic Dick, American musician (The J. Geils Band)
* 1947 – Edgar Burcksen, Dutch film editor
* 1949 – Zoë Wanamaker, English-American actress
* 1950 – Stevie Wonder, American singer and musician
* 1950 – Danny Kirwan, British musician (Fleetwood Mac)
* 1950 – Bobby Valentine, Major League baseball manager
* 1951 – Sharon Sayles Belton, Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota
* 1951 – Jim Douglas, American politician, governor of Vermont
* 1951 – Paul Thompson, British rock drummer (Roxy Music)
* 1952 – John Kasich, U.S. Republican Congressman
* 1954 – Johnny Logan, Irish singer and songwriter
* 1956 – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of the Art of Living Foundation
* 1956 – Richard Madeley, Television presenter
* 1957 – Alan Ball, American screenwriter, director, and producer
* 1957 – Koji Suzuki, Japanese writer (Ring, Dark Water)
* 1957 – Andrea Klump, German terrorist
* 1961 – Dennis Rodman, American basketball player and actor
* 1962 – Eduardo Palomo, Mexican actor (d. 2003)
* 1962 – Kathleen Jamie, Scottish poet
* 1962 – Sean McDonough, American sports newscaster
* 1962 – Paul McDermott, Australian comedian
* 1963 – Wally Masur, Australian former tennis player
* 1964 – Stephen Colbert, American comedian and actor
* 1964 – Ronnie Coleman, American bodybuilder
* 1964 – Tom Verica, American actor
* 1965 – José Antonio Delgado, Venezuelan mountain climber (d. 2006)
* 1965 – Hikari Ota, Japanese comedian
* 1965 – Tasmin Little, English violinist
* 1965 – Lari White, American country music singer
* 1966 – Darius Rucker, American singer (Hootie & the Blowfish)
* 1966 – Nikos Aliagas, Greek TV show host
* 1966 – Kamen Vodenicharov, Bulgarian entertainer
* 1967 – Chuck Schuldiner, American musician (Death, Control Denied) (d. 2001)
* 1967 – Melanie Thornton, African American German pop singer, former member of La Bouche. (d. 2001)
* 1968 – Alison Goldfrapp, English musician
* 1968 – Buckethead, Guitarist
* 1968 – Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (d. 1997)
* 1968 – PMD, American rapper
* 1969 – André Schmechta, German musician (X Marks the Pedwalk)
* 1971 – Tom Nalen, American football player
* 1972 – Stefaan Maene, Belgian swimmer
* 1974 – Brian Geraghty, American actor
* 1976 – Mark Delaney, Welsh footballer
* 1977 – Ilse DeLange, Dutch singer
* 1977 – Neil Hopkins, American actor
* 1977 – Samantha Morton, English actress
* 1977 – Robby Hammock, baseball player
* 1978 – Mike Bibby, American basketball player
* 1978 – Ryan Bukvich, American baseball player
* 1978 – Barry Zito, American baseball player
* 1978 – Steve Mildenhall, English football player
* 1978 – Dilshan Vitharana, Sri Lankan cricketer
* 1979 – Prince Carl Philip of Sweden
* 1979 – Lauren Phoenix, pornographic actress
* 1979 – Michael Madden, American musician (Maroon 5)
* 1980 – Waka Inoue, Japanese gravure idol and actress
* 1980 – Mau Marcelo, Filipino singer
* 1980 – Chris Barker (bassist), American Bassist for the band Anti-flag
* 1981 – Jimmy Yang, American wrestler
* 1981 – Sunny Leone, Canadian model
* 1981 – Rebecka Liljeberg, Swedish actress
* 1982 – Yoko Kumada, Japanese gravure idol
* 1982 – Oguchi Onyewu, American footballer
* 1983 – Grégory Lemarchal, French singer (d. 2007)
* 1983 – Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer
* 1983 – Anita Görbicz, Hungarian handball player
* 1985 – Travis Zajac, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1986 – Giuliana Marino, Playboy Playmate of the Year Germany, 2005
* 1986 – Robert Pattinson, English actor, musician and model
* 1986 – Scott Sutter, Swiss footballer
* 1986 – Jared Boll American hockey player
* 1987 – Hunter Parrish, American actor
* 1987 – Carrie Prejean, Miss California USA, 2009
* 1988 – Casey Donovan, Australian singer
* 1993 – Debby Ryan, American actress
Famous deaths...
* 1162 – Géza II of Hungary
* 1176 – Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1119)
* 1312 – Theobald II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1263)
* 1573 – Takeda Shingen, Japanese warlord (b. 1521)
* 1619 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch statesman (b. 1547)
* 1704 – Louis Bourdaloue, French Jesuit preacher (b. 1632)
* 1742 – Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1719)
* 1807 – Eliphalet Dyer, American statesman and judge (b. 1721)
* 1809 – Beilby Porteus, Bishop of London (b. 1731)
* 1832 – Georges Cuvier, French naturalist (b. 1769)
* 1835 – John Nash, English architect (b. 1752)
* 1866 – Nikolai Brashman, Russian mathematician (b. 1796)
* 1871 – Daniel Auber, French composer (b. 1782)
* 1884 – Cyrus McCormick, American inventor (b. 1809)
* 1885 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician (b. 1809)
* 1901 – Leopoldo Alas y Ureña, a.k.a. "Clarín", Spanish novelist and literary critic (b. 1851)
* 1903 – Apolinario Mabini, Filipino political theoretician and Prime Minister (b. 1864)
* 1916 – Sholom Aleichem, Russian author (b. 1859)
* 1921 – Jean Aicard, French poet and novelist (b. 1848)
* 1925 – Boris Savinkov, Russian writer and terrorist (b. 1879)
* 1926 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian Catholic prelate (b. 1857)
* 1930 – Fridtjof Nansen, Nobel Peace Prize winner (b. 1861)
* 1937 – Ekaterina Geladze, mother of Joseph Stalin (b. 1858)
* 1938 – Charles Edouard Guillaume, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
* 1945 – Tubby Hall, American musician (b. 1895)
* 1961 – Gary Cooper, American actor (b. 1901)
* 1962 – Henry Trendley Dean, American dental researcher (b. 1893)
* 1963 – Alois Hudal, bishop, helped Nazi war criminals escape (b. 1885)
* 1972 – Dan Blocker, American actor (b. 1928)
* 1974 – Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican writer (b. 1902)
* 1975 – Bob Wills, American musician (b. 1905)
* 1977 – Mickey Spillane, Irish-American gangster (b. 1934)
* 1985 – Leatrice Joy, American actress (b. 1893)
* 1988 – Chet Baker, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1929)
* 1992 – F. E. McWilliam, Northern Irish sculptor (b. 1909)
* 1994 – Duncan Hamilton, British racing driver (b. 1920)
* 1999 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer (b. 1902)
* 2000 – Paul Bartel, American actor (b. 1938)
* 2000 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese professional wrestler (b. 1951)
* 2001 – R.K. Narayan, Indian novelist (b. 1906)
* 2001 – Jason Miller, American playwright (b. 1939)
* 2002 – Valeri Lobanovsky, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
* 2002 – Ruth Cracknell, Australian actress (b. 1925)
* 2005 – George Dantzig, American mathematician (b. 1914)
* 2005 – Michael Ross, American serial killer (b. 1959)
* 2005 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer (b. 1921)
* 2006 – Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian (b. 1923)
* 2006 – Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (b. 1949)
* 2008 – Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Sheikh of Kuwait (b. 1930)
* 2008 – Ron Stone, American television reporter (b. 1936)
Holidays and observances...
* Commemoration of Julian of Norwich (Roman Catholic).
* Roman Empire – Feast of the Lemures (See Larvae).
* Abbotsbury Garland Day, Dorset, England.
* Rotuma Day in Fiji.
* Our Lady of Fatima
Have a great Wednesday.
~Brian
