Major Events
- 532 Nika riots begin in Constantinople, a revolt against Byzantine Emperor Justinian I that leaves half the city burned and thousands dead. The riots were prompted by the failed execution of chariot racing supporters and only stopped after Empress Theodora refused to flee, forcing her husband to act decisively.
- 1888 The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. for "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge" [1]
- 1908 Henri Farman becomes the first person to fly an observed circuit of more than 1km, winning the Grand Prix d'Aviation
- 1943 Adolf Hitler declares "Total War" against the Allies
- 1970 Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu flees Biafra into exile, leaving his deputy Philip Effiong to surrender to the Nigerian army, unofficially ending the Nigerian Civil War
- 2000 Microsoft chairman Bill Gates steps aside as chief executive and promotes company president Steve Ballmer to the position
- More January 13 Events
Jan 13 in Film & TV
- 1989 British comedy sketch show series "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie debuts on BBC1
Jan 13 in Music
- 1976 Sarah Caldwell is 1st woman to conduct at NYC Metropolitan Opera House as she led orchestra in a performance of "La Traviata"
Jan 13 in Sport
- 1972 Bernice Gera wins anti-discrimination case against the National Baseball Congressl, initiated March 15, 1971 to be allowed to umpire
Did You Know?
Dr. William Brydon, a surgeon in the British Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for (reputedly) being the sole survivor of an army of 16,500 when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad.
Henry II of Castile
Agostino Depretis
Zhou Youguang
Marinus van der Lubbe
Michael Bond
Kevin Anderson
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Patrick Dempsey
Orlando Bloom
Liam Hemsworth
Natalia Dyer
Bob Forsch
Mark O'Meara
Famous Weddings
- 1396 John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, marries 3rd wife Katherine Swynford, mother of four of his children at Lincoln Cathedral
- 1958 American actress Jayne Mansfield (24) weds Hungarian-American bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay (32) at the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, California; divorce in 1964
- 1992 MLB baseball right fielder Sammy Sosa (23) weds Sonia Rodriguez
More January 13 Weddings
Gaius Marius
Victoriano Huerta
Wyatt Earp
James Joyce
Hubert Humphrey
Joe McCarthyArticles, Photos and Quiz
Theodora: An Emperor’s Anchor and Women’s Champion
Once a child prostitute, Theodora went on to become a Roman Empress who put the backbone into her indecisive husband and championed women’s rights.
January 13, 532 AD
Henri Farman Wins the Grand Prix d'Aviation
Henri Farman crosses the line to win the Grand Prix d'Aviation for the first observed circular flight of 1km
January 13, 1908
