Skip to main content

View Historical Events by Day:

What Happened Today in History on November 13

Explore the historical events that shaped our world on November 13th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

Attalus III of Pergamon bequeaths his kingdom to Rome, leading to the establishment of the Roman province of Asia.

The Byzantine emperor Michael III is assassinated, leading to the ascent of Basil I to the throne.

King Æthelred the Unready orders the massacre of Danes living in England, known as the St. Brice's Day massacre, as a response to a perceived Danish threat.

The Battle of Alnwick is fought in Northumberland, England, between Scottish and English forces. The battle resulted in an English victory;   Malcolm III of Scotland, later known as Malcolm Canmore, was killed together with his son Edward by an army of English knights led by Robert de Mowbray. More

Edward I of England summons Parliament, instructing on measures to raise funds for military campaigns.

The first documented observation of a transit of Venus is made by English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks.

Mrs. Thomas J. White of the Indiana Textbook Commission calls for a ban of the "Robin Hood" book and references to it, for promoting communism because "he stole from the rich to give to the poor". 

Karen Silkwood, an American chemical technician and whistleblower, dies under suspicious circumstances while investigating safety concerns at a nuclear facility. More

The British newspaper The Times, resumes publishing on November 13, 1979, after suspending publication almost a year before on December 1, 1978. The shutdown was due to a dispute between management and printing unions over new technology, automation, and union demands regarding manpower levels. The closure led to a significant loss of revenue also affecting the Times sister papers; The Sunday Times and the Times Literary Supplement.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated. The most prominent feature of the memorial is a massive wall that lists the names of the more than 58,000 servicemen and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. 

The volcano Nevado del Ruiz, located about 130 kilometers from Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá, erupts spewing a violent mix of hot ash and lava into the atmosphere and causing nearly 30 meters high mudflows through the countryside where more than 23,000 people were killed most of them in the town of Armero. More

A series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris, France, leave 130 people dead and hundreds injured.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) concludes in Glasgow, Scotland, with commitments to address climate change. The summit resulted in the Glasgow Climate Pact, which included an agreement to "phase down" coal power and fossil fuel subsidies. The pact was also the first UN climate deal to explicitly mention these fossil fuels.