Congress transmitted the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, to the states for ratification, one day after the House approved it.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln in the head during a performance of 'Our American Cousin,' five days after Lee's surrender.

Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m., nine hours after John Wilkes Booth shot him at Ford's Theatre, becoming the first U.S. president assassinated.

Twenty nations signed the International Telegraph Convention in Paris, creating the world's first international organization to coordinate cross-border communication.

Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, announcing that enslaved people there were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Secretary of State William Seward certifies that the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery throughout the United States, has been ratified by the required states.

Secretary of State William Seward certifies that the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery has been ratified by enough states, making it part of the U.S. Constitution.