2013

2013 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was marked by significant political transitions, humanitarian crises, and notable advances in science and culture.

In religion and politics, Pope Benedict XVI resigned on February 28, the first papal resignation since 1415. On March 13, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope, taking the name Francis; he was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope. In the United States, Barack Obama began his second term on January 20. In Europe, Cyprus agreed to a bailout in March with a levy on bank deposits. In the Middle East, Egypt’s July 3 coup ousted President Mohamed Morsi. In August, chemical weapons were used in Syria, triggering international intervention discussions and a subsequent dismantling framework. In June, disclosures by Edward Snowden intensified debates on privacy and surveillance.

In humanitarian and natural disasters, the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh on April 24 killed over 1,100 people. Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on November 8, one of the strongest tropical cyclones on record. On December 5, Nelson Mandela died at age 95.

In science and climate, the IPCC released its Fifth Assessment Report, highlighting human influence on climate change. NASA’s Curiosity rover detected organic molecules in Martian rocks, indicating past habitability. CERN experiments continued to study the Higgs boson, with measurements supporting a mass around 125 GeV. The Warsaw climate conference (COP19) advanced international negotiations on climate action.

These events shaped debates over governance, security, environment, and science in the ensuing years.