Roman Empire
Commodus died
On 31 December, Marcia poisoned Commodus' food, but he vomited up the poison, so the conspirators sent his wrestling partner Narcissus to strangle him in his bath.
null
- Hot Dog
It was used to mean a sausage
It was used "hot dog" to mean a sausage in casing in the Paterson (New Jersey) Daily Press (31 December 1892): the 'hot dog' was quickly inserted in a gash in a roll.
- Louis Armstrong
Arrested
Borrowing his stepfather's gun without permission, he fired a blank into the air and was arrested on December 31, 1912. He spent the night at New Orleans Juvenile Court, then was sentenced the next day to detention at the Colored Waif's Home.
- Benito Mussolini
Warings to Mussolini
On 31 December 1924, MVSN (Milizia Volontaria di Sicurezza Nazionale) consuls met with Mussolini and gave him an ultimatum: crush the opposition or they would do so without him. Fearing a revolt by his own militants, Mussolini decided to drop all pretense of democracy.
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
The Indian Flag in Lahore
On 31 December 1929, the flag of India was unfurled in Lahore.
- World War II
Operation Nordwind
Operation Nordwind was the last major German offensive in the war. It began on 31 December 1944 in Rhineland-Palatinate, Alsace and Lorraine in southwestern Germany and northeastern France, and ended on 25 January 1945. The German offensive was a failure, failing to destroy the Allied forces.
- River Phoenix
Phoenix's mother
Arlyn Phoenix commonly known as Heart Phoenix, is an American social activist and mother of actors River, Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.
- World War II
Operation Ichi-Go
The second Japanese invasion of China aimed to destroy China's main fighting forces, secure railways between Japanese-held territory and capture Allied airfields. The invasion took place from 19 April to 31 December 1944.
- Korean War
Chinese New Year's Offensive
the PVA and the KPA launched their Third Phase Offensive (also known as the "Chinese New Year's Offensive") on New Year's Eve of 1950/51.
- Bay of Pigs Invasion
Batista Resigned and Fled into Exile
Between December 1956 and 1959, Castro led a guerrilla army against the forces of Batista from his base camp in the Sierra Maestra mountains. Batista's repression of revolutionaries had earned him widespread unpopularity, and by 1958 his armies were in retreat. On 31 December 1958, Batista resigned and fled into exile, taking with him an amassed fortune of more than US$300,000,000.
- Fidel Castro
Batista's Escape
Fearing Castro was a socialist, the U.S. instructed Cantillo to oust Batista. By this time the great majority of Cuban people had turned against the Batista regime. Ambassador to Cuba, E. T. Smith, who felt the whole CIA mission had become too close to the MR-26-7 movement, personally went to Batista and informed him that the US no longer would support him and felt he no longer could control the situation in Cuba. General Cantillo secretly agreed to a ceasefire with Castro, promising that Batista would be tried as a war criminal; however, Batista was warned, and fled into exile with over US$300,000,000 on 31 December 1958.
- The Beatles
McCartney filed a suit
McCartney filed suit for the dissolution of the Beatles' contractual partnership on 31 December 1970.
- Indira Gandhi
The Garibi Hatao Programme
Garibi Hatao (Eradicate Poverty) was the theme for Gandhi's 1971 political bid. The Garibi Hatao slogan and the proposed anti-poverty programs that came with it were designed to give Gandhi independent national support, based on rural and urban poor. This would allow her to bypass the dominant rural castes both in and of state and local governments; likewise the urban commercial class. And, for their part, the previously voiceless poor would at last gain both political worth and political weight. The programs created through Garibi Hatao, though carried out locally, were funded and developed by the Central Government in New Delhi. The program was supervised and staffed by the Indian National Congress party. "These programs also provided the central political leadership with new and vast patronage resources to be disbursed... throughout the country."
- Ted Bundy
Bundy was already in Chicago
After stealing a car, Bundy drove eastward out of Glenwood Springs, but the car soon broke down in the mountains on Interstate 70. A passing motorist gave him a ride into Vail, 60 miles (97 km) to the east. From there he caught a bus to Denver, where he boarded a morning flight to Chicago. In Glenwood Springs, the jail's skeleton crew did not discover the escape until noon on December 31, more than 17 hours later. By then, Bundy was already in Chicago.
- June 1962 Alcatraz escape attempt: Escape from Alcatraz
FBI closing files
The FBI closed its file on December 31, 1979, after a 17-year investigation. Their official finding was that the prisoners most likely drowned in the cold waters of the bay while attempting to reach Angel Island, it being unlikely that they made it the 1.25 miles to shore with the strong ocean currents and the cold seawater temperatures ranging between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. They cited the remnants found of the raft as well as the personal effects of the men, as evidence to bolster the official line that the raft broke up and sank at some point after having launched from Alcatraz and that the three convicts tried to swim for it, but then surely succumbed to hypothermia, their bodies swept to sea by the rapid currents of the San Francisco Bay. However, the FBI did hand the investigation over to the U.S. Marshals Service, who have not closed theirs since. As Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael Dyke told NPR in 2009: "There's an active warrant, and the Marshals Service doesn't give up looking for people." Dyke also pointed out that the bodies of two out of every three people who go missing in San Fransisco Bay are eventually recovered.
- Carlos the Jackal
Bombing of the Marseille-Paris TGV train
The bombing of the Marseille-Paris TGV train (3 dead, 12 injured).
- Carlos the Jackal
Bombing of the Gare Saint-Charles
The bombing of the Gare Saint-Charles in Marseille on December 31, 1983 (2 dead, 33 injured).
- Croatian War of Independence
Croatian Army expansion
Croatia lost much territory, but expanded the Croatian Army from the seven brigades it had at the time of the first ceasefire to 60 brigades and 37 independent battalions by December 31, 1991.
- First Chechen War
Major Russian defeat
When the Russians besieged the Chechen capital, thousands of civilians died from a week-long series of air raids and artillery bombardments in the heaviest bombing campaign in Europe since the destruction of Dresden. The initial assault on New Year's Eve 1995 ended in a major Russian defeat, resulting in heavy casualties and at first nearly a complete breakdown of morale in the Russian forces. The disaster claimed the lives of an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Russian soldiers, mostly barely trained and disoriented conscripts; the heaviest losses were inflicted on the 131st 'Maikop' Motor Rifle Brigade, which was completely destroyed in the fighting near the central railway station.
- 1997 Asian financial crisis
the rate was almost exactly 8,000 to 1 U.S. dollar
On 31 December 1998, the rate was almost exactly 8,000 to 1 U.S. dollar. Indonesia lost 13.5% of its GDP that year.
- Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
On 31 December 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and, according to the Constitution of Russia, Putin became Acting President of the Russian Federation.
- Eiffel Tower
Countdown to the Year 2000
For its "Countdown to the Year 2000" celebration on 31 December 1999, flashing lights and high-powered searchlights were installed on the tower. During the last three minutes of the year, the lights will turn on starting from the base of the tower and continuing on until it gets to the top to welcome 2000 with a huge fireworks show. An exhibition above a cafeteria on the first floor commemorates this event. The searchlights on top of the tower made it a beacon in Paris's night sky, and 20,000 flashing bulbs gave the tower a sparkly appearance for five minutes every hour on the hour.
- Eiffel Tower
The lights sparkled blue for several nights to herald the new millennium
The lights sparkled blue for several nights to herald the new millennium on 31 December 2000. The sparkly lighting continued for 18 months until July 2001. The sparkling lights were turned on again on 21 June 2003, and the display was planned to last for 10 years before they needed replacing.
- Visa Inc.
Exemption expired
In 2002, the European Commission exempted Visa's multilateral interchange fees from Article 81 of the EC Treaty that prohibits anti-competitive arrangements. However, this exemption expired on December 31, 2007. In the United Kingdom, MasterCard has reduced its interchange fees while it is under investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.
- Bank of America
Countrywide provided mortgage servicing for nine million mortgages valued at $1.4 trillion
The acquisition was seen as preventing potential bankruptcy for Countrywide. Countrywide, however, denied that it was close to bankruptcy. Countrywide provided mortgage servicing for nine million mortgages valued at $1.4 trillion as of December 31, 2007.
- Marvel Studios
The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment
On December 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. Both Marvel and Disney stated that the merger would not affect any preexisting deals with other film studios for the time being,
- Lula da Silva
Not to allow extradition was officially announced
On 31 December 2010, Lula's last day in office, the decision not to allow extradition was officially announced.
- Magdi Yacoub
The Order of Merit
He was awarded the Order of Merit by HM The Queen in the 2014 New Year Honours.
- Rwandan genocide
The ICTR officially closed
The ICTR (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda) officially closed on 31 December 2015, and its remaining functions were handed over to the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals.
- Oppo
First 5G phone
In 2020, Oppo released Reno 3 with MediaTek 5G SoC & Reno 3 Pro 5G with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G & 5G Connectivity. Oppo Reno 3 Pro 4G Version has the latest 44MP Dual Punch Hole Camera & Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G in India.
- Covid-19 Pandemic: 2020 Coronavirus outbreak
China begins getting isolated
Since 31 December 2019, some regions and countries near China tightened their screening of selected travelers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States later issued a Level 1 travel watch. Guidances and risk assessments were shortly posted by others including the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and Public Health England. In China, airports, railway stations and coach stations installed infrared thermometers. Travelers with a measured fever are taken to medical institutions after being registered and given masks. A real-time reverse transcription-polymerase Chain Reaction (RRT-PCR) test was used to confirm new cases of coronavirus infection.
- Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis
U.S. embassy attacks in Baghdad
On 31 December 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo named al-Muhandis, along with Qais Khazali, Hadi al-Amiri, and Falih Alfayyadh, as responsible for the attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad.
Executing of Edmund
Edmund was the brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England and was executed at 17
Spurzheim Birth
Spurzheim was a German physician who was born in Trier in 1776.
Battle of Quebec
The Americans were defeated in the Battle of Quebec in the American Revolutionary War.
- Roman Empire
Commodus died
On 31 December, Marcia poisoned Commodus' food, but he vomited up the poison, so the conspirators sent his wrestling partner Narcissus to strangle him in his bath.
- Hot Dog
It was used to mean a sausage
It was used "hot dog" to mean a sausage in casing in the Paterson (New Jersey) Daily Press (31 December 1892): the 'hot dog' was quickly inserted in a gash in a roll.
- Louis Armstrong
Arrested
Borrowing his stepfather's gun without permission, he fired a blank into the air and was arrested on December 31, 1912. He spent the night at New Orleans Juvenile Court, then was sentenced the next day to detention at the Colored Waif's Home.
- Benito Mussolini
Warings to Mussolini
On 31 December 1924, MVSN (Milizia Volontaria di Sicurezza Nazionale) consuls met with Mussolini and gave him an ultimatum: crush the opposition or they would do so without him. Fearing a revolt by his own militants, Mussolini decided to drop all pretense of democracy.
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
The Indian Flag in Lahore
On 31 December 1929, the flag of India was unfurled in Lahore.
- World War II
Operation Nordwind
Operation Nordwind was the last major German offensive in the war. It began on 31 December 1944 in Rhineland-Palatinate, Alsace and Lorraine in southwestern Germany and northeastern France, and ended on 25 January 1945. The German offensive was a failure, failing to destroy the Allied forces.
- River Phoenix
Phoenix's mother
Arlyn Phoenix commonly known as Heart Phoenix, is an American social activist and mother of actors River, Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.
- World War II
Operation Ichi-Go
The second Japanese invasion of China aimed to destroy China's main fighting forces, secure railways between Japanese-held territory and capture Allied airfields. The invasion took place from 19 April to 31 December 1944.
- Korean War
Chinese New Year's Offensive
the PVA and the KPA launched their Third Phase Offensive (also known as the "Chinese New Year's Offensive") on New Year's Eve of 1950/51.
- Bay of Pigs Invasion
Batista Resigned and Fled into Exile
Between December 1956 and 1959, Castro led a guerrilla army against the forces of Batista from his base camp in the Sierra Maestra mountains. Batista's repression of revolutionaries had earned him widespread unpopularity, and by 1958 his armies were in retreat. On 31 December 1958, Batista resigned and fled into exile, taking with him an amassed fortune of more than US$300,000,000.
- Fidel Castro
Batista's Escape
Fearing Castro was a socialist, the U.S. instructed Cantillo to oust Batista. By this time the great majority of Cuban people had turned against the Batista regime. Ambassador to Cuba, E. T. Smith, who felt the whole CIA mission had become too close to the MR-26-7 movement, personally went to Batista and informed him that the US no longer would support him and felt he no longer could control the situation in Cuba. General Cantillo secretly agreed to a ceasefire with Castro, promising that Batista would be tried as a war criminal; however, Batista was warned, and fled into exile with over US$300,000,000 on 31 December 1958.
- The Beatles
McCartney filed a suit
McCartney filed suit for the dissolution of the Beatles' contractual partnership on 31 December 1970.
- Indira Gandhi
The Garibi Hatao Programme
Garibi Hatao (Eradicate Poverty) was the theme for Gandhi's 1971 political bid. The Garibi Hatao slogan and the proposed anti-poverty programs that came with it were designed to give Gandhi independent national support, based on rural and urban poor. This would allow her to bypass the dominant rural castes both in and of state and local governments; likewise the urban commercial class. And, for their part, the previously voiceless poor would at last gain both political worth and political weight. The programs created through Garibi Hatao, though carried out locally, were funded and developed by the Central Government in New Delhi. The program was supervised and staffed by the Indian National Congress party. "These programs also provided the central political leadership with new and vast patronage resources to be disbursed... throughout the country."
- Ted Bundy
Bundy was already in Chicago
After stealing a car, Bundy drove eastward out of Glenwood Springs, but the car soon broke down in the mountains on Interstate 70. A passing motorist gave him a ride into Vail, 60 miles (97 km) to the east. From there he caught a bus to Denver, where he boarded a morning flight to Chicago. In Glenwood Springs, the jail's skeleton crew did not discover the escape until noon on December 31, more than 17 hours later. By then, Bundy was already in Chicago.
- June 1962 Alcatraz escape attempt: Escape from Alcatraz
FBI closing files
The FBI closed its file on December 31, 1979, after a 17-year investigation. Their official finding was that the prisoners most likely drowned in the cold waters of the bay while attempting to reach Angel Island, it being unlikely that they made it the 1.25 miles to shore with the strong ocean currents and the cold seawater temperatures ranging between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. They cited the remnants found of the raft as well as the personal effects of the men, as evidence to bolster the official line that the raft broke up and sank at some point after having launched from Alcatraz and that the three convicts tried to swim for it, but then surely succumbed to hypothermia, their bodies swept to sea by the rapid currents of the San Francisco Bay. However, the FBI did hand the investigation over to the U.S. Marshals Service, who have not closed theirs since. As Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael Dyke told NPR in 2009: "There's an active warrant, and the Marshals Service doesn't give up looking for people." Dyke also pointed out that the bodies of two out of every three people who go missing in San Fransisco Bay are eventually recovered.
- Carlos the Jackal
Bombing of the Marseille-Paris TGV train
The bombing of the Marseille-Paris TGV train (3 dead, 12 injured).
- Carlos the Jackal
Bombing of the Gare Saint-Charles
The bombing of the Gare Saint-Charles in Marseille on December 31, 1983 (2 dead, 33 injured).
- Croatian War of Independence
Croatian Army expansion
Croatia lost much territory, but expanded the Croatian Army from the seven brigades it had at the time of the first ceasefire to 60 brigades and 37 independent battalions by December 31, 1991.
- First Chechen War
Major Russian defeat
When the Russians besieged the Chechen capital, thousands of civilians died from a week-long series of air raids and artillery bombardments in the heaviest bombing campaign in Europe since the destruction of Dresden. The initial assault on New Year's Eve 1995 ended in a major Russian defeat, resulting in heavy casualties and at first nearly a complete breakdown of morale in the Russian forces. The disaster claimed the lives of an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Russian soldiers, mostly barely trained and disoriented conscripts; the heaviest losses were inflicted on the 131st 'Maikop' Motor Rifle Brigade, which was completely destroyed in the fighting near the central railway station.
- 1997 Asian financial crisis
the rate was almost exactly 8,000 to 1 U.S. dollar
On 31 December 1998, the rate was almost exactly 8,000 to 1 U.S. dollar. Indonesia lost 13.5% of its GDP that year.
- Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
On 31 December 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and, according to the Constitution of Russia, Putin became Acting President of the Russian Federation.
- Eiffel Tower
Countdown to the Year 2000
For its "Countdown to the Year 2000" celebration on 31 December 1999, flashing lights and high-powered searchlights were installed on the tower. During the last three minutes of the year, the lights will turn on starting from the base of the tower and continuing on until it gets to the top to welcome 2000 with a huge fireworks show. An exhibition above a cafeteria on the first floor commemorates this event. The searchlights on top of the tower made it a beacon in Paris's night sky, and 20,000 flashing bulbs gave the tower a sparkly appearance for five minutes every hour on the hour.
- Eiffel Tower
The lights sparkled blue for several nights to herald the new millennium
The lights sparkled blue for several nights to herald the new millennium on 31 December 2000. The sparkly lighting continued for 18 months until July 2001. The sparkling lights were turned on again on 21 June 2003, and the display was planned to last for 10 years before they needed replacing.
- Visa Inc.
Exemption expired
In 2002, the European Commission exempted Visa's multilateral interchange fees from Article 81 of the EC Treaty that prohibits anti-competitive arrangements. However, this exemption expired on December 31, 2007. In the United Kingdom, MasterCard has reduced its interchange fees while it is under investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.
- Bank of America
Countrywide provided mortgage servicing for nine million mortgages valued at $1.4 trillion
The acquisition was seen as preventing potential bankruptcy for Countrywide. Countrywide, however, denied that it was close to bankruptcy. Countrywide provided mortgage servicing for nine million mortgages valued at $1.4 trillion as of December 31, 2007.
- Marvel Studios
The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment
On December 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. Both Marvel and Disney stated that the merger would not affect any preexisting deals with other film studios for the time being,
- Lula da Silva
Not to allow extradition was officially announced
On 31 December 2010, Lula's last day in office, the decision not to allow extradition was officially announced.
- Magdi Yacoub
The Order of Merit
He was awarded the Order of Merit by HM The Queen in the 2014 New Year Honours.
- Rwandan genocide
The ICTR officially closed
The ICTR (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda) officially closed on 31 December 2015, and its remaining functions were handed over to the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals.
- Oppo
First 5G phone
In 2020, Oppo released Reno 3 with MediaTek 5G SoC & Reno 3 Pro 5G with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G & 5G Connectivity. Oppo Reno 3 Pro 4G Version has the latest 44MP Dual Punch Hole Camera & Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G in India.
- Covid-19 Pandemic: 2020 Coronavirus outbreak
China begins getting isolated
Since 31 December 2019, some regions and countries near China tightened their screening of selected travelers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States later issued a Level 1 travel watch. Guidances and risk assessments were shortly posted by others including the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and Public Health England. In China, airports, railway stations and coach stations installed infrared thermometers. Travelers with a measured fever are taken to medical institutions after being registered and given masks. A real-time reverse transcription-polymerase Chain Reaction (RRT-PCR) test was used to confirm new cases of coronavirus infection.
- Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis
U.S. embassy attacks in Baghdad
On 31 December 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo named al-Muhandis, along with Qais Khazali, Hadi al-Amiri, and Falih Alfayyadh, as responsible for the attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad.
Executing of Edmund
Edmund was the brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England and was executed at 17
Spurzheim Birth
Spurzheim was a German physician who was born in Trier in 1776.
Battle of Quebec
The Americans were defeated in the Battle of Quebec in the American Revolutionary War.