◆ On this day

November 13

4 sourced moments from November 13 in history: The 1833 Leonid storm rained up to 100,000 meteors an hour; Disney's Fantasia premiered with pioneering stereo sound (1940); Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet (1971), plus 1 more.

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4 things happened on November 13

newest first ↓

1985 Earth & Climate · Natural Disasters

A volcanic mudflow buried the Colombian town of Armero

When Nevado del Ruiz erupted on November 13, 1985, melting glaciers unleashed lahars that erased a town in minutes.

1971 Space · Space Exploration

Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet

Mariner 9 reached Mars orbit on 13 November 1971, two weeks before the Soviet Mars 2, which had launched 11 days earlier.

1940 Culture & Arts · Film & TV

Disney's Fantasia premiered with pioneering stereo sound

On November 13, 1940, Fantasia opened in New York wired for Fantasound, the first commercial film built around multichannel sound.

1833 Space · Solar System

The 1833 Leonid storm rained up to 100,000 meteors an hour

On 12-13 November 1833, up to 100,000 meteors an hour lit up North America, turning a night of panic into the start of meteor science.