304 Lucia of Syracuse was a Christian martyr who was martyred in 304 during the Diocletianic Persecution. Lucia had vowed her virginity to God and when a disappointed suitor accused her of being a Christian, she was executed. Her feast day, known as Saint Lucy's Day, is celebrated in the West on December 13. The Caribbean island of St Lucia was named after her.
1250 Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, died peacefully, wearing the habit of a Cistercian monk, on December 13, 1250 in Castel Fiorentino near Lucera, Sicily, after an attack of dysentery. For about a century after his death, legend had it that Frederick was still alive. He was said to be residing in a cave in the Kyffhauser Mountains and would return as the latter-day emperor to punish the worldly church.
1466 Donatello, the greatest of the early Tuscan sculptors, died on December 13, 1466. Donatello may be regarded as the founder of modern sculpture, as the first producer since classical times of statues complete and independent in themselves, and not mere adjuncts of their architectural surroundings.
1545 The Holy Roman emperor Charles V persuaded Pope Paul III to call the Council of Trent with four cardinals, four archbishops and twenty-one bishops present. The Catholic emperor was concerned about the activities of the Protestant reformers and he wished to inaugurate a Catholic Counter-Reformation. Pope Paul III convened the council at Trento on December 13, 1545.
1553 Henry IV of France was born on December 13, 1553 in Pau, a city on the northern edge of the Pyrenees, in the southwest of France. He was the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. Pau is the only city in Europe that can boast of having witnessed two Kings at the origin of a dynasty, which is still the case in the 21st century: Henry IV of France and Charles XIV John of Sweden, born in 1763.
1577 Sir Francis Drake left Plymouth, England on December 13, 1577 on an expedition to the Pacific. Drake's ship, the Golden Hind, was separated from the others around Cape Horn. Three years later the Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth having completed the second circumnavigation of the world with treasure on board worth £600,000. The Queen's half-share of the cargo surpassed the rest of the crown's income for that entire year.
1605 Il Banco di Santo Spirito (The Bank of the Holy Spirit) was a bank founded by Pope Paul V on December 13, 1605. The bank played a crucial role in managing the Papal States' finances, issuing currency, and providing loans to the government and private individuals. The Bank was the first national bank in Europe (as the bank of the Papal States).
1636 The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized three militia regiments: the North, South, and East Regiments on December 12, 1636. The establishment of these militia units was a response to the need for a trained military force to protect the colonies and respond to potential threats. Over time, these colonial militias evolved into what is now recognized as the National Guard of the United States,
1784 English poet and lexicographer Samuel Johnson died on December 13, 1784. Johnson confided to his friend and biographer Boswell that he hoped his cemetery slab would be placed at a sufficient height from his coffin so as to avoid damage to his body. He wanted his body intact to meet his maker.
1816 German electrical engineer Werner von Siemens was born on December 13, 1816. He founded Siemens & Halske with Johann Georg Halske in 1847. He founded Siemens & Halske with Johann Georg Halske in 1847. In 1848, the company built the first long-distance telegraph line in Europe; 500 km from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main. The company has been known as Siemens since 1966 and is today the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe.
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| Saint Lucy, by Francesco del Cossa (c. 1430 – c. 1477) |
1250 Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, died peacefully, wearing the habit of a Cistercian monk, on December 13, 1250 in Castel Fiorentino near Lucera, Sicily, after an attack of dysentery. For about a century after his death, legend had it that Frederick was still alive. He was said to be residing in a cave in the Kyffhauser Mountains and would return as the latter-day emperor to punish the worldly church.
1466 Donatello, the greatest of the early Tuscan sculptors, died on December 13, 1466. Donatello may be regarded as the founder of modern sculpture, as the first producer since classical times of statues complete and independent in themselves, and not mere adjuncts of their architectural surroundings.
1545 The Holy Roman emperor Charles V persuaded Pope Paul III to call the Council of Trent with four cardinals, four archbishops and twenty-one bishops present. The Catholic emperor was concerned about the activities of the Protestant reformers and he wished to inaugurate a Catholic Counter-Reformation. Pope Paul III convened the council at Trento on December 13, 1545.
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| The Council of Trent |
1553 Henry IV of France was born on December 13, 1553 in Pau, a city on the northern edge of the Pyrenees, in the southwest of France. He was the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. Pau is the only city in Europe that can boast of having witnessed two Kings at the origin of a dynasty, which is still the case in the 21st century: Henry IV of France and Charles XIV John of Sweden, born in 1763.
1577 Sir Francis Drake left Plymouth, England on December 13, 1577 on an expedition to the Pacific. Drake's ship, the Golden Hind, was separated from the others around Cape Horn. Three years later the Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth having completed the second circumnavigation of the world with treasure on board worth £600,000. The Queen's half-share of the cargo surpassed the rest of the crown's income for that entire year.
1605 Il Banco di Santo Spirito (The Bank of the Holy Spirit) was a bank founded by Pope Paul V on December 13, 1605. The bank played a crucial role in managing the Papal States' finances, issuing currency, and providing loans to the government and private individuals. The Bank was the first national bank in Europe (as the bank of the Papal States).
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| Pope Paul V founded the Bank in 1605. |
1636 The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized three militia regiments: the North, South, and East Regiments on December 12, 1636. The establishment of these militia units was a response to the need for a trained military force to protect the colonies and respond to potential threats. Over time, these colonial militias evolved into what is now recognized as the National Guard of the United States,
1784 English poet and lexicographer Samuel Johnson died on December 13, 1784. Johnson confided to his friend and biographer Boswell that he hoped his cemetery slab would be placed at a sufficient height from his coffin so as to avoid damage to his body. He wanted his body intact to meet his maker.
1816 German electrical engineer Werner von Siemens was born on December 13, 1816. He founded Siemens & Halske with Johann Georg Halske in 1847. He founded Siemens & Halske with Johann Georg Halske in 1847. In 1848, the company built the first long-distance telegraph line in Europe; 500 km from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main. The company has been known as Siemens since 1966 and is today the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe.
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| Werner von Siemens |
1894 The philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell married the American Quaker, Alyssa Pearsall Smith at Friend's House in London on December 13. 1894. Their marriage began to fall apart in 1901 when it occurred to Russell, while he was cycling, that he no longer loved Alys. The couple separated a decade later.
1913 The initial section of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across United States, was dedicated on December 13, 1913. It ran from Newark, New Jersey, to Jersey City, New Jersey. On completion, the Lincoln Highway ran coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City west to Lincoln Park in San Francisco.
1916 The boxer Archie Moore was born on December 13, 1916. He was the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time at nine years, four months and 24 days (December 1952 – May 1962). Moore also had one of the longest professional careers in the history of the sport, fighting professionally for almost 30 years.
1928 The premiere of An American in Paris, a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by George Gershwin took place at Carnegie Hall in New York City on December 13, 1928. Inspired by the time that the composer had spent in Paris it evokes the sights and energy of the French capital in the 1920s. Gershwin scored the piece for the standard instruments of the symphony orchestra plus celesta, saxophones, and automobile horns; he used four Parisian taxi horns for the New York premiere.
1950 James Dean attended Santa Monica College and UCLA. He began his acting career with an appearance in a Pepsi commercial on December 13, 1950. He was the guy who put the money in the jukebox. Dean was asked to film a second Pepsi ad the very next day. He left college in 1951 to become a professional actor.
1951 Margaret Thatcher first met Denis Thatcher, a director of the family paint and preservatives business, Atlas Preservatives, in February 1949, at a Paint Trades Federation function in Dartford, Kent. They got married on December 13, 1951, at Wesley's Chapel in City Road, London. Denis Thatcher, died in 2003 from pancreatic cancer.
1958 After deciding to follow his religious vocation, Argentine chemist Jorge Bergoglio entered the Society of Jesus in Cordoba in March 1958 as a novice. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 13, 1969. 43 years later, Bergoglio was elected Pope. He chose to be called Pope Francis in order to pay tribute to St. Francis of Assisi.
1983 The highest-scoring game in NBA history is the December 13, 1983, matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets. The game went into triple overtime and ended with the Pistons defeating the Nuggets 186-184.
1986 The cassette's popularity grew in the 1980s as a result of portable pocket recorders and high-fidelity players, such as Sony's Walkman. A December 13, 1986 survey showed cassettes outselling vinyl by two to one in the US. The industry forecast that the 7-inch single was on the way out. However, by the late 1980s the market for cassettes declined sharply after the invention of the CD.
1989 Nelson Mandela met South African president F.W. de Klerk for the first time on December 13, 1989. He was still a prisoner at the time. They discussed legalising the ANC and freeing Mandela and both men considered the meeting friendly.
2003 On December 13, 2003, Luciano Pavarotti married his former personal assistant, Nicoletta Mantovani, with whom he already had a daughter. A second child did not survive, due to complications at the time of birth.
2003 Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was found by US troops on December 13, 2003 in an underground "spider hole" at a farmhouse in ad-Dawr near his home town Tikrit. Following his capture, the trial of Saddam took place under the Iraqi Interim Government. Saddam Hussein was found guilty of the massacre of 148 Shi'a Muslims in 1982, and sentenced to death.
2006 The population of the baiji, a freshwater dolphin found only in the Yangtze River in China declined drastically through the 20th century as China industrialized and made heavy use of the river for fishing, transportation, and hydroelectricity. It was announced as functionally extinct on December 13, 2006 by leaders of the Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin Expedition.
2007 The Treaty of Lisbon, which comprises the constitutional basis of the European Union, was signed by the 27 EU member states on December 13. 2007. The treaty aimed to streamline decision-making processes, enhance the efficiency of institutions, and increase democratic legitimacy within the European Union. It introduced several changes, such as the creation of a permanent President of the European Council and a more powerful European Parliament. It came into effect two years later.
2014 Having supported Watford Football Club since growing up locally, Elton John became the club's chairman and director in 1976. He invested large sums of money as the club rose three divisions into the English First Division. On December 13, 2014, the "Sir Elton John Stand" was officially opened.
2017 On December 13, 2017, Philadelphia Zoo celebrated their polar bear Coldilocks' 37th birthday; in her last few years she was the oldest polar bear in America. Coldilocks was euthanized after declining health two months later.
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