October 13
October 13 is the 287th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 79 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Libra.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On October 13 the Sun's declination is approximately -9.2°. 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 October 13.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Azerbaijani Railway Day (Azerbaijan)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar
- Christian feast day: Daniel and companions, of Ceuta
- Christian feast day: Edward the Confessor (translation)
- Christian feast day: Gerald of Aurillac
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2019 — Kenyan Brigid Kosgei sets a new world record for a woman runner with a time of 2:14:04 at the 2019 Chicago Marathon. ↗(7 years ago)more
Brigid Jepchirchir Kosgei is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She won the 2018 and 2019 Chicago Marathons, the 2019 and 2020 London Marathons and the 2021 and 2026 Tokyo Marathons.
2016 — The Maldives announces its decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations. ↗(10 years ago)more
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near the southeastern boundary of the Arabian Sea. The Maldives is located in the southwest of India and Sri Lanka, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland.
- 2013 — A stampede occurs in India during the Hindu festival Navratri, killing 115 and injuring more than 110. ↗(13 years ago)
more
On 13 October 2013, during the Hindu festival of Navratri, a stampede broke out on a bridge near the Ratangarh Mata Temple in Datia district, Madhya Pradesh, India, killing 115 people and injuring more than 110.
2010 — The mining accident in Copiapó, Chile ends as all 33 trapped miners arrive at the surface after a record 69 days underground. ↗(16 years ago)more
A mining accident began on 5 August 2010 with a cave-in at the San José copper–gold mine in the Atacama Desert, 45 kilometers (28 mi) north of the regional capital of Copiapó, in northern Chile. Thirty-three men were trapped 700 meters (2,300 ft) underground and 5 kilometers (3 mi) from the mine's entrance. They were rescued 69 days later.
- 1993 — At least 60 people die in eastern Papua New Guinea when a series of earthquakes rock the Finisterre Range, triggering massive landslides. ↗(33 years ago)
more
The 1993 Finisterre Range earthquakes began on October 13 with a Mw 6.9 mainshock, followed by Mw 6.5 and 6.7 earthquakes. These earthquakes struck beneath the Finisterre Range, north of Markham Valley in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.
1990 — Syrian forces attack free areas of Lebanon, removing General Michel Aoun from the presidential palace. ↗(36 years ago)more
Michel Naim Aoun is a Lebanese politician and former general who served as the 13th president of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 to 30 October 2022.
- 1983 — Ameritech Mobile Communications launches the first US cellular network in Chicago. ↗(43 years ago)
more
Ameritech Mobile Communications, LLC was the first telecommunications company in the U.S. to provide cellular mobile phone service to the general public. Cell service became publicly available in Chicago on October 13, 1983.
1977 — Hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. ↗(49 years ago)more
Lufthansa Flight 181, a Boeing 737-230C jet airliner named Landshut, was hijacked on 13 October 1977 by four militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine while en route from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to Frankfurt am Main, West Germany.
1976 — The first electron micrograph of an Ebola virus is taken at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Dr. F. A. Murphy. ↗(50 years ago)more
A micrograph is an image, captured photographically or digitally, taken through a microscope or similar device to show a magnified image of an object. This is opposed to a macrograph or photomacrograph, an image which is also taken on a microscope but is only slightly magnified, usually less than 10 times.
1976 — A Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano Boeing 707 crashes after takeoff from El Trompillo Airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, killing 91. ↗(50 years ago)more
Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (LAB), internationally known as LAB Bolivian Airlines, was the flag carrier and principal airline of Bolivia for much of the 20th century. It was founded on 15 September 1925 by a consortium of German-Bolivian residents and began commercial flights on 24 September between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz using a Junkers F 13.
1972 — Aeroflot Flight 217 crashes outside Moscow, killing 174. ↗(54 years ago)more
Aeroflot Flight 217 was a non-scheduled international passenger flight from Orly Airport in Paris to Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, with a stopover at Shosseynaya Airport in Leningrad. On 13 October 1972, the Ilyushin Il-62 airliner operating the flight crashed on approach to Sheremetyevo, with the loss of all 164 passengers and crew of 10.
1972 — Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes mountains. Twenty-eight survive the crash. All but 16 succumb before rescue on December 23. ↗(54 years ago)more
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was the chartered flight of a Fairchild FH-227D from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Santiago, Chile, that crashed in the Andes mountains in Argentina on 13 October 1972. The accident and subsequent survival became known as both the Andes flight disaster and the Miracle of the Andes.
Notable births
2001 — Caleb McLaughlin, American actor ↗(25 years ago)more
Caleb Reginald McLaughlin is an American actor. He gained international recognition playing Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–2025). He began his career playing young Simba in the Broadway musical The Lion King, and then had small roles in television.
2001 — Cam Thomas, American basketball player ↗(25 years ago)more
Cameron Bouchea Thomas is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best shooting guards in the 2020 class. He is the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ points in three straight games.
2001 — De'Von Achane, American football player ↗(25 years ago)more
De'Von Achane is an American professional football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected by the Dolphins in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
1996 — Joshua Wong, Hong Kong pro-democracy activist ↗(30 years ago)more
Joshua Wong Chi-fung is a Hong Kong activist and politician. He served as secretary-general of the pro-democracy party Demosistō until it disbanded following implementation of the Hong Kong national security law on 30 June 2020. Wong was previously convenor and founder of the Hong Kong student activist group Scholarism.
1995 — Jimin, South Korean singer ↗(31 years ago)more
Park Ji-min, known mononymously as Jimin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and dancer. In 2013, he made his debut as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS, under the record label Big Hit Entertainment.
Notable deaths
2024 — Mayra Gómez Kemp, Cuban-Spanish television host and actress (born 1948) ↗(2 years ago)more
Mayra Cristina Gómez Martínez, better known as Mayra Gómez Kemp, was a Cuban-Spanish television host, actress and singer. She was the host of Un, dos, tres... responda otra vez from 1982 to 1988.
2024 — Donal Murray, Irish Catholic bishop (born 1940) ↗(2 years ago)more
Donal Brendan Murray was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate, who served as Bishop of Limerick from 1996 to 2009. He had previously served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Dublin diocese
2023 — Louise Glück, American poet and essayist (born 1943) ↗(3 years ago)more
Louise Elisabeth Glück was an American poet and essayist. She won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, whose judges praised "her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal".
2018 — Annapurna Devi, Indian surbahar (bass sitar) player (born 1927) ↗(8 years ago)more
Annapurna Devi was an Indian surbahar player of Hindustani classical music. She was given the name 'Annapurna' by Maharaja Brijnath Singh of the former Maihar Estate, and it was by this name that she was popularly known. She was the daughter and disciple of Ustad Allauddin Khan, and the sister of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
2017 — Albert Zafy, Malagasy politician (born 1927) ↗(9 years ago)more
Albert Zafy was a Malagasy politician and educator who served as the fourth president of Madagascar from 1993 to 1996. In 1988, he founded the National Union for Democracy and Development (UNDD).
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (287) | 7 × 41 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (79) | 79 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 13102026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -9.23° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 68 days |