📅 On This Day in History

What Happened on September 13th in History

60 historical events on this date

1922

The final act of the Greco-Turkish War, the Great Fire of Smyrna, commences.

The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 was fought between Greece and the Turkish National Movement during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, between 15 May 1919 and...

1922

The final act of the Greco-Turkish War, the Great Fire of Smyrna, commences.

The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 was fought between Greece and the Turkish National Movement during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, between 15 May 1919 and...

1923

Following a military coup in Spain, Miguel Primo de Rivera takes over, setting up a dictatorship.

Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, GE, was a Spanish dictator and military officer who ruled as prime minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during the last years of the Bourbon...

1923

Following a military coup in Spain, Miguel Primo de Rivera takes over, setting up a dictatorship.

Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, GE, was a Spanish dictator and military officer who ruled as prime minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during the last years of the Bourbon...

1933

Elizabeth McCombs becomes the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament.

Elizabeth Reid McCombs was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party who in 1933 became the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament. New Zealand women gained the right to vote in 1893,...

1933

Elizabeth McCombs becomes the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament.

Elizabeth Reid McCombs was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party who in 1933 became the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament. New Zealand women gained the right to vote in 1893,...

1942

World War II: Second day of the Battle of Edson's Ridge in the Guadalcanal Campaign. U.S. Marines successfully defeat attacks by the Japanese with heavy losses for the Japanese forces.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major...

1942

World War II: Second day of the Battle of Edson's Ridge in the Guadalcanal Campaign. U.S. Marines successfully defeat attacks by the Japanese with heavy losses for the Japanese forces.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major...

1944

World War II: Start of the Battle of Meligalas between the Greek Resistance forces of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) and the collaborationist security battalions.

The Battle of Meligalas took place during the Axis occupation of Greece in Meligalas in southwestern Greece on 13–15 September 1944. Greek Resistance forces of the Greek People's Liberation Army...

1944

World War II: Start of the Battle of Meligalas between the Greek Resistance forces of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) and the collaborationist security battalions.

The Battle of Meligalas took place during the Axis occupation of Greece in Meligalas in southwestern Greece on 13–15 September 1944. Greek Resistance forces of the Greek People's Liberation Army...

1948

Deputy Prime Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel orders the Army to move into Hyderabad to integrate it with the Indian Union.

Vallabhbhai Patel, commonly known as Sardar Patel, was a Gandhian Indian independence activist, lawyer and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India from...

1948

Margaret Chase Smith is elected United States senator, and becomes the first woman to serve in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

Margaret Madeline Chase Smith was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a U.S. representative (1940–1949) and a U.S. senator (1949–1973) from Maine. She was the...

1948

Deputy Prime Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel orders the Army to move into Hyderabad to integrate it with the Indian Union.

Vallabhbhai Patel, commonly known as Sardar Patel, was a Gandhian Indian independence activist, lawyer and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India from...

1948

Margaret Chase Smith is elected United States senator, and becomes the first woman to serve in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

Margaret Madeline Chase Smith was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a U.S. representative (1940–1949) and a U.S. senator (1949–1973) from Maine. She was the...

1953

Nikita Khrushchev is appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. As leader of the...

1953

Nikita Khrushchev is appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. As leader of the...

1956

The IBM 305 RAMAC is introduced, the first commercial computer to use disk storage.

The IBM 305 RAMAC was the first commercial computer that used a moving-head hard disk drive for secondary storage. The system was publicly announced on September 14, 1956, with test units already...

1956

The dike around the Dutch polder East Flevoland is closed.

A levee, is an elevated ridge alongside the banks of a river, often intended to protect against flooding of the area adjoining the river. Alternatively, it is called a dike, dyke, floodbank, or stop...

1956

The IBM 305 RAMAC is introduced, the first commercial computer to use disk storage.

The IBM 305 RAMAC was the first commercial computer that used a moving-head hard disk drive for secondary storage. The system was publicly announced on September 14, 1956, with test units already...

1956

The dike around the Dutch polder East Flevoland is closed.

A levee, is an elevated ridge alongside the banks of a river, often intended to protect against flooding of the area adjoining the river. Alternatively, it is called a dike, dyke, floodbank, or stop...

1962

An appeals court orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, the first African-American student admitted to the segregated university.

James Howard Meredith is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African-American student admitted to the...

1962

An appeals court orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, the first African-American student admitted to the segregated university.

James Howard Meredith is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African-American student admitted to the...

1964

South Vietnamese Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Dương Văn Đức fail in a coup attempt against General Nguyễn Khánh.

The Army of the Republic of Vietnam composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground...

1964

Martin Luther King Jr. addresses a crowd of 20,000 West Berliners on Sunday, in Waldbühne.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He advanced civil...

1964

South Vietnamese Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Dương Văn Đức fail in a coup attempt against General Nguyễn Khánh.

The Army of the Republic of Vietnam composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground...

1964

Martin Luther King Jr. addresses a crowd of 20,000 West Berliners on Sunday, in Waldbühne.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He advanced civil...

1968

Cold War: Albania leaves the Warsaw Pact.

The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist...

1968

Cold War: Albania leaves the Warsaw Pact.

The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist...

1971

State police and National Guardsmen storm New York's Attica Prison to quell a prison revolt, which claimed 43 lives.

The National Guard is a military reserve organization of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It is composed of reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air...

1971

Chairman Mao Zedong's second in command and successor Marshal Lin Biao flees China after the failure of an alleged coup. His plane crashes in Mongolia, killing all aboard.

Mao Zedong was a Chinese revolutionary, politician, writer, political theorist and the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He led China from the PRC's establishment in October 1949...

1971

State police and National Guardsmen storm New York's Attica Prison to quell a prison revolt, which claimed 43 lives.

The National Guard is a military reserve organization of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It is composed of reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air...

1971

Chairman Mao Zedong's second in command and successor Marshal Lin Biao flees China after the failure of an alleged coup. His plane crashes in Mongolia, killing all aboard.

Mao Zedong was a Chinese revolutionary, politician, writer, political theorist and the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He led China from the PRC's establishment in October 1949...

1979

South Africa grants independence to the "homeland" of Venda (not recognised outside South Africa).

Venda, officially the Republic of Venda, was a Bantustan in northern South Africa. It was fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, while, to the south and east, it shared...

1979

South Africa grants independence to the "homeland" of Venda (not recognised outside South Africa).

Venda, officially the Republic of Venda, was a Bantustan in northern South Africa. It was fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, while, to the south and east, it shared...

1982

Spantax Flight 995 crashes at Málaga Airport during a rejected takeoff, killing 50 of the 394 people on board.

Spantax Flight 995 was an international charter flight from Madrid–Barajas Airport to New York via Málaga Airport. On 13 September 1982, when the DC-10 aircraft was rolling for take-off from Malaga,...

1982

Spantax Flight 995 crashes at Málaga Airport during a rejected takeoff, killing 50 of the 394 people on board.

Spantax Flight 995 was an international charter flight from Madrid–Barajas Airport to New York via Málaga Airport. On 13 September 1982, when the DC-10 aircraft was rolling for take-off from Malaga,...

1985

Super Mario Bros. is released in Japan for the NES, which starts the Super Mario series of platforming games.

Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Directed and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the successor to the 1983...

1985

Super Mario Bros. is released in Japan for the NES, which starts the Super Mario series of platforming games.

Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Directed and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the successor to the 1983...

1986

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Kalamata, Greece with a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing at least 20 and causing heavy damage in the city.

The 1986 Kalamata earthquake struck the southern Peloponnese Region of Greece on September 13 at 20:24 local time. The 12.5 km (7.8 mi) deep moment magnitude (Mw ) 5.9 earthquake had an epicenter...

1986

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Kalamata, Greece with a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing at least 20 and causing heavy damage in the city.

The 1986 Kalamata earthquake struck the southern Peloponnese Region of Greece on September 13 at 20:24 local time. The 12.5 km (7.8 mi) deep moment magnitude (Mw ) 5.9 earthquake had an epicenter...

1987

Goiânia accident: A radioactive object is stolen from an abandoned hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, contaminating many people in the following weeks and causing some to die from radiation poisoning.

The Goiânia accident ), also known locally as the Caesium-137 accident, was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on September 13, 1987, in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, after an unsecured...

1987

Goiânia accident: A radioactive object is stolen from an abandoned hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, contaminating many people in the following weeks and causing some to die from radiation poisoning.

The Goiânia accident ), also known locally as the Caesium-137 accident, was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on September 13, 1987, in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, after an unsecured...

1988

Hurricane Gilbert is the strongest recorded hurricane in the Western Hemisphere, later replaced by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 (based on barometric pressure).

Hurricane Gilbert was a large and extremely powerful tropical cyclone that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season, which peaked as a Category 5 hurricane. The storm brought widespread...

1988

Hurricane Gilbert is the strongest recorded hurricane in the Western Hemisphere, later replaced by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 (based on barometric pressure).

Hurricane Gilbert was a large and extremely powerful tropical cyclone that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season, which peaked as a Category 5 hurricane. The storm brought widespread...

1989

Largest anti-Apartheid march in South Africa, led by Desmond Tutu.

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an authoritarian political...

1989

Largest anti-Apartheid march in South Africa, led by Desmond Tutu.

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an authoritarian political...

1993

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shakes hands with Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat at the White House after signing the Oslo Accords granting limited Palestinian autonomy.

Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli statesman and general who was the prime minister of Israel, having served from 1974 to 1977 and again from 1992 until his assassination in 1995. He was the first prime...

1993

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shakes hands with Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat at the White House after signing the Oslo Accords granting limited Palestinian autonomy.

Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli statesman and general who was the prime minister of Israel, having served from 1974 to 1977 and again from 1992 until his assassination in 1995. He was the first prime...

1997

A German Air Force Tupolev Tu-154 and a United States Air Force Lockheed C-141 Starlifter collide in mid-air near Namibia, killing 33.

The German Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of Germany. The Luftwaffe was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the...

1997

A German Air Force Tupolev Tu-154 and a United States Air Force Lockheed C-141 Starlifter collide in mid-air near Namibia, killing 33.

The German Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of Germany. The Luftwaffe was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the...

2001

Civilian aircraft traffic resumes in the United States after the September 11 attacks.

The September 11 attacks, colloquially known as 9/11, were a coordinated series of suicide attacks perpetrated by the Islamic terrorist organization al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001....

2001

Civilian aircraft traffic resumes in the United States after the September 11 attacks.

The September 11 attacks, colloquially known as 9/11, were a coordinated series of suicide attacks perpetrated by the Islamic terrorist organization al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001....

2007

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a legally non-binding United Nations resolution passed by the General Assembly on September 13, 2007, that delineates and defines the...

2007

The McLaren F1 team are found guilty of possessing confidential information from the Ferrari team, fined $100 million, and excluded from the constructors' championship standings.

McLaren Racing Limited, currently competing in Formula One as McLaren Mastercard F1 Team, is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team...

2007

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a legally non-binding United Nations resolution passed by the General Assembly on September 13, 2007, that delineates and defines the...

2007

The McLaren F1 team are found guilty of possessing confidential information from the Ferrari team, fined $100 million, and excluded from the constructors' championship standings.

McLaren Racing Limited, currently competing in Formula One as McLaren Mastercard F1 Team, is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team...

2008

Delhi, India, is hit by a series of bomb blasts, resulting in 30 deaths and 130 injuries.

Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a megacity and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread...

2008

Delhi, India, is hit by a series of bomb blasts, resulting in 30 deaths and 130 injuries.

Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a megacity and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread...

2013

Taliban insurgents attack the United States consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, with two members of the Afghan National Police reported dead and about 20 civilians injured.

The Taliban, officially known as the Islamic Movement of Taliban, also referring to themselves by their state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the Afghan ruling government, as well as a...

2013

Taliban insurgents attack the United States consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, with two members of the Afghan National Police reported dead and about 20 civilians injured.

The Taliban, officially known as the Islamic Movement of Taliban, also referring to themselves by their state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the Afghan ruling government, as well as a...