Today in History - December 13th

1636 - On This day in history, The United States National Guard was created when militia regiments were organized by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay C
1769 - Dartmouth College received its charter.
1862 - Today in history, 11,000 Northern soldiers were killed or wounded when Union forces were defeated by Confederates under General Robert E. Lee, at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
1913 - It was announced by authorities in Florence, Italy, that the "Mona Lisa" had been recovered. The work was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911.
1913 - On this day in history, The Federal Reserve System was established.
1918 - President Wilson arrived in France, becoming the first US chief executive to visit a European country while holding office.
1921 - Today in history, Britain, France, Japan and the US signed the Pacific Treaty.
1961 - Anna Mary Robertson Moses, "Grandma Moses," passed away at the age of 101.

1964 - On this day in history, in El Paso, TX, President Johnson and Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz set off an explosion that diverted the Rio Grande River, reshaping the US - Mexican border, and ending a dispute over a century old.
1978 - The Philadelphia Mint began stamping the Susan B. Anthony dollar. The coin began circulation in the United States the following July.
1987 - Today in history, USA Secretary of State George Shultz told reporters in Copenhagen, Denmark, that the Reagan administration would begin making funding requests for the proposed Star Wars defense system.
1993 - The US Supreme Court ruled that people must receive a hearing before property linked to illegal drug sales can be seized.
2000 - On this day in history, Vice President Al Gore conceded the 2000 Presidential election to Gov. George W. Bush. The election had been contested up to the US Supreme Court, which said that the FL recount (supported by the FL Supreme Court) was not constitutional.
2001 - The US government released a video tape that showed Osama bin Laden and others discussing their knowledge of the terrorist attacks on the USA on September 11, 2001.

SCIENCE, INVENTIONS, PATENTS - Today in History, December 13th

1809 - Today in history, the first abdominal surgical procedure was performed in Danville, KY, without an anesthetic.
1816 - John Adamson received a patent for a dry dock.
1884 - On this day in history, Percy Everitt received a patent for the first coin-operated weighing machine.

1928 - George Gershwin's musical work "An American in Paris" was premiered by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
1974 - Today in history, George Harrison had lunch with President Gerald Ford at the White House.
1975 - David Bowie's "Golden Years" was released.
1994 - On this day in history, Prince performed the song "Dolphin" on the David Letterman show.
2001 - The two surviving members of Nirvana, Krist Novoselic and David Grohl, filed a countersuit against Courtney Love. The charge was that she has manipulated the memory and work of her dead husband, Kirk Cobain, for the benefit of her own career.