| History By Day |
| December 31st |
| History by Day - Copyright 2009-2011 |
| About December 31st is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. It is New Year's Eve. There are no days remaining until the end of the year. It is the last day of the Gregorian year. The day following is January 1st of the next year. Births 1880 - George C. Marshall, U.S. Secretary of State 1928 - Amarillo Slim, Hall of Fame poker player 1928 - Hugh McElhenny, Hall of Fame running back 1930 - Odetta, actress, singer 1937 - Anthony Hopkins, actor (The Silence of the Lambs) 1943 - Ben Kingsley, actor (Gandhi) 1943 - John Denver, singer, musician ("Rocky Mountain High") 1946 - Dewey Tomko, professional poker player 1948 - Donna Summer, singer, songwriter 1959 - Val Kilmer, actor (Batman Forever, Tombstone) 1972 - Joey McIntyre, singer, songwriter (New Kids on the Block) Deaths 1864 - George M. Dallas, 11th U.S. Vice President 1921 - Boies Penrose, U.S. Senator (Pennsylvania) 1972 - Roberto Clemente, Hall of Fame baseball player 1985 - Ricky Nelson, singer, songwriter 1990 - George Allen, NFL Hall of Fame coach Events 1759 - Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000 year lease and starts brewing Guinness at St James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. 1857 - Britain's Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa to be the capital of Canada. 1862 - Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two. 1879 - Thomas Edison gives the first public demonstration of his incandescent lightbulb in Menlo Park, New Jersey. 1907 - The giant ball is first dropped in Times Square in New York City to bring in the New Year. 1909 - The Manhattan Bridge opens. 1946 - President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II. 1999 - Control of the Panama Canal is transferred from the United States to Panama. 2007 - The massive Big Dig construction project in Boston, Massachusetts ends. |
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