On This Day for July 13 - French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat assassinated, Wole Soyinka is featured, and more

Created: 2020-07-13 10:03 Updated: 2020-07-13 10:03 Notebook: On this Day in History

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July 13

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY

Wole Soyinka

FEATURED EVENT

1793

French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat assassinated

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MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2017: Chinese writer and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, who advocated for democratic reforms and was the first Chinese citizen to be awarded (2010) the Nobel Peace Prize, died at age 61. [Take our quiz about the Nobel Prize.]

2016: Theresa May, the Conservative Party leader, became the second woman prime minister of the United Kingdom, replacing David Cameron, who resigned after the country voted to leave the European Union. [ Test your knowledge of British culture and politics.]

2010: American businessman George Steinbrenner —who, while principal owner of the New York Yankees, became one of the most controversial personalities in major league baseball—died at age 80. [How much do you know about baseball?]

1985: The benefit concert Live Aid was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia ; the event drew an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers and raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Ethiopia. [Take our music quiz.]

1942: American actor Harrison Ford, who was perhaps best known for playing charismatic rogues in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film franchises, was born. [Test your knowledge of actors and acting.]

1939: Backed by trumpeter Harry James, American singer Frank Sinatra recorded his first single, From the Bottom of My Heart. [ How much do you know about Frank Sinatra?]

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1942

Harrison Ford
American actor

1940

Patrick Stewart
British actor

1935

Jack Kemp
American politician and football player

1821

Nathan Bedford Forrest
Confederate general

1950

Ma Ying-jeou
president of Taiwan