This Day in History: December 20, 2025
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1790
Samuel Slater built the nation's first cotton mill in Pawtucket, R.I.
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1803
The United States purchased the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million.
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1860
South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union.
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1968
Author John Steinbeck died at age 66.
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1989
The United States invaded Panama and installed a new government but failed to capture General Manuel Antonio Noriega.
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1996
Astronomer Carl Sagan died at age 62.
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