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What happened in history on this day: December 31?
On December 31 in ...
- 192 - Lucius Aurelius Commodus, Emperor of Rome (180-192), is murdered in a palace coup at age 31.
- 335 - Saint Silvester I ends his reign as Catholic Pope.
- 406 - 80,000 Vandels attack the Rhine at Mainz.
- 406 - Godagisel, king of the Vandals, dies in battle.
- 439 - Melania the Younger, Roman monastery founder/saint, dies at about age 56.
- 765 - Coffin of Ho-tse Shen-hui interred in a stupa built in China.
- 870 - Skirmish at Englefield: Ethelred of Wessex beats Danish invasion army.
- 1105 - Heinrich V arrests his father Heinrich IV, forces him to abdicate and himself becomes the Holy Roman Emperor (crowned in Rome in 1111).
- 1378 - Birth of Callistus III [Alfonso the Borja]; Pope (1455-58).
- 1382 - Daigaku, Zen teacher/46th head of Engakuji, dies in Kamakura, Japan.
- 1384 - John Wycliffe, English religious reformer/bible translator, dies.
- 1492 - 100,000 Jews expelled from Sicily.
- 1502 - Cesare Borgia (son of pope Alexander VI) occupies Urbino.
- 1514 - Birth of Andreas Vesalius in Brussels, Belgium; anatomist (Fabrica).
- 1540 - Birth of Silvio Antoniano; Italian cardinal/theologist (Tre libri).
- 1550 - Birth of Henri Guise [le Balafré]; French duke/leader (Catholic League).
- 1564 - Willem van Orange demands freedom of conscience/religion.
- 1600 - Queen Elizabeth of England grants a charter to the East India Company.
- 1616 - Jacques Le Maire, pirate/explorer (Lemaire Strait), dies at age 31.
- 1621 - Hungarian King Bethlen Gábor and Ferdinand II sign Treaty of Mikulov.
- 1652 - Frances Cecil, second wife of English earl of Shaftesbury, dies.
- 1659 - János Apáczai Csere, Hungarian theologist (Magyar Logikácska), dies at age 34.
- 1669 - France and Brandenburg sign secret treaty.
- 1670 - France and England sign Boyne-treaty.
- 1680 - Amsterdam opera at Leidsegracht opens.
- 1687 - First Huguenots depart France to Cape of Good Hope.
- 1688 - Pro-James II-earl of Devonshire occupies Nottingham.
- 1700 - Frisia/Groningen adopt Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is January 12, 1701.
- 1708 - Great Alliance captures Bridge.
- 1711 - Duke of Marlborough fired as English army commander.
- 1719 - John Flamsteed, first Astronomer Royal, dies at age 73.
- 1720 - Birth of Charles Edward Louis Philip Casimir Sylvester Stuart AKA Bonnie Prince Charlie, in Rome to James Edward Stuart (King James III of England and Ireland, and King James VIII of Scotland) and wife Clementina Sobieska.
- 1733 - Hubert K Poot, Dutch poet (Akkerleven), dies at age 44.
- 1738 - Birth of Charles Lord Cornwallis; solider/statesman "fire when ready Gridley".
- 1744 - James Bradley announces discovery of Earth's motion of nutation (wobble).
- 1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie's army meets with de Esk.
- 1751 - End of year (March 25-December 31) in England, as first day of new year shifts to January 1.
- 1756 - Russia joins the Alliance of Versailles.
- 1758 - British expeditionary army occupies Goree (Dakar) Senegal.
- 1759 - Arthur Guiness takes out lease on dormant brewery in Saint James' Gate, Dublin, Ireland.
- 1775 - Battle of Québec; Americans unable to take British stronghold.
- 1775 - General Richard Montgomery dies fighting the British.
- 1776 - Rhode Island establishes wage and price controls to curb inflation: Limit is 70 cents a day for carpenters, 42 cents for tailors.
- 1779 - English fleet beats Dutch merchant vessels.
- 1783 - Import to America of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states.
- 1802 - Death of Francis Lewis at age 89; Welsh/US merchant, signer of US Declaration of Independence.
- 1805 - Birth of Marie-C-S de Flavigny Agoult [Daniel Stern]; French author (Knife).
- 1805 - End of French Republican calendar; France returns to Gregorianism.
- 1815 - Birth of George Gordon Meade; US Major General (Union Army) (dies 1872).
- 1825 - Birth of Francis Trowbridge Sherman; Brigadier-General (Union volunteers) (dies 1905).
- 1830 - Birth of Ismail Pasha; kedive of Egypt (1863-79).
- 1837 - The Chamber of Deputies of France bans all games of chance. All gambling clubs in the country close.
- 1838 - Birth of Emile Loubet; premier/President of France (1892, 1899-1906).
- 1840 - Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company receives (English) royal charter to transport mail between England and Egypt.
- 1840 - Jamaica adopts currency of Great Britain.
- 1846 - Birth of Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis; vicar/Dutch anarchist (Right for all).
- 1856 - Birth of Charles A van Ophuysen; orientalist (Maleisisch Volksrecht).
- 1857 - Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as new capital of Canada.
- 1859 - Dutch colony in Dutch Indies counts 4,800 slaves.
- 1862 - James Edward Rains, USA lawyer, CSA Brigadier-General, dies in battle at age 29.
- 1862 - Joshua Woodrow Sill, USA Brigadier-General, dies in battle at age 31.
- 1862 - US President Abraham Lincoln signs act admitting West Virginia to the USA.
- 1862 - USA ironclad ship Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, CSA. 16 crew die, 47 are rescued.
- 1863 - Birth of Alfredo Panzini; Italian author (Dizionario Moderno).
- 1864 - Birth of Robert G Aitken; US astronomer (Binary Stars).
- 1869 - Birth of Henri Matisse in France; impressionist painter (Odalisque).
- 1870 - Birth of Thomas Connolly; US Major League Baseball's major league umpire for 50 years.
- 1872 - Aleksis Kivi [Stenvall], Finnish writer/poet (Kanervala), dies at age 38.
- 1872 - The casinos of Germany operate for the last time, shutting down on order of the Prussian government.
- 1877 - JD Gustave Courbet, French painter (Baigneuses), dies at age 58.
- 1878 - Birth of Horacio Quiroga; Uruguayan author/poet (El Crimen del Otro).
- 1879 - Cornerstone laid for Honolulu's Iolani Palace in Hawaii.
- 1879 - Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.
- 1880 - Birth of George C Marshall in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, USA; authored Marshall Plan (Nobel Prize 1953).
- 1881 - Birth of Colin G Fink; US chemist (electro chemistry).
- 1881 - Birth of Jacob Israel de Haan; Dutch poet/writer (Pipelines, Jewish Song).
- 1881 - Birth of Max Pechstein; German "entartet" painter/graphic artist (The Bridge).
- 1882 - Birth of Ben Jones in Missouri, USA; horse trainer (Citation, Whirlaway).
- 1882 - Birth of David Cohen; Dutch historian/chairman (Jewish Council).
- 1882 - Léon Michel Gambetta, French attorney/premier (1881-82), dies at age 44.
- 1889 - Ion Creanga, Romanian (fairy tales) author, dies at age 52.
- 1890 - Ellis Island (New York City, New York) opens as a US immigration depot.
- 1890 - Death of Francis Elias Spinner in Jacksonville, Florida, USA; major general in New York militia, sheriff of Herkimer County (1834-1837), Congressman (1855-1861), US Treasurer (1861-1875).
- 1892 - Birth of Jason Robards in Hillsdale, Michigan, USA; actor (Acapulco).
- 1893 - Birth of J M Blankenberg; cricket player (60 wickets in 18 Tests for South Africa).
- 1893 - Birth of Max Lamberty; Flemish sociologist/author (Flemish Resurrection).
- 1894 - Birth of Pola Negri AKA Barbara A Chalupiec; Polish/US actress (Madame Dubarry).
- 1894 - Thomas J Stieltjes, mathematician (Stieltjes-integral), dies at age 38.
- 1896 - Birth of Ronald Adam in Herefordshire, England; actor (Phantom Shot).
- 1896 - Leland Hone, cricket player (scored 7 and 6 in only England Test 1879), dies.
- 1897 - Birth of Rhys Williams in Wales; actor (Nightmare, Okinawa, Cross My Heart).
- 1897 - Brooklyn's last day as a city, next day it incorporates into New York City.
- 1899 - Birth of Silvestre Revueltas Santiago in Papasquiaro, México; composer ("Sensemaya").
- 1899 - Karl Millöcker, Austrian conductor/composer ("Try-out Kiss"), dies at age 57.
- 1902 - Boers and British army sign peace treaty.
- 1904 - Birth of Chuck Gardiner in United Kingdom; NHL goalie (Vezina winner).
- 1904 - Birth of Nathan Milstein in Odessa, Russia; concert violinist (Philadelphia Orchestra 1942).
- 1904 - The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Longacre Square (later known as Times Square) in New York City, New York.
- 1905 - Birth of Guy Mollet; (Socialist) French premier (1956-57).
- 1905 - Birth of Jule Styne in England; songwriter/composer (1954 Academy Award, 1968 Tony).
- 1906 - Birth of Erna Bogen in Hungary; foils (Olympics-bronze-1932).
- 1906 - French/British/Italian treaty signed concerning rights on Abyssinia.
- 1907 - Death of Jules de Trooz, Belgium Prime Minister, at age 63.
- 1907 - For the first time, a ball drops in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.
- 1908 - Birth of Simon Wiesenthal; Polish/Austrian nazi hunter (Wiesenthal Center).
- 1910 - Birth of Dick Kollmar in Rigewood, New Jersey, USA; actor (Broadway Spotlight, Guess What).
- 1911 - Marie Curie receives her second Nobel Prize.
- 1912 - Birth of Abe Kosoff; founder of US Professional Numismatists Guild.
- 1914 - Birth of Pat Brady in Toledo, Ohio, USA; actor (Roy Rogers Show).
- 1916 - Birth of Suzy Delair in Paris, France; actress (Utopia, White Paws).
- 1917 - The Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic recognizes independence of Finland.
- 1918 - Kid Gleason replaces Pants Rowland as Chicago White Sox manager.
- 1920 - Birth of Rex Allen on a ranch in Arizona, USA; singer, published over 300 songs, starred in 19 Republic western movies, narrated dozens of Disney films and TV shows.
- 1920 - Roy Park makes first-ball duck in only Test Cricket inning, versus England at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- 1921 - Birth of Rocky Graziano in New York City, New York, USA; boxer (Middleweight champion), actor (Miami Undercover).
- 1921 - József Kiss, Hungarian literary (A hét), dies at age 78.
- 1922 - Birth of Joan McCracken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actress (Claudie - The Story of a Marriage).
- 1922 - Birth of Rex Allen in Wilcox, Arizona, USA; cowboy singer (Dr Baxter - Frontier Doctor).
- 1923 - First transatlantic radio broadcast of a voice, Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) to Manchester (England).
- 1923 - The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.
- 1924 - Birth of Victoria Draves; American platform/springboard diver (Olympics-gold-1948).
- 1925 - 14th congress of CPSU decides to accelerate industry.
- 1928 - Birth of Hugh McElhenny; NFL halfback (San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Detroit Lions).
- 1928 - Birth of Ross Barbour in Columbus, Indiana, USA; singer ("Four Freshmen").
- 1929 - Birth of Mies Bouman; Dutch TV hostess (Open the Village).
- 1929 - Birth of Peter May; cricket player (dashing English batsman of 1950s).
- 1929 - Pope Pius XI publishes encyclical Divini illius magistri.
- 1930 - Birth of Odetta [Holmes] in Birmingham, Alabama, USA; folk singer/actress (Sanctuary).
- 1930 - Pontifical encyclical Casti connubii against mixed marriages.
- 1931 - Birth of Bob Shaw in United Kingdom; Irish sci-fi author (Orbitsville, Ragged Astronauts, Vertigo) (dies 1996).
- 1931 - Statute of Westminster creates the British Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1932 - Birth of George Schlatter; TV producer (Laugh-in).
- 1935 - Birth of Peter Allan; cricket player (one Test Australia versus England 1965, 2-58 and 0-25).
- 1935 - CPH becomes Dutch Communist Party.
- 1936 - Miguel de Unamuno Jugo, Spanish philosopher/poet ("Cancionero"), dies at age 72.
- 1937 - Birth of [Philip] Anthony Hopkins in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales; actor (The Elephant Man, QB VII, Magic, Bounty).
- 1938 - Birth of Atje Keulen-Deelstra in Holland; speed skater (world champion).
- 1938 - Birth of Rosalind Cash in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; actress (Omega Man, Wrong is Right).
- 1938 - Dr R N Harger's "drunkometer", first breath test, introduced in Indiana, USA.
- 1938 - Dutch national debt hits 3,986,629,805.70 gulden.
- 1938 - Herbert Lehman is sworn in as Governor of New York State for fourth four-year term.
- 1938 - Dr. Gerhard Schacher, former economic adviser to the German Reichbank, warns that the next European crisis will arise January 11 when British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain goes to Rome, Italy; if Premier Benito Mussolini is pemitted to take the territory he demands, then Adolf Hitler will claim Alsace-Lorraine, and move into Soviet Ukraine, involving France and Russia in war.
- 1938 - Syrian Parliament unanimously adopts a resolution calling for the government to revolt against rule of France under League of Nations mandate.
- 1938 - Dr. Charles Greeley Abbot, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, receives a US patent for a "solar distilling apparatus", which uses concentrated Sun's rays to heat contaminated water to boiling, then the water vapor is collected.
- 1938 - US President Franklin Roosevelt issues a proclamation that the government will continue to purchase domestically mined silver for 64.64 cents per ounce until June 30. (Current world price of silver is 43 cents.)
- 1938 - The 8th International Conference of American States issues the Declaration of Lima, that the American countries agree to stand united against any threat.
- 1938 - Richard N Roland Holst, Dutch artist/painter, dies at age 70.
- 1939 - Birth of Afaq Hussain; cricket player (Pakistani off-spinner in two Tests 1961-64).
- 1939 - Birth of Willye White; American long jumper (Olympics-silver-1956, appeared in five Olympics).
- 1939 - Dutch national debt hits 4,218,553,180.99 gulden.
- 1939 - Fire destroys the Papal Chancery Palace (Palazzo della Cancelleria) in the center of Rome, Italy, cause unknown. The Palace had been built about 1486-96 for Raffaello Cardinal Riario.
- 1939 - The Soviet Union and Japan settle two disputes with the Soviet renewal of fishing concession to Japan for a year, and Japan agreeing to pay the 5.9 million yen due on Chinese Eastern Railway in Manchukuo.
- 1939 - The Russian 163rd Division on the middle of Finland fails, with the division virtually annihilated by the Finns.
- 1940 - Birth of Tim Considine; actor (My Three Sons, Disneyland).
- 1941 - Birth of Milkha Singh; cricket player (brother of Kripal Singh, India batsman in four Tests).
- 1941 - Birth of Sarah Miles in Essex, England; actress (Ryan's Hope, Big Sleep, Venom).
- 1941 - American Admiral Chester Nimitz takes command of the US Pacific Fleet.
- 1942 - Birth of Andy Summers in Blackpool, England; rock guitarist (The Police - "Roxanne").
- 1942 - Potatoes rationed in Holland.
- 1943 - Birth of Ben Kingsley in Scarborough, England; actor (Gandhi, Betrayal, Maurice).
- 1943 - Birth of John Denver [Henry John Deutschendorf Junior] in Roswell, New Mexico, USA; singer/songwriter ("Rocky Mountain High", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"), actor (Oh God!) (dies 1997).
- 1944 - 48 people die in a train accident in Ogden, Utah, USA.
- 1944 - Japanese army evacuates harbor city Akyab.
- 1944 - Adolf Hitler launches Operation Nordwind, the second surprise offensive at the southern flank of the Allied line in Germany.
- 1945 - Birth of Taylor Hackford in Santa Barbara, California, USA; director (Idolmaker, An Officer and a Gentleman, Devil's Advocate).
- 1945 - Donald Bradman scores 112, his first post-War century, South Africa versus Australia Services.
- 1945 - Ratification of United Nations Charter completed.
- 1946 - Birth of Barbara Carrera in Managua, Nicaragua; actress (Angelica - Dallas).
- 1946 - Birth of Diane von Furstenberg in Brussels, Belgium; fashion designer.
- 1946 - Birth of Patti Smith in Chicago, Illinois, USA; singer (Radio Ethiopia).
- 1946 - French troops leave Lebanon.
- 1946 - US President Harry Truman officially proclaims end of World War II.
- 1947 - Birth of Burton Cummings; rock guitarist (Guess Who - "These Eyes").
- 1947 - Birth of Tim Matheson in California, USA; actor (Animal House, Fletch, Up the Creek).
- 1947 - Franz X Ritter von Epp, German general (SW Africa), dies at age 79.
- 1948 - Birth of Donna Summer in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; singer ("Love to Love You Baby", "On the Radio").
- 1948 - Birth of Joe Dallesandro in Pensicola, Florida, USA; actor (Heat, Trash, AW Frankenstein, Wiseguy, Fortune Dane).
- 1948 - Birth of Tony Hamilton; rocker (Aerosmith).
- 1948 - Birth of Viktor Mikhailovich Afanasieyv in Russian; cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-11, TM-18).
- 1949 - Eighteen countries recognize Republic of Indonesia.
- 1949 - Birth of Claude Daniel Marks in Buenos Aires, Argentina; FALN member (FBI most wanted).
- 1950 - Birth of Inge Helten in the German Federal Republic; sprinter (Olympics-bronze-1976).
- 1950 - Birth of Robert Bryan Gilder in Corvallis, Oregon, USA; PGA golfer (1980 Canadian Open).
- 1950 - Charles Koechlin, French composer (Jungle Book), dies at age 83.
- 1950 - Karl Renner, Austrian Chancellor/President (1918-20, 1945-50), dies at age 80.
- 1951 - First battery to convert radioactive energy to electrical is announced.
- 1951 - Birth of Fermin Goytisolo; rocker (KC and Sunshine Band - "Give It").
- 1951 - Birth of Michael Allen Bantom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; basketball player (Olympics-silver-1972).
- 1951 - Birth of Tom Hamilton in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; rock bassist (Aerosmith - "Dream On").
- 1951 - Maxim M Litvinov [Meyer H Wallach], Russian diplomat, dies at age 75.
- 1953 - Albert Plesman, Dutch aviation pioneer/founder (KLM), dies at age 64.
- 1953 - Birth of James Remar in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; actor (48 Hours, Rent-a-Cop, The Cotton Club, Dexter, Jericho, North Shore).
- 1953 - Birth of Jane Badler in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actress (Fine Gold, Easy Kill, V).
- 1954 - Peter Van Anrooy, conductor/composer (Piet Hein Rhapsodie), dies at age 75.
- 1956 - Birth of Martin Joseph Fettman in Brooklyn, New York, USA; PhD/astronaut (STS 58).
- 1957 - Amateur Athletic Union awards Bobby Morrow the James Sullivan Memorial Trophy.
- 1957 - Birth of David Allen Ogrin in Waukegan, Illinois, USA; PGA golfer (1994 Byron Nelson-second).
- 1957 - Disneyland in Anaheim, California, welcomes its 10-millionth guest.
- 1958 - 47th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Brisbane (3-2).
- 1958 - Birth of Geoff Marsh; cricket player (Australia opening batsman 1985-92).
- 1958 - Willie Shoemaker becomes first jockey to win national riding championship four times.
- 1958 - Birth of Bebe Neuwirth; actress (Law & Order: Trial By Jury, Frasier, Cheers).
- 1959 - Birth of Bebe Neuwirth in Princeton, New Jersey, USA; actress (Lilith - Cheers, Damn Yankees).
- 1959 - Birth of Paul Westerberg; singer (The Replacements).
- 1959 - Birth of Val [Edward] Kilmer; actor (The Saint, Top Gun, The Doors).
- 1959 - Cuban President Batista boards a plane from Havana with 40 cohorts and $300 million in cash, heading to Dominican Republic.
- 1960 - The United Kingdom demonetizes the farthing as a unit of currency.
- 1960 - Germaine Loosveldt, Flemish actress (Trees die Upright), dies at age 69.
- 1961 - Irma La Douce closes at Plymouth Theater in New York City after 527 performances.
- 1961 - First performance of the Beach Boys.
- 1961 - Birth of Joanna Johnson; actress (Caroline - The Bold and the Beautiful).
- 1961 - Birth of Rick Aguilera in San Gabriel, California, USA; pitcher (Minnesota Twins).
- 1961 - Failed coup by Syrian group in Lebanon.
- 1961 - Green Bay Packers shutout New York Giants 37-0 in NFL championship game.
- 1961 - US post-war Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$12 billion.
- 1962 - NBC debuts the game show Match Game, hosted by Gene Rayburn.
- 1962 - American Basketball League announces suspension of operation.
- 1962 - Birth of Don Diamont in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Brad - The Young and the Restless).
- 1962 - Birth of Tyrone Corbin; NBA forward (Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks).
- 1962 - Dutch leave New Guinea.
- 1962 - Katanga becomes part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 1962 - Birth of Ric Ivanisevich; rock musician (Oleander).
- 1962 - Ohio ends suit against Cincinnati Reds when they agree to stay in Cincinnati for ten years.
- 1963 - Birth of Ed Simmons; NFL tackle (Washington Redskins).
- 1963 - Birth of Scott Ian; US heavy metal guitarist (Anthrax - "I'm the Man").
- 1963 - Chicago Bears win NFL championship.
- 1963 - Dear Abby show premieres on CBS radio (runs 11 years).
- 1964 - Birth of Denis Hickey; cricket player (fast bowler for Victoria, South Africa and Glamorgan).
- 1964 - Birth of Klari MacAskill in Budapest, Hungary; kayaker (Olympics-5th-1992, 1996).
- 1964 - Birth of Liz Masakayan in Quezon City, Philippines; WPVA volleyball (Best of Beach-third-1994).
- 1964 - Birth of Winston Benjamin; cricket player (West Indies righty quick 1987-95).
- 1964 - Donald Campbell of the United Kingdom sets world water speed record (276.33 mph).
- 1965 - Birth of Michelle Dobek in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA; golfer (1995 GHP Heartland Classic-45th).
- 1965 - Jean-Bédel Bokassa seizes power in coup in Central Africa.
- 1966 - Treaty relations between Abu Dhabi and Great Britain expire.
- 1966 - The European Free Trade Association abolishes trade tariffs among Austria, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland.
- 1966 - Birth of Paula Barbieri; model/girlfriend of OJ Simpson/actress (Dangerous).
- 1966 - Chief Nipo Strongheart, Native American actor (Pony Soldier), dies at age 75.
- 1966 - The Monkees' "I'm a Believer" hits #1 and stays there for 7 weeks.
- 1966 - Pieter C A Geyl; historian (History of Dutch Race), dies.
- 1966 - Test Cricket debut of Bishen Singh Bedi, India versus West Indies Calcutta, 2-92.
- 1967 - First NBA game at Great Western Forum, Los Angeles Lakers beat Houston Rockets 147-118.
- 1967 - Arthur Mailey, cricket player (10-66 and Australia versus Gloucestershire 1921), dies.
- 1967 - Birth of Brad Daluiso; NFL place kicker (New York Giants).
- 1967 - Oakland Raiders beat Houston Oilers 40-7 in AFL championship game.
- 1967 - Coldest NFL game, -13 degrees F, dubbed the Ice Bowl. Green Bay Packers beat Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in NFL championship game.
- 1968 - First supersonic airliner flown (Russian Tupolev TU-144).
- 1968 - Carl Oscar Ahues, German International Chess Master (1950), dies at age 85.
- 1969 - Birth of Martha Byrne; actress (Lily - As the World Turns).
- 1969 - Congo-Brazzaville becomes People's republic, under Major Ngouabi.
- 1969 - Salvatore Baccaloni, opera singer/actor (Full of Life), dies at age 69.
- 1970 - Birth of Bryon Russell; NBA forward (Utah Jazz).
- 1970 - Birth of Dan Howe in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; canoeist (Olympics-1996).
- 1970 - Birth of Dunstan Anderson; NFL defensive end (Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Rhein Fire).
- 1970 - Birth of Edwin Huizinga; Dutch soccer player (SC Heerenveen, Emmen).
- 1970 - Birth of Michel Brunet in Gatineau, Québec, Canada; ice dancer (1996 Canadians-second).
- 1970 - US President Richard Nixon signs the Bank Holding Act legislation creating the Eisenhower dollar coin, and removing the last silver from circulating coins (Kennedy half dollars).
- 1970 - Cyril M Scott, English composer/author (Alchemist), dies at age 91.
- 1970 - Paul McCartney files a lawsuit to dissolve the Beatles.
- 1970 - President Allende nationalizes Chilean coal mines.
- 1971 - Birth of Brent Barry; NBA guard (Seattle Sonics, Los Angeles Clippers).
- 1971 - Birth of Erin Warren in Winchester, Massachusetts, USA; luger (Olympics-1994).
- 1971 - Birth of Heath Shuler; NFL quarterback (Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints).
- 1971 - Lieutenant General Robert E Cushman, Junior, US Marine Corp, ends term as deputy director of US Central Intelligence Agency.
- 1971 - Peter Deuel, actor (Gidget, Love on a Rooftop), commits suicide at age 31.
- 1972 - 39th Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma beats Penn State 14-0.
- 1972 - Birth of Chris Parker; running back (Jacksonville Jaguars).
- 1972 - Birth of Cole Ford; NFL kicker (Oakland Raiders).
- 1972 - Birth of Joseph Mulrey McIntyre AKA Joe McIntyre; singer (New Kids on the Block - "Lovin You Forever"), actor.
- 1972 - Birth of Kelvin Kinney; defensive end (Washington Redskins).
- 1972 - Miami Dolphins beat Pittsburgh Steelers 21-7 in AFC championship game.
- 1972 - Washington Redskins beat Dallas Cowboys 26-3 in NFC championship game.
- 1972 - ABC TV airs the special program Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve for the first time.
- 1973 - 40th Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 24 beats Alabama 23.
- 1973 - 61st Australian Men's Tennis: John Newcombe beats O Parun (6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1).
- 1973 - Birth of Curtis Myden in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 200 metre/400 metre swimmer (Olympics-2 bronze-1996).
- 1973 - Birth of George Jones; running back (Pittsburgh Steelers).
- 1973 - Birth of Hiroyuki Miura; hockey defenseman (Team Japan 1998).
- 1973 - Johan Cruyff chosen European soccer Player of Year.
- 1974 - 41st Sugar Bowl: Nebraska 13 beats Florida 10.
- 1974 - Free agent pitcher Catfish Hunter signs record US$3.75 million five-year New York Yankees contract.
- 1974 - US President Gerald Ford issues Executive Order 11825 legalizing private ownership of gold.
- 1974 - Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks join Fleetwood Mac music group.
- 1974 - Zora Arkus-Duntov, Chief Engineer of Corvette, officially resigns from Chevrolet, replaced by David McLellan.
- 1975 - 42nd Sugar Bowl: Alabama 13 beats Pennsylvania State 6.
- 1975 - Birth of Cole Ford; kicker (Oakland Raiders).
- 1976 - NBC airs the last episode of the TV soap Somerset after a six-year run.
- 1976 - The Cars rock group play their first gig.
- 1977 - Amir Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah becomes leader of Kuwait.
- 1977 - Birth of Ildiko Kecan; Miss Hungary Universe (1997).
- 1977 - Cambodia drops diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
- 1977 - Death of Nora Marlowe at age 62; actress (Sara - The Governor & JJ, The Waltons, Gunsmoke, Petticoat Junction, Family Affair, Disneyland).
- 1977 - Ted Bundy escapes from jail in Colorado.
- 1978 - Magic Show closes at Cort Theater in New York City after 1859 performances.
- 1978 - US Central Intelligence Agency director, Admiral Stansfield Turner retires from the Navy.
- 1978 - Iran shah names Chapour Bakhtiar premier.
- 1978 - Taiwan's final day of diplomatic relations with the US.
- 1979 - Winterland Rock Concert Hall in San Francisco closes after 556 concerts.
- 1979 - Birth of Bob Bryar, American drummer (My Chemical Romance).
- 1980 - A Jewish-owned hotel in Nairobi, Kenya is bombed, killing 18.
- 1980 - Arthur Wellard, cricket player (two Tests for England, legendary 6-hitter), dies.
- 1980 - Marshall McLuhan, Canadian cultural philosopher, dies at age 69 (born 1911).
- 1980 - New York Islanders' greatest shutout margin (9-0) versus Chicago Black Hawks.
- 1980 - Raoul Walsh, US director (High Sierra), dies at about age 88.
- 1980 - Senegal President Leopold Senghor resigns.
- 1981 - Coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the PNDC led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.
- 1981 - The second CNN cable channel, "Headline News", debuts in the US.
- 1981 - Netherlands unemployment stands at record 475,000.
- 1982 - CBS Mystery Theater final episode on radio after eight years.
- 1982 - NBC radio cancels almost all of its network daily features.
- 1982 - NBC airs the last episode of the TV soap The Doctors, after a 19-year run.
- 1983 - Two bombs explode in France. One on the Paris train kills three and injures 19. The other at Marseille station kills two and injures 34.
- 1983 - Bill Hunt, cricket player (Test for Australia, out 0, took 0-25 and 0-14), dies.
- 1983 - Frank Link, actor (Burns and Schreiber Comedy Show), dies at age 46.
- 1983 - Nigeria's National Assembly dissolves after military coup.
- 1984 - New York City subway gunman Bernhard Goetz surrenders to police in New Hampshire.
- 1984 - Rajiv Gandhi takes office as India's 6th Prime Minister, succeeding his mom, Indira.
- 1984 - Test Cricket debut of Mohammad Azharuddin, versus England at Calcutta, India.
- 1984 - US leaves UNESCO.
- 1985 - Alexander Matheson, cricket player (two wickets/2 Tests for New Zealand 1930-31), dies.
- 1985 - King Hussein of Jordan and President Assad of Syria hold talks.
- 1985 - Death of Rick Nelson at age 45; American singer, actor (Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) (born 1940).
- 1985 - Sam Spiegel, Austrian-born Academy Award winning American film producer (Betrayal, On the Waterfront, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, The African Queen), dies at age 84.
- 1986 - Fire at 22-story Dupont Hotel Plaza in San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA; 1000 guests in building, 95+ die. Second worst hotel fire in US history. The fire started at same time as three explosions were heard, which occurred 10 minutes after workers voted to strike at midnight.
- 1986 - Lloyd Haynes, actor (Pete Dixon - Room 222), dies at age 54.
- 1987 - [Gordon] Randall [P D] Garrett, author (Lord Darcy), dies at age 60.
- 1988 - NHL player Mario Lemieux scores a goal in each of the five different ways possible in one game (even-strength, power-play, shorthanded, penalty shot, and empty-net)
- 1989 - Fog Bowl: Heavy fog rolls in on Chicago Bears 20-12 victory over Philadelphia Eagles.
- 1989 - Jockey Kent Desormeaux sets record with 598 wins in a year.
- 1990 - George Allen, US football coach (Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins), dies.
- 1990 - Iraq begins a military draft of 17-year-olds.
- 1990 - The Sci-Fi Channel on cable TV begins transmitting.
- 1990 - United Somali Congress seizes Presidential Palace.
- 1990 - Vasily Grigoryevich Lazarev, cosmonaut (Soyuz 12, 18A), dies at age 62.
- 1990 - Russian Garry Kasparov holds his title by winning the World Chess Championship match against his countryman Anatoly Karpov.
- 1991 - CPN, Communist Party of Netherlands, last day of existance.
- 1991 - Daniel R McCarthy elected New York Yankees managing general partner.
- 1991 - Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at record high 3168.83.
- 1991 - J Donald Crump resigns as Canadian Football League Commissioner.
- 1991 - The Soviet Union officially ceases to exist.
- 1993 - Arthur Dreifuss, director/producer (Murder in Amsterdam), dies at age 85.
- 1993 - Lambert Fokkema, founder of Dutch Export Combination, dies at age 80.
- 1993 - Thomas J Watson Junior, president of IBM (1956-71)/diplomat, dies at age 79.
- 1993 - Zviad Gamsachurdia, first President of Georgia SSR (1991-1993), dies of suicide at age 54 (born 1939).
- 1994 - The Walt Disney Company signs a preliminary agreement to commit up to US$34 million to renovate and lease the New Amsterdam Theater in New York.
- 1994 - Anti-Apartheid Group of Netherlands (AABN) disbands.
- 1994 - The work of the Treuhand Organization is finished and the organization is terminated. The Treuhand oversaw the privatization of property in German Democratic Republic. The organization had privatized 14,500 businesses.
- 1994 - BAM "Bob" Schreiner, airline owner (S Aviation Group), dies at age 79.
- 1994 - Leo Fuchs, Polish/US Yiddish actor (Story of Ruth), dies at age 83.
- 1994 - Thomas J Watson Junior, CEO (IBM), dies of a stroke at age 79.
- 1994 - Woodrow "Woody" Strode, American rugby player/black cowboy actor (Posse, Cotton Club, Vigilante, Oil), dies.
- 1994 - This day is skipped by the Phoenix Islands to switch from the UTC-11 time zone to UTC+13, and by the Line Islands to switch from UTC-10 to UTC+14. The latter becomes the earliest time zone in the world, one full day ahead of Hawaii.
- 1994 - The Discovery Channel cable TV channel debuts in Canada.
- 1994 - The Showcase cable TV channel debuts in Canada.
- 1995 - 62nd Sugar Bowl: Virginia Tech beats Texas.
- 1995 - Cartoonist Bill Watterson ends his "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip.
- 1995 - John Powell, campaigner, dies at age 75.
- 1995 - Matthew Elliott scores separate cricket century same day for Victoria.
- 1996 - Ann Susan Hills, freelance journalist, dies at age 55.
- 1996 - David Sinclair, actor (Love and Hate), dies at age 62.
- 1996 - The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway is merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, making it one of the largest railroad mergers in U.S. history.
- 1996 - Phillip Edmund Clinton Manson-Bahr, tropical mediciner, dies at age 85.
- 1997 - Dominique de Menil, arts patron/human rights advocate, dies at age 89.
- 1997 - Floyd Cramer, pianist (Nashville Sound), dies of cancer at age 64.
- 1997 - Marv Levy retires as coach of Buffalo Bills.
- 1997 - Michael Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, dies in ski accident at age 39.
- 1997 - Microsoft buys Hotmail e-mail service.
- 1997 - Orlando Hernandez, half-brother of pitcher Livan, defects from Cuba.
- 1997 - South African and American surgeons separate Zambian Siamese twins joined at the head.
- 1997 - After 26 years in operation, the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee closes permanently.
- 1998 - The first leap second since June 30, 1997 occurs.
- 1998 - In the eurozone, the currency rates of this day are fixed permanently.
- 1999 - Boris Yeltsin resigns as President of Russia, replaced by Vladimir Putin.
- 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 - Millennium celebrations begin worldwide (although technically the third millennium starts in 2001 not 2000). Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom opens the Millennium Dome at Greenwich, London.
- 1999 - US turns over complete administration of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian Government as stipulated in the Torrijos-Carter Treaty of 1977 free of liens and debts, in good operation and with a $1 billion investment program in place designed to ensure continued first class service to the maritime world. At the transfer, more than 97 percent of the Canal's 9,000 workers are Panamanian.
- 2000 - Death of Rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, Israeli settler leader (born 1966).
- 2000 - The Millennium Dome closes its doors one year to the day of its opening.
- 2000 - James Tuozzolo, trumpet player with the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra, collapses of a heart attack on stage just after performing a solo and dies in hospital.
- 2001 - Death of Eileen Heckart at age 82 from cancer; actress (One Life to Live, Cybil, Annie McGuire, Out of the Blue, Suspense, The Fugitive).
- 2002 - North Korea kicks out United Nations nuclear inspectors.
- 2002 - The euro currency hits US$1.05, highest in three years.
- 2003 - Death of Arthur R. von Hippel, German-born physicist (born 1898).
- 2004 - Death of Gerard Debreu, French-born economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1921).
- 2004 - Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper in the world, standing at a height of 1,670 feet (509 metres), officially opens.
- 2004 - Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich resigns.
- 2005 - Another second is added, 23:59:60, called a leap second, to end the year 2005. The last time this occurred was on June 30, 1998.
- 2006 - At least eleven bombs go off in Bangkok, Thailand, hours before the new year.
- 2006 - The U.S. soldier death toll in Iraq reaches 3,000.
- 2007 - Over 200 people are killed in Kenya due to riots over the results of the presidential election which occurred on December 27.
- 2007 - The massive Big Dig construction project in Boston, Massachusetts ends.
- 2007 - Death of Ettore Sottsass, Italian architect (born 1917).
- 2007 - Death of Bill Idelson at age 88; actor/writer (Vic and Sade radio show, Herman Glimscher - The Dick Van Dyke Show TV show, MASH, Andy Griffith, Happy Days, The Flintstones).
- 2007 - In Baltimore, Maryland, USA, the Baltimore Ravens fire long-time head coach Brian Billick, after finishing a disappointing 5-win, 11-loss season. Billick spent nine seasons in Baltimore and was the Ravens' most successful coach with an 85-67 record.
- 2008 - U.S. crude oil price rises 14 percent on the final trading day of 2008, with February futures settling up US$5.57 to $44.60 per barrel.
- 2008 - A massive fire sweeps through the Santika Club nightclub in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 59 people and injuring more than 200 others. Cause of the fire may have been an indoor foreworks display, or handheld firecrackers brought in by guests.
- 2008 - Moscow Dynamo defeats Canada in hockey to win the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
- 2008 - An extra leap second (23:59:60) is added to end the year.
- 2014 - Death of Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington (born 1915).
- 2015 - US resumes export of crude oil, first since 1973.
- 2019 - The People's Republic of China informs the World Health Organization of an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, the ninth most populous Chinese city.
- 2020 - The transition period following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union on 31 January 2020 expires.
- 2021 - Death of Betty White at age 99 of natural causes in Los Angeles, California, USA; American actress (Rose Nylund - The Golden Girls TV show, Sue Ann Niven - The Mary Tyler Moore Show TV show, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award), host (Saturday Night Live TV show).
- 2022 - Population of the People's Republic of China: 1.412 billion people, 850,000 less than one year ago. First shrinking of the population since 1962.
- 2022 - Death of Anita Pointer at age 74 of cancer at home in Beverly Hills, California, USA; singer (Pointer Sisters - "I'm So Excited" song, "Fire" song, Grammy Award winner).
- 2022 - Death of Pope Benedict XVI AKA Joseph Ratzinger at age 95; cardinal, Catholic church pope (retired 2013).
- 2022 - Death of Tom Karen at age 96; British designer (Raleigh Chopper bike, Marble Run).
- 2022 - Death of Jeremiah Green at age 45 of cancer; drummer (Modest Mouse).
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