August 13 in History: Tragic Events, Milestones, and Birthdays
Today is Thursday, August 13, 2026, marking the 225th day of the year with 140 days remaining. On this day in history, a tragic incident occurred in 2011 when a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair, resulting in the death of seven individuals just before a concert was scheduled to start. Additionally, significant events on August 13 include the capture of Tenochtitlan by Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez in 1521, the arrest and imprisonment of King Louis XVI by French revolutionaries in 1792, and the patenting of the first coin-operated telephone by William Gray in 1889.
In 1918, Opha May Johnson made history by becoming the first woman to join the U.S. Marine Corps. The iconic song "Hound Dog" was first recorded by Big Mama Thornton in 1952, predating Elvis Presley's famous rendition by four years. Barbed Wire Sunday took place in 1961, marking the sealing of the border between Berlin's eastern and western sectors by East Germany before the construction of the Berlin Wall. New York City celebrated the Apollo 11 astronauts with a ticker-tape parade in 1969, and Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle passed away from liver cancer in 1995 at the age of 63. In 2020, Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced the establishment of full diplomatic relations under a U.S.-brokered deal.
Celebrating their birthdays today are former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders at 93, opera singer Kathleen Battle at 78, high wire aerialist Philippe Petit at 77, Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke at 77, Golf Hall of Famer Betsy King at 71, movie director Paul Greengrass at 71, actor Danny Bonaduce at 67, TV weather forecaster Sam Champion at 65, actor Dawnn Lewis at 65, actor John Slattery at 64, actor Debi Mazar at 62, figure skater Midori Ito at 57, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders at 44, actor Sebastian Stan at 44, actor Lennon Stella at 27, and actor Corey Fogelmanis at 27.