On This Day
What Happened on November 13 in History
8 events that happened on November 13, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.
The Cold War
1956
The Supreme Court upheld a ruling that bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, was unconstitutional.
The decision affirmed a lower court ruling in Browder v. Gayle, a case brought on behalf of four Black women. The Montgomery bus boycott continued until the order took effect and the buses were desegregated.
Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu; nps.gov
1974
Karen Silkwood, a plutonium plant worker who had raised safety concerns, died in a car crash in Oklahoma.
Silkwood had complained to the Atomic Energy Commission about conditions at the Kerr-McGee plant and was driving to meet a union official and a reporter. Documents she reportedly carried were never found in the wreck.
Source: history.com
1982
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington after thousands of veterans marched to the site.
Designed by Yale architecture student Maya Lin, the black granite wall lists the names of the Americans who died in the war in the order they were lost, not by rank.
Source: history.com
1985
Colombia's Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, sending mudflows that buried the town of Armero.
Within hours, a fast-moving flow of mud, ice and rock traveled more than 60 miles down river valleys. More than 23,000 people died, most of them in Armero.
Source: history.com
1986
President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation to defend secret arms dealings with Iran.
As the Iran-Contra affair came to light, Reagan told viewers that the United States had not traded weapons or anything else for hostages.
Source: reaganlibrary.gov; presidency.ucsb.edu
The Modern Era
2001
Taliban forces abandoned Kabul, and U.S.-backed Northern Alliance fighters entered the Afghan capital.
The withdrawal came about five weeks after the United States began airstrikes in Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks. The Taliban pulled back without fighting for the city.
Source: archive.nytimes.com
2002
Iraq accepted UN Security Council Resolution 1441, clearing the way for weapons inspectors to return.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the Iraqi letter of acceptance during a White House meeting with President George W. Bush. Inspectors led by Hans Blix were expected back in Iraq within days.
2015
Islamic State militants carried out coordinated terrorist attacks across Paris, including at the Bataclan theater.
The attacks killed 131 people and wounded more than 400. It was the deadliest day in France since World War II.
Source: history.com