119 things happened on 13 November, from AD 354 to 2014. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1850 · 176 years ago
Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh. He wrote the adventure stories Treasure Island and Kidnapped, the novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and the poetry book A Child's Garden of Verses. Although he was often ill, he travelle…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Early in the English Civil War, the army of King Charles I faced a much larger Parliamentarian army at Turnham Green, near London. The battle ended in a standoff, but it stopped the Royalists from marching straight on to London. Charles and his army had to pull back to Oxford for the winter. This made Turnham Green an important success for Parliament.
UK story
During the Jacobite rising in Scotland, the forces of the Kingdom of Great Britain stopped the advance of the Jacobite army at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. Neither side clearly won. The Jacobites wanted James Francis Edward Stuart, son of the deposed King James II, to win back the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland. The battle took place on moorland between Stirling and Auchterarder, and the battlefield is now protected.
UK story
The Soviet football club Dynamo Moscow began its tour of the United Kingdom with a 3–3 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It was the first time a Soviet team had ever played in the UK. Called the 'match of the century', the game broke the attendance record at the time for a British club match. Dynamo went on to play Cardiff City, Arsenal and Rangers.
UK story
Great Britain beat France in the final of the first Rugby League World Cup, played at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Around 30,000 people watched the match. It was the first official world cup in either kind of rugby, rugby league or rugby union. The Great Britain rugby league team is nicknamed the Lions.
UK story
A British flotilla arrived at Ras Al Khaimah and launched an amphibious assault on the town, as a part of the Persian Gulf campaign of 1809.
UK story
James Braid first sees a demonstration of animal magnetism by Charles Lafontaine, which leads to his study of the subject he eventually calls hypnotism.
UK story
The Holland Tunnel opened, connecting Manhattan with Jersey City under the Hudson River.
UK story
Mozambique becomes the first state to join the Commonwealth of Nations without having been part of the former British Empire.
On the night of 12 to 13 November, a spectacular storm of shooting stars filled the skies over North America. One estimate says more than 100,000 meteors an hour fell at its peak. The meteors were part of the Leonids, a shower that happens every year. This famous storm helped scientists study meteors, which until then had been thought to be something that happened in Earth's air.
Walt Disney's Fantasia was shown for the first time, at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. It was the first commercial film to be shown with stereo sound. The film is made up of eight animated parts set to famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. It was only the third full-length animated film made by Disney.
The US Supreme Court agreed with a lower court that laws in Alabama forcing Black and white passengers to be kept apart on buses were against the US Constitution. The ruling led to the end of the Montgomery bus boycott. The boycott had begun in December 1955, after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person. It was a key event in the American civil rights movement.
A total solar eclipse could be seen in parts of Australia and the South Pacific. In a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun. In a total eclipse it blocks all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality can only be seen along a narrow path across Earth, while people in a much wider area see a partial eclipse.
Louis VII of France marries Adela of Champagne.
American Revolutionary War: American forces captured Montreal without significant opposition as part of the Invasion of Quebec.
The Denny Party lands at Alki Point, before moving to the other side of Elliott Bay to what would become Seattle.
American Civil War: The three-day Battle of Bull's Gap ends in a Union rout as Confederates under Major General John C. Breckinridge pursue them to Strawberry Plains, Tennessee.
Zaian War: Zaian Berber tribesmen routed French forces at the Battle of El Herri in Morocco.
World War I: beginning of the First Battle of Monte Grappa (in Italy known as the "First Battle of the Piave"). The Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces, despite help from the German Alpenkorps and numerical superiority, will fail their offensive against the Italian Army now led by its new chief of staff Armando Diaz.
World War I: Allied troops occupy Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
The United States Supreme Court upholds mandatory vaccinations for public school students in Zucht v. King.
World War II: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal: U.S. and Japanese ships engage in an intense, close-quarters surface naval engagement during the Guadalcanal campaign.
The Soviet Union completes development of the AK-47, one of the first proper assault rifles.
A man wielding a dagger was subdued as he was about to attack Sanzō Nosaka, the chairman of the Japanese Communist Party.
Arab–Israeli conflict: In response to a Fatah landmine incident, the Israeli military conducted a large cross-border assault on the Jordanian-controlled West Bank village of Samu.
The first of its many UFO sightings is made at Pudasjärvi, Finland.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. after a march to its site by thousands of Vietnam War veterans.
Xavier Suárez is sworn in as Miami's first Cuban-born mayor.
The Republic of Karelia, an autonomous republic of Russia, is formed from the former Karelian ASSR.
The High Court of Australia ruled in Dietrich v The Queen that, although there is no absolute right to have publicly funded counsel, a judge should grant any request for an adjournment or stay in most circumstances in which an accused is unrepresented.
In a referendum, voters in Sweden decide to join the European Union.
As part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) project, Joel Armengaud discovers the project's first Mersenne prime number,
Philippine House Speaker Manny Villar passes the articles of impeachment against Philippine President Joseph Estrada.
Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq agrees to the terms of the UN Security Council Resolution 1441.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Dynamo Moscow and Chelsea draw 3–3 in front of a record crowd”?
C: 1945. 1945 — that’s 81 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Parliament's army blocks King Charles I at Turnham Green”?
B: 1642. 1642 — that’s 384 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: Parliament's army blocks King Charles I at Turnham Green. 1642: Parliament's army blocks King Charles I at Turnham Green · 1715: Government forces halt the Jacobites at the Battle of Sheriffmuir · 1945: Dynamo Moscow and Chelsea draw 3–3 in front of a record crowd Find it on the page
“Robert Louis Stevenson” happened in 1850. How many years ago was that?
B: 176 years. 2026 − 1850 = 176. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 13 November.
UK story
Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh. He wrote the adventure stories Treasure Island and Kidnapped, the novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and the poetry book A Child's Garden of Verses. Although he was often ill, he travelled widely and later settled on the Pacific island of Samoa. His books have been translated into many languages around the world.
UK story
Edward III, who became King of England at just 14, was born. At 17 he took power for himself from Roger Mortimer, who had been ruling the country. Edward claimed the French throne, which started the Hundred Years' War, and won famous victories at Crécy and Poitiers. His reign of 50 years is one of the longest in English history, and Parliament developed a great deal during it.
Well-known people who died on 13 November.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 13 November somewhere in the world.
World Kindness Day is an international day that encourages people to be kind to one another. It was started in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a group of kindness organisations from different countries. It is now marked in many countries, including Canada, Australia, Nigeria, Italy and India. In the UK, it is supported by Kindness Day UK.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “November 13” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.