31 December 1879

Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Thomas Edison (1847–1931) was a prolific American inventor…

31 December 1907

The first ever ball drop in Times Square. The ball drop in Times Square is a famous New Year’s Eve tradition that takes place in…

31 December 2019

31 December 2019 – The World Health Organization is informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause, detected in Wuhan. This later turned out…

31 December 1994

The First Chechen War: The Russian Ground Forces begin a New Year’s storming of Grozny.

31 December 2019

The World Health Organization was informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause, detected in Wuhan. This later turned out to be COVID-19, the…

31 December 2014

A New Year’s Eve celebration stampede in Shanghai kills at least 36 people and injures 49 others. [rdp-wiki-embed url=’https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Shanghai_stampede’]

31 December 1501

The First Battle of Cannanore starts. The First Battle of Cannanore was a naval engagement between the Third Portuguese Armada under João da Nova and…

31 December 2004

Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world is officially opened. Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building, will be officially inaugurated in…

31 December 1857

Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa to be the capital of Canada. December 31, 1857 will always be one of the most important dates in Canadian history….