Holidays Calendar for May 13, 2024
Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) is the national day of Israel celebrated on the 5th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar. This holiday commemorates the Israeli Declaration of Independence proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion in 1948.
The King's birthday is one of the national holidays in Cambodia. The reigning King of Cambodia Norodom Shiamoni was born on May 14, 1953. The festivities last for three days, from May 13 to May 15.
In Samoa and Tokelau, Mother's Day is an official public holiday. It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May with the following Monday taken as a non-working public holiday.
Gospel Day is a public holiday in Tuvalu celebrated on the Monday after the second Sunday in May. It commemorates the arrival of Christianity on the archipelago in the 19th century.
Girmit Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Fiji. It was established to commemorate the arrival of the first indentured Indian laborers to Fiji in 1879 and highlight their contribution to the development of the nation.
The Pretos Velhos Festival is observed on May 13 by Brazilians who practice the Umbanda religion. It commemorates the abolition of slavery in Brazil.
Hummus is a very popular dip in a number of countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Every year thousands of people from another countries try this dip and find out it's amazing taste. If you've never tried hummus, then May 13 is a perfect day to do it, and thus join celebration of International Hummus Day.
Treat yourself to your favorite cocktail on May 13 because it is World Cocktail Day. This amazing holiday commemorates the day when the first definition of a cocktail as an alcoholic beverage was published.
Black Sea Fleet Day is an annual celebration in the Russian Navy held on May 13. It commemorates the creation of the Black Sea Fleet in 1783.
Rotuma Day is an annual holiday celebrated on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. It commemorates the anniversary of the island's cession to the UK in 1881.
Apple pie is considered to be a signature American dessert. Enjoy a slice or even two of apple pie to celebrate the unofficial National Apple Pie Day, celebrated falls on May 13.
May 13 is a perfect day to finish off your meal with some delicious and vitamin-laden fruit because it is National Fruit Cocktail Day. This amazing holiday celebrates an appetizer/dessert that is very easy to make and extremely enjoyable.
May 13 is a perfect day to have a bowl of soup or a salad topped with delicious crunchy croutons because it is National Crouton Day. It was created to celebrate a tasty food topping that is often overlooked.
Festivals on May 13, 2024
- Cheung Chau Bun Festival in Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Prague Spring International Music Festival in Prague, Czech Republic
- Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, USA
- La Ceiba Carnival in La Ceiba, Honduras
- Lotus Lantern Festival in Seoul, South Korea
- Norfolk & Norwich Festival in Norwich, United Kingdom
- Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa, Canada
- Rochester Lilac Festival in Rochester (NY), USA
- Ottawa Children’s Festival in Ottawa, Canada
- Turin International Book Fair in Turin, Italy
- Seattle International Film Festival in Seattle, USA
- American Independence Film Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine
- Tehran International Book Fair in Tehran, Iran
- Brighton Festival in Brighton, United Kingdom
- Tennessee Renaissance Festival in Arrington, USA
This Day in History
- 2024 Died: Alice Munro, Canadian short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Her work has been described as revolutionizing the architecture of the short story.
- 2019 Died: Doris Day, American actress, singer, and animal welfare activist. She was one of the biggest female film stars in the early 1960s; through 2012, Day was one of only eight performers to be the top box-office earner in the US four times.
- 2014 The worst mine disaster in Turkey's history: 301 miners died of an explosion at an underground coal mine in southwestern Turkey.
- 2005 Died: George Dantzig, American mathematician and academic who made important contributions to operations research, economics, statistics and computer sciences.
- 2001 Died: Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanaswami, better known by his pen name R. K. Narayan, Indian author, one of the three leading figures of early Indian literature in English.
- 2000 A firework factory exploded in Enschende, the Netherlands. 22 people were killed, 950 were wounded. The explosion caused an approximately €450 million damage.
- 1996 600 people were killed during severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh.
- 1988 Died: Chet Baker, American singer and trumpet player, one of the fathers of modern jazz. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool".
- 1987 Born: Matt Doyle, American actor and singer known for his work in musical theater. His Broadway credits include Spring Awakening, Bye Bye Birdie, The Book of Mormon, and Company.
- 1986 Born: Lena Dunham, American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is best known as the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series Girls.
- 1986 Born: Kris Versteeg, Canadian entrepreneur and former professional ice hockey winger. During his career, he played for seven NHL teams and became a two-time Stanley Cup champion.
- 1986 Born: Alexander Rybak, Belarusian-Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, author and actor. He is known for winning the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.
- 1986 Born: Robert Pattinson, English actor known for his roles as Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter franchise, Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga films, and Bruce Wayne / Batman in The Batman.
- 1983 Born: Grégory Lemarchal, French singer who rose to fame by winning the forth series of the reality TV show Star Academy. He died of cystic fibrosis three years after his win.
- 1981 Mehmet Ali Ağca attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope was rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery.
- 1979 Born: Mickey Madden, American bass player, best known as a member of the pop rock band Maroon 5.
- 1969 Born: Brian Patrick Carroll, better known by his stage name Buckethead, American guitarist and songwriter. He recorded and released 132 studio albums and performed on more than 50 albums by other artists, including Guns N' Roses and Iggy Pop.
- 1964 Born: Stephen Colbert, American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting The Colbert Report and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
- 1961 Died: Gary Cooper, American actor and singer, a major movie star of the end of the silent film era and through the Golden Age of Classical Hollywood.
- 1958 Ben Carlin became the first person to circumnavigate the world by an amphibious vehicle, having traveled over 17,000 kilometers (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometers (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.
- 1954 The original Broadway production of The Pajama Game opened. The musical received three Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Choreography) and ran for 1,063 performances.
- 1950 Born: Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer, one of the most beloved musical performers of the late 20th century. He received 25 Grammy Awards during his career.
- 1950 The first round of the Formula One World Championship was held at Silverstone Circuit in England.
- 1940 Following the German invasion the Netherlands, Queen Wilhelmina fled her country to Great Britain. Princess Juliana took her children to Canada for their safety.
- 1939 Born: Harvey Keitel, American actor known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He is known for his long-running association with director Martin Scorsese.
- 1938 Died: Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate in recognition of the service he had rendered to precision measurements in physics by his discovery of anomalies in nickel steel alloys.
- 1937 Born: Roger Zelazny, American author and poet, best known for his series of The Chronicles of Amber, a three-time winner of the Nebula award and a six-time winner of Hugo award.
- 1937 Born: Trevor Baylis, English inventor, best-known for the invention of the wind-up radio. His radio was powered by the user winding a crank for several seconds rather than by batteries.
- 1930 Died: Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian scientist, explorer, and academic, Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his work on behalf of the displaced victims of the First World War and related conflicts.
- 1916 Died: Solomon Rabinovich, better known by his pen name Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright, one of the fathers of modern Yiddish literature.
- 1907 Born: Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright. Many of her works were adapted into films, including Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn.
- 1888 Brazil abolished slavery after the passage of the Lei Áurea (Golden Law).
- 1885 Died: Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician, pathologist, and anatomist, an important figure in the development of modern medicine. He discovered the loop of Henle in the kidney and argued for the germ theory of disease.
- 1861 John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia discovered the Great Comet of 1861. The comet was visible for 3 months; it is categorized as one of the eight greatest comets of the 19th century.
- 1857 Born: Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician, Nobel Prize laureate for his work on malaria. He discovered that the malaria parasite is transmitted by mosquitoes.
- 1840 Born: Alphonse Daudet, French author, best known for his stories about the life of Provence and creating of the character Tartarin de Tarascon.
- 1832 Died: Georges Cuvier, French zoologist, a major figure in natural sciences research in the early 19th century. He was instrumental in establishing comparative anatomy and paleontology.
- 1782 Died: Daniel Solander, Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil.