1491 – Jacques Cartier the French explorer was born on the 31st December 1491 (died 1557).

1695 – Window tax was imposed in England on the 31st December 1695, causing many householders to brick up their windows to avoid the tax.

1759 – Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum on the 31st December 1759, to start brewing Guinness.

1790 – Efimeris, the oldest Greek newspaper was published for the first time on the 31st December 1790.

1857 – Queen Victoria chose Ottawa, a small logging town, as the capital of Canada on the 31st December 1857.

1869 – Henri Matisse the French painter was born on the 31st December 1869 (died 1954).

1878 – Karl Benz filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine on the 31st December 1878, where he was working in Mannheim, Germany.

1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrated incandescent lighting to the public for the first time on the 31st December 1879, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

1907 – Times Square in New York held the 1st New Year’s Eve celebration on the 31st December 1907, back when it was known as Longacre Square.

1909 – Manhattan Bridge opened on the 31st December 1909.

1923 – Big Ben‘s chimes were broadcast on radio for the first time on the 31st December 1923, by the BBC.

1943 – Ben Kingsley the English actor was born on the 31st December 1943.

1955 – The General Motors Corporation became the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year on the 31st December 1955.

1959 – Val Kilmer the American actor was born on the 31st December 1959.

1960 – The farthing coin ceased to be legal tender in the United Kingdom on the 31st December 1960.

1961 – RTÉ, Ireland’s state broadcaster launched its first national television service on the 31st December 1961.

1962 – Heather McCartney the American-English potter was born on the 31st December 1962.

1967 – The Youth International Party known as the “Yippies” was founded on the 31st December 1967.

1972 – Joey McIntyre the American singer-songwriter from New Kids on the Block was born on the 31st December 1972.

1977 – Psy the South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, and dancer was born on the 31st December 1977.

1979 ~ Elaine Cassidy the Irish award-winning Irish actress was born in Kilcoole, Ireland on the 31st December in 1979. Elaine Cassidy is best known for her roles as Abby Mills in Harper’s Island, Felicia in Felicia’s Journey, Runt in Disco Pigs, Lydia in The Others, and Katherine Glendenning in The Paradise.

1994 – The 31st December in 1994 was skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands changed time zones from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC-10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively on the 31st December 1994.

1999 – Boris Yeltsin the first president of Russia resigned as the President of Russia on the 31st December 1999, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.

2004 – Taipei 101 officially opened as the tallest skyscraper in the world on the 31st December 2004, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).

2013  ~ The Associated Press was at the heart of New York City’s largest annual celebration, presenting a video recap of 2013’s key moments at New Year’s Eve in Times Square  on the 31st December 2013 ~ AP wishes you a Happy New Year!…

Today in History for the 31st December video produced by Associated PressAssociated Press official website: www.AP.org

1927 – The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia opened on the 30th December 1927, in Tokyo, Japan.

1928 – Bo Diddley the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 30th December 1928 (died 2008).

1937 – Paul Stookey the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Peter, Paul and Mary was born on the 30th December 1937.

1945 – Davy Jones the English singer and actor from The Monkees was born on the 30th December 1945 (died 2012).

1945 – Lloyd Kaufman the American director, screenwriter, producer and co-founder of Troma Entertainment was born on the 30th December 1945.

1945 – Vernon Wells the Australian actor was born on the 30th December 1945.

1946 – Patti Smith the American singer-songwriter and poet was born on the 30th December 1946.

1947 – Jeff Lynne, English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (Electric Light Orchestra, Traveling Wilburys, The Move, and The Idle Race)

1948 – The Cole Porter Broadway musical, Kiss Me, Kate opened on the 30th December 1948, at the New Century Theatre, and became the first show to win the Best Musical Tony Award.

1957 – Matt Lauer the American journalist and host of The Today Show was born on the 30th December 1957.

1957 – Glenn Robbins the Australian actor and comedian was born on the 30th December 1957.

1959 – Tracey Ullman the English-American actress, singer, screenwriter, and director was born on the 30th December 1959.

1965 – Heidi Fleiss the American madam and columnist was born on the 30th December 1965.

1969 – Jay Kay the English singer-songwriter from Jamiroquai was born on the 30th December 1969.

1986 – Ellie Goulding the English singer-songwriter and producer was born on the 30th December 1986.

2006 – Saddam Hussein the former President of Iraq was executed on the 30th December 2006.

2011 – Samoa and Tokelau skipped a day on the 30th December 2011, due to a change of time zone.

1851 – The YMCA opened for the first time in America on the 29th December 1851, in Boston, Massachusetts

1936 – Mary Tyler Moore the American actress was born on the 29th December 1936.

1938 – Jon Voight the American actor was born on the 29th December 1938.

1939 – Consolidated B-24 Liberator had its first flight on the 29th December 1939.

1941 – Ray Thomas the English singer-songwriter from The Moody Blues was born on the 29th December 1941.

1947 – Ted Danson the American actor and producer was born on the 29th December 1947.

1954 – Roger Voudouris the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 29th December 1954 (died 2003 aged 48). Roger Voudouris was best known for his 1979 hit Get Used To It (YouTube video)…

1960 – David Boon the Australian cricketer was born on the 29th December 1960.

1965 – Dexter Holland the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from The Offspring was born on the 29th December 1965.

1970 ~ Aled Jones the Welsh singer was born on the 29th December 1970. Aled jones verified Twitter: www.twitter.com/RealAled 

1970 – Glen Phillips the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Toad the Wet Sprocket was born on the 29th December 1970.

1972 – Jude Law the English actor, director, and producer was born on the 29th December 1972.

2012 ~ Tony Greig the English Test cricket captain and commentator died on the 29th December 2012, aged 66, living in Australia. Tony was Born Anthony Greig on 6th October 1946 in South Africa.

0893 – An earthquake destroyed the city of Dvin, Armenia on the 28th December in the year 893.

1065 – Westminster Abbey was consecrated on the 28th December 1065.

1612 – Galileo Galilei became the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune on the 28th December 1612, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.

1836 – South Australia and Adelaide were founded on the 28th December 1836.

1846 – Iowa was admitted as the 29th U.S. state on the 28th December 1846.

1879 – Tay Bridge disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom collapsed as a train passed over it on the 28th December 1979, killing 75.

1895 – The Lumière brothers performed for their first paying audience on the 28th December 1895, at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines, marking the debut of the cinema.

1895 – Wilhelm Röntgen published a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation on the 28th December 1895, which later became known as x-rays.

1908 – A magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocked Messina, Sicily, Italy on the 28th December 1908, killing over 75,000 people.

1912 – The first municipally owned streetcars took to the streets in San Francisco, California on the 28th December 1912.

1921 – Johnny Otis the American singer-songwriter and producer was born on the 28th December 1921 (died 2012).

1922 – Stan Lee the American writer, publisher and producer was born on the 28th December 1922.

1946 – Edgar Winter the American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer was born on the 28th December 1946.

1954 – Denzel Washington the American actor, director, and producer was born on the 28th December 1954.

1960 ~ James Caan the British-Pakistani entrepreneur and television personality from the Dragons’ Den was born Nazim Khan on the 28th December 1960.

1973 – Seth Meyers the American actor was born on the 28th December 1973.

1973 – The Endangered Species Act was passed in the United States on the 28th December 1973.

1981 – Sienna Miller the English actress and fashion designer was born on the 28th December 1981.

1989 – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia on the 28th December 1989, killing 13 people.

0537 – The Hagia Sophia was completed on the 27th December in the year 537.

1831 – Charles Darwin embarked on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle on the 27th December 1831, during which he began to formulate the theory of evolution.

1836 – The worst ever avalanche in England occurred at Lewes, Sussex, on the 27th December 1836, killing 8 people.

1845 – Ether anesthetic was used for childbirth for the first time on the 27th December 1845, by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.

1901 ~ Marlene Dietrich the German – American actress and singer was born on the 1901 (died 1992).

1922 – Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō became the first purpose built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world on the 27th December 1922.

1927 – Show Boat the first true American musical, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway on the 27th December 1927.

1932 – Radio City Music Hall, the “Showplace of the Nation”, opened in New York on the 27th December 1932.

1939 – Erzincan in Turkey was hit by an earthquake on the 27th December 1939, killing 30,000 people.

1941 – Mike Pinder the English singer-songwriter and keyboard player from The Moody Blues was born on the 27th December 1941.

1944 – Mick Jones the English guitarist and songwriter from Foreigner was born on the 27th December 1944.

1948 – Gérard Depardieu the French actor was born on the 27th December 1948.

1952 – David Knopfler the Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from Dire Straits was born on the 27th December 1952.

1966 – The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the world, was discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico on the 27th December 1966.

1968 – Apollo 8 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on the 27th December 1968, ending the first orbital manned mission to the Moon.

1978 – Spain became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship on the 27th December 1978.

1978 – The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in the South Pole recorded temperatures of 7.5 °F (−13.6 °C) on the 27th December 1978, making it the highest temperature to ever be recorded in the South Pole.

1985 – Palestinian guerrillas killed 18 people inside Rome, Italy and Vienna airports on the 27th December 1985.

1986 ~ Torah Bright the Australian professional snowboarder and Olympic gold medalist was born on the 27th December 1986. Torah Bright won a Gold medal in the Halfpipe at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and a Siver medal in the Halfpipe at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Torah Bright verified online: Twitter.com/TorahBright  | Facebook.com/TorahBright | YouTube video:  Winter Olympics profile: Torah Bright video…

1988 ~ Hayley Williams the American lead singer and songwriter from rock band Paramore was born on the 27th December 1988.

2004 – Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reached Earth on the 27th December 2004, making it is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet.

1871 – Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated for the first time on 26th December 1871, on their lost opera, Thespis.

1933 ~ Ugly Dave Gray the English-Australian comedian and actor was born on 26th December 1933.

1939 – Phil Spector the American singer-songwriter and producer was born on 26th December 1939.

1941 ~ Johnny Chester the Australian singer-songwriter was born John Howard Chester on the 26th December 1941. Johnny Chester started his career in 1959 singing rock’n’roll, and in 1969 changed to country music. Johnny has toured nationally with The Beatles, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette and Charley Pride. Johnny Chester has also worked as a radio announcer on 3UZ and Radio Australia, and hosted TV shows such as Teen Time on Ten (Channel 10 Gippsland), Teen Scene (ABC TV) and Country Road (ABC TV). Johnny Chester has won Golden Guitars at the Country Music Awards of Australia for best selling track in 1975, and Male Vocalist of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1983.

1963 ~ Lars Ulrich the Danish-American drummer and songwriter from Metallica was born on 26th December 1963.

1971 – Jared Leto the American singer-songwriter from 30 Seconds to Mars was born on 26th December 1971.

1982 – Time‘s Man of the Year is the personal computer on 26th December 1982, the first time a non-human has been on the cover.

2004 – A 9.3 magnitude earthquake created a tsunami on 26th December 2004, causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives and other areas around the rim of the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people including.

“Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you, your family, pets and friends”                            ~ from Anton K

7BC– ~ Jesus Christ of Nazareth was born on the 25th December 7-2 BC.

1628 – Noël Coypel the French painter was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1628 (d. 1707).

1643 – Christmas Island was found and named by Captain William Mynors on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1643.

1642 – Isaac Newton the English scientist and mathematician was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1642 (d. 1727).

1856 – Hans von Bartels the German painter was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1856 (d. 1913).

1870 – Helena Rubinstein the Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1870 (d. 1965).

1887 – Conrad Hilton the American hotelier was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1887 (d. 1979).

1899 – Humphrey Bogart the American actor was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1889 (d. 1957).

1908 – Quentin Crisp the English author was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1908 (d. 1999).

1913 – Tony Martin the American singer and actor was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1913 (d. 2012).

1928 – Dick Miller the American actor was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1928.

1937 – O’Kelly Isley, Jr. the American singer from The Isley Brothers was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1937 (d. 1986).

1938 – Duane Armstrong the American painter was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1938.

1944 – Kenny Everett the British entertainer was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1944 (d. 1995).

1949 – Sissy Spacek the American actress was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1949.

1946 – W. C. Fields the American comedian died on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1946 (b. 1880).

1954 – Annie Lennox the Scottish singer was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1954.

1955 – Alannah Myles the Canadian singer was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1955.

1959 – Michael P. Anderson the American astronaut was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1959. Michael died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on the 1st February 2003, aged 43.

1962 – Darren Wharton the British keyboardist from Thin Lizzy was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1962.

1965 ~ Thunderbirds premiered for the first time on London television on the 25th December 1965. Thunderbirds originally premiered for the 1st time in the World on the ATV Midlands broadcasting region 3 months earlier on the 30th September 1965. The children’s television series about a rescue organisation was inspired by a real life disaster rescue on the 7th November 1963, when 11 West German miners were rescued from a collapsed mine after surviving for 14 days, an event later known as the Wunder von Lengede (Miracle of Lengede).

1968 – Helena Christensen the Danish model was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1968.

1968 – Apollo 8 performed the very first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI) maneuver on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1968, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

1971 – Dido the English singer was born on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1971.

1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin, Northern Territory in Australia on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1974.

1984 – The Veronicas, the Australian rock duo twin sisters Jessica & Lisa Origliasso were born in Albany Creek, Brisbane on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1984.

1990 – The first successful trial run of the World Wide Web was conducted on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1990.

1995 – Dean Martin the American singer died on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1995 (b. 1917).

1977 – Charlie Chaplin the English actor and film director died on Christmas Day on the 25th December 1977 (b. 1889).

2006 – James Brown the American singer  died on Christmas Day on the 25th December 2006 (b. 1933)

2004 – Huygens probe was released by Cassini orbiter on Christmas Day on the 25th December 2004, which successfully landed on Saturn‘s moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

2008 – Eartha Kitt the American actress and singer  died on Christmas Day on the 25th December 2008 (b. 1927).

1777 – Kiritimati (Christmas Island) was discovered by James Cook on the 24th December 1777.

1837 ~ Elisabeth of Austria the Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary, and wife of Franz Joseph I was born in in Munich, Bavaria on the 24th December 1837 (died 10th September 1898 aged 60).

1865 – The Ku Klux Klan was formed on the 24th December 1865.

1881 – Charles Wakefield Cadman the American composer was born on the 24th December 1881 (died 1946).

1905 – Howard Hughes the American engineer and director was born on the 24th December 1905 (died 1976).

1914 – The “Christmas truce” during World War I began on the 24th December 1914.

1922 – Ava Gardner the American actress was born on the 24th December 1922 (died 1990).

1924 – Lee Dorsey the American singer was born on the 24th December 1924 (died 1986).

1947 – Kevin Sheedy the Australian footballer and coach was born on the 24th December 1947.

1968 – The crew of Apollo 8 entered into orbit around the Moon on the 24th December 1968, becoming the 1st humans to do so. The Apollo 8 performed 10 lunar orbits while broadcasting live TV pictures for the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history.

1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin, Australia on the 24th December 1974.

1982 – Robert Coppola Schwartzman the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rooney was born on the 24th December 1982. YouTube video: When Did Your Heart Go Missing? (2007)..

1991 ~ Louis_Tomlinson the English singer from One Direction was born on the 24th December 1991.

YouTube video: This Day in History ~ 24th December…

1913 ~ Arthur Wynne’s “word-cross” was the World’s first crossword puzzle published on the 21st December 1913, when it was published in the New York World newspaper.

1937 ~ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world’s 1rst full-length animated feature, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater on the 21st December 1937.

1937 ~ Jane Fonda the American actress was born on the 21st December 1937. YouTube video: Jane Fonda Workout Video (1982)…

1940 ~ Frank Zappa the American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer was born on the 21st December 1940 (died 1993). YouTube video: Frank Zappa – Dupree’s Paradise & Montana – Roxy 1973…

1946 ~ The 1946 Nankaidō Earthquake and tsunami in happened in Nankaidō, Japan on the 21st December 1946, killing over 1,300 people and destroying over 38,000 homes.

1946 ~ Kevin Peek the Australian guitarist and songwriter from Sky was born on the 21st December 1946 (died 2013). YouTube video: Rare Guitar Video: John Williams and Kevin Peek play Fool on the Hill by Beatles…

1948 ~ Samuel L. Jackson the American actor and producer was born on the 21st December 1948.

1962 ~ Rondane National Park was established as Norway‘s 1st national park on the 21st December 1962.

1966 ~ Kiefer Sutherland the English-Canadian actor, director, and producer was born on the 21st December 1966.

1968 – Apollo 8 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 21st December 1968, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the 1st visit by humans to another celestial body.

1969 ~ Julie Delpy the French-American actress, director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter was born on the 21st December 1969. Julie Delpy has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, including Europa Europa, The Voyager, Three Colors: White), Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, 2 Days in Paris, and Before Midnight.

1988 ~ Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the 21st December 1988, killing 270 people.

1995 ~ The City of Bethlehem passed from Israeli to Palestinian control on the 21st December 1995.

2003 ~ www.Antonk.com domain name was registered on the 21st December 2003. The Antonk.com website was started on the 8th March 2012.

2012 ~ The GANGNAM STYLE YOUTUBE ViDEO by Psy became the 1st YouTube in the World to have 1 billion views. YouTube added a special commemorative dancing Psy animated gif to the counter for the occasion…

2014 ~Udo Jürgens the Austrian composer and singer died on the 21st December 2014, aged 80. Griechischer Wein – Greek Wine music video…