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December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 0 days remaining until the end of the year.
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 – 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 player1920 – Rex Allen , American actor, singer, and songwriter (d. 1999 )1924 – Taylor Mead , American actor1928 – Siné , French cartoonist1930 – Odetta , American singer1931 – Bob Shaw , Irish writer (d. 1996 )1933 – Edward Bunker , American author and actor (d. 2005 )1934 – Akram Awan , Islamic scholar1937 – 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 manager1941 – 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 director1945 – Diane von Fürstenberg , Belgian-born fashion designer1945 – Barbara Carrera , Nicaraguan actress and model
1945 – Connie Willis , American writer
1946 – Pius Ncube , Zimbabwean human rights advocate1947 – Burton Cummings , Canadian keyboardist (The Guess Who )1947 – Tim Matheson , American actor
1947 – Rita Lee , Brazilian Rock Star
1948 – Donna Summer , American singer1948 – René Robert , National Hockey League player
1949 – Ellen Datlow , American editor1949 – Susan Shwartz , American writer
1951 – George Thorogood , American musician1951 – Tom Hamilton , American bassist (Aerosmith )
1953 – James Remar , American actor1953 – Jane Badler , American actress
1954 – Alex Salmond , Scottish politician1954 – Hermann Tilke , German racing circuit architect
1955 – Dawood Ibrahim , Indian crime boss1956 – Steve Rude , American comics artist1958 – Bebe Neuwirth , American actress1959 – Phill Kline , American politician1959 – 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 killer1960 – Steve Bruce , English football player & manager
1961 – Rick Aguilera , American baseball player1961 – Nina Li Chi , Chinese actress
1962 – Heather McCartney , British activist1962 - Tyrone Corbin , American basketball player
1963 – Scott Ian , American guitarist (Anthrax )1963 – Konishiki , American sumo wrestler
1964 – Michael McDonald , American actor-comedian1964 – Lowri Turner , British TV presenter
1965 - Julie Doucet , Canadian underground cartoonist1965 – Gong Li , Chinese actress
1965 – Nicholas Sparks , American author
1966 – Lisa Joyner , American entertainment reporter1968 – Gerry Dee , Canadian comedian and actor1969 – Kate Beahan , Australian actress1969 – Dominik Diamond , Scottish presenter and newspaper columnist
1970 – Carlos Morales Quintana , husband of Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark 1970 – Bryon Russell , American basketball player1971 – Brent Barry , American basketball player1971 – 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 player1973 – Malcolm Middleton , Scottish musician (Arab Strap )
1974 - Mario Aerts , Belgian cyclist1974 – Tony Kanaan , Brazilian racing driver
1974 – Ryan Sakoda , Japanese American professional wrestler
1975 – Toni Kuivasto , Finnish footballer1976 - Craig Reucassel , Australian comedian, member of The Chaser 1977 – Wardy Alfaro , Costa Rican footballer1977 – Donald Trump Jr. , son of Donald Trump and Ivana Trump
1978 – Papoose , American rapper1979 – Bob Bryar , American drummer (My Chemical Romance , Gerardolopoly)1979 – Elaine Cassidy , Irish actress
1980 – Richie McCaw , New Zealand rugby player1980 – Matt Cross , American professional wrestler
1981 – Jason Campbell , American football player1981 – Matthew Pavlich , Australian football player
1982 – Julio DePaula , Dominican baseball player1982 – Craig Gordon , Scottish footballer
1982 – Luke Schenscher , Australian basketball player
1987 – Javaris Crittenton , American basketball player1987 – 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 translator1424 – Thomas Beaufort, 1st Duke of Exeter , English military leader1460 – 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 judge1679 – 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 Creangă , 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
