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

May 13: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 13 is the 133^rd day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 232 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 30, 2025 – a Tuesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,747,094,400 seconds 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 ‘hectatriacontatrigon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 280 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 4,526 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

May 13 Historical Events

• 1373 –
  Julian of Norwich has visions which are later transcribed in her Revelations of Divine Love.
• 1648 –
  Construction of the Red Fort at Delhi is completed.
• 1940 –
  World War II: Germany’s conquest of France begins as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech to the House of Commons.
• 1950 –
  The first round of the Formula One World Championship is held at Silverstone.
• 1954 –
  The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese Middle School students in Singapore, take place.
• 1958 –
  May 1958 crisis: a group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria.
• 1960 –
  Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Thirty-one students are arrested, and the Free Speech Movement is born.
• 1967 –
  Dr. Zakir Hussain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969.
• 1969 –
  Race riots, later known as the May 13 Incident, take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• 1996 –
  Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.

Who were born on May 13?

• 1712 –
  Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von Bernstorff, Danish statesman (d. 1772)
• 1792 –
  Blessed Pope Pius IX (d. 1878)
• 1794 –
  Louis Léopold Robert, French painter (d. 1835)
• 1924 –
  Harry Schwarz, South African anti-apartheid politician, lawyer and diplomat (d. 2010)
• 1931 –
  Jim Jones, American businessman and cult leader of the Peoples Temple (d. 1978)
• 1962 –
  Paul McDermott, Australian comedian
• 1966 –
  Nikos Aliagas, Greek TV show host
• 1967 –
  Melanie Thornton, American pop singer (La Bouche) (d. 2001)
• 1982 –
  Yoko Kumada, Japanese gravure idol
• 1987 –
  Carrie Prejean, American beauty pageant contestant

Who died on May 13?

• 1809 –
  Beilby Porteus, Bishop of London, first Anglican to challenge the Church’s position on slavery (b. 1731)
• 1916 –
  Sholom Aleichem, Russian author (b. 1859)
• 1974 –
  Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican writer (b. 1902)
• 1988 –
  Chet Baker, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1929)
• 1992 –
  F. E. McWilliam, Northern Irish sculptor (b. 1909)
• 1999 –
  Gene Sarazen, American golfer (b. 1902)
• 2000 –
  Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese professional wrestler (b. 1951)
• 2005 –
  Michael Ross, American serial killer (b. 1959)
• 2009 –
  Frank Aletter, American character actor (b. 1926)
• 2009 –
  Rabbi Meir Brandsdorfer, Belgian-born member of the Rabbinical Court of the Edah HaChareidis, Jerusalem (b. 1934)