2013⚡ Event
Bulo Marer Hostage Rescue Attempt
French special forces failed in an attempted rescue of a DGSE agent, who had been taken hostage in 2009 by al-Shabaab, in Bulo Marer, Somalia.
politicswar
What Happened in 2013?
Explore 67 historical moments from 2013 — 64 events, 2 birthdays, and 1 notable deaths.
Events in 2013(64)
2013⚡ Event
SCAT Airlines Flight 760 Crash
SCAT Airlines Flight 760 crashed near Almaty, Kazakhstan, killing all twenty-one people on board.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
South Korea launches Naro-1 rocket
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute launched Naro-1, South Korea's first carrier rocket and first launch vehicle to achieve Earth orbit.
spacetechnology
2013⚡ Event
Pemex Executive Tower explosion
A gas leak beneath the Pemex Executive Tower in Mexico City triggered an explosion, resulting in at least 37 fatalities and 121 injuries.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Chelyabinsk Meteor Explosion
A meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, producing a shock wave that injured about 1,500 people.
disastersciencespace
2013⚡ Event
Hazara Town bombing
A bomb hidden in a water tank exploded at a market in Hazara Town, Pakistan, killing at least 91 people and injuring 190 others.
disasterpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Brussels Airport Diamond Heist
Eight gunmen stole US$50,000,000 worth of diamonds from a Swiss-bound aircraft at Brussels Airport.
laweconomics
2013⚡ Event
Luxor hot air balloon crash
A hot air balloon crashed near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people. This remains the deadliest ballooning disaster in history.
disasterexploration
2013⚡ Event
Pope Benedict XVI resigns
Benedict XVI became the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign from the papacy.
religionpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Pope Francis Elected
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis, becoming the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the first from the Southern Hemisphere.
religionpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Thailand Refugee Camp Fire
A fire in Thailand destroyed a camp housing Burmese refugees, killing at least 37 people. The incident caused significant loss of life among the refugee population.
disasterpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Buenos Aires Flash Floods
Flash floods in the northeastern section of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Thane Building Collapse
A building collapsed on tribal land in Thane, Maharashtra, India, causing 74 deaths.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Kidal suicide bombing
Four Chadian soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing by jihadist rebels in Kidal, Mali, on April 12, 2013.
warpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Boston Marathon Bombing
Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev set off two pressure cooker bombs during the running of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring 264 others.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Terror plot foiled in Canada
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested two men who were plotting to commit terrorist attacks. The targets were Via Rail operations.
politicslawdisaster
2013⚡ Event
Savar building collapse
A building in Savar Upazila, Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,134 people. This event is the deadliest accidental structural failure in modern history.
disasterlaw
2013⚡ Event
Amanda Berry escapes captivity
Amanda Berry escaped from the Cleveland, Ohio, home of her captor, Ariel Castro, having been held there with two other women for ten years.
2013⚡ Event
One World Trade Center Topped Out
On May 10, 2013, One World Trade Center in New York City reached its full height of 1,776 feet, becoming the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
technologydisaster
2013⚡ Event
Reyhanlı car bombings
Two car bombs exploded in Reyhanlı, Turkey, resulting in 52 deaths and 140 injuries. The perpetrators of the attack remain unknown.
disasterpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Mark Carson Murder
Mark Carson, an openly gay man, was murdered in a hate crime in New York City. This incident prompted a large march against anti-LGBTQ violence.
lawpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Moore, Oklahoma tornado
A tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion in damage.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Naxalite Insurgency Attack in Chhattisgarh
Naxalite insurgents attacked a convoy of Indian National Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, India. The attack resulted in at least 27 deaths.
politicswar
2013⚡ Event
Oklahoma Tornado
An extremely large, powerful, and erratic tornado struck Central Oklahoma, killing eight people and injuring more than 150 others.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Czech Prime Minister's Advisors Arrested for Corruption
Several close advisors and collaborators of Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas were arrested on corruption charges.
politicslaw
2013⚡ Event
CIA acknowledges Area 51
The CIA acknowledged the existence of Area 51 in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Area 51 is a secretive U.S. Air Force facility in Nevada.
politicslaw
2013⚡ Event
Defense of Marriage Act Overturned
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, granting federal recognition to same-sex marriage.
lawpolitics
2013⚡ Event
IAU names Pluto moons
The International Astronomical Union announced that the fourth and fifth moons of Pluto to be discovered would be named Kerberos and Styx, respectively.
sciencespace
2013⚡ Event
Aceh earthquake
A Mw 6.1 strike-slip earthquake in the Indonesian province of Aceh killed at least 35 people and injured 276 others.
disasterscience
2013⚡ Event
Egyptian Coup d'État
General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a coup d'état in Cairo, deposing President Mohamed Morsi and suspending the Egyptian Constitution.
politics
2013⚡ Event
Mamudo School Massacre
Gunmen attacked a secondary school in Mamudo, Nigeria, killing 42 people, predominantly students.
disasterpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Crash
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed on approach to San Francisco, marking the first fatal accident for a Boeing 777 and killing three people.
disastertechnology
2013⚡ Event
Typhoon Soulik makes landfall
Typhoon Soulik made landfall in East China and Taiwan, killing at least 20 people.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Bihar Midday Meal Poisoning
At least 23 students died and dozens more fell ill in Bihar, India, after consuming a Midday Meal contaminated with pesticide.
disastermedicine
2013⚡ Event
Cassini's "Wave at Saturn"
The NASA spacecraft Cassini took a photograph of Saturn with Earth in the distance, inviting people to "wave at Saturn".
spacescience
2013⚡ Event
Kidnapping of Nour Ahmad Nikbakht
Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, an Iranian diplomat in Yemen, was kidnapped by al-Qaeda militants and held hostage for two years.
politicswar
2013⚡ Event
Rosario gas explosion
A gas leak caused an explosion that collapsed a building and led to the deaths of 22 people in Rosario, Argentina on August 6, 2013.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Rabaa Massacre
Security forces raided camps of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi supporters in Cairo, leading to the deaths of at least 595 civilians.
politicslaw
2013⚡ Event
Ghouta chemical attack
Areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in Ghouta, Damascus, were attacked by rockets containing sarin, killing at least 281 people.
wardisasterpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Washington Navy Yard shooting
A lone gunman fatally shot twelve people and injured three others at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C.
lawdisaster
2013⚡ Event
Westgate Shopping Mall Attack
Unidentified gunmen began a three-day attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya. The attack resulted in 67 deaths and at least 175 wounded.
disasterwar
2013⚡ Event
All Saints Church Peshawar bombing
In Peshawar, Pakistan, two suicide bombers attacked All Saints Church, killing 127 people.
religiondisasterpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Lampedusa migrant shipwreck
A boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa, resulting in more than 360 deaths.
disasterpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Medellín apartment building collapse
Twelve people were killed in an apartment-building collapse in Medellín. This event led to new construction laws being passed in Colombia.
disasterlaw
2013⚡ Event
Navaratri stampede in India
During the Hindu festival of Navaratri at a temple in Madhya Pradesh, India, rumours about an impending bridge collapse caused a stampede that resulted in 115 deaths.
disasterreligion
2013⚡ Event
Bohol Earthquake
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Bohol in the Philippines, resulting in 222 deaths.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashes
In Laos's deadliest air accident, Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashed into the Mekong River, resulting in the deaths of all 49 people aboard.
disastertechnology
2013⚡ Event
The Sidemen formed
British YouTube collective the Sidemen were formed as a Rockstar Games Social Club group in Grand Theft Auto Online.
entertainmenttechnology
2013⚡ Event
Terrorist attack in Beijing
The first terrorist attack in Beijing's recent history occurred when members of the Turkistan Islamic Party drove a vehicle into a crowd, killing five people and injuring thirty-eight others.
politicswar
2013⚡ Event
Marmaray Project Phase 1 Opens
The first phase of the Marmaray project opened with an undersea rail tunnel across the Bosphorus strait.
technologyexploration
2013⚡ Event
ISRO launches Mars Orbiter Mission
The Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Mars Orbiter Mission, India's first interplanetary probe.
spacescience
2013⚡ Event
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Visayas region of the Philippines, killing at least 6,300 people and becoming the deadliest Philippine typhoon recorded in modern history.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
November 2013 tornado outbreak
An outbreak of 77 confirmed tornadoes occurred in seven U.S. states, becoming the largest November tornado outbreak in Illinois and Indiana.
disaster
2013⚡ Event
Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363 crash
Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363 crashed during an aborted landing at Kazan International Airport, Russia, killing all 50 people on board.
disastertechnology
2013⚡ Event
Iranian embassy bombing in Beirut
A double suicide bombing at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killed 23 people and injured at least 160 others.
wardisaster
2013⚡ Event
Magnus Carlsen becomes World Chess Champion
Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen defeated India's Viswanathan Anand to become world chess champion on November 22, 2013.
sports
2013⚡ Event
One Direction releases Midnight Memories
English-Irish boy band One Direction released their third studio album Midnight Memories. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became the best-selling album of 2013.
musicentertainment
2013⚡ Event
Little India Riot in Singapore
A riot erupted in Little India, Singapore, following a fatal bus accident. This was the first such event in over 40 years.
disasterlaw
2013⚡ Event
Metallica Performs in Antarctica
Metallica became the first band to perform on all seven continents by playing a concert in Antarctica. The event took place on December 8, 2013.
musicentertainment
2013⚡ Event
Beyoncé releases surprise album
Beyoncé released her fifth studio album without any prior announcement or promotion. It sold 2.3 million copies before the end of the year.
musicentertainment
2013⚡ Event
South Sudanese Civil War begins
The South Sudanese Civil War began when three opposition leaders voted to boycott the meeting of the National Liberation Council in Juba.
warpolitics
2013⚡ Event
Gaia spacecraft launched
The European Space Agency's spacecraft Gaia was launched with the goal of constructing the largest and most precise star catalogue ever made.
spacescience
2013⚡ Event
Attacks in Kinshasa
Supporters of Congolese religious leader Paul-Joseph Mukungubila carried out a series of attacks on television studios, the airport, and a military base in Kinshasa.
politicsreligion
Born in 2013(2)
Deaths in 2013(1)
2013🕊️ Death
Pierre Mauroy
Pierre Mauroy was a French educator and politician who served as Prime Minister of France.
politics
Dates in 2013
January 11January 29January 30January 31February 15February 16February 18February 26February 28March 13March 22April 3April 4April 8April 12April 15April 22April 24May 6May 10May 11May 18May 20May 25May 31June 7June 13June 25June 26July 2July 3July 6July 13July 16July 19July 21July 22August 6August 14August 21September 15September 16September 21September 22October 3October 12October 13October 15October 16October 19October 28October 29November 5November 8November 17November 19November 22November 25December 8December 13December 15December 19December 30
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened in 2013?
- 2013 saw 67 notable historical moments, including 64 events, 2 famous birthdays, and 1 notable deaths.
- What were the biggest events of 2013?
- Key events of 2013 include: Bulo Marer Hostage Rescue Attempt, SCAT Airlines Flight 760 Crash, South Korea launches Naro-1 rocket.
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