1. In 1790, the Virginia State Legislature authorized the establishment of a new federal city on the banks of the Potomac River. This would become Washington D.C., the capital of the United States.

2. On December 13, 1862, Union General Ambrose Burnside led his troops in the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg during the American Civil War. The Union suffered heavy losses and Burnside was relieved of his command shortly thereafter.

3. In 1917, the U.S. declared war on Austria-Hungary during World War I. This marked the entry of the U.S. into the war on the side of the Allies.

4. On December 13, 1961, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. would begin the deployment of 3,500 troops to Vietnam. This was the beginning of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, which would last for over a decade.

5. In 2000, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the Bush v. Gore case, effectively ending the contested presidential election and giving George W. Bush the presidency. The decision was highly controversial and remains a significant moment in American political history.