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The Whitechapel murders are eleven unsolved brutal murders of women, committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel District in the East End of London between 3 April 1888 and 13 February 1891. At various points some or all of the killings have been ascribed to the notorious, but elusive, individual known as Jack the Ripper. Most, if not all, of the victims were prostitutes. The Metropolitan Police Service, City of London Police, and private organisations such as the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee were involved in the search for the killer or killers. Despite extensive inquiries and several arrests, the culprit or culprits evaded identification and capture. The murders drew attention to the poor living conditions in the East End slums, which were subsequently improved. The enduring mystery of who committed the crimes has captured the imagination of writers to the present day. (more...)

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February 13

• 1689 – Glorious Revolution: Mary Stuart and her husband William III of Orange were proclaimed co-rulers of England.
• 1931 – New Delhi became the new capital of British India.
• 1934 – The Soviet steamship SS Chelyuskin, while attempting to travel through the Northern Sea Route from Murmansk to Vladivostok, became trapped in drift ice and sank (pictured). The members of the subsequent search and rescue team were the first recipients of the Hero of the Soviet Union award.
• 1991 – Gulf War: The United States Air Force dropped two laser-guided "smart bombs" on an air raid shelter in Baghdad, Iraq, that was believed to be a military command site, killing at least 408 civilians.
• 2008 – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations.

More anniversaries: February 12 – February 13 – February 14