1913

Events in 1913 59

• 1822 – 1913 Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) Died 10 March 1913, aged around 91 Tubman escaped slavery in Maryland and made repeated trips south on the Underground Railroad to guide other enslaved people to freedom. During the Civil War she served the Union Army as a scout and nurse, and later became a leading voice for women's suffrage. She died in Auburn, New York, where she had lived for decades.
• 1823 – 1913 Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) Died 7 November 1913, aged 90 Wallace independently developed a theory of evolution by natural selection, prompting Charles Darwin to publish On the Origin of Species. He was also a pioneering biogeographer, known for identifying the faunal boundary later called the Wallace Line. He died at his home in England.
• 1837 – 1913 J. P. Morgan (1837-1913) Died 31 March 1913, aged 75 Morgan built J.P. Morgan & Co. into the dominant American banking house of the era and financed the creation of US Steel, General Electric, and other major corporations. He personally organized a bailout of the US Treasury in 1895 and helped stem the Panic of 1907. He died in Rome while travelling in Europe.
• 1840 – 1913 August Bebel (1840-1913) Died 13 August 1913, aged 73 Bebel co-founded the Social Democratic Party of Germany and led it for decades, building it into the largest socialist party in Europe. He was a longtime member of the Reichstag and a leading theorist of the Second International. His death removed the most prominent figure of German social democracy before the First World War.
• 1845 – 1913 George I of Greece (1845-1913) Died 18 March 1913, aged 67 King George I was shot and killed in Thessaloniki shortly after Greek forces had captured the city during the First Balkan War. He had reigned since 1863 and was the longest-serving monarch in modern Greek history. His son succeeded him as Constantine I.
• 1858 – 1913 Rudolf Diesel The engine, the fortune, and the ferry Rudolf Diesel was born in Paris to Bavarian parents, deported as an enemy alien at twelve, and educated in a language he had to learn on arrival. He set out to build an engine that would approach the theoretical limit of thermodynamic efficiency and give small workshops a machine to rival the great steam plants of industry. He succeeded, became a millionaire, spent years in court and in sanatoriums, lost almost everything, and walked off the deck of a Channel ferry in 1913. The engine now moves most of the freight on earth.
• 1872 – 1913 Emily Davison (1872-1913) Died 8 June 1913, aged 40 Davison was a militant suffragette campaigning for women's right to vote in Britain. She was fatally injured after stepping in front of King George V's horse during the 1913 Epsom Derby. Her death and funeral became a rallying point for the suffrage movement.
• 1873 – 1913 Francisco I. Madero (1873-1913) Died 22 February 1913, aged 39 Madero led the revolution that ended Porfirio Diaz's long rule and served as President of Mexico from 1911. He was overthrown and executed on the orders of General Victoriano Huerta during the Decena Tragica coup. His death is widely seen as the start of the bloodiest phase of the Mexican Revolution.
• 1913 – 1964 Alan Ladd (1913-1964) Died 29 January 1964, aged 50 Ladd was an American film actor best known for his starring role in the 1953 western "Shane". He was one of Hollywood's leading box-office draws through the 1940s and early 1950s.
• 1913 Assembly line perfected Assembly line perfected Ford opened a moving assembly line at Highland Park in 1913, breaking car building into small repetitive steps carried past stationary workers. Chassis assembly fell from over twelve hours to about ninety minutes. Turnover was so severe that Ford doubled pay to $5 a day in 1914 to keep workers on the line.
• 1913 – present Prada Group Miuccia Prada Founded as a leather goods shop, it became one of the world's most influential luxury fashion houses.
• 1913 – 1954 Robert Capa (1913-1954) Died 25 May 1954, aged 40 Capa, a Hungarian-born war photographer known for his combat images from the Spanish Civil War and D-Day, was killed by a landmine while covering the First Indochina War in Vietnam. He co-founded the Magnum Photos agency in 1947. His work remains among the most influential in the history of photojournalism.
• 1913 – 1970 Vince Lombardi (1913-1970) Died 3 September 1970, aged 57 Vince Lombardi, the American football coach who led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships, died of cancer in Washington, D.C. The Super Bowl trophy was later renamed in his honor.
• 1913 – 1967 Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) Died 8 July 1967, aged 53 The British actress won Academy Awards for her performances as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. She died of tuberculosis in London.
• 1913 – 2000 Loretta Young (1913-2000) American actress with a career from silent films to her own TV show, winning an Oscar for The Farmer's Daughter.
• 1913 – 1994 Richard Nixon 37th president of the United States, 1969-1974 - the only one to resign Richard Nixon (Jan 9, 1913 – Apr 22, 1994) was the 37th President 1969-1974, the only US president to resign from office. He opened diplomatic relations with China and ended the Vietnam War, but was forced to resign over the Watergate scandal.
• 1913 – 1998 Lloyd Bridges (1913-1998) American actor, star of Sea Hunt and later of the Airplane! comedies, and father of Beau and Jeff Bridges.
• 1913 – 1987 Danny Kaye (1913-1987) Died 3 March 1987, aged 74 Kaye was an American actor, singer and comedian known for films including The Court Jester and White Christmas. He was also a longtime goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. He died of a heart attack in Los Angeles.
• 1913 Raid on the Sublime Porte Ottoman coup brings the Committee of Union and Progress to power Enver Bey and a group of Committee of Union and Progress officers stormed the Ottoman government headquarters in Constantinople. War Minister Nazim Pasha was killed and Grand Vizier Kamil Pasha was forced to resign. The coup installed a CUP-dominated government that would rule the empire through the First World War.
• 1913 – 1999 Victor Mature (1913-1999) American actor, the muscular star of Samson and Delilah and The Robe.
• 1913 Grand Central Terminal Opens New York's landmark railway terminal begins service The rebuilt Grand Central Terminal opened in Manhattan, replacing the earlier Grand Central Depot. Its Beaux-Arts design and underground electrified rail yard set a new standard for urban rail terminals. It remains one of the world's busiest transportation hubs.
• 1913 Sixteenth Amendment Ratified US Constitution authorizes a federal income tax The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, granting Congress the power to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states. It overturned earlier court rulings that had blocked a federal income tax. The amendment reshaped US federal finance for the century that followed.
• 1913 – 2005 Rosa Parks Civil rights defiance Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in 1955, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott and galvanising the civil rights movement.
• 1913 Decena Tragica Coup in Mexico City Ten days of fighting topple President Madero General Victoriano Huerta led a military coup against President Francisco Madero during ten days of street fighting in Mexico City. Huerta seized the presidency after forcing Madero's resignation, deepening the Mexican Revolution. The coup triggered renewed civil war among rival revolutionary factions.
• 1913 Armory Show Opens in New York First major exhibition of modern art in the United States The International Exhibition of Modern Art opened at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City. It introduced American audiences to Cubism, Fauvism, and other European avant-garde movements, including Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase. The show provoked public controversy and reshaped American art criticism.
• 1913 – 1994 Ralph Ellison (1913-1994) Died 16 April 1994, aged 80 Ralph Ellison, the American novelist whose Invisible Man is considered a landmark of 20th-century literature, died of pancreatic cancer in New York City. The novel remains a foundational text on race and identity in America.
• 1913 – 1952 John Garfield (1913-1952) American actor, a rebel hero of 1940s film whose career was cut short by the Hollywood blacklist.
• 1913 Woodrow Wilson Inaugurated as US President Democrat takes office after defeating Taft and Roosevelt Woodrow Wilson was sworn in as the 28th President of the United States. His election followed a split in the Republican vote between incumbent William Howard Taft and former president Theodore Roosevelt. Wilson's first term brought the Federal Reserve, antitrust reform, and the income tax amendment into force.
• 1913 – 1983 Muddy Waters (1913-1983) Died 30 April 1983, aged 70 Muddy Waters was an American blues musician widely regarded as the father of modern Chicago blues and a major influence on rock and roll. His electrified blues style shaped generations of musicians, including the Rolling Stones, who took their name from one of his songs. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after his death.
• 1913 Seventeenth Amendment Ratified US Senators to be elected directly by voters The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, replacing the election of US Senators by state legislatures with direct popular election. It was a response to years of legislative deadlock, bribery scandals, and Progressive-era demands for electoral reform. The change took effect for Senate elections held from 1914 onward.
• 1913 – 1993 Stewart Granger (1913-1993) English actor, a swashbuckling star of MGM adventure films in the 1950s.
• 1913 – 1994 Peter Cushing (1913-1994) Died 11 August 1994, aged 81 Peter Cushing, the English actor best known for Hammer horror films and as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars, died of cancer in Kent. He was one of the most recognizable faces of British horror cinema.
• 1913 Premiere of The Rite of Spring Stravinsky ballet causes a riot at its Paris debut Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky for the Ballets Russes, premiered at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris. Its dissonant score and unconventional choreography provoked a near-riot in the audience. The work is now regarded as a landmark of twentieth-century music.
• 1913 Treaty of London Ends First Balkan War Ottoman Empire cedes almost all its European territory The Treaty of London, signed by the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan League, ended the First Balkan War. The Ottomans ceded nearly all of their remaining European territory, and Albania was established as an independent state. Disputes over the division of the spoils quickly led to the Second Balkan War.
• 1913 Second Balkan War Former allies turn on Bulgaria over Balkan spoils Bulgaria attacked its former allies Serbia and Greece over the division of Macedonia, drawing in Romania and the Ottoman Empire against it. The war lasted just over a month and ended in a decisive defeat for Bulgaria. It left Serbia and Greece considerably enlarged and set the stage for further Balkan instability before the First World War.
• 1913 Second Revolution Against Yuan Shikai Republican uprising fails to unseat China's president Sun Yat-sen and Nationalist allies launched an armed uprising against President Yuan Shikai after Yuan's suppression of the Kuomintang and the assassination of a parliamentary leader. The revolt was crushed within weeks, and Sun fled into exile in Japan. Yuan went on to dissolve parliament and consolidate near-dictatorial power.
• 1913 – 2006 Gerald Ford 38th President — never elected VP or President Gerald Ford (Jul 14, 1913 – Dec 26, 2006) was the 38th President 1974-1977, the only person to serve as both VP and President without being elected to either. He controversially pardoned Nixon and was the longest-lived president at 93.
• 1913 – 1997 Red Skelton (1913-1997) Died 17 September 1997, aged 84 Red Skelton was an American comedian and clown whose variety show ran on television for two decades. He was known for recurring characters such as Clem Kadiddlehopper and Freddie the Freeloader. He died in Rancho Mirage, California.
• 1913 Treaty of Bucharest Ends Second Balkan War Bulgaria loses most of its wartime gains The Treaty of Bucharest concluded the Second Balkan War, forcing Bulgaria to cede territory to Serbia, Greece, Romania, and the Ottoman Empire. The settlement redrew the map of the Balkans and left Bulgaria embittered, pushing it toward alliance with the Central Powers in the First World War.
• 1913 – 1992 Menachem Begin (1913-1992) Died 9 March 1992, aged 78 Menachem Begin served as Prime Minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983 and signed the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, for which he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Anwar Sadat. He had earlier led the Irgun militant group during the British Mandate period. He withdrew from public life after leaving office.
• 1913 – 1983 Bear Bryant (1913-1983) Died 26 January 1983, aged 69 Paul "Bear" Bryant was an American college football coach who led the University of Alabama to six national championships. At his retirement he held the record for most wins by a major college football coach. He remains one of the most influential figures in American college sports.
• 1913 – 2013 Eiji Toyoda (1913-2013) Died 17 September 2013, aged 100 Eiji Toyoda was a Japanese industrialist who led Toyota Motor Corporation through its expansion into a major global automaker and helped develop the Toyota Production System. He died at his home in Toyota City, Japan.
• 1913 – 1980 Jesse Owens (1913-1980) Died 31 March 1980, aged 66 American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, undermining Nazi claims of Aryan racial superiority. He set world records in sprinting and long jump and became a global symbol of athletic excellence over ideology. Owens died of lung cancer in Tucson, Arizona.
• 1913 – 1970 Frances Farmer (1913-1970) American actress of the 1930s whose troubled life became the subject of books and films.
• 1913 First Flight Across the Mediterranean Roland Garros flies non-stop from France to Tunisia French aviator Roland Garros flew a monoplane non-stop from Frejus in southern France to Bizerte in Tunisia, crossing about 780 kilometres of open sea. The flight took under eight hours and was the first crossing of the Mediterranean by air. It marked a major advance in the range of early aircraft.
• 1913 – 2001 Stanley Kramer (1913-2001) Died 19 February 2001, aged 87 Kramer was a producer and director known for message films on racism, nuclear war and the Holocaust, including The Defiant Ones, Judgment at Nuremberg and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Critics were divided on his earnestness, but his films reached wide audiences. He received the Irving G. Thalberg award.
• 1913 – 1988 Trevor Howard (1913-1988) Died 14 January 1988, aged 74 Trevor Howard was an English actor best known for his lead role in the 1945 film Brief Encounter. He appeared in dozens of British and international films over a four-decade career. He died in Bushey, England.
• 1913 Panama Canal Waters Joined Gamboa Dike removed, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Engineers detonated the Gamboa Dike, the last barrier separating the Panama Canal's excavated channel from the Chagres River. The explosion allowed water to flow through the full length of the canal for the first time. Regular ship traffic through the completed canal began the following year.
• 1913 – 1991 Klaus Barbie (1913-1991) Died 25 September 1991, aged 77 Klaus Barbie, the former Gestapo chief known as the "Butcher of Lyon" for his role in torturing and deporting French Resistance members and Jews during World War II, died in a French prison. He had been convicted of crimes against humanity in 1987 after years evading justice in South America. His trial was a landmark moment in France's reckoning with wartime collaboration.
• 1913 – 1994 Burt Lancaster (1913-1994) Died 20 October 1994, aged 80 Burt Lancaster, Academy Award-winning star of films including From Here to Eternity and Elmer Gantry, died in Century City, California. His career spanned four decades of Hollywood leading roles.
• 1913 – 1978 Gig Young (1913-1978) American actor, Oscar winner for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
• 1913 Gandhi Leads the Great March in South Africa Satyagraha campaign against Indian indentured-labour laws Mohandas Gandhi led thousands of Indian miners and labourers on a march from Newcastle to the Transvaal in protest against discriminatory laws, including a tax on former indentured labourers. Gandhi and many marchers were arrested, drawing international attention to the campaign. The protests contributed to South Africa's 1914 Indian Relief Act.
• 1913 – 1960 Albert Camus French-Algerian writer Camus wrote The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus, exploring absurdism and the meaning of life.
• 1913 – 1976 Benjamin Britten British opera composer British composer who revived English opera with Peter Grimes and Billy Budd, and wrote the beloved Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
• 1913 – 2005 Geraldine Fitzgerald (1913-2005) Irish actress, Isabella in Wuthering Heights, with a career from the Gate Theatre to Arthur.
• 1913 – 1990 Mary Martin (1913-1990) American actress and singer, Broadway's first Nellie Forbush, Peter Pan and Maria von Trapp.
• 1913 – 1992 Willy Brandt (1913-1992) Died 8 October 1992, aged 78 Willy Brandt served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1969 to 1974 and pursued a policy of reconciliation with Eastern Europe known as Ostpolitik. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971 for these efforts. He resigned as chancellor after an aide was exposed as an East German spy.
• 1913 First Crossword Puzzle Published Arthur Wynne's word puzzle appears in the New York World Journalist Arthur Wynne published a diamond-shaped 'word-cross' puzzle in the New York World newspaper, widely credited as the first crossword puzzle. The format quickly became a regular feature and spread to newspapers worldwide. Crosswords went on to become one of the most popular word games of the twentieth century.
• 1913 Federal Reserve Act Signed United States creates its central banking system President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, establishing the Federal Reserve System as the central bank of the United States. The act created twelve regional reserve banks overseen by a Federal Reserve Board, intended to provide a more stable currency and elastic credit. The system became one of the world's most influential central banks.