Updated August 12, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Aug. 13, 1961, Berlin was divided as East Germany sealed off the border between the city’s eastern and western sectors in order to halt the flight of refugees.
On Aug. 13, 1899, Alfred Hitchcock, the English movie director of suspense film, was born. Following his death on April 29, 1980, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1521 Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez captured present-day Mexico City from the Aztecs. 1704 The Battle of Blenheim was fought during the War of the Spanish Succession, resulting in a victory for English and Austrian forces. 1899 Movie director Alfred Hitchcock was born in London. 1932 Adolf Hitler rejected the post of vice-chancellor of Germany, saying he was prepared to hold out “for all or nothing.” 1934 The comic strip “Li’l Abner” by Al Capp made its debut. 1942 Walt Disney’s animated feature “Bambi” premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York. 1960 The first two-way telephone conversation by satellite took place with the help of Echo 1, a balloon satellite. 1981 President Ronald Reagan signed a historic package of tax and budget reductions. 1995 Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle died of liver cancer at age 63. 2003 Libya agreed to set up a $2.7 billion fund for families of 270 people killed in the 1988 Pan Am bombing. 2004 The 28th summer Olympic games opened in Athens. 2008 American Michael Phelps swam into history as the winningest Olympic athlete ever with his 10th and 11th career gold medals. 2011 Seven people were killed when a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair during a powerful storm just before a concert was to begin. 2011 In Republican presidential politics, Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll and Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared his candidacy. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor John Slattery (“Mad Men”) turns 50 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
Actress (“Entourage,” “L.A. Law”) turns 48 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
1926 Fidel Castro, Former Cuban leader, turns 86 1929 Pat Harrington, Actor (“One Day At A Time”), turns 83 1933 Joycelyn Elders, Former surgeon general, turns 79 1944 Kevin Tighe, Actor (“Emergency”), turns 68 1948 Kathleen Battle, Opera singer, turns 64 1949 Bobby Clarke, Hockey Hall of Famer, turns 63 1955 Paul Greengrass, Director, turns 57 1959 Danny Bonaduce, Actor (“The Partridge Family”), turns 53 1961 Sam Champion, TV weatherman (“Good Morning America”), turns 51 1967 Quinn Cummings, Actress, turns 45
Historic Birthdays
Alfred Hitchcock 8/13/1899 – 4/29/1980 English-born motion-picture directorGo to obituary »
78 Salvador Luria 8/13/1912 – 2/6/1991
Italian-born American Nobel-Prize winning biologist (1969)86 Felix Wankel 8/13/1902 – 10/9/1988
German engineer and inventor66 George Luks 8/13/1867 – 10/29/1933
American painter79 Giovanni Agnelli 8/13/1866 – 12/16/1945
Italian industrialist66 Annie Oakley 8/13/1860 – 11/3/1926
American markswoman; starred in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show81 Felix Adler 8/13/1851 – 4/24/1933
American educator and founder of the Ethical Movement79 Sir George Grove 8/13/1820 – 5/28/1900
English writer of the Dictionary of Music and Musicians75 Lucy Stone 8/13/1818 – 10/18/1893
American pioneer in the women’s rights movement73 Erasmus Bartholin 8/13/1625 – 11/4/1698
Danish physician, mathematician and physicist
