December 31

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

Events

 * -, and  cross the , beginning an invasion of.
 * - General  completes the conquest of, defeating the  garrison of , and ending his ship for the year.
 * - the Conqueror enters Medina Mayurqa (nowadays, ) thus consummating the  conquest of the island of.
 * - is chartered.
 * - is created  by.
 * - The first set sail from  to the.
 * - A is imposed in, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the.
 * - : British forces repulse an attack by  generals  and.
 * - is deeded to.
 * - Queen chooses, as the capital of.
 * - : signs an act that admits  to the Union (thus dividing Virginia in two).
 * 1862  - : The  is fought near.
 * - demonstrates  to the public for the first time.
 * - A new immigration depot is opened on,.
 * - The first celebration is held in, then known as Longacre Square, in.
 * - opens.
 * - The chimes of are broadcast on radio for the first time by the.
 * - performs  at the  in  for the first time.
 * - : declares war on.
 * - President officially proclaims the end of hostilities in.
 * - becomes the first  corporation to make over  $1 billion in a year.
 * - The ceases to be  in the.
 * - The expires after distributing more than  $12 billion in  to rebuild.
 * - officially collapses and splits into,  and.
 * - in  removes  's   and replaces it with the  led by.
 * - The  is broken up by the  Government.
 * - A in, kills 97 and injures 140.
 * - The is officially dissolved.
 * - This date is skipped altogether in as the  and  change time zones from  to  and  to, respectively.
 * - settles a lawsuit involving the immoral use of child subjects in radioactivity experiments circa -.
 * - Exchange rates between the and legacy currencies in the  become fixed.
 * - resigns as, leaving   as the acting President.
 * 1999  - Five, who had been holding 155 hostages on an  plane, leave the plane with two Islamic clerics that they had demanded be freed.
 * 1999  - The  Government handed  control over to  as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the . This act complied with the signing of the 1977
 * - The official opening of, the current  in the world, standing at a height of 509 s (1,670 ).
 * - The  radio service ends.
 * - The pays final installment of  debt to the United States

Births

 * - (d. )
 * -, French explorer (d. )
 * -, Flemish anatomist (d. )
 * -, (d. )
 * -, Dutch humanist and physician (d. )
 * -, pretender to the British throne (d. )
 * -, British general (d. )
 * -, empress of Germany (d. )
 * -, French admiral (d. )
 * -, American Civil War general (d. )
 * -, Governor of Egypt (d. )
 * -, American oil industrialist (d. )
 * -, French painter (d. )
 * -, English journalist and author (d. )
 * -, Canadian businesswoman (d. )
 * -, , (d. )
 * 1880  -, American baseball player (d. )
 * -, German painter (d. )
 * -, Australian soldier (d. )
 * -, American baseball player (d. )
 * - (d. )
 * -, Polish actress (d. )
 * -, Mexican composer (d. )
 * -, Quebec singer and composer (d. )
 * -, Ukrainian violinist (d. )
 * -, English-born composer (d. )
 * -, Austrian Holocaust survivor (d. )
 * -, American jazz trumpeter (d.
 * -, American film director (d. )
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, American actor and singer (d. )
 * -, American actor
 * -, French cartoonist
 * -, American singer
 * -, Irish writer (d. )
 * -, American author and actor (d. )
 * -, Islamic scholar
 * -, Israeli biologist,
 * 1937  -, Welsh actor
 * -, American actress (d. )
 * -, German musician
 * -, Scottish football manager
 * 1941  -, English actress
 * -, British guitarist
 * -, American singer and songwriter (d. )
 * 1943  -, English actor
 * 1943  -, English bassist
 * -, American producer and director
 * -, Belgian-born fashion designer
 * 1945  -, American writer
 * -, Zimbabwean human rights advocate
 * -, Canadian keyboardist
 * 1947  -, American actor
 * 1947  -, Brazilian Rock Star
 * -, American singer
 * 1948  -,  player
 * -, American editor
 * 1949  -, American writer
 * -, American musician
 * 1951  -, American bassist
 * -, American actor
 * 1953  -, American actress
 * -, Scottish politician
 * -, Terrorist
 * -, American comics artist
 * -, American actress
 * -, American politician
 * 1959  -, American actor
 * 1959  -, American musician
 * -, American serial killer
 * 1960  -, English football player & manager
 * -, American baseball player
 * 1961  -, Chinese actress
 * -, British activist
 * -, American guitarist
 * 1963  -, American sumo wrestler
 * -, American actor-comedian
 * -, American stuntman
 * 1964  -, British TV presenter
 * -, Chinese actress
 * 1965  -, American author
 * -, American entertainment reporter
 * -, Canadian comedian and actor
 * -, husband of
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, American basketball player
 * 1971  -, Mexican  player
 * -, American singer
 * -, American basketball player
 * 1973  -, Scottish musician
 * -, Japanese American professional wrestler
 * 1974  -, Brazilian racing driver
 * -, Finnish footballer
 * -, daughter of
 * -, Costa Rican footballer
 * 1977  -, son of
 * -, American rapper
 * -, American drummer (, Gerardolopoly)
 * 1979  -, Irish actress
 * -, New Zealand rugby player
 * 1980  -, American professional wrestler
 * -, American football player
 * 1981  -, Australian football player
 * -, Scottish footballer
 * 1982  -, Australian basketball player
 * 1982  -, baseball player in the United States
 * -, American basketball player
 * 1987    -, French gymnast

Deaths

 * -, (b. )
 * - Margrave (b. )
 * - Duke (killed at a tournament) (b. )
 * -, English soldier (b. )
 * - (b. )
 * -, English theologian and Bible translator
 * -, English military leader
 * -, brother of Kings and  (executed) (b. )
 * 1460  -, English politician (b. )
 * -, wife of (b. )
 * -, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. )
 * -, Japanese warlord (b. )
 * -, Italian soldier and jurist (b. )
 * -, Swiss theologian (b. )
 * -, German mathematician (b. )
 * -, Chinese emperor (b. )
 * -, English statesman and judge
 * -, Italian physiologist and physicist (b. )
 * -, English economist (b. )
 * -, English astronomer (b. )
 * - (b. )
 * -, French historian and writer (b. )
 * -, Finnish author (b. )
 * -, French painter (b. )
 * -, German rabbi (b. )
 * -, Romanian writer (b. or )
 * -, Dutch mathematician (b. )
 * -, Russian physicist (b. )
 * -, American aviator (b. )
 * 1910  -, American aviator (b. )
 * -, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (b. )
 * -, Spanish writer and philosopher (b. )
 * -, English race car driver (b. )
 * -, Dutch aviation pioneer (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * 1964  -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, American clarinetist (b. )
 * - American actor (b. )
 * 1971  -, American actress (b. )
 * 1971  -, Indian physicist (b. )
 * -, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. )
 * -, ruler of Kuwait (b. )
 * -, Canadian writer (b. )
 * 1980  -, American film director (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Soviet cosmonaut (b. )
 * 1990  -, American football coach
 * -, first (b. )
 * -  murdered
 * -, American actor and decathlete (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * 1997  -, American actress (b. )
 * 1997  -, American politician (b. )
 * -, American politician (b. )
 * -, American politician (b. )
 * 2000  -, Italian-born American flamenco dancer and choreographer (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, American guitarist (b. )
 * - German-born physicist (b. )
 * -, French-born economist, laureate (b. )
 * -, British politician (b. )
 * 2005 -, American tenor (b. )
 * -, baseball executive (b. )
 * -, baseball executive (b. )

Holidays and observances

 * on the.
 * Celebration, special non-working holiday in the.