Jo Swinson
Jo Swinson (pictured) steps down as Leader of the Liberal Democrats after losing her seat in the 2019 general election making her tenure the shortest in the party's history.
What happened on December 13
33 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1294 to 2025.
Standout on December 13
2013
Beyoncé
Beyoncé (pictured) released her fifth studio album without any prior announcement or promotion; it sold 2.3 million copies before the end of the year.
About December 13
December 13 is the 347th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 347 of 365 (348 in leap years)18 days left in the year (18 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Sunday in 2026, Monday in 2027, Wednesday in 2028, Thursday in 2029, Friday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 50 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♐ Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- December birthstone
- Turquoise / Tanzanite / Zircongood fortune, wisdom and success
- December birth flower
- Narcissus / Holly / Poinsettiarespect, hope and good wishes
- Next occurrence
- In 47 days
- Roman numerals
- XIII.XIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 40thElla Baker1986
- 40thHeather Angel (actress)1986
- 30thEdward Blishen1996
- 30thGleyber Torres1996
- 25th2001 Indian Parliament attack2001
- 25thJayden Goodwin2001
- 20thLamar Hunt2006
- 10thAlan Thicke2016
December 13 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Alan Thicke
- 25 years ago2001
- 2001 Indian Parliament attack · Jayden Goodwin
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on December 13 — ages this year
- 2009Maddox Batsonturns 17
- 2002Brock Bowersturns 24
- 2001Jayden Goodwinturns 25
- 2000Simona Waltertturns 26
- 1999Marina Bassols Riberaturns 27
- 1998Ian Seymourturns 28
Historical events 33
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé (pictured) released her fifth studio album without any prior announcement or promotion; it sold 2.3 million copies before the end of the year.
2011 Liège attack
A man threw grenades and fired a rifle at crowds in Liège, Belgium, causing 6 deaths and injuring more than 120 others, before killing himself.
Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon is signed by the EU member states to amend both the Treaty of Rome and the Maastricht Treaty which together form the constitutional basis of the EU. The Treaty of Lisbon is effective from 1 December 2009.
Iraq War
Iraq War: Operation Red Dawn: Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured near his home town of Tikrit.
2004 enlargement of the European Union
European Union enlargement: The EU announces that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia will become members on May 1, 2004.
2001 Indian Parliament attack
Indian Parliament attack: Sansad Bhavan, the building housing the Indian Parliament, is attacked by five Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists. Twelve people are killed, including the terrorists.
Banat Air Flight 166
Banat Air Flight 166 crashes in Sommacampagna near Verona Villafranca Airport in Verona, Italy, killing 49.
Flagship Airlines Flight 3379
Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 crashes in Morrisville, North Carolina, near Raleigh–Durham International Airport, killing 15.
Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence: The Croatian Army retreated after the failure of Operation Whirlwind, destroying their tanks to avoid their capture.
The Troubles
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army engaged in a fierce firefight with the King's Own Scottish Borderers at a vehicle checkpoint complex in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat gives a speech at a UN General Assembly meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, after United States authorities refused to grant him a visa to visit UN headquarters in New York.
1982 North Yemen earthquake
The 6.0 Ms North Yemen earthquake shakes southwestern Yemen with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing 2,800, and injuring 1,500.
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Polish prime minister Wojciech Jaruzelski (pictured) declared martial law.
Air Indiana Flight 216
Air Indiana Flight 216 crashes near Evansville Regional Airport, killing 29, including the University of Evansville basketball team, support staff, and boosters of the team.
Malta
Malta becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.
Vietnam War
In the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese forces launch their 1975 Spring Offensive (to 30 April 1975), which results in the final capitulation of South Vietnam.
Apollo program
Apollo program: Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or "Moonwalk" of Apollo 17. To date they are the last humans to set foot on the Moon.
Artur da Costa e Silva
Brazilian President Artur da Costa e Silva issues AI-5 (Institutional Act No. 5), enabling government by decree and suspending habeas corpus.
Constantine II of Greece
Constantine II of Greece attempts an unsuccessful counter-coup against the Regime of the Colonels.
NASA
NASA launches Relay 1, the first active repeater communications satellite in orbit.
Emperor of Ethiopia
While Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Brazil, his Imperial Bodyguard seizes the capital and proclaims him deposed and his son, Crown Prince Asfa Wossen, Emperor.
Haile Selassie
With Haile Selassie (pictured), Emperor of Ethiopia, out of the country, four conspirators staged a coup attempt to install Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen on the throne.
List of archbishops of Cyprus
Archbishop Makarios III becomes the first President of Cyprus.
1957 Farsinaj earthquake
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Iranian Hamadan province, killing at least 1,130 people.
Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War: Japanese forces, capturing the Chinese city of Nanjing, began committing numerous atrocities over the next several weeks, including looting, rape and the execution of prisoners of war and civilians.
An American in Paris
An American in Paris, a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by George Gershwin, premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York.
American Civil War
American Civil War: Union forces under Ambrose Burnside suffered severe casualties against entrenched Confederate defenders at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia.
Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars: While transporting supplies to Guadeloupe, French commodore François
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (campus pictured) was established by royal charter in present-day Hanover, New Hampshire.
First English Civil War
First English Civil War: Roundhead forces under Sir William Waller led a successful surprise attack in Hampshire on a winter garrison of Cavalier infantry and cavalry.
Francis Drake
Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage.
Pope Celestine V
Saint Celestine V resigned the papacy after only five months to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Stephen "tWitch" Boss
Stephen "tWitch" Boss, American dancer and media personality (born 1982)
Noah Klieger
Noah Klieger, Holocaust survivor who became an award-winning Israeli journalist (born 1926)
Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke, Canadian actor, songwriter, game and talk-show host (born 1947)
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt, American businessman, co-founded the American Football League and World Championship Tennis (born 1932)
David Wheeler (computer scientist)
David Wheeler, English computer scientist and academic (born 1927)
Zal Yanovsky
Zal Yanovsky, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who founded The Lovin' Spoonful (born 1944)
Lew Grade
Lew Grade, Ukrainian-born British impresario and media proprietor (born 1906)
Don E. Fehrenbacher
Don E. Fehrenbacher, American historian, author, and academic (born 1920)
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1899)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Judoc
Christian feast day: St Judoc aka St Joyce
Acadians
Acadian Remembrance Day (Acadians)
Saint Lucy
Christian feast day: St Lucy
Public holidays in Poland
Martial Law Victims Remembrance Day (Poland)
Public holidays in Saint Lucia
National Day (Saint Lucia)
Odile of Alsace
Christian feast day: St Odile of Alsace
Francesco Marinoni
Christian feast day: Blessed Francesco Marinoni
Antiochus of Sulcis
Christian feast day: St Antiochus of Sulcis
Spread across the centuries
- 13th century1
- 16th century1
- 17th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century2
- 20th century48
- 21st century19
Earliest: Pope Celestine V (1294). Most recent: Juan José Zerboni (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about December 13
What day of the year is December 13?
December 13 is the 347th day of the year, with 18 days left after it.
What star sign is December 13?
December 13 falls under Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21), a fire sign ruled by Jupiter. The birthstone for the month is Turquoise or Tanzanite or Zircon.
How many things happened on December 13?
We record 81 entries for December 13: 33 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1294 to 2025.
Who was born on December 13?
Maddox Batson (2009) is among the notable births on December 13. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the December 13 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like December 13
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.