March 13
Events
Pre-1600
- 222 - Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
- 624 - The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
- 1323 - Siege of Warangal: Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq sends an expeditionary army led by his son, Muhammad bin Tughluq, to the Kakatiya capital Warangal – after ruler Prataparudra has refused to make tribute payments. He besieges the city and finally, after a campaign of 8 months, Prataparudra surrenders on November 9.
- 1567 - The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
- 1591 - At the Battle of Tondibi in Mali, Moroccan forces of the Saadi dynasty, led by Judar Pasha, defeat the Songhai Empire, despite being outnumbered by at least five to one.
1601–1900
- 1639 - Harvard College is named after clergyman John Harvard.
- 1697 - Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, falls to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.
- 1741 - The Battle of Cartagena de Indias begins.
- 1781 - William Herschel discovers Uranus.
- 1809 - Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden is deposed in the Coup of 1809.
- 1811 - A French and Italian fleet is defeated by a British squadron off the island of Vis in the Adriatic during the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1815 - Participants at the Congress of Vienna declare Napoleon an outlaw following his escape from Elba
- 1826 - Pope Leo XII publishes the apostolic constitution Quo Graviora in which he renewed the prohibition on Catholics joining freemasonry.
- 1845 - Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto receives its première performance in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as soloist.
- 1848 - The German revolutions of 1848–1849 begin in Vienna.
- 1862 - The Act Prohibiting the Return of Slaves is passed by the United States Congress, effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and setting the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation.
- 1884 - The Siege of Khartoum begins. It lasts until January 26, 1885.
- 1888 - The eruption of Ritter Island triggers tsunamis that kill up to 3,000 people on nearby islands.
- 1900 - British forces occupy Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, during the Second Boer War.
1901–present
- 1920 - The Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic government from Berlin.
- 1930 - The news of the discovery of Pluto is announced by Lowell Observatory.
- 1940 - The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union officially ends after the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty.
- 1943 - The Holocaust: German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Kraków.
- 1954 - The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ begins with an artillery barrage by Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp; Viet Minh victory led to the end of the First Indochina War and French withdrawal from Vietnam.
- 1957 - Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista.
- 1964 - Kitty Genovese is murdered in New York City, prompting research into the bystander effect due to the false story that neighbors witnessed the killing and did nothing to help her.
- 1969 - Apollo 9 returns safely to Earth after testing the Lunar Module.
- 1974 - Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802 crashes into the White Mountains near Bishop, California, killing 36.
- 1979 - The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts the Prime Minister of Grenada, Eric Gairy, in a coup d'état.
- 1988 - The Seikan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world with an undersea segment, opens between Aomori and Hakodate, Japan.
- 1989 - Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-29 carrying the TDRS-4 satellite.
- 1992 - The 6.6 Erzincan earthquake strikes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII.
- 1993 - The 1993 Storm of the Century affects the eastern United States, dropping feet of snow in many areas.
- 1996 - The Dunblane massacre leads to the death of sixteen primary school children and one teacher in Dunblane, Scotland.
- 1997 - The Missionaries of Charity choose Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as their leader.
- 2003 - An article in Nature identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints.
- 2012 - The Sierre coach crash kills 28 people, including 22 children.
- 2013 - The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
- 2016 - The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people.
- 2016 - Three gunmen attack two hotels in the Ivory Coast town of Grand-Bassam, killing at least 19 people.
- 2020 - President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency in the United States.
- 2020 - Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality.
- 2020 - Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as the first female President of Greece amid strict COVID-19 measures.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1372 - Louis I, Duke of Orléans
- 1479 - Lazarus Spengler, German hymnwriter
- 1560 - William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Dutch count
- 1593 - Georges de La Tour, French painter
- 1599 - John Berchmans, Belgian Jesuit scholastic and saint
1601–1900
- 1615 - Innocent XII, pope of the Catholic Church
- 1683 - Johann Wilhelm Weinmann, German botanist
- 1700 - Michel Blavet, French flute player and composer
- 1719 - John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex
- 1720 - Charles Bonnet, Swiss historian and author
- 1741 - Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1763 - Guillaume Brune, French general and diplomat
- 1764 - Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1770 - Daniel Lambert, English animal breeder
- 1781 - Karl Friedrich Schinkel, German painter and architect, designed the Konzerthaus Berlin
- 1798 - Abigail Fillmore, American wife of Millard Fillmore, 14th First Lady of the United States
- 1800 - Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Ottoman politician, 212th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
- 1815 - James Curtis Hepburn, American physician, linguist, and missionary
- 1825 - Hans Gude, Norwegian-German painter and academic
- 1855 - Percival Lowell, American astronomer and mathematician
- 1857 - B. H. Roberts, English-American historian and politician
- 1860 - Hugo Wolf, Slovene-Austrian composer
- 1862 - Paul Prosper Henrys, French general
- 1864 - Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian-German painter
- 1870 - William Glackens, American painter and illustrator
- 1874 - Ellery Harding Clark, American jumper, coach, and lawyer
- 1880 - Josef Gočár, Czech architect
- 1883 - Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer
- 1884 - Hugh Walpole, New Zealand-English author and educator
- 1886 - Home Run Baker, American baseball player and manager
- 1886 - Albert William Stevens, American captain and photographer
- 1888 - Paul Morand, French author and diplomat
- 1890 - Fritz Busch, German conductor and director
- 1892 - Janet Flanner, American journalist and author
- 1897 - Yeghishe Charents, Armenian poet and activist
- 1898 - Henry Hathaway, American director and producer
- 1899 - John Hasbrouck Van Vleck, American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1899 - Pancho Vladigerov, Bulgarian pianist and composer
- 1900 - Andrée Bosquet, Belgian painter
- 1900 - Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate
1901–present
- 1902 - Hans Bellmer, German-French painter and sculptor
- 1904 - Clifford Roach, Trinidadian cricketer and footballer
- 1907 - Dorothy Tangney, Australian politician
- 1908 - Walter Annenberg, American publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
- 1908 - Myrtle Bachelder, American chemist and Women's Army Corps officer
- 1910 - Sammy Kaye, American saxophonist, songwriter, and bandleader
- 1910 - Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author
- 1911 - José Ardévol, Cuban composer and conductor
- 1911 - L. Ron Hubbard, American author, founder of Scientology
- 1913 - William J. Casey, American politician, 13th Director of Central Intelligence
- 1913 - Sergey Mikhalkov, Russian author and playwright
- 1914 - W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright
- 1914 - Edward O'Hare, American lieutenant and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient
- 1916 - Lindy Boggs, American educator and politician, 5th United States Ambassador to the Holy See
- 1916 - Jacque Fresco, American engineer and academic
- 1920 - Ralph J. Roberts, American businessman, co-founded Comcast
- 1921 - Al Jaffee, American cartoonist
- 1923 - Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek general
- 1925 - Roy Haynes, American drummer and composer
- 1926 - Carlos Roberto Reina, Honduran lawyer and politician, President of Honduras
- 1929 - Zbigniew Messner, Polish economist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
- 1930 - Walter Jacob, American Reform rabbi
- 1933 - Diane Dillon, American illustrator
- 1933 - Mahdi Elmandjra, Moroccan economist and sociologist
- 1933 - Gero von Wilpert, German author and academic
- 1935 - David Nobbs, English author and screenwriter
- 1938 - Robert Gammage, American captain and politician
- 1939 - Neil Sedaka, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1941 - Donella Meadows, American environmentalist, author, and academic
- 1941 - Lee Moses, American R&B Soul Singer and Guitarist
- 1942 - Dave Cutler, American computer scientist and engineer
- 1942 - Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet and author
- 1942 - Scatman John, American singer-songwriter
- 1942 - George Negus, Australian journalist and television host
- 1944 - Terence Burns, Baron Burns, English economist and academic
- 1945 - Anatoly Fomenko, Russian mathematician and academic
- 1946 - Yonatan Netanyahu, American-Israeli colonel
- 1947 - Lesley Collier, English ballerina and educator
- 1947 - Beat Richner, Swiss pediatrician and cellist
- 1947 - Lyn St. James, American race car driver
- 1949 - Ze'ev Bielski, Israeli politician
- 1949 - Sian Elias, New Zealand lawyer and politician, 12th Chief Justice of New Zealand
- 1949 – Trevor Sorbie, Scottish hairdresser
- 1950 - Joe Bugner, Hungarian-British boxer and actor
- 1950 - Bernard Julien, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1950 - Charles Krauthammer, American physician, journalist, and author
- 1950 - William H. Macy, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1952 - Wolfgang Rihm, German composer and educator
- 1952 - Tim Sebastian, English journalist and author
- 1953 - Andy Bean, American golfer
- 1953 - Michael Curry, American bishop, 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
- 1953 - Deborah Raffin, American actress
- 1954 - Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos, Guyanese-English politician and diplomat
- 1954 - Robin Duke, Canadian actress and screenwriter
- 1955 - Bruno Conti, Italian footballer and manager
- 1955 - Glenne Headly, American actress
- 1955 - Olga Rukavishnikova, Russian pentathlete
- 1956 - Dana Delany, American actress and producer
- 1956 - Jamie Dimon, North-American businessman and banker
- 1957 - John Hoeven, American banker and politician, 31st Governor of North Dakota
- 1957 - Moses Hogan, American composer and conductor
- 1958 - Mágico González, Salvadoran footballer
- 1958 - Rick Lazio, American lawyer and politician
- 1958 - Caryl Phillips, Caribbean-English author and playwright
- 1959 - Dirk Wellham, Australian cricketer
- 1960 - Adam Clayton, English-Irish musician and songwriter
- 1960 - Joe Ranft, American animator, screenwriter, and voice actor
- 1962 - Alfredo Maia, Portuguese politician
- 1963 - Mariano Duncan, Dominican baseball player and manager
- 1963 - Vance Johnson, American football player
- 1963 - Fito Páez, Argentine musician, songwriter and filmmaker
- 1964 - Will Clark, American baseball player
- 1964 - Craig Dimond, Australian rugby league player
- 1964 - Trevor Gillmeister, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1966 - Chico Science, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1967 - Andrés Escobar, Colombian footballer
- 1967 - Pieter Vink, Dutch footballer and referee
- 1969 - Darren Fritz, Australian rugby league player
- 1970 - Tim Story, American director and producer
- 1971 - Annabeth Gish, American actress
- 1971 - Allan Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager
- 1971 - Adina Porter, American actress
- 1972 - Common, American rapper and actor
- 1972 - Trent Dilfer, American football player, coach, and analyst
- 1973 - Edgar Davids, Surinamese-Dutch footballer and manager
- 1973 - David Draiman, American singer-songwriter
- 1973 - Bobby Jackson, American basketball player and coach
- 1974 - James Brinkley, Scottish cricketer
- 1974 - Thomas Enqvist, Swedish tennis player and sportscaster
- 1975 - Mark Clattenburg, English football referee
- 1976 - Troy Hudson, American basketball player and rapper
- 1976 - Danny Masterson, American actor and producer
- 1978 - Tom Danielson, American cyclist
- 1979 - Johan Santana, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1979 - Cédric Van Branteghem, Belgian sprinter
- 1980 - Caron Butler, American basketball player
- 1980 - Brad Watts, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 - Izi Castro Marques, Brazilian basketball player
- 1982 - Nicole Ohlde, American basketball player
- 1983 - Kaitlin Sandeno, American swimmer
- 1984 - Geeta Basra, Indian actress
- 1985 - Alcides, Brazilian footballer
- 1985 - Emile Hirsch, American actor
- 1986 - Neil Wagner, South African-New Zealand cricketer
- 1987 - Marco Andretti, American race car driver
- 1987 - Andreas Beck, German footballer
- 1988 - Furdjel Narsingh, Dutch footballer
- 1989 - Holger Badstuber, German footballer
- 1989 - Peaches Geldof, English columnist, television personality, and model
- 1989 - Sandy León, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1989 - Marko Marin, German footballer
- 1989 - Robert Wickens, Canadian racing driver
- 1990 - Anicet Abel, Malagasy footballer
- 1990 - Marcell Dareus, American football player
- 1991 - Daniel Greig, Australian speed skater
- 1991 - Tristan Thompson, American basketball player
- 1992 - Lucy Fry, Australian actress
- 1992 - George MacKay, English actor
- 1992 - Ozuna, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and rapper
- 1992 - L, South Korean actor and singer
- 1993 - Tyrone Mings, English footballer
- 1994 - Gerard Deulofeu, Spanish footballer
- 1994 - Mohammed Siraj, Indian cricketer
- 1995 - Mikaela Shiffrin, American skier
- 1995 - Jang Su-jeong, South Korean tennis player
- 1996 - Brayden Point, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1997 - Pyper America, American model, actress, and musician
- 1997 - Landry Shamet, American basketball player
- 1998 - Jay-Roy Grot, Dutch footballer
- 1998 - Jack Harlow, American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor
- 2001 - Beomgyu, South Korean singer-songwriter
- 2001 - Thomas Dearden, Australian rugby league player
- 2002 - Frank Gore Jr., American football player
- 2004 - Coco Gauff, American tennis player