Roman Emperor Titus, famous for completing the Colosseum, dies.
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What Happened Today in History on March 13
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on March 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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First known mention of Lithuania in historical chronicles.
Crusaders besiege Sidon but fail to capture it during the Crusade of 1101.
Conrad III is crowned as the King of Germany.
The Mongols under Hulagu Khan capture and sack Baghdad, effectively ending the Abbasid Caliphate.
1274, March 13 - The Second Council of Lyon opens under Pope Gregory X.
Christopher Columbus returns to Spain from his fourth and final voyage to the Americas.
Cortés lands in Mexico.
A transit of Venus occurs, observed by a small group of astronomers.
Johannes Fabricius discovers sunspots.
Astronomer William Herschel Identifies Uranus as the Seventh Planet. More
The German composer Richard Strauss is born.
Alexander II, the Emperor of Russia, is assassinated in Saint Petersburg, Russia on his way back to the Winter Palace from Mikhailovsky Manège. The assassination was planned and executed by the Narodnaya Volya ("People's Will") organization. The assassination is popularly considered to be the most successful action by the Russian nihilist movement of the 19th century.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio becomes Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas.
Pope Francis is elected as the 266th pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas.