The Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting "slavery or involuntary servitude", is ratified as Georgia becomes the 27th state to ratify it. Following President Abraham Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Congress sought to expand abolition to all American states and territories.
The Washington Monument, designed by Robert Mills, is completed. At the time the tallest structure in the world, it took over three decades between setting the cornerstone and setting the capstone.
The House of Representatives confirms Gerald Ford as Vice President one week after the Senate approves the nomination. Under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, the President must appoint a Vice President if the office is vacated; Spiro Agnew, Nixon's first Vice President, resigned October 10, 1973 while facing charges of extortion and bribery.
