We share “This Day in History” every day to help make our readers well-rounded and informed. It offers a chance to learn, appreciate our culture, make better decisions, and see the world from a wider perspective. Through understanding past events, we aim to help readers engage more with the present and future.
  • 13th February, 1542
    Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery.
  • 13th February, 1668
    Spain recognizes Portugal as an independent nation.
  • 13th February, 1689
    William and Mary are proclaimed co-rulers of England.
  • 13th February, 1866
    Jesse James commits his first confirmed bank robbery in Liberty, Missouri.
  • 13th February, 1914
    The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is established in New York City.
  • 13th February, 1920
    The Negro National League is formed in Kansas City, Missouri.
  • 13th February, 1945
    The Budapest Offensive concludes with the Soviet Union capturing Budapest, Hungary from Nazi forces.
  • 13th February, 1960
    France tests its first atomic bomb in the Sahara Desert in Algeria.
  • 13th February, 1967
    American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain.
  • 13th February, 1974
    Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Nobel Prize-winning Russian novelist is expelled from the Soviet Union.
  • 13th February, 1980
    The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is held in Lake Placid, New York.
  • 13th February, 1996
    The rock musical "Rent" by Jonathan Larson premieres off-Broadway.
  • 13th February, 2000
    The last original "Peanuts" comic strip appears in newspapers one day after Charles M. Schulz dies.
  • 13th February, 2004
    The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics discovers the universe's largest known diamond in a star.
  • 13th February, 2008
    Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations.
  • 13th February, 2011
    The 53rd Grammy Awards: Lady Antebellum wins Record of the Year for "Need You Now".
  • 13th February, 2014
    Bobsleigh pilot Steven Holcomb and his team win the Olympic bronze medal in Sochi, upgrading USA-1's result from 2010.
  • 13th February, 2016
    Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court passes away, leaving a vacancy on the court.
  • 13th February, 2018
    South African President Jacob Zuma resigns amid corruption allegations.
  • 13th February, 2020
    The film "Parasite" by Bong Joon-ho wins four Oscars at the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

NOTE: WHILE THE EVENTS LISTED ABOVE ARE FACTUAL, SOME SPECIFICS ARE ADDED BASED ON GENERALIZED KNOWLEDGE AND MAY NOT HAVE OCCURRED EXACTLY ON THAT DATE.
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