July 13
1793
French revolutionary Jean Paul Marat was stabbed to death in his bath by royalist sympathizer Charlotte Corday.
1863
The draft riots, protesting unfair conscription in the Civil War, began in New York City.
1865
P. T. Barnum’s American Museum, which had featured Tom Thumb and the original Siamese twins Chang and Eng, was destroyed by fire.
1930
The first World Cup soccer competition began in Montevideo, Uruguay.
1943
The Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history—involving some 6,000 tanks, 2,000,000 troops, and 4,000 aircraft—ended in German defeat.
1977
A 25-hour blackout hit New York City, engendering widespread rioting and looting.
2003
Iraq’s interim governing council was inaugurated.
Birthdays
Harrison Ford
1942– Actor, born in Chicago
Nathan Bedford Forrest
general (1821)
Isaac Babel
writer (1894)
Wole Soyinka
playwright, poet, novelist, essayist, and political activist (1934)
Patrick Stewart
director (1940)
Cameron Crowe
director, screenwriter (1957)