Emperor Guangwu of Han
b. -5
Chinese emperor
On This Day · The 13th day of the year
January 13
January 13 carries 10 recorded events spanning between -27 and 2003. Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
Compiled & reviewed by Roman Tailor · Last reviewed July 13, 2026
What happened on January 13?
January 13 is the 13th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between -27 and 2003. Famous people born on January 13 include Emperor Guangwu of Han, Winnie Byanyima and Félix Tisserand.
The shape of the day
This year marks the 25th anniversary of January 2001 El Salvador earthquake — January 13 carries the weight of round numbers. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.
Capricorn is the sign for January 13 — read more on the Capricorn page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.
Released on January 13
Movies, games, albums & shows2026
- Game Hytale
- Movie The Rip
2022
- TV Peacemaker
- TV The Heike Story
Release data from TMDB & IGDB.
Events
10 notable moments- -27
Augustus
Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
- 1797
French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.
- 1847
Treaty of Cahuenga
The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.
- 1898
Émile Zola
Émile Zola's J'accuse…! exposes the Dreyfus affair.
- 1915
1915 Avezzano earthquake
The 6.7 Mw Avezzano earthquake shakes the Province of L'Aquila in Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 29,978 and 32,610.
- 1942
World War II
World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter.
- 1942
Henry Ford
Henry Ford patents a soybean car, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.
- 1968
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison.
- 2001
January 2001 El Salvador earthquake
An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.
- 2003
208996 Achlys
208996 Achlys was discovered by Chad Trujillo and Michael E. Brown at Palomar Observatory.
Famous birthday twins
Born on January 13Winnie Byanyima
b. 1959
Ugandan engineer, politician, and diplomat
Félix Tisserand
b. 1845
French astronomer and academic
Liam Hemsworth
b. 1990
Australian actor
Orlando Bloom
b. 1977
English actor
Silvana Gallardo
b. 1953
American actress and producer
Leo Visser
b. 1966
Dutch speed skater and pilot
Deaths
- 2019Phil Masinga
- 1963Sylvanus Olympio
- 1941James Joyce
- 1929Wyatt Earp
- 1363Meinhard, Duke of Upper Bavaria
Holidays & observances
- —Christian feast day: Blessed Veronica of Milan
- —Christian feast day: Elian
- —Christian feast day: Hilary of Poitiers
- —Christian feast day: Mungo
- —Christian feast day: St. Knut's Day or Tjugondag Knut, the last day of Christmas. (Sweden and Finland)
- —Christian feast day: January 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- —Constitution Day (Mongolia)
- —Democracy Day (Cape Verde)
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.
Born on this day?
Make your birthday card.
Drop in your birth year and we'll work out your exact age, the day of the week you were born, your Chinese zodiac, your generation, and the countdown to your next candle.
Please pick a valid date in the past.
—
Years old
—
Days lived
—
Day you were born