What are the important events that happened on August 13? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

August 13: Facts & Myths About This Day

August 13 is the 225^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 140 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is July 31, 2025 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 29,250,720 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘dihectaicosapentagon’ day.

Leo is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Peridot is the modern birthstone for this month. Diamond is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 188 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,618 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

August 13 Historical Events

• 3114 BC –
  According to the Lounsbury correlation, the start of the Maya calendar.
• 1521 –
  Tenochtitlán (present day Mexico City) falls to conquistador Hernán Cortés.
• 1898 –
  Spanish–American War: Spanish and American forces engaged in a mock battle for Manila, after which the Spanish commander surrendered in order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands.
• 1913 –
  Otto Witte, an acrobat, is purportedly crowned King of Albania.
• 1960 –
  The Central African Republic declares independence from France.
• 1961 –
  The German Democratic Republic closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants’ attempts to escape to the West.
• 1962 –
  Representatives from the Russian Orthodox Church and the Holy See meet in Metz, France, and come to an agreement wherein the Russian church would send observers to the Second Vatican Council and in exchange, the Roman Catholic Church would refuse to condemn Communism.
• 1969 –
  The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York. That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon.
• 2004 –
  Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, strikes Punta Gorda, Florida and devastates the surrounding area.
• 2008 –
  South Ossetian War: Russian units occupy the Georgian city of Gori.

Who were born on August 13?

• 1584 –
  Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, English politician (d. 1640)
• 1907 –
  Sir Basil Spence, Scottish architect (d. 1976)
• 1913 –
  Makarios III, Archbishop and first President of Cyprus (d. 1977)
• 1938 –
  Dave “Baby” Cortez, American pop keyboardist
• 1962 –
  John Slattery, American actor
• 1967 –
  Quinn Cummings, American actress
• 1973 –
  Eric Medlen, American drag racer and rodeo star (d. 2007)
• 1976 –
  Jody Thompson, Canadian actress
• 1979 –
  Taizō Sugimura, Japanese politician
• 1983 –
  Ales Hemsky, Czech ice hockey player

Who died on August 13?

• 1667 –
  Jeremy Taylor, Irish prose writer and bishop (b. 1613)
• 1755 –
  Francesco Durante, Italian composer (b. 1684)
• 1937 –
  Arthur Plunkett, Australian civil engineer (birth year unknown)
• 1946 –
  H. G. Wells, English writer (b. 1866)
• 1998 –
  Julien Green, American novelist (b. 1900)
• 1998 –
  Nino Ferrer, Italian-born French singer and composer (b. 1934)
• 2004 –
  Julia Child, American chef and television personality (b. 1912)
• 2008 –
  Dino Toso, American Formula 1 engineer (b. 1969)
• 2010 –
  Lance Cade, American professional wrestler (b. 1981)
• 2011 –
  Topi Sorsakoski, Finnish musician (b. 1952)