March 13

Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.

Roman emperor Elagabalus was assassinated alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias, in 222 AD, and his 14-year-old cousin Severus Alexander was proclaimed emperor.

The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.

The Battle of Badr in 624 CE was the first major pitched battle between Muhammad’s followers and the Quraysh of Mecca.

Siege of Warangal: Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq sends an expeditionary army led by his son, Muhammad bin Tughluq, to the Kakatiya capital Warangal – after ruler Prataparudra has refused to make tribute payments. He besieges the city and finally, after a campaign of 8 months, Prataparudra surrenders on November 9.

Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq dispatched an army led by his son Muhammad bin Tughluq to besiege the Kakatiya capital Warangal in 1323 after the ruler Prataparudra refused to pay tribute, leading to an eight-month siege and eventual surrender.

The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.

The 1567 Battle of Oosterweel, often seen as the opening engagement of the Eighty Years’ War, pitted Dutch rebels against Spanish Habsburg forces in the Low Countries.

At the Battle of Tondibi in Mali, Moroccan forces of the Saadi dynasty, led by Judar Pasha, defeat the Songhai Empire, despite being outnumbered by at least five to one.

At the Battle of Tondibi in 1591, Moroccan Saadi forces led by Judar Pasha defeated the larger Songhai Empire, demonstrating superior tactics and gunpowder weaponry.

Harvard College is named after clergyman John Harvard.

Harvard College was named in 1639 in honor of clergyman John Harvard, establishing the first enduring institution of higher education in the American colonies.

Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, falls to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.

In 1697, Spanish conquistadors captured Nojpetén, the last independent Maya capital, completing the conquest of the Petén region in Guatemala.

The Battle of Cartagena de Indias (part of the War of Jenkins' Ear) begins.

The Battle of Cartagena de Indias began in 1741 as part of the War of Jenkins’ Ear, featuring a major British siege against Spanish defenses in present-day Colombia.

William Herschel discovers Uranus.

On March 13, 1781, astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus, the first planet found with a telescope, expanding the known solar system.