31 December
Notable Births
Ryan Flamingo
b. 2002
Dutch footballer (born 2002)
Sophia Laforteza
b. 2002
Filipino and American singer (born 2002)
Katie Volynets
b. 2001
American tennis player (born 2001)
Alycia Parks
b. 2000
American tennis player (born 2000)
Calvin Bassey
b. 1999
Nigerian footballer (born 1999)
Leif Davis
b. 1999
English footballer (born 1999)
Ludovic Blas
b. 1997
French footballer (born 1997)
Cameron Carter-Vickers
b. 1997
American soccer player (born 1997)
Bright Osayi-Samuel
b. 1997
Nigerian footballer (born 1997)
J. J. Arcega-Whiteside
b. 1996
Spanish gridiron football player (born 1996)
Gabby Douglas
b. 1995
American artistic gymnast (born 1995)
Edmond Sumner
b. 1995
American basketball player (born 1995)
Amy Cure
b. 1992
Australian cyclist (born 1992)
Karl Kruuda
b. 1992
Estonian rally driver (born 1992)
Dennis Everberg
b. 1991
Swedish ice hockey player (born 1991)
ND Stevenson
b. 1991
American cartoonist and producer (born 1991)
Kelvin Herrera
b. 1989
Dominican baseball player (born 1989)
Michal Řepík
b. 1988
Czech ice hockey player
Javaris Crittenton
b. 1987
American basketball player (born 1987)
Seydou Doumbia
b. 1987
Ivorian professional footballer (born 1982)
Notable Deaths
Arnold Rüütel
d. 2024
President of Estonia from 2001 to 2006 (1928–2024)
Johnnie Walker (DJ)
d. 2024
British radio DJ (1945–2024)
Cale Yarborough
d. 2023
American racing driver (1939–2023)
Pope Benedict XVI
d. 2022
Head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013
Barry Lane
d. 2022
English professional golfer (1960–2022)
Betty White
d. 2021
American actress and comedian (1922–2021)
Kader Khan
d. 2018
Indian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer (1937–2018)
William Christopher
d. 2016
American actor (1932–2016)
Natalie Cole
d. 2015
American singer (1950–2015)
Wayne Rogers
d. 2015
American actor (1933–2015)
Edward Herrmann
d. 2014
American actor (1943–2014)
Abdullah Hussain
d. 2014
Malaysian novelist and writer
Norm Phelps
d. 2014
American animal rights activist (1939–2014)
S. Arthur Spiegel
d. 2014
American judge (1920–2014)
Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington
d. 2014
British peer and army officer (1915–2014)
James Avery
d. 2013
American actor (1945–2013)
Roberto Ciotti
d. 2013
Italian blues musician and composer
Bob Grant (radio host)
d. 2013
American radio host (1929–2013)
Jovette Marchessault
d. 2012
Canadian writer and artist (1938–2012)
Günter Rössler
d. 2012
German photographer (1926–2012)
On This Day in History
All 62 ›
2020
The World Health Organization issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccine
2019
The World Health Organization is informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause, detected in Wuhan. This later turned out to be COVID-19, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic.
World Health Organization
2018
Thirty-nine people are killed after a ten-story building collapses in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk, Russia.
2018 Magnitogorsk building collapse
2015
A fire breaks out at the Downtown Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located near the Burj Khalifa, two hours before the fireworks display is due to commence. Sixteen injuries were reported; one had a heart attack, another suffered a major injury, and fourteen others with minor injuries.
Downtown Dubai
2014
A New Year's Eve celebration stampede in Shanghai kills at least 36 people and injures 49 others.
2014 Shanghai stampede
2011
NASA succeeds in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites in orbit around the Moon.
NASA
2010
Tornadoes touch down in midwestern and southern United States, including Washington County, Arkansas; Greater St. Louis, Sunset Hills, Missouri, Illinois, and Oklahoma, with a few tornadoes in the early hours. A total of 36 tornadoes touched down, resulting in the deaths of nine people and $113 million in damages.
2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak
2009
Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occur.
Blue moon
2004
The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).
Taipei 101
2001
Rwanda adopts a new national flag and anthem.
Flag of Rwanda
1999
The first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, resigns from office, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President and successor.
President of Russia
1999
The U.S. government hands control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.
Panama Canal
1999
Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacking ends after seven days with the release of 190 survivors at Kandahar Airport, Afghanistan.
Indian Airlines Flight 814
1998
The European Exchange Rate Mechanism freezes the values of the legacy currencies in the Eurozone, and establishes the value of the euro currency.
European Exchange Rate Mechanism
1995
The final comic of Calvin and Hobbes is published.
Calvin and Hobbes
1994
This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively.
Kiribati
1994
The First Chechen War: The Russian Ground Forces begin a New Year's storming of Grozny.
First Chechen War
1992
Czechoslovakia is peacefully dissolved in what is dubbed by media as the Velvet Divorce, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.
Czechoslovakia
1991
All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date, five days after the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.
Soviet Union
1986
Three disgruntled employees set fire to the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, killing more than 90 people and injuring 140 others, making it the second-deadliest hotel fire in American history.
Dupont Plaza Hotel arson