From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. It is the last day of the Gregorian year. The day following is January 1 of the next year.

Events

• 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gaul.
• 535 – Byzantine General Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily, defeating the Ostrogothic garrison of Syracuse, and ending his consulship for the year.
• 1229 – James I of Aragon the Conqueror enters Medina Mayurqa (now known as Palma, Spain) thus consummating the Christian reconquest of the island of Majorca.
• 1600 – The British East India Company is chartered.
• 1660 – James II of England is named Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV of France.
• 1687 – The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope.
• 1695 – A window tax is imposed in England, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax.
• 1759 – Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum and starts brewing Guinness.
• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Quebec: British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army General Richard Montgomery.
• 1831 – Gramercy Park is deeded to New York City.
• 1857 – Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa, Ontario, as the capital of Canada.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.
• 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Stones River is fought near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
• 1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.
• 1891 – A new immigration depot is opened on Ellis Island, New York.
• 1904 – The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York, New York.
• 1909 – Manhattan Bridge opens.
• 1923 – The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.
• 1944 – World War II: Hungary declares war on Nazi Germany.
• 1946 – President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.
• 1951 – The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $13.3 billion USD in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.
• 1955 – The General Motors Corporation becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over $1 billion USD in a year.
• 1960 – The farthing coin ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.
• 1963 – The Central African Federation officially collapses and splits into Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
• 1981 – A coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.
• 1983 – The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.
• 1986 – A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, kills 97 and injures 140.
• 1991 – All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date and the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.
• 1992 – Czechoslovakia is dissolved, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
• 1994 – This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC-11 to UTC+13 and UTC-10 to UTC+14, respectively.
• 1998 – The European Exchange Rate Mechanism freezes the values of the legacy currencies in the Eurozone, and establishes the value of the euro currency.
• 1999 – Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, resigns as President of Russia, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.
• 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 – The United States Government hands control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
• 2004 – The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).
• 2007 – Bocaue Fire: Seven people are injured when a fire results in the explosions of several fireworks stores in the municipality of Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines.
• 2007 – The massive Big Dig construction project in Boston, Massachusetts ends.

Births

• 695 – Muhammad bin Qasim, Syrian general (d. 715)
• 1378 – Pope Callixtus III (d. 1458)
• 1491 – Jacques Cartier, French explorer (d. 1557)
• 1514 – Andreas Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (d. 1564)
• 1572 – Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan, (d. 1617)
• 1668 – Herman Boerhaave, Dutch humanist and physician (d. 1738)
• 1720 – Charles Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne (d. 1788)
• 1738 – Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British general (d. 1805)
• 1741 – Isabella Maria of Parma, wife of future Holy Roman emperor (d. 1763)
• 1763 – Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (d. 1806)
• 1815 – George Meade, American Civil War general (d. 1872)
• 1823 – Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet (d. 1849)
• 1830 – Isma'il Pasha, Governor of Egypt (d. 1895)
• 1830 – Alexander Smith, Scottish poet (d. 1867)
• 1857 – King Kelly, American baseball player (d. 1894)
• 1860 – Joseph S. Cullinan, American oil industrialist (d. 1937)
• 1869 – Henri Matisse, French painter (d. 1954)
• 1877 – Lawrence Beesley, English journalist and author (d. 1967)
• 1878 – Elizabeth Arden, Canadian businesswoman (d. 1966)
• 1878 – Horacio Quiroga, Uruguayan-Argentinian writer (d. 1937)
• 1880 – George C. Marshall, United States Secretary of State, Nobel Laureate (d. 1959)
• 1880 – Fred Beebe, American baseball player (d. 1957)
• 1881 – Max Pechstein, German painter (d. 1955)
• 1882 – Martin O'Meara, Australian soldier (d. 1935)
• 1884 – Bobby Byrne, American baseball player (d. 1964)
• 1885 – Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1970)
• 1894 – Pola Negri, Polish actress (d. 1987)
• 1899 – Silvestre Revueltas, Mexican composer (d. 1940)
• 1901 – Nikos Ploumpidis, Greek resistance fighter (d. 1954)
• 1902 – Lionel Daunais, Quebec singer and composer (d. 1982)
• 1903 – Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist (d. 1992)
• 1904 – Umm Kulthum, Egyptian singer and actress (d. 1975)
• 1905 – Jule Styne, English-born composer (d. 1994)
• 1908 – Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor (d. 2005)
• 1909 – Jonah Jones, American jazz trumpeter (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Carl Dudley, American film director (d. 1973)
• 1911 – Dal Stivens, Australian novelist (d. 1997)
• 1912 – Maj-Gen John Frost, British para commander (d. 1993)
• 1919 – Tommy Byrne, American baseball player (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Rex Allen, American actor, singer, and songwriter (d. 1999)
• 1924 – Taylor Mead, American actor
• 1928 – Siné, French cartoonist
• 1930 – Odetta, American singer (d. 2008)
• 1931 – Bob Shaw, Irish writer (d. 1996)
• 1933 – Edward Bunker, American author and actor (d. 2005)
• 1934 – Akram Awan, Islamic scholar
• 1937 – Avram Hershko, Israeli biologist, Nobel laureate
• 1937 – Sir Anthony Hopkins, Welsh actor
• 1938 – Rosalind Cash, American actress (d. 1995)
• 1940 – Mani Neumeier, German musician (Guru Guru)
• 1941 – Sir Alex Ferguson, Scottish football manager
• 1941 – Sarah Miles, English actress
• 1942 – Andy Summers, British guitarist (The Police)
• 1943 – John Denver, American singer and songwriter (d. 1997)
• 1943 – Sir Ben Kingsley, English actor
• 1943 – Pete Quaife, English bassist (The Kinks)
• 1944 – Taylor Hackford, American producer and director
• 1944 – Neil Ross, British-American voice actor
• 1945 – Diane von Fürstenberg, Belgian-born fashion designer
• 1945 – Barbara Carrera, Nicaraguan actress and model
• 1945 – Connie Willis, American writer
• 1946 – Pius Ncube, Zimbabwean human rights advocate
• 1947 – Burton Cummings, Canadian keyboardist (The Guess Who)
• 1947 – Tim Matheson, American actor
• 1947 – Rita Lee, Brazilian Rock Star
• 1948 – Donna Summer, American singer
• 1948 – René Robert, National Hockey League player
• 1949 – Ellen Datlow, American editor
• 1949 – Susan Shwartz, American writer
• 1949 – Seub Nakhasathien, Thai conservationist (d. 1990)
• 1951 – Tom Hamilton, American bassist (Aerosmith)
• 1953 – James Remar, American actor
• 1953 – Jane Badler, American actress
• 1954 – Alex Salmond, Scottish politician
• 1954 – Hermann Tilke, German racing circuit architect
• 1955 – Dawood Ibrahim, Indian crime boss
• 1956 – Steve Rude, American comics artist
• 1958 – Bebe Neuwirth, American actress
• 1959 – Liveris Andritsos, Greek basketball player
• 1959 – Alfie Anido, Filipino actor (d. 1981)
• 1959 – Val Kilmer, American actor
• 1959 – Phill Kline, American politician
• 1959 – Baron Waqa, Nauruan politician and musician
• 1959 – Paul Westerberg, American musician (The Replacements)
• 1960 – John Allen Muhammad, American spree killer (d. 2009)
• 1960 – Steve Bruce, English football player & manager
• 1961 – Rick Aguilera, American baseball player
• 1961 – Nina Li Chi, Chinese actress
• 1962 – Heather McCartney, British activist
• 1962 – Tyrone Corbin, American basketball player
• 1963 – Scott Ian, American guitarist (Anthrax)
• 1963 – Konishiki, American sumo wrestler
• 1964 – Michael McDonald, American actor-comedian
• 1965 – Julie Doucet, Canadian underground cartoonist
• 1965 – Gong Li, Chinese actress
• 1965 – Nicholas Sparks, American author
• 1966 – Lisa Joyner, American entertainment reporter
• 1968 – Gerry Dee, Canadian comedian and actor
• 1969 – Dominik Diamond, Scottish presenter and newspaper columnist
• 1969 – Lance Reddick, American actor
• 1970 – Carlos Morales Quintana, husband of Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark
• 1970 – Bryon Russell, American basketball player
• 1971 – Brent Barry, American basketball player
• 1971 – Esteban Loaiza, Mexican Major League Baseball player
• 1971 – Ricardo López Felipe, Spanish footballer
• 1972 – Joe McIntyre, American singer (New Kids on the Block)
• 1973 – Shandon Anderson, American basketball player
• 1973 – Malcolm Middleton, Scottish musician (Arab Strap)
• 1974 – Mario Aerts, Belgian cyclist
• 1974 – Tony Kanaan, Brazilian racing driver
• 1974 – Ryan Sakoda, Japanese American professional wrestler
• 1975 – Toni Kuivasto, Finnish footballer
• 1975 – Rob Penders, Dutch footballer
• 1976 – Craig Reucassel, Australian comedian, member of The Chaser
• 1977 – Wardy Alfaro, Costa Rican footballer
• 1977 – Donald Trump Jr., son of Donald Trump and Ivana Trump
• 1978 – Papoose, American rapper
• 1979 – Bob Bryar, American drummer (My Chemical Romance)
• 1979 – Elaine Cassidy, Irish actress
• 1980 – Jesse Carlson, American baseball player
• 1980 – Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby player
• 1980 – Matthew Capiccioni, American professional wrestler
• 1981 – Jason Campbell, American football player
• 1981 – Matthew Pavlich, Australian football player
• 1982 – Bryce Avary, The Rocket Summer, American musician
• 1982 – Julio DePaula, Dominican baseball player
• 1982 – Craig Gordon, Scottish footballer
• 1982 – Luke Schenscher, Australian basketball player
• 1983 – Mike Williams, American football player
• 1984 – Greg Pritchard Britain's Got Talent Semi-finalist
• 1984 – Paul Rodriguez Jr. Professional skateboarder
• 1985 – Jan Smit, Dutch singer
• 1986 – Bronson Pelletier, Canadian actor
• 1987 – Javaris Crittenton, American basketball player
• 1987 – Émilie Le Pennec, French gymnast

Deaths

• 192 – Commodus, Roman Emperor (b. 161)
• 335 – St. Silvester, Pope
• 1164 – Margrave Ottokar III of Styria (b. 1124)
• 1194 – Duke Leopold V of Austria (killed at a tournament) (b. 1157)
• 1297 – Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford, English soldier (b. 1249)
• 1302 – Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1238)
• 1384 – John Wycliffe, English theologian and Bible translator
• 1424 – Thomas Beaufort, 1st Duke of Exeter, English military leader
• 1460 – Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, English politician (b. 1400)
• 1510 – Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1472)
• 1535 – William Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1465)
• 1568 – Shimazu Tadayoshi, Japanese warlord (b. 1493)
• 1575 – Pierino Belli, Italian soldier and jurist (b. 1502)
• 1583 – Thomas Erastus, Swiss theologian (b. 1524)
• 1610 – Ludolph van Ceulen, German mathematician (b. 1540)
• 1650 – Dorgon, Chinese emperor (b. 1612)
• 1655 – Janusz Radziwiłł, Polish–Lithuanian noble and magnate (b. 1612)
• 1673 – Oliver St John, English statesman and judge
• 1679 – Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (b. 1608)
• 1691 – Dudley North, English economist (b. 1641)
• 1719 – John Flamsteed, English astronomer (b. 1646)
• 1742 – Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine (b. 1661)
• 1799 – Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and writer (b. 1723)
• 1872 – Aleksis Kivi, Finnish author (b. 1834)
• 1876 – Catherine Labouré, French visionary and saint (b. 1806)
• 1877 – Gustave Courbet, French painter (b. 1819)
• 1888 – Samson Raphael Hirsch, German rabbi (b. 1808)
• 1889 – Ion Creangă, Romanian writer
• 1890 – Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican war heroine (b. 1826)
• 1891 – Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Nigerian bishop. (b. 1809)
• 1894 – Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, Dutch mathematician (b. 1856)
• 1905 – Alexander Popov, Russian physicist (b. 1859)
• 1909 – Spencer Trask, American financier (b. 1844)
• 1910 – John Moisant, American aviator (b. 1868)
• 1910 – Arch Hoxsey, American aviator (b. 1884)
• 1921 – Boies Penrose, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (b. 1860)
• 1936 – Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish writer and philosopher (b. 1864)
• 1948 – Malcolm Campbell, English race car driver (b. 1885)
• 1953 – Albert Plesman, Dutch aviation pioneer (b. 1889)
• 1964 – Ólafur Thors, Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1892)
• 1964 – Bobby Byrne, baseball player (b. 1884)
• 1969 – George Lewis, American clarinetist (b. 1900)
• 1971 – Pete Duel American actor (b. 1940)
• 1971 – Marin Sais, American actress (b. 1890)
• 1971 – Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist (b. 1919)
• 1972 – Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1934)
• 1977 – Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, ruler of Kuwait (b. 1924)
• 1980 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian writer (b. 1911)
• 1980 – Raoul Walsh, American film director (b. 1887)
• 1985 – Rick Nelson, American singer (b. 1940)
• 1986 – Lloyd Haynes, American actor (b. 1934)
• 1987 – Jerry Turner, American television anchorman (b. 1929)
• 1988 –Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and art critic (b. 1907)
• 1990 – Vasili Lazarev, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1928)
• 1990 – George Allen, American football coach (b. 1918)
• 1993 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, first President of Georgia (b. 1939)
• 1993 – Brandon Teena, American murder victim (b. 1972)
• 1994 – Leigh Bowery, Australian-born English fashion performance artist (b. 1961)
• 1994 – Woody Strode, American actor and decathlete (b. 1914)
• 1997 – Floyd Cramer, American musician (b. 1933)
• 1997 – Billie Dove, American actress (b. 1903)
• 1997 – Michael Kennedy, American politician (b. 1958)
• 1999 – Elliot Richardson, American politician (b. 1920)
• 2000 – Alan Cranston, American politician (b. 1914)
• 2000 – José Greco, Italian-born American flamenco dancer and choreographer (b. 1918)
• 2000 – Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, Israeli leader of Kahane Chai party and son of Rabbi Meir Kahane, murder victim (b. 1966)
• 2001 – Eileen Heckart, American actress (b. 1919)
• 2002 – Kevin Scott MacMichael, American guitarist (Cutting Crew) (b. 1951)
• 2003 – Arthur R. von Hippel German-born physicist (b. 1898)
• 2004 – Gerard Debreu, French economist, Bank of Sweden Prize laureate (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Phillip Whitehead, British politician (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Enrico di Giuseppe, American tenor (b. 1932)
• 2006 – George Sisler, Jr., American baseball executive (b. 1917)
• 2007 – Tommy Dickson, British footballer (b. 1929)
• 2007 – Tony Elliott, American football player (b. 1959)
• 2007 – Michael Goldberg, American painter (b. 1924)
• 2007 – Bill Idelson, American actor (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Kathryn Ish, American actress (b. 1936)
• 2007 – Milton L. Klein, Canadian politician (b. 1910)
• 2007 – Markku Peltola, Finnish actor and musician (b. 1956)
• 2007 – Ettore Sottsass, Italian architect and designer (b. 1917)
• 2008 – Donald E. Westlake, American author (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances

• New Year's Eve or Old Year's Night on the Gregorian Calendar.
• Hogmanay in Scotland.
• Last Day of the Year Celebration, special non-working holiday in the Philippines.
• The seventh day of Christmas in Western Christianity.

Roman Catholic Church:

• St. Sylvester I

Eastern Orthodox Church:

• Apodosis of Christmas

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

From Wikiquote

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2003

I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

• selected by Basil Fawlty

2004

Wave after wave, each mightier than the last,
Till last, a ninth one, gathering half the deep
And full of voices, slowly rose and plunged
Roaring, and all the wave was in a flame:
And down the wave and in the flame was borne
A naked babe...
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson in Idylls of the King ~

• selected by Kalki

2005

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!
~ "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns ~

• selected by Kalki

2006

When a thing is done, it's done. Don't look back. Look forward to your next objective. ~ George Marshall

• proposed by UDScott

2007

For my part I have never avoided the influence of others. I would have considered it cowardice and a lack of sincerity toward myself. ~ Henri Matisse (born December 31, 1869)

• proposed by InvisibleSun

2008

It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy... Let's go exploring! ~ Bill Watterson - Final strip of Calvin and Hobbes, published December 31, 1995

• proposed by Lyle

2009 

Rank or add further suggestions…

Ranking system:

4 : Excellent - should definitely be used.

3 : Very Good - strong desire to see it used.

2 : Good - some desire to see it used.

1 : Acceptable - but with no particular desire to see it used.

0 : Not acceptable - not appropriate for use as a quote of the day.

Suggestions

There is no freedom without justice. ~ Simon Wiesenthal

• There was a quotation by him in September, 2005 ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 08:55, 4 December 2005 (UTC)
• 1 Kalki 11:11, 30 December 2006 (UTC) Good quote, but no clear relation to the date.
• 1 InvisibleSun 14:34, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
• 0 Zarbon 21:00, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
• 1 Lyle 18:35, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!
~ Robert Burns ~ (Traditional New Year's Eve song)

• 1 Kalki 11:11, 30 December 2006 (UTC) 4 ~ Kalki 23:33, 29 December 2005 (UTC) Downgraded from 4 to 1 as a variant of this has already been used — last year... and which indicates to me I better start updating the date pages more regularly — one of my resolutions for the coming year... ~ Kalki 01:11, 31 December 2006 (UTC)
• 1 InvisibleSun 14:34, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
• 1 Zarbon 21:00, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have the light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me. ~ Henri Matisse (born December 31, 1869)

• 3 Kalki 23:42, 30 December 2006 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.
• 3 InvisibleSun 15:18, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
• 1 Zarbon 21:00, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Lyle 18:35, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

You study, you learn, but you guard the original naiveté. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover. ~ Henri Matisse (born December 31, 1869)

• 3 Kalki 23:42, 30 December 2006 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.
• 3 InvisibleSun 15:18, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
• 2 Zarbon 21:00, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Lyle 18:35, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

At each stage I reach a balance, a conclusion. At the next sitting, if I find that there is a weakness in the whole, I make my way back into the picture by means of the weakness — I re-enter through the breach — and I reconceive the whole. Thus everything becomes fluid again. ~ Henri Matisse (born December 31, 1869)

• 3 Kalki 23:42, 30 December 2006 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
• 3 InvisibleSun 15:18, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
• 2 Zarbon 21:00, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Lyle 18:35, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

War is very uncertain in its results, and often when affairs look most desperate they suddenly assume a more hopeful state. ~ George Meade

• 3 Zarbon 05:59, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
• 1 Lyle 18:35, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 20:30, 11 December 2008 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
• 2 InvisibleSun 22:25, 30 December 2008 (UTC)

Never fear your enemies, fear your actions. ~ George Meade

• 2 Zarbon 05:59, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Lyle 18:35, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 20:30, 11 December 2008 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.

The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it. ~ George Marshall

• 4 Zarbon 05:59, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Lyle 18:35, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 20:30, 11 December 2008 (UTC) though leaning toward a 4.
• 3 InvisibleSun 22:25, 30 December 2008 (UTC)

Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars. ~ George Marshall

• 3 Zarbon 05:59, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
• 1 I'm having a hard time thinking of historic examples where this quote would apply. More like spiritual power starts wars. Lyle 17:15, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

I must disagree strongly: It is not any form of true spiritual power or will that starts wars, but an extreme lack of it, and of any confidence in it or in the ideals of Liberty and Justice, and rather a reliance and confidence in material and military power and strategies, which often have been fostered in ways that create extreme indifference and even hostility to these ideals. Often, but not always, amidst the long trials of war, spiritual strength comes to the fore, despite many defeats, setbacks, and retreats, amidst many battles against those who might be well armed and skilled in the use of military or political weaponry and tactics. ~ Kalki 17:29, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

• 3 Kalki 20:30, 11 December 2008 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
• 3 InvisibleSun 22:25, 30 December 2008 (UTC)

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~ Larry Wilde.

From StrategyWiki, the free strategy guide and walkthrough wiki

Games released on December 31.

From Wikia Gaming, your source for walkthroughs, games, guides, and more!

Game releases

• 1999
  • Bass Masters 2000 for the Nintendo 64

• 1998
  • BattleTanx for the Nintendo 64 in North America
  • Castlevania (64) for the Nintendo 64 in North America

• 1997
  • Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation in North America
  • Wetrix for the PC in North America

• 1996
  • Command and Conquer for the Sega Saturn in North America
  • SimTunes for the PC

• 1993
  • Xcom: UFO Defense was released for the PC in North America

• 1990
  • Sonic the Hedgehog in North America

From Familypedia

December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining until the end of the year.

It is the final day of the Gregorian year. The day following is January 1 of the next year.

Events

• 406 - Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia.
• 535 - Byzantine General Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily, defeating the Ostrogothic garrison of Syracuse, and ending his consulship for the year.
• 1229 - James I of Aragon the Conqueror enters Medina Mayurqa (nowadays Palma de Mallorca, Spain) thus consummating the Christian conquest of the island of Mallorca.
• 1599 - British East India Company is chartered.
• 1660 - James II of England is created Duke of Normandy by King Louis XIV.
• 1687 - The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope.
• 1695 - A window tax is imposed in England, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax.
• 1775 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Quebec British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold.
• 1831 - Gramercy Park is deeded to New York City.
• 1857 - Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa, as the capital of Canada.
• 1862 - American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union (thus dividing Virginia in two).
• 1862 - American Civil War: The Battle of Stones River is fought near Murfreesboro.
• 1879 - Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.
• 1891 - A new immigration depot is opened on Ellis Island, New York.
• 1904 - The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square, then known as Longacre Square, in New York.
• 1909 - Manhattan Bridge opens.
• 1923 - The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.
• 1929 - Guy Lombardo performs Auld Lang Syne at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City for the first time.
• 1944 - World War II: Hungary declares war on Germany.
• 1946 - President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.
• 1955 - General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over USD $1 billion in a year.
• 1960 - The farthing coin ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.
• 1961 - The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than USD $12 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.
• 1963 - The Central African Federation officially collapses and splits into Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
• 1981 - Coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.
• 1983 - The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.
• 1986 - A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, kills 97 and injures 140.
• 1991 - The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is officially dissolved.
• 1994 - This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC-11 to UTC+13 and UTC-10 to UTC+14, respectively.
• 1997 - Quaker Oats settles a lawsuit involving the immoral use of child subjects in radioactivity experiments circa 1945-1956.
• 1998 - Exchange rates between the euro and legacy currencies in the Eurozone become fixed.
• 1999 - Boris Yeltsin resigns as President of Russia, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.
• 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 - The United States Government handed Panama Canal control over to Panama as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties
• 2004 - The official opening of Taipei 101, the current tallest skyscraper in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 feet).
• 2005 - The Greek BBC radio service ends.
• 2006 - The United Kingdom pays final installment of Second World War debt to the United States

Births

• 1378 - Pope Callixtus III (d. 1458)
• 1491 - Jacques Cartier, French explorer (d. 1557)
• 1514 - Andreas Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (d. 1564)
• 1572 - Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan, (d. 1617)
• 1668 - Herman Boerhaave, Dutch humanist and physician (d. 1738)
• 1720 - Charles Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne (d. 1788)
• 1738 - Charles Cornwallis, British general (d. 1805)
• 1741 - Isabella Maria of Parma, empress of Germany (d. 1763)
• 1763 - Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (d. 1806)
• 1815 - George G. Meade, American Civil War general (d. 1872)
• 1830 - Isma'il Pasha, Governor of Egypt (d. 1895)
• 1860 - Joseph S. Cullinan, American oil industrialist (d. 1937)
• 1869 - Henri Matisse, French painter (d. 1954)
• 1877 - Lawrence Beesley, English journalist and author (d. 1967)
• 1878 - Elizabeth Arden, Canadian businesswoman (d. 1966)
• 1880 - George C. Marshall, United States Secretary of State, Nobel Laureate (d. 1959)
• 1880 - Fred Beebe, American baseball player (d. 1957)
• 1881 - Max Pechstein, German painter (d. 1955)
• 1882 - Martin O'Meara, Australian soldier (d. 1935)
• 1884 - Bobby Byrne, American baseball player (d. 1964)
• 1885 - Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1970)
• 1894 - Pola Negri, Polish actress (d. 1987)
• 1899 - Silvestre Revueltas, Mexican composer (d. 1940)
• 1902 - Lionel Daunais, Quebec singer and composer (d. 1982)
• 1903 - Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist (d. 1992)
• 1905 - Jule Styne, English-born composer (d. 1994)
• 1908 - Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor (d. 2005)
• 1909 - Jonah Jones, American jazz trumpeter (d. 2000
• 1910 - Carl Dudley, American film director (d. 1973)
• 1919 - Tommy Byrne, American baseball player
• 1920 - Rex Allen, American actor and singer (d. 1999)
• 1924 - Taylor Mead, American actor
• 1928 - Siné, French cartoonist
• 1930 - Odetta, American singer
• 1931 - Bob Shaw, Irish writer (d. 1996)
• 1933 - Edward Bunker, American author and actor (d. 2005)
• 1934 - Akram Awan, Islamic scholar
• 1937 - Avram Hershko, Israeli biologist, Nobel laureate
• 1937 - Anthony Hopkins, Welsh actor
• 1938 - Rosalind Cash, American actress (d. 1995)
• 1940 - Mani Neumeier, German musician (Guru Guru)
• 1941 - Sir Alex Ferguson, Scottish football manager
• 1941 - Sarah Miles, English actress
• 1942 - Andy Summers, British guitarist (The Police)
• 1943 - John Denver, American singer and songwriter (d. 1997)
• 1943 - Ben Kingsley, English actor
• 1943 - Pete Quaife, English bassist (The Kinks)
• 1944 - Taylor Hackford, American producer and director
• 1945 - Diane von Fürstenberg, Belgian-born fashion designer
• 1945 - Connie Willis, American writer
• 1946 - Pius Ncube, Zimbabwean human rights advocate
• 1947 - Burton Cummings, Canadian keyboardist (The Guess Who)
• 1947 - Tim Matheson, American actor
• 1947 - Rita Lee, Brazilian Rock Star
• 1948 - Donna Summer, American singer
• 1948 - René Robert, National Hockey League player
• 1949 - Ellen Datlow, American editor
• 1949 - Susan Shwartz, American writer
• 1951 - George Thorogood, American musician
• 1951 - Tom Hamilton, American bassist (Aerosmith)
• 1953 - James Remar, American actor
• 1953 - Jane Badler, American actress
• 1954 - Alex Salmond, Scottish politician
• 1955 - Dawood Ibrahim, Terrorist
• 1956 - Steve Rude, American comics artist
• 1958 - Bebe Neuwirth, American actress
• 1959 - Phill Kline, American politician
• 1959 - Val Kilmer, American actor
• 1959 - Paul Westerberg, American musician (The Replacements)
• 1960 - John Allen Muhammad, American serial killer
• 1960 - Steve Bruce, English football player & manager
• 1961 - Rick Aguilera, American baseball player
• 1961 - Nina Li Chi, Chinese actress
• 1962 - Heather McCartney, British activist
• 1963 - Scott Ian, American guitarist (Anthrax)
• 1963 - Konishiki, American sumo wrestler
• 1964 - Michael McDonald, American actor-comedian
• 1964 - Allen D'Nulderf, American stuntman
• 1964 - Lowri Turner, British TV presenter
• 1965 - Gong Li, Chinese actress
• 1965 - Nicholas Sparks, American author
• 1966 - Lisa Joyner, American entertainment reporter
• 1968 - Gerry Dee, Canadian comedian and actor
• 1970 - Carlos Morales Quintana, husband of Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark
• 1970 - Bryon Russell, American basketball player
• 1971 - Brent Barry, American basketball player
• 1971 - Esteban Loaiza, Mexican Major League Baseball player
• 1972 - Joe McIntyre, American singer (New Kids on the Block)
• 1973 - Shandon Anderson, American basketball player
• 1973 - Malcolm Middleton, Scottish musician (Arab Strap)
• 1974 - Ryan Sakoda, Japanese American professional wrestler
• 1974 - Tony Kanaan, Brazilian racing driver
• 1975 - Toni Kuivasto, Finnish footballer
• 1976 - Vanessa Kerry, daughter of John Kerry
• 1977 - Wardy Alfaro, Costa Rican footballer
• 1977 - Donald Trump Jr., son of Donald Trump
• 1978 - Papoose, American rapper
• 1979 - Bob Bryar, American drummer (My Chemical Romance, Gerardolopoly)
• 1979 - Elaine Cassidy, Irish actress
• 1980 - Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby player
• 1980 - Matt Cross, American professional wrestler
• 1981 - Jason Campbell, American football player
• 1981 - Matthew Pavlich, Australian football player
• 1982 - Craig Gordon, Scottish footballer
• 1982 - Luke Schenscher, Australian basketball player
• 1982 - Julio DePaula, baseball player in the United States
• 1987 - Javaris Crittenton, American basketball player
• 1987 - Émilie Le Pennec, French gymnast

Deaths

• 192 - Commodus, Roman Emperor (b. 161)
• 335 - St. Silvester, Pope
• 1164 - Margrave Ottokar III of Styria (b. 1124)
• 1194 - Duke Leopold V of Austria (killed at a tournament) (b. 1157)
• 1297 - Humphrey de Bohun, English soldier (b. 1249)
• 1302 - Frederick III (b. 1238)
• 1384 - John Wycliffe, English theologian and Bible translator
• 1424 - Thomas Beaufort, English military leader
• 1460 - Edmund, brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England (executed) (b. 1443)
• 1460 - Richard Neville, English politician (b. 1400)
• 1510 - Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I (b. 1472)
• 1535 - William Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1465)
• 1568 - Shimazu Tadayoshi, Japanese warlord (b. 1493)
• 1575 - Pierino Belli, Italian soldier and jurist (b. 1502)
• 1583 - Thomas Erastus, Swiss theologian (b. 1524)
• 1610 - Ludolph van Ceulen, German mathematician (b. 1540)
• 1650 - Dorgon, Chinese emperor (b. 1612)
• 1673 - Oliver St John, English statesman and judge
• 1679 - Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (b. 1608)
• 1691 - Dudley North, English economist (b. 1641)
• 1719 - John Flamsteed, English astronomer (b. 1646)
• 1742 - Karl III Philip (b. 1661)
• 1799 - Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and writer (b. 1723)
• 1872 - Aleksis Kivi, Finnish author (b. 1834)
• 1877 - Gustave Courbet, French painter (b. 1819)
• 1888 - Samson Raphael Hirsch, German rabbi (b. 1808)
• 1889 - Ion Creangă, Romanian writer (b. 1837 or 1839)
• 1894 - Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, Dutch mathematician (b. 1856)
• 1905 - Alexander Popov, Russian physicist (b. 1859)
• 1910 - John Moisant, American aviator (b. 1868)
• 1910 - Arch Hoxsey, American aviator (b. 1884)
• 1921 - Boies Penrose, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (b. 1860)
• 1936 - Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish writer and philosopher (b. 1864)
• 1948 - Malcolm Campbell, English race car driver (b. 1885)
• 1953 - Albert Plesman, Dutch aviation pioneer (b. 1889)
• 1964 - Ólafur Thors, Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1892)
• 1964 - Bobby Byrne, baseball player (b. 1884)
• 1969 - George Lewis, American clarinetist (b. 1900)
• 1971 - Pete Duel American actor (b. 1940)
• 1971 - Marin Sais, American actress (b. 1890)
• 1971 - Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist (b. 1919)
• 1972 - Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1934)
• 1977 - Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, ruler of Kuwait (b. 1924)
• 1980 - Marshall McLuhan, Canadian writer (b. 1911)
• 1980 - Raoul Walsh, American film director (b. 1887)
• 1985 - Rick Nelson, American singer (b. 1940)
• 1986 - Lloyd Haynes, American actor (b. 1934)
• 1990 - Vasili Lazarev, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1928)
• 1990 - George Allen, American football coach
• 1993 - Zviad Gamsakhurdia, first President of Georgia (b. 1939)
• 1993 - Brandon Teena Transsexual murdered
• 1994 - Woody Strode, American actor and decathlete (b. 1914)
• 1997 - Floyd Cramer, American musician (b. 1933)
• 1997 - Billie Dove, American actress (b. 1903)
• 1997 - Michael Kennedy, American politician (b. 1958)
• 1999 - Elliot Richardson, American politician (b. 1920)
• 2000 - Alan Cranston, American politician (b. 1914)
• 2000 - José Greco, Italian-born American flamenco dancer and choreographer (b. 1918)
• 2001 - Eileen Heckart, American actress (b. 1919)
• 2002 - Kevin MacMichael, American guitarist (Cutting Crew) (b. 1951)
• 2003 - Arthur R. von Hippel German-born physicist (b. 1898)
• 2004 - Gerard Debreu, French-born economist, Bank of Sweden Prize laureate (b. 1921)
• 2005 - Phillip Whitehead, British politician (b. 1937)
• 2005 - Enrico di Giuseppe, American tenor (b. 1932)
• 2006 - George Sisler, baseball executive (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances

• New Year's Eve on the Gregorian Calendar.
• Last Day of the Year Celebration, special non-working holiday in the Philippines.

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day

• On This Day in Canada