Event:
A ship carrying 900 Syrians is intercepted and safely brought to shore by the Italian coast guard; the ship had been manned by human traffickers who abandoned the vessel after setting the navigation system on a collision course with the Italian coast
More Notable Events on December 31:
1999 Control of Panama Canal reverts to Panama
1997 Microsoft buys Hotmail E-mail service
1993 Barbra Striesand does her 1st live public concert in 20 years
1991 U.S.S.R., last day of existence
1990 Sci-Fi Channel on cable TV begins transmitting
