The Highlights of 2013: A Year That Shaped the Future
2013 (MMXIII in Roman Numerals) was the year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2013th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations.
Is 2013 a year special to you? Discover what 2013 was famous for, Key World Leaders of 2013, 2013 Time’s Person of the Year, the #1 song, movie and book in 2013, how old is someone born in 2013 and what Chinese zodiac sign is associated to 2013.
On this page we will address all your questions and curiosities about 2013 to help you enjoy your trip down memory lane.
Table of contents
- What was 2013 known for ?
- Key World Leaders of 2013
- Who was the U.S. President in 2013?
- Who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2013?
- Who was the Pope in 2013?
- 2013: Who was Time's Person of the Year?
- What was the number 1 song in the USA in 2013?
- What was the most popular movie in 2013?
- What was the best selling book in 2013?
- How old is someone born in 2013?
- What was the Chinese Zodiac sign associated with the year 2013?
What was 2013 known for ?
- The year 2013 went down in history as the international year of water cooperation and the international year of Quinoa.
- Frozen, the animation film was the highest grossing film of 2013. The Academy Award, Critics’ Choice Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Supporting Actress went to Kenyan actor Lupita Nyong’o for the brilliant performance in 12 years a slave. We Are Young a song by Fun won the song of the year at the 55th annual Grammy Awards.
- On February 28, Pope Benedict true to his word three weeks prior stepped down as the Pope of the Catholic Church. He became the first pontiff to relinquish power in 600 years after Pope Gregory XII in 1445. Pope Benedict cited advancement of age as the reason for his stepping down as the leader of the 1.2 billion strong Catholics in the world.
- Two weeks later Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the new pontiff and chose the name, Pope Francis. Born Joseph Ratzinger, he became the 265th Pope after the death of Pope John Paul II on April 19, 2005.
- At the 117th edition of the Boston Marathon on April 15, two homemade bombs exploded left three people dead and fatally wounding over 260 marathon goers. Following a four-day manhunt, police apprehended one of the bombing suspects, 19-year old Dzhohkar Tsarnaev. His brother and fellow suspect 26-year old Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a shootout with law enforcement officers.
- On December 5, the world was in mourning after the passing of the first South African president Nelson Mandela. Mandela was a champion for equal rights especially against the apartheid regime in South Africa. He served as president between 1994 and 1999.
- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was the Nobel Peace Prize laureate for their efforts in eliminating chemical weapons. 64-year-old Diana Nyad went down as the first person without a shark tank for protection to swim from Cuba to Florida.
- The world population in 2013 was 7,210,581,976 people according to data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. This figure includes both urban and rural populations. The urban population at that time accounted for 53.0% of the total population, which is roughly 3.8 billion individuals.The annual population change in 2013 was an increase of +84.8 million people, representing a percentage increase of +1.19% over the previous year.The average population density in 2013 was 30 persons per square mile (or 48 persons per square kilometer).
Key World Leaders of 2013
Who was the U.S. President in 2013?
In 2013, Barack Obama (Democrat) was the President of the United States. His term spanned from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017. During his presidency, he passed the Affordable Care Act and led efforts to recover from the 2008 financial crisis.
Who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2013?
In 2013 the UK Prime Minister was David Cameron (Conservative). During his premiership, he oversaw austerity measures and called the referendum that led to the UK's decision to leave the European Union (Brexit).
Who was the Pope in 2013?
In 2013, the Pope was Benedict XVI until February 28, 2013; on March 13, 2013 Pope Francis became the new Pope.
2013: Who was Time's Person of the Year?
Pope Francis
In 2013, Pope Francis was named by TIME magazine as Person of the Year. Elected head of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
What was the number 1 song in the USA in 2013?
The number 1 song in the USA in 2013, i.e. the best selling and most popular song of tha year, was Thrift Shop by Macklemore
What was the most popular movie in 2013?
The most popular movie and box office hit was The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Francis Lawrence
What was the best selling book in 2013?
How old is someone born in 2013?
Someone born in 2013 is 13 years old this year.
Try out our age, time and generation calculators:
What was the Chinese Zodiac sign associated with the year 2013?
According to the Chinese Zodiac and Astrology 2013 was the Year of the Snake.
Discover Zodiac Sign Characteristics and Personality Traits of people born under the Snake sign.