This Day in History
Today: December 18, 2025
1118
The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid. [1]
1271
Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China.[2]
1499
A rebellion breaks out in Alpujarras in response to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain.
1622
Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola.
1655
The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290.[3]
1777
The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.
1787
New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1793
Surrender of the frigate La Lutine by French Royalists to Lord Samuel Hood; renamed HMS Lutine, she later becomes a famous treasure wreck.
1833
The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed.
1854
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada abolishes the seigneurial system.[4]
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