August 13 in history — What Happened Today in History

Two young women became the first fatal victims of grizzly bear attacks in the 57-year history of Montana's Glacier National Park in separate incidents.

Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans are hanged for the murder of John Alan West becoming the last people executed in the United Kingdom.

Cold War: East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started. The day is known as Barbed Wire Sunday.

The Central African Republic declares independence from France.

Radio Pakistan broadcasts the "Qaumī Tarāna", the national anthem of Pakistan for the first time.

World War II: German troops begin the pillage and razing of Anogeia in Crete that would continue until September 5.

Major General Eugene Reybold of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorizes the construction of facilities that would house the "Development of Substitute Materials" project, better known as the Manhattan Project.

World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches an air operation, codenamed Adlertag, during the Battle of Britain in an attempt to destroy the British Royal Air Force.

Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Shanghai begins.

Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Warsaw begins and will last till August 25. The Red Army is defeated.

Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha May Johnson is the first woman to enlist.

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is established as a public company in Germany.

First production in the UK of stainless steel by Harry Brearley.

The all black infantrymen of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Regiment are accused of killing a white bartender and wounding a white police officer in Brownsville, Texas, despite exculpatory evidence; all are later dishonorably discharged. (Their records were later restored to reflect honorable discharges but there were no financial settlements.)

Norwegians vote to end the union with Sweden.

The steamer Deutschland of Hamburg America Lines sets a new record for the eastward passage when it docks in Plymouth, England, five days, 11 hours and 45 minutes after sailing from New York, breaking by three hours, six minutes its previous mark in its maiden voyage in July.

Spanish–American War: Spanish and American forces engage in a mock battle for Manila, after which the Spanish commander surrendered in order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands.

Carl Gustav Witt discovers 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be found.

William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut is granted United States Patent Number 408,709 for "Coin-controlled apparatus for telephones."

A performance of Wagner's Das Rheingold opens the first Ring cycle at the first Bayreuth Festival.

The 8.5–9.0 Mw Arica earthquake strikes southern Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing 25,000+ deaths and a destructive basin-wide tsunami that affected Hawaii and New Zealand.

The Convention of London, a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United Netherlands, is signed in London, England.

Battle of Mišar during the Serbian Revolution begins. The battle ends two days later with a Serbian victory over the Ottomans.

King Louis XVI of France is formally arrested by the National Tribunal, and declared an enemy of the people.

American Revolutionary War: The Royal Navy defeats the Penobscot Expedition with the most significant loss of United States naval forces prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101, a chorale cantata on a famous tune.

War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim: English and Imperial forces are victorious over French and Bavarian troops.

Colonel George Monck of the English Army forms Monck's Regiment of Foot, which will later become the Coldstream Guards.

Lesley Doig, Scottish lawn bowler

DeMarcus Cousins, American basketball player

Benjamin Stambouli, French footballer

Greg Draper, New Zealand footballer

Justin Greene, American basketball player

Israel Jiménez, Mexican footballer

Keith Benson, American basketball player

Jerry Hughes, American football player

Brandon Workman, American baseball player

Jose Lorenzo Diokno, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter

Devin McCourty, American football player

Jason McCourty, American football player

Jamie Reed, Welsh footballer

Om Prakash Munjal, Indian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Hero Cycles (born 1928)

Frans Brüggen, Dutch flute player and conductor (born 1934)

Eduardo Campos, Brazilian politician, 14th Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology (born 1965)

Martino Finotto, Italian race car driver (born 1933)

Süleyman Seba, Turkish footballer and manager (born 1926)

Lothar Bisky, German politician (born 1941)

Aaron Selber, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (born 1927)

Jean Vincent, French footballer and manager (born 1930)

Hugo Adam Bedau, American philosopher and academic (born 1926)

Helen Gurley Brown, American journalist and author (born 1922)

Ray Jordon, Australian cricketer and coach (born 1937)

Johnny Pesky, American baseball player and manager (born 1919)

Joan Roberts, American actress and singer (born 1917)