On This Day in History – May 13: What Happened on May 13?

On this day in history, May 13 marks a papal shooting, a colonial founding, and a landmark moment in human genetic science.

What happened on May 13 in history includes the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and the publication of the Human Genome Project’s first results in 2003.

Today in history, May 13 also connects to the first Mother’s Day service in 1908 and the Battle of Churubusco during the Mexican-American War.

Famous birthdays on May 13 include Stevie Wonder, Harvey Keitel, and Daphne du Maurier. National days on May 13 include National Apple Pie Day in the U.S.

This day in history, May 13, fun facts reveal a date shaped by political violence, colonial ambition, and human biological discovery.

May 13 on the Calendar

May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in standard years and the 134th day in leap years. There are 232 days remaining. The zodiac sign is Taurus (April 20 – May 20).

In the Northern Hemisphere, May 13 falls in mid-spring, with average temperatures in New York City reaching approximately 68°F (20°C), and the Atlantic hurricane season is still three weeks from its official June 1 start date.

Here’s your complete May 13 summary in one table:

Major Historical Events on May 13

May 13 carries events of political violence, colonial settlement, scientific discovery, and legislative milestones. The following 11 events span the 1600s through the 2000s.

1607 — English settlers establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, under the charter of the Virginia Company of London. Of the original 104 settlers who arrived on May 13, over half died within the first year from disease, starvation, and conflict with the Powhatan Confederacy.

1648 — The Peace of Westphalia negotiations reach a critical breakthrough as Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III agrees to preliminary terms that would end the Thirty Years’ War. The final treaties were signed in October 1648, establishing the concept of state sovereignty that underpins modern international law.

1787 — The First Fleet of 11 ships carrying 1,487 people — including 778 convicts — departs Portsmouth, England, under Captain Arthur Phillip, bound for Botany Bay, Australia. The fleet arrived in January 1788, establishing the first European colony in Australia.

1846 — The United States Congress officially declares war on Mexico, with President James K. Polk citing the death of American soldiers on contested territory near the Rio Grande. The Mexican-American War ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, through which the U.S. acquired 525,000 square miles of territory, including present-day California, New Mexico, and Arizona.

1908 — The first Mother’s Day service is held at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, organized by Anna Jarvis in honor of her mother, Ann Jarvis, who had died the previous year. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday in 1914.

1940 — Winston Churchill delivers his first speech as British Prime Minister to the House of Commons, containing the famous line: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” The speech set the tone for Britain’s wartime posture and is considered one of the most consequential addresses in parliamentary history.

1958 — Vice President Richard Nixon’s motorcade is attacked in Caracas, Venezuela, by anti-American protesters who shatter limousine windows with rocks and spit on the vehicle. The incident, which nearly resulted in Nixon’s death, reflected widespread Latin American resentment of U.S. support for regional authoritarian governments.

1981 — Pope John Paul II is shot four times in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca. The Pope survived after emergency surgery at Gemelli Hospital and later visited Ağca in prison, where he publicly forgave him. Ağca’s connections to Bulgarian intelligence and the Soviet KGB were investigated but never conclusively proven.

1985 — Philadelphia police drop a bomb from a helicopter onto the row house occupied by the radical Black liberation group MOVE in West Philadelphia. The resulting fire destroyed approximately 61 homes and killed 11 MOVE members, including 5 children. The incident remains one of the most controversial uses of police force in American history.

2000 — Liberian President Charles Taylor and rebel group leaders sign a ceasefire agreement in Abuja, Nigeria, temporarily halting the Second Liberian Civil War. The conflict resumed, and Taylor was eventually indicted for war crimes by the Special Court for Sierra Leone and convicted in 2012.

2003 — The Human Genome Project publishes a 99.9% complete sequence of the human genome in the journal Nature, covering 2.85 billion base pairs of DNA. The project, involving researchers from 20 institutions in 6 countries, took 13 years and cost approximately $2.7 billion.

What’s Happening on May 13, 2026?

National Apple Pie Day (U.S.): May 13 is observed across food media platforms as National Apple Pie Day. Apple pie became culturally iconic in the United States during World War II when soldiers reportedly told journalists they were fighting for “mom and apple pie.” The phrase “as American as apple pie” appeared in print as early as 1891.

Jamestown founding anniversary: May 13, 2026, marks the 419th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Colonial Williamsburg and Historic Jamestowne typically hold interpretive programming for the occasion.

Congressional activity: U.S. Senate and House committees continue hearings on fiscal year 2027 appropriations, technology regulation, and foreign policy in the context of ongoing international conflicts.

Global markets: Asian, European, and North American equity markets operate normal sessions, with investor focus on Federal Reserve interest rate signaling and ongoing earnings season results from energy and industrial sectors.

Famous Birthdays on May 13

Stevie Wonder (born 1950, American) — Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who has won 25 Grammy Awards — the most by any solo artist in Grammy history. Born blind due to excess oxygen in his incubator as a premature infant, he signed with Motown Records at age 11 and released his first album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, in 1962.

Harvey Keitel (born 1939, American) — Actor whose collaborations with directors Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino produced landmark performances in Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Bad Lieutenant (1992), and Pulp Fiction (1994). He served in the U.S. Marine Corps before pursuing acting.

Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989, British) — Novelist and short story writer whose works include Rebecca (1938) and “The Birds” (1952). Both were adapted into films by Alfred Hitchcock — Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1941. She was created Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1969.

Dennis Rodman (born 1961, American) — Professional basketball player who won 5 NBA championships — 2 with the Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990) and 3 with the Chicago Bulls (1996, 1997, 1998). He led the NBA in rebounding for 7 consecutive seasons (1991–1998) and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Bea Arthur (1922–2009, American) — Actress who won Tony Awards for Mame (1966) and Emmy Awards for Maude (1977) and The Golden Girls (1988). She was one of only 13 performers to win Tony, Emmy, and Grammy awards.

Georges Braque (1882–1963, French) — Painter who, alongside Pablo Picasso, co-founded Cubism between 1907 and 1914. His still life paintings, particularly the Violin and Candlestick series (1910), are defining works of early Modernism held in collections at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Ritchie Valens (1941–1959, American) — Rock and roll singer who recorded “La Bamba” and “Donna” in 1958, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard pop charts. He died on February 3, 1959, in the plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper — an event known as “The Day the Music Died.”

Robert Peel (1788–1850, British) — Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) who founded the Metropolitan Police Service in London in 1829. Police officers in Britain are still informally known as “Bobbies” in his honor.

Holidays on May 13, 2026

May 13, 2026, is a Wednesday that features a mix of significant religious memorials, professional recognition days, and unique food-related observances. It also serves as the Eve of the Ascension for many Christian traditions.

Major International and National Observances

Religious Observances

Food and Cultural Observances

Awareness and Philanthropy

May 13, 2026, is a busy mid-week date that emphasizes professional recognition for essential but often overlooked workers like receptionists and night-shift employees.

It is also a significant day for the Catholic faith with the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima.

Fun & Weird Facts About May 13

The Jamestown settlers were almost entirely unprepared for survival. Of the 104 men and boys who arrived on May 13, 1607, most were gentlemen with no agricultural skills. Captain John Smith (not yet in command) would later institute a “no work, no food” policy that saved the colony. By 1610, only 60 of the original settlers were still alive.

The Pope’s assassin later claimed he was on a divine mission. After his release from prison in 2000, Mehmet Ali Ağca held a series of bizarre press conferences claiming he was Jesus Christ. He later visited the Fátima shrine in Portugal and, in 2014, told a Turkish newspaper that Pope Francis should resign. He has given multiple contradictory accounts of who ordered the assassination attempt.

Winston Churchill’s “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech on May 13, 1940, was nearly his second choice. According to Churchill’s private secretary, John Colville, Churchill originally drafted a shorter, more conventional speech. He revised it significantly on the morning of delivery. The phrase “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” was borrowed from a 1939 speech by Paul Reynaud, the French Prime Minister; Churchill adapted and condensed it.

The MOVE bombing in Philadelphia on May 13, 1985, was ordered by a Black mayor. Mayor Wilson Goode, Philadelphia’s first Black mayor, authorized the police operation that resulted in dropping the bomb on the MOVE house. The subsequent fire destroyed 61 homes in a predominantly Black neighborhood. A city investigation in 1986 called the operation “unconscionable.”

Stevie Wonder has never held a driver’s license. Born blind, he has nevertheless appeared in numerous car commercials, most notably for Volkswagen. He has publicly joked about driving and being a passenger in various celebrity vehicles. He was awarded a Library of Congress Living Legend award in 1999.

The Human Genome Project finished under budget. Originally estimated to cost $3 billion, the project ultimately cost approximately $2.7 billion and was completed two years ahead of schedule. The sequence published in 2003 covered 99% of the gene-containing portions of the genome with 99.99% accuracy per base pair.

FAQ – May 13 in History