On This Day: November 30

The second Siege of Pensacola comes to end with the failure of the British to capture Pensacola, Florida.

King Charles XII of Sweden dies during a siege of the fortress of Fredriksten in Norway.

American Revolutionary War: Treaty of Paris: In Paris, representatives from the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain sign preliminary peace articles (later formalized as the 1783 Treaty of Paris).

The Grand Duchy of Tuscany, under Pietro Leopoldo I, becomes the first modern state to abolish the death penalty (later commemorated as Cities for Life Day).

The Balmis Expedition starts in Spain with the aim of vaccinating millions against smallpox in Spanish America and Philippines. In New Orleans, Spanish representatives officially transfer the Louisiana Territory to a French representative. Just 20 days later, France transfers the same land to the United States as the Louisiana Purchase.

The Democratic-Republican-controlled United States Senate begins an impeachment trial of Federalist Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.

First Welland Canal opens for a trial run, five years to the day from the ground breaking.

Crimean War: Battle of Sinop: The Imperial Russian Navy under Pavel Nakhimov destroys the Ottoman fleet under Osman Pasha at Sinop, a sea port in northern Turkey.

American Civil War: The Confederate Army of Tennessee suffers heavy losses in an attack on the Union Army of the Ohio in the Battle of Franklin.

A statue of King Charles XII of Sweden is inaugurated in Stockholm's Kungsträdgården.