ON THIS DATE: MAY 13

Historical events from May 13 are brought to you by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Explore more at britannica.com.

2019: American singer and actress Doris Day—whose performances in movie musicals of the 1950s and sex comedies of the early 1960s made her a leading Hollywood star—died at age 93.

1981: Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, in which he was shot and seriously wounded by Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turkish national.

1964: American actor and comedian Stephen Colbert— best known as the host of The Colbert Report, an ironic sendup of television news programs, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert—was born.

1960: A Swiss expedition led by Max Eiselin reached the summit of Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas.

1950: American musician Stevie Wonder, a child prodigy who developed into one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century, was born in Saginaw, Michigan.

1941: American singer and songwriter Ritchie Valens, who was the first Latino rock and roll star, was born in Pacoima, California.

1940: British politician Winston Churchill faced the House of Commons for the first time as prime minister and told the members that “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

1917: Three children—lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto— reported seeing the Virgin Mary near Fátima, Portugal.

1871: With the Law of Guarantees, the Italian government attempted to settle the question of its relationship with the pope, who had been deprived of his lands in the process of Italian national unification.

1846: Tensions between Mexico and the United States— stemming from the U.S. annexation of Texas (1845)—led the U.S. Congress on this day in 1846 to approve overwhelmingly a declaration of war against Mexico.

1637: According to tradition, France’s Cardinal Richelieu invented the table knife; he reportedly had the tips rounded to stop dinner companions from using knives to pick their teeth.