August 13th Fun Facts, Trivia and HistoryTable of Contents |
August 13th History Highlights |
The Berlin Wall |
The fact that the West did not officially recognize the so-called GDR, coupled with the risk of escalation, meant that decisions could only come from the Kremlin. In August 1961, Moscow gave the green light to the German Communists to close the border and build a physical barrier. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism in East Germany, the building that inspired novels by John Carre and Len Deighton became a fixture of the Cold War landscape, threatening to kill the people who crossed it. The GDF was desperate to stop this so-called “brain drain,” but Moscow’s refusal to recognize it, combined with a lack of political will from West Germany and fear of retaliation from Moscow, coupled with the risk of escalation, meant that the decision could not be made without a decision from the Kremlin, even if it cost lives. The Berlin Wall was erected on the night of August 13, 1961, on the eastern side of the city of Berlin, north of West Berlin. The barrier itself was erected by the decision of the Volkskammer of the GDR. When it fell on November 9, 1989, its destruction was the culmination of more than two decades of political and economic conflict between the two countries. |
Annie Oakley |
As a child, Phoebe Ann Moses (August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) honed her game hunting skills, and in 1882 she gave herself the stage name Annie Oakley when she began traveling the country and hosting shooting exhibitions. While still a teenager, she met Frank E. Butler, whom she later married, and the couple had no children of their own. When the couple joined Buffalo Bill and the Wild West, it was clear that Oakley Was the most talented member of the duo. She rose to fame as a “living legend” who created thrills and spills. Oakley and Butler traveled the world with Buffalo Bill and the Wild West until they finally left the series shortly after the turn of the century. Oakley, who spent much of her adult life in Maryland, was inducted into the Maryland Museum of Natural History’s Hall of Fame in 1984. |
August 13th is… |
Filet Mignon Day Left-Handers Day Prosecco Day |
August 13th Birthday Quotes |
“Every day that you don’t practice is one day longer before you achieve greatness” ” I believe that the influence of woman will save the country before every other power.” “You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants some magical solution to their problem and everyone refuses to believe in magic.” “Being a child star is great. It’s being a former child star that sucks.” “Aim for the high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you’ll hit the bulls-eye of success.” ” I ain’t afraid to love a man. I ain’t afraid to shoot him either.” |
August 13th Birthdays |
1818 – Lucy Stone, American abolitionist, and suffragist (died in 1893) 1860 – Annie Oakley, American target shooter (died in 1926) 1888 – John Logie Baird, Scottish engineer, invented a television (died in 1946) 1895 – Bert Lahr, American actor (died in 1967) 1899 – Alfred Hitchcock, British director and cameo performer (died in 1980) 1904 – Buddy Rogers, American actor, and musician (died in 1999) 1912 – Ben Hogan, American golfer, and sportscaster (died in 1997) 1926 – Fidel Castro, Cuban revolutionary, and politician, 15th President of Cuba (died in 2016) 1930 – Don Ho, American singer and ukulele player (died in 2007) 1938 – Dave “Baby” Cortez, American R&B pianist and organist 1951 – Dan Fogelberg, American singer-songwriter (died in 2007) 1959 – Danny Bonaduce, American actor, and DJ 1962 – John Slattery, American actor 1964 – Debi Mazar, American actress 1982 – Sarah Huckabee Sanders, American political consultant 1982 – Sebastian Stan, Romanian-American actor 1998 – Dina and Arina Averina, Russian rhythmic gymnasts |
August 13th History |
1521 – Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes captured Aztec leader Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. 1868 (Earthquake & Tsunami) Arica, Chile 1898 – Carl Gustav Witt discovered 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be seen. 1918 – Opha Mae Johnson was the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. 1942 – Walt Disney’s fifth full-length animated film, Bambi, was released in theaters. 1961 – East Germany closed the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin with the Berlin Wall. 1965 – Jefferson Airplane made their first professional appearance at the Matrix Club in San Francisco. 1966 – #1 Hit August 13, 1966 – September 2, 1966: The Lovin’ Spoonful – Summer in the City 1969 – The Apollo 11 astronauts were released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York, New York. 1997 – South Park aired for the first time on Comedy Central. August 13, 2003 – The Cheetah Girls aired on The Disney Channel August 13, 2010 – Den Brother aired on The Disney Channel 2013 – Google Incorporated suffered an outage for five minutes. All of its services, including Google Search, YouTube and Google Drive, experienced this outage. During that brief time window, the world’s Internet traffic dropped by 40%. #1 Hit August 13, 2022 – August 26, 2022: Break My Soul – Beyoncé August 13, 2455 (fiction) Jason Vorhees was unfrozen in Space in Jason X, Film |
Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts |
At a movie theater which armrest is yours? It Would Cost Thousands of Dollars to Take a Cab From West Philadelphia to Bel Air. William McKinley was on the $500 bill So, are quesadillas the Mexican version of pizza, or is pizza the Italian version of a quesadilla? It is kinda sad when a movie is setting up for a sequel we all know it won’t get. #BuckarooBanzaivsTheWorldCrimeSyndicate I wonder how many item features I don’t know about because I have never read an instruction manual for anything. “Explain this to me again. I didn’t know somebody could shoot themself with their own arrow.” #moviequotes I lived a long chunk of my life thinking “Froot Loops” were spelled “Fruit Loops.” No word in the English language rhymes with plankton. Safety pins are just as dangerous as normal pins. Peter Lorre – Real Name: Laszlo Loewenstein Searching for Bigfoot should be outlawed because at this point it’s clear he values his privacy and that should be respected. |
More Pop Culture History Resources |