April 13

April 13 is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 262 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1204 – The Fourth Crusade: Crusader forces capture and sack Constantinople, dealing a fatal blow to the Byzantine Empire and altering the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean.
• 1598 – King Henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes, granting substantial rights and religious tolerance to the Calvinist Protestants (Huguenots) in the nation.
• 1829 – The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 is passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, allowing Catholics to sit in the Parliament and hold public office.
• 1919 – Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer fire on an unarmed crowd of Indian civilians in Amritsar, killing hundreds and galvanizing the Indian independence movement.
• 1943 – The Katyn massacre is revealed to the public when German forces announce the discovery of mass graves of Polish military officers in the Katyn Forest.
• 1970 – Apollo 13: An oxygen tank in the service module of the Apollo 13 spacecraft explodes, forcing the mission to be aborted and initiating a dramatic and successful rescue effort by NASA.
• 1997 – Tiger Woods wins the Masters Tournament, becoming the youngest golfer and the first African American to win the prestigious event.
• 2029 – (Scheduled) Asteroid 99942 Apophis is expected to make a close approach to Earth, passing within the orbits of geosynchronous satellites.

Births

• 1743 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer, politician, and 3rd President of the United States.
• 1808 – Antonio Meucci, Italian-American inventor and pioneer of telephone technology.
• 1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish physicist and pioneer of radar technology.
• 1906 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, playwright, and poet, Nobel laureate.
• 1939 – Paul Sorvino, American actor and opera singer.
• 1940 – J. M. G. Le Clézio, French novelist and essayist, Nobel laureate.
• 1963 – Garry Kasparov, Russian chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion.

Deaths

• 1945 – Ernst Cassirer, German-Swedish philosopher and educator.
• 2008 – John Archibald Wheeler, American theoretical physicist known for his work on black holes and general relativity.
• 2019 – Paul Greengard, American neuroscientist and Nobel laureate.

Holidays and observances

• Songkran (Thailand) – The traditional Thai New Year festival, which typically begins on April 13 and is widely known for its public water fights and cultural rituals.
• Katyn Memorial Day (Poland) – A day of remembrance for the victims of the Katyn massacre, honoring the Polish military officers and intellectuals executed in 1940.
• Thomas Jefferson's Birthday (United States) – A state holiday in some U.S. states, notably Alabama, commemorating the birth of Thomas Jefferson.
• National Scrabble Day (United States) – An unofficial observance celebrating the popular word board game.
• Christian feast days – Saint Martin I, Saint Ida of Nivelles, and other minor saints recognized by the Catholic Church.