October 13 is the 286th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 79 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about October 13th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about October 13th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National No Bra Day
- National Emergency Nurses Day
- National Pet Obesity Awareness Day
- National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – October 13
2012: Mauritanian President injured
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was shot at and injured. Oficial reports suggest that he was mistakenly shot by the military.
2010: Chilean Miners Rescued
The last of the miners trapped in the San José copper–gold mine in Copiapó, Chile, were rescued after 69 days. The ordeal began on August 5, 2010, when the walls of the 121-year old mine collapsed and trapped 33 miners. All of the miners were rescued safely by the Chilean government with the help of the international community.
1958: Paddington Bear Makes His Debut
The popular children’s literature character first appeared in English author Michael Bond’s illustrated book, A Bear Called Paddington. Paddington is a polite Peruvian spectacle bear with a special fondness for marmalade. The success of the first book was followed by 20 more books featuring the lovable bear and a successful toy franchise.
1792: Construction of the White House Begins
The office and residence of the President of the United States was designed by Irish architect James Hoban. It took 8 years for it to become livable and President John Adams became the first president to occupy the building on November 1, 1800.
1773: First Spiral Galaxy Discovered
French astronomer, Charles Messier, discovered the Whirlpool Galaxy. Also known as Messier 51a, the galaxy is about 30 million light-years from Earth. A spiral galaxy is a type of galaxy where stars, gasses, and other cosmic dust particles rotate or revolve in a spiral around a central bulge. Astronomers think that the bulge consists of a black hole.
1994: the Netscape Navigator web browser launched.

Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, October 13
1982: Ian Thorpe, Australian swimmer
1973: Matt Hughes, American mixed martial artist
1971: Sacha Baron Cohen, English comedian, actor, screenwriter
1941: Paul Simon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer
1925: Margaret Thatcher, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, October 13
1987: Kishore Kumar, Indian singer, actor
1911: Sister Nivedita, Irish social worker, author, teacher
1812: Isaac Brock, English army officer
1282: Nichiren, Japanese monk
54: Claudius, Roman Emperor