March 13

Muslim forces led by the Prophet Muhammad defeat the Quraysh at the Battle of Badr, a pivotal early battle in Islamic history.

A small force of Muslims led by the Prophet Muhammad defeated a much larger Meccan army at the Battle of Badr near Medina, a victory considered a turning point that bolstered the fledgling Muslim community's confidence and standing. The battle holds deep religious and historical significance in Islamic tradition.

William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus, the first planet found using a telescope.

British astronomer William Herschel, observing from his garden in Bath, England, initially believed he had spotted a comet before further observation revealed a new planet, later named Uranus. It was the first planet discovered in recorded history using a telescope rather than being visible to the naked eye.

Lowell Observatory announces the discovery of Pluto.

Clyde Tombaugh, a young astronomer working at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, had discovered a new object beyond Neptune's orbit weeks earlier through painstaking comparison of photographic plates. The observatory publicly announced the discovery of Pluto, later reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union officially ends with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty.

Finland and the Soviet Union signed the Moscow Peace Treaty, ending the three-and-a-half-month Winter War in which Finland, despite being vastly outnumbered, inflicted heavy Soviet casualties before ceding significant territory including Karelia. Finnish resistance nonetheless preserved the country's independence from full Soviet annexation.

German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Krakow, Poland, deporting or killing its remaining residents.

German SS forces liquidated the remaining Jewish ghetto in Krakow, Poland, deporting most residents to the Plaszow forced labor camp and murdering others on the spot. The event, later depicted in the film "Schindler's List," was part of the broader Nazi campaign to eliminate Jewish communities across occupied Europe.

Viet Minh forces open a massive artillery barrage, beginning the decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu.

Viet Minh forces under General Vo Nguyen Giap launched a massive artillery bombardment against the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu, beginning a 56-day siege. The eventual French defeat there led directly to the Geneva Accords and France's withdrawal from Indochina, paving the way for the later Vietnam War.

Kitty Genovese is murdered in New York City, a case that later prompted extensive research into the psychological "bystander effect."

Kitty Genovese was murdered outside her Queens apartment building in an attack that a widely circulated but later disputed New York Times account claimed dozens of neighbors witnessed without intervening. The case, regardless of its exact details, spurred extensive psychological research into what became known as the "bystander effect."

A gunman kills sixteen children and a teacher at a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, prompting sweeping UK gun control laws.

A gunman entered Dunblane Primary School in Scotland and killed sixteen children and their teacher before taking his own life, in the deadliest mass shooting in British history. The tragedy prompted Parliament to pass some of the strictest gun control laws in the world, effectively banning private ownership of handguns.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is elected pope, taking the name Francis.

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope by the College of Cardinals, becoming the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope. Taking the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, he emphasized humility, social justice, and reform within the Catholic Church.

President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency in the United States.

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic, unlocking billions of dollars in federal disaster relief funding and expanded executive authority. The declaration came as case counts rose sharply across the United States and many states began imposing their own restrictions.