12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for October 13, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1775 – Continental Congress authorizes the first American naval force, the precursor to the U.S. Navy.
- 1792 – Cornerstone of the White House is laid in Washington, D.C.
- 1812 – British and Indigenous forces win the Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812.
- 1943 – Italy declares war on Germany and joins the Allies in WWII.
- 1967 – The American Basketball Association debuts.
- 1972 – Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes; 16 ultimately survive after 72 days.
- 1975 – Country star Charlie Rich dramatically protests John Denver’s CMA Entertainer of the Year win.
- 1977 – Four militants hijack Lufthansa Flight 181 (“Landshut”); the ordeal lasts until Oct 18.
- 1999 – Grand jury in the JonBenét Ramsey case is dismissed without indictments.
- 2010 – All 33 Chilean miners are rescued after 69 days underground.
- 2010 – “Miracle in the Andes”: crash of Flight 571 becomes widely known via books and films.
- 2021 – William Shatner, 90, becomes the oldest person to fly to space aboard Blue Origin.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1941 – Paul Simon, singer-songwriter (84).
- 1961 – Doc Rivers, NBA coach and former All-Star guard (64).
- 1962 – Jerry Rice, Pro Football Hall of Famer (63).
- 1967 – Kate Walsh, actor (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice”) (58).
- 1969 – Nancy Kerrigan, Olympic figure skater (56).
- 1971 – Sacha Baron Cohen, actor/comedian (“Borat,” “Ali G”) (54).
- 1980 – Ashanti, R&B singer-songwriter (45).
Today’s Deaths:
- 1945 – Milton S. Hershey, chocolatier and philanthropist (88).
- 1968 – Bea Benaderet, actor (“Petticoat Junction”; voice work for Warner Bros.) (62).
- 1974 – Ed Sullivan, pioneering TV variety host (73).
- 1987 – Kishore Kumar, iconic Indian playback singer and actor (58).
- 2009 – Al Martino, singer and “The Godfather” actor (82).
- 2016 – Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand (88).
- 2021 – Gary Paulsen, author of “Hatchet” (82).