for

DECEMBER 31
 
 
 
Teaching - there can be no finer calling requiring the clearest demonstration of moral and ethical behavior.
Ira Shull, For the Love of Teaching
 
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Calendar
Children's Authors & Illustrators
1906 Pamela Bianco (English-American Artist, Children's Author, Illustrator) English Authors and Illustrators Primary Authors Artists University of Southern Mississippi
1948 Margery Cuyler (New Jersey-born Children's Author) New Jersey Authors and Illustrators Primary Authors Adams Literary Balkin Buddies Official Web Site
Authors, Poets and Journalists
1803 José María Heredia Y Campuzano (Cuban Poet) José María Heredia Y Campuzano Poetry
1905 Frank Marshall Davis (Kansas-born African-American Poet, Journalist) Kansas Authors Journalism Poetry African-American Authors African American Registry
1965 Nicholas Sparks (Nebraska-born Author) Nebraska Authors Official Web Site Writer's Almanac
1968 Junot Díaz (Dominican-born Latin-American Author Awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Junot Díaz Hispanic Authors 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Artists, Architects and Designers
1869 Henri Matisse (French Artist) Henri Matisse Artists
1900 Selma Burke (North Carolina-born African-American Artist, Sculptor) North Carolina Artists American Artists African-American Artists African American Registry
Songwriters, Classical Composers, Conductors and Performing Artists
1869 Jule Styne (English-American Songwriter) English Composers Composers American Musicals
1903 Nathan Milstein (Russian-American Violinist) Russian Performing Artists Classical Musicians
1962 Jennifer Higdon (New York-born Composer) New York City Composers American Comoposers
Explorers, Pioneers, Aviators and Astronauts
1491 Jacques Cartier (French Explorer) Jacques Cartier Explorers
Scientists, Mathematicians and Inventors
1864 Robert Aitken (California-born Astronomer) California Scientists & Mathematicians Astronomy
Business Leaders
1884 Elizabeth Arden (Canadian-American Cosmetic Executive) Canadian Business Leaders Elizabeth Arden
Military Leaders
1738 Charles Cornwallis (English General, Statesman) Charles Cornwallis American Revolution
1744 Edward Hand (Irish-American Revolutionary War General; Member of the U.S. Congress from Pennsylvania) Irish Military Leaders Pennsylvania Political and Social Leaders American Revolution U.S. Congress
Philsopher, Educators, Religious Leaders
1930 Jaime Escalante (Bolivian-American Educator) Jaime Escalante Educators of Note Mathematics Latin-American Political and Social Leaders
Political and Social Leaders
1720 Charles Edward Stuart (England's Bonnie Prince Charles) English Political and Social Leaders British Monarchy Chambers Book of Days Historic UK
1880 George C. Marshall (Pennsylvania-born General, Diplomat; 1953 Nobel Laureate for Peace) Marshall Plan World War I World War II 1953 Nobel Laureate for Peace
1896 Amy Jacques Garvey (Jamaican Feminist, Journalist, Rights Activist) Jamaican Political and Social Leaders Women Journalism Human Rights, Civil Rights African American Registry
1908 Simon Wiesenthal (Ukrainian-Austrian Jewish Holocaust Survivor Dedicated His Life to Bringing Nazi War Criminals to Justice) Ukrainian Political and Social Leaders Judaism The Holocaust Nazi Germany War Crimes World War II Biography
Performing Artists
1909 Jonah Jones (Kentucky-born African-American Jazz Trumpeter) Kentucky Performing Artists Jazz African-American Performing Artists African American Registry
1930 Odetta (Alabama-born African-American Folk Musician) Odetta Folk Musicians African-American Performing Artists
1937 Anthony Hopkins (Welsh Actor) Welsh Performing Artists Actors Film Biography
1943 Ben Kingsley (English Actor) English Performing Artists Actors Film Biography
John Denver (New Mexico-born Popular Singer, Songwriter) John Denver Popular Musicians History Channel
1948 Donna Summer (Massachusetts-born African-American Singer) Massachusetts Performing Artists Popular Musicians African-Amrican Performing Artists Biography
1958 Bebe Neuwirth (New Jersey-born Actress) New Jersey Performing Artists Actors Biography
1959 Val Kilmer (Los Angeles-born Actor) Los Angeles Performing Artists Actors Film Biography
Sports Figures
1959 Ben Jones (Missouri-born Hall of Fame Race Horse Trainer) Missouri Sports Figures Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Persons of Historic Significance Who Have Died on This Date Persons of Historic Significance Who Have Died on This Date
192 Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus (Emperor of Rome: Murdered) Roman Political and Social Leaders
1384 John Wycliffe (English Theologian, Religious Reformer) English Political and Social Leaders Religious Leaders and Theologians Chambers Book of Days
1679 Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (Italian Naturalist, Mathematician, Physicist) Italian Scientists & Mathematicians Math Physics
1719 John Flamsteed (English Astronomer) John Flamsteed Astronomy
1971 P.D. East (Mississippi-born Author) Mississippi Authors American Authors
1972 Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rican Hall of Fame Baseball Player; Died in a Plane Crash Attempting to Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Nicaragua) Nicaragua Roberto Clemente Baseball Hall of Fame Air Disasters Latin-American Sports Figures History Channel New York Times
1980 Marshall McLuhan (Canadian Professor of Literature and Culture Who Claimed "the medium is the message") Canadian Political and Social Leaders Educators of Note Propaganda CBC
Historically Significant Events Historically Significant Events
Historic Events of the 1600s that Occurred on this Date
1600 Queen Elizabeth I of England Grants a Formal Charter to the London Merchants Trading to the East Indies England Queen Elizabeth I International Trade History Channel
Historic Events of the 1700s that Occurred on this Date
1724 J.S. Bach's "Sacred Cantata No. 122" Is Performed As Bach's Second Annual Sacred Cantata Cycle in Leipzig, Germany Johann Sebastian Bach Composers Religious Music Christmas Music American Public Media
1730 James Oglethorpe Is Elected to the Board of Governors of the Royal African Company, Responsible for Overseeing Britain's Slave Trade Great Britain Slavery University of Georgia
1775 Patriot Forces under Colonel Benedict Arnold Fail to Capture the City of Québec under Cover of Darkness and Snowfall Québec, Canada American Revolution History Channel
1792 An Official Spanish Census of Texas Records 414 Mulattoes and 34 Negroes in a Total Population of 1,617 Males and 1,375 Females Spain Texas Demographics Latin-American Heritage African-American Heritage Texas State Historical Association
Historic Events of the 1800s that Occurred on this Date
1852 Queen Victoria Chooses to Make Ottawa the Capital of Canada England Ottawa, Canada Queen Victoria New York Times
1858 Named in Honor of U.S. Statesman, Henry Clay, Clay County, Florida Is Created as the State's 37th County Clay County, Florida Henry Clay Florida Historical Society
1862 In Tennessee, the Battle of Stones River (Murfeesboro) Begins Tennessee Battle of Stones River History Channel State of Michigan
In Tennessee, General Forrest's Confederate Cavalry Narrowly Escapes Disaster at Parker's Crossroads Tennessee Parker's Crossroads History Channel
President Abraham Lincoln Signs an Act Admitting West Virginia to the Union West Virginia President Abraham Lincoln U.S. History Lincoln Logs West Virginia State Archive Virginia Historical Society
President Lincoln Holds Special Cabinet Meeting to Make Final Revisions to the Emancipation Proclamation President Abraham Lincoln Slavery Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln Logs
1864 Major General Samuel Jones Relieves General Pierre Beauregard of Command of Confederate Forces in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida South Carolina Georgia Florida American Civil War Florida Historical Society
1879 Thomas Edison Gives the First Public Demonstration of His Light Bulb for Financial Backers Thomas Edison The Light Bulb Historic Firsts Library of Congress History Channel
The First U.S. Performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Comic Opera The Pirates of Penzance Is in New York City English Composers New York City Stage and Theater Plays Historic Firsts American Public Media
1881 The International Cotton Exposition Closes in Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia Economics & Business National Cotton Council of America
1894 In Minnesota, Roseau County Is Established and Named for the Lake and River in Its Territory Roseau County, Minnesota Minnesota Historical Society
Historic Events that occurred 1900-1949 on this date
1901 A Volcanic Eruption at Alaska's Cook Inlet Triggers a 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake and Tsunami Alaska Volcanoes Earthquake Tsunami USGS
1909 The 1,470-foot Manhattan Bridge Opens for Traffic Across the East River New York City Bridges History Channel
1935 A Patent for the Game "Monopoly" Is Received by Charles Darrow Patents and Trademarks Monopoly USPTO
1937 A Snowstorm Hits Grand Marais, Minnesota as Lake Superior Floods the Town Grand Marais, Minnesota Snow Flooding Minnesota Historical Society
In Texas, the Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge Is Established on More Than 47,000 Acres on Blackjack Peninsula Texas Earth and Environmental Sciences Animals Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge Texas State Historical Association
1938 From Seattle, the First Airplane with a Pressurized Cabin, the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, Lifts Off for Its First 40-minute Test Flight Seattle, Washington Aviation Historic Firsts HistoryLink
1942 Ayn Rand Finishes Writing The Fountainhead and Delivers It to the Publishers, Bobbs-Merrill Ayn Rand American Authors American Collection
1944 Hungary Declares War on Germany Hungary Nazi Germany World War II History Channel
1946 President Truman Officially Proclaims the End of Hostilities in World War II President Harry Truman World War II New York Times
Historic Events that occurred 1950-1999 on this date
1951 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Sets Sail on the Queen Mary for Talks in America with President Truman Winston Churchill President Harry Truman Naval History Cold War BBC
1954 Radio Mystery Program The Shadow Airs Its Last Episode Radio History Channel
1955 General Motors Is the First U.S. Corporation to Achieve More Than $1B in Annual Earnings General Motors Business Historic Firsts History Channel
1959 In South Africa, the Forced Removal of Blacks from Sophiatown Is Completed So That the Area Can Be Reassigned to Whites South Africa Apartheid South African History
1961 President John Kennedy Issues Public Seasons Greetings to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and the People of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev President John Kennedy Cold War History Channel
The Marshall Plan Expires After Distributing More Than $12 Billion in Foreign Aid The Marshall Plan World War II Cold War New York Times
The Beach Boys First Public Performance Is at a Long Beach Municipal Auditorium New Year's Eve Event California Performing Artists Popular Musicians Historic Firsts LearnCalifornia
1964 England's Donald Campbell Breaks the World Water Speed Record Donald Campbell Speedboat Racing BBC
1967 With a Temperature of -14 °F in Green Bay, the Packers Defeat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 to Win the NFL Championship Green Bay, Wisconsin Dallas, Texas Football NFL Temperature New York Times Wisconsin Historical Society
1970 A Lewes, Delaware Landmark, Henessey's Restaurant Is Destroyed by Fire Lewes, Delaware Fire Business State of Delaware
1971 President Richard Nixon Signs the National Air Quality Control Act, Calling for a 90% Reduction in Auto Emissions by 1975 Earth and Environmental Science President Richard Nixon Law and Legal Resources History Channel
1972 U.S. and Communist Negotiators Prepare to Resume Vietnam War Peace Talks in Paris on January 2 Paris, France Vietnam War History Channel
Hall of Fame Baseball Player Roberto Clemente Dies in a Plane Crash Attempting to Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Nicaragua Nicaragua Roberto Clemente Baseball Hall of Fame Air Disasters Death Latin-American Sports Figures History Channel New York Times
1974 Private U.S. Citizens Are Allowed to Buy and Own Gold for the First Time in More Than 40 Years Gold Economics Laws and Legal Resources New York Times
A Pageant of Birds by Eudora Welty Is Published by Albondocani Press, New York Eudora Welty American Authors Mississippi Writer's Project
1978 United States Ends Official Relations with Nationalist China (Taiwan) to Establish Relations with the People's Republic of China in Beijing China Cold War History Channel
1986 A Fire at the Du Pont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Kills 97 and Injures 140 People San Juan, Puerto Rico Fire Death New York Times
1987 The Last Bluebonnet Bowl Is Played in the Houston Astrodome Houston, Texas Football Houston Astrodome Texas State Historical Association
1999 The U.S. Officially Hands Over Control of the Panama Canal to Panama Panama Panama Canal History Channel
Vladimir Putin Replaces Boris Yeltsin As the President of Russia Russian Political and Social Leaders BBC
Historic Events that occurred 2000-2009 on this date
2000 England's Millennium Dome Closes After Attracting and Entertaining 6M Visitors England Greenwich 2000 Greenwich Guide
2001 The University of Notre Dame Hires Football Coach Tyrone Willingham, as the School's First African American Head Coach Indiana Sports Figures Football University of Notre Dame African-American Sports Figures Historic Firsts Indiana Historical Society