December 31

 Holidays and Observances
(Alphabetical Order)

2023 Daily Holidays that fall on December 31, include:

• Hogmanay 
• Leap Second Time Adjustment Day
• Make Up Your Mind Day 
• National Champagne Day 
  
• New Years Eve 
  
• Universal Hour of Peace Day 
• Unlucky Day 
• World Peace Meditation Day 

2023 Weekly Holidays that include December 31, are:

• Christmas Bird Count Week - December 14, 2023 - January 5, 2024
  
• Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over (Winter Enforcement) - December 18, 2023 - January 1, 2024
  
• It's About Time Week - December 25-31
• Kwanzaa - Evening of December 26, 2023 - January 1, 2024
• Tie One On For Safety Campaign - Runs November 23, 2023 through January 1, 2024 (Thanksgiving to New Year's Day)

2023 Monthly Holidays that include December 31, are:

There are too many monthly holidays to include here, so please check out our December Holidays page to see all of the holidays that are celebrated the entire month of December.

NOTE:

1. A page on each holiday will be coming soon and linked above.
2. If a date is a movable holiday, that is different every year, I'll include the year as well as the date rule above. Otherwise, the holiday falls on the same date each year.

World Festivals and Events
(Date Order)

• Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival - December 20, 2023 - Early March 2024

Astrological Sign

The Astrological Sign for December 31 is Capricorn.

Birth Flower of the Month

The Birth Flower(s) for the Month for December are:

• Holly/Narcissus - Sweetness, Self-Esteem, Vanity, The Sweetness of whoever receives it

Birthstone

The Birthstone(s) for December is Tanzanite, Zircon, Turquoise.

Famous Birthdays

• 1860 - Joseph S. Cullinan - American businessman who co-founded Texaco (d. 1937)
• 1943 - John Denver - American country singer, songwriter and actor (Rocky Mountain High) (d. 1997)
• 1943 - Ben Kingsley - English actor (Gandhi)
• 1946 - Diane von Furstenberg, Belgian-American fashion designer
• 1947 - Tim Matheson - American actor, director, and producer (Animal House, West Wing, Hart of Dixie)
• 1948 - Donna Summer - American singer and songwriter (Last Dance) (d. 2012)
• 1959 - Val Kilmer - American actor and producer (Top Gun)
• 1965 - Nicholas Sparks, American author, screenwriter, and producer (The Notebook)
• 1972 - Joey McIntyre - American singer, songwriter, and actor (New Kids on the Block)
• 1977 - Donald Trump, Jr., American businessman and son of Donald Trump and Ivana Trump

Famous Deaths

• 1384 - John Wycliffe - English religious reformer who was the first person to translate the Bible into English (b. 1331)
• 1985 - Ricky Nelson - American actor, singer, songwriter (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) (b. 1940)
• 2015 - Natalie Cole - American singer and songwriter, and daughter of Nat King Cole (b. 1950)
• 2015 - Wayne Rogers, American actor (Mash) (b. 1933)
• 2021 - Betty White, American actress, comedian, and producer (Golden Girls) (b. 1922)

Famous Weddings and Divorces

• 1940 - Actress Bette Davis marries innkeeper Arthur Farnsworth
• 1955 - Actor Gregory Peck marries philanthropist Veronique Passani
• 1997 - Actor and singer Will Smith marries actress Jada Pinkett
• 1997 - Actress Helen Mirren marries director Taylor Hackford
• 2000 - Actress Kate Hudson marries Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson

Quote of the Day

Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day 
or a Recipe of the Day

Go easy on the alcohol tonight! Alcohol is full of calories and sugar which are not at all healthy! Drink plenty of water in between drinks, and make sure not to drink on an empty stomach.  Assign a designated driver for the night, or take a taxi. Plan ahead - many cities offer free rides home on New Years!

Be safe, and have a great celebration!!

This Day in History

• 1796 - Baltimore, Maryland is incorporated as a city.
• 1831 - Gramercy Park is deeded to New York City
• 1857 - Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as the new capital of Canada
• 1862 - President Abraham Lincoln signs an act admitting West Virginia to the Union
• 1879 - Thomas Edison gives his 1st public demonstration of his incandescent lighting in Menlo Park, New Jersey
• 1909 - The Manhattan Bridge opens
• 1911 - Marie Curie receives her 2nd Nobel Prize
• 1921 - The final San Francisco firehorses are retired
• 1935 - The Monopoly game is patented by Charles Darrow
• 1944 - Hungary declares war on Germany during World War II
• 1946 - President Harry S. Truman proclaims the end of World War II
• 1955 - General Motors Corp. becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over $1 billion in a year
• 1977 - Serial killer Ted Bundy escapes from a Colorado jail
• 1983 - The U.S. government breaks up the AT&T Bell System
• 1991 - The Soviet Union is officially dissolved
• 1999 - Boris Yeltsin, resigns as President of Russia and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin becomes the acting President
• 1999 - The U.S. Government gives control of the Panama Canal, as well as the surrounding land to Panama.
• 1999 - 190 survivors are released at the Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan from the Indian Airlines Flight 814 that was hijacked seven days earlier.
• 2009 - A Blue moon and a lunar eclipse both occur
• 2010 - A total of 36 tornadoes touch down in the midwestern and southern United States resulting in the deaths of nine people, and $113 million in damages.
• 2014 - 36 people are killed and 49 others injured during a New Year's Eve celebration stampede in Shanghai
• 2020 - The World Health Organization (WHO) issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine

This Day in Music

• 1961 - The Beach Boys perform for the first time in Long Beach, CA
• 1965 - I Feel Fine from The Beatles is certified gold
• 1965 - Beatles '65 by The Beatles is certified gold
• 1966 - I'm a Believer from the Monkee's hit's #1 and stays on top for 7 weeks
• 1973 - Journey makes their live debut in San Francisco 
• 1974 - Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham join Fleetwood Mac
• 1976 - The Cars play their first show
• 2008 - 40,148 fans perform the Y.M.C.A. dance while the Village People perform during halftime of the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. They establish a Guinness World record!

The video above is Jon Bon Jovi and Lea Michele singing Have a Little Faith in Me, from the movie New Years Eve!

This Day in Sports

• 1914 - The New York Yankees are purchased by Colonel Jacob Ruppert & Captain Huston for $460,000
• 1958 - The USA beats Australia 3-2 in the 47th Davis Cup in Brisbane, Australia
• 1961 - The Green Bay Packers beat the NY Giants 37-0 in NFL championship game
• 1964 - Donald Campbell of the UK sets a world water speed record at 276.33 mph
• 1966 - Cleveland Metroparks begins operation of their Toboggan Chutes

Word of the Day from Wiktionary

Wishing You a Great Day Today!