Border closed between East and West Berlin
On August 13, 1961, the government of East Germany closed off the border between East and West Berlin. Soon thereafter, construction began on the Berlin Wall, which would stand until 1989. Learn more about the history of the Berlin Wall.
US Senate ratified Chinese exclusion treaty
On August 13, 1894, the Chinese Exclusion Treaty, in which China agreed to the exclusion of Chinese laborers from the United States, was ratified by the US Senate.
