This Day In History : February 13

2019 United States

NASA Ends Mars Opportunity Rover Mission After 15 Years

In 2019, NASA officially concluded the mission of the Mars Opportunity rover after 15 years of exploration on the Martian surface. The decision came after a severe dust storm damaged the rover's communications systems, preventing it from re-establishing contact with Earth. Opportunity, originally designed for a 90-day mission, exceeded expectations and provided valuable data about Mars' geology and environment.

Also on This Day in History February 13

Discover what happened on February 13 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, February 13
  • 1910 William B. Shockley

    American physicist who helped invent the transistor (1956 Nobel)

  • 1942 Donald E. Williams

    American US naval officer & NASA astronaut (STS 51D, STS 34)

  • 1672 Étienne François Geoffroy

    French physician and chemist (affinity table)

  • 1805 Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet

    German mathematician (number theory)

  • 1879 Sarojini Naidu

    Indian freedom fighter and poet

Deaths on This Day, February 13
  • 1787 Roger Joseph Boscovich

    Croatian-Italian astronomer. physicist, poet, and priest

  • 1980 Marian Rejewski

    Polish mathematician and cryptologist who became 1st to break German Enigma code

  • 1982 Zeng Jinlian

    Chinese tallest woman ever recorded (2.46m, 8'1")

  • 2005 Emilios T. Harlaftis

    Greek astrophysicist

  • 2016 Antonin Scalia

    American 105th Supreme Court Justice and lawyer

1980

Apollo Computer Inc. Incorporates

In 1980, Apollo Computer Inc. was formally incorporated, marking the beginning of a pioneering era in the development of workstations and networked computer systems. Founded by William Poduska and others, Apollo Computer played a significant role in advancing technologies for engineering, scientific, and business applications, contributing to the evolution of computing during the 1980s and early 1990s.
2004

The universe's largest known diamond is discovered

On February 13, 2004, astronomers discovered that a white dwarf star known as BPM37093 is actually the largest diamond yet discovered in the universe!
2009

Unix Time Hits Milestone: 1,234,567,890 Seconds

On February 13, 2009, at precisely 23:31:30 (UTC), Unix time, which measures time in seconds since January 1, 1970 (UTC), reached the notable milestone of 1,234,567,890 seconds. This moment marked a quirky numerical alignment in the system used by computers and software to calculate dates and times globally.
2020

Paradigm Shift in Planetary Formation: Gentle Clumping Discovered

In 2020, scientists published groundbreaking findings in "Science," challenging the traditional belief that planets form through violent collisions. Instead, the study of Arrokoth in the Kuiper Belt revealed that planets may form through gentle clumping of dust and gas. This discovery reshapes our understanding of planetary formation processes.
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