This Day In History : June 13

1983 United States

NASA's Pioneer 10 becomes the 1st man-made object to leave the solar system

Pioneer 10 is a NASA space probe launched in 1972 that completed the first mission to the planet Jupiter. On June 13, 1983, it passed the orbit of Neptune and became the first human-made object to leave our solar system.

Also on This Day in History June 13

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

Births on This Day, June 13
  • 1773 Thomas Young

    British philologist and physician who established the wave theory of light

  • 1831 James Clerk Maxwell

    Scottish physicist who discovered the electromagnetic field

  • 1854 Charles Algernon Parsons

    British inventor of the steam turbine

  • 1792 William Austin Burt

    American scientist, surveyor and inventor who patented America's first typographer (typewriter)

  • 1926 Jerome Lejeune

    French physician and geneticist (discovered chromosome responsible for Downs Syndrome)

Deaths on This Day, June 13
  • 1784 Henry Middleton

    American farmer and politician who was the 2nd President of the Continental Congress

  • 1871 Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin

    French watchmaker and illusionist considered the father of modern magic

  • 1993 (Donald) "Deke" Slayton

    American US Air Force pilot and NASA astronaut (Mercury Seven; Apollo–Soyuz Test Project)

  • 1994 Anne Hopkins Aitken

    American Zen Buddhist and co-founder of Diamond Sangha

  • 1972 Georg von Bekesy

    Hungarian-American physician and physiologist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1961 - work on the inner ear)

1798

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia founded in California

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was the eighteenth mission built in California, founded on June 13, 1798. It was the last California mission founded by Father Fermin Lasuen and was named for Louis, King of France.
1898

Yukon Territory of Canada established, Dawson chosen as capital

The Yukon Territory of Canada was established on June 13, 1898, and Dawson was chosen as its capital.
1942

US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) formed

The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was established by a Presidential military order issued by President Roosevelt on June 13, 1942.
1933

Federal Home Owners Loan Corporation authorized

HOLC was established as an emergency agency under Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) supervision by the Home Owners' Loan Act of 1933, June 13, 1933.
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