This Day In History, March 13th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on March 13th.
Harvard College is founded in 1639 and is named after clergyman John Harvard.
While observing the night sky from his garden in Bath, England, William Herschel discovers Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun.
The Siege of Khartoum ends with the city's fall and the death of British General Charles Gordon, who had led the defense against Mahdist forces.
Anschluss - Germany annexes Austria, marking a significant step forward in Adolf Hitler's expansionist policies.
In 1996, a gunman enters a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, and kills 16 children and one adult before committing suicide.
This Day In History, March 13th, 1639: Harvard College is named after clergyman John Harvard.
The colonial legislature of Massachusetts authorized the establishment of a college in 1639, which was initially known as "New College" or "the college at Newtowne." The following year, the college was renamed Harvard College after receiving a significant donation from John Harvard, a Puritan minister who died earlier that year and left half of his estate and his library to the fledgling college. Harvard's bequest was the college's largest single contribution at the time, and the school was renamed in his honor to honor his generosity.
1781: William Herschel discovers Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, while observing the night sky from his garden in Bath, England.
William Herschel, a German-born British astronomer, discovered a new celestial object on March 13, 1781, while observing the night sky from his garden in Bath, England. Following additional observations, Herschel deduced that the object was a new planet beyond Saturn, which he named Uranus. Uranus' discovery by Herschel was a significant achievement in astronomy history because it was the first new planet discovered in over 70 years and expanded our understanding of the solar system.
1884: The Siege of Khartoum ends with the fall of the city and the death of British General Charles Gordon, who had been leading the defense against the Mahdist forces.
The Siege of Khartoum was a military campaign in Sudan that took place between 1883 and 1885 as part of the Mahdist War. Khartoum, Sudan's capital, was under siege by Mahdist forces led by the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad. British General Charles Gordon was dispatched to Khartoum to lead the city's defense, but his forces were eventually defeated by the Mahdist army. The city was breached on January 26, 1885, and Gordon was killed along with many of his soldiers and civilians. The British suffered a significant defeat with the fall of Khartoum, which prompted a renewed effort to suppress the Mahdist uprising in Sudan.
1938: Anschluss – Germany annexes Austria, which marks a significant step in Adolf Hitler's expansionist policies.
The Anschluss, also known as the annexation of Austria, was a watershed moment in the buildup to World War II. German troops entered Austria on March 13, 1938, and Austria was subsequently annexed into the German Reich, a move long desired by Adolf Hitler, who was born in Austria. Other countries protested the annexation of Austria, which violated international law, but no significant action was taken to stop it. The Anschluss bolstered Hitler's position within Germany and allowed him to expand his territorial ambitions, resulting in the outbreak of World War II.
1996: The Dunblane massacre occurs in Scotland, when a gunman enters a primary school and kills 16 children and one adult before committing suicide.
The Dunblane massacre was a tragic mass shooting that occurred on March 13, 1996, in Dunblane, Scotland. A lone gunman named Thomas Hamilton entered a local primary school's gymnasium and opened fire on a class of five and six-year-old children and their teacher, killing 16 children and their teacher before turning the gun on himself. The incident shocked the nation and prompted widespread calls for stricter gun control laws in the United Kingdom. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the UK government enacted a slew of strict gun control measures, including a ban on private ownership of most handguns. The Dunblane massacre remains one of Britain's deadliest mass shootings.