Abraham Lincoln issued his Amnesty Proclamation and plan for the Reconstruction of the South.
Source
The Commonwealth of Independent States was formed by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
Henry Laurens became the first person to be cremated in the US.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his 'Day of Infamy' speech to the US Congress – a day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge was finally opened.
Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his 'Atoms for Peace' speech at the United Nations in New York.
