On This Day

What Happened on December 6 in History

8 events that happened on December 6, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.

The Young Republic and the Civil War Era

1865
The 13th Amendment is ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States.
Georgia's approval completed ratification of the amendment, which Congress had passed in January 1865. It declares that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, shall exist in the United States.
Source: history.com; archives.gov
1897
President William McKinley devotes much of his first annual message to the crisis in Cuba.
McKinley reviewed Spain's struggle with the Cuban insurrection and its effects on the United States. He also urged action on a pending treaty to annex the Hawaiian Islands.
Source: millercenter.org

1907
An explosion in coal mines at Monongah, West Virginia, kills 361 miners.
The blast tore through a network of mines owned by the Fairmont Coal Company in Marion County. It was the worst mining disaster in American history.
Source: history.com
1917
A munitions ship explodes in the harbor of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in a catastrophic blast.
The French cargo ship Mont Blanc, loaded with explosives, blew up about 20 minutes after colliding with another vessel. It was the most devastating man-made explosion before the atomic age and killed more than 1,800 people.
Source: history.com
1917
Finland declares its independence from the Russian Empire.
The declaration came shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution threw Russia into turmoil.
Source: history.state.gov
1922
The Irish Free State is formally established, covering four-fifths of Ireland.
The new state remained part of the British Commonwealth, symbolically subject to the king. It later cut its ties with Britain and is now the Republic of Ireland.
Source: history.com
1923
Calvin Coolidge's first annual message becomes the first such address broadcast to the nation by radio.
The new president honored his predecessor, Warren G. Harding, then said he would keep the country out of the League of Nations, cut taxes and tighten immigration laws.
Source: millercenter.org

1969
Violence mars the Altamont free concert headlined by the Rolling Stones in California.
During the band's set, a member of the Hells Angels stabbed an 18-year-old concertgoer to death. The chaotic festival came to be seen as a dark ending to the 1960s.
Source: history.com