December 13 is:
National Cocoa Day
Violin Day
Sir Francis Drake set sail from England to go around world in 1577. Five ships left Plymouth, England, to embark on Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe. The journey took almost three years.
1636 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized three militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians. This organization is recognized today as the founding of the United States National Guard.
First music store in America opened (Philadelphia) on December 13, 1759.
Dartmouth College was founded by the Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, with a royal charter from King George III, on land donated by Royal governor John Wentworth in 1769.
Birthday of Mary Todd Lincoln (1818), wife of Abraham Lincoln’s First Lady 1861-1865.
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens was published in 1843, 6,000 copies sold. A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. Among its legacy are the words “Scrooge” and “Bah! Humbug!”
The border between Ontario and Manitoba was established in 1883. Because of Covid-19 the Province of Manitoba established five check-points at this border at the end of March, 2020. All vehicles are stopped. Travelers receive information about Manitoba’s current state of emergency, public health orders issued under The Public Health Act, and the need to immediately self-isolate for 14 days after travel in Canada or internationally. No one will be denied entry into Manitoba at these locations.
U.S. President Wilson arrived in France in 1918, becoming the first chief executive to visit a European country while holding office.
Iraq War: Operation Red Dawn – Former Iraqi President Saddam 
was captured near his home town of Tikrit on December 13, 2003. He was executed on December 30, 2006.
Christmas Music:
Several years ago I worked on a project to celebrate the music in my life. Nothing says Christmas like the carols and songs heard only at this time of year. Here’s a sample:
(by clicking the Windows Media Player icon button, a midi file will play [if it’s installed on your computer]. No music has been embedded.
Lyrics can be printed by using the File->Print Preview Commands. They will print in black ink with no images.)