On this day

On this day...

August 13

• 1624 – Cardinal Richelieu (pictured) became the chief minister to King Louis XIII, and under his supervision, France's feudal political structure transformed into one with a powerful central government.
• 1779 – American Revolutionary War: Off the coast of Maine, the United States suffered its worst naval defeat until the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.
• 1868 – A major earthquake near Arica, Peru, caused an estimated 25,000 casualties, and the subsequent tsunami caused considerable damage as far away as Hawaii and New Zealand.
• 1954 – The complete version of "Qaumi Taranah", the national anthem of Pakistan, was broadcast for the first time on Radio Pakistan.
• 2004 – Hurricane Charley struck the U.S. state of Florida, just 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie inflicted its own damage to the state.