Events on Dec 13
- 1294Pope Coelestinus V ends term
- 1545Council of Trent (19th ecumenical council) opens
- 1570Sweden / Denmark signs Peace of Stettin
- 1572Spanish army beats Geuzen fleet under Admiral Lumey
- 1577Sir Francis Drake sets sail from England to go around world
- 1621Emperor Ferdinand II delegates 1st anti-Reformation decree
- 1642New Zealand discovered by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman
- 1668Jean Racines "Britannicus, " premieres in Paris
- 1734England and Russia sign trade agreement
- 1742Willem KH Friso tests his mothers potatoes
- 17591st music store in America opens (Philadelphia)
- 1769Dartmouth College in New Hampshire received its charter
- 17741st incident of Revolution-400 attack Ft William and Mary, New Hampshire
- 1816Patent for a dry dock issued to John Adamson, Boston
- 1823Gioacchino Rossini arrives in London
- 1843"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens published, 6,000 copies sold
- 1861Battle of Alleghany Summit, West Virginia
- 1864Battle of Ft McAllister, Georgia
- 18791st federal fish hatching steamer lauched (Wilmington Delaware)
- 1889Belgium rules on women / child labor law
- 18951st complete execution of Gustav Mahlers 2nd Symphony
- 1900Battle at Nooitgedacht: generals The la Rey / Smuts beat Britten
- 1901Test debut of S F Barnes vs. Aust SCG, took 5-65 in 1st innings
- 1903Italo Marcioni patents ice cream cone (NJ)
- 1903Wright Bros make 1st flight at Kittyhawk
- 1907George Gunn scores 119 on Test debut vs. Australia SCG
- 1907German Emperor Wilhelm II visits Amsterdam
- 1913Mona Lisa stolen in August 1911 returned to Louvre
- 1916Avalanche kills 10,000 Austrian and Italian troops in 24 hours in Tyrol
- 1916Esme Stuart Lennox Robinsons premieres in Dublin
Born on Dec 13
- 1521Sixtus V [Felice Peretti / "Montalto"]: Bishop of Fermo / Pope (1585-90)
- 1533Erik XIV Wasa: King of Sweden (1560-69)
- 1553Henry IV: 1st Bourbon-king of Navarre / France (1572 / 89-1610)
- 1724Aepinus [Franz UT Hoch]: German Physician / physicist
- 1732Jean-Claude Trial: Composer
- 1740Franz Xaver Schnitzer: Composer
- 1770John Clarke-Whitfeld: Composer
- 1797Heinrich Heine: Germany -- Poet / lyricist (Schubert, Liszt)
- 1810Clark Mills: United States -- Sculptor (Freedom, Armed Liberty)
- 1816Clement Claiborne Clay: MC (Confederacy), died in 1882
- 1816E Werner von Siemens: German artillery officer / inventor
- 1818Mary Todd Lincoln: 1st lady (1861-65)
- 1819Edwin George Monk: Composer
- 1835Phillips Brooks: Episcopal Bishop / composer (Little Town of Bethlehem)
- 1838Marie-Alexis Castillon de Saint-Victor: Composer
- 1843George Stephanescu: Composer
- 1850Iver Paul Fredrik Holter: Composer
- 1853Joseph Sickman Corsen: Musician / composer / screenwriter
- 1858Jakab Gyula Major: Composer
- 1863Johannes Weiss: German New Testament Scholar
- 1865Gustav Luders: Composer
- 1871Herman T Colenbrander: Dutch historian
- 1871Russell W Porter: Vermont, United States -- Explorer (Alaska)
- 1874Ludwig Curtius: German archaeologist (Die antike Kunst)
- 1877Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych: Composer
- 1886Lambertus J van Apeldoorn: Lawyer (martial law)
- 1889Clarence Loomis: Composer
- 1890Marc Connelly: McKeesport, Pennsylvania -- Playwright (One Minute Please)
- 1892Brand Dirck Ochse: Filmer / co-founder (Polygoon)
- 1893Curt Jurgens: Munich, Germany -- Actor (Enemy Below, Longest Day)
Died on Dec 13
- 0838Pippijn I: King of Aquitania
- 1048Al-Biruni: Arabic royal astrologer, dies at 74
- 1124Callistus II [Guido di Borgogna]: Italian Pope (1119-24)
- 1126Hendrik IX [the Black]: Duke of Bayern (1120-26)
- 1250Frederick II: German Emperor (1212-1250), dies at 55
- 1404Albrecht: Duke of Bavaria, dies at 74
- 1521Manoel I "the Great": King of Portugal (1495-1521), dies at 52
- 1565Konrad von Gesner: Naturalist, dies at 49
- 1603Franciscus Vieta: Mathematician, dies in Paris at 63
- 1622Jan Campanus: Composer, dies at 50
- 1672Jan II Kazimierz: King of Poland (1648-68), dies at 63
- 1693Dodoftei: Romanian metropolitan of Moldavia / writer (Saint Lives)
- 1729Anthony Collins: Engl philosopher (On Liberty & Necessity), dies at 53
- 1738Gotthard Wagner: Composer, dies at 59
- 1769C F Gellert: Writer, dies at 54
- 1774Susanne K von Klettenberg: German friend of Goethes mother, dies at 50
- 1793Johann Joachim Christoph Bode: Composer, dies at 63
- 1812Marianne von Martinez: Composer, dies at 68
- 1814Charles Joseph Prince of Ligne: Belg Field Marshal / author, dies at 79
- 1862Conrad Feger Jackson: US Union Brigadier General, dies in battle at 49
- 1862Maxcy Gregg: US Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 48
- 1862Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb: Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 39
- 1863Friedrich Hebbel: Writer, dies at 50
- 1881August Senoa: Croatian writer (Kletva [The Curse]), dies at 43
- 1894Sarah Parker Remond: US / Italian abolitionist, dies at 68
- 1898George Frederick Bristow: Composer, dies at 72
- 1919Amintore Galli: Composer, dies at 74
- 1924Samuel Gompers: Organizer (American Federation of Labor), dies at 74
- 1929Knut Algot Hakanson: Composer, dies at 42
- 1942Eleanor Everest Freer: Composer, dies at 78
Historical events on December 14
- 0644Osman ibn Affan appointed 3rd kalief of islam
- 0867Adrian II begins his reign as Catholic Pope
- 0872John VIII elected as Catholic Pope
- 1124Theobald Buccapecus elected Pope Coelestinus II (he refuses)
- 1287Zuider Zee seawall collapses with loss of 50,000 lives
- 1490Anna van Bretagne marries a proxy Maximilian of Austria
- 1582Zealand / Brabant Neth adopt Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is 12 / 25
- 1656Artificial pearls 1st manufactured by M Jacquin in Paris made of gypsum pellets covered with fish scales
- 1774Mass militiamen successfully attacked arsenal of Ft William and Mary
- 1782Charleston, SC evacuated by British
- 17931st state road authorized, Frankfort, Ky to Cincinnati
- 1798David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patents a nut and bolt machine
- 1819Alabama admitted to Union as 22nd state
- 1825Decembrist uprising in Russia against Tsar Nicholas I begins
- 18491st chamber music group in US gives their 1st concert (Boston)
- 1882Henry Morton Stanley returns to Brussels from the Congo
- 1889American Academy of Political and Social Science organized, Philadelphia
- 19011st table tennis tournament is held (London Royal Aquarium)
- 1911South Pole 1st reached, by Norwegian Roald Amundsen
- 1913Greece formally takes possession of Crete
- 1915Jack Johnson is 1st black world heavyweight boxing champion
- 1917UFA, Universal Film AG, forms in Germany
- 1920Heavyweight Jack Dempsey KOs Bill Brennan in New York City
- 1920Jack Dempsey KOs Bill Brennan in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
- 1924Chiang Kai-shek occupies Hankou
- 1926Danish Madsen Government forms
- 1927Iraq gains independence from Britain, but British troops remain
- 1929Alexander Zaimis elected President of Greece
- 1930New York Giants defeat Notre Dame 22-0 in a charity game
- 19311st assembly of Anton Musserts NSB in Utrecht
Born on December 14
- 1363John Van [Jean C] Gerson: French theologist
- 1546Tycho Brahe: Knudstrup, Denmark -- Astronomer (Golden nose)
- 1730Capel Bond: Composer
- 1738Johann Antonin Kozeluch: Composer
- 1777Juan N Gallego: Spanish poet / interpreter (El dos the mayo)
- 1779Mariano Rodriguiz de Ledesma: Composer
- 1780Karl Robert von Nesselrode: German / Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1783Johann Christoph Kienlen: Composer
- 1789Maria Agata Szymanowska: Composer
- 1812Charles J Canning: English Earl / 1st Viceroy of British-Indies
- 1829John Mercer Langston: 1st black to hold US political office
- 1830Allen Thomas: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1907
- 1832Daniel Harris Reynolds: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1902
- 1837William Wells: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
- 1853Salvador Diaz Miron: Mexican poet (Los Cien Mejores Poemas)
- 1862John M Acket: Dutch literary (Grammatic Conceptions)
- 1868Richard Batka: Composer
- 1870Dirk J de Geer: Dutch Premier (1926-29, 39-40)
- 1870Karl Renner: Austrian Chancellor / President (1918-20, 45-50)
- 1873Marie-Alphonse-Nicolas-Joseph Jongen: Composer
- 1875Dobri Khristov: Composer
- 1877Lieven Duvosel: Flemish music writer / composer (Leiecyclys)
- 1883Manolis Kalomiris: Greek opera composer
- 1883Morihei Ueshiba: Founder (Aikido)
- 1884Regina Ullmann: Writer
- 1894Joaquin Zamacois Soler: Composer
- 1895George VI: King of England (1936-52)
- 1896James H Doolittle: USAF General (Raid on Tokyo 1942)
- 1897Margaret Chase Smith: (Rep / Sen-R-Maine)
- 1898Frederick Douglass Hall: Composer
Died on December 14
- 0872Adrian II: Italian Pope (867-72) / last married pope, dies at about 80
- 1136Harald IV: "Gylle Krist", King of Norway, murdered
- 1417John Oldcastle: Lord Cobham, English nobleman, hanged and burned
- 1542James: King of Scotland (1513-42), dies at 30
- 1591Juan de la Cruz [de Yepes]: Spanish Carmelet / Poet / saint
- 1732Johann Philipp Fortsch: Composer, dies at 80
- 1754Mahmud I: Sultan of Turkey, dies at 58
- 1760Kacic Miosic: Croatian Poet (Razgovar Ugodni Naroda Slovinskoga)
- 1788Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach: German composer, dies at 74
- 1788Carlos III: King of Naples / Spain (1759-88), dies at 72
- 1799George Washington: 1st President USA (1789-97), dies at 66
- 1823Vincenzo Cuoco: Italian Historian (Naple revolution 1799), dies at 53
- 1829Luigi Marchesi: Composer, dies at 74
- 1849Conradin Kreutzer: Composer, dies at 69
- 1861Albert: Prince consort of Engld / husband of Queen Victoria, dies at 42
- 1861George HG Earl of Aberdeen: English Minister of Foreign Affairs, dies at 76
- 1861Heinrich August Marschner: Composer, dies at 66
- 1862George Dashiell Bayard: Union Brigadier General, dies at 27
- 1873J Louis R Agassiz: Swiss geologist / paleo-biologist)
- 1886Antoni Wincenty Rutkowski: Composer, dies at 27
- 1893Karolina Pawlowa: Writer, dies at 86
- 1900Jean B A Kessler: Director of Oil on Dutch Indies, dies at 46
- 1903William Ennis: 1st cop to die in electric chair
- 1906John A C Oudemans: Dutch geographer / astronomer, dies at 78
- 1909Leopold II: King of Belgium
- 1914Giovanni Sgambati: Composer, dies at 73
- 1918Sidonio Pais: Prince of Portugal, murdered
- 1923Giuseppi Gallignani: Composer, dies at 72
- 1926Theo van Rysselberghe: Belgian Painter (pointillism), dies at 64
- 1928Theodore Roberts: Actor (Roaring Road, 10 Commandments), dies at 77
Events on Dec 15
- 0687St. Sergius I begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding Conon
- 1124Chancellor Haimeric selects Pope (Lamberto becomes Honorius II)
- 1488Bartholomeus Diaz returns to Portugal after sailing round Cape of Good Hope
- 1569Westmoreland flees to Scotland
- 1582Leidse university names Rembert Dodoens prof of botany / medicine
- 1582Spanish Netherlands / Denmark / Norway adopt Gregorian calendar
- 1586Laevinus Torrentius, becomes Bishop of Antwerp
- 1593State of Holland grants patent on windmill with crankshaft
- 1612Simon Marius, is 1st to observe Andromeda galaxy through a telescope
- 1660Philippines: Andres Malongs rebels plunders Bagnotan
- 1664English colonizing Connecticut
- 1667Brandenburg declares himself neutral in Devolutie War
- 1680Tax revolt on Terschelling due to tax on cereal
- 1745Battle at Kesseldorf: Prussia beats Saksen and Austria
- 17911st US law school established at University of Pennsylvania
- 1791Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gave its approval
- 17921st life insurance policy issued in US (Philadelphia)
- 1794Revolutionary Tribunal abolished in France
- 18101st Irish magazine in US, Shamrock, is published
- 1811Earthquake hits New Madrid, Missouri
- 1815Rossini gets assignment for Il barbiere di Siviglia
- 18201st General pharmacopoeia in US published, Boston
- 1836Patent Office burns in Washington, DC
- 18541st street-cleaning machine in US 1st used in Philadelphia
- 1859GR Kirchoff describes chemical composition of Sun
- 1864Battle of Nashville, Tennessee
- 1864Raid on Stoneman: Abingdon and Glade Springs, Virginia
- 18741st reigning King to visit US (of Hawaii) received by President Grant
- 1877Thomas Edison patents phonograph
- 1891James Naismith invents basketball (Canada)
Born on Dec 15
- 0037Nero Claudius Augustus Germanicus: 5th Emperor of Rome (54-68)
- 1534Lucas Osiander: Composer
- 1567Christoph Demantius: Composer
- 1574Samuel Besler: Composer
- 1610David Teniers II: Flemish courtpainter (Theatrum Pictorium)
- 1648Gregory King: English statistician (Natural & Political Observations)
- 1657Michel-Richard Delalande: Composer
- 1667Ludwig Ernst: Composer
- 1720J F Beck: Writer
- 1735Cesare Beccaria-Bonesana: Italian lawyer
- 1765Philippe-Jacques Pfeffinger: Composer
- 1778Godert AGP Baron van der Capellen: Dutch Governor-General (Dutch-Indies)
- 1787Charles Cowden Clarke: English editor / Shakespearean critic
- 1793Henry Charles Carey: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Economist (Principles of Poli Economy)
- 1803August Freyer: Composer
- 1812Isidor Dannstrom: Composer
- 1821Auguste Emmanuel Vaucorbeil: Composer
- 1822Edward Stephen: Composer
- 1823Friedrich Gottlieb Schwencke: Composer
- 1832Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel: French engineer (Eiffel tower)
- 1836Edmond Picard: French / Belgian lawyer / writer (La forge Roussel)
- 1842Henry Gadsby: Composer
- 1848Edwin Howland Blashfield: Decorated the dome of Library of Congress
- 1852Antoine Henri Becquerel: Discovered radioactivity (Nobel 1903)
- 1852Tewfik Pasja: Khedive (viceroy) of Egypt
- 1853Jean B A Kessler: Director of Oil on Dutch Indies
- 1857Eugeniusz Pankiewicz: Composer
- 1859Ludwik L Zamenhof: Russian Poland, Physician / linguist (Esperanto)
- 1860Niels Ryberg Finsen: Denmark -- Physician / phototherapist (Nobel 1903)
- 1861Charles Edgar Duryea: Inventor (1st auto built and operated in US)
Died on Dec 15
- 1025Basilius II [the Bulgarendoder]: Byzantine Emperor (976-1025)
- 1230Ottokar I: King of Bohemia (1197-1230)
- 1515Alfonso de Albuquerque: Viceroy of Portuguese Indies
- 1576Joachim Hopperus [Hoppers]: Frisian lawyer / politician, dies at 53
- 1598Philip van Marnix: Flemish ruler of St Aldegonde / poet, dies at 58
- 1626Adriaen de Vries: Dutch Sculptor / painter, dies at about 70
- 1675John Vermeer: Dutch Painter (Love Letter), dies at 43
- 1688Gaspar Fagel: Lawyer / Netherlands grand pensionary (1672-88), dies at 54
- 1699Henrik A van Reede tot Drakenstein: Dutch botanist, dies at about 63
- 1712Sidney 1st Earl of Godolphine: English Minister of Finance, dies at 67
- 1715George Hickes: English linguist (Old German Philology), dies at 73
- 1779Manuel Jeronimo Romero de Avila: Composer, dies at 62
- 1792Joseph Martin Kraus: Composer, dies at 36
- 1816Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz: Composer, dies at 44
- 1817Maria Walewska [Leszczinska]: Lover of Emperor Napoleon I
- 1822Ferenc Verseghy: Composer, dies at 65
- 1826William Browser: Revolting slave, executed in New York City
- 1831Paul R Cantzlaar: Gov of Saba / Curacao / Dutch-West Indies, dies at 60
- 1839Matthijs I van Bree: Flemish court-painter, dies at 66
- 1861Gualtiero Sanelli: Composer, dies at 45
- 1880Carlo Boncompagni di Mombello: Ital Minister of Justice, dies at 76
- 1889Ferdinand II A F A: King of Portugal, dies at 73
- 1890Sitting Bull: Hunkpapa-Sioux chief (Little Big Horn), killed by US
- 1892Charles Balmer: Composer, dies at 75
- 1896John GR Acquoy: Dutch Theologist / church historian, dies at 67
- 1901Elias Alvares Lobo: Composer, dies at 67
- 1909Francisco Tarrega y Eixea: Composer, dies at 57
- 1934Maggis Lena Walker: 1st US (black) woman to head a bank, dies at 69
- 1943Thomas W "Fats" Waller: Jazz pianist, dies at 39 in Kansas City, Missouri
- 1944Glenn Miller: US band leader / jazz composer, dies at 40