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Welcome to Special Events in History for December 31
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Births for December 31
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1378 Callistus III, [Alfonso the Borja], Pope (1455-58) 1514 Andreas Vesalius, Brussels Belgium, anatomist (Fabrica) 1550 Henri Guise [le Balafre], French duke/leader catholic League 1720 Charles E Stuart, pretender to English throne 1738 Charles Lord Cornwallis, solider/statesman "fire when ready Gridley" 1805 Marie-C-S de Flavigny Agoult, [Daniel Stern], French author (Knife) 1815 George Gordon Meade, Major General (Union Army), died in 1872 1825 Francis Trowbridge Sherman, Brig Gen (Union volunteers), died in 1905 1830 Ismail Pasja, kedive of Egypt (1863-79) 1838 Emile Loubet, premier/president of France (1892, 1899-1906) 1846 Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis, vicar/Dutch anarchist (Right for all) 1869 Henri Matisse, France, impressionist painter (Odalisque) 1870 Thomas Connolly, baseball's major league umpire for 50 years 1880 George C Marshall, Uniontown Pa, authored Marshall Plan (Nobel 1953) 1881 Colin G Fink, US chemist (electro chemistry) 1881 Jacob Israel de Han, poet/writer (Pipelines) 1881 Max Pechstein, German "entartet" painter/graphic artist (That Brocke) 1882 Ben Jones, Missouri, horse trainer (Citation, Whirlaway) 1892 Jason Robards Sr, Hillsdale Mich, actor (Acapulco) 1894 Pola Negri, [Barbara A Chalupiec], Polish/US actress (Madame Dubarry) 1899 Silvestre Revueltas, Santiago Papasquiaro, Mexico, composer 19-- Buzz Adlam, Chelmsford England, composer (Stage Two Revue) 19-- Don Diamont, actor (Brad-Young and Restless) 19-- Sally Gracie, actress (One Life to Live) 19-- Scott Ian, rocker (Anthrax-Protest and Survive) 1904 Chuck Gardiner, UK, NHL goalie (Vezina winner) 1904 Nathan Milstein, Odessa Russia, concert violinist (Phila Orch 1942) 1905 Guy Mollet (Socialist), French premier (1956-57) 1905 Jule Styne, England, songwriter/composer (1954 Acad Award, 1968 Tony) 1906 Erna Bogen, Hungary, foils (Olympic-bronze-1932) 1910 Dick Kollmar, Rigewood NJ, actor (Broadway Spotlight, Guess What) 1914 Pat Brady, Toledo Ohio, actor (Roy Rodgers Show) 1921 Rocky Graziano, NYC, boxer (Middlewgt champ)/actor (Miami Undercover) 1922 Joan McCracken, Phila Pa, actress (Claudie Story of a Marriage) 1922 Rex Allen, Wilcox Az, cowboy singer (Dr Baxter-Frontier Doctor) 1924 Victoria Draves, US, platform/springboard diver (Olympic-gold-1948) 1928 Hugh McElhenny, NFL halfback (SF, Minnesota, Giants, Detroit) 1928 Ross Barbour, Columbus Ind, singer (4 Freshmen) 1929 Mies Bouman, TV hostess (Open the Village) 1930 Odetta, [Holmes] Birmingham Ala, folk singer (Sanctuary) 1931 Bob Shaw, UK, sci-fi author (Orbitsville, Ragged Astronauts, Vertigo) 1932 George Schlatter, TV producer (Laugh-in) 1937 Anthony Hopkins, Wales, actor (Elephant Man, QB VII, Magic, Bounty) 1938 Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Holland, speed skater, world champion 1938 Rosalind Cash, Atlantic City NJ, actress (Omega Man, Wrong is Right) 1941 Sarah Miles, Essex, England, actress (Ryan's Hope, Big Sleep, Venom) 1942 Andy Summers, pop musician (Police-Roxanne) 1943 Ben Kingsley, Scarborough England, actor (Gandhi, Betrayal, Maurice) 1943 John Denver, singer (Rocky Mt High), thank God he's a country boy 1945 Claude D Marks, Buenos Aires Argent, FALN member (FBI most wanted) 1946 Barbara Carrera, Managua Nicaragua, actress (Angelica-Dallas) 1946 Diane von Forstenberg, Brussels Belgiums, fashion designer 1946 Patti Smith, Chicago, singer (Radio Ethiopia) 1947 Burton Cummings, rock guitarist (Guess Who-These Eyes) 1947 Tim Matheson, Calif, actor (Animal House, Fletch, Up the Creek) 1948 Donna Summer, Boston, singer (Love to Love You Baby, On the Radio) 1948 Joe Dallesandro, Pensicola Fla, actor (Heat, Trash, AW Frankenstein) 1948 Viktor Mikhailovich Afanasieyv, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-11) 1949 Claude Daniel Marks, Buenos Aires, one of FBI's most wanted 1951 Fermin Goytisolo, rocker (KC and Sunshine Band-Give It) 1951 Michael Allen Bantom, Phila, basketball player (Olympic-silver-1972) 1951 Tom Hamilton, rocker (Aerosmith-Dream On) 1953 James Remar, Boston, actor (48 Hours, Rent-a-Cop, Cotton Club) 1959 Val Kilmer, actor (Top Secret, Top Gun, Willow) 1961 Joanna Johnson, actress (Caroline-Bold and Beautiful) 1969 Martha Byrne, actress (Lily-As the World Turns) 1972 Joseph Mulrey McIntyre, rocker (New Kids-Lovin' You Forever) Back to GREGSITE Passings for December 31192 Lucius AA Commodus, Emperor of Rome (180-192), murdered at 31 439 Melania de Jongere, Novel monastery founder/saint, dies 1384 John Wycliffe, English religious reformer/bible translator, dies 1583 Thomas Erastus, Switz, theologist, dies 1616 Jacques Le Maire, pirate, dies 1719 John Flamsteed, 1st Astronomer Royal, dies at 73 1775 Richard Montgomery, General, dies fighting British 1907 Jules the Trooz, premier Belgium, dies 1920 Albert Roelofs, painter/etcher, dies 1936 Miguel de Unamuno Jugo, Spanish philosopher/poet (Cancionero), dies 1938 Richard N Roland Holst, artist/painter, dies 1946 Frits [Frederik H] Tartaud, actor, dies at 89 1947 Franz X Ritter von Epp, German General (SW Africa), dies 1950 Karl Renner, Austrian Chancellor/pres (1918-20, 45-50), dies at 80 1951 Maxim M Litvinov, [Meyer H Wallach], Russian diplomat, dies at 75 1951 Philipp A Kohnstamm, philosopher/theory, dies at 76 1953 Albert Plesman, aviation pioneer/founder (KLM), dies at 64 1954 Peter Van Anrooy, conductor/composer (Piet Hein Rhapsodie), dies at 75 1960 Germaine Loosveldt, Flemish actress (Trees of Illness), dies at 69 1963 Albert Plesman, aviation pioneer, dies 1966 Pieter C A Geyl, historian (History of Dutch Tribe), dies 1968 Carl Oscar Ahues, International Chess Master (1950), dies at 84 1971 Peter Deuel, actor (Gidget, Love on a Rooftop), commits suicide at 31 1972 Roberto Clemente, Pitts Pirate slugger, dies in a plane crash at 38 1977 Nora Marlowe, actress (Sara-Gov and JJ), dies 1983 Frank Link, actor (Burns and Schreiber Comedy Show), dies at 46 1985 Rick Nelson, singer/actor (Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), dies at 45 1985 Sam Speigel, Academy Award winning producer dies at 84 1986 Lloyd Haynes, actor (Pete Dixon-Room 222), dies at 54 1987 [Gordon] Randall [P D] Garrett, author (Lord Darcy), dies at 60 1990 George Allen, US football coach (LA Rams, Wash Redskins), dies Back to GREGSITE Holidays for December 31[Austria] Imperial Ball [Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Mexico, Phil, Sri Lanka] Bank Holiday [Benin] Feed Yourself Day [Congo] National Day [Indians at Mitla, Oaxaca] Noche de Pedimento/Wishing Night [Japan] Omisoka Day/Grand Purification [Lebanon] Evacuation Day (1946) [Mauritania] People's Party Day [Scotland] Hogmanay Day [World] New Year's Eve/Watch Night Back to GREGSITE Interest Events for December 31[RC] Feast of Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 335 [RC] Memorial of St Sylvester I, 33rd pope (314-35) (opt) 1997 [Moslem] 1st day of Ramadon (1418 AH) Back to GREGSITE Special Events for December 31335 St Silvester I ends his reign as Catholic Pope 1492 Jews are expelled from Sicily 1600 British East India Company chartered 1744 James Bradley announces discovery of Earth's motion of nutation 1775 Battle of Quebec; Americans unable to take British stronghold 1781 Bank of North America, 1st US bank opens 1805 End of French Republican calendar; France returns to Gregorianism 1841 Alabama becomes 1st state to license dental surgeons 1852 Future president and Mrs Rutherford B Hayes marry 1857 Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as new capital of Canada 1862 -Jan 20th) Battle of Stone's River, TN (Stone River, Monfreesboro) 1862 Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1862 Pres Lincoln signs act admitting West Virginia to Union 1862 Union ironclad ship "Monitor" sank at Cape Hatteras, NC 1870 J D Schneiter patents rocket mail in France, (not done) 1879 Cornerstone laid for Iolani Palace (only royal palace in US) 1879 Edison gives 1st public demonstration of his incandescent lamp 1879 Opera "Pirates of Penzance" is produced (NYC) 1890 Ellis Island (NYC) opens as a US immigration depot 1896 A Charlois discovers asteroid #424 Gratia 1897 Brooklyn's last day as a city, it incorporates into NYC (1/1/1898) 1905 J Palisa discovers asteroid #583 Klotilde 1907 For 1st time a ball drops at Times Square to signal new year 1921 Last San Francisco firehorses retired 1923 1st transatlantic radio broadcast of a voice, Pittsburgh-Manchester 1924 Hubble announces existence of distant galaxies 1925 14th congress of CPSU decides to accelerate industry 1930 Pontifical encyclical Casti connubii against mixed marriages 1931 K Reinmuth discovers asteroid #1208 Troilus 1934 Helen Richey becomes 1st woman to pilot an airmail transport 1935 CPH becomes Dutch Communist Party 1941 Young Park (2) in the Bronx named in honor of Samuel Young 1942 Battle in Barents Sea 1942 Potatoes rationed in Holland 1943 NYC's Times Square greets Frank Sinatra at Paramount Theater 1944 48 people die in a train accident in Ogden, Utah 1944 Japanese army evacuates harbor city Akyab 1945 Ratification of UN Charter completed 1946 French troops leave Lebanon 1946 Pres Truman officially proclaims end of WW II 1949 18 countries recognize Republic Indonesia 1950 Jockeys W Shoemaker and Joe Culmone set record of 388 wins in a year 1951 1st battery to convert radioactive energy to electrical announced 1953 Hulan Jack sworn in as Manhattan Borough president 1953 WFBC (now WYFF) TV channel 4 in G'ville-Spartanburg, SC (NBC) begins 1953 Willie Shoemaker shatters record, riding 485 winners in a year 1957 AAU awards Bobby Morrow, James Sullivan Memorial Trophy 1958 International Geophyscial Year ends 1958 US win Davis Cup tennis tournament 1958 Willie Shoemaker 1st jockey to win national riding championship 4X 1961 1st performance of Beach Boys 1961 Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0 in NFL championship game 1961 Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $12 billion 1962 American Basketball League announces suspension of operation 1962 Dutch flag flies in Dutch, New-Guinea 1962 Katanga becomes part of Democratic Republic of Congo 1963 Chicago Bears win NFL championship 1963 Dear Abby show premiers on CBS radio (runs 11 years) 1964 Donald Campbell (UK) sets world water speed record (276.33 mph) 1966 Monkee's "I'm a Believer" hits #1 and stays there for 7 weeks 1966 Pirate Radio 390 (Radio Invicata) off England, resumes transmitting 1967 Oakland Raiders beat Houston Oilers 40-7 in AFL championship game 1967 Packers beat Cowboys 21-17 in NFL championship game (-13ø F) 1968 1st supersonic airliner flown (Russian TU-144) 1968 NY Jets win AFL championship 1970 Congress authorizes Eisenhower dollar coin 1970 Paul McCartney files a lawsuit to disolve Beatles 1971 KAID TV channel 4 in Boise, ID (PBS) begins broadcasting 1972 Leap second day; also in 1973-79, 1987 1972 Miami Dolphins beat Pitts Steelers 21-7 in AFC championship game 1972 Washington Redskins beat Dallas Cowboys 26-3 in NFC championship game 1974 Free agent pitcher Catfish Hunter signs $3 million Yank contract 1974 Gold legal in US, Franklin Mint strikes Panama's Gold 100 balboa coin 1976 TV soap "Somerset" ends 6 year run 1977 Amir Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah becomes leader of Kuwait 1977 Donald Woods, a banned white editor flees South Africa 1977 Ted Bundy escapes from jail in Colorado 1977 WFAT (Bkln NY pirate radio station) begins broadcasting on 1620 AM 1978 Taiwan's final day of diplomatic relations with US 1979 Winterland Rock Concert Hall in SF closes after 556 concerts 1980 A Jewish owned hotel in Nairobi Kenya is bombed killing 18 1980 NY Islanders greatest shutout margin (9-0) vs Chicago Black Hawks 1981 Lt Jerry Rawlings becomes head of Ghana, suspends constitution 1982 CBS Mystery Theater final episode on radio after 8 years 1982 NBC radio cancels almost all of its network daily features 1982 TV soap "Doctors" ends 19 year run 1983 Brunei gains complete independence from Britain 1983 Nigeria's National Assembly dissolves after military coup 1984 NYC subway gunman Bernhard Goetz surrenders to police in NH 1984 Rajiv Gandhi takes office as India's 6th PM succeeds his mom, Indira 1984 US leaves UNESCO 1986 Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 97 1986 WIS-AM in Columbia SC changes call letters to WVOC (now WOMG) 1990 Iraq begins a military draft of 17 year olds 1990 Sci-Fi Channel on cable TV begins transmitting 1990 United Somali Congress seizes Presidential Palace 1991 CPN, Communist Party of Netherland, last day of existance 1991 Daniel McCarthy becomes General partner of NY Yankees 1991 Dow Jones closes at record high 3168.83 1991 USSR, last day of existance 1992 Target date for Europe's single market 1992 WCBS TV news anchor Carol Martin weds Joe Terry 1999 Control of Panama Canal reverts to Panama Back to GREGSITE Facts for December 31365th day of year with 0 days left (Numerology = 7) 1917 7øF lowest temperature for this date in NYC 1965 63øF highest temperature for this date in NYC Back to GREGSITE Songs Released on December 3112/31/42 --- Why Don't You Do Right --- Goodman, Benny 12/31/48 --- Far Away Places --- Crosby, Bing 12/31/55 --- White Christmas --- Crosby, Bing 12/31/55 --- Lisbon Antigua --- Riddle, Nelson 12/31/55 --- Memories Are Made Of This --- Storm, Gale 12/31/60 --- Shop Around --- Miracles 12/31/60 --- Calendar Girl --- Sedaka, Neil 12/31/60 --- Calcutta --- Welk, Lawrence 12/31/66 --- Nashville Cats --- Lovin' Spoonful 12/31/66 --- Georgy Girl --- Seekers |
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