December 31
It is the final day of the Gregorian year. The day following is January 1 of the next year .
Events
406 ? Vandals , Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine , beginning an invasion of Gallia .
535 ? Byzantine General Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily , defeating the Ostrogothic garrison of Syracuse , and ending his consulship for the year.
1229 ? James I of Aragon the Conqueror enters Medina Mayurqa (now known as Palma , Spain ) thus consummating the Christian conquest of the island of Majorca .
1599 ? British East India Company is chartered.
1660 ? James II of England is named Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV of France .
1687 ? The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope .
1695 ? A window tax is imposed in England , causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax .
1775 ? American Revolutionary War : Battle of Quebec British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold .
1831 ? Gramercy Park is deeded to New York City .
1857 ? Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom chooses Ottawa, Ontario , as the capital of Canada .
1862 ? American Civil War : Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union , thus dividing Virginia in two.
1862 ? American Civil War: The Battle of Stones River is fought near Murfreesboro, Tennessee .
1879 ? Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.
1891 ? A new immigration depot was opened on Ellis Island , New York .
1904 ? The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square , then known as Longacre Square, in New York, New York.
1909 ? Manhattan Bridge opens.
1923 ? The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC .
1944 ? World War II : Hungary declares war on Germany .
1946 ? President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II .
1955 ? The General Motors Corporation becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over $1 billion USD in a year.
1960 ? The farthing coin ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom .
1961 ? The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $12 billion USD in foreign aid to rebuild Europe .
1963 ? The Central African Federation officially collapses and splits into Zambia , Malawi and Rhodesia .
1981 ? Coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann 's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings .
1983 ? The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.
1987 ? Robert Mugabe assumes office as President of Zimbabwe .
1986 ? A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico , kills 97 and injures 140.
1991 ? The Soviet Union is officially dissolved.
1994 ? This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC-11 to UTC+13 and UTC-10 to UTC+14 , respectively.
1998 ? Exchange rates between the euro and legacy currencies in the Eurozone become fixed.
1999 ? Boris Yeltsin resigns as President of Russia , leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.
1999 ? Five hijackers , who had been holding 155 hostages on an Indian Airlines plane, leave the plane with two Islamic clerics that they had demanded be freed.
1999 ? The United States Government hands Panama Canal control over to Panama as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone . This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties .
2004 ? The official opening of Taipei 101 , the current tallest skyscraper in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 feet ).
2007 ? December 2007 Bocaue Fire . Seven people injured when a fire razed several fireworks stores in the Municipality of Bocaue, Bulacan , Philippines .
2007 ? The Massive Big Dig construction project in Boston, Massachusetts ends.
Births
695 - Muhammad bin Qasim , Syrian general (d. 715 )
1378 ? Pope Callixtus III (d. 1458 )
1491 ? Jacques Cartier , French explorer (d. 1557 )
1514 ? Andreas Vesalius , Flemish anatomist (d. 1564 )
1572 ? Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan , (d. 1617 )
1668 ? Herman Boerhaave , Dutch humanist and physician (d. 1738 )
1720 ? Charles Edward Stuart , pretender to the British throne (d. 1788 )
1738 ? Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis , British general (d. 1805 )
1741 ? Isabella Maria of Parma , wife of future Holy Roman emperor (d. 1763 )
1763 ? Pierre-Charles Villeneuve , French admiral (d. 1806 )
1815 ? George Meade , American Civil War general (d. 1872 )
1830 ? Isma'il Pasha , Governor of Egypt (d. 1895 )
1830 - Alexander Smith , Scottish poet (d. 1867 )
1857 ? King Kelly , American baseball player (d. 1894 )
1860 ? Joseph S. Cullinan , American oil industrialist (d. 1937 )
1869 ? Henri Matisse , French painter (d. 1954 )
1877 ? Lawrence Beesley , English journalist and author (d. 1967 )
1878 ? Elizabeth Arden , Canadian businesswoman (d. 1966 )
1878 ? Horacio Quiroga , Uruguayan-Argentinian writer (d. 1937 )
1880 ? George C. Marshall , United States Secretary of State , Nobel Laureate (d. 1959 )
1880 ? Fred Beebe , American baseball player (d. 1957 )
1881 ? Max Pechstein , German painter (d. 1955 )
1882 ? Martin O'Meara , Australian soldier (d. 1935 )
1884 ? Bobby Byrne , American baseball player (d. 1964 )
1885 ? Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1970 )
1894 ? Pola Negri , Polish actress (d. 1987 )
1899 ? Silvestre Revueltas , Mexican composer (d. 1940 )
1902 ? Lionel Daunais , Quebec singer and composer (d. 1982 )
1903 ? Nathan Milstein , Ukrainian violinist (d. 1992 )
1904 - Umm Kulthum , Egyptian singer and actress (d. 1975 )
1905 ? Jule Styne , English-born composer (d. 1994 )
1908 ? Simon Wiesenthal , Austrian Holocaust survivor (d. 2005 )
1909 ? Jonah Jones , American jazz trumpeter (d. 2000 )
1910 ? Carl Dudley , American film director (d. 1973 )
1911 ? Dal Stivens , Australian novelist (d. 1997 )
1912 ? Maj-Gen John Frost , British para commander (d. 1993 )
1919 ? Tommy Byrne , American baseball player
1920 ? Rex Allen , American actor, singer, and songwriter (d. 1999 )
1924 ? Taylor Mead , American actor
1928 ? Siné , French cartoonist
1930 ? Odetta , American singer
1931 ? Bob Shaw , Irish writer (d. 1996 )
1933 ? Edward Bunker , American author and actor (d. 2005 )
1934 ? Akram Awan , Islamic scholar
1937 ? Avram Hershko , Israeli biologist, Nobel laureate
1937 ? Sir Anthony Hopkins , Welsh actor
1938 ? Rosalind Cash , American actress (d. 1995 )
1940 ? Mani Neumeier , German musician (Guru Guru )
1941 ? Sir Alex Ferguson , Scottish football manager
1941 ? Sarah Miles , English actress
1942 ? Andy Summers , British guitarist (The Police )
1943 ? John Denver , American singer and songwriter (d. 1997 )
1943 ? Sir Ben Kingsley , English actor
1943 ? Pete Quaife , English bassist (The Kinks )
1944 ? Taylor Hackford , American producer and director
1945 ? Diane von Fürstenberg , Belgian-born fashion designer
1945 ? Barbara Carrera , Nicaraguan actress and model
1945 ? Connie Willis , American writer
1946 ? Pius Ncube , Zimbabwean human rights advocate
1947 ? Burton Cummings , Canadian keyboardist (The Guess Who )
1947 ? Tim Matheson , American actor
1947 ? Rita Lee , Brazilian Rock Star
1948 ? Donna Summer , American singer
1948 ? René Robert , National Hockey League player
1949 ? Ellen Datlow , American editor
1949 ? Susan Shwartz , American writer
1951 ? George Thorogood , American musician
1951 ? Tom Hamilton , American bassist (Aerosmith )
1953 ? James Remar , American actor
1953 ? Jane Badler , American actress
1954 ? Alex Salmond , Scottish politician
1954 ? Hermann Tilke , German racing circuit architect
1955 ? Dawood Ibrahim , Indian crime boss
1956 ? Steve Rude , American comics artist
1958 ? Bebe Neuwirth , American actress
1959 ? Phill Kline , American politician
1959 ? Val Kilmer , American actor
1959 ? Paul Westerberg , American musician (The Replacements )
1959 - Baron Waqa , Nauruan politician and musician
1959 - Alfie Anido , Filipino actor (d. 1981 )
1960 ? John Allen Muhammad , American serial killer
1960 ? Steve Bruce , English football player & manager
1961 ? Rick Aguilera , American baseball player
1961 ? Nina Li Chi , Chinese actress
1962 ? Heather McCartney , British activist
1962 - Tyrone Corbin , American basketball player
1963 ? Scott Ian , American guitarist (Anthrax )
1963 ? Konishiki , American sumo wrestler
1964 ? Michael McDonald , American actor-comedian
1964 ? Lowri Turner , British TV presenter
1965 - Julie Doucet , Canadian underground cartoonist
1965 ? Gong Li , Chinese actress
1965 ? Nicholas Sparks , American author
1966 ? Lisa Joyner , American entertainment reporter
1968 ? Gerry Dee , Canadian comedian and actor
1969 ? Kate Beahan , Australian actress
1969 ? Dominik Diamond , Scittish presenter and newspaper columnist
1970 ? Carlos Morales Quintana , husband of Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark
1970 ? Bryon Russell , American basketball player
1971 ? Brent Barry , American basketball player
1971 ? Esteban Loaiza , Mexican Major League Baseball player
1971 ? Ricardo López Felipe , Spanish footballer
1972 ? Joe McIntyre , American singer (New Kids on the Block )
1973 ? Shandon Anderson , American basketball player
1973 ? Malcolm Middleton , Scottish musician (Arab Strap )
1974 - Mario Aerts , Belgian cyclist
1974 ? Tony Kanaan , Brazilian racing driver
1974 ? Ryan Sakoda , Japanese American professional wrestler
1975 ? Toni Kuivasto , Finnish footballer
1976 - Craig Reucassel , Australian comedian, member of The Chaser
1977 ? Wardy Alfaro , Costa Rican footballer
1977 ? Donald Trump Jr. , son of Donald Trump and Ivana Trump
1978 ? Papoose , American rapper
1979 ? Bob Bryar , American drummer (My Chemical Romance , Gerardolopoly)
1979 ? Elaine Cassidy , Irish actress
1980 ? Richie McCaw , New Zealand rugby player
1980 ? Matt Cross , American professional wrestler
1981 ? Jason Campbell , American football player
1981 ? Matthew Pavlich , Australian football player
1982 ? Julio DePaula , Dominican baseball player
1982 ? Craig Gordon , Scottish footballer
1982 ? Luke Schenscher , Australian basketball player
1987 ? Javaris Crittenton , American basketball player
1987 ? Émilie Le Pennec , French gymnast
Deaths
192 ? Commodus , Roman Emperor (b. 161 )
335 ? St. Silvester , Pope
1164 ? Margrave Ottokar III of Styria (b. 1124 )
1194 ? Duke Leopold V of Austria (killed at a tournament) (b. 1157 )
1297 ? Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford , English soldier (b. 1249 )
1302 ? Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1238 )
1384 ? John Wycliffe , English theologian and Bible translator
1424 ? Thomas Beaufort, 1st Duke of Exeter , English military leader
1460 ? Edmund, Earl of Rutland , brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England (executed) (b. 1443 )
1460 ? Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury , English politician (b. 1400 )
1510 ? Bianca Maria Sforza , wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1472 )
1535 ? William Skeffington , Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1465 )
1568 ? Shimazu Tadayoshi , Japanese warlord (b. 1493 )
1575 ? Pierino Belli , Italian soldier and jurist (b. 1502 )
1583 ? Thomas Erastus , Swiss theologian (b. 1524 )
1610 ? Ludolph van Ceulen , German mathematician (b. 1540 )
1650 ? Dorgon , Chinese emperor (b. 1612 )
1673 ? Oliver St John , English statesman and judge
1679 ? Giovanni Alfonso Borelli , Italian physiologist and physicist (b. 1608 )
1691 ? Dudley North , English economist (b. 1641 )
1719 ? John Flamsteed , English astronomer (b. 1646 )
1742 ? Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine (b. 1661 )
1799 ? Jean-François Marmontel , French historian and writer (b. 1723 )
1872 ? Aleksis Kivi , Finnish author (b. 1834 )
1877 ? Gustave Courbet , French painter (b. 1819 )
1888 ? Samson Raphael Hirsch , German rabbi (b. 1808 )
1889 ? Ion Creang? , Romanian writer (b. 1837 or 1839 )
1890 ? Pancha Carrasco , Costa Rican war heroine (b. 1826 )
1894 ? Thomas Joannes Stieltjes , Dutch mathematician (b. 1856 )
1905 ? Alexander Popov , Russian physicist (b. 1859 )
1910 ? John Moisant , American aviator (b. 1868 )
1910 ? Arch Hoxsey , American aviator (b. 1884 )
1921 ? Boies Penrose , U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (b. 1860 )
1936 ? Miguel de Unamuno , Spanish writer and philosopher (b. 1864 )
1948 ? Malcolm Campbell , English race car driver (b. 1885 )
1952 ? Hank Williams , American singer, guitarist, and songwriter (b.1923 )
1953 ? Albert Plesman , Dutch aviation pioneer (b. 1889 )
1964 ? Ólafur Thors , Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1892 )
1964 ? Bobby Byrne , baseball player (b. 1884 )
1969 ? George Lewis , American clarinetist (b. 1900 )
1971 ? Pete Duel American actor (b. 1940 )
1971 ? Marin Sais , American actress (b. 1890 )
1971 ? Vikram Sarabhai , Indian physicist (b. 1919 )
1972 ? Roberto Clemente , Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1934 )
1977 ? Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah , ruler of Kuwait (b. 1924 )
1980 ? Marshall McLuhan , Canadian writer (b. 1911 )
1980 ? Raoul Walsh , American film director (b. 1887 )
1985 ? Rick Nelson , American singer (b. 1940 )
1986 ? Lloyd Haynes , American actor (b. 1934 )
1987 - Jerry Turner , Baltimore Anchorman (b. 1929 )
1990 ? Vasili Lazarev , Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1928 )
1990 ? George Allen , American football coach
1993 ? Maj-Gen John Frost , British para commander, Operation Market-Garden (b. 1912 )
1993 ? Zviad Gamsakhurdia , first President of Georgia (b. 1939 )
1993 ? Brandon Teena , Transsexual , murdered (b. 1972 )
1994 - Leigh Bowery , Australian-born English fashion performance artist (b. 1961 )
1994 ? Woody Strode , American actor and decathlete (b. 1914 )
1997 ? Floyd Cramer , American musician (b. 1933 )
1997 ? Billie Dove , American actress (b. 1903 )
1997 ? Michael Kennedy , American politician (b. 1958 )
1999 ? Elliot Richardson , American politician (b. 1920 )
2000 ? Alan Cranston , American politician (b. 1914 )
2000 ? José Greco , Italian-born American flamenco dancer and choreographer (b. 1918 )
2001 ? Eileen Heckart , American actress (b. 1919 )
2002 ? Kevin MacMichael , American guitarist (Cutting Crew ) (b. 1951 )
2003 ? Arthur R. von Hippel German-born physicist (b. 1898 )
2004 ? Gerard Debreu , French-born economist, Bank of Sweden Prize laureate (b. 1921 )
2005 ? Phillip Whitehead , British politician (b. 1937 )
2005 ? Enrico di Giuseppe , American tenor (b. 1932 )
2006 ? George Sisler, Jr. , baseball executive (b. 1917 )
2007 ? Tommy Dickson , British footballer (b. 1929 )
2007 ? Tony Elliott , American football player (b. 1959 )
2007 ? Michael Goldberg , American painter (b. 1924 )
2007 ? Bill Idelson , American actor (b. 1919 )
2007 ? Kathryn Ish , American actress (b. 1936 )
2007 ? Milton L. Klein , Canadian politician (b. 1910 )
2007 ? Markku Peltola , Finnish actor and musician (b. 1956 )
2007 ? Ettore Sottsass , Italian architect and designer (b. 1917 )
Holidays and observances
External links
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