609 The Pantheon (meaning "Temple of all the gods") is a building in Rome. It was originally commissioned by Roman statesman and architect Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus as a temple to the gods of Ancient Rome and rebuilt by Hadrian. On May 13, 609 Pope Boniface IV converted the Roman Pantheon into a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all martyrs. To this day, the Catholic Church holds masses and weddings there.
1373 On May 13, 1373 Lady Julian of Norwich experienced 16 mystical visions over two days whilst suffering from a life-threatening illness. God showed these 16 different revelations of his immense love to her in order that she could meditate upon them for the rest of her life and to share them with others. Twenty years later, the fifty-year-old mystic recorded them in a book, Revelations of Divine Love. It is the earliest surviving example of a book in the English language known to have been written by a woman.
 |
| An 1836 view of the Pantheon by Jakob Alt, showing twin bell towers |
1373 On May 13, 1373 Lady Julian of Norwich experienced 16 mystical visions over two days whilst suffering from a life-threatening illness. God showed these 16 different revelations of his immense love to her in order that she could meditate upon them for the rest of her life and to share them with others. Twenty years later, the fifty-year-old mystic recorded them in a book, Revelations of Divine Love. It is the earliest surviving example of a book in the English language known to have been written by a woman.
1805 The capture of the Tripolitan city of Derna on May 13, 1805 was the first time the United States flag was raised in victory on foreign soil. This event took place during the First Barbary War (1801-1805), which involved a series of conflicts between the United States and the Barbary States of North Africa (including Tripoli) over piracy and ransom demands. The capturing of the city ended the First Barbary War.
 |
| William Eaton leading the attack on Derna |
1830 Gran Colombia was a short-lived republic that encompassed the territories of modern-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. It was established in 1819 under the leadership of Simón Bolívar, who sought to create a unified nation in northern South America. However, internal conflicts and regional tensions led to the dissolution of Gran Colombia. On May 13, 1830, Ecuador officially declared its independence from Gran Colombia and became a sovereign nation.
1832 Georges Cuvier was a very important figure in scientific circles in Paris during the early 19th century. In 1799 he proved extinction by reconstructing extinct giant animals, which he believed were destroyed in a series of giant deluges. Twelve years later, Cuvier became the first to classify fossil mammals and reptiles, thus founding vertebrate paleontology. He died in Paris on May 13, 1832, during an epidemic of cholera.
1842 Arthur Sullivan was born in London on May 13, 1842, the son of a poor Irish musician. Before he met W S. Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan was Victorian England's most famous composer of popular and sacred songs and oratorios. "Onward! Christian Soldiers" is his best-known hymn; "The Lost Chord" is one of his songs. Sullivan did not want to be remembered for his comic operas as one half of Gilbert and Sullivan. "My sacred music is that on which I base my reputation as a composer."
1857 British physician Sir Ronald Ross was born on May 13, 1857. Intrigued by the theory that mosquitoes transmitted malaria, Ross undertook an investigation of the long-known disease. Using birds that were already sick with malaria, Ross located in 1897 the malaria parasite in the spotted winged Anopheles mosquito. He revealed that the ailment is carried in the mosquito's salivary glands and transferred to healthy birds through biting them.
1888 Brazil abolished slavery on May 13, 1888 with the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), It is estimated that about four million slaves were taken from Africa to Brazil during the slave trade, which was about forty-five percent of all slaves brought to the Americas.
1897 Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi is known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission. He originally intended his "Wireless Telegraphy" to be a system that supplemented the telegraph at sea and on land, where an ordinary telegraph with wires couldn't be used. Marconi's first ever wireless communication over open sea was based in Wales. A message was sent over the Bristol Channel, a distance of 3.7 miles (6 kms), which read "Are you ready" on May 13, 1897.
1917 An apparition of a lady dressed in white appeared to three shepherd children above an olive tree at the Cova da Iria near the Portuguese town of Fátima on May 13, 1917. The lady, later referred to as Our Lady of the Rosary, indicated that she was sent by God with a message of prayer, repentance and consecrations. Further appearances were reported and on July 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary is said to have entrusted the children with three revelations.
1924 The longest 20th century marriage lasted nearly 87 years. North Carolina couple Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher were married on May 13, 1924, and stayed together until Herbert passed away in 2011 at the age of 105. Zelmyra passed away two years later, also at the age of 105.
1930 Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Schick first came up with the idea of an electric razor while recovering from dysentery, which made struggling to the sink for a daily shave a difficult task. Introduced in 1929, the two-handed Schick dry razor required the use of two hands, one to hold the bulky engine, while the other held the whirling razor attached to the motor by a dangling cord. Sales were sluggish but on May 13, 1930 Schick obtained patent No. 1,757,978 for a one-handed model.
1943 Several major operations during the Second World War took place in Tunisia. On February 19, 1943, General Rommel launched a successful attack against the U.S. Forces, but the massive supply and numerical superiority of the Allies held sway and General Bernard Montgomery led the British Eighth Army to a victory in North Africa over the Germans in Tunisia on May 13, 1943.
1950 Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, on May 13, 1950. He was born six weeks premature and blinded soon after birth when too much oxygen was pumped into his incubator, Stevie Wonder mastered piano, bass, drums and harmonica before hitting his teenage years. In 1961 Wonder sang his own composition, "Lonely Boy" for Smokey Robinson of The Miracles. This earned him a contract with Motown.
1950 The first World Championship for motor racing drivers under the jurisdiction of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) was contested in 1950. The first ever Formula One race was the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on May 13, 1950. It was won by Italian driver Giuseppe Farina, driving an Alfa Romeo. Farina would go on to become the first FIA World Champion after winning the 1950 Italian Grand Prix on September 3, 1950.
1954 The Breathalyzer, the brand name or the instrument that tests the alcohol level on drunk drivers, was developed by Indiana State Police Officer Robert Frank Borkenstein. It was registered as a trademark on May 13, 1954. The Breathalyzer was a major breakthrough because it was a portable device that could be used by law enforcement officers on the roadside.
1832 Georges Cuvier was a very important figure in scientific circles in Paris during the early 19th century. In 1799 he proved extinction by reconstructing extinct giant animals, which he believed were destroyed in a series of giant deluges. Twelve years later, Cuvier became the first to classify fossil mammals and reptiles, thus founding vertebrate paleontology. He died in Paris on May 13, 1832, during an epidemic of cholera.
1842 Arthur Sullivan was born in London on May 13, 1842, the son of a poor Irish musician. Before he met W S. Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan was Victorian England's most famous composer of popular and sacred songs and oratorios. "Onward! Christian Soldiers" is his best-known hymn; "The Lost Chord" is one of his songs. Sullivan did not want to be remembered for his comic operas as one half of Gilbert and Sullivan. "My sacred music is that on which I base my reputation as a composer."
1857 British physician Sir Ronald Ross was born on May 13, 1857. Intrigued by the theory that mosquitoes transmitted malaria, Ross undertook an investigation of the long-known disease. Using birds that were already sick with malaria, Ross located in 1897 the malaria parasite in the spotted winged Anopheles mosquito. He revealed that the ailment is carried in the mosquito's salivary glands and transferred to healthy birds through biting them.
1888 Brazil abolished slavery on May 13, 1888 with the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), It is estimated that about four million slaves were taken from Africa to Brazil during the slave trade, which was about forty-five percent of all slaves brought to the Americas.
1897 Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi is known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission. He originally intended his "Wireless Telegraphy" to be a system that supplemented the telegraph at sea and on land, where an ordinary telegraph with wires couldn't be used. Marconi's first ever wireless communication over open sea was based in Wales. A message was sent over the Bristol Channel, a distance of 3.7 miles (6 kms), which read "Are you ready" on May 13, 1897.
 |
| Engineers inspect Marconi's radio equipment on May 13, 1897. Wikipedia |
1917 An apparition of a lady dressed in white appeared to three shepherd children above an olive tree at the Cova da Iria near the Portuguese town of Fátima on May 13, 1917. The lady, later referred to as Our Lady of the Rosary, indicated that she was sent by God with a message of prayer, repentance and consecrations. Further appearances were reported and on July 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary is said to have entrusted the children with three revelations.
1924 The longest 20th century marriage lasted nearly 87 years. North Carolina couple Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher were married on May 13, 1924, and stayed together until Herbert passed away in 2011 at the age of 105. Zelmyra passed away two years later, also at the age of 105.
1930 Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Schick first came up with the idea of an electric razor while recovering from dysentery, which made struggling to the sink for a daily shave a difficult task. Introduced in 1929, the two-handed Schick dry razor required the use of two hands, one to hold the bulky engine, while the other held the whirling razor attached to the motor by a dangling cord. Sales were sluggish but on May 13, 1930 Schick obtained patent No. 1,757,978 for a one-handed model.
 |
| An early Schick electric shaver advertisement. |
1943 Several major operations during the Second World War took place in Tunisia. On February 19, 1943, General Rommel launched a successful attack against the U.S. Forces, but the massive supply and numerical superiority of the Allies held sway and General Bernard Montgomery led the British Eighth Army to a victory in North Africa over the Germans in Tunisia on May 13, 1943.
1950 Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, on May 13, 1950. He was born six weeks premature and blinded soon after birth when too much oxygen was pumped into his incubator, Stevie Wonder mastered piano, bass, drums and harmonica before hitting his teenage years. In 1961 Wonder sang his own composition, "Lonely Boy" for Smokey Robinson of The Miracles. This earned him a contract with Motown.
1954 The Breathalyzer, the brand name or the instrument that tests the alcohol level on drunk drivers, was developed by Indiana State Police Officer Robert Frank Borkenstein. It was registered as a trademark on May 13, 1954. The Breathalyzer was a major breakthrough because it was a portable device that could be used by law enforcement officers on the roadside.
1958 Australian adventurer Ben Carlin became the first person to circumnavigate the Earth by amphibious vehicle when he arrived in Montreal, Canada on May 13, 1958. Carlin had traveled over 17,000 kilometers (11,000 miles) by sea and 62,000 kilometers (39,000 miles) by land during a ten-year journey.
1961 Gary Cooper died in Beverly Hills on May 13, 1961, Over his 36 years as an actor, Cooper garnered five Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, winning Oscars for his roles in Sergeant York and High Noon. Cooper's popularity is directly responsible for the popularity of the given name Gary from the 1930s to the present day.
1981 Turkish assassin Mehmet Ali Agca shot and critically wounded Pope John Paul II as he entered St. Peter's Square to address an audience on May 13, 1981. The shooting took place on the feast day of Our Lady of Fátima and The Pope glimpsed a poster of our Lady of Fátima in the crowd. When he found that he was still alive, he was convinced she spared him from death. Agca was arrested and locked up in Rome's Rebibbia Prison.
1993 Every then-living ex-President of the United States - Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan - was offered a guest role in The Simpsons episode Krusty Gets Kancelled, which premiered on May 13, 1993. Only Ronald Reagan responded to the offer, politely declining.
1995 33-year-old British mother Alison Hargreaves became on May 13, 1995 the first woman to conquer Mount Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas. Hargreaves began climbing at a young age and quickly became one of the most accomplished mountaineers in the world. In 1993, she became the first woman to climb all six of the great north faces of the Alps in a single season. She died three months later while descending from the summit of K2.
1995 33-year-old British mother Alison Hargreaves became on May 13, 1995 the first woman to conquer Mount Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas. Hargreaves began climbing at a young age and quickly became one of the most accomplished mountaineers in the world. In 1993, she became the first woman to climb all six of the great north faces of the Alps in a single season. She died three months later while descending from the summit of K2.
Comments
Post a Comment