Osun Defender History Corner: December 14 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashback and recall some events that marked this day.

December 13, 1294

Saint Celestine V resigned as Pope after only five months in office.

December 13, 1577

Sir Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, on his circumnavigation of the globe.

December 13, 1642

New Zealand was discovered by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.

December 13, 1862

Union General Ambrose Burnside suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg during the American Civil War.

December 13, 1918

President Woodrow Wilson arrived in France, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit Europe.

December 13, 1920

The League of Nations was established when the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

December 13, 1928

George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

December 13, 1937

The Second Sino-Japanese War saw the Nanking Massacre, with Japanese forces capturing the Chinese city of Nanking.

December 13, 1941

Hungary and Romania declared war on the United States during World War II.

December 13, 1949

The Knesset (Israeli Parliament) passed a resolution that established Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

December 13, 1950

James Dean’s first television appearance took place in a Pepsi commercial.

December 13, 1959

Archbishop Makarios III was elected the first President of Cyprus.

December 13, 1981

General Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law in Poland, aiming to crush the Solidarity movement.

December 13, 1988

PLO chairman Yasser Arafat addressed the UN General Assembly in Geneva, calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

December 13, 1989

The last Soviet troops left Afghanistan, ending a nearly decade-long military intervention.

December 13, 2000

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Bush v. Gore, effectively ending the recount of presidential votes in Florida, and George W. Bush became the President-elect.

December 13, 2001

The Indian Parliament was attacked by terrorists in New Delhi, leading to the deaths of several people.

December 13, 2003

Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, was captured by U.S. forces near his hometown of Tikrit.

December 13, 2007

The landmark Bali Climate Change Pact was adopted, outlining a framework for global climate policy.

December 13, 2008

Bernie Madoff was arrested for running the largest Ponzi scheme in history.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on December 13. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.