This is a list of selected August 13 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Before doing so, please review the selected anniversaries guidelines. If your suggestion is potentially controversial or relates to a day currently or soon to appear on the Main Page, post it on the talk page instead.
Please note:
- Events listed on the Main Page are selected based on article quality and to provide a diverse range of topics, rather than solely on the importance or significance of the events.
- Only four or five events are featured each day; therefore, not all important or significant events can be included.
- An event is generally excluded if it is already the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error in content currently on the Main Page, see Wikipedia:Main Page/Errors. If a listed event is inaccurate, please first seek consensus and update the corresponding article before making changes here.
August 13: Independence Day in the Central African Republic (1960)
- 1521 – After an extended siege, forces led by Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés captured Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.
- 1704 – The combined forces of England, the Holy Roman Empire, and the United Provinces defeated France and Bavaria in the Battle of Blenheim (pictured), one of the turning points of the War of the Spanish Succession.
- 1937 – The Battle of Shanghai broke out, eventually becoming one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the entire Second Sino-Japanese War.
- 1954 – Qaumī Tarāna, the national anthem of Pakistan, was first played properly on Radio Pakistan with its new lyrics before it was officially approved three days later.
- 1960 – The Central African Republic gained its independence from France, with David Dacko as its first president.
- 2004 – Hurricane Charley struck Florida, just 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie inflicted its own damage to the U.S. state.