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December 31 Events in History - December 31 Birthdays - December 31 Deaths
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December 31, 1999 Control of Panama Canal reverts to Panama December 31, 1999 The London Eye, the world's largest Ferris wheel, opens by the banks of the Thames December 31, 1998 US movie box office hits record $6.24 billion for year December 31, 1997 Intel cuts price of Pentium II-233 MHz from $401 to $268 December 31, 1997 Marv Levy, retires as coach of Buffalo Bills December 31, 1997 Microsoft buys Hotmail E-mail service December 31, 1997 More Swedes died than were born in 1997, 1st time since 1809 December 31, 1997 Orlando Hernandez, half-brother of pitcher Livan, defects from Cuba December 31, 1997 South African and U.S. surgeons separate Zambian Siamese twins joined at the head December 31, 1995 "Danny Gans on Broadway" closes at Neil Simon New York City December 31, 1995 "Having Our Say" closes at Booth Theater New York City after 308 performances December 31, 1995 "Heiress" closes at Cort Theater New York City after 340 performances December 31, 1995 "Paul Roebson" closes at Longacre Theater New York City after 14 performances December 31, 1995 "Racing Demon" closes at Vivian Beaumont Theater New York City after 48 performances December 31, 1995 "Tempest" closes at Broadhurst Theater New York City after 71 performances December 31, 1995 62nd Sugar Bowl: Virginia Tech beats Texas December 31, 1995 Cartoonist Bill Watterson ends his "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip December 31, 1995 Matthew Elliott scores separate cricket century same day for Victoria December 31, 1994 1st snowless December in Baltimore Maryland December 31, 1994 Anti Apartheid Group of Netherlands (AABN) disbands December 31, 1993 Barbra Striesand does her 1st live public concert in 20 years December 31, 1993 Loveboat actress Jill Whelan (27) weds Brad St. John (33) December 31, 1992 Target date for Europe's single market December 31, 1992 WCBS TV news anchor Carol Martin weds Joe Terry December 31, 1991 CPN, Communist Party of Netherland, last day of existance December 31, 1991 Daniel R McCarthy elected New York Yankee managing general partner December 31, 1991 Dow Jones closes at record high 3168.83 December 31, 1991 J Donald Crump resigned as CFL Commissioner December 31, 1991 U.S.S.R., last day of existence December 31, 1990 Iraq begins a military draft of 17 year olds December 31, 1990 Sci-Fi Channel on cable TV begins transmitting December 31, 1990 United Somali Congress seizes Presidential Palace December 31, 1989 "Me and My Girl" closes at Marquis Theater New York City after 1420 performances December 31, 1989 "Threepenny Opera" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater New York City after 65 performances December 31, 1989 Actress Annabella Sciorra (Jungle Fever) weds Joe Petruzzi December 31, 1989 Fog Bowl: Heavy fog rolls in on Bears 20-12 victory over Eagles December 31, 1989 Jockey Kent Desormeaux sets record with 598 wins in a year December 31, 1986 Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 97 December 31, 1986 Russian TU-144 flies for 1st time faster than sound December 31, 1986 WIS-AM in Columbia South Carolina changes call letters to WVOC (now WOMG) December 31, 1984 Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen loses his arm in a car crash December 31, 1984 New York City subway gunman Bernhard Goetz surrenders to police in NH December 31, 1984 Rajiv Gandhi takes office as India's 6th PM succeeds his mom, Indira December 31, 1984 Test Cricket debut of Mohammad Azharuddin, vs. England at Calcutta December 31, 1984 US leaves UNESCO December 31, 1983 Brunei gains complete independence from Britain December 31, 1983 Jose Happart installed as mayor of Voeren Belgium December 31, 1983 Nigeria's National Assembly dissolves after military coup December 31, 1982 CBS Mystery Theater final episode on radio after 8 years December 31, 1982 NBC radio cancels almost all of its network daily features December 31, 1982 TV soap "Doctors" ends 19 year run December 31, 1981 CNN Headline News debuts December 31, 1981 Lt Jerry Rawlings becomes head of Ghana, suspends constitution December 31, 1981 Netherlands unemployment stands at record 475,000 December 31, 1980 A Jewish owned hotel in Nairobi Kenya is bombed killing 18 December 31, 1980 New York Islanders greatest shutout margin (9-0) vs Chicago Black Hawks December 31, 1980 Senegal president Leopold Senghor resigns December 31, 1979 Winterland Rock Concert Hall in San Francisco closes after 556 concerts December 31, 1978 "Magic Show" closes at Cort Theater New York City after 1859 performances December 31, 1978 "Runaways" closes at Plymouth Theater New York City after 199 performances December 31, 1978 CIA director, Admiral Stansfield Turner retires from the Navy December 31, 1978 Iran shah names Chapour Bakhtiar premier December 31, 1978 Taiwan's final day of diplomatic relations with US December 31, 1977 "Bubbling Brown Sugar" closes at ANTA Theater New York City after 766 performances December 31, 1977 "Man of La Mancha" closes at Palace Theater New York City after 124 performances December 31, 1977 Amir Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah becomes leader of Kuwait December 31, 1977 Cambodia drops diplomatic relations with Vietnam December 31, 1977 Donald Woods, a banned white editor flees South Africa December 31, 1977 Ted Bundy escapes from jail in Colorado December 31, 1976 TV soap "Somerset" ends 6 year run December 31, 1976 The Cars played their 1st gig December 31, 1975 42nd Sugar Bowl: Alabama 13 beats Penn State 6 December 31, 1974 41st Sugar Bowl: Nebraska 13 beats Florida 10 December 31, 1974 Free agent pitcher Catfish Hunter signs $3M 5 year New York Yank contract December 31, 1974 Gold legal in U.S., Franklin Mint strikes Panama's Gold 100 balboa coin December 31, 1974 Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks join Fleetwood Mac December 31, 1974 New York Yankees sign Jim "Catfish" Hunter to 5 years for record $3.75 million December 31, 1974 Popular Electronics displays Altair 8800 computer December 31, 1973 40th Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 24 beats Alabama 23 December 31, 1973 61st Australian Mens Tennis: John Newcombe beats O Parun (63 67 75 61) December 31, 1973 Johan Cruyff chosen European soccer Player of year December 31, 1972 39th Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma 14 beats Penn State 0 December 31, 1972 Leap second day; also in 1973-79, 1987 December 31, 1972 Miami Dolphins beat Pittsburgh Steelers 21-7 in AFC championship game December 31, 1972 Washington Redskins beat Dallas Cowboys 26-3 in NFC championship game December 31, 1971 KAID TV channel 4 in Boise, ID (PBS) begins broadcasting December 31, 1971 Lieutenant General Robert E Cushman, Jr, USMC, ends term as deputy director of CIA December 31, 1970 Congress authorizes Eisenhower dollar coin December 31, 1970 Paul McCartney files a lawsuit to disolve Beatles December 31, 1970 President Allende nationalizes Chilean coal mines December 31, 1970 Would have been start of Aust/Eng Test Cricket at MCG, washed out December 31, 1969 Congo-Brazzaville becomes People's republic, under major Ngouabi December 31, 1968 1st supersonic airliner flown (Russian TU-144) December 31, 1968 1st test flight of Tupolev TU 144 December 31, 1968 New York Jets win AFL championship December 31, 1967 "Henry, Sweet Henry" closes at Palace Theater New York City after 80 performances December 31, 1967 1st NBA game at Great Western Forum, Los Angeles Lakers beat Houston 147-118 December 31, 1967 Oakland Raiders beat Houston Oilers 40-7 in AFL championship game December 31, 1967 Packers beat Cowboys 21-17 in NFL championship game (-13 degrees F) December 31, 1966 Monkee's "I'm a Believer" hits #1 and stays there for 7 weeks December 31, 1966 Test Cricket debut of Bishen Singh Bedi, India vs. WI Calcutta, 2-92 December 31, 1966 Toboggan Chutes begin operation in Cleveland Metroparks December 31, 1964 Donald Campbell (UK) sets world water speed record (276.33 mph) December 31, 1964 Indonesia proclaims expelled from the UN December 31, 1963 Chicago Bears win NFL championship December 31, 1963 Dear Abby show premieres on CBS radio (runs 11 years) December 31, 1963 Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir played music together for the 1st time December 31, 1962 "Match Game" debuts on NBC with host Gene Rayburn December 31, 1962 American Basketball League announces suspension of operation December 31, 1962 Dutch leave New Guinea December 31, 1962 Katanga becomes part of Democratic Republic of Congo December 31, 1962 Ohio ends suit against Reds when they agree to stay in Cin for 10 yrs December 31, 1961 "lrma La Douce" closes at Plymouth Theater New York City after 527 performances December 31, 1961 1st performance of Beach Boys December 31, 1961 Beach Boys play their debut gig under that name December 31, 1961 Failed coup by Syrian group in Lebanon December 31, 1961 Green Bay Packers shutout New York Giants 37-0 in NFL championship game December 31, 1961 Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $12 billion December 31, 1958 47th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Brisbane (3-2) December 31, 1958 Cubans dictator Batista flees December 31, 1958 International Geophyscial Year ends December 31, 1958 Willie Shoemaker 1st jockey to win national riding championship 4X December 31, 1957 AAU awards Bobby Morrow, James Sullivan Memorial Trophy December 31, 1955 "Vamp" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City after 60 performances December 31, 1953 Hulan Jack sworn in as Manhattan Borough president December 31, 1953 WFBC (now WYFF) TV channel 4 in G'ville-Spartanburg, South Carolina (NBC) begins December 31, 1953 Willie Shoemaker shatters record, riding 485 winners in a year December 31, 1951 1st battery to convert radioactive energy to electrical announced December 31, 1950 Jockeys W Shoemaker and Joe Culmone set record of 388 wins in a year December 31, 1949 18 countries recognize Republic Indonesia December 31, 1948 Dutch police actions up Java gone on strike December 31, 1946 French troops leave Lebanon December 31, 1946 President Truman officially proclaims end of WW II December 31, 1945 Bradman scores 112, his 1st post-War century, SA vs. Aust Services December 31, 1945 Ratification of United Nations Charter completed December 31, 1944 48 people die in a train accident in Ogden, Utah December 31, 1944 Japanese army evacuates harbor city Akyab December 31, 1943 New York City's Times Square greets Frank Sinatra at Paramount Theater December 31, 1942 60 U boats sunk this month (330,000 ton) December 31, 1942 Battle in Barents Sea December 31, 1942 Potatoes rationed in Holland December 31, 1941 Young Park (2) in the Bronx named in honor of Samuel Young December 31, 1940 37 U boats sunk this month (213,000 ton) December 31, 1939 25 U boats sunk this month (81,000 ton) December 31, 1938 Dr. R N Harger's "drunkometer," 1st breath test, introduced in Indiana December 31, 1935 CPH becomes Dutch Communist Party December 31, 1935 Charles Darrow patents Monopoly December 31, 1934 Helen Richey becomes 1st woman to pilot an airmail transport December 31, 1932 John P O'Brien sworn-in as mayor of New York City December 31, 1930 Pontifical encyclical Casti connubii against mixed marriages December 31, 1930 U.S. tobacco industry produced 123 billion cigarettes in 1930 December 31, 1929 Pope Pius XI publishes encyclical Divini illius magistri December 31, 1927 Ponsford scores 336 against SA, giving him 1146 for month December 31, 1925 14th congress of CPSU decides to accelerate industry December 31, 1924 Hubble announces existence of distant galaxies December 31, 1923 1st transatlantic radio broadcast of a voice, Pittsburgh-Manchester December 31, 1923 BBC begins using Big Ben chime ID December 31, 1923 H Tierney/J McCarthy's musical "Kid Boots," premieres in New York City December 31, 1921 Last San Francisco firehorses retired December 31, 1920 Roy Park makes 1st-ball duck in only Test Cricket inn, vs. Eng at MCG December 31, 1918 Kid Gleason replaces Pants Rowland as White Sox manager December 31, 1917 Dutch Social-democratic trade union NVV counts 159,450 members December 31, 1914 Colonel Jacob Ruppert and Cap Huston purchase New York Yankees for $460,000 December 31, 1911 Marie Curie receives her 2nd Nobel Prize December 31, 1910 U.S. tobacco industry produced 9 billion cigarettes in 1910 December 31, 1907 For 1st time a ball drops at Times Square to signal new year December 31, 1907 G Mahler conducts the Metropolitan Opera December 31, 1906 French/British/Italian treaty concerning rights on Abyssinia December 31, 1902 Boers and British army sign peace treaty December 31, 1897 Brooklyn's last day as a city, it incorporates into New York City (1/1/1898) December 31, 1896 25th auto built in US December 31, 1890 Ellis Island (New York City) opens as a U.S. immigration depot December 31, 1879 Cornerstone laid for Iolani Palace (only royal palace in U.S.) December 31, 1879 Cornerstone laid for Honolulu's Iolani Palace December 31, 1879 Edison gives 1st public demonstration of his incandescent lamp December 31, 1879 Gilbert/Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance," premieres in New York City December 31, 1879 Opera "Pirates of Penzance" is produced (New York City) December 31, 1870 J D Schneiter patents rocket mail in France, (not done) December 31, 1862 Battle of Stone's River, Tennessee (Stone River, Monfreesboro) December 31, 1862 Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee December 31, 1862 President Lincoln signs act admitting West Virginia to Union December 31, 1862 Skirmish at Parker Cross Roads, Tennessee December 31, 1862 Union ironclad ship "Monitor" sank off Cape Hatteras, NC December 31, 1861 22,990 mm of rain falls in Cherrapunji Assam in 1861, world record December 31, 1859 Dutch colony in Dutch Indies counts 4,800 slaves December 31, 1857 Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as new capital of Canada December 31, 1852 Future president and Mrs. Rutherford B Hayes marry December 31, 1841 Alabama becomes 1st state to license dental surgeons December 31, 1805 End of French Republican calendar; France returns to Gregorianism December 31, 1783 Import of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states December 31, 1781 Bank of North America, 1st U.S. bank opens December 31, 1779 English fleet beat Dutch Merchant vessels December 31, 1776 Rhode Island establishes wage and price controls to curb inflation: Limit is 70 cents a day for carpenters, 42 cents for tailors December 31, 1775 Battle of Quebec; Americans unable to take British stronghold December 31, 1762 Mozart family moves from Vienna to Salzburg December 31, 1758 British expeditionary army occupies Goree (Dakar) Senegal December 31, 1756 Russia joins the Alliance of Versailles December 31, 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlies army meets with de Esk December 31, 1744 James Bradley announces discovery of Earth's nutation motion (wobble) December 31, 1711 Duke of Marlborough fired as English army commander December 31, 1708 Great Alliance captures Bridge December 31, 1700 Frisia/Groningen adopt Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is 1/12/1701 December 31, 1688 Pro-James II-earl of Devonshire occupies Nottingham December 31, 1687 1st Huguenots depart France to Cape of Good Hope December 31, 1680 Amsterdam opera at Leidsegracht opens December 31, 1670 France and England sign Boyne-treaty December 31, 1669 France and Brandenburg sign secret treaty December 31, 1621 Hungarian King Bethlen Gabor/Ferdinand II sign Treaty of Mikulov December 31, 1604 Admiral Steven van der Haghen's fleet reaches Bantam December 31, 1600 British East India Company chartered December 31, 1564 Willem van Orange demands freedom of conscience/religion December 31, 1502 Cesare Borgia (son of pope Alexander VI) occupies Urbino December 31, 1492 100,000 Jews expelled from Sicily December 31, 870 Skirmish at Englefield: Ethelred of Wessex beats Danish invasion army December 31, 765 Coffin of Ho-tse Shen-hui interred in a stupa built in China December 31, 406 80,000 Vandels attack the Rhine at Mainz December 31, 335 St. Silvester I ends his reign as Catholic Pope |