Holidays Calendar for August 13, 2025
The Central African Republic annually celebrates its Independence Day on August 13. This is one of the public holidays in the CAR.
Women's Day is a public holiday in Tunisia. It's annually celebrated on August 13, that is the anniversary of promulgation of the Code of Personal Status in Tunisia in 1956.
Magal de Touba is an annual grand pilgrimage to the city of Touba in Senegal. This religious festival became one of the most important in Senegal and millions of people come to Touba to commemorate the exile of Ahmadou Bamba to Gabon.
World Organ Donation Day is celebrated annually on August 13. It was created to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation for saving lives and to encourage people from countries with opt-in legislative systems to register as donors.
Among the many visual arts that exist today, calligraphy is one of the oldest and most respected. Celebrate the art of calligraphy on World Calligraphy Day, which is observed every year on the second Wednesday of August.
On August 13 (the 21th of Mordad in the Iranian calendar) the Islamic Republic of Iran celebrates Small Business Support Day. Its main goal is to facilitate the development of small and medium-sized enterprises by providing state-level support and funding.
Laos annually celebrates Lao Issara Day on August 13. This day commemorates the short-lived anti-French and non-communist movement, that was formed in Laos in 1945.
Patriots Day is an official holiday in the Indian state of Manipur, celebrated annually on August 13. It was created to honor the memory of the Manipuri commanders who were hanged for participating in the Anglo-Manipur War.
August 13 is International Lefthanders Day. This day exists in many countries around the world since 1976, when it was first observed by Lefthanders International.
National Filet Mignon Day is celebrated on August 13 across the United States. Filet mignon (French for “dainty fillet” or “cute fillet”) is considered to be one of the most tender steak cuts of beef.
On August 13, drink a glass or two of Italian sparkling wine to celebrate National Prosecco Day. This holiday was created to remind people that Champagne isn’t the only sparkling wine variety they can enjoy.
The festival of Obon (or simply Bon) is one of the Japanese Buddhist custom. This festival is celebrated for three days: from August 13 to 15. Originally the festival was observed on the 15th day of the7th lunar month, but after transition to the Gregorian calendar the date of celebration is fixed.
This Day in History
- 2020 The Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement was initially agreed to in a joint statement by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
- 2016 Died: Kenny Baker, English actor and musician, best known for portraying the character R2-D2 in the Star Wars science fiction movie franchise.
- 2010 The cargo ship MV Sun Sea docked at CFB Esquimalt, Canada. 492 Sri Lankans were on board (380 men, 63 women and 49 children).
- 2008 Russian military forces occupied the Georgian city of Gori during the Russo-Georgian War. The occupation lasted until August 22.
- 2006 Died: Tony Jay, British actor, voice actor and singer. He is primarily remembered for his prolific voice work in animation, film and video games.
- 2004 Died: Julia Child (born McWilliams), American chef, author and television personality who brought French cuisine to the American public.
- 1998 Died: Julien Green, American author who wrote mainly in French. He was the first non-French national to be elected to the Académie française.
- 1992 Born: Erika Henningsen, American actress and singer best known for originating the role of Cady Heron in the Broadway musical Mean Girls and voicing Charlie Morningstar in Hazbin Hotel.
- 1989 Died: Tim Richmond, Ameirca race car driver. He was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time.
- 1982 Born: Sebastian Stan, Romanian-born American actor best known for his role as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- 1972 Born: John Safran, Australian documentarian, comedian and radio broadcaster. One of his best known works is Race Around the World.
- 1971 Born: Moritz Bleibtreu, German actor known for his roles as Manni in Run Lola Run, Daniel Bannier in Im Juli, and Marcus in The Fifth Estate.
- 1969 The Apollo 11 astronauts rode in parades in their honor in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles after spending three weeks in quarantine.
- 1961 The border between East Berlin and West Berlin was closed, and the construction of the Berlin Wall began. The border was opened in 1989.
- 1955 Born: Paul Greengrass, English film director and screenwriter whose best known works include two films in the Bourne action/thriller series.
- 1946 Died: Herbert George Wells, known as H. G. Wells. English novelist, historian and journalist best known for his numerous science fiction novels.
- 1937 The Battle of Shanghai was fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan during the the Second Sino-Japanese War.
- 1929 Born: Pat Harrington, Jr., American stage, television and voice actor best known for playing Dwayne Schneider on One Day at a Time.
- 1923 Born: Fidel Castro, Cuban revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and as President from 1976 to 2008.
- 1918 Opha May Johnson (née Jacob) became the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. She joined the Marine Corps Reserve.
- 1918 Born: Frederick Sanger, British biochemist who is the only person to have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry twice, in 1958 and 1980.
- 1917 Died: Eduard Buchner, German chemist and zymologist who was awarded the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on fermentation.
- 1912 Born: Salvador Edward Luria, Italian and later American microbiologist who was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
- 1910 Died: Florence Nightingale, English social reformer who is known for pioneering modern nursing. She founded her nursing school in 1860.
- 1899 Born: Alfred Hitchcock, English film director and producer often referred to as the Master of Suspense. He is known for his psychological thrillers.
- 1896 Died: John Everett Millais, English painter and illustrator who was one of the founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
- 1872 Born: Richard Willstätter, German organic chemist who was awarded the 1915 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his study of plant pigments.
- 1863 Died: Eugène Delacroix, French Romantic artist. His best known work is Liberty Leading the People, commemorating the July Revolution of 1830.
- 1826 Died: René Laennec, French physician who is best known for inventing the stethoscope in 1816, while working at the Hôpital Necker.
- 1704 The Battle of Blenheim, also referred to as the Second Battle of Höchstädt, was fought during the War of the Spanish Succession.
- 1624 Cardinal Richelieu became the principal minister of King Louis XII of France. His policy was aimed at the centralization of power in France.
- 1532 The Duchy of Brittany joined the French crown. The union of Brittany and France was a critical step in the formation of present-day France.
- 1521 Spanish forces led by Hernán Cortés conquered Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. It was a decisive event in the Spanish conquest of Mexico.