Date·Lore

On This Day · The 347th day of the year

December 13

December 13 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1076 and 1989. The city of Salerno surrenders to Robert Guiscard. Duke Gisulf continues his resistance in the citadel until May of the following year.

♐ZodiacSagittarius ◈BirthstoneTurquoise ❀Birth flowerHolly

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on December 13?

December 13 is the 347th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1076 and 1989. Famous people born on December 13 include Tom DeLonge, Taylor Swift and Mathilde Fibiger.

The shape of the day

950 years on from Salerno, December 13 is a date with an anniversary worth pausing on. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Sagittarius is the sign for December 13 — read more on the Sagittarius page, or see December's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on December 13

Movies, games, albums & shows

2023

  • Game Ready or Not

2022

  • Game High on Life
  • Game Potion Craft

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1076

    Salerno

    The city of Salerno surrenders to Robert Guiscard. Duke Gisulf continues his resistance in the citadel until May of the following year.

  2. 1294

    Pope Celestine V

    Saint Celestine V resigns the papacy after only five months to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit.

  3. 1577

    Francis Drake

    Sir Francis Drake sets sail from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage.

  4. 1769

    Dartmouth College

    Dartmouth College is founded by the Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, with a royal charter from King George III, on land donated by Royal governor John Wentworth.

  5. 1862

    American Civil War

    American Civil War: At the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee repulses attacks by Union Major General Ambrose Burnside on Marye's Heights, inflicting heavy casualties.

  6. 1937

    Second Sino-Japanese War

    Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanking: The city of Nanjing, defended by the National Revolutionary Army under the command of General Tang Shengzhi, falls to the Japanese. This is followed by the Nanking Massacre, in which Japanese troops rape and slaughter hundreds of thousands of civilians.

  7. 1957

    1957 Farsinaj earthquake

    The Mw 6.5 Farsinaj earthquake strikes Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII, causing at least 1,119 deaths and damaging over 5,000 homes.

  8. 1974

    Malta

    Malta becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.

  9. 1981

    Wojciech Jaruzelski

    General Wojciech Jaruzelski declares martial law in Poland, largely due to the actions by Solidarity.

  10. 1989

    The Troubles

    The Troubles: Attack on Derryard checkpoint: The Provisional Irish Republican Army launches an attack on a British Army temporary vehicle checkpoint near Rosslea, Northern Ireland. Two British soldiers are killed and two others are wounded.

Famous birthday twins

Born on December 13

Tom DeLonge

b. 1975

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, author, and filmmaker

Taylor Swift

b. 1989

American singer-songwriter

Mathilde Fibiger

b. 1830

Danish feminist, novelist and telegraphist

Heinrich Heine

b. 1797

German journalist, poet, and critic

Erik XIV

b. 1533

King of Sweden from 1560 to 1569

Hans-Joachim Marseille

b. 1919

German captain and pilot

Werner von Siemens

b. 1816

German engineer and businessman, founded Siemens

Franz Aepinus

b. 1724

German astronomer and philosopher

Deaths

  • 1945Josef Kramer
  • 1863Friedrich Hebbel
  • 1565Conrad Gessner
  • 1516Johannes Trithemius
  • 1466Donatello
  • 1126Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: St Antiochus of Sulcis
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Francesco Marinoni
  • —Christian feast day: St Judoc aka St Joyce
  • —Christian feast day: St Lucy
  • —Christian feast day: St Odile of Alsace
  • —Acadian Remembrance Day (Acadians)
  • —National Day (Saint Lucia)
  • —Martial Law Victims Remembrance Day (Poland)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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