Daily Calendar for Thursday, August 13, 2026

Daily Calendar

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Canada first used to indicate region – 1535
Oregon Institute (later named Willamette University) opened in Salem, Oregon – 1844
Andrew Campbell discovered the Luray Caverns in Virginia, when cold air from a sinkhole on a large hill extinguished his candle – 1878
Last spike driven for first stage of Esquimalt-Nanaimo Railway in Cliffside, B.C. – 1886
Samuel Leeds Allen granted patent for Flexible Flyer sled – 1889
L’il Abner comic strip debuted – 1934
The Walt Disney classic, Bambi, opened this day at Radio City Music Hall in New York City – 1942
Canso Causeway, linking Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, opened – 1955
A plane flew into a hurricane for the first series of bumpy flights for the National Hurricane Research Project, then part of the U.S. Weather Bureau – 1956
The East German government closed the border between east and west sectors of Berlin with barbed wire fencing to discourage further population movement to the west. Later in the week a concrete wall was erected to strengthen the barrier between official crossing points – 1961
3-year-old Jamie Gavin became the youngest heart/lung transplant patient – 1985
American swimmer Michael Phelps won his 10th and 11th Olympic gold medals making him the most decorated Olympian in history – 2008

Blue sun observed widely in the South, thought to presage Nat Turner slave uprising: phenomenon continued for several days – 1831
Hurricane Connie hit the North Carolina coast with winds up to 87 miles per hour – 1955
Nine people were injured after a lightning strike at a day camp in Pelham, New Hampshire – 2003
Four people were injured when lightning hit and shattered a utility pole in Belmont, New Hampshire – 2003
A small tornado hit Meredith, New Hampshire – 2004
Hurricane Charley struck Florida – 2004