April 13: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

13 April is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). There are 262 days remaining. It is also the Ides of April.

Events

• 1055 - Victor II is consecrated pope
• 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor
• 1180 - Frederick Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter
• 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople
• 1598 - Henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes, allowing freedom of religion to the Huguenots
• 1742 - The world premiere of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah in Dublin, Ireland.
• 1829 - The British Parliament grants freedom of religion to Roman Catholics
• 1849 - Hungary becomes a republic
• 1861 - American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders
• 1873 - Colfax Massacre
• 1883 - Alferd Packer is convicted of murder
• 1902 - James C. Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming
• 1919 - The Establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
• 1919 - Amritsar massacre: British and Gurkha troops massacre at least 379 unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar, India
• 1921 - Foundation of the Spanish Communist Workers' Party.
• 1939 - In India, the Hindustani Lal Sena (Indian Red Army) is formed and vows to engage in armed struggle against the British.
• 1941 - Pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed
• 1943 - World War II: The discovery of a mass grave of Polish prisoners-of-war executed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre was announced in Germany, driving a wedge between the Western Allies, the Polish government-in-exile in London, and the Soviet Union.
• 1943 - The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC, on the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth.
• 1945 - German troops massacre more than 1000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen Germany. The atrocity is discovered two days later by American forces.
• 1970 - The oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 explodes, putting the crew into deadly peril.
• 1972 - The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
• 1974 - Western Union (in cooperation with NASA and Hughes Aircraft) launches the USA's first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite, Westar 1.
• 1975 - An attack by Phalangists on a Palestinian bus in Ain El Remmeneh, Lebanon marks the beginning of a 15 year civil war.
• 1983 - Harold Washington is elected as the first African-American mayor in Chicago's history
• 1984 - Pete Rose becomes the first player in National League history to collect 4,000 hits
• 1985 - Enver Hoxha is succeeded by Ramiz Alia as the leader of Albania
• 1986 - Jack Nicklaus wins his sixth Masters Tournament
• 1987 - Portugal and China sign an agreement in which Macau would be returned to China in 1999
• 1990 - The Soviet Union admits to committing the Katyn Massacre
• 1993 - Baseball: Lee Smith passes Jeff Reardon for first on the all-time saves list with his 358th save in a 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers
• 1997 - Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win golf's Masters Tournament
• 2000-Tazz wins ECW world title, first ever match between a WCW contracted wrestler and a WWE contracted wrestler.
• 2003 - The body of Laci Peterson is found in California.
• 2003 - Mike Weir becomes first Canadian and first leftie to win the golf Masters Tournament

• 1506 - Peter Faber, French Jesuit theologian (d. 1546)
• 1519 - Catherine de Medici, queen of Henry II of France (d. 1589)
• 1570 - Guy Fawkes, English conspirator (d. 1606)
• 1584 - Albert VI of Bavaria (d. 1666)
• 1593 - Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English statesman (d. 1641)
• 1618 - Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French writer (d. 1693)
• 1648 - Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, French (d. 1717)
• 1713 - Frederick (Lord) North, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
• 1715 - John Hanson, President of the United States in Congress Assembled (d. 1783)
• 1729 - Thomas Percy, Bishop of Dromore and magazine editor (d. 1811)
• 1735 - Isaac Low, New York delegate to the Continental Congress (d. 1791)
• 1743 - Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States (d. 1826)
• 1747 - Louis Philip II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1793)
• 1764 - Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French marshal (d. 1830)
• 1769 - Thomas Lawrence, English painter (d. 1830)
• 1771 - Richard Trevithick, English engineer and inventor (d. 1833)
• 1780 - Alexander Mitchell, Irish engineer (d. 1868)
• 1784 - Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1877)
• 1787 - John Robertson, U.S. congressman (d. 1873)
• 1802 - Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist (d. 1884)
• 1808 - Antonio Meucci, Italian inventor (d. 1896)
• 1825 - Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1868)
• 1828 - Joseph Barber Lightfoot, English theologian and Bishop of Durham (d. 1889)
• 1832 - Juan Montalvo, Ecuadoran author (d. 1889)
• 1841 - Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor (d. 1905)
• 1850 - Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, British astronomer (d. 1917)
• 1852 - F.W. Woolworth, American businessman (d. 1919)
• 1860 - James Ensor, Belgian painter (d. 1949)
• 1866 - Butch Cassidy, American outlaw (d. 1908)
• 1872 - Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian writer (d. 1945)
• 1873 - John W. Davis, American politician (d. 1955)
• 1875 - Ray Lyman Wilbur, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (d. 1949)
• 1880 - Charles Christie, Canadian film studio owner (d. 1955)
• 1881 - Ludwig Binswanger, Swiss psychiatrist (d. 1966)
• 1885 - Georg Lukács, Hungarian-born philosopher and literary critic (d. 1971)
• 1887 - Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and President of the Canadian Medical Association (d. 1995)
• 1889 - Herbert Osborne Yardley, American cryptographer (d. 1958)
• 1890 - Frank Murphy, American public servant (d. 1949)
• 1891 - Nella Larsen, African-American novelist (d. 1964)
• 1892 - Arthur Travers 'Bomber' Harris, British Air Force commander in World War II (d. 1984)
• 1892 - Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, Scottish inventor (d. 1973)
• 1894 - Arthur Fadden, thirteenth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1973)
• 1897 - Werner Voss, German World War I pilot (d. 1917)
• 1900 - Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (d. 1976)
• 1901 - Jacques Lacan, French psychoanalyst and semanticist (d. 1981)
• 1902 - Philippe de Rothschild, French race car driver and wine grower (d. 1988)
• 1904 - Sir David Robinson, British philanthropist and entrepreneur (d. 1987)
• 1906 - Samuel Beckett, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
• 1907 - Harold Stassen, American Presidential candidate (d. 2001)
• 1909 - Stanislaw Marcin Ulam, Polish mathematician (d. 1984)
• 1909 - Eudora Welty, American writer (d. 2001)
• 1911 - Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer (d.1946)
• 1919 - Roland Gaucher, French journalist
• 1919 - Howard Keel, American actor, singer, and president of the Screen Actors Guild (d. 2004)
• 1919 - Madalyn Murray O'Hair, American atheist (disappeared 1995)
• 1920 - Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (d. 1982)
• 1920 - Claude Cheysson, French politician
• 1920 - Liam Cosgrave, fifth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland
• 1920 - John LaPorta, American musician (d. 2004)
• 1922 - John Braine, British novelist (d. 1986)
• 1922 - Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian politician (d. 1999)
• 1923 - Don Adams, American actor and comedian (d. 2005)
• 1924 - Jack Chick, American evangelist
• 1924 - Stanley Donen, American film director
• 1926 - John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough
• 1928 - Alan Clark, English politician (d. 1999)
• 1931 - Dan Gurney, American race car driver
• 1932 - Orlando Letelier, Chilean politician (d. 1976)
• 1933 - Ben Nighthorse Campbell, U.S. Senator
• 1935 - Lyle Waggoner, American actor
• 1937 - Edward Fox, English actor
• 1937 - Lanford Wilson, American playwright
• 1939 - Seamus Heaney, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1939 - Paul Sorvino, American actor
• 1941 - Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• 1943 - Bill Conti, American musician
• 1944 - Jack Casady, American musician (Jefferson Airplane)
• 1944 - Susan Davis, American politician
• 1945 - Tony Dow, American actor
• 1945 - Bob Kalsu, American football player (d. 1970)
• 1946 - Al Green, American singer and pastor
• 1948 - Sue Doughty, British politician
• 1949 - Frank Doran, Scottish politician
• 1949 - Christopher Hitchens, English-born journalist, critic, and author
• 1950 - Terry Lester, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1950 - Ron Perlman, American actor
• 1950 - William Sadler, American actor
• 1951 - Peabo Bryson, American singer
• 1951 - Peter Davison, English actor
• 1951 - Max Weinberg, American drummer
• 1952 - Ron Dittemore, American space administrator
• 1952 - David Drew, British politician
• 1953 - Stephen Byers, British politician
• 1954 - Niels Olsen, Danish singer and Eurovision Song Contest winner
• 1955 - Ole von Beust, Mayor of Hamburg
• 1955 - Lupe Pintor, Mexican boxer
• 1956 - Peter 'Possum' Bourne, Australian race car driver (d. 2003)
• 1956 - Alison Wheeler, British activist
• 1957 - Saundra Santiago, American actress
• 1960 - Rudi Völler, German football coach
• 1962 - Hillel Slovak, Israeli-born guitarist (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (d. 1988)
• 1962 - Jennifer Rubin, American actress
• 1963 - Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player
• 1964 - Caroline Rhea, Canadian actress
• 1970 - Rick Schroder, American actor
• 1970 - Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer
• 1971 - Bo Outlaw, American basketball player
• 1972 - Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish hockey player
• 1972 - Aaron Lewis, American singer
• 1974 - Sergei Gonchar, Russian hockey player
• 1975 - Lou Bega, German-born musician and artist
• 1976 - Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1976 - Patrik Elias, Czech hockey player
• 1977 - Gerard Way, American singer (My Chemical Romance)
• 1978 - Arron Asham, Canadian hockey player
• 1979 - Baron Davis, American basketball player
• 1980 - Quentin Richardson, American basketball player
• 1983 - Aaron Miles, American basketball player
• 1997 - Sloane Momsen, American actress

• 799 - Paul the Deacon, Italian monk and chronicler
• 814 - Krum, khan of Bulgaria
• 1093 - Prince Vsevolod I of Kiev (b. 1093)
• 1279 - Boleslaus the Pious, Polish duke
• 1605 - Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia
• 1635 - Fahkr-al-Din II, Druze prince of Lebanon (executed)
• 1638 - Henri, duc de Rohan, French Huguenot leader (b. 1579)
• 1641 - Richard Montagu, English clergyman (b. 1577)
• 1695 - Jean de la Fontaine, French author (b. 1621)
• 1722 - Charles Leslie, Irish Anglican theologian (b. 1650)
• 1793 - Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, French revolutionary (b. 1763)
• 1794 - Nicolas Chamfort, French writer (b. 1741)
• 1826 - Franz Danzi, German composer (b. 1763)
• 1853 - Leopold Gmelin, German chemist (b. 1788)
• 1853 - James Iredell, Jr., Governor of North Carolina 1b. 1788)
• 1855 - Henry De la Beche, English geologist (b. 1796)
• 1868 - Tewodros II, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1818)
• 1880 - Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist (b. 1813)
• 1882 - Bruno Bauer, German theologian (b. 1809)
• 1909 - Whitley Stokes, British lawyer (b. 1830)
• 1910 - William Quiller Orchardson, British painter (b. 1835)
• 1911 - George Washington Glick, Governor of Kansas (b. 1827)
• 1911 - John McLane, Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1852)
• 1912 - Ishikawa Takuboku, Japanese author (b. 1886)
• 1925 - Elwood Haynes, American automobile pioneer
• 1938 - Grey Owl, proponent of nature conservation (b. 1888)
• 1941 - Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer (b. 1863)
• 1944 - Cécile Chaminade, French composer and pianist (b. 1857)
• 1945 - Ernst Cassirer, German philosopher (b. 1874)
• 1962 - Culbert Olson, Governor of California (b. 1876)
• 1966 - Abdul Salam Arif, President of Iraq (b. 1921)
• 1975 - Larry Parks, American actor (b. 1914)
• 1975 - François (Ngarta) Tombalbaye, first President of Chad (b. 1918)
• 1978 - Jack Chambers, Canadian artist and film maker (b. 1931)
• 1981 - Prince Asaka Yasuhiko of Japan (b. 1887)
• 1984 - Richard Hurndall. British actor (b. 1910)
• 1984 - Ralph Kirkpatrick, American musician (b. 1911)
• 1993 - Wallace Stegner, American writer (car accident) (b. 1909)
• 1997 - Dorothy Frooks, American author, publisher, military figure, and actress (b. 1896)
• 1999 - Ortvin Sarapu, New Zealand chess player "Mr NZ Chess" (b. 1924)
• 1999 - Willi Stoph, German politician (b. 1914)
• 2000 - Giorgio Bassani, Italian writer (b. 1916)
• 2004 - Lou Berberet, baseball player (b. 1929)
• 2004 - Caron Keating, British television presenter (b. 1962)
• 2005 - Johnnie Johnson, American musician (b. 1924)

• First day of Thai New Year

• Easter - 2036

April 12 - April 14 - March 13 - May 13 -- listing of all days