Today is Saturday, August 13, the 225th day of 2011. There are 140 days left in the year.

1521 _ Spanish conquerors captured Mexico City from Aztecs

1642 _ Christiaan Huygens discovers Martian south polar cap

1868 _ Quakes kill 25,000 and causes $300 million damages (Peru and Ecuador)

1907 _ First taxicab (NYC)

1923 _ Mustapha Kemal elected president of Turkey

1935 _ Transcontinental Roller Derby begins (Chicago Coliseum)

1945 _ 35 Jews sacrifice their lives to blow up Nazi rubber plant in Silesia

1961 _ Construction on Berlin Wall begins in East Germany (Dark day)

1977 _ First test glide of the shuttle

1978 _ Yanks score 5 runs in top of 7th, but rain causes game to be halted and thus score goes back to previous inning, Baltimore wins 3-0