October 13

54 – Roman emperor Claudius dies under mysterious circumstances and is succeeded by Nero

1775 – The Continental Congress establishes the Continental Navy

1792 – The cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion is laid by President Washington.

1812 – During the War of 1812, Sir Isaac Brock’s British and native forces repel an invasion of Canada by General Rensselaer’s United States forces.

1884 – The International Meridian Conference establishes the meridian of the Greenwich Observatory as the prime meridian.

1885 – The Georgia Institute of Technology is founded in Atlanta, Georgia.

1892 – While on staff of the University of California’s Lick Observatory,  Edward Emerson Barnard makes the first discovery of a comet, Barnard 3 – later renamed 206P/Barnard–Boattini – by photographic means.

1903 – The Boston Red Sox win the first modern World Series, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth game.

1976 – The first electron micrograph of an Ebola virus is taken at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Dr. F. A. Murphy.

1983 – ‘Baby Bell’ company Ameritech Mobile Communications launches the first cellular network in the U.S. in Chicago.

2012 – U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Ryan Savard is killed in action in Konduz Province, Afghanistan.