1. On August 13, 1804, Andrew Jackson dueled with Charles Dickinson in a notorious duel on a plantation outside of Nashville. Dickinson had insulted Jackson's wife and Jackson refused to back down from the challenge, despite Dickinson being a renowned marksman. Jackson was shot in the chest early in the duel, but managed to take aim and fire, fatally wounding Dickinson.

2. August 13 is also the birthday of actress and singer Dolly Parton, who was born in 1946 in Sevier County, Tennessee. Parton is a cultural icon known for her music, philanthropy, and larger-than-life personality.

3. On August 13, 1870, the first African American congressman from Tennessee, William Henry Hastie, was born in Knoxville. Hastie went on to become a prominent lawyer and judge, and served as the first civilian governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

4. In 2016, on August 13, a wildfire began near Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The fire quickly spread due to drought conditions and high winds, ultimately burning over 17,000 acres and causing 14 deaths. The disaster became known as the Gatlinburg wildfires.

5. August 13, 1928 marked the beginning of construction on the Norris Dam, a hydroelectric project on the Clinch River in East Tennessee. The dam, which was completed in 1936, provided much-needed jobs during the Great Depression and today provides power to over 100,000 households in the region.