July 13

Events982 - Otto II is defeated in Calabria by the Saracens, Pandulf II of Salerno and Landulf IV of Benevento killed in battle. 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England.1558 - Battle of Gravelines: In France, Spanish forces led by Count Lamoral of Egmont defeat the French forces of Marshal Paul des Thermes at Gravelines.1573 - Eighty Years' War: The Siege of Haarlem ends after seven months.1643 - English Civil War: Battle of Roundway Down - In England, Lord Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester, commanding the Royalist forces, wins a crushing victory over the Parliamentarian Sir William Waller.1772 - HMS Resolution, under the command of Captain James Cook, sets sail from Plymouth, England.1787 - The Continental Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance establishing governing rules for the Northwest Territory. It also establishes procedures for the admission of new states and limits the expansion of slavery.1794 - Battle of the Vosges between French forces and those of Prussia and Austria1822 - Greek War of Independence: Greeks defeat Ottoman forces at Thermopylae.1830 - Scottish Church College, one of the pioneering institutions that ushered the Bengal Renaissance is founded by Alexander Duff and Raja Ram Mohan Roy. 1832 - The source of the Mississippi River is discovered, by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.1837 - Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom moves into the first Buckingham Palace in London and is the first British monarch to live there.1854 - In the Battle of Guaymas, Mexico, General Jose Maria Yanez stops the French invasion led by Count Gaston de Raousset Boulbon.1863 - New York Draft Riots: In New York City, opponents of conscription begin three days of rioting which will be later regarded as the worst in United States history.1878 - Treaty of Berlin: The European powers redraw the map of the Balkans. Serbia, Montenegro and Romania become completely independent of the Ottoman empire.1900 - Boxer Rebellion: In China, Tientsin is retaken by European Allies from the rebelling Boxers.1908 - Women compete in modern Olympics for the first time.1909 - Gold discovered near Cochrane, Ontario.1912 - Leader of the Indian freedom movement and scholar, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad brought out his noted Urdu news journal, al-Hilal.1914 - Simone Pianetti's mass murder action in Camerata Cornello, Italy1919 - The British airship R34 lands in Norfolk, England, completing the first airship return journey across the Atlantic in 182 hours of flight.1923 - The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles. It originally reads "Hollywoodland " but the four last letters are dropped after renovation in 1949.1936 - A heat wave strikes the Midwestern United States. The all-time highest temperatures for the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana are all recorded on this date.1941 - World War II: Montenegrins start popular uprising against the Axis Powers (Trinaestojulski ustanak).1942 - World War II: German U-Boats sink three more merchant ships in Gulf of St. Lawrence.1948 - The Coptic and Ethiopian Churches reach an agreement leading to the promotion of the Ethiopian church to the rank of an autocephalous Patriarchate. 1973 - Alexander Butterfield reveals the existence of the Nixon tapes to the special Senate committee investigating the Watergate break in.1977 - The New York City Blackout of 1977 lasts for 25 hours and results in looting and other disorder.1978 - Ford Motor Company President Lee Iacocca is fired by chairman Henry Ford II, ending a long dispute between the men.1985 - The Live Aid benefit concert takes place in London and Philadelphia, as well as other venues such as Sydney and Moscow.1985 - Vice President George H.W. Bush became the Acting President for the day when President Ronald Reagan underwent surgery to remove polyps from his colon.2002 - A lightning strike sets off the Biscuit Fire in Oregon and northern California, which had burned 499,570 acres (2,020 km²) when finally contained on September 5.2005 - Three trains collide in the Ghotki rail crash in Ghotki, Pakistan, killing over 150 people.
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