This Day In History, December 13th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on December 13th
Sir Francis Drake sets off from Plymouth, England, on a quest to discover the Americas' Pacific coast.
Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, finds New Zealand in 1642.
1937: The Second Sino-Japanese War erupts into a full-fledged combat, with the Battle of Nanjing kicking off the six-week-long Nanjing Massacre.
Saddam Hussein, Iraq's former president, is apprehended by US forces in Tikrit, Iraq, in 2003.
Terrorists assault the Indian Parliament in 2001, killing 14 persons, including five terrorists.
1577: Sir Francis Drake sets sail from Plymouth, England, on a mission to explore the Pacific coast of the Americas.
Sir Francis Drake set out from Plymouth, England, in 1577 on a quest to explore the Americas' Pacific coast. He was the first Englishman to round the world, and his journey was instrumental in the early English colonization of the Americas. Drake's trip was particularly significant for its contributions to navigation science, since he employed a range of equipment and tactics to lead his ships across the huge Pacific Ocean. Overall, Drake's voyage was a significant achievement in European exploration history and the Age of Discovery.
1642: Dutch navigator Abel Tasman discovers New Zealand.
Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator, found New Zealand in 1642. Tasman was on a mission for the Dutch East India Company, looking for a fresh path to the spice-rich East Indian islands. During his journey, he came across the landmass now known as New Zealand, which had previously been unknown to Europeans. Tasman christened the land "Staten Landt," but Dutch cartographers renamed it "New Zealand" afterwards. Tasman's discovery of New Zealand was significant because it signaled the start of European exploration and colonization of the area, which would have far-reaching consequences for the indigenous Maori population.
1937: The Second Sino-Japanese War breaks out as a full-scale conflict, with the Battle of Nanjing marking the beginning of the six-week-long Nanjing Massacre.
The Second Sino-Japanese War erupted as a full-fledged battle on December 13th, 1937, with the Battle of Nanjing kicking off the six-week-long Nanjing Massacre. The conflict was fought between China and Japan over control of China's natural resources and territory. The combat of Nanjing was an important combat in World War II that ended in the Japanese conquest of Nanjing. The Japanese troops committed various crimes against the Chinese people in the six weeks that followed, including widespread rape, murder, and pillage. Although the exact number of victims is unknown, estimates range from 40,000 to 300,000 people. To this day, the Nanjing Massacre is a very contentious and sensitive issue in Sino-Japanese relations.
2003: Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, is captured by U.S. forces in Tikrit, Iraq.
The Second Sino-Japanese War erupted as a full-fledged battle on December 13th, 1937, with the Battle of Nanjing kicking off the six-week-long Nanjing Massacre. The conflict was fought between China and Japan over control of China's natural resources and territory. The combat of Nanjing was an important combat in World War II that ended in the Japanese conquest of Nanjing. The Japanese troops committed various crimes against the Chinese people in the six weeks that followed, including widespread rape, murder, and pillage. Although the exact number of victims is unknown, estimates range from 40,000 to 300,000 people. To this day, the Nanjing Massacre is a very contentious and sensitive issue in Sino-Japanese relations.
2001: The Indian Parliament is attacked by terrorists, leading to the deaths of 14 people, including five terrorists.
The incident was carried out by a terrorist organization headquartered in Pakistan, and it triggered a period of increasing animosity between India and Pakistan, with India accusing Pakistan of backing the attackers. The incident was a watershed moment in India's terrorist history, contributing to the ongoing confrontation between India and Pakistan over the disputed area of Kashmir.