Today:
217 – Roman Emperor Caracalla was assassinated by a soldier, leading to the rise of Macrinus as emperor.
632 – The Islamic prophet Muhammad delivered his Farewell Sermon at Mount Arafat during his final pilgrimage.
1820 – The famous ancient Greek statue, the Venus de Milo, was discovered on the island of Milos.
1832 – American statesman Henry Clay introduced the Compromise Tariff Bill in an effort to ease tensions between the North and South.
1864 – The United States Senate passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery (the House would pass it later in January 1865).
1904 – France and the United Kingdom signed the Entente Cordiale, marking the end of centuries of conflict and the beginning of diplomatic cooperation.
1913 – The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, establishing direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote.
1953 – Jomo Kenyatta, later the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya, was convicted by British colonial authorities of being a leader of the Mau Mau uprising.
1974 – Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s longstanding record.
2005 – Over four million people attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Vatican City, making it one of the largest gatherings of heads of state in history.