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