This day in history

13 July

Events

• 923:  Duke Raoul of Burgundia is crowned as king of France in succession to Robert of Neustria. He cedes the duchy to Giselbert, who is challenged by Robert's brother, Count Hugh the Black, and by Duke Hugh the Great of the Franks.
• 1174:  King William I the Lion of Scotland is captured while invading Northumberland; King Henry II of England has now suppressed his sons' rebellion in England.
• 1254:  A group of Rhineland towns form the Rhenish League, a confederation for mutual protection.
• 1646:  Parliamentary commissioners present King Charles I of Great Britain and Ireland with the Newcastle Propositions, asking for his acceptance of the Solemn League and Covenant (an alliance between the English parliament and the Scottish rebels, agreed in September 1643), the abolition of episcopacy, reformation of religion according to the wishes of Parliament and the Westminster Assembly of Divines, parliamentary control over the army for a period of 20 years, and punishment of leading Royalists. Charles does not reject the proposals immediately, but delays his answer until 1 August.
• 1841:  By the Convention of the Straits, the European powers guarantee Ottoman independence and the Dardanelles and Bosporus are closed to warships of all nations in peacetime (thus overthrowing the 1833 Treaty of Unkiar-Skelessi).
• 1870:  A French ultimatum to Prussia not to renew its attempts to put a Hohenzollern ruler on the Spanish throne results in the Ems Telegram, a conciliatory message from King Wilhelm I of Prussia provocatively rewritten by the Prussian chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, to incite war.
• 1878:  By the Treaty of Berlin, Bulgaria is split into (a) autonomous Bulgaria, north of the Balkans, (b) Eastern Rumelia with a special organization under the Ottoman Empire, and (c) Macedonia, where reforms are to be undertaken; Austria-Hungary is given a mandate to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina; Romania is warded the region of Dobrudja but has to hand over South Bessarabia to Russia; Montenegro is given the port of Antivari; Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia become independent states; Russia receives the towns of Batum, Kars, and Ardaham; and the British occupation of Cyprus is confirmed. Italian and Greek demands are shelved, while promises for reforms in Macedonia and Asia Minor lead to agitation.
• 1955:  Ruth Ellis is hanged in Britain for murdering her lover; she is the last woman to be hanged in Britain.
• 1967:  The English cyclist Tommy Simpson collapses and dies during the Tour de France cycle race. After large traces of illegal stimulants are found in his body, the Fdration Internationale de Cyclisme Professional introduces new antidrug regulations, many of which are also adopted by other sports.
• 1984:  Czech-born British media and publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell buys the Mirror group of newspapers in Britain.
• 1985:  Live Aid, organized by Band Aid to raise funds for famine-relief in Africa, is a day-long concert held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, England, and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over $70 million is raised worldwide.
• 1985:  The Soviet pole vaulter Sergey Bubka makes the first ever 6-m/19.7-ft jump, in Paris, France.
• 2001:  The International Olympic Committee awards Beijing, China, the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games, ahead of Toronto, Canada; Paris, France; and Istanbul, Turkey. The decision prompts criticism around the world because of China's record on human rights.

Births and Deaths

• Henry II
  1024: Henry II (St Henry), German king 100224 and Holy Roman Emperor 101424, last of the Saxon dynasty of emperors, dies without heirs near Gttingen, Germany (50).
• Wole Soyinka
  1934: Wole Soyinka, Nigerian poet, novelist, playwright, and critic, born near Abeokuta, Nigeria.
• Arnold Schoenberg
  1951: Arnold Schoenberg, Austrian composer who developed a new atonal method of musical composition, dies in Los Angeles, California (76).

Data provided by Helicon Publishing