A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.
Today in History
January 13
| 1397 | John of Gaunt marries Katherine Rouet. | |
| 1846 | President James Polk dispatches General Zachary Taylor and 4,000 troops to the Texas Border as war with Mexico looms. | |
| 1862 | President Lincoln names Edwin M. Stanton Secretary of War. | |
| 1900 | To combat Czech nationalism, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary decrees German the official language of the Imperial Army. | |
| 1919 | California votes to ratify the prohibition amendment. | |
| 1923 | Hitler denounces the Weimar Republic as 5,000 storm troopers demonstrate in Germany. | |
| 1927 | A woman takes a seat on the NY Stock Exchange breaking the all-male tradition. | |
| 1931 | The bridge connecting New York and New Jersey is named the George Washington Memorial Bridge. | |
| 1937 | The United States bars Americans from serving in the Civil War in Spain. | |
| 1943 | General Leclerc’s Free French forces merge with the British under Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery in Libya. | |
| 1944 | Plants are destroyed and 64 U.S. aircraft are lost in an air attack in Germany. | |
| 1945 | The Red Army opens an offensive in South Poland, crashing 25 miles through the German lines. | |
| 1947 | British troops replace striking truck drivers. | |
| 1955 | Chase National and the Bank of Manhattan agree to merge resulting in the second largest U.S. bank. | |
| 1965 | Two U.S. planes are shot down in Laos while on a combat mission. | |
| 1968 | U.S. reports shifting most air targets from North Vietnam to Laos. | |
| 1976 | Argentina ousts a British envoy in dispute over the Falkland Islands. | |
| 1980 | The United States offers Pakistan a two-year aid plan to counter the Soviet threat in Afghanistan. | |
| 1982 | Air Florida Flight 90 Boeing 737 jet crashes into Washington, D.C.’s 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff, then plunges into the Potomac River; 78 people, including 4 motorists, are killed. | |
| 1990 | In Virginia, Douglas Wilder, the first African American elected governor of a US state, takes office. | |
| Born on January 13 | ||
| 1808 | Salmon P. Chase, U.S. Treasury Secretary, sixth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. | |
| 1832 | Horatio Alger, Jr., American children’s author (Ragged Dick, Tattered Tom). | |
| 1919 | Robert Stack, actor; portrayed Elliot Ness in TV series The Untouchables. | |
| 1926 | Michael Bond, author, best known for his series of Paddington Bear children’s books. | |
| 1929 | Joe Pass, considered one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century. | |
| 1961 | Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress, producer (Seinfeld TV series) | |
– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/today-in-history#sthash.j6rjYBN8.dpuf
