113 Years Ago Was 1913: What Happened That Year
113 years ago was 1913 (2026 − 113 = 1913). In 1913 Woodrow Wilson became U.S. President, the 16th Amendment created the federal income tax, Henry Ford launched the moving assembly line, the first crossword puzzle was printed, and the Federal Reserve was created. It was the last full year of peace before World War I.
The answer moves with the calendar: in 2027, 113 years ago will be 1914 (the year World War I began); in 2025 it was 1912. Counting from 2026, 113 years ago is 1913.
Looking for the year 113 AD? If you want events of the year 113 itself (Roman Empire, Emperor Trajan, Trajan's Column), see Year 113 in History and Year 113 CE: Historical Events.
Major Events of 1913
1913 sits on the eve of World War I: new institutions, new technology and new art were appearing, while tensions in the Balkans foreshadowed the conflict to come. Here are the best-documented events of the year.
Politics and Government
- February 3: The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, allowing Congress to levy a federal income tax.
- March 3: The Woman Suffrage Procession marched in Washington, D.C., the day before the presidential inauguration.
- March 4: Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as the 28th President of the United States, succeeding William Howard Taft.
- March 12: Australia's new federal capital was officially named Canberra.
- April 8: The 17th Amendment was ratified, providing for the direct popular election of U.S. senators.
- May 30: The Treaty of London ended the First Balkan War.
- June–August: The Second Balkan War was fought, with Bulgaria facing its former allies; it ended with the Treaty of Bucharest in August.
- June 4: Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison was struck by King George V's horse at the Epsom Derby; she died of her injuries four days later.
- July 1–4: Union and Confederate veterans gathered for the 50th anniversary reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg.
- December 23: President Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, creating the U.S. Federal Reserve System.
Science, Technology and Industry
- 1913: Danish physicist Niels Bohr published his model of the atom, with electrons in fixed energy levels, a cornerstone of quantum theory.
- Late 1913: Ford Motor Company introduced the moving assembly line at its Highland Park plant in Michigan, sharply cutting the time needed to build a Model T.
- February 2: Grand Central Terminal opened in New York City.
- April 24: The Woolworth Building opened in New York; it was the tallest building in the world at the time.
Arts and Culture
- February 17: The Armory Show opened in New York, introducing many Americans to modern European art.
- May 29: Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring premiered in Paris, provoking one of the most famous uproars in music history.
- November: Marcel Proust published Swann's Way, the first volume of In Search of Lost Time. D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers also appeared in 1913.
- November: Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first non-European laureate in literature.
- December: The Mona Lisa, stolen from the Louvre in 1911, was recovered in Florence.
- December 21: Arthur Wynne's "word-cross" puzzle ran in the New York World, widely regarded as the first crossword puzzle.
Famous People Born in 1913
Several people who shaped the 20th century were born 113 years ago:
- Richard Nixon (January 9) — 37th President of the United States
- Rosa Parks (February 4) — civil rights activist whose 1955 arrest sparked the Montgomery bus boycott
- Gerald Ford (July 14) — 38th President of the United States
- Menachem Begin (August 16) — Prime Minister of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
- Jesse Owens (September 12) — athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
- Vivien Leigh (November 5) — actress, star of Gone with the Wind
- Albert Camus (November 7) — French-Algerian writer and 1957 Nobel laureate in Literature
- Benjamin Britten (November 22) — English composer
- Willy Brandt (December 18) — West German Chancellor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
1913 in Context: The Eve of World War I
Historians often treat 1913 as the end of an era. Europe's great powers were locked into rival alliances, and the Balkan Wars had left the region unstable. Within a year, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo (June 28, 1914) set off World War I, which began at the end of July 1914.
Compared with today, the world of 1913 had roughly 1.8 billion people (versus more than 8 billion now), no commercial radio broadcasting, no television and no antibiotics. Cars were spreading quickly thanks to mass production, but horses, trains and steamships still dominated travel. In most countries women could not yet vote: in the United States, nationwide women's suffrage came only with the 19th Amendment in 1920.
| Counting from | 113 years ago was | A defining event of that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1912 | Sinking of the Titanic (April 15) |
| 2026 | 1913 | Federal Reserve Act; Ford's moving assembly line |
| 2027 | 1914 | Outbreak of World War I |
The Number 113 Throughout History
If you searched for "113 in history" you may mean something other than 113 years ago. The number turns up in several historical contexts on this site:
- The year 113 AD — the Roman Empire under Trajan, including the dedication of Trajan's Column.
- Year 113 CE — events around the world in that year.
- The 113th Battalion and military units numbered 113.
- 113 fascinating facts — the number in science, culture and everyday life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What year was 113 years ago?
Subtract 113 from the current year. In 2026, 113 years ago was 1913 (2026 − 113 = 1913). In 2027 it will be 1914, and in 2025 it was 1912.
What happened in 1913?
Key events of 1913 include Woodrow Wilson's inauguration as U.S. President (March 4), ratification of the 16th Amendment (federal income tax) and the 17th Amendment (direct election of senators), the opening of Grand Central Terminal and the Woolworth Building in New York, the premiere of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring in Paris, the Second Balkan War, Niels Bohr's model of the atom, Henry Ford's moving assembly line, the first crossword puzzle (December 21) and the Federal Reserve Act (December 23).
Who was President of the United States 113 years ago?
In 1913 the presidency changed hands. William Howard Taft served until March 4, 1913, when Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as the 28th President of the United States.
Who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913?
The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, largely for Gitanjali. He was the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Was World War I happening 113 years ago?
Not yet. 1913 was the last full year of peace in Europe before World War I, which began in July 1914. Counting from 2027, 113 years ago will be 1914, the year the war broke out.
Is this page about the year 113 AD?
No. This page covers the year that was 113 years ago (1913, counting from 2026). For the year 113 AD in the Roman Empire under Trajan, see our pages on the history of the year 113 and the year 113 CE.