May 13
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Featured Event
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, [Gift of R. Stuyvesant, 1893], www.metmuseum.org; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
On this day in 1637, according to tradition, Cardinal Richelieu introduced the table knife to the world. As a powerful minister who was unpopular with everyone but the king, Richelieu had plenty of reasons to provide his dining companions with knives that they couldn’t use to pick their teeth (unseemly) or stab each other (dangerous). He ordered his staff to grind the edges and tops of his knives to round them, and the result was what we know today as the table knife. [Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Born this day in 1882, French painter Georges Braque—known for the serene, meditative quality of his works—revolutionized the art world by creating Cubism with Pablo Picasso.
Famous Birthdays
More on May 13
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1985
Years of conflict between the Black liberation group MOVE and Philadelphia police culminated in a day-long standoff that ended when police dropped a makeshift bomb from a helicopter onto a house where MOVE members were living. Eleven people died in the subsequent fire, and more than 250 people in the neighborhood were left homeless.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1981
Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, in which he was shot and seriously wounded. [Test your knowledge of popes.]
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1964
Actor and comedian Stephen Colbert—best known as the host of The Colbert Report, an ironic send-up of television news programs, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert—was born in Washington, D.C.
© Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images
1950
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. [Take our quiz about musicians.]
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
1941
Ritchie Valens, who was the first Latino rock and roll star, was born in Pacoima, California. [How much do you know about rock music and rock and roll?]
Karsh/Woodfin Camp and Associates
1940
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.” [Listen to Winston Churchill’s first speech as prime minister.]
Mary Evans Picture Library/AGE fotostock
1917
Three children—Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto—reported seeing the Virgin Mary near Fátima, Portugal. [Explore a complete history of Marian apparitions.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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 during the unification of Italy. [Test your knowledge of European history.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (cph 3b50618)
1846
Tensions between Mexico and the United States—stemming from the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845—led Congress to approve a declaration of war against Mexico. [Watch: How the Mexican-American War changed the U.S. forever.]