This Day In History : January 13

1989 United Kingdom

Computers across Britain hit by Friday the 13th virus

‘Friday the 13th” computer virus struck personal computers in Britain today, wiping out program files and annoying businesses. Hundreds of personal computer users found the virus was programmed to delete files on Friday the 13th, said Alan Solomon, managing director of S & S Enterprises, a data recovery center in Chesham

Also on This Day in History January 13

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

Births on This Day, January 13
  • 1870 Ross Granville Harrison

    American biologist,  zoologist who developed the first successful animal-tissue cultures

  • 1858 Oskar Minkowski

    German physiologist and pathologist who introduced the concept that diabetes

  • 1864 Wilhelm Wien

    German physicist, 1911 Nobel Prize for Physics (displacement law)

  • 1906 Zhou Youguang

    Chinese economist and linguist known as the "father of pinyin",

  • 1927 Sydney Brenner

    South African biologist who contributed in the genetic code and molecular biology

Deaths on This Day, January 13
  • 1934 Paul Urich Villard

    French chemist and physicist who discovered gamma rays

  • 1930 Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti

    English electrical engineer and inventor

  • 1930 Auguste Rateau

    French mining engineer and inventor who invented Rateau steam turbine

  • 2017 Alexis Mardas

    Greek electronics engineer, entrepreneur, who was also known as "Magic Alex"

  • 1796 John H. D. Anderson

    Scottish scientist and inventor

1993

STS-54 (Endeavour) launches into orbit

STS-54 was a NASA Space Transportation System (Space Shuttle) mission using Space Shuttle Endeavour. This was the third flight for Endeavour, and was launched on January 13, 1993 with Endeavour returning to the Kennedy Space Center on January 19, 1993.
1404

English Alchemists Forbidden from Creating Precious Metals

In 1404, an official decree was issued in England prohibiting alchemists from using their knowledge to create precious metals, such as gold and silver. This decree aimed to regulate and control the practice of alchemy, which was often associated with attempts to transmute base metals into valuable ones, a pursuit that was deemed misleading and fraudulent by authorities.
1959

King Baudouin Promises Belgian Congo Independence

On January 13, 1959, King Baudouin I of Belgium made a historic promise in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa), Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), stating that Belgium would grant independence to the colony. This marked a significant step towards the eventual independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 30, 1960.
1930

"Mickey Mouse" Comic Strip First Appears

The "Mickey Mouse" comic strip made its debut on January 13, 1930, introducing readers to the iconic character created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Initially written and drawn by Ub Iwerks, the comic strip quickly became popular, featuring the adventures of Mickey Mouse and his friends in serialized stories that captured the imaginations of readers worldwide.
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