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Explore the historical events that shaped our world on December 13th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Crusaders under Raymond IV of Toulouse capture Ma'arrat al-Numan in Syria during the First Crusade. The capture of Ma'arra was followed by the infamous practice of cannibalism among the starving Crusader forces, which is well-documented in contemporary sources.
President Abraham Lincoln announces a grant of amnesty for Emilie Todd Helm, his wife Mary Lincoln’s half sister, widow of a Confederate general.
The pardon was one of the first given under Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, announced the week before as part of the president’s plan for the reintegration of the South into the Union. Amnesty was available to be granted to former Confederates, except the highest officials of the Confederacy if they took an oath to the United States. Lincoln's sister-in-law received the pardon, but never took the required oath.
President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act into law, creating the Federal Reserve. More
The Massacre of Nanjing (Eng. Nanking) also known as the Rape of Nanjing takes place. A six week carnage as the Japanese Imperial Army marches into China's then capital city of Nanjing and murders 300,000 out of 600,000 civilians and soldiers in the city.
It is believed to be the single worst atrocity during the World War II era. Beijing became the national capital when China became the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949. More
Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, is captured by U.S. forces near Tikrit. after 9 months of hiding.
