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What happened in history on this day: December 31?
On December 31 in ...
- 1775 - Battle of Québec; Americans unable to take British stronghold.
- 1776 - Rhode Island establishes wage and price controls to curb inflation: Limit is 70 cents a day for carpenters, 42 cents for tailors.
- 1781 - Continental Congress charters the Bank of North America.
- 1783 - Import to America of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states.
- 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 - Battle of Stone's River, Tennessee, CSA (Stone River, Murfreesboro).
- 1862 - US President Abraham Lincoln signs act admitting West Virginia to the USA.
- 1862 - Skirmish at Parker Cross Roads, Tennessee, CSA.
- 1862 - USA ironclad ship Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, CSA. 16 crew die, 47 are rescued.
- 1879 - Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.
- 1890 - Ellis Island (New York City, New York) opens as a US immigration depot.
- 1897 - Brooklyn's last day as a city, next day it incorporates into New York City.
- 1904 - The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Longacre Square (later known as Times Square) in New York City, New York.
- 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.
- 1909 - Manhattan Bridge opens.
- 1923 - First transatlantic radio broadcast of a voice, Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) to Manchester (England).
- 1938 - Dr R N Harger's "drunkometer", first breath test, introduced in Indiana, USA.
- 1938 - Herbert Lehman is sworn in as Governor of New York State for fourth four-year term.
- 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.
- 1941 - American Admiral Chester Nimitz takes command of the US Pacific Fleet.
- 1944 - 48 people die in a train accident in Ogden, Utah, USA.
- 1946 - US President Harry Truman officially proclaims end of World War II.
- 1957 - Disneyland in Anaheim, California, welcomes its 10-millionth guest.
- 1961 - US post-war Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$12 billion.
- 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).
- 1971 - Lieutenant General Robert E Cushman, Junior, US Marine Corp, ends term as deputy director of US Central Intelligence Agency.
- 1974 - US President Gerald Ford issues Executive Order 11825 legalizing private ownership of gold.
- 1974 - Zora Arkus-Duntov, Chief Engineer of Corvette, officially resigns from Chevrolet, replaced by David McLellan.
- 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 - Taiwan's final day of diplomatic relations with the US.
- 1979 - Winterland Rock Concert Hall in San Francisco closes after 556 concerts.
- 1984 - New York City subway gunman Bernhard Goetz surrenders to police in New Hampshire.
- 1984 - US leaves UNESCO.
- 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.
- 1990 - The Sci-Fi Channel on cable TV begins transmitting.
- 1991 - Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at record high 3168.83.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1997 - After 26 years in operation, the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee closes permanently.
- 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.
- 2006 - The U.S. soldier death toll in Iraq reaches 3,000.
- 2007 - The massive Big Dig construction project in Boston, Massachusetts ends.
- 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.
- 2015 - US resumes export of crude oil, first since 1973.
Births on December 31
- 1880 - Birth of George C Marshall in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, USA; authored Marshall Plan (Nobel Prize 1953).
- 1882 - Birth of Ben Jones in Missouri, USA; horse trainer (Citation, Whirlaway).
- 1892 - Birth of Jason Robards in Hillsdale, Michigan, USA; actor (Acapulco).
- 1910 - Birth of Dick Kollmar in Rigewood, New Jersey, USA; actor (Broadway Spotlight, Guess What).
- 1914 - Birth of Pat Brady in Toledo, Ohio, USA; actor (Roy Rogers Show).
- 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.
- 1921 - Birth of Rocky Graziano in New York City, New York, USA; boxer (Middleweight champion), actor (Miami Undercover).
- 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).
- 1928 - Birth of Ross Barbour in Columbus, Indiana, USA; singer ("Four Freshmen").
- 1930 - Birth of Odetta [Holmes] in Birmingham, Alabama, USA; folk singer/actress (Sanctuary).
- 1938 - Birth of Rosalind Cash in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; actress (Omega Man, Wrong is Right).
- 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).
- 1945 - Birth of Taylor Hackford in Santa Barbara, California, USA; director (Idolmaker, An Officer and a Gentleman, Devil's Advocate).
- 1946 - Birth of Patti Smith in Chicago, Illinois, USA; singer (Radio Ethiopia).
- 1947 - Birth of Tim Matheson in California, USA; actor (Animal House, Fletch, Up the Creek).
- 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).
- 1950 - Birth of Robert Bryan Gilder in Corvallis, Oregon, USA; PGA golfer (1980 Canadian Open).
- 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").
- 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).
- 1956 - Birth of Martin Joseph Fettman in Brooklyn, New York, USA; PhD/astronaut (STS 58).
- 1957 - Birth of David Allen Ogrin in Waukegan, Illinois, USA; PGA golfer (1994 Byron Nelson-second).
- 1959 - Birth of Bebe Neuwirth in Princeton, New Jersey, USA; actress (Lilith - Cheers, Damn Yankees).
- 1961 - Birth of Rick Aguilera in San Gabriel, California, USA; pitcher (Minnesota Twins).
- 1962 - Birth of Don Diamont in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Brad - The Young and the Restless).
- 1965 - Birth of Michelle Dobek in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA; golfer (1995 GHP Heartland Classic-45th).
- 1971 - Birth of Erin Warren in Winchester, Massachusetts, USA; luger (Olympics-1994).
- 1979 - Birth of Bob Bryar, American drummer (My Chemical Romance).
Deaths on December 31
- 1775 - General Richard Montgomery dies fighting the British.
- 1802 - Death of Francis Lewis at age 89; Welsh/US merchant, signer of US Declaration of Independence.
- 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.
- 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).
- 1966 - Chief Nipo Strongheart, Native American actor (Pony Soldier), dies at age 75.
- 1972 - Pittsburgh Pirates' outfielder Roberto Clemente is killed at age 38 when a cargo plane crashes during a relief effort to bring supplies to the victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake.
- 1980 - Raoul Walsh, US director (High Sierra), dies at about age 88.
- 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.
- 1990 - George Allen, US football coach (Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins), dies.
- 1993 - Thomas J Watson Junior, president of IBM (1956-71)/diplomat, 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.
- 1997 - Michael Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, dies in ski accident at age 39.
- 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.
- 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 - 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).
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