Do you know that one day in a calendar can cover assassinations, revolutions, first flights and canonizations? That's what May 13th is. — a date that, for centuries, has constantly been on the pages of history. If you're wondering what happened that day in history, you're in the perfect place. Prepare to travel for centuries, because this historical calendar will surprise you more than once.
What happened on May 13th? Major events in history
1572 – Conclave chose the Pope who changed time
Cardinal Ugo Boncompagni was elected pope and took the name Grzegorz XIII. He was the one who made history as the creator of the Gregorian calendar — the time measurement system that is now in force almost worldwide. Without this choice of May 13, 1572, our daily planning would look completely different. It is difficult to make a more literal example of how one day in history can change the way we count all the remaining days.
1888 – Brazil as America's last country abolished slavery
The signing of the so-called Golden Act by Princess Regent Isabella meant the end of slavery in Brazil — The last country in the western hemisphere to maintain this shameful system. It is estimated that over four million Africans have been brought to Brazil for centuries as slaves — more than any other country in both Americas. This day in history is one of the most important events in human rights history in the world. The date of 13 May is still celebrated in Brazil as a symbol of freedom.
1981 – The bombing on John Paul II in St Peter's Square
At Saint Peter's Square in Rome, the Turkish bomber Mehmet Ali Ağca fired shots at Pope John Paul II, hard wounding him. A Pole on the Capital of Peter survived miraculously — alone John Paul II He attributed the preservation of the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, which was not accidental: 13 May is the anniversary of the first apparition in Fatima. The bombing shook the world and became one of the key moments of the pontificate that shaped the later history of Central Europe. After leaving the hospital Pope He met Ağca in prison and forgave him.
1950 – Formula 1 inauguration at Silverstone track
It was that day in history that the first official Formula One competition took place. — The UK Grand Prix at the iconic Silverstone track. The winner was Italian Giuseppe Farina behind the wheel of Alpha Romeo, and Sports The biker has entered a new era. What happened that day in 1950 cannot be overestimated — The birth of Formula 1 is the birth of one of the largest global sports. Today, races watch hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.
1787 – British fleet embarks to Australia with prisoners on board
The first Fleet sailed from England with 1,487 people on board, including 778 convicts to establish the first European colony on the Australian continent in New South Wales. This departure started not only the colonization of Australia, but also the dramatic history of indigenous inhabitants of the continent. The penal colony in Botany Bay became the nucleus of today's Sydney and the entire modern Australian state. Without that decision of May 13, 1787 history The Pacific would have gone completely differently.
1917 – Revelation in Fatima and Future Pope on one day
Three children from a village near Portuguese Fatima — Lucy, Francis and Jacinta — He was to receive the first apparition of Our Lady. On the same day, the sacre bishop received Eugenio Pacelli, who went into history as Pope Pius XII. Coincidence? For believers, it's more than that. — a symbolic combination of two great moments in the history of the Catholic Church. Exactly a hundred years later, in 2017, Pope Francis canonized in Fatima Francis and Jacinta Marto.
1710 – Birth of Charité, today the largest hospital in Europe
The Charité Clinic was founded in Berlin, which began as a shelter for poor and infected victims of the plague epidemic. For over three centuries, it has grown to the rank of the largest clinic in Europe, representing medical progress. It was in her walls that scientists such as Robert Koch and Paul Ehrlich worked or were educated. Today, Charité treats millions of patients and is one of the most important medical research centers in the world.
1940 – Churchill promises "blood, pain, sweat and tears"
The new British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave his first speech in the House of Commons, which went into history as one of the most important speeches of the 20th century. Instead of promising an easy victory, he only foretold blood, death, sweat, and tears. — And paradoxically, this ruthless honesty has become the foundation of British resistance against Nazi Germans. On the same day, German troops interrupted French defensive lines on Moza, and the fate of Western Europe was hanging by a thread. This day in history marked a turning point in the fate of World War II.
1913 – First flight on four-engine aircraft
Russian constructor and pilot Igor Sikorski made the first ever flight on a four-engine plane, opening a heavy aviation era. A few decades later Sikorski — who emigrated to the United States after the Bolshevik Revolution — He constructed the first practical helicopter. Without the pioneering flight of May 13, 1913, it is hard to imagine today's passenger aircraft, bombers, and transport. This is one of those events in the historical calendar that shaped the entire 20th century.
Born 13 May
Maria Teresa Habsburg (1717) – one of the most powerful rulers in European history, Roman-German Empress, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, Reformer and Mother of Sixteen Children.
Stevie Wonder (1950) – American musician, composer and pianist, legend of soul and R&B, winner of over 25 Grammy Awards, pop culture icon of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Witold Pilecki (1901) – Polish captain and national hero, who was voluntarily imprisoned in Auschwitz KL, organized the resistance there and prepared the first detailed reports on the Holocaust, murdered by communists in 1948.
Harvey Keitel (1939) – American actor, legend of independent and original cinema, known for roles in Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino and Ridley Scott films.
Daphne du Maurier (1907) – British writer, author of Gothic novels and psychological thrillers, including the famous "Rebeka", which became the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's iconic film.
World events
1806 – First definition of cocktail "The Balance and Columbian Repository" published the first published definition of an alcoholic cocktail, marking the symbolic beginning of a drinking culture.
1902 – First Real Madrid match versus FC Barcelona – Madrid played the first ever El Clásico in which FC Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3:1, starting one of the largest and longest lasting rivalry in sports history.
1909 – First Giro d’Italia – The first edition of the legendary Giro d’Italia cycling race was launched, which is still one of the three most important road races in the world.
1985 – Police bombed a house in Philadelphia – As a result of a failed police action against the African-American MOVE movement, culminating in dropping a bomb on a residential building, 11 people died and the fire digested 65 surrounding houses.
2015 – Discord's Birth – a Discord communicator has been made available, which has become one of the most popular communication platforms in the world in a few years, used by hundreds of millions of users.
May 13 is a date that shows how incredibly dense the historical calendar can be — In one day, legists and geniuses are born, empires fall and races begin, and popes change the way time is measured. It is only one of 365 pages of the great book of human history, but it is full of content. Look tomorrow — Because what happened that day in history can always surprise you.
