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Explore the historical events that shaped our world on August 13th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Spanish conquistador Hernándo Cortés captures Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztec Empire after over two months of fighting, winning the Aztec Empire for Spain. Cortes' conquests began with Cuba in 1511, Mexico’s Bay of Campeche in 1519, and then deeper into Mexico.
The official start date of the Manhattan Engineer District, (MED) Better known as the Manhattan Project. It was top-secret, U.S. led research and development project during World War II with the goal of developing the first atomic bombs. It involved scientists, engineers, and the military, and resulted in the creation of nuclear weapons that were used against Japan, ending the war but also ushered in the atomic age. The project was disbanded on August 15 1947 More
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East Germany begins to seal off around Berlin. First, a wire barrier was constructed and a few days later the wire was replaced by a six-foot-high, 96-mile-long wall of concrete blocks. It hoped this measure would put an end to the mass exodus to Berlin. More
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President Reagan signs the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA), the 185-page that fulfilled his campaign promise to cut taxes. The act helped accelerate economic growth but it is blamed for being a major contributor to the growth of Income inequality in the U.S. which is now at heights not seen for a century. More
The Summer Games of the XXVIII Olympiad open in Athens, Greece. It was an Internaional multi-sport event which lasted until August 29th. Athens had hosted the first modern Summer Games in 1896. There were 10,625 athletes competing from 201 countries.
