Year 1648
Construction of the Red Fort at Dehli was completed.
MAY 13
Daily Historical Chronicle
UPSC CSE • State PSC • SSC CGL Matrix
13 May: What Happened On This Day in History
Curated historical timeline of momentous political pacts, freedom struggle uprisings, constitutional developments, scientific breakthroughs, and prominent birthdays recorded on 13 May.
Observances & Special Days
Rotuma Day (Rotuma)
Year 1791
Lord Cornwallis retreated back to Madras after the battle of Arikera.
Year 1880
Thomas Alva Edison tested the electric train at Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Year 1939
The first commercial FM radio station in the United States launched.
Year 1949
Maharashtra Granthalay Sangh was established.
Year 1952
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru again becomes the Prime Minister of India and forms a new union ministry.
Year 1950
The first race of the Formula One World Championship took place at Silverstone.
Year 1952
The first session of the Rajya Sabha of India convened.
Year 1953
The first Indian Navy air station INS Garuda was commissioned at Venduruthy, the naval base in Cochin.
Year 1956
Acharya Vinoba Bhave started the Bhoodan campaign in Tiruvellore.
Year 1962
Bharat Ratna, India's highest award, was given to Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963).
Year 1962
Dr Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963) retired from the post of first President.
Year 1962
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) became the second President of India. He held this office till May 13, 1967.
Year 1962
Dr Zakir Hussain became the Vice President (1962-67).
Year 1967
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) retired from the post of second President.
Year 1967
Dr Zakhir Hussain became the 3rd President of India. He was the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He held this position till August 24, 1969.
Year 1970
Choreographer Sitaradevi set a world record for dancing for 11 hours and 45 minutes at the Birla Matoshri Hall in Mumbai.
Year 1971
General Insurance nationalised.
Year 1994
Telecom sector opened to private companies under the new national policy announced in Parliament.
Year 1995
Alison Hargreaves became the first woman to climb Mount Everest without the help of Oxygen or Sherpa.
Year 1997
Doordarshan drops plans to enter the direct-to-home (DTH) mode of television transmission.
Year 1998
India carried out two nuclear weapons tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11.
Year 2000
Lara Dutta (21), who said beauty pageants give women a platform to ''voice our choices and opinions'' is named Miss Universe 2000 in the Cyprus capital Nicosia.
Year 2000
A bill to restructure Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh to form Uttaranchal, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, respectively, was approved by the Union Cabinet.
Born 1857
Sir Ronald Ross, bacteriologist, a member of the Indian Medical service, Nobel awardee and editor of 'Science Progress', was born at Almora, UP.
Born 1883
Henk JFM Sneevliet, leader RSAP/editor Spartacus (Dutch-Indies), was born.
Born 1905
Fakruddin Ali Ahmed, the fifth President of India, was born in Delhi.
Born 1916
Vasudev Mahadev Salgaonkar, the great Industrialist, was born.
Born 1916
Sachidananda Routray, Indian Oriya-language poet (d. 2004)
Born 1918
Tanjore Balasaraswati, Indian dancer and instructor (d. 1984)
Born 1923
Moinul Haque Choudhury, the social reformer and politician, was born at Sonabarighat (Assam).
Born 1951
Anand Modak, Indian composer and director (d. 2014)
Born 1956
Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, an Indian spiritual leader.
Born 1969
Asaduddin Owaisi, an Indian politician, is the President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
Born 1979
Amruta Subhash, an Indian actress.
Born 1984
Benny Dayal, Indian singer
Died 1903
Apolinario Mabini, the first Prime Minister of the Philippines.
Died 1947
Sukanta Bhattacharya, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1926)
Died 2001
R. K. Narayan, an Indian writer.
Died 2013
Jagdish Mali, Indian photographer (b. 1954)