Today in History: December 6, 13th Amendment ratified, abolishing slavery

On Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified as Georgia became the 27th state to endorse it.

Also on this date:

In 1907, at least 361 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion in Monongah, West Virginia; it was the worst mining disaster in U.S. history.

In 1917, more than 1,700 people were killed when an explosives-laden French cargo ship, the Mont Blanc, collided with the Norwegian merchant vessel SS Imo in the harbor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, setting off a blast that devastated the Canadian city.

In 1923, a presidential address was broadcast nationally on radio for the first time as Calvin Coolidge spoke to a joint session of Congress.

In 1957, America’s first attempted satellite launch failed as Vanguard TV3 rose about four feet off a Cape Canaveral launch pad before crashing down and exploding.

In 1969, a free concert by The Rolling Stones at the Altamont Speedway in Alameda County, California, was marred by the deaths of four people, including one who was stabbed by a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club that was hired to provide concert security.

In 1973, Republican House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as vice president after he was selected by President Richard Nixon to replace Spiro T. Agnew, who resigned amid an extortion and tax evasion scandal.

In 1998, in Venezuela, former Lt. Col. Hugo Chavez, who had staged a bloody coup attempt against the government six years earlier, was elected president.

In 2017, President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, announcing plans to move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv.

In 2021, ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years (later reduced to two) for inciting public unrest and breaching COVID-19 protocols; she is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence after a series of cases brought by the military that had seized power from her elected government.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor JoBeth Williams is 77. Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is 73. Actor Tom Hulce is 72. Comedian Steven Wright is 70. Rock musician Peter Buck (R.E.M.) is 69. Animator Nick Park is 67. Actor Janine Turner is 63. Writer-director Judd Apatow is 58. Actor Sarah Rafferty is 53. NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) is 31. Actor Stefanie Scott is 29.