December 31
Today in America's Present Past
1775 | War of Independence: The Battle of Quebec.
1775 | Revolutionary war hero General Montgomery is killed in action.
1776 | Rhode Island establishes wage and price controls to curb inflation.
1802 | Founder Francis Lewis died.
1815 | General George Gordon Meade was born.
1825 | General Francis Trowbridge Sherman was born.
1862 | Civil War: The Battle of Stone’s River, Tennessee.
1862 | Statehood: West Virginia joined the Union.
1862 | Civil War: Union ironclad ship “Monitor” sank off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
1880 | General George C. Marshall was born.
1892 | Actor Jason Robards Sr. was born in Hillsdale, Michigan.
1884 | SCOTUS: Justice Stanley Forman Reed was born.
1904 | The first New Year’s Eve celebration held in Times Square, New York City, New York.
1907 | The first ball drops at Times Square to signal the New Year in New York City, New York.
1910 | Aviator Archibald Hoxsey died.
1916 | Chemist Alice Ball died.
1943 | Musician John Denver was born.
1946 | POTUS: Democrat President Truman formally declares World War II over.
1948 | Entertainer Donna Summer was born.
1949 | Author Susan Shwartz was born.
1955 | General Motors became the first corporation to generate $1 billion in revenue in a calendar year.
1959 | Actor Val Kilmer was born.
1961 | WWII: After distributing $12 billion, the Marshall Plan sunsets.
1963 | Music: Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead play music together for the first time.
1965 | Author Nicholas Sparks was born.
1985 | Entertainer Ricky Nelson died.
1985 | Director Sam Spiegel died.
1993 | Entrepreneur Thomas J. Watson, Jr. died.
2015 | Entertainer Natalie Cole died.
2021 | Entertainer Betty White died.