DateNameLocation / Topic
Monday, Dec 31
Watch Night Watch Night
Monday, Dec 31
Festival Day Festival Day
Monday, Dec 31
December 31 Bank Holiday December 31 Bank Holiday
Monday, Dec 31
New Year's Eve New Year's Eve
Monday, Dec 31
National Champagne Day National Champagne Day
Monday, Dec 31
Make Up Your Mind Day Make Up Your Mind Day
Monday, Dec 31
Bridge Public Holiday
Monday, Dec 31
World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day
Monday, Dec 31
New Year (extra holiday)
Monday, Dec 31
Extra holiday in lieu of Dec. 29
Monday, Dec 31
New Year's Eve (Extra Holiday) New Year's Eve (Extra Holiday)
Monday, Dec 31
Restoration Day
Switzerland (Geneva)
Restoration Day
Monday, Dec 31
New Year's Day Holiday New Year's Day Holiday
Monday, Dec 31
Unlucky Day Unlucky Day

Historical Events on December 31

  • 1759: Arthur Guinness begins brewing Guinness beer.
  • 1775: At the Battle of Quebec during the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Army led by General Richard Montgomery is repelled by British forces.
  • 1796: Baltimore is incorporated as a city.
  • 1831: New York receives the deed for Gramercy Park.
  • 1857: Ottawa is chosen as Canada’s capital by Queen Victoria.
  • 1862: An act that admits W. Virginia to the Union is signed by U.S President Abraham Lincoln. This basically divides the state into two parts.
  • 1862: The Battle of Stones River during the American Civil War starts around Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
  • 1878: Karl Benz applies for a patent on his two-stroke gasoline powered engine. He would receive the patent the following year.
  • 1879: In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Inventor Thomas Edison gives the public their first look at incandescent lighting.
  • 1907: The 1st New Year’s Eve Celebration is held in Longacre Square – which would eventually become known as Times Square.
  • 1944: Hungary issues a declaration of war against Nazi Germany during World War II.
  • 1944: The last major Nazi offensive on the Western Front – Operation Nordwind – begins on this day during WWII.
  • 1946: United States President Harry S. Truman officially declares the end of general hostilities during WWII.
  • 1951: After giving Europe more than thirteen billion in foreign economic aid, the Marshall Plan expires on this day.
  • 1955: The first United States corporation to make over a billion dollar is automaker GM.

Famous Birthdays on December 31

  • French painter and sculptor Henri Matisse is born in 1869.
  • American race car driver Fred Marriott is born in 1872.
  • American general, Nobel Prize laureate and U.S Secretary of State, George Marshall is born in 1880.
  • American singer Evelyn Knight is born in 1917.
  • American actor and poet Taylor Mead is born in 1924.
  • American actor, author and screenwriter, Ed Bunker is born in 1933.
  • Welsh actor and director Anthony Hopkins is born in 1937.
  • American actor Val Kilmer is born in 1959.
  • English footballer and manager Steve Bruce is born in 1960.