January 13
January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 353 days remain until the year's end. It falls in winter (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Capricorn.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On January 13 the Sun's declination is approximately -21.6°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a January 13.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
No widely-observed holidays catalogued for this day in our base set. See the external almanacs above for region-specific observances.
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1893 — The Independent Labour Party held its first meeting in Bradford, England. ↗(133 years ago)more
The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates. A sitting independent MP and prominent union organiser, Keir Hardie, became its first chairman.
1898 — Émile Zola's open letter J'Accuse…! was published, igniting the Dreyfus affair. ↗(128 years ago)more
"J'Accuse...!" is an open letter, written by Émile Zola in response to the events of the Dreyfus affair, that was published on 13 January 1898 in the newspaper L'Aurore. Zola addressed the president of France, Félix Faure, and accused his government of antisemitism and the unlawful jailing of Alfred Dreyfus, a French Army General Staff officer who was sen...
1942 — Henry Ford patented a plastic-bodied automobile. ↗(84 years ago)more
The soybean car was a concept car built with agricultural plastic. The New York Times in 1941 states the car body and fenders were made from a strong material derived from soy beans, wheat and corn. One article claims that they were made from a chemical formula that, among many other ingredients, included soy beans, wheat, hemp, flax and ramie; while the ...
1990 — Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the first elected African-American governor in U.S. history. ↗(36 years ago)more
Lawrence Douglas Wilder is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 66th governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He was the first African American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since the Reconstruction era, and the first African American ever elected as governor.
2012 — The cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized off the Italian coast, killing 32. ↗(14 years ago)more
On 13 January 2012, the seven-year-old Costa Cruises vessel Costa Concordia was on the first leg of a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea when the cruise ship deviated from her planned route at Isola del Giglio, Italy in order to perform a sail-by salute and struck a rock formation on the sea floor.
Notable births
1808 — Salmon P. Chase, U.S. Treasury Secretary and Chief Justice. ↗(218 years ago)more
Salmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States from 1864 to his death in 1873. Earlier, he had served as the 25th United States Secretary of the Treasury in the Abraham Lincoln administration from 1861 to 1864, during the American Civil War.
1961 — Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress and comedian. ↗(65 years ago)more
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She is known for her roles in a string of successful comedy series and several comedy films. She has received numerous accolades including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Notable deaths
1864 — Stephen Foster, American songwriter (Oh! Susanna, Camptown Races). ↗(162 years ago)more
Stephen Collins Foster, known as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and folk music during the Romantic period. Foster wrote more than 200 songs, including "Oh! Susanna", "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home", "My Old Kentucky Home", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", "...
1941 — James Joyce, Irish novelist (Ulysses). ↗(85 years ago)more
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist movement and is regarded among the most influential and important writers of the 20th century.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (13) | 13 · prime |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (353) | 353 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 13012026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -21.59° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 24 days |