ON THIS DAY
AUGUST 13
29BC Roman Emperor Octavian, later Augustus Caesar – one of the most effective and controversial leaders in human history – holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatians.
1521 Spanish conquistadors capture Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc, marking the end of the Aztec Empire.
1792 King Louis XVI of France is formally arrested and declared an enemy of the people.
1814 The Cape of Good Hope is ceded to Britain by the Dutch.
1838 About 10 Zulu regiments attack the Voortrekkers at Veglaer, next to the Bushmans River, near Estcourt. The attack is repulsed after nearly three days of fighting, but the Zulus carry off nearly all the livestock.
1868 An earthquake strikes southern Peru, causing more than 25 000 deaths, while a destructive tsunami affects Hawaii and New Zealand.
1882 Pedi King Sekhukhune I and 14 of his advisers are assassinated at the behest of Mampuru, Sekhukhune’s half-brother, in the Lulu Mountains.
1901 The duke and duchess of Cornwall and York (the future King George V and his wife) arrive in Durban for a quick royal visit to Natal.
1913 Stainless steel is invented in Sheffield, England.
1923 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, is chosen as president by the Turkish National Congress.
1937 Japanese forces begin the Battle of Shanghai during the second Sino-Japanese war. The conflict lasted 3 months, and involved about one million troops.
1961 East Germany closes the border with West Berlin, and starts the Berlin Wall.
1978 One hundred and fifty Palestinians in Beirut are killed in a terrorist attack during the Lebanese Civil War.
2004 One hundred and fifty six Congolese Tutsi refugees are massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi.
2015 Swedish prosecutors announce they are dropping allegations of sexual molestation and coercion against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
2016 US swimmer Michael Phelps ends his career at the Rio Olympics as part of the winning 4x100 medley relay, his record 23rd gold medal.