(1865) Slavery is abolished in the United States
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Eight months after the end of the Civil War, the 13th amendment is ratified by the required number of states, abolishing slavery in the US. Its passage was secured after intense lobbying by President Abraham Lincoln, whose Emancipation Proclamation had declared slaves free, but their status after the war was still uncertain. . |
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(1884) US capital welcomes a towering marble obelisk
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Workers have put the aluminum apex atop the 555-foot-high marble obelisk built in honor of George Washington. Construction began in 1848 but stalled during the Civil War. At the time of its completion, it’s the tallest structure in the world and will remain the tallest in the capital, thanks to city law.. |
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(1907) West Virginia coalmine explosion kills 362 people
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A massive explosion inside two mines in Monongah, WV, kills at least 362 men and boys working below. Officials won’t be able to determine the exact cause of the worst mining disaster in the United States, but with victims including children as young as 8, the disaster will lead to calls for increased mine safety regulations.. |
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(1917) Explosion in Canadian harbor levels neighborhood
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Two ships full of ammunition for World War I collide in the Halifax Harbor, triggering a colossal explosion that kills about 1,600 people and flattens buildings, including a railway station, a sugar plant, and schools, in a 2.5-mile radius. Of the 500 students in the area, fewer than 10 will survive.. |
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DIH v2.9.o16 |