History of Today in India – 13 April

Explore the history of today 13 April in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 13 April 2026, 04:21 AM

📜 Important Events on 13 April in World History

• 13 Apr 2025: Rory McIlroy wins the Masters Tournament, becoming just the sixth person to complete the Grand Slam in golf. Read more
• 13 Apr 2024: Six people and the perpetrator are killed and twelve others injured in a mass stabbing at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney, Australia. Read more
• 13 Apr 2023: The house of Jack Teixeira is raided in an investigation into leaked Pentagon documents; he is arrested on the same day. Read more
• 13 Apr 2014: Three people are killed in a shooting in Overland Park, Kansas. Read more
• 13 Apr 2013: Salam Fayyad resigns as Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority following an ongoing dispute with the President Mahmoud Abbas. Read more
• 13 Apr 2013: Lion Air Flight 904 crashes on approach to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Indonesia, injuring 40 people. Read more
• 13 Apr 2009: A fire destroys a homeless hostel and kills at least 22 people in Kamień Pomorski, Poland. Read more
• 13 Apr 2006: The United Front for Democratic Change's attack on the Chadian capital of N'Djamena is repelled by the Chadian army Read more
• 13 Apr 1997: Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament. Read more
• 13 Apr 1996: Two women and four children are killed after Israeli helicopter fired rockets at an ambulance in Mansouri, Lebanon. Read more
• 13 Apr 1976: The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson's 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration. Read more
• 13 Apr 1976: Forty workers die in the Lapua Cartridge Factory explosion, the deadliest industrial accident in modern Finnish history. Read more
• 13 Apr 1975: An attack by the Phalangist resistance kills 26 militia members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War. Read more
• 13 Apr 1972: The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan. Read more
• 13 Apr 1972: Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins. Read more
• 13 Apr 1970: At 10:08 PM EST an oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed "Odyssey") while en route to the Moon. Read more
• 13 Apr 1964: At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American man to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field. Read more
• 13 Apr 1960: The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world's first satellite navigation system. Read more
• 13 Apr 1953: CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra. Read more
• 13 Apr 1948: In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre. Read more
• 13 Apr 1945: World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany. Read more
• 13 Apr 1945: World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces capture Vienna. Read more
• 13 Apr 1943: World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility. Read more
• 13 Apr 1943: The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson's birth. Read more
• 13 Apr 1941: A pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed. Read more
• 13 Apr 1924: A.E.K., a major Greek multi-sport club, is established in Athens by Greek refugees from Constantinople. Read more
• 13 Apr 1919: Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops led by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer kill approximately 379–1,000 unarmed demonstrators including men and women in Amritsar, India; and approximately 1,500 injured. Read more
• 13 Apr 1909: The 31 March Incident leads to the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Read more
• 13 Apr 1873: The Colfax massacre: More than 60 to 150 black men are murdered in Colfax, Louisiana, while surrendering to a mob of former Confederate soldiers and members of the Ku Klux Klan. Read more
• 13 Apr 1870: The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded. Read more
• 13 Apr 1865: American Civil War: Raleigh, North Carolina is occupied by Union forces. Read more
• 13 Apr 1861: American Civil War: Union forces surrender Fort Sumter to Confederate forces. Read more
• 13 Apr 1849: Lajos Kossuth presents the Hungarian Declaration of Independence in a closed session of the National Assembly. Read more
• 13 Apr 1829: The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 13 April in World History

• 13 Apr 2002: Karl Hein, Estonian footballer Karl Jakob Hein is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club Werder Bremen, on loan from Premier League club Arsenal, and the Estonia national team. Read more
• 13 Apr 2001: Neco Williams, Welsh footballer Neco Shay Williams is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Wales national team. Read more
• 13 Apr 2000: Rasmus Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player Rasmus Erik Dahlin is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman and captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Having been referred to as the most talented player available in the 2018 NHL entry draft class, Dahlin was selected first overall in the draft by the Sabres. Read more
• 13 Apr 2000: Facundo Torres, Uruguayan footballer Facundo Daniel Torres Pérez is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Major League Soccer club Austin FC and the Uruguay national team. Read more
• 13 Apr 1999: Alessandro Bastoni, Italian footballer Alessandro Bastoni is an Italian professional footballer who plays primarily as a centre-back for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Italy national team. Regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world, he is best known for his passing, speed and versatility. Read more
• 13 Apr 1999: András Schäfer, Hungarian footballer András Schäfer is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Bundesliga club Union Berlin and the Hungary national team. Read more
• 13 Apr 1997: Mateo Cassierra, Colombian footballer Zander Mateo Cassierra Cabezas is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Atlético Mineiro and the Colombia national team. Read more
• 13 Apr 1997: Kyle Walker-Peters, English footballer Kyle Leonardus Walker-Peters is an English professional footballer who plays as a full back for Premier League club West Ham United. Read more
• 13 Apr 1996: Marko Grujić, Serbian footballer Marko Grujić is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Super League Greece club AEK Athens and the Serbia national team. Read more
• 13 Apr 1994: Kahraba, Egyptian footballer Mahmoud Abdel Moneim Abdel Hamid Soliman, commonly known as Mahmoud Kahraba or simply Kahraba, is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays for Egyptian Premier League club ENPPI and the Egypt national team. Read more
• 13 Apr 1993: Melvin Gordon, American football player Melvin Gordon III is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Doak Walker Award as the top college running back in 2014. Gordon was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft with the 15th overall pick. He was also a member of the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens. Read more
• 13 Apr 1993: Darrun Hilliard, American basketball player Darrun Cordell Hilliard II is an American professional basketball player for Bilbao Basket of the Liga ACB. Read more
• 13 Apr 1992: Jordan Silk, Australian cricketer Jordan Christopher Silk is an Australian cricketer who plays for Tasmania. Silk was recruited from Sydney grade cricket, where he holds the record for being the youngest player to make a century on debut. Read more
• 13 Apr 1991: Josh Gordon, American football player Joshua Caleb Gordon, nicknamed "Flash", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Baylor Bears and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2012 NFL Supplemental draft. Throughout his career, Gordon was lauded for his on-field production, but also faced several suspensions for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Read more
• 13 Apr 1989: Josh Reynolds, Australian rugby league player Joshua Reynolds is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who played as a five-eighth for Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League. Read more
• 13 Apr 1988: Allison Williams, American actress and singer Allison Howell Williams is an American actress. She began her career in comedy and rose to prominence as a horror queen beginning in the late 2010s. Her accolades include a National Board of Review Award and nominations at the Critics' Choice, GMSA and SAG Awards. Read more
• 13 Apr 1988: Anderson, Brazilian footballer Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira, commonly known as Anderson, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who works as assistant manager of Adana Demirspor. He played as a midfielder and is best known for his tenure with Manchester United from 2007 to 2015. Read more
• 13 Apr 1987: Steven De Vuyst, Belgian politician Steven De Vuyst is a Belgian politician and former member of the Chamber of Representatives. A member of the Workers' Party of Belgium, he represented East Flanders from June 2019 to May 2024. Read more
• 13 Apr 1987: John-Allison Weiss, American singer-songwriter John-Allison Weiss is an American singer-songwriter known for emotionally resonant songwriting, a strong DIY ethos, and blending indie pop, folk, and alt-country. Emerging in the late 2000s, Weiss built a following through crowdfunding, touring, and independent releases. In 2020, they launched the project Charlie Mtn., exploring country storytelling rooted in queer identity. Read more
• 13 Apr 1986: Lorenzo Cain, American baseball player Lorenzo Lamar Cain is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the 17th round of the 2004 MLB draft from Tallahassee Community College in Florida. In 2010, Cain made his MLB debut, and, following the season, the Brewers traded him to Kansas City with three other players for pitcher Zack Greinke. Read more
• 13 Apr 1984: Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer Anders Rozenkrantz Lindegaard is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
• 13 Apr 1983: Claudio Bravo, Chilean footballer Claudio Andrés Bravo Muñoz is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
• 13 Apr 1983: Hunter Pence, American baseball player Hunter Andrew Pence, nicknamed "the Reverend," is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers. In the 2004 Major League Baseball draft he was drafted in the second round by the Astros. Pence made his major league debut in 2007. He is a four time All-Star and was a member of the 2012 and 2014 World Series championship teams with the Giants. Read more
• 13 Apr 1982: Nellie McKay, British-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress Eleanora Marie McKay is an English–American singer and songwriter. She made her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera (2006). Read more
• 13 Apr 1982: Ty Dolla Sign, American singer, songwriter, and musician Tyrone William Griffin Jr., known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gained initial recognition for his guest appearance on fellow California rapper YG's 2010 single "Toot It and Boot It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2012, and Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Entertainment the following year. Read more
• 13 Apr 1980: Kelli Giddish, American actress Kelli Marie Giddish is an American television, stage, and film actress. She is best known as NYPD Detective/Sergeant Amanda Rollins in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011–present). Giddish previously played Di Henry in All My Children (2005–2007), Dr. Kate McGinn in Past Life (2010), and Annie Nolan Frost in Chase (2010–2011). Read more
• 13 Apr 1980: Quentin Richardson, American basketball player Quentin Lamar Richardson is an American former professional basketball player who was formerly the director of player development for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Q-Ball", he played professionally for 13 seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic. He won the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2005. Read more
• 13 Apr 1979: Baron Davis, American basketball player Baron Walter Louis Davis is an American former professional basketball player who is a television host and sports analyst. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in steals. He was drafted with the third overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He also played in the NBA for the New Orleans Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. Davis played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, earning All-American honors before turning professional after his sophomore year. He was a star high school player while at Crossroads School. Davis holds the NBA's career playoff record for steals per game with an average of 2.28 over 50 games. Read more
• 13 Apr 1978: Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer Carles Puyol Saforcada is a Spanish former professional footballer who played his entire career for Barcelona. Considered one of the best defenders ever and one of the sport's greatest captains, he mainly played as a centre-back, but could also play in either full-back position, mostly as a right-back. Read more
• 13 Apr 1977: Margus Tsahkna, Estonian lawyer and politician Margus Tsahkna is an Estonian politician. He has been Minister of Foreign Affairs since the third cabinet of Kaja Kallas was sworn in on 17 April 2023 and continues in that role in Kristen Michal's cabinet. He is also the leader of the Estonia 200 party since 19 November 2023. Read more
• 13 Apr 1976: Jonathan Brandis, American actor (died 2003) Jonathan Gregory Brandis was an American actor. Beginning his career as a child model, Brandis moved on to acting in commercials and subsequently won television and film roles. Brandis made his acting debut in 1982 as Kevin Buchanan on the soap opera One Life to Live. In 1990, he portrayed Bill Denbrough in the television miniseries It, and starred as Bastian Bux in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter. In 1993, at the age of 17, he was cast in the role of teen prodigy Lucas Wolenczak on the NBC series seaQuest DSV. The character was popular among teenage viewers, and Brandis regularly appeared in teen magazines. He died by suicide in 2003. Read more
• 13 Apr 1976: Dan Campbell, American football player and coach Daniel Allen Campbell is an American professional football coach and former tight end who is the head coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in the NFL for 11 seasons. Campbell played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and Detroit Lions. Read more
• 13 Apr 1976: Glenn Howerton, American actor Glenn Franklin Howerton III is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing Dennis Reynolds on the FX/FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present), which he co-developed and on which he serves as an executive producer and writer alongside the other main cast members. Read more
• 13 Apr 1975: Lou Bega, German singer David Lubega Balemezi, known professionally as Lou Bega, is a German singer. His 1999 song "Mambo No. 5", a remake of Pérez Prado's 1949 instrumental piece, reached no. 1 in many European countries and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Bega added words to the song and sampled the original version extensively. Bega's signature musical sounds consist of combining musical elements of the 1940s and 1950s with modern beats and grooves. Read more
• 13 Apr 1973: Bokeem Woodbine, American actor Bokeem Woodbine is an American actor. In 1994, he portrayed Joshua, the main character's troubled brother, in Jason's Lyric. He won a Black Reel Award and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award for his role as Kansas City mob enforcer Mike Milligan in the second season of Fargo. Woodbine also portrayed Daniel in season 2 of the WGN series Underground, Herman Schultz/Shocker in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming, and saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman in the Oscar-winning Ray Charles biopic Ray. Read more
• 13 Apr 1972: Aaron Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Aaron Francis Lewis is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and founding member of the post-grunge/alternative metal band Staind, with whom he released eight studio albums. Since 2010, he has pursued a solo career in country music with his debut EP, Town Line, which was released in 2011. Lewis's first full-length solo release, The Road, was released by Blaster Records in 2012. Read more
• 13 Apr 1971: Franck Esposito, French swimmer Franck Esposito is a former World Record holding, and four-time Olympic, butterfly swimmer from France. He swam for France at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics; and won the bronze medal in the 200 Butterfly at the 1992 Olympics. During his career, he set the short course World Record in the 200 fly four times. Read more
• 13 Apr 1971: Danie Mellor, Australian painter and sculptor Danie Mellor is an Australian artist who was the winner of 2009 National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Born in Mackay, Queensland, Mellor grew up in Scotland, Australia, and South Africa before undertaking tertiary studies at North Adelaide School of Art, the Australian National University (ANU) and Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. He then took up a post lecturing at Sydney College of the Arts. He works in different media including printmaking, drawing, painting, and sculpture. Considered a key figure in contemporary Indigenous Australian art, the dominant theme in Mellor's art is the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian cultures. Read more
• 13 Apr 1971: Bo Outlaw, American basketball player Charles "Bo" Outlaw is an American former professional basketball player. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, and is a 1989 alumnus of John Jay High School. Read more
• 13 Apr 1970: Ricky Schroder, American actor Richard Bartlett Schroder is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film The Champ (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went on to become a child star on the sitcom Silver Spoons (1982–87). He has continued acting as an adult, usually billed as Rick Schroder, notably in the Western miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989) and on the police drama series NYPD Blue (1998–2001). He made his directorial debut with the film Black Cloud (2004) and has produced several films and television series, including the anthology film Locker 13 and the war documentary The Fighting Season. Read more
• 13 Apr 1967: Dana Barros, American basketball player and coach Dana Bruce Barros is an American former professional basketball player from the National Basketball Association (NBA). In college, he played at Boston College, finishing as one of the school's all-time leading scorers. He was the head men's basketball coach at Newbury College in Massachusetts. He is now the owner of AAU Basketball organization, the "Dana Barros Gladiators", based in Avon, Massachusetts, and now Stoughton, Massachusetts. He is of Cape Verdean descent. Read more
• 13 Apr 1967: Michael Eisen, American biologist and academic Michael Bruce Eisen is an American computational biologist and the former editor-in-chief of the journal eLife. He is a professor of genetics, genomics and development at University of California, Berkeley. He is a leading advocate of open access scientific publishing and is co-founder of Public Library of Science (PLOS). In 2018, Eisen announced his candidacy U.S. Senate from California as an Independent, though he failed to qualify for the ballot. Read more
• 13 Apr 1967: Olga Tañón, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Olga Teresa Tañón Ortiz is a Puerto Rican singer. Over the course of her career, she has earned two Grammy Awards, three Latin Grammy Awards, and 29 Premio Lo Nuestro Awards. She has sold over five million copies of her albums. Read more
• 13 Apr 1966: Mando, Greek singer Adamantia Stamatopoulou, known as Mando, is a Greek singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Piraeus by her jazz pianist father, Nikos Stamatopoulos and a classical soprano mother, Mary Apergi. Read more
• 13 Apr 1965: Patricio Pouchulu, Argentinian architect and educator Patricio Pouchulu is a contemporary organic architect. Read more
• 13 Apr 1964: Davis Love III, American golfer and sportscaster Davis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer who has won 21 events on the PGA Tour, including one major championship: the 1997 PGA Championship. He won the Players Championship in 1992 and 2003. He was in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for over 450 weeks, reaching a high ranking of 2nd. He captained the U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 2012 and 2016. Love was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017. Read more
• 13 Apr 1963: Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and author Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, political activist and writer, who was the World Chess Champion from 1985 to 2000. His peak FIDE chess rating of 2851, achieved in 1999, was the highest recorded until being surpassed by Magnus Carlsen in 2013. From 1984 until his retirement from regular competitive chess in 2005, Kasparov was ranked the world's No. 1 player for a record 255 months overall. Kasparov also holds records for the most consecutive professional tournament victories (15) and Chess Oscars (11). Read more
• 13 Apr 1960: Rudi Völler, German footballer and manager Rudolf "Rudi" Völler is a German professional football manager and former player, who is currently the director of the Germany national team. During his active years as a player he was sometimes nicknamed "Tante Käthe", a name bestowed upon him by Thomas Berthold in reference to his permed hairstyle, and in Italy, he is nicknamed "Il tedesco volante" by supporters of Roma. Read more
• 13 Apr 1959: John Middendorf, American mountain climber (died 2024) John William Middendorf IV was an American big wall climber, mountaineering writer and designer of climbing equipment. Read more
• 13 Apr 1958: Jean-Marc Pilorget, French footballer and manager Jean-Marc Pilorget is a French former professional football player and manager. He held the record of the most appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, with 435 matches, until 2024. Read more
• 13 Apr 1956: César, Brazilian footballer (died 2024) César Martins de Oliveira, simply known as César, was a Brazilian football forward, who played in several Série A clubs. He was the top goalscorer of the Série A 1979. Read more
• 13 Apr 1955: Steve Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Steven J. Camp is an American contemporary Christian music artist and pastor. In the tradition of Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses, Camp sent out his own 107 theses on Reformation Day, 1998, calling for a reformation in contemporary Christian music: calling Christian musicians to make direct, uncompromising music that confronts the world with the message of the scriptures. Read more
• 13 Apr 1955: Muwenda Mutebi II, current King of Buganda Kingdom Kabaka Ronald Edward Frederick Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II is the 36th Kabaka or king of the Kingdom of Buganda. Read more
• 13 Apr 1955: Safet Sušić, Bosnian footballer and manager Safet "Pape" Sušić is a Bosnian former professional football manager and player. A gifted midfielder known for his dribbling skills and technical ability, he is strongly reputed to have been one of the finest European players of his generation. Sušić played for Yugoslavia in two FIFA World Cups, 1982 and 1990, and at UEFA Euro 1984. As a manager, he notably qualified the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Read more
• 13 Apr 1952: Gabrielle Gourdeau, Canadian writer (died 2006) Gabrielle Gourdeau was a writer in Quebec, Canada. Read more
• 13 Apr 1952: Sam Bush, American mandolinist Charles Samuel Bush is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame a second time in 2023 as a solo artist. Read more
• 13 Apr 1952: Jonjo O'Neill, Irish jockey and trainer John Joseph "Jonjo" O'Neill is an Irish National Hunt racehorse trainer and former jockey. Read more
• 13 Apr 1951: Leszek Borysiewicz, Welsh immunologist and academic Sir Leszek Krzysztof Borysiewicz is a British professor, immunologist and scientific administrator. He served as the 345th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, his term of office started on 1 October 2010 and ended on 1 October 2017. Borysiewicz also served as chief executive of the Medical Research Council of the UK from 2007-2010 and was the chairman of Cancer Research UK from 2016 to 2023. Read more
• 13 Apr 1951: Peabo Bryson, American singer Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads including the hit singles "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like Love to Me" and "As Long as There's Christmas" with Roberta Flack, "A Whole New World" with Regina Belle, and "Beauty and the Beast" with Canadian singer Celine Dion, the latter two being contributions to Disney animated feature soundtracks. Bryson is a winner of two Grammy Awards. Read more
• 13 Apr 1951: Peter Davison, English actor Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett, known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor. He is best known for playing the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who (1981–1984) and Tristan Farnon in the BBC comedy drama series All Creatures Great and Small. Read more
• 13 Apr 1951: Joachim Streich, German footballer (died 2022) Joachim Streich was a German professional footballer who won the bronze medal with East Germany at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Read more
• 13 Apr 1951: Max Weinberg, American musician and bandleader Max Weinberg is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. He is the father of former Slipknot and Suicidal Tendencies drummer Jay Weinberg. Read more
• 13 Apr 1950: Ron Perlman, American actor Ronald N. Perlman is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in Quest for Fire (1981), Salvatore in The Name of the Rose (1986), Vincent in the television series Beauty and the Beast (1987–1990), for which he won a Golden Globe Award, One in The City of Lost Children (1995), Johner in Alien Resurrection (1997), Koulikov in Enemy at the Gates (2001), Hellboy in both Hellboy (2004) and its sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Clay Morrow in the television series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2013), Nino in Drive (2011) and Benedict Drask in Don't Look Up (2021). As a frequent collaborator of Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro, he has had roles in the del Toro films Cronos (1992), Blade II (2002), Pacific Rim (2013), Nightmare Alley (2021), and del Toro's Pinocchio (2022). Read more
• 13 Apr 1950: Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 2021) Thomas Walter Raudonikis was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He played 40 International games and World Cup games as Australia representative halfback and captained his country in two matches of the 1973 Kangaroo tour. Read more
• 13 Apr 1950: William Sadler, American actor William Thomas Sadler is an American actor. He began his career in various Broadway productions including Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues (1985). Known as a character actor, his best known film roles include Die Hard 2 (1990), Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), The Mist (2007), and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). He portrayed President Matthew Ellis in various Marvel Cinematic Universe media including Iron Man 3 (2013) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015–2016), and he also portrayed Gino Fish in the Jesse Stone television films. Read more
• 13 Apr 1949: Len Cook, New Zealand-English mathematician and statistician

  Leonard Warren Cook CBE CRSNZ is a professional statistician who was Government Statistician of New Zealand from 1992 to 2000, and National Statistician and Director of the United Kingdom Office for National Statistics, and Registrar General for England and Wales from 2000 to 2005. He served as Families Commissioner in New Zealand from 2015 to 2018. Read more

• 13 Apr 1949: Frank Doran, Scottish lawyer and politician (died 2017) Frank Doran was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberdeen South from 1987 to 1992, when he lost his seat. He was re-elected in 1997 to Aberdeen Central, and most recently represented Aberdeen North. He was the husband of former Labour MP Dame Joan Ruddock; it was the second marriage of both politicians. Read more
• 13 Apr 1949: Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (died 2011) Christopher Eric Hitchens was a British and American author and journalist. Known as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism, he gained prominence as a columnist and speaker. His epistemological razor, which states that "what can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence", is used in philosophy and law. Read more
• 13 Apr 1948: Nam Hae-il, South Korean admiral Nam Hae-il is a former South Korean naval officer who served as the 25th Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy, appointed in 2005. He attended the Republic of Korea Naval Academy in 1972 and Naval War college in 1978. Read more
• 13 Apr 1948: Drago Jančar, Slovenian author and playwright Drago Jančar is a Slovenian writer, playwright and essayist. Jančar is one of the best-known contemporary Slovene writers. In Slovenia, he is also known for his political commentaries and civic engagement. Jančar's novels, essays, and short stories have been translated into 21 languages and published in Europe, Asia, and the United States. The most numerous translations are into German, followed by Czech and Croatian.His plays have also been staged by a number of foreign theatres, and in Slovenia they are frequently considered the highlights of the theatrical season. He lives and works in Ljubljana. Read more
• 13 Apr 1948: Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet and Russian singer, actor, TV presenter Mikhail Zakharovich Shufutinsky is a Russian pop singer. He is currently the pre-eminent singer of Russian chanson music. He was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist of Russia in 2013. Read more
• 13 Apr 1947: Rae Armantrout, American poet and academic Rae Armantrout is an American poet generally associated with the Language poets. She has published more than two dozen books, including both poetry and prose. Read more
• 13 Apr 1947: Mike Chapman, Australian-English songwriter and producer Michael Donald Chapman is an Australian record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Mud and Racey with business partner Nicky Chinn, creating a sound that became identified with the "Chinnichap" brand. He later produced breakthrough albums for Blondie and the Knack. Chapman received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2014 Australia Day Honours. Read more
• 13 Apr 1947: Jean-Jacques Laffont, French economist and academic (died 2004) Jean-Jacques Marcel Laffont was a French economist specializing in public economics and information economics. Educated at the University of Toulouse and the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Economique (ENSAE) in Paris, he was awarded PhD in economics by Harvard University in 1975. Read more
• 13 Apr 1947: Thanos Mikroutsikos, Greek composer and politician (died 2019) Athanasios "Thanos" Mikroutsikos was a Greek composer and politician. He is considered one of the most important composers of the recent Greek musical scene. Read more
• 13 Apr 1946: Al Green, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor Albert Leornes Greene, known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including "Tired of Being Alone" (1971), "I'm Still in Love with You" (1972), "Love and Happiness" (1973), "Take Me to the River" (1974), and his signature song, "Let's Stay Together" (1972). Green became an ordained pastor and recorded gospel music during the 1980s. Read more
• 13 Apr 1945: Judy Nunn, Australian actress and author Judith Anne Nunn (AM), , is an Australian former actress, and author of both adult and children's fiction titles. She has collaborated with writers Patricia Bernard and Fiona Waite. Read more
• 13 Apr 1944: Susan Davis, Russian-American social worker and politician Susan Carol Davis is a former American politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 49th congressional district for one term and California's 53rd congressional district for nine terms from 2001 to 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Read more
• 13 Apr 1943: Alan Jones, Australian rugby coach and radio host Alan Belford Jones is an Australian former talkback host, coach of the Australia national rugby union team, and rugby league coach and administrator. He has worked as a school teacher, a speech writer in the office of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, and in musical theatre. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Queensland and completed a one-year teaching diploma at Worcester College, Oxford. He has received civil and industry awards. Read more
• 13 Apr 1943: Tim Krabbé, Dutch journalist and author Hans Maarten Timotheus "Tim" Krabbé is a Dutch journalist, novelist and chess player. Read more
• 13 Apr 1942: Bill Conti, American composer and conductor William Conti is an American composer and conductor. He is best known for his film scores, including Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky V (1990), Rocky Balboa (2006), The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), The Next Karate Kid (1994), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Dynasty and The Right Stuff (1983), which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score. He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky and for the title song of For Your Eyes Only. He was the musical director at the Academy Awards a record nineteen times. Read more
• 13 Apr 1941: Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Michael Stuart Brown ForMemRS NAS AAA&S APS is an American geneticist and Nobel laureate. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Joseph L. Goldstein in 1985 for describing the regulation of cholesterol metabolism. Read more
• 13 Apr 1941: Jean-Marc Reiser, French author and illustrator (died 1983) Jean-Marc Reiser was a French comics creator, notable for his black comedy and controversial contemporary satire. Read more
• 13 Apr 1940: Mike Beuttler, Egyptian-English racing driver (died 1988) Michael Simon Brindley Bream Beuttler was a British Formula One driver who raced privately entered March cars. He was born in Cairo, Egypt, the son of Colonel Leslie Brindley Bream Beuttler, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, O.B.E., and a descendant on his mother's side of the Scottish ornithologist William Robert Ogilvie-Grant, grandson of the 6th Earl of Seafield. Read more
• 13 Apr 1940: J. M. G. Le Clézio, Breton French-Mauritian author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, usually identified as J. M. G. Le Clézio, of French, Mauritian, and British nationality, is a writer and professor. The author of over forty works, he was awarded the 1963 Prix Renaudot for his novel Le Procès-Verbal and the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature for his life's work, as an "author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization". Read more
• 13 Apr 1940: Vladimir Cosma, French composer, conductor and violinist Vladimir Cosma is a Romanian composer, conductor and violinist, who has made his career in France and the United States. Read more
• 13 Apr 1940: Jim McNab, Scottish footballer (died 2006) James McNab was a Scottish footballer who played as a left half for Sunderland, Preston North End and Stockport County. Read more
• 13 Apr 1940: Max Mosley, English racing driver and engineer, co-founded March Engineering, former president of the FIA (died 2021) Max Rufus Mosley was a British businessman, lawyer and racing driver. He served as president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula One. Read more
• 13 Apr 1940: Ruby Puryear Hearn, African-American biophysicist Ruby Louise Puryear Hearn is an American biophysicist who has dedicated her career to health policy. Her work spans initiatives in maternal, infant, and child health; AIDS; substance abuse; and minority medical education. Read more
• 13 Apr 1939: Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2013) Seamus Justin Heaney was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is Death of a Naturalist (1966), his first major published volume. American poet Robert Lowell described him as "the most important Irish poet since Yeats", and many others, including the academic John Sutherland, have said that he was "the greatest poet of our age". Robert Pinsky has stated that "with his wonderful gift of eye and ear Heaney has the gift of the story-teller." Upon his death in 2013, The Independent described him as "probably the best-known poet in the world". Read more
• 13 Apr 1939: Paul Sorvino, American actor and singer (died 2022) Paul Anthony Sorvino was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law. Read more
• 13 Apr 1938: Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter Klaus Lehnertz is a retired West German pole vaulter. He competed for the United Team of Germany at the 1964 Olympics and won a bronze medal. He also won two medals at the European Cup in 1965-67, but placed only 13th and 9th at the European Championships in 1962 and 1966, respectively. Domestically he held West German outdoor and indoor titles. Read more
• 13 Apr 1937: Col Joye, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Colin Frederick Jacobsen, better known by his stage name Col Joye, was an Australian pioneer rock and pop singer-songwriter, musician and entrepreneur with a career spanning almost sixty-seven years, starting from the late 1950s. Read more
• 13 Apr 1937: Edward Fox, English actor Edward Charles Morice Fox is an English actor and a member of the Fox family. Read more
• 13 Apr 1937: Lanford Wilson, American playwright, co-founded the Circle Repertory Company (died 2011) Lanford Wilson was an American playwright. His work, as described by The New York Times, was "earthy, realist, greatly admired [and] widely performed". Wilson helped to advance the off-off-Broadway theater movement with his earliest plays, which were first produced at the Caffe Cino beginning in 1964. He was one of the first playwrights to move from off-off-Broadway to off-Broadway, then Broadway and beyond. Read more
• 13 Apr 1934: John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2021) John Muckler was a Canadian professional hockey coach and executive, who last served as the general manager of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Muckler had over 50 years of professional hockey experience as a part owner, general manager, director of player personnel, director of hockey operations, head coach, assistant coach, and player. He had been a part of five Stanley Cup championships in various roles with the Edmonton Oilers. Read more
• 13 Apr 1932: Orlando Letelier, Chilean-American economist and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (died 1976) Marcos Orlando Letelier del Solar was a Chilean Marxist and diplomat during the presidency of Salvador Allende. A member of the Socialist Party of Chile, he fled from the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, Letelier accepted several academic positions in Washington D.C. after his exile from Chile. In 1976, agents of Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA), the Pinochet regime's secret police, killed him in Washington by a car bomb. The agents had been working in collaboration with members of the Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations, an anti-Castro militant group. Read more
• 13 Apr 1931: Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (died 2014) Anita Cerquetti was an Italian dramatic soprano who had a short but meteoric career in the 1950s. Her voice was very powerful and pleasing to audiences. Read more
• 13 Apr 1931: Robert Enrico, French director and screenwriter (died 2001) Robert Georgio Enrico was a French film director and scriptwriter best known for making the Oscar-winning short An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1961). Read more
• 13 Apr 1931: Dan Gurney, American race car driver and engineer (died 2018) Daniel Sexton Gurney was an American racing driver, engineer and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1959 to 1970. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of motorsport, Gurney won four Formula One Grands Prix across 11 seasons. In endurance racing, Gurney won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967 with Ford, as well as the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1959 with Ferrari. Read more
• 13 Apr 1931: Jon Stone, American composer, producer, and screenwriter (died 1997) Jon Arthur Stone was an American television screenwriter, director, producer and chlidren's author who was best known as an original crewmember on the children's television show Sesame Street and is credited with helping to develop characters such as Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird. Stone won 18 television Emmy Awards. Many regard him as among the best children's television writers. Read more
• 13 Apr 1929: Marilynn Smith, American golfer (died 2019) Marilynn Louise Smith was an American professional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of the LPGA in 1950. She won two major championships and 21 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Read more
• 13 Apr 1928: Alan Clark, English historian and politician, Minister of State for Trade (died 1999) Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), author and diarist. He served as a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's governments at the Departments of Employment, Trade and Defence. He became a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 1991. Read more
• 13 Apr 1928: Gianni Marzotto, Italian racing driver and businessman (died 2012) Count Giannino Marzotto was an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur. Marzotto served as President of the Mille Miglia Club and won the Mille Miglia race in 1950 and 1953. Read more
• 13 Apr 1927: Rosemary Haughton, English philosopher, theologian, and author (died 2024) Rosemary Elena Konradin Haughton was a British Catholic lay theologian, who lived in the United States over a period of thirty years. Read more
• 13 Apr 1927: Maurice Ronet, French actor and director (died 1983) Maurice Ronet was a French film actor, director, and writer. Read more
• 13 Apr 1926: Ellie Lambeti, Greek actress (died 1983) Ellie Loukou, known professionally as Ellie Lambeti, was a Greek actress. Read more
• 13 Apr 1926: John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (died 2014) John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, was a British peer. He was the elder son of the 10th Duke of Marlborough and his wife, the Hon. Alexandra Mary Hilda Cadogan. He was known as "Sunny" after his courtesy title of Earl of Sunderland. Read more
• 13 Apr 1924: John T. Biggers, American painter (died 2001) John Thomas Biggers was an African-American muralist who came to prominence after the Harlem Renaissance and toward the end of World War II. Biggers created works critical of racial and economic injustice. He also served as the founding chairman of the art department at Houston's Texas State University for Negroes, a historically black college. Read more
• 13 Apr 1924: Jack T. Chick, American author, illustrator, and publisher (died 2016) Jack Thomas Chick was an American cartoonist and publisher, best known for his fundamentalist Christian "Chick tracts". He expressed his perspective on a variety of issues through sequential-art morality plays. Read more
• 13 Apr 1924: Stanley Donen, American film director and choreographer (died 2019) Stanley Donen was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 1998, and the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. Four of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress. Read more
• 13 Apr 1923: Don Adams, American actor and director (died 2005) Donald James Yarmy, known professionally as Don Adams, was an American actor. In his five decades on television, he was best known as bumbling Maxwell Smart in the television situation comedy Get Smart, which he also sometimes directed and wrote. Adams won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his performance in the series (1967–1969). Adams also provided voices for the animated series Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–1966) and Inspector Gadget (1983–1986) as well as several revivals and spinoffs of the latter in the 1990s. Read more
• 13 Apr 1923: A. H. Halsey, English sociologist and academic (died 2014)
  Albert Henry 'Chelly' Halsey was a British sociologist. He was emeritus Professor of Social and Administrative Studies at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. Read more
• 13 Apr 1922: Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (died 1994) Heinrich "Heinz" Baas was a German football player and manager. Read more
• 13 Apr 1922: John Braine, English librarian and author (died 1986) John Gerard Braine was an English novelist. Braine is usually listed among the angry young men, a loosely defined group of English writers who emerged on the literary scene in the 1950s. Read more
• 13 Apr 1922: Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian politician and teacher, 1st President of Tanzania (died 1999) Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician, anti-colonial activist, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as president from 1962 to 1964, after which he led its successor state, Tanzania, as president from 1964 to 1985. He was a founding member and chair of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) party and of its successor, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, from 1954 to 1990. Ideologically an African nationalist and African socialist, he promoted a political philosophy known as Ujamaa. Read more
• 13 Apr 1922: Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (died 2002) Valve Pormeister née Ulm was an Estonian landscape architect who became an architect. She was one of the first women to influence the development of Estonian architecture, becoming one of the country's most inventive modernisers of rural architecture in the 1960s and 1970s. She is often known as the "Grand Old Lady" of Estonian architecture. Read more
• 13 Apr 1920: Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (died 1982) Roberto Calvi was an Italian banker, dubbed "God's Banker" by the press because of his close business dealings with the Holy See. He was a native of Milan and was chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in one of Italy's biggest political scandals. Read more
• 13 Apr 1920: Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2012) Claude Cheysson was a French Socialist politician who served as Foreign Minister in the government of Pierre Mauroy from 1981 to 1984. Read more
• 13 Apr 1920: Liam Cosgrave, Irish lawyer and politician, 6th Taoiseach of Ireland (died 2017) Liam Cosgrave was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1973 to 1977, Leader of Fine Gael from 1965 to 1977, Leader of the Opposition from 1965 to 1973, Minister for External Affairs from 1954 to 1957, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce and Government Chief Whip from 1948 to 1951. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1943 to 1981. Read more
• 13 Apr 1920: Theodore L. Thomas, American chemical engineer, Patent attorney and writer (died 2005) Theodore Lockard Thomas was an American chemical engineer and patent attorney who wrote more than 50 science fiction short stories, published between 1952 and 1981. He also collaborated on two novels with Kate Wilhelm, as well as producing stories under the pseudonyms of Leonard Lockhard and Cogswell Thomas, and was nominated for the 1967 Nebula Award for Best Short Story and for a Hugo Award. Read more
• 13 Apr 1919: Roland Gaucher, French journalist and politician (died 2007) Roland Gaucher was the pseudonym of Roland Goguillot, a former French far-left activist turned journalist and politician. He then becomes one of the main thinkers of the French far-right, he had participated in Marcel Déat's fascist party Rassemblement National Populaire (RNP) under the Vichy regime. Sentenced to five years of prison for Collaborationism after the war, he then engaged in a career of journalism, while continuing political activism. One of the co-founders of the National Front (FN) in October 1972, he became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the FN in 1986. Read more
• 13 Apr 1919: Howard Keel, American actor and singer (died 2004) Harold Clifford Keel, professionally Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s, including Show Boat (1951). He played the role of oil baron Clayton Farlow in the television series Dallas from 1981 to 1991. Read more
• 13 Apr 1919: Madalyn Murray O'Hair, American activist, founded American Atheists (died 1995) Madalyn Murray O'Hair was an American activist who supported atheism, separation of church and state, and feminism. In 1963, she founded American Atheists and served as its president until 1986, after which her son Jon Garth Murray succeeded her. She created the first issues of American Atheist Magazine and identified as a militant feminist. Read more
• 13 Apr 1917: Robert Orville Anderson, American businessman, founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (died 2007) Robert Orville Anderson was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist who founded Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). Anderson also supported several cultural organizations, from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to Harper's Magazine. He died December 2, 2007, at his home in Roswell, New Mexico. Read more
• 13 Apr 1917: Bill Clements, American soldier, engineer, and politician, 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (died 2011) William Perry Clements Jr. was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served two nonconsecutive terms as the governor of Texas between 1979 and 1991. His terms bookended the sole term served by Mark Wells White, a Democrat who defeated Clements in the 1982 election only to lose his campaign for reelection in 1986. Read more
• 13 Apr 1916: Phyllis Fraser, Welsh-American actress, journalist, and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books (died 2006) Phyllis Cerf Wagner, also known as Phyllis Fraser, was an American socialite, writer, publisher, and actress. She was a co-founder of Beginner Books. Read more
• 13 Apr 1914: Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish poet and author (died 1950) Orhan Veli Kanık or Orhan Veli was a Turkish poet. He was one of the founders of the Garip Movement together with Oktay Rıfat and Melih Cevdet. Read more
• 13 Apr 1913: Dave Albritton, American high jumper and coach (died 1994) David Donald Albritton was an American athlete, teacher, coach, and state legislator. He had a long athletic career that spanned three decades and numerous titles and was one of the first high jumpers to use the straddle technique. He was born in Danville, Alabama. Read more
• 13 Apr 1913: Kermit Tyler, American lieutenant and pilot (died 2010) Kermit Arthur Tyler was an American Air Force officer. Tyler was assigned as a pilot in the 78th Pursuit Squadron at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Read more
• 13 Apr 1911: Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer and manager (died 1946) Ivan "Ico" Hitrec was a Yugoslav football player. Read more
• 13 Apr 1911: Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (died 1994) Jean-Louis Lévesque, was a Canadian entrepreneur, thoroughbred racehorse owner, and philanthropist. Read more
• 13 Apr 1911: Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (died 1983) Nino Sanzogno was an Italian conductor and composer. Read more
• 13 Apr 1909: Eudora Welty, American short story writer and novelist (died 2001) Eudora Alice Welty was an American short-story writer, novelist, and photographer who wrote about the American South. Her novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Order of the South. She was the first living author to have her works published by the Library of America. Her house in Jackson, Mississippi, has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a house museum. Read more
• 13 Apr 1907: Harold Stassen, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (died 2001) Harold Edward Stassen was an American Republican Party politician, military officer, and attorney who was the 25th governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943. He was a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 1948. Though he was considered for a time to be the front-runner, he lost the nomination to New York governor Thomas E. Dewey. He thereafter regularly continued to run for the presidency and other offices, such that his name became most identified with his status as a perennial candidate. Read more
• 13 Apr 1906: Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1989) Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish playwright, poet, novelist, and literary critic. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical works feature bleak, impersonal, and tragicomic episodes of life, coupled with black comedy and literary nonsense. Beckett is widely regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century, credited with transforming modern theatre. As a major figure of Irish literature, he is best known for his tragicomedy play Waiting for Godot (1953). For his foundational contribution to both literature and theatre, Beckett received the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his writing, which—in new forms for the novel and drama—in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation." Read more
• 13 Apr 1906: Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (died 1991) Lawrence "Bud" Freeman was an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing tenor saxophone, but also the clarinet. Read more
• 13 Apr 1905: Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (died 1964) William Raphael "Rae" Johnstone, was an Australian flat-race jockey. After enjoying considerable success in his native country, he relocated to Europe in 1932 and spent most of the rest of his life in France. He won twelve British Classic Races and two Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes. On his retirement in 1957 he was described as "one of the greatest international jockeys of modern times". He died of a heart attack in 1964. Read more
• 13 Apr 1904: David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (died 1987) Sir David Robinson was a British entrepreneur and philanthropist. Read more
• 13 Apr 1902: Philippe de Rothschild, French Grand Prix driver, playwright, and producer (died 1988) Philippe, Baron de Rothschild was a member of the Rothschild banking family who became a Grand Prix motor racing driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer, a poet, and a wine grower. Read more
• 13 Apr 1902: Marguerite Henry, American author (died 1997) Marguerite Henry was an American writer of children's books, writing fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals. She won the Newbery Medal for King of the Wind, a 1948 book about horses, and she was a runner-up for two others. One of the latter, Misty of Chincoteague (1947), was the basis for several related titles and the 1961 movie Misty. Read more
• 13 Apr 1901: Jacques Lacan, French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (died 1981) Jacques Marie Émile Lacan was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Described as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud", Lacan gave annual seminars in Paris from 1952 to 1980 and published papers that were later collected in the book Écrits. Transcriptions of the seminars 1953–1980 were published. His work made a significant impact on continental philosophy and cultural theory in areas such as post-structuralism, critical theory, feminist theory and film theory, as well as on the practice of psychoanalysis itself. Read more
• 13 Apr 1901: Alan Watt, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Japan (died 1988) Sir Alan Stewart Watt was an Australian diplomat. Read more
• 13 Apr 1900: Sorcha Boru, American potter and ceramic sculptor (died 2006) Sorcha Boru was the studio name of Claire Everett Stewart, an American potter and ceramic sculptor. Most of her works include small items such as figurines, vases, planters, and salt and pepper shakers, mostly done in the art deco style. One of her pieces includes an "Alice in Wonderland" chess set (1932). Read more
• 13 Apr 1900: Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (died 1976) Pierre Molinier was a French painter, photographer and "maker of objects". Integrated into the Surrealist movement in 1955 through André Breton, he became known for erotic imagery that merged sexuality, fetishism, and religious ritual. In the final decade of his life, he created photomontages in which he appeared as a transvestite figure, combining his body with mannequins to produce provocative works that challenged social taboos. Read more
• 13 Apr 1899: Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game designer, created Scrabble (died 1993) Alfred Mosher Butts was an American architect, famous for inventing the board game Scrabble in 1931. Read more
• 13 Apr 1899: Harold Osborn, American high jumper and decathlete (died 1975) Harold Marion Osborn D.O. was an American track athlete. He won a gold medal in Olympic decathlon and high jump in 1924 and was the first athlete to win a gold medal in both the decathlon and an individual event. Read more
• 13 Apr 1897: Werner Voss, German lieutenant and pilot (died 1917) Werner Voss was a World War I German flying ace credited with 48 aerial victories. A dyer's son from Krefeld, he was a patriotic young man while still in school. He began his military career in November 1914 as a 17‑year‑old Hussar. After turning to aviation, he proved to be a natural pilot. After flight school and six months in a bomber unit, he joined a newly formed fighter squadron, Jagdstaffel 2 on 21 November 1916. There he befriended Manfred von Richthofen. Read more
• 13 Apr 1896: Fred Barnett, English footballer (died 1982) Fred Barnett was an English professional footballer who played for Hawley, Northfleet United, Tottenham Hotspur, Southend United, Watford and Dartford. Read more
• 13 Apr 1894: Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (died 1973) Sir Arthur William Fadden was an Australian politician and accountant who served as the 13th prime minister of Australia from 29 August to 7 October 1941. He held office as the leader of the Country Party from 1940 to 1958 and served as treasurer of Australia from 1940 to 1941 and 1949 to 1958. Read more
• 13 Apr 1894: May Brodney, Australian labour activist (died 1973) (Maria) May Brodney previously known as May Francis was an Australian labour activist and a founder member of the Communist Party of Australia in Melbourne. Read more
• 13 Apr 1892: Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, English air marshal (died 1984) Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet,, commonly known as "Bomber" Harris by the press and often within the RAF as "Butcher" or "Butch" Harris, was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) RAF Bomber Command during the height of the Anglo-American strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Read more
• 13 Apr 1892: Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, invented Radar (died 1973) Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt was a Scottish radio engineer and pioneer of radio direction finding and radar technology. Read more
• 13 Apr 1891: Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (died 1921) Maurice Vincent Buckley, was an Australian soldier serving under the pseudonym Gerald Sexton who was awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War. This is the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Read more
• 13 Apr 1891: Nella Larsen, Danish/African-American nurse, librarian, and author (died 1964) Nellallitea "Nella" Larsen was an American novelist. Working as a nurse and a librarian, she published two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929), and a few short stories. Though her literary output was scant, she earned recognition by her contemporaries. Read more
• 13 Apr 1891: Robert Scholl, German accountant and politician (died 1973) Robert Scholl was a Württembergian politician and father of Hans and Sophie Scholl. Robert Scholl was a critic of the Nazi Party before, during and after the Nazi regime, and was twice sent to prison for his criticism of Nazism. He was mayor of Ingersheim 1917–1920, mayor of Forchtenberg 1920–1930 and lord mayor of Ulm 1945–1948, and co-founded the All-German People's Party in 1952. Read more
• 13 Apr 1890: Frank Murphy, American jurist and politician, 56th United States Attorney General (died 1949) William Francis Murphy was an American politician, lawyer, and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving as United States Attorney General, 35th governor of Michigan, and Mayor of Detroit. He also served as the last Governor-General of the Philippines and the first High Commissioner to the Philippines. Read more
• 13 Apr 1890: Dadasaheb Torne, Indian director and producer (died 1960) Ramchandra Gopal Torne, also known as Dadasaheb Torne, was an Indian director and producer, best known for making the first feature film in India, Shree Pundalik. This historic record is well established by an advertisement in The Times of India published on 25 May 1912. Several leading reference books on cinema including The Guinness Book of Movie Facts & Feats, A Pictorial History of Indian Cinema and Marathi Cinema : In Restrospect amply substantiate this milestone achievement of the pioneer Indian feature-filmmaker. Read more
• 13 Apr 1889: Herbert Yardley, American cryptologist and author (died 1958) Herbert Osborn Yardley was an American cryptologist. He founded and led the cryptographic organization the Black Chamber. Under Yardley, the cryptanalysts of The American Black Chamber broke Japanese diplomatic codes and were able to furnish American negotiators with significant information during the Washington Naval Conference of 1921–1922. Recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal. He wrote The American Black Chamber (1931) about his experiences there. He later helped the Nationalists in China (1938–1940) to break Japanese codes. Following his work in China, Yardley worked briefly for the Canadian government, helping it set up a cryptological section of the National Research Council of Canada from June to December 1941. Yardley was reportedly let go due to pressure either from the Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson or from the British. Read more
• 13 Apr 1887: Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and golfer (died 1995) Gordon Samuel Fahrni, a recipient of the Order of Canada, was a Canadian physician and a leader in the Canadian Medical community. He served as president of the Canadian Medical Association from 1941 to 1942.
  An expert on goitre surgery, he was a founder of the American Goitre Association.
  He was a medical practitioner for 54 years, dying at age 108. Read more
• 13 Apr 1885: Vean Gregg, American baseball player (died 1964) Sylveanus Augustus "Vean" Gregg was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, Gregg played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Naps, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, and Washington Senators from 1911 through 1925. Read more
• 13 Apr 1885: Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, Head of State of Estonia (died 1942) Juhan (Johann) Kukk was an Estonian politician. Read more
• 13 Apr 1885: György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher and critic (died 1971) György Lukács was a Hungarian Marxist philosopher, literary historian, literary critic, and aesthetician. He was one of the founders of Western Marxism, an interpretive tradition that departed from the Soviet Marxist ideological orthodoxy. He developed the theory of reification, and contributed to Marxist theory with developments of Karl Marx's theory of class consciousness. He was also a philosopher of Leninism. He ideologically developed and organised Vladimir Lenin's pragmatic revolutionary practices into the formal philosophy of vanguard-party revolution. Read more
• 13 Apr 1885: Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy, Dutch politician (died 1961) Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy was a Dutch politician and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 3 September 1940 until 25 June 1945. He oversaw the government-in-exile based in London under Queen Wilhelmina during the German occupation of the Netherlands. He was a member of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). Read more
• 13 Apr 1880: Charles Christie, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded the Christie Film Company (died 1955) Charles Herbert Christie and Alfred Ernest Christie were Canadian motion picture entrepreneurs. Read more
• 13 Apr 1879: Edward Bruce, American lawyer and painter (died 1943) Edward Bright Bruce was the administrator of the New Deal art projects of the United States Department of the Treasury: the Public Works of Art Project (1933–1934), the Section of Painting and Sculpture (1934–1943), and the Treasury Relief Art Project (1935–1938). Ned Bruce was a successful lawyer and entrepreneur before giving up his business career altogether at the age of 43 to become an artist. However, like most artists during the Depression, he found it impossible to make a living making art, and he grudgingly returned to business as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. In 1932 he joined the Treasury Department, where his expertise in monetary policy and art guided federal efforts to employ workers in the visual arts during the Great Depression in the United States. Read more
• 13 Apr 1879: Oswald Bruce Cooper, American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and educator (died 1940) Oswald Bruce Cooper was an American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and teacher of these trades. He is best known as the designer and namesake of the Cooper Black typeface. Read more
• 13 Apr 1875: Ray Lyman Wilbur, American physician, academic, and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior (died 1949) Ray Lyman Wilbur was an American medical doctor who served as the third president of Stanford University and as the 31st United States Secretary of the Interior under President Herbert Hoover, also a Stanford alum. Read more
• 13 Apr 1873: John W. Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Solicitor General (died 1955) John William Davis was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served under President Woodrow Wilson as the Solicitor General of the United States and the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He was the Democratic nominee for president in 1924, losing to Republican incumbent Calvin Coolidge. Read more
• 13 Apr 1872: John Cameron, Scottish international footballer and manager (died 1935) John Cameron was a Scottish footballer and manager. He played as a forward for Queen's Park, Everton and Scotland and was noted as an effective goal-maker and goalscorer. In 1899 he became player-manager at Tottenham Hotspur and guided them to victory in the 1901 FA Cup. As a result, they became the only club outside the English Football League to win the competition. In 1898 he became the first secretary of the Association Footballers' Union, which was the ill-fated fore-runner of the Professional Footballers' Association. He later coached Dresdner SC and during the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben, a civilian detention camp in Germany. After the war he coached Ayr United for one season and then became a football journalist, author and publisher. He had previously worked as a columnist for various newspapers before the war. Read more
• 13 Apr 1872: Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian-Croatian journalist and author (died 1945) Alexander Friedrich Ladislaus Roda Roda was an Austrian writer and satirist. Read more
• 13 Apr 1866: Butch Cassidy, American criminal (died 1908) Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American cowboy, train and bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Wild Bunch" in the Old West. Read more
• 13 Apr 1865: Lucie Lagerbielke, Swedish writer and painter (died 1931). Lucie Lagerbielke was a Swedish author, painter and baroness who was known for her works on Western esotericism. Read more
• 13 Apr 1860: James Ensor, English-Belgian painter, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism (died 1949) James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life. He was associated with the artistic group Les XX. Read more
• 13 Apr 1857: Fanny Ingvoldstad, Norwegian painter (died 1935) Fanny Hulda Marie Ingvoldstad was a Norwegian painter. Read more
• 13 Apr 1856: Urania Marquard Olsen, Danish-Norwegian actress and theatre director (died 1932) Urania Charlotte Amalie Marquard Olsen was a Danish-Norwegian actress and theatre director. Read more
• 13 Apr 1854: Lucy Craft Laney, American founder of the Haines Normal and Industrial School, Augusta, Georgia (died 1933) Lucy Craft Laney was an American educator who in 1883 founded the first school for black children in Augusta, Georgia. She was principal for 50 years of the Haines Institute for Industrial and Normal Education. Read more
• 13 Apr 1852: Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman, founded the F. W. Woolworth Company (died 1919) Frank Winfield Woolworth was an American entrepreneur, the founder of F. W. Woolworth Company, and the operator of variety stores known as "Five-and-Dimes" which featured a selection of low-priced merchandise. He pioneered the now-common practices of buying merchandise directly from manufacturers and fixing the selling prices on items, rather than haggling. He was also the first to use self-service display cases, so that customers could examine what they wanted to buy without the help of a sales clerk. Read more
• 13 Apr 1851: Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (died 1928) Robert Abbe was an American surgeon and pioneer radiologist in New York City. He was born in New York City and educated at the College of the City of New York and Columbia University. Read more
• 13 Apr 1851: William Quan Judge, Irish occultist and theosophist (died 1896) William Quan Judge was an American mystic, esotericist, and occultist, and one of the founders of the original Theosophical Society. Read more
• 13 Apr 1850: Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, Irish astronomer (died 1917) Arthur Matthew Weld Downing was an Anglo-Irish mathematician and astronomer. Downing's major contribution to astronomy is in the calculation of the positions and movements of astronomical bodies, as well as being a founder of the British Astronomical Association. Read more
• 13 Apr 1841: Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (died 1905) Louis-Ernest Barrias was a French sculptor of the Beaux-Arts school. In 1865 Barrias won the Prix de Rome for study at the French Academy in Rome. Read more
• 13 Apr 1832: Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author and diplomat (died 1889) Juan María Montalvo Fiallos was an Ecuadorian essayist and novelist. His writing was strongly marked by anti-clericalism and opposition to presidents Gabriel García Moreno and Ignacio de Veintemilla. He was the publisher of the magazine El Cosmopolita. One of his best-known books is Las Catilinarias, published in 1880. His essays include Siete tratados (1882) and Geometría Moral. He also wrote a sequel to Don Quixote de la Mancha, called Capítulos que se le olvidaron a Cervantes. He was admired by writers, essayists, intellectuals such as Jorge Luis Borges and Miguel de Unamuno. He died in Paris in 1889. His body was embalmed and is exhibited in a mausoleum in his hometown of Ambato. Read more
• 13 Apr 1828: Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (died 1906) Josephine Elizabeth Butler was an English feminist and social reformer in the Victorian era. She campaigned for women's suffrage, the right of women to better education, the end of coverture in British law, the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, the abolition of child prostitution and an end to human trafficking of young women and children into European prostitution. Read more
• 13 Apr 1828: Joseph Lightfoot, English bishop and theologian (died 1889) Joseph Barber Lightfoot, known as J. B. Lightfoot, was an English theologian and Bishop of Durham. Read more
• 13 Apr 1825: Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and politician (died 1868) Thomas D'Arcy McGee was an Irish-Canadian politician, Catholic spokesman, journalist, poet, and a Father of Canadian Confederation. The young McGee was an Irish Catholic who opposed British rule in Ireland, and was part of the Young Ireland attempts to overthrow British rule and create an independent Irish Republic. He escaped arrest and fled to the United States in 1848, after which some of his political positions reversed. He remained ardently Catholic, but his Irish nationalism moderated. He became disgusted with American republicanism, Anti-Catholicism, and classical liberalism. McGee became intensely monarchistic in his political beliefs and in his religious support for the embattled Pope Pius IX. Read more
• 13 Apr 1824: William Alexander, Irish archbishop, poet, and theologian (died 1911) William Alexander was an Irish cleric in the Church of Ireland. Read more
• 13 Apr 1810: Félicien David, French composer (died 1876) Félicien-César David was a French composer. Read more
• 13 Apr 1808: Antonio Meucci, Italian-American engineer (died 1889) Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci was an Italian inventor and an associate of Giuseppe Garibaldi, a major political figure in the history of Italy. Meucci is best known for developing a voice-communication apparatus that several sources credit as the first telephone. Read more
• 13 Apr 1802: Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist (died 1884) Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger was an Austrian zoologist. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 13 April in World History

• 13 Apr 2025: Richard Armitage, American diplomat and government official (born 1945) Richard Lee Armitage was an American diplomat and government official. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Armitage served as a U.S. Navy officer in three combat tours of duty in the Vietnam War as a riverine warfare advisor. After leaving active duty, he served in a number of civil-service roles under Republican administrations. He worked as an aide to Senator Bob Dole before serving in various posts in the Defense Department and State Department. Read more
• 13 Apr 2025: Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian novelist and writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1936) Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the most significant Latin American novelists and essayists and one of the leading writers of his generation. Some critics consider him to have had a more substantial international impact and worldwide audience than any other writer of the Latin American Boom. In 2010, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature for "his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat". Read more
• 13 Apr 2025: Jean Marsh, English actress and screenwriter (born 1934) Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh was an English actress and writer. She co-created and starred in the ITV series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971–1975), for which she won the 1975 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Rose Buck. She reprised the role in the BBC's revival of the series (2010–2012). Read more
• 13 Apr 2024: Faith Ringgold, American artist and author (born 1930) Faith Ringgold was an American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist, perhaps best known for her narrative quilts. Read more
• 13 Apr 2022: Michel Bouquet, French stage and film actor (born 1925) Michel François Pierre Bouquet was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1947 to 2020. He won the Best Actor European Film Award for Toto the Hero in 1991 and two Best Actor Césars for How I Killed My Father (2001) and The Last Mitterrand (2005). He also received the Molière Award for Best Actor for Les côtelettes in 1998, then again for Exit the King in 2005. In 2014, he was awarded the Honorary Molière for the sum of his career. He received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor in 2018. Read more
• 13 Apr 2022: Gloria Parker, American musician and bandleader (born 1921) Gloria Parker was an American musician and bandleader who had a radio show during the big band era. The Gloria Parker Show was broadcast nightly from 1950 to 1957, coast to coast on WABC. She played the marimba, organ, and singing glasses. Dubbed Princess of the Marimba, she conducted the 21-piece Swingphony from the Kelly Lyceum Ballroom in Buffalo, New York. This was the largest big band led by a female bandleader. Edgar Battle and Walter Thomas were arrangers for the Swingphony. Read more
• 13 Apr 2017: Dan Rooney, American football executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland (born 1932) Daniel Milton Rooney was an American professional football executive and diplomat best known for his association with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL), and son of the Steelers' founder, Art Rooney. He held various roles within the organization, most notably as president, owner and chairman. Read more
• 13 Apr 2015: Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (born 1940) Eduardo Germán María Hughes Galeano was a Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist considered, among other things, "a literary giant of the Latin American left" and "global soccer's pre-eminent man of letters". Read more
• 13 Apr 2015: Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927) Günter Wilhelm Grass was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. Read more
• 13 Apr 2015: Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (born 1939) Herbert William Trimpe was an American comics artist and occasional writer, best known as the seminal 1970s artist on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout star of the X-Men. Read more
• 13 Apr 2014: Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian-Spanish philosopher and theorist (born 1935) Ernesto Laclau was an Argentine political theorist and philosopher. He is often described as an 'inventor' of post-Marxist political theory. He is well known for his collaborations with his long-term partner, Chantal Mouffe. Read more
• 13 Apr 2014: Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (born 1951) Michael Craig Ruppert was an American writer and musician, Los Angeles Police Department officer, investigative journalist, political activist, and peak oil awareness advocate known for his 2004 book Crossing The Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil. Read more
• 13 Apr 2013: Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (born 1924)
  Stephen Cuthbert Vivian Dodgson was a British composer and broadcaster. Dodgson's prolific musical output covered most genres, ranging from opera and large-scale orchestral music to chamber and instrumental music, as well as choral works and song. Three instruments to which he dedicated particular attention were the guitar, harpsichord and recorder. He wrote in a mainly tonal, although sometimes unconventional, idiom. Some of his works use unusual combinations of instruments. Read more
• 13 Apr 2012: Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistani pilot, academic, and activist (born 1941) Cecil Chaudhry SJ SBt PP was a Pakistani academic, human rights activist, and a veteran fighter pilot. As a flight lieutenant, he fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and as a squadron leader in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. During the 1965 war, Chaudhry and three other pilots, under the leadership of Wing Commander Anwar Shamim, attacked the Amritsar Radar Station in a difficult operation. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat for his actions during that mission. Read more
• 13 Apr 2012: Shūichi Higurashi, Japanese illustrator (born 1936) Shūichi Higurashi (日暮修一) was a Japanese manga illustrator and magazine artist. Higurashi was the cover artist for Big Comic, a Japanese manga magazine, for more than forty years, from 1970 until fall 2011. Read more
• 13 Apr 2008: John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and academic (born 1911) John Archibald Wheeler was an American theoretical physicist. He was largely responsible for reviving interest in general relativity in the United States after World War II. Wheeler also worked with Niels Bohr to explain the basic principles of nuclear fission. Together with Gregory Breit, Wheeler explored positron-electron pair production from the collision of two photons, now known as the Breit–Wheeler process. He is known for popularizing the term "black hole" to describe the gravitationally completely collapsed objects predicted by general relativity. He also coined "quantum foam", "neutron moderator", "wormhole" and "it from bit", and hypothesized the "one-electron universe". Stephen Hawking called Wheeler the "hero of the black hole story". Read more
• 13 Apr 2006: Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist, poet, and critic (born 1918) Dame Muriel Sarah Spark was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. Read more
• 13 Apr 2005: Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (born 1924) Johnnie Clyde Johnson was an American pianist who played jazz, blues, and rock and roll. His work with Chuck Berry led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for breaking racial barriers in the military as a Montford Point Marine, where he endured racism and inspired social change while integrating the previously all-white Marine Corps during World War II. Read more
• 13 Apr 2005: Phillip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (born 1912) Philip Pavia (1911-2005) was a culturally influential American artist of Italian descent, known for his scatter sculpture and figurative abstractions, and the debate he fostered among many of the 20th century's most important art thinkers. A founder of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism, he "did much to shift the epicenter of Modernism from Paris to New York," both as founding organizer of The Club and as founder, editor and publisher of the short-lived but influential art journal It Is: A Magazine for Abstract Art. Reference to the magazine appears in the archives of more than two dozen celebrated art figures, including Picasso, Peggy Guggenheim, and art critic Clement Greenberg. The Club is credited with inspiring art critic Harold Rosenberg’s influential essay “The American Action Painters" and the historic 9th Street Show. Read more
• 13 Apr 2004: Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (born 1962) Caron Louisa Keating was a British television presenter. Read more
• 13 Apr 2000: Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (born 1916) Giorgio Bassani was an Italian novelist, poet, essayist, editor, and intellectual. Read more
• 13 Apr 2000: Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (born 1910) Stanley George "Frenchy" Bordagaray was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and third baseman for the Chicago White Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees between 1934 and 1945. He had a .283 batting average with 14 home runs and 270 runs batted in over 930 major league games for his career. Read more
• 13 Apr 1999: Ortvin Sarapu, Estonian-New Zealand chess player and author (born 1924) Ortvin Sarapu, known in New Zealand as "Mr Chess", was an Estonian-born chess player who emigrated to New Zealand and won or shared the New Zealand Chess Championship 20 times from 1952 to 1990. Read more
• 13 Apr 1999: Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of East Germany (born 1914) Wilhelm Stoph was a German politician. He served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic from 1964 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1989. He also served as chairman of the State Council from 1973 to 1976. Read more
• 13 Apr 1998: Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (born 1960) Patrick de Gayardon was a French skydiver, skysurfer and a BASE jumper. Read more
• 13 Apr 1997: Bryant Bowles, American soldier and white supremacist, founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (born 1920) Bryant William Bowles Jr. was a white supremacist bitterly opposed to racial integration of public schools in the United States. Read more
• 13 Apr 1997: Alan Cooley, Australian public servant (born 1920) Sir Alan Sydenham Cooley, was a senior Australian Public Service official and policymaker. Read more
• 13 Apr 1997: Dorothy Frooks, American author and actress (born 1896) Dorothy Frooks was an American writer, publisher, military officer, lawyer, and suffragist. She also ran for Congress twice, in 1920 as a member of the Prohibition Party and in 1934 on the Law Preservation ticket for New York's At-large congressional district. Read more
• 13 Apr 1997: Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (born 1903) Voldemar Väli was an Estonian two-time Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. Read more
• 13 Apr 1996: Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (born 1910) Leila Antoinette Sterling Mackinlay was a British writer of romance novels from 1930 to 1979 as Leila S. Mackinlay or Leila Mackinlay and also under the pseudonym Brenda Grey. Some of her novels are based on real people like Madame Vestris, Lola Montez or Jane Elizabeth Digby; she also wrote Musical Productions, a musical book. She was the daughter of the musician and writer Malcolm Sterling Mackinlay and granddaughter of the vocalist Antoinette Sterling. Read more
• 13 Apr 1993: Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1909) Wallace Earle Stegner was an American novelist, writer, environmentalist, and historian. He was often called "The Dean of Western Writers". He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 and the U.S. National Book Award in 1977. Read more
• 13 Apr 1992: Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (born 1923) Maurice Sauvé was a Canadian economist, politician, cabinet minister and businessman. He was the husband of Jeanne Sauvé, who served as 23rd Governor General of Canada. Read more
• 13 Apr 1992: Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (born 1921) Feza Gürsey was a Turkish mathematician and physicist. Among his contributions to theoretical physics, his work on the chiral model and on SU(6) symmetry of the quark model are the most well-known. Read more
• 13 Apr 1992: Daniel Pollock, Australian actor (born 1968) Daniel John Pollock was an Australian film actor. He was perhaps best known for his role as Davey in the 1992 drama film Romper Stomper. Read more
• 13 Apr 1988: Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (born 1920) Jean Gascon was a Canadian opera director, actor, and administrator. Read more
• 13 Apr 1984: Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harpsichordist and musicologist (born 1911) Ralph Leonard Kirkpatrick was an American harpsichordist and musicologist, widely known for his chronological catalog of Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas as well as for his performances and recordings. Read more
• 13 Apr 1984: Dionysis Papagiannopoulos, Greek actor (born 1912) Dionysis Papagiannopoulos was a Greek actor. He was born in Diakopto in the northeastern part of Achaea in 1912. He studied at the Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece in Athens and made his stage debut in 1938, appearing as the Knight in William Shakespeare's King Lear. He excelled in Shakespeare's Hamlet as the Grave Digger and in Dimitris Psathas' Fonazei o Kleftis as General Solon Karaleon. Read more
• 13 Apr 1983: Gerry Hitchens, English footballer (born 1934) Gerald Archibald Hitchens was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. Read more
• 13 Apr 1983: Theodore Stephanides, Greek physician, author, and poet (born 1896) Theodore Philip Stephanides was a Greek-British doctor and polymath, best remembered as the friend and mentor of Gerald Durrell. He was also known as a naturalist, biologist, astronomer, poet, writer and translator. Read more
• 13 Apr 1980: Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (born 1956) Markus Höttinger was an Austrian racing driver who died after an accident at Germany's Hockenheimring during the third lap of the second round of the 1980 European Formula Two Championship, on 13 April 1980. He was 23 years old at the time. Read more
• 13 Apr 1978: Jack Chambers, Canadian painter and director (born 1931) John Richard Chambers was an artist and filmmaker. Born in London, Ontario, Chambers' painting style shifted from surrealist-influenced to photo-realist-influenced. He used the term "Perceptual Realism" and later "perceptualism" to describe his style. He began working with film in the 1960s, completing six by 1970. Stan Brakhage proclaimed Chambers' The Hart of London as "one of the greatest films ever made." Read more
• 13 Apr 1978: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian educator and women's rights activist (born 1900) Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, also known as Funmilayo Aníkúlápó-Kuti, was a Nigerian educator, political organizer, and women's rights advocate who intellectually engaged with anti-imperialist, Pan-Africanist, and feminist ideologies. Ransome-Kuti also identified herself as an African Socialist. Read more
• 13 Apr 1975: Larry Parks, American actor and singer (born 1914) Samuel Lawrence Klusman Parks was an American stage and film actor. His career arced from bit player and supporting roles to top billing, before it virtually ended when he admitted to having been a member of a Communist Party cell, which led to his blacklisting by all Hollywood studios. His best known role was Al Jolson, whom he portrayed in two films: The Jolson Story (1946) and Jolson Sings Again (1949). Read more
• 13 Apr 1975: François Tombalbaye, Chadian soldier, academic, and politician, 1st President of Chad (born 1918) François Tombalbaye, also known as N'Garta Tombalbaye, was a Chadian politician who served as the first President of Chad from the country's independence in 1960 until his overthrow in 1975. A dictatorial leader, his divisive policies as president led to factional conflict and a pattern of authoritarian leadership and political instability that is still relevant in Chad today. Read more
• 13 Apr 1973: Henry Darger, American janitor and author (born 1892) Henry Joseph Darger Jr. was an American janitor and hospital worker. He became known after his death for his immense body of visual art and literature. Read more
• 13 Apr 1971: Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1949) Michel Edouard Brière was a Canadian professional ice hockey player for one season in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1969–70. Following his rookie season with the Penguins, Brière was involved in a car accident in which he suffered major head trauma. After multiple brain surgeries and 11 months in a coma, he died as a result of his injuries at the age of 21. Read more
• 13 Apr 1971: Juhan Smuul, Estonian author, poet, and screenwriter (born 1921) Juhan Smuul was an Estonian writer. Until 1954 he used the given name Johannes Schmuul. Smuul was one of the most recognized writers in Soviet Estonia and was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR, chairman of the Estonian Writers' Union, secretary of the board of the Union of Soviet Writers. Read more
• 13 Apr 1969: Ambrogio Gianotti, Italian partigiano and priest (born 1901) Don Antonio Ambrogio Gianotti was a Catholic priest and member of the Italian resistance movement. Read more
• 13 Apr 1969: Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (born 1901) Alfred Karindi was an Estonian organist and composer. Read more
• 13 Apr 1967: Nicole Berger, French actress (born 1934) Nicole Berger was a French actress. Read more
• 13 Apr 1966: Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi colonel and politician, 2nd President of Iraq (born 1921) Abdul Salam Mohammed ʿArif Al-Jumaili was an Iraqi military officer and politician who served as the second president of Iraq from 1963 until his death in a plane crash in 1966. He played a leading role in the 14 July Revolution, in which the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq was overthrown on 14 July 1958. Read more
• 13 Apr 1966: Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (born 1881) Carlo Carrà was an Italian painter and a leading figure of the Futurist movement that flourished in Italy during the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to his many paintings, he wrote a number of books concerning art. He taught for many years in the city of Milan. Read more
• 13 Apr 1966: Georges Duhamel, French soldier and author (born 1884) Georges Duhamel was a French author, born in Paris. Duhamel trained as a doctor, and during World War I was attached to the French Army. In 1920, he published Confession de minuit, the first of a series featuring the anti-hero Salavin. In 1935, he was elected as a member of the Académie française. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature twenty-seven times. He was also the father of the musicologist and composer Antoine Duhamel. Read more
• 13 Apr 1964: Kristian Krefting, Norwegian footballer and chemical engineer (born 1891) Kristian August Krefting was a Norwegian footballer, military officer, chemical engineer and company owner. He was Norwegian champion with the club Lyn in 1910 and 1911, and was on the Norway national football team at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Read more
• 13 Apr 1962: Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of California (born 1876) Culbert Levy Olson was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 29th governor of California from 1939 to 1943. A member of the Democratic Party, Olson was previously elected to both the Utah State Senate and California State Senate, serving one term in each. During his term as governor, Olson struggled to pass New Deal legislation due to hostility from the California legislature. He also supported the internment and removal of Japanese Americans from California after the United States entered World War II. He was the first atheist governor of an American state. Read more
• 13 Apr 1961: John A. Bennett, American soldier (born 1936) John Arthur Bennett was a U.S. Army soldier who remains the last person to be executed after a court-martial by the United States Armed Forces. The 18-year-old private was convicted of the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Austria. Despite last minute appeals for clemency and pleas to President John F. Kennedy by the victim and her family to spare his life, Kennedy refused. Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1961. Read more
• 13 Apr 1959: Eduard van Beinum, Dutch pianist, violinist, and conductor (born 1901) Eduard Alexander van Beinum was a Dutch conductor. Read more
• 13 Apr 1956: Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and educator (born 1867) Emil Nolde was a German painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of the early 20th century to explore color. He is known for his brushwork and expressive choice of colors. Golden yellows and deep reds appear frequently in his work, giving a luminous quality to otherwise somber tones. His watercolors include vivid, brooding storm-scapes and brilliant florals. Read more
• 13 Apr 1954: Samuel Jones, American high jumper (born 1880) Samuel Symington Jones was an American athlete who competed mainly in the high jump. He competed for the United States in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St Louis, United States in the high jump where he won the gold medal. Read more
• 13 Apr 1954: Angus Lewis Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Premier of Nova Scotia (born 1890) Angus Lewis Macdonald was a Canadian lawyer, law professor and politician from Nova Scotia. He served as the Liberal premier of Nova Scotia from 1933 to 1940, when he became the federal minister of defence for naval services. He oversaw the creation of an effective Canadian navy and Allied convoy service during World War II. After the war, he returned to Nova Scotia to become premier again. In the election of 1945, his Liberals returned to power while their main rivals, the Conservatives, failed to win a single seat. The Liberal rallying cry, "All's Well With Angus L.," was so effective that the Conservatives despaired of ever beating Macdonald. He died in office in 1954. Read more
• 13 Apr 1945: Ernst Cassirer, Polish-American philosopher and academic (born 1874) Ernst Alfred Cassirer was a German philosopher and historian of philosophy. Trained within the Marburg school of neo-Kantianism, he initially followed his mentor Hermann Cohen in attempting to supply an idealistic philosophy of science. Read more
• 13 Apr 1944: Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (born 1857) Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade was a French composer and pianist. In 1913, she was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a first for a female composer. Read more
• 13 Apr 1942: Henk Sneevliet, Dutch politician (born 1883) Hendricus Josephus Franciscus Marie Sneevliet, known as Henk Sneevliet or by the pseudonym "Maring", was a Dutch communist politician who was active in both the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. As a functionary of the Communist International, Sneevliet guided the formation of both the Communist Party of Indonesia in 1914, and the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. In his native country, he was the founder, chairman, and only Representative for the Revolutionary Socialist (Workers') Party (RSP/RSAP). He took part in the communist resistance against the occupation of the Netherlands during World War II by Nazi Germany, for which he was executed by the Germans in April 1942. Read more
• 13 Apr 1942: Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (born 1879) Anton Uesson was an Estonian politician and engineer. Read more
• 13 Apr 1941: Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer and academic (born 1863) Annie Jump Cannon was an American astronomer whose cataloging work was instrumental in the development of contemporary stellar classification. With Edward C. Pickering, she is credited with the creation of the Harvard Classification Scheme, which was the first serious attempt to organize and classify stars based on their temperatures and spectral types. She was nearly deaf throughout her career after 1893, as a result of scarlet fever. She was a suffragist and a member of the National Women's Party. Read more
• 13 Apr 1941: William Twaits, Canadian soccer player (born 1879) William Twaits was a Canadian amateur soccer player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. Twaits was born in Galt, Ontario. In 1904 he was a member of the Galt F.C. team, which won the gold medal in the soccer tournament. He played all two matches as a forward. Read more
• 13 Apr 1938: Grey Owl, English-Canadian environmentalist and author (born 1888) Archibald Stansfeld Belaney, commonly known as Grey Owl, was a popular Canadian writer, public speaker and conservationist. Born an Englishman, he immigrated to Canada and, in the latter years of his life, passed as half-Indigenous, falsely claiming he was the son of a Scottish man and an Apache woman. With books, articles and public appearances promoting wilderness conservation, he achieved fame in the 1930s. Shortly after his death in 1938, his real identity as the Englishman Archie Belaney was exposed. He has been called one of the first persons to engage in Indigenous identity fraud in Canada. Read more
• 13 Apr 1936: Konstantinos Demertzis, Greek politician 129th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1876) Konstantinos Demertzis was a Greek academic and politician. He was the 49th Prime Minister of Greece from November 1935 to April 1936. Demertzis died during his mandate, of a heart attack, on April 13, 1936. Read more
• 13 Apr 1927: Georg Voigt, German politician, Mayor of Frankfurt (born 1866) Georg Philipp Wilhelm Voigt was a German politician. Voigt was the mayor of Rixdorf, Barmen, Frankfurt, and Marburg. Read more
• 13 Apr 1927: Sabás Reyes Salazar, Mexican Catholic priest (born 1888) Sabás Reyes Salazar was a Mexican Catholic vicar and one of many priests martyred during the Cristero War. Reyes was canonized by Pope John Paul II on 21 May 2000 as one the Martyrs of the Cristero War. Read more
• 13 Apr 1920: Stefanos Streit, Greek jurist, banker and politician (born 1896) Stefanos Streit was a Greek jurist, banker and politician. He served as chairman of the National Bank of Greece and Minister of Finance. Read more
• 13 Apr 1918: Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (born 1870) Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov was a Russian military intelligence officer, explorer, and general in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I. He served as Supreme Commander of the Russian Army and as the military leader of the Whites in the Russian Civil War. He is particularly remembered for the Kornilov affair, an unsuccessful coup d’etat against the Provisional Government led by Alexander Kerensky. The event became a significant turning point in the Russian Revolution, strengthening the Bolsheviks' position and influence. Read more
• 13 Apr 1917: Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1856) James Buchanan Brady, also known as Diamond Jim Brady, was an American businessman, financier and philanthropist of the Gilded Age. Read more
• 13 Apr 1912: Takuboku Ishikawa, Japanese poet and author (born 1886) Takuboku Ishikawa was a Japanese poet. Well known as both a tanka and "modern-style" or "free-style" poet, he began as a member of the Myōjō group of naturalist poets but later joined the "socialistic" group of Japanese poets and renounced naturalism. He died of tuberculosis. Read more
• 13 Apr 1911: John McLane, Scottish-American politician, 50th Governor of New Hampshire (born 1852) John McLane was a Scottish-American furniture maker and politician who served as the 50th governor of New Hampshire from 1905 to 1907. Read more
• 13 Apr 1911: George Washington Glick, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Kansas (born 1827) George Washington Glick was the ninth governor of Kansas. Read more
• 13 Apr 1910: William Quiller Orchardson, Scottish-English painter and educator (born 1835) Sir William Quiller Orchardson was a Scottish portraitist and painter of domestic and historical subjects who was knighted in June 1907, at the age of 75. Read more
• 13 Apr 1909: Whitley Stokes, Anglo-Irish lawyer and scholar (born 1830) Whitley Stokes, CSI, CIE, FBA was an Irish lawyer and Celtic scholar. Read more
• 13 Apr 1890: Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1828) Samuel Jackson Randall was an American politician from Pennsylvania who represented the Queen Village, Society Hill, and Northern Liberties neighborhoods of Philadelphia from 1863 to 1890 and served as the 44th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1876 to 1881. He was a contender for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States in 1880 and 1884. Read more
• 13 Apr 1886: John Humphrey Noyes, American religious leader, founded the Oneida Community (born 1811) John Humphrey Noyes was an American preacher, radical religious philosopher, and utopian socialist. He founded utopian communities at Putney, Vermont, Oneida, New York, and Wallingford, Connecticut, and is credited with coining the term "complex marriage". Read more
• 13 Apr 1882: Bruno Bauer, German historian and philosopher (born 1809) Bruno Bauer was a German philosopher, theologian, and historian. A prominent member of the Young Hegelians, he was a radical rationalist critic of the Bible and Christianity. Initially a student of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Bauer became a central figure in the intellectual circles of the Vormärz, the period preceding the Revolutions of 1848. His philosophical work was a major influence on, and target of critique for, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, with whom he had a close but tumultuous relationship. Read more
• 13 Apr 1880: Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and author (born 1813) Robert Fortune was a Scottish botanist, plant hunter and traveller, best known for introducing around 250 new ornamental plants, mainly from China, but also Japan, into the gardens of Britain, Australia, and North America. He also played a role in the development of the tea industry in India in the 19th century. He also imported Japanese chestnuts into the United States, which led to the introduction of chestnut blight to the country 24 years after his death. Read more
• 13 Apr 1878: Bezalel HaKohen, Russian rabbi (born 1820) Bezalel Ben Moses HaKohen was a rabbi and Talmudist at Vilnius, then in the Russian Empire. Read more
• 13 Apr 1868: Tewodros II of Ethiopia (born 1818) Tewodros II was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia and brought an end to the decentralized Zemene Mesafint. Read more
• 13 Apr 1855: Henry De la Beche, English geologist and palaeontologist (born 1796) Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche KCB, FRS was an English geologist and palaeontologist, the first director of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, who helped pioneer early geological survey methods. He was the first President of the Palaeontographical Society. He was also a slave plantation owner in Jamaica. Read more
• 13 Apr 1853: Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (born 1788) Leopold Gmelin was a German chemist. Gmelin was a professor at the University of Heidelberg. He worked on the red prussiate and created Gmelin's test, and wrote his Handbook of Chemistry, which over successive editions became a standard reference work still in use. Read more
• 13 Apr 1853: James Iredell, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of North Carolina (born 1788) James Iredell Jr. was the 23rd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina between 1827 and 1828. Read more
• 13 Apr 1826: Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (born 1763) Franz Ignaz Danzi was a German cellist, composer and conductor, the son of the Italian cellist Innocenz Danzi (1730–1798) and brother of the noted singer Franziska Danzi. Read more

Why is 13 April Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 13 April, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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On 13 April, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

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