1. In 1742, George Washington was baptized in the Anglican Church in Virginia, which at that time was part of the District of Columbia. Washington would later serve as the first President of the United States and is considered one of the most important figures in American history.

2. On April 13, 1861, just days after the beginning of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln sent a message to the governor of Maryland calling for troops to help protect Washington, D.C. from Confederate forces. The call for troops helped to rally support for the Union cause in both the North and South.

3. The District of Columbia Emancipation Act was signed into law on April 13, 1862, which ended slavery in the District of Columbia. The act also provided compensation to former slave owners and paved the way for the eventual passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery nationwide.

4. The first game of Major League Baseball played in Washington, D.C. since the 1971 relocation of the Senators occurred on April 13, 2005. The Washington Nationals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 in front of over 45,000 fans at RFK Stadium.

5. On April 13, 2010, President Barack Obama signed an executive order creating the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The commission was charged with identifying policies to improve the fiscal health of the United States and proposed a number of recommendations to reduce the federal deficit.