On This Day for August 13 - Fall of the Aztec empire, Sir Alfred Hitchcock is born, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, [click here to view](. August 13 [Alfred Hitchcock.] FEATURED BIOGRAPHY 1899 Sir Alfred Hitchcock Film director [Sir Alfred Hitchcock]( master of suspense who used innovative techniques and a sound grasp of human psychology to create such immensely popular movies as [Psycho]( (1960)—was born in London this day in 1899. [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( [Hernán Cortés (left) meeting Montezuma II, undated illustration.] FEATURED EVENT 1521 Fall of the Aztec empire On this day in 1521, Spanish conquistador [Hernán Cortés]( captured Tenochtitlán (now [Mexico City]( after a 93-day siege, thereby ending the [Aztec]( empire and winning Mexico for the crown of Spain. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY [Child, Julia] 2004: American cooking expert [Julia Child]( brought the art of French cooking to a vast number of Americans through her books and, especially, her programs on public television, where she became known for her humour and hearty voice—died at age 91. [An official poster from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.] 2004: The [Games]( of the [XXVIII Olympiad]( opened in [Athens]( which had hosted the first modern [Summer Games in 1896](. [Mantle, Mickey] 1995: [New York Yankees]( baseball player [Mickey Mantle]( died in Dallas, Texas. [Castro, Fidel] 1926: Cuban political leader [Fidel Castro]( who transformed his [country]( into the first [communist]( state in the Western Hemipshere, was born. 1919: Famed racehorse [Man o' War]( suffered the only defeat of his career. [Ruins of Manila after shelling by U.S. forces.] 1898: The U.S. Army took control of the Philippine port of [Manila]( during the [Spanish-American War](. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1946 Janet Yellen American economist 1926 Fidel Castro political leader of Cuba 1895 Bert Lahr American actor 1888 John Logie Baird British inventor 1860 Annie Oakley American markswoman [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( FOLLOW: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, [click here](. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2018 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [Privacy Policy]( • [Help](