On This Day - What Happened On January 13 | Britannica

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1404 The threat of alchemy King Henry IV of England outlawed alchemy on this day in 1404. By preventing the creation of gold from base metals—the goal of alchemy—Henry was trying to prevent challenges to his reign. His law was eventually repealed in 1688. Read today's edition of Today in History >> In a private collection

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Lilla Cabot Perry American artist bornJanuary 13, 1848Boston, MassachusettsdiedFebruary 28, 1933 (aged 85)Hancock, New Hampshire© David David Gallery/SuperStock 1969 Stephen Hendry Scottish snooker player 1949 Rakesh Sharma Indian military pilot and cosmonaut 1902 Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov prime minister of Soviet Union 1884 Sophie Tucker American singer 1832 Horatio Alger American author See All Biographies On This Day

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2021 Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to be impeached twice, after the House of Representatives approved an article of impeachment that accused him of encouraging his supporters to storm the Capitol in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate.White House Photo 2012 The Costa Concordia, a cruise ship carrying some 4,200 people, ran aground and capsized off Giglio Island in Italy. Thirty-two people died, and the ship's captain was convicted and jailed for his role in the disaster. Learn about seven of the world's deadliest shipwrecksTullio M. Puglia/Getty Images 1997 President Abdalá Bucaram Ortíz of Ecuador visited President Alberto Fujimori of Peru, marking the first official visit to Peru by an Ecuadoran president in 150 years. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about South AmericaAllstar Picture Library/Alamy 1990 Douglas Wilder was sworn in as the governor of Virginia, making him the first popularly elected African American governor in the United States.Douglas Wilder 1968 Johnny Cash recorded the album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison in front of an audience of some 2,000 inmates. Its success helped Cash to reestablish himself as one of country music's most relevant artists, and he followed it with Johnny Cash at San Quentin in 1969. Dive into the history of country music© Darryl Pitt/Retna Ltd. 1942 American industrialist Henry Ford patented plastic automobile construction. Take our quiz about American industry and innovationFord Motor Company 1898 Novelist and critic Émile Zola published an open letter titled “J'accuse,” denouncing the French general staff for its role in the 1894 treason court-martial of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army whose conviction was fueled by antisemitic sentiment.From L'Aurore, January 13, 1898 1832 Horatio Alger, one of the most popular American authors in the last 30 years of the 19th century and perhaps the most socially influential American writer of his generation, was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. How much do you know about famous authors?Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1808 Salmon P. Chase, secretary of the Treasury (1861–64) in Abraham Lincoln's wartime cabinet and sixth chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1864–73), was born in New Hampshire. Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.