December 18

1118 – The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid. 1271 – Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China. 1499 – A rebellion breaks out in Alpujarras in response to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain. 1622 – Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola. 1655 – The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290. 1777 – The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October. 1787 – New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1793 – Surrender of the frigate La Lutine by French Royalists to Lord Samuel Hood; renamed , she later becomes a famous treasure wreck. 1833 – The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed. 1854 – The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada abolishes the seigneurial system. 1865 – US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States. 1867 – A magnitude 7.0 earthquakes strikes off the coast of Taiwan, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 580 people. 1878 – The Al-Thani family become the rulers of the state of Qatar. 1892 – Premiere performance of The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia. 1898 – Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized land speed record of in a Jeantaud electric car. 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Verdun ends when the second French offensive pushes the Germans back two or three kilometres, causing them to cease their attacks. 1917 – The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition is passed by the United States Congress.