Ozzy47
Administrator
As 2013 comes to a end, here is some interesting things that happened on this date.
Important Events
Today's Birthdays
Historic Birthdays
Important Events
- On Dec. 31, 1946, President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.
- On Dec. 31, 1869, Henri Matisse, one of the foremost painters of 20th century French art, was born.
- On Dec. 31, 1857, Britain's Queen Victoria decided to make Ottawa the capital of Canada.
- On Dec. 31, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act admitting West Virginia to the Union.
- On Dec. 31, 1951, The Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $12 billion in foreign aid.
- On Dec. 31, 1974, Private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.
- On Dec. 31, 1985, Rock singer Rick Nelson, 45, and six other people were killed when fire broke out aboard a DC-3 that was taking the group to a New Year's Eve performance in Dallas.
- On Dec. 31, 1993, Entertainer Barbra Streisand performed her first paid concert in 22 years, singing to a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
- On Dec. 31, 1997, Michael Kennedy, 39-year-old son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain in Colorado.
- On Dec. 31, 2006, The death toll for Americans killed in the Iraq war reached 3,000.
Today's Birthdays
- 1937 Anthony Hopkins, Actor, turns 76
- 1942 Andy Summers, Rock musician (The Police), turns 71
- 1943 Ben Kingsley, Actor, turns 70
- 1944 Taylor Hackford, Director, producer, turns 69
- 1946 Diane Von Furstenberg, Fashion designer, turns 67
- 1947 Burton Cummings, Rock musician (The Guess Who), turns 66
- 1947 Tim Matheson, Actor ("Animal House," "The West Wing"), turns 66
- 1958 Bebe Neuwirth, Actress ("Cheers"), turns 55
- 1959 Val Kilmer, Actor, turns 54
- 1959 Paul Westerberg, Rock singer (The Replacements), turns 54
Historic Birthdays
- 85, Henri Matisse 12/31/1869 - 11/3/1954, French painter.
- 88, Jules Styne 12/31/1905 - 9/20/1994, American songwriter
- 88, Nathan Milstein 12/31/1903 - 12/21/1992, Russian-born American violinist
- 87, Elizabeth Arden 12/31/1878 - 10/18/1966, Canadian-born American cosmetic executive
- 78, Ben Jones 12/31/1882 - 6/13/1961, American racehorse trainer
- 78, George C. Marshall 12/31/1880 - 10/16/1959, U.S. Army general
- 86 Robert Aitken 12/31/1864 - 10/29/1951, American astronomer
- 66 Charles Cornwallis 12/31/1738 - 10/5/1805, English soldier and statesman
- 65 Jacques Cartier 12/31/1491 - 9/1/1557, French explorer