Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis, making him the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the first from the Southern Hemisphere.
The Filipino singer Rachelle Ann Go won the reality talent show Search for a Star, performing a cover of Mariah Carey's "Through the Rain" in the grand final.
A mass shooting at a primary school occurred in Dunblane, Scotland, killing 16 children and a teacher and prompting tighter gun control in the United Kingdom.
The 53.85 km (33.46 mi) Seikan Tunnel opened between the cities of Hakodate and Aomori, Japan.
Claiming the right of innocent passage, the American warships Yorktown and Caron entered Soviet territorial waters in the Black Sea.
One of England's worst incidents of football hooliganism occurred when supporters of Luton Town and Millwall rioted before a match at Kenilworth Road stadium.
Kitty Genovese was murdered in New York City, prompting research into the bystander effect due to the false story that neighbors witnessed the killing and did nothing to help her.
The Holocaust: Nazi troops began the final liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto in German-occupied Poland, sending about 2,000 Jews to the Płaszów labor camp (deportation pictured), with the remaining 5,000 either killed or sent to Auschwitz.
The Kapp Putsch (participants pictured), an attempted coup aiming to undo the German Revolution of 1918–1919, briefly ousted the government of the Weimar Republic.
Klemens von Metternich was forced to resign as the foreign minister of Austria following student demonstrations in Vienna.
German composer Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto was premiered in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as the soloist.
Napoleonic Wars: A British frigate squadron defeated a much larger squadron of French and Italian frigates and smaller vessels in the Battle of Lissa in the Adriatic Sea.
William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus from the garden of his house in Bath, England, initially considering it to be a comet.
War of Jenkins' Ear: The British began an assault against Spanish forts in the Caribbean in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias (pictured).
Nojpetén, capital of the Itza Maya kingdom, fell to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.
A Spanish mercenary army surprised a band of rebels at the Battle of Oosterweel in the Habsburg Netherlands, beginning the Eighty Years' War.
President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency in the United States.
Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality.
Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as the first female President of Greece amid strict COVID-19 measures.
The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people.
Three gunmen attack two hotels in the Ivory Coast town of Grand-Bassam, killing at least 19 people.
The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
The Sierre coach crash kills 28 people, including 22 children.
An article in Nature identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints.
The Missionaries of Charity choose Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as their leader.
The Dunblane massacre leads to the death of sixteen primary school children and one teacher in Dunblane, Scotland.
The 1993 Storm of the Century affects the eastern United States, dropping feet of snow in many areas.
The Mw 6.6 Erzincan earthquake strikes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).
Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-29 carrying the TDRS-4 satellite.
The Seikan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world with an undersea segment, opens between Aomori and Hakodate, Japan.
The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts the Prime Minister of Grenada, Eric Gairy, in a coup d'état.
Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802 crashes into the White Mountains near Bishop, California, killing 36.
Apollo 9 returns safely to Earth after testing the Lunar Module.
Kitty Genovese is murdered in New York City, prompting research into the bystander effect due to the false story that neighbors witnessed the killing and did nothing to help her.
Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista.
The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ begins with an artillery barrage by Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp; Viet Minh victory led to the end of the First Indochina War and French withdrawal from Vietnam.
The Holocaust: German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Kraków.
The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union officially ends after the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty.
The news of the discovery of Pluto is announced by Lowell Observatory.
The Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic government from Berlin.
British forces occupy Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, during the Second Boer War.
The eruption of Ritter Island triggers tsunamis that kill up to 3,000 people on nearby islands.
The Siege of Khartoum begins. It lasts until January 26, 1885.
The Act Prohibiting the Return of Slaves is passed by the United States Congress, effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and setting the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation.
The German revolutions of 1848–1849 begin in Vienna.
Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto receives its première performance in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as soloist.
Pope Leo XII publishes the apostolic constitution Quo Graviora in which he renewed the prohibition on Catholics joining freemasonry.
Participants at the Congress of Vienna declare Napoleon an outlaw following his escape from Elba
A French and Italian fleet is defeated by a British squadron off the island of Vis in the Adriatic during the Napoleonic Wars.
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden is deposed in the Coup of 1809.
William Herschel discovers Uranus.
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias (part of the War of Jenkins' Ear) begins.
Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, falls to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.
Harvard College is named after clergyman John Harvard.
At the Battle of Tondibi in Mali, Moroccan forces of the Saadi dynasty, led by Judar Pasha, defeat the Songhai Empire, despite being outnumbered by at least five to one.
The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
Siege of Warangal: Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq sends an expeditionary army led by his son, Muhammad bin Tughluq, to the Kakatiya capital Warangal – after ruler Prataparudra has refused to make tribute payments. He besieges the city and finally, after a campaign of 8 months, Prataparudra surrenders on November 9.
The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
Coco Gauff, American tennis player
Frank Gore Jr., American football player
Beomgyu, South Korean singer-songwriter
Thomas Dearden, Australian rugby league player
Jay-Roy Grot, Dutch footballer
Jack Harlow, American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor
Pyper America, American model, actress, and musician
Landry Shamet, American basketball player
Brayden Point, Canadian ice hockey player
Mikaela Shiffrin, American skier
Jang Su-jeong, South Korean tennis player
Gerard Deulofeu, Spanish footballer
Mohammed Siraj, Indian cricketer
Tyrone Mings, English footballer
Lucy Fry, Australian actress
George MacKay, English actor
Ozuna, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and rapper
L, South Korean actor and singer
Daniel Greig, Australian speed skater
Tristan Thompson, American basketball player
Anicet Abel, Malagasy footballer
Marcell Dareus, American football player
Holger Badstuber, German footballer
Peaches Geldof, English columnist, television personality, and model (died 2014)
Sandy León, Venezuelan baseball player
Marko Marin, German footballer
Robert Wickens, Canadian racing driver
Furdjel Narsingh, Dutch footballer
Marco Andretti, American race car driver
Andreas Beck, German footballer
Neil Wagner, South African-New Zealand cricketer
Alcides, Brazilian footballer
Emile Hirsch, American actor
Geeta Basra, Indian actress
Kaitlin Sandeno, American swimmer
Izi Castro Marques, Brazilian basketball player
Nicole Ohlde, American basketball player
Caron Butler, American basketball player
Brad Watts, Australian rugby league player
Johan Santana, Venezuelan baseball player
Cédric Van Branteghem, Belgian sprinter
Tom Danielson, American cyclist
Troy Hudson, American basketball player and rapper
Danny Masterson, American actor and producer
Mark Clattenburg, English football referee
James Brinkley, Scottish cricketer
Thomas Enqvist, Swedish tennis player and sportscaster
Edgar Davids, Surinamese-Dutch footballer and manager
David Draiman, American singer-songwriter
Bobby Jackson, American basketball player and coach
Common, American rapper and actor
Trent Dilfer, American football player, coach, and analyst
Annabeth Gish, American actress
Allan Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager
Adina Porter, American actress
Tim Story, American director and producer
Darren Fritz, Australian rugby league player
Andrés Escobar, Colombian footballer (died 1994)
Pieter Vink, Dutch footballer and referee
Chico Science, Brazilian singer-songwriter (died 1997)
Will Clark, American baseball player
Craig Dimond, Australian rugby league player
Trevor Gillmeister, Australian rugby league player and coach
Mariano Duncan, Dominican baseball player and manager
Vance Johnson, American football player
Fito Páez, Argentine musician, songwriter and filmmaker
Alfredo Maia, Portuguese politician
Adam Clayton, English-Irish musician and songwriter
Joe Ranft, American animator, screenwriter, and voice actor (died 2005)
Dirk Wellham, Australian cricketer
Mágico González, Salvadoran footballer
Rick Lazio, American lawyer and politician
Caryl Phillips, Caribbean-English author and playwright
John Hoeven, American banker and politician, 31st Governor of North Dakota
Moses Hogan, American composer and conductor (died 2003)
Dana Delany, American actress and producer
Jamie Dimon, North-American businessman and banker
Bruno Conti, Italian footballer and manager
Glenne Headly, American actress (died 2017)
Olga Rukavishnikova, Russian pentathlete
Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos, Guyanese-English politician and diplomat
Robin Duke, Canadian actress and screenwriter
Andy Bean, American golfer (died 2023)
Michael Curry, American bishop, 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
Deborah Raffin, American actress (died 2012)
Wolfgang Rihm, German composer and educator
Tim Sebastian, English journalist and author
Joe Bugner, Hungarian-British boxer and actor
Bernard Julien, Trinidadian cricketer
Charles Krauthammer, American physician, journalist, and author (died 2018)
William H. Macy, American actor, director, and screenwriter
Ze'ev Bielski, Israeli politician
Sian Elias, New Zealand lawyer and politician, 12th Chief Justice of New Zealand
Trevor Sorbie, Scottish hairdresser (died 2024)
Lesley Collier, English ballerina and educator
Beat Richner, Swiss pediatrician and cellist (died 2018)
Lyn St. James, American race car driver
Yonatan Netanyahu, American-Israeli colonel (died 1976)
Anatoly Fomenko, Russian mathematician and academic
Terence Burns, Baron Burns, English economist and academic
Dave Cutler, American computer scientist and engineer
Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet and author (died 2008)
Scatman John, American singer-songwriter (died 1999)
George Negus, Australian journalist and television host (died 2024)
Donella Meadows, American environmentalist, author, and academic (died 2001)
Lee Moses, American R&B Soul Singer and Guitarist (died 1998)
Neil Sedaka, American singer-songwriter and pianist
Robert Gammage, American captain and politician (died 2012)
David Nobbs, English author and screenwriter (died 2015)
Diane Dillon, American illustrator
Mahdi Elmandjra, Moroccan economist and sociologist (died 2014)
Gero von Wilpert, German author and academic (died 2009)
Walter Jacob, American Reform rabbi (died 2024)
Zbigniew Messner, Polish economist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (died 2014)
Carlos Roberto Reina, Honduran lawyer and politician, President of Honduras (died 2003)
Roy Haynes, American drummer and composer (died 2024)
Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek general (died 2010)
Al Jaffee, American cartoonist (died 2023)
Ralph J. Roberts, American businessman, co-founded Comcast (died 2015)
Lindy Boggs, American educator and politician, 5th United States Ambassador to the Holy See (died 2013)
Jacque Fresco, American engineer and academic (died 2017)
W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright (died 1998)
Edward O'Hare, American lieutenant and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1943)
William J. Casey, American politician, 13th Director of Central Intelligence (died 1987)
Sergey Mikhalkov, Russian author and playwright (died 2009)
José Ardévol, Cuban composer and conductor (died 1981)
L. Ron Hubbard, American author, founder of Scientology (died 1986)
Sammy Kaye, American saxophonist, songwriter, and bandleader (died 1987)
Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (died 1973)
Walter Annenberg, American publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (died 2002)
Myrtle Bachelder, American chemist and Women's Army Corps officer (died 1997)
Dorothy Tangney, Australian politician (died 1985)
Clifford Roach, Trinidadian cricketer and footballer (died 1988)
Hans Bellmer, German-French painter and sculptor (died 1975)
Andrée Bosquet, Belgian painter (died 1980)
Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971)
John Hasbrouck Van Vleck, American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1980)
Pancho Vladigerov, Bulgarian pianist and composer (died 1978)
Henry Hathaway, American director and producer (died 1985)
Yeghishe Charents, Armenian poet and activist (died 1937)
Janet Flanner, American journalist and author (died 1978)
Fritz Busch, German conductor and director (died 1951)
Paul Morand, French author and diplomat (died 1976)
Home Run Baker, American baseball player and manager (died 1963)
Albert William Stevens, American captain and photographer (died 1949)
Hugh Walpole, New Zealand-English author and educator (died 1941)
Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer (died 1926)
Josef Gočár, Czech architect (died 1945)
Ellery Harding Clark, American jumper, coach, and lawyer (died 1949)
William Glackens, American painter and illustrator (died 1938)
Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian-German painter (died 1941)
Paul Prosper Henrys, French general (died 1943)
Hugo Wolf, Slovene-Austrian composer (died 1903)
B. H. Roberts, English-American historian and politician (died 1933)
Percival Lowell, American astronomer and mathematician (died 1916)
Hans Gude, Norwegian-German painter and academic (died 1903)
James Curtis Hepburn, American physician, linguist, and missionary (died 1911)
Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Ottoman politician, 212th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (died 1858)
Abigail Fillmore, American wife of Millard Fillmore, 14th First Lady of the United States (died 1853)
Karl Friedrich Schinkel, German painter and architect, designed the Konzerthaus Berlin (died 1841)
Daniel Lambert, English animal breeder (died 1809)
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1845)
Guillaume Brune, French general and diplomat (died 1815)
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1790)
Charles Bonnet, Swiss historian and author (died 1793)
John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (died 1797)
Michel Blavet, French flute player and composer (died 1768)
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann, German botanist (died 1741)
Innocent XII, pope of the Catholic Church (died 1700)
John Berchmans, Belgian Jesuit scholastic and saint (died 1621)
Georges de La Tour, French painter (probable; (died 1652)
William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Dutch count (died 1620)
Lazarus Spengler, German hymnwriter (died 1534)
Louis I, Duke of Orléans (died 1407)
John Feinstein, American sportswriter and commentator (born 1956)
Raúl Grijalva, United States representative from Arizona (born 1948)
Sofia Gubaidulina, Russian-German pianist and composer (born 1931)
Philippe de Gaulle, French admiral (born 1921)
William Hurt, American actor (born 1950)
Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American professional boxer (born 1954)
Murray Walker, English motorsport commentator and journalist (born 1923)
Emily Nasrallah, Lebanese writer and women's rights activist. (born 1931)
Amy Krouse Rosenthal, American author (born 1965)
Hilary Putnam, American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist (born 1926)
Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (born 1924)
Reubin Askew, American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of Florida (born 1928)
Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond, Irish businessman and politician (born 1944)
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (born 1932)
Icchokas Meras, Lithuanian-Israeli author and screenwriter (born 1934)
Clive Burr, English drummer and songwriter (born 1957)
Rick Martin, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1951)
Jean Ferrat, French singer-songwriter (born 1930)
Betsy Blair, American actress (born 1923)
Alan W. Livingston, American businessman (born 1917)
Arnold Skaaland, American wrestler and manager (born 1925)
Robert C. Baker, American businessman, invented the chicken nugget (born 1921)
Jimmy Johnstone, Scottish footballer (born 1944)
Maureen Stapleton, American actress (born 1925)
Peter Tomarken, American television personality, game show host (born 1942)
Franz König, Austrian cardinal (born 1905)
Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher and scholar (born 1900)
John A. Alonzo, American actor and cinematographer (born 1934)
Encarnacion Alzona, Filipino historian and educator (born 1895)
Lee Falk, American cartoonist, director, and producer (born 1911)
Garson Kanin, American director and screenwriter (born 1912)
Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (born 1945)
Hans von Ohain, German-American physicist and engineer (born 1911)
Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1941)
Odette Hallowes, French nurse and spy (born 1912)
Bruno Bettelheim, Austrian-American psychologist and author (born 1903)
Paul Citroen, German-Dutch illustrator and educator (born 1896)
Ole Haugsrud, American sports executive (born 1900)
Ivo Andrić, Yugoslav novelist, poet, and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1892)
Tony Ray-Jones, English photographer (born 1941)
Rockwell Kent, American painter and illustrator (born 1882)
Vittorio Jano, Italian engineer (born 1891)
Fan Noli, Albanian-American bishop and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Albania (born 1882)
Anne Acheson, Irish sculptor (born 1882)
Lise Lindbæk, Norwegian journalist and war correspondent (born 1905)
Johan Laidoner, Estonian general and statesman (born 1884)
Ants "the Terrible" Kaljurand, Estonian anti-communist, freedom fighter and forest brother (born 1917)
Werner von Blomberg, German field marshal (born 1878)
Stephen Vincent Benét, American poet, short story writer, and novelist (born 1898)
Clarence Darrow, American lawyer and author (born 1857)
Francis Bell, New Zealand lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1851)
Josephine Leary, American real estate entrepreneur (born 1856)
Jenny Twitchell Kempton, American opera singer and educator (born 1835)
Eugène-Étienne Taché, Canadian engineer and architect, designed the Parliament Building (born 1836)
Susan B. Anthony, American activist (born 1820)
Benjamin Harrison, American general and politician, 23rd President of the United States (born 1833)
Giorgio Mitrovich, Maltese politician (born 1795)
Leland Stanford Jr., American son of Leland Stanford (born 1868)
Alexander II of Russia (born 1818)
Adolf Anderssen, German mathematician and chess player (born 1818)
David Swinson Maynard, American physician, lawyer, and businessman (born 1808)
Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, French politician, 6th Prime Minister of France (born 1773)
Henry Shrapnel, English general (born 1761)
William Bradley, English lieutenant and cartographer (born 1757)
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, English admiral and politician (born 1735)
Christian VII of Denmark (born 1749)
Nana Fadnavis, Indian minister and politician (born 1742)
Johann Friedrich Böttger, German chemist and potter (born 1682)
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, French poet and critic (born 1636)
Richard Burbage, English actor (born 1567)
Henry Cuffe, Politician (born 1563)
Michel de l'Hôpital, French politician (born 1507)
Shah Rukh, Timurid ruler of Persia and Transoxania (born 1377)
Minye Kyawswa, Crown Prince of Ava (born 1391)
Henry of Almain, English knight (born 1235)
Mieszko III the Old, king of Poland (born c. 1121)
Christian feast days: Ansovinus
Christian feast days: Gerald of Mayo
Christian feast days: James Theodore Holly (Episcopal Church (USA))
Christian feast days: Nicephorus
Christian feast days: Roderick
Christian feast days: March 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Kasuga Matsuri (Kasuga Grand Shrine, Nara, Japan)
National Elephant Day (Thailand)
Africa Scout Day