192 On December 31, 192 AD, the Roman emperor Commodus was strangled to death by his wrestling partner, Narcissus, in his bath. Commodus' chief interest was in sport: taking part in horse racing, chariot racing, and combats with beasts and men. He fought and won 1,301 battles in the gladiatorial arena, since his opponents always submitted to the emperor. The historian Edward Gibbon took Commodus's reign as the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire.
1384 Three days after being paralyzed by a stroke, John Wycliffe died on December 31, 1384 aged around 64. Wycliffe was an influential dissident within the Roman Catholic priesthood and translated the Bible into English. He is considered to be the first great English Christian reformer.
1687 On December 31, 1687 the first community of Huguenots arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa from the Netherlands. The Dutch East India Company needed skilled farmers at the Cape of Good Hope and the Dutch Government sent them over. The colony gradually grew over the next 150 years or so until it stretched for hundreds of kilometers to the north and north-east.
1691 Anglo-Irish chemist and physicist Robert Boyle died on December 31, 1691 from paralysis at his London home. In 1662 he conceived Boyle’s Law, which says that the pressure of gases varies inversely with the volume. Among his other discoveries were that sound did not travel in a vacuum, a flame required air as did life, and he investigated the elastic properties of air.
1720 Charles Edward Stuart (‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’), the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England, Scotland, France and Ireland was born in the Palazzo Muti, Rome on December 31, 1720. His father, Prince James Stuart the old pretender, had been given the residence by Pope Clement XI. Charles' grandfather was James II of England. His mother was the Polish Clementina Sobieska.
1759 Irishman Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on December 31, 1759 at a fixed rate of £45 per annum to the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. He began brewing there a variety of light and dark beers. In 1799 Arthur Guinness decided to concentrate exclusively on stout-porter, (sometimes shortened to stout), which is a stronger version of porter. Guinness' distinctive, dark, creamy stout proved popular and in time became known as the national beer of Ireland.
1816 English physician Sir William Gull was born on December 31, 1816. He coined the term “anorexia nervosa” (from the Latin words meaning "nervous loss of appetite”) in his 1873 paper "Anorexia Nervosa (Apepsia Hysterica, Anorexia Hysterica)". It refers to a psychological illness mainly affecting young women, which results in an excessive weight loss due to a restricted food intake.
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| A bust of Commodus as a youth (Roman-Germanic Museum, Cologne). |
1384 Three days after being paralyzed by a stroke, John Wycliffe died on December 31, 1384 aged around 64. Wycliffe was an influential dissident within the Roman Catholic priesthood and translated the Bible into English. He is considered to be the first great English Christian reformer.
1687 On December 31, 1687 the first community of Huguenots arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa from the Netherlands. The Dutch East India Company needed skilled farmers at the Cape of Good Hope and the Dutch Government sent them over. The colony gradually grew over the next 150 years or so until it stretched for hundreds of kilometers to the north and north-east.
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| View of Table Bay with ships of the Dutch East India Company c. 1683. |
1691 Anglo-Irish chemist and physicist Robert Boyle died on December 31, 1691 from paralysis at his London home. In 1662 he conceived Boyle’s Law, which says that the pressure of gases varies inversely with the volume. Among his other discoveries were that sound did not travel in a vacuum, a flame required air as did life, and he investigated the elastic properties of air.
1720 Charles Edward Stuart (‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’), the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England, Scotland, France and Ireland was born in the Palazzo Muti, Rome on December 31, 1720. His father, Prince James Stuart the old pretender, had been given the residence by Pope Clement XI. Charles' grandfather was James II of England. His mother was the Polish Clementina Sobieska.
1759 Irishman Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on December 31, 1759 at a fixed rate of £45 per annum to the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. He began brewing there a variety of light and dark beers. In 1799 Arthur Guinness decided to concentrate exclusively on stout-porter, (sometimes shortened to stout), which is a stronger version of porter. Guinness' distinctive, dark, creamy stout proved popular and in time became known as the national beer of Ireland.
1816 English physician Sir William Gull was born on December 31, 1816. He coined the term “anorexia nervosa” (from the Latin words meaning "nervous loss of appetite”) in his 1873 paper "Anorexia Nervosa (Apepsia Hysterica, Anorexia Hysterica)". It refers to a psychological illness mainly affecting young women, which results in an excessive weight loss due to a restricted food intake.
1857 On December 31, 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa, Ontario, then a small logging town, as the capital of the Dominion of Canada. She chose Ottawa because it was the midpoint between Toronto and Montreal thus a political compromise between English speaking and French speaking Canada.
1879 Thomas Edison made the first public demonstration of his incandescent light bulb on December 31 1879, in Menlo Park. British chemist Joseph Swan had already invented the lamp but Edison wanted to produce a longer lasting one. The American inventor worked thousands of hours on the electric light bulb experimenting with 1,200 different varieties of bamboo before finding a carbonized bamboo fiber that remained lit for over 1,000 hours in a vacuum.
1881 Cosmetic pioneer Elizabeth Arden was born in Canada on December 31, 1881 where her parents had emigrated from Cornwall. Her real name was Florence Nightingale Graham. With her rival Helena Rubinstein, Arden made makeup acceptable to "respectable" American women, to whom Arden introduced eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick tinted to match their outfits.
1900 In 1887 The Reverend Hannibal Goodwin, an Episcopal Priest at the House of Prayer in Newark, New Jersey, devised a pliable and rollable film. The patent was not granted for another eleven years and in 1900, the filming pioneer set up the Goodwin Film and Camera Company. However, before film production had started Goodwin was involved in a street accident near a construction site and died on December 31, 1900 from his injuries.
1904 The first New Year's Eve celebration was held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York City on December 31, 1904. About 200,000 people celebrated New Year’s Eve with a fireworks display at the 24-story Times Tower.
1879 Thomas Edison made the first public demonstration of his incandescent light bulb on December 31 1879, in Menlo Park. British chemist Joseph Swan had already invented the lamp but Edison wanted to produce a longer lasting one. The American inventor worked thousands of hours on the electric light bulb experimenting with 1,200 different varieties of bamboo before finding a carbonized bamboo fiber that remained lit for over 1,000 hours in a vacuum.
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| "Edison Lightbulb Museum of Letters and Manuscripts" by Tieum512 |
1881 Cosmetic pioneer Elizabeth Arden was born in Canada on December 31, 1881 where her parents had emigrated from Cornwall. Her real name was Florence Nightingale Graham. With her rival Helena Rubinstein, Arden made makeup acceptable to "respectable" American women, to whom Arden introduced eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick tinted to match their outfits.
1900 In 1887 The Reverend Hannibal Goodwin, an Episcopal Priest at the House of Prayer in Newark, New Jersey, devised a pliable and rollable film. The patent was not granted for another eleven years and in 1900, the filming pioneer set up the Goodwin Film and Camera Company. However, before film production had started Goodwin was involved in a street accident near a construction site and died on December 31, 1900 from his injuries.
1904 The first New Year's Eve celebration was held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York City on December 31, 1904. About 200,000 people celebrated New Year’s Eve with a fireworks display at the 24-story Times Tower.
1907 The Time Square New Year's Eve Ball came about as a result of a ban on fireworks in 1907. For the first time that year, a ball was dropped in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight in 1908. The original ball was made of iron and wood. It weighed 700 pounds and was illuminated by one hundred 25-watt light bulbs.
1923 Big Ben, the bell in the Palace of Westminster's clock tower in London, has been heard striking the hour before news bulletins on the BBC since December 31, 1923. The tradition started with a daring feat by BBC engineer A.G. Dryland. He climbed onto a rooftop opposite the Houses of Parliament to capture the sound with a microphone, as he wasn't allowed into the clock tower itself.
1938 Indianapolis police, dealing with a surge in drink-driving due to the end of prohibition and an increase in cars, introduced the world’s first breath tests on December 31, 1938. People had to blow into a balloon, the contents of which were then mixed with a chemical that became darker if alcohol was present.
1945 Bananas were one of many foods rationed in England during World War II. "Mock bananas," made from boiled turnips, sugar and banana flavoring, were a popular substitute. Britain received its first shipment of bananas after World War II on December 31, 1945. Ten million of the fruit arrived abroad the SS Tilapa and many young children had to be shown how to peel and eat this new exotic treat.
1955 In October 1942, Hollywood star Gregory Peck married Finnish-born Greta Kukkonen (1911–2008), with whom he had three sons, Jonathan , Stephen, and Carey Paul. They were divorced on December 31, 1955 and Peck married Veronique Passani the next day. In the 1968 film The Big Country, Gregory Peck appears with his three sons.
1958 Fidel Castro and his allies began a revolution against the authoritarian government of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista in July 1953. It continued sporadically until the rebels finally ousted Batista on December 31, 1958, replacing his government with a revolutionary socialist state.
1960 The farthing, which was a small coin worth a quarter of an old penny, ceased to be legal tender in the United Kingdom on December 31, 1960. After this date, the farthing was demonetized, meaning it could no longer be used as a form of currency for transactions. The decision to discontinue the farthing was largely due to its diminishing purchasing power and the high cost of production relative to its value.
1979 On December 31, 1979, 350 people attended a New Year's Eve party held at the Opémiska Community Hall in Chapais, Quebec. During the event, pine branches used as Christmas decorations were accidentally set on fire. People inside did not immediately evacuate, as they thought the fire was part of a performance and as a result 48 people died.
1988 During an 8–6 win over the New Jersey Devils on December 31, 1988, Pittsburgh Penguins' Mario Lemieux became the only National Hockey League player to score goals in five different ways: even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, and empty net.
1992 Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved on December 31, 1992, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The dissolution is sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce, a reference to the bloodless Velvet Revolution of 1989 that led to the end of the rule of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and the formation of a democratic government.
1999 Boris Yeltsin became the first President of the Russian Federation in 1991. He was an unpopular leader as his tenure was marked by widespread corruption, inflation, and economic hardships for his country. On December 31, 1999 Yeltsin went on television and, in a surprise announcement, resigned from office and apologized to the Russian people for the mistakes he had made. He nominated Vladimir Putin as his successor.
1988 During an 8–6 win over the New Jersey Devils on December 31, 1988, Pittsburgh Penguins' Mario Lemieux became the only National Hockey League player to score goals in five different ways: even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, and empty net.
1992 Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved on December 31, 1992, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The dissolution is sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce, a reference to the bloodless Velvet Revolution of 1989 that led to the end of the rule of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and the formation of a democratic government.
1999 Boris Yeltsin became the first President of the Russian Federation in 1991. He was an unpopular leader as his tenure was marked by widespread corruption, inflation, and economic hardships for his country. On December 31, 1999 Yeltsin went on television and, in a surprise announcement, resigned from office and apologized to the Russian people for the mistakes he had made. He nominated Vladimir Putin as his successor.
1999 The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God was an Ugandan doomsday cult whose followers surrendered their wealth to the religious movement. Their five leaders declared that the end of the world would occur on December 31, 1999. After the prophesied date passed many disgruntled followers demanded their money back. The cult leaders responded by massacring over 900 of them.
1999 The United States spent almost $375,000,000 (roughly equivalent to $8,600,000,000 today) on building the Panama Canal. This was by far the largest American engineering project to date. In 1977 an agreement was signed for the total transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century. On December 31, 1999 Panama took control of the Panama Canal Zone from the United States.
2000 Disc Jockey Carl Cox New Year's Eve is a legendary story in the DJ world. He played the Millennium (1999 to 2000) on New Year's Eve twice, by performing in Sydney, Australia and again in Hawaii after flying back over the International Date Line.
1999 The United States spent almost $375,000,000 (roughly equivalent to $8,600,000,000 today) on building the Panama Canal. This was by far the largest American engineering project to date. In 1977 an agreement was signed for the total transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century. On December 31, 1999 Panama took control of the Panama Canal Zone from the United States.
2000 Disc Jockey Carl Cox New Year's Eve is a legendary story in the DJ world. He played the Millennium (1999 to 2000) on New Year's Eve twice, by performing in Sydney, Australia and again in Hawaii after flying back over the International Date Line.
2008 George the Lobster was captured off the coast of Newfoundland in December 2008 and sold to the City Crab and Seafood restaurant in Park Avenue South for $100. He arrived at the restaurant on New Year's Eve and got his 15 minutes of fame when an animal rights group lobbied for the crustacean’s freedom. George - who was believed to be 140 years old - was released back into the ocean.
2011 A suicide bomber planning on detonating a bomb in central Moscow on New Year's Eve 2011, used her phone as the trigger. When her mobile phone company sent her a spam message, wishing her a happy new year, the bomb detonated, killing only herself.
2012 The Food and Drug Administration approved Sirturo (bedaquiline), a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drug on December 31, 2012. It was the first new medicine to fight the infection in more than forty years.
2012 The Food and Drug Administration approved Sirturo (bedaquiline), a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drug on December 31, 2012. It was the first new medicine to fight the infection in more than forty years.
2016 The Church of Christ hosted the world’s largest fireworks display at the Philippine Arena in Ciudad de Victoria Bocaue Bulacan, Manila, on December 31, 2016. Around 100,000 people attended the festivities during which 810,904 fireworks lit up the sky.
2016 James Harden became the first NBA player to score more than 50 points while also having 15 rebounds and 15 assists on December 31, 2016. In total he achieved 53 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds in Houston Rockets' 129–122 win over the New York Knicks.
2020 A referendum in 2016 on the UK's membership of the European Union resulted in 51.9% of UK voters voting for leaving the organization. The United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, 2020, beginning an eleven-month transition period. During this time the UK remained in the single market giving it time to agree a trade deal with the EU. The Brexit transition period ended at 11pm on December 31, 2020 concluding a saga that divided Britons and dominated British politics.
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