What Happened on December 13?

December 13 is National Cocoa Day — a cozy chocolate-drink celebration — on the same date Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642, Francis Drake sailed from Plymouth in 1577, and Dartmouth College was chartered in 1769.

• 1577 — Francis Drake sets sail from Plymouth on his circumnavigation

  On December 13, 1577, Francis Drake left Plymouth, England, on the voyage that would circle the globe. Read the full story →

• 1642 — Abel Tasman sights New Zealand

  On December 13, 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first known European to sight New Zealand. Read the full story →

• 1769 — Dartmouth College receives its royal charter

  On December 13, 1769, King George III approved a charter for Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Read the full story →

• 1937 — Japanese forces capture Nanjing during the Second Sino-Japanese War

  On December 13, 1937, Japanese troops seized Nanjing (Nanking), then China's capital — beginning weeks of mass violence remembered as the Nanjing Massacre. Read the full story →

• 1981 — Poland's communist government declares martial law to crush Solidarity

  On December 13, 1981, General Wojciech Jaruzelski imposed martial law in Poland — jailing Solidarity activists and suspending civil liberties. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Mary Todd Lincoln (1818–1882) · Dick Van Dyke (1925) · Steve Buscemi (1957) · Taylor Swift (1989)

Days & observances

National Cocoa Day · National Ice Cream Day · National Violin Day · Worldwide Candle Lighting Day