December, 31th in History

[Spiritus Temporis]

Events

Friday 31, 1999:
The Panama Canal comes completely under Panama's jurisdiction.

Wednesday 31, 1997:
After 26 years in operation, Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee closes permanently.

Sunday 31, 1995:
The publication of the last new Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strip.

Thursday 31, 1992:
In the last of the great ITV franchise renewals, Thames Television, Television South West and Television South cease broadcasting, replaced by Carlton Television, Westcountry Television and Meridian Television respectively.

Tuesday 31, 1991:
1991 - The Soviet Union officially dissolves.

Monday 31, 1990:
Russian Garry Kasparov holds his title by winning the World Chess Championship match against his countryman Anatoly Karpov.

Saturday 31, 1988:
Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins becomes the first player in National Hockey League history to score one goal of each type in a single hockey game: a even-strength goal, a power-play goal, a short-handed goal, a penalty shot, and an empty-net goal.

Wednesday 31, 1986:
A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, kills 97 and injures 140.

Saturday 31, 1983:
The last day that the AT&T Bell System exists before being broken up by the United States Government.

Sunday 31, 1972:
Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Tuesday 31, 1968:
Marien Ngouabi assumed the presidency of the Republic of the Congo.

Tuesday 31, 1963:
Central African Federation officially collapsed, and eventually became Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.

Sunday 31, 1961:
The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than USD $12 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.

Saturday 31, 1960:
The farthing coin, used in Britain since the 13th century, ceases to be legal tender.

Saturday 31, 1955:
General Motors becomes the first American corporation to make over USD $1 billion in a year.

Tuesday 31, 1946:
President Harry Truman officially proclaims an end of hostilities in World War II.

Sunday 31, 1944:
World War II: Hungary declares war on Germany

Tuesday 31, 1929:
Guy Lombardo plays Auld Lang Syne for the first time

Sunday 31, 1916:
The Hampton Terrace Hotel in North Augusta, South Carolina, one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in the USA at the time, burns to the ground.

Saturday 31, 1904:
The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square, then known as Longacre Square, in New York, New York.

Wednesday 31, 1879:
Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time (Menlo Park, New Jersey).

Wednesday 31, 1862:
American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union (thus dividing Virginia in two); meanwhile, the Battle of Stones River is fought near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Thursday 31, 1857:
Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa, Ontario, as the capital of Canada

Sunday 31, 1775:
American Revolutionary War: British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Quebec.

Saturday 31, 1695:
A window tax is imposed in England, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax.

Wednesday 31, 1687:
The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope.

Sunday 31, 1600:
British East India Company is chartered.

Sunday 31, 406:
Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia.

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/31-december/on-this-day.html


People born on December 31

1980:
Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby player (b: December 31, 1980) (Biography of Richie McCaw)

1979:
Bob Bryar, American drummer (My Chemical Romance) (b: December 31, 1979) (Biography of Bob Bryar)

1971:
Brent Barry, American basketball player (b: December 31, 1971) (Biography of Brent Barry)

1964:
Allen D'Nulderf, American stuntman (b: December 31, 1964) (Biography of Allen D'Nulderf)

1963:
Scott Ian, American singer (Anthrax) (b: December 31, 1963) (Biography of Scott Ian)

1960:
John Allen Muhammad, American serial killer (b: December 31, 1960) (Biography of John Allen Muhammad)

1959:
Val Kilmer, American actor (b: December 31, 1959) (Biography of Val Kilmer)

1958:
Bebe Neuwirth, American actress (b: December 31, 1958) (Biography of Bebe Neuwirth)

1953:
James Remar, American actor (b: December 31, 1953) (Biography of James Remar)
Jane Badler, American actress (b: December 31, 1953) (Biography of Jane Badler)

1951:
George Thorogood, American musician (b: December 31, 1951) (Biography of George Thorogood)

1948:
Donna Summer, American singer (b: December 31, 1948) (Biography of Donna Summer)

1947:
Burton Cummings, Canadian musician (The Guess Who) (b: December 31, 1947) (Biography of Burton Cummings)
Tim Matheson, American actor (b: December 31, 1947) (Biography of Tim Matheson)

1945:
Taylor Hackford, American film producer and director (b: December 31, 1945) (Biography of Taylor Hackford)
Diane von Fürstenberg, fashion designer (b: December 31, 1945) (Biography of Diane von Fürstenberg)

1943:
John Denver, American musician (b: December 31, 1943 ; d: October 12, 1997) (Biography of John Denver)
Ben Kingsley, English actor (b: December 31, 1943) (Biography of Ben Kingsley)

1941:
Alex Ferguson, Scottish football player and manager (b: December 31, 1941) (Biography of Alex Ferguson)

1938:
Rosalind Cash, American actress (b: December 31, 1938 ; d: October 31, 1995) (Biography of Rosalind Cash)

1937:
Avram Hershko, Israeli biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b: December 31, 1937) (Biography of Avram Hershko)
Anthony Hopkins, Welsh actor (b: December 31, 1937) (Biography of Anthony Hopkins)

1936:
Aga Khan IV, Shia Imam (b: December 31, 1936) (Biography of Aga Khan IV)

1930:
Odetta, American singer (b: December 31, 1930) (Biography of Odetta)

1920:
Rex Allen, American actor and singer (b: December 31, 1920) (Biography of Rex Allen)

1919:
Tommy Byrne, baseball player (b: December 31, 1919) (Biography of Tommy Byrne (baseball))

1910:
Carl Dudley, American film director (died 1973) (b: December 31, 1910 ; d: September 2, 1973) (Biography of Carl Dudley)

1908:
Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor and activist (b: December 31, 1908 ; d: September 20, 2005) (Biography of Simon Wiesenthal)

1905:
Jule Styne, English-born composer (b: December 31, 1905) (Biography of Jule Styne)

1903:
Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist (b: December 31, 1903 ; d: December 21, 1992) (Biography of Nathan Milstein)

1894:
Pola Negri, Polish actress (b: December 31, 1894) (Biography of Pola Negri)

1881:
Max Pechstein, German painter and graphic artist (b: December 31, 1881) (Biography of Max Pechstein)

1880:
George Marshall, American recipient of Nobel Peace Prize (b: December 31, 1880) (Biography of George Marshall)

1869:
Henri Matisse, French painter and graphic artist (b: December 31, 1869 ; d: November 3, 1954) (Biography of Henri Matisse)

1763:
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (b: December 31, 1763 ; d: April 22, 1806) (Biography of Pierre-Charles Villeneuve)

1738:
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British general (b: December 31, 1738 ; d: October 5, 1805) (Biography of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis)

1668:
Herman Boerhaave, Dutch humanist and physician (b: December 31, 1668 ; d: September 23, 1738) (Biography of Herman Boerhaave)

1572:
Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan, (b. 1617) (b: December 31, 1572 ; d: September 25, 1617) (Biography of Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan)

1514:
Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (b: December 31, 1514 ; d: October 15, 1564) (Biography of Vesalius)

1491:
Jacques Cartier, French explorer (b: December 31, 1491 ; d: September 1, 1557) (Biography of Jacques Cartier)

1378:
Pope Callixtus III (b: December 31, 1378 ; d: August 6, 1458) (Biography of Pope Callixtus III)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/31-december/births.html

[sailorv]

Not sure what year, but Lord Voldemort was born on December 31st!

[Spiritus Temporis]

[Spiritus Temporis]

They left us on December 31

2004:
Gerard Debreu, French-born economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b: July 4, 1921 ; d: December 31, 2004) (Biography of Gerard Debreu)

2003:
Arthur R. von Hippel, German-born physicist (b: November 19, 1898 ; d: December 31, 2003) (Biography of Arthur R. von Hippel)

2000:
Alan Cranston, American politician (b: June 19, 1914 ; d: December 31, 2000) (Biography of Alan Cranston)

1999:
Elliot Richardson, American politician (b: July 20, 1920 ; d: December 31, 1999) (Biography of Elliot Richardson)

1997:
Floyd Cramer (d: December 31, 1997) (Biography of Floyd Cramer)

1993:
Zviad Gamsakhurdia, first President of Georgia (b: March 31, 1939 ; d: December 31, 1993) (Biography of Zviad Gamsakhurdia)
Brandon Teena (d: December 31, 1993) (Biography of Brandon Teena)

1990:
Vasili Lazarev, cosmonaut (b: February 23, 1928 ; d: December 31, 1990) (Biography of Vasili Lazarev)

1985:
Rick Nelson (d: December 31, 1985) (Biography of Rick Nelson)

1980:
Raoul Walsh, American film director (b: March 11, 1892 ; d: December 31, 1980) (Biography of Raoul Walsh)
Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author (b: July 21, 1911 ; d: December 31, 1980) (Biography of Marshall McLuhan)

1972:
Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player (b: August 18, 1934 ; d: December 31, 1972) (Biography of Roberto Clemente)

1969:
George Lewis, American musician (b: July 13, 1900 ; d: December 31, 1969) (Biography of George Lewis (clarinetist))

1948:
Malcolm Campbell, English race car driver (b: March 11, 1885 ; d: December 31, 1948) (Biography of Malcolm Campbell)

1936:
Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish writer and philosopher (b: September 29, 1864 ; d: December 31, 1936) (Biography of Miguel de Unamuno)

1888:
Samson Raphael Hirsch, German rabbi (b: June 20, 1808 ; d: December 31, 1888) (Biography of Samson Raphael Hirsch)

1877:
Gustave Courbet, French painter (b: June 10, 1819 ; d: December 31, 1877) (Biography of Gustave Courbet)

1742:
Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine (b: November 4, 1661 ; d: December 31, 1742) (Biography of Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine)

1719:
John Flamsteed, English astronomer (b: August 19, 1646 ; d: December 31, 1719) (Biography of John Flamsteed)

1691:
Dudley North, English economist (b: May 10, 1641 ; d: December 31, 1691) (Biography of Dudley North)

1679:
Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (b: January 28, 1608 ; d: December 31, 1679) (Biography of Giovanni Alfonso Borelli)

1673:
Oliver St John (d: December 31, 1673) (Biography of Oliver St John)

1650:
Dorgon (d: December 31, 1650) (Biography of Dorgon)

1610:
Ludolph van Ceulen, German mathematician (b: January 28, 1540 ; d: December 31, 1610) (Biography of Ludolph van Ceulen)

1583:
Thomas Erastus, Swiss theologian (b: September 7, 1524 ; d: December 31, 1583) (Biography of Thomas Erastus)

1575:
Pierino Belli, Italian soldier and jurist (b: March 20, 1502 ; d: December 31, 1575) (Biography of Pierino Belli)

1568:
Shimazu Tadayoshi, Japanese warlord (b: October 14, 1493 ; d: December 31, 1568) (Biography of Shimazu Tadayoshi)

1535:
William Skeffington (d: December 31, 1535) (Biography of William Skeffington)

1510:
Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b: April 5, 1472 ; d: December 31, 1510) (Biography of Bianca Maria Sforza)

1460:
Edmund, Earl of Rutland, brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England (b: May 17, 1443 ; d: December 31, 1460) (Biography of Edmund, Earl of Rutland)
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (d: December 31, 1460) (Biography of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury)

1384:
John Wyclif (d: December 31, 1384) (Biography of John Wyclif)

1194:
Leopold V of Austria (Babenberg) (d: December 31, 1194) (Biography of Leopold V of Austria (Babenberg))

1164:
Ottokar III of Styria (d: December 31, 1164) (Biography of Ottokar III of Styria)

192:
Commodus, Roman Emperor (b: August 31, 161 ; d: December 31, 192) (Biography of Commodus)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/31-december/deaths.html