August 13 Through History

Explanation: The fall of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire, marked the end of that empire and the beginning of Spanish colonization of Mexico. The city was then rebuilt by the Spanish to become Mexico City, capital of New Spain and later of modern Mexico.

Explanation: The construction of the Berlin Wall began on the night of August 12 to 13, 1961, at the initiative of the East German government with Soviet backing. This 155-kilometer wall was finally torn down on November 9, 1989, a symbol of the fall of the communist bloc in Europe.

Explanation: Maryam Mirzakhani was a professor at Stanford University. The Fields Medal, often compared to the Nobel Prize of mathematics, is awarded every four years to mathematicians under 40. Mirzakhani died of cancer in 2017, at just 40 years old.

Explanation: Alfred Hitchcock, nicknamed the 'Master of Suspense', directed more than 50 feature films throughout his career. He's particularly known for his innovative use of the camera and for his brief cameo appearances in his own films, a tradition he kept up throughout his entire career.

Explanation: Fidel Castro took power after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and held the presidency of Cuba from 1976 to 2008, when he handed power over to his brother Raúl Castro for health reasons. He remained an iconic figure of international communism until his death in November 2016.

Explanation: René Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816 after observing children listening to the sound made by scratching one end of a wooden log. He first rolled paper into a cylinder to examine a patient, and realized it amplified heart sounds. This instrument remains essential in medicine today.

Explanation: The Central African Republic proclaimed its independence from France on August 13, 1960, under the leadership of Barthélemy Boganda, then David Dacko. It had previously been part of French Equatorial Africa. The year 1960 was nicknamed 'the year of Africa', as seventeen African countries gained independence that year.

Explanation: The Fields Medal is awarded every four years at the International Congress of Mathematicians. It was created in 1936 by Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields. One condition is that recipients must be under 40, making it a prize aimed at the most promising young researchers.

Explanation: Florence Nightingale, nicknamed 'The Lady with the Lamp', revolutionized nursing, particularly during the Crimean War (1853-1856), where she drastically reduced mortality in military hospitals through rigorous hygiene measures. She also founded the first secular nursing school in London in 1860.

Explanation: The annexation of the Duchy of Brittany to France was made official by the Edict of Union of 1532, under Francis I. This annexation followed the marriage treaty of Duchess Anne of Brittany with Charles VIII in 1491, then with Louis XII in 1499. Brittany nonetheless retained its institutions and privileges for several more centuries.