Pope Victor II succeeds Leo IX as the 153rd pope, on April 13, 1055. Born Gebhard of Dollnstein-Hirschberg, c. 1018. He was one of a series German-born Popes who led the Gregorian Reform. He died in 1057. More
View Historical Events by Day:
On This Day in History: April 13
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on April 13th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material. When possible, we show a link to a source which provides additional or unique perspective about the event.
We do our best to provide accurate information but would appreciate being notified if any incorrect information is found. You may do so by using our Feedback link.
Pope Paschal II crowns Henry V as Holy Roman Emperor on April 13, 1111, in St. Peter's Basilica, following a violent conflict where Henry took the Pope prisoner, forcing the coronation and secure rights of imperial investiture. This coerced agreement was later repudiated by the church, continuing the Investiture Controversy.
King Henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes, on April 13, 1598, granting religious liberties to the the French Calvinist Protestants (Huguenots) substantial religious freedoms and civil rights, effectively ending the violent French Wars of Religion.
The Short Parliament stars on April 13, 1640, but it is disbanded by King Charles I of England soon after, on May 5, 1640.
The Battle of Bergen took place on April 13, 1759, during the Seven Years' War. The French army under de Broglie, withstood an allied British, Hanoverian, Hessian, Brunswick army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick near Frankfurt-am-Main. More
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, opens to the public on April 13, 1870, in the Dodworth Building at 681 Fifth Avenue. The Museum acquired its first object, a Roman sarcophagus on November 20 of that same year. In 1871, 174 European paintings, including works by Anthony van Dyck, Nicolas Poussin, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, were added to the collection. More
The Colfax massacre, (The Colfax riot), takes place in Colfax, Louisiana on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873. An estimated 62–153 Black men were murdered while surrendering to a mob of former Confederate soldiers and members of the Ku Klux Klan. Three White men also died during the confrontation. More
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on April 13, 1919. in Amritsar, Punjab, British India; where troops of Gurkhas of Nepalese origin and Sikh infantrymen of the British Indian Army, led by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer were ordered to shoot at the crowd, continuing to fire even as the protestors tried to flee. From 379 to 1,500 people were killed with another 1,200 injured. More
Mikhail Gorbachev, officially acknowledged on April 13, 1990 that the Soviet Union was responsible for the Katyn massacre in Poland in 1940, and released archival evidence confirming the crime, where nearly220,000 Polish military officers, policemen, and intelligentsia were secretly killed and buried during their occupation of eastern Poland.
The Katyn massacre was a series of mass executions of Poles carried out by the Soviet Union between April and May 1940. and followed up with a long-term cover-up. The Western Allies chose not to confront it publicly, effectively contributing to a suppression of the truth for strategic wartime reasons.
When Nazi Germany discovered the mass graves in 1943 and announced them to the world, they blamed the Soviet Union. The Soviets denied responsibility and accused the Nazis instead. Leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were informed through intelligence and diplomatic channels, that the Soviets were likely responsible. Publicly, the Allies accepted the Soviets' denial and blamed Nazi Germany, to preserve the wartime alliance, which was considered essential to defeating Nazi Germany
After the war, investigations, including U.S. congressional inquiry in the early 1950s; concluded that the Soviets were responsible and noted that earlier information had been intentionally suppressed for political reasons. More
The United States drops the "Mother of All Bombs" (MOAB), the largest non-nuclear bomb, on ISIS targets in Afghanistan, on April 13, 2017. The device is officially known as the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast. More