August 13, 2004 (Friday)
- Aides to rebel Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr report that he has been wounded in fighting in the holy city of Najaf; the government denies the reports. The Najaf offensive triggers pro-Sadr protests in cities all over Iraq. (BBC) (protest pictures – BBC)
- In Basra, Iraq, masked militants kidnap and threaten to kill James Brandon, 23, a freelance British journalist, working for the Sunday Telegraph, unless US troops withdraw from Najaf within 24 hours. He is released after intervention by al-Sadr. (BBC)
- Hurricane Charley makes landfall just north of Cape Coral, Florida, US, around 15:45 EDT (1945 UTC). At landfall, Charley has a windspeed of 150 mph (241 km/h), air pressure 941 mbar, Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. There are multiple fatalities.(CNN)
- A spectacular opening ceremony marks the start of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. (Athens 2004) (BBC)
- A group of women kill an alleged rapist during his trial in Nagpur, India. (BBC)