On December 13

Jo Swinson (pictured) steps down as Leader of the Liberal Democrats after losing her seat in the 2019 general election making her tenure the shortest in the party's history.

Beyoncé (pictured) released her fifth studio album without any prior announcement or promotion; it sold 2.3 million copies before the end of the year.

A man threw grenades and fired a rifle at crowds in Liège, Belgium, causing 6 deaths and injuring more than 120 others, before killing himself.

Croatian War of Independence: The Croatian Army retreated after the failure of Operation Whirlwind, destroying their tanks to avoid their capture.

The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army engaged in a fierce firefight with the King's Own Scottish Borderers at a vehicle checkpoint complex in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Polish prime minister Wojciech Jaruzelski (pictured) declared martial law.

With Haile Selassie (pictured), Emperor of Ethiopia, out of the country, four conspirators staged a coup attempt to install Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen on the throne.

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Iranian Hamadan province, killing at least 1,130 people.

Second Sino-Japanese War: Japanese forces, capturing the Chinese city of Nanjing, began committing numerous atrocities over the next several weeks, including looting, rape and the execution of prisoners of war and civilians.

An American in Paris, a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by George Gershwin, premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York.

American Civil War: Union forces under Ambrose Burnside suffered severe casualties against entrenched Confederate defenders at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia.

Napoleonic Wars : While transporting supplies to Guadeloupe , French commodore François Roquebert's expedition to the Caribbean captured the British frigate HMS Junon .

Napoleonic Wars: While transporting supplies to Guadeloupe, French commodore François

Dartmouth College (campus pictured) was established by royal charter in present-day Hanover, New Hampshire.

First English Civil War: Roundhead forces under Sir William Waller led a successful surprise attack in Hampshire on a winter garrison of Cavalier infantry and cavalry.

Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage.

Saint Celestine V resigned the papacy after only five months to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit.