December 13th in History

1577: Francis Drake sets sail from Plymouth, in the Golden Hind, on his round the world voyage
1642: New Zealand discovered by the Dutch navigator, Abel Tasman
1847: Emily Bronte, under the pseudonym 'Ellis Bell', publishes 'Wuthering Heights'
1990: The United Nations launch an aid appeal, when new famine threatens Ethiopia

December 13th birthdays

1797: Heinrich Heine, German romantic poet and writer
1925: Dick Van Dyke, American actor and comedian, of stage and screen
1929: Christopher Plummer, Stage and screen actor