Today in History

Today in History

Today is Sunday, Dec. 6, the 340th day of 2015. There are 25 days left in the year. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins at sunset.

Today's Highlight in History:

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.

On this date:

In 1790, Congress moved to Philadelphia from New York.

In 1884, Army engineers completed construction of the Washington Monument by setting an aluminum capstone atop the obelisk.

In 1889, Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, died in New Orleans.

In 1907, the worst mining disaster in U.S. history occurred as 362 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion in Monongah, West Virginia.

In 1917, some 2,000 people died when an explosives-laden French cargo ship collided with a Norwegian vessel at the harbor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, setting off a blast that devastated the city.

In 1922, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which established the Irish Free State, came into force one year to the day after it was signed in London.

In 1939, the Cole Porter musical comedy "Du Barry Was a Lady" opened on Broadway.

In 1947, Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman.

In 1957, America's first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit failed as Vanguard TV3 rose about 4 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 Hell's Angel.

In 1971, the original Auto-Train, which carried rail passengers and their motor vehicles from Lorton, Virginia, to Sanford, Florida, went into operation. (Although the privately owned line went out of business in 1981, Amtrak revived the service in 1983.)

In 1989, 14 women were shot to death at the University of Montreal's school of engineering by a man who then took his own life.

Ten years ago: Two women detonated explosives in a classroom filled with students at Baghdad's police academy, killing 27 people. An Iranian military transport plane crashed in a Tehran suburb as it was trying to make an emergency landing, killing at least 115 people, including 21 on the ground. Philadelphia won the first NHL scoreless game that was decided by a shootout, beating Calgary 1-0.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama announced a compromise with the GOP to extend Bush-era income tax cuts despite Democratic objections; the agreement included renewing unemployment benefits and reducing Social Security taxes for one year. Talks between Iran and six world powers recessed with no sign Tehran was ready to discuss U.N. Security Council calls to curb its nuclear activity. Pat Gillick, whose teams won three World Series titles in 27 years as a major league general manager, was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

One year ago: Officials announced that American photojournalist Luke Somers and a South African teacher, Pierre Korkie, were killed during a high-risk U.S. raid to free them from al-Qaida-affiliated militants in Yemen. In a runoff in Louisiana, Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy defeated Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, denying her a fourth term and extending the GOP's domination of the 2014 midterm elections.

Today's Birthdays: Comedy performer David Ossman is 79. Actor Patrick Bauchau is 77. Country singer Helen Cornelius is 74. Actor James Naughton is 70. Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is 70. Rhythm-and-blues singer Frankie Beverly (Maze) is 69. Former Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla., is 67. Actress JoBeth Williams is 67. Actor Tom Hulce is 62. Actor Wil Shriner is 62. Actor Kin Shriner is 62. Actor Miles Chapin is 61. Rock musician Rick Buckler (The Jam) is 60. Comedian Steven Wright is 60. Country singer Bill Lloyd is 60. Singer Tish Hinojosa is 60. Rock musician Peter Buck (R.E.M.) is 59. Rock musician David Lovering (Pixies) is 54. Actress Janine Turner is 53. Rock musician Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) is 53. Writer-director Judd Apatow is 48. Rock musician Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg (Ace of Base) is 45. Writer-director Craig Brewer is 44. Actress Colleen Haskell is 39. Actress Lindsay Price is 39. Actress Ashley Madekwe is 34. Actress Nora Kirkpatrick is 31. Christian rock musician Jacob Chesnut (Rush of Fools) is 26. NFL quartetback Johnny Manziel is 23.

Thought for Today: "Americans have always been able to handle austerity and even adversity. Prosperity is what is doing us in." -- James Reston, American journalist (born 1909, died this date in 1995).