TODAY IN HISTORY

JULY 13

1793:French revolutionary Jean Paul Marat was stabbed to death in his bath by royalist sympathizer Charlotte Corday.

1863:The draft riots, protesting unfair conscription in the Civil War, began in New York City.

1865:P. T. Barnum's American Museum, which had featured Tom Thumb and the original Siamese twins Chang and Eng, was destroyed by fire.

1930:The first World Cup soccer competition began in Montevideo, Uruguay.

1943:The Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history—involving some 6,000 tanks, 2,000,000 troops, and 4,000 aircraft—ended in German defeat.

1977:A 25-hour blackout hit New York City, engendering widespread rioting and looting.