So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

December 2nd


- Christian Feast Day:
- International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (International)
- National Day (Laos)
- National Day, celebrates the independence of United Arab Emirates from United Kingdom in 1971.

December 2nd


- 2001 - Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- 2008 - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns after the 2008 Thailand political crisis.
- 1999 - Glenbrook rail accident near Sydney, New South Wales.
- 1999 - The United Kingdom devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive.
- 1993 - Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed in Medellín.
- 1993 - Space Shuttle program: STS-61 – NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
- 1990 - A coalition led by Chancellor Helmut Kohl wins the first free all-German elections since 1932.
- 1988 - Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
- 1980 - Four U.S. nuns and churchwomen, Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan, and Dorothy Kazel, are murdered by a death squad in El Salvador.
- 1977 - The first World Series Cricket "supertest" match played between Australia and West Indies
- 1976 - Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado.
- 1975 - Pathet Lao seizes power in Laos, and establishes the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
- 1972 - Gough Whitlam becomes the first Labor Prime Minister of Australia for 23 years.
- 1971 - Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain form the United Arab Emirates.
- 1970 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
- 1962 - Vietnam War: After a trip to Vietnam at the request of US President John F. Kennedy, US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official not to make an optimistic public comment on the war's progress.
- 1961 - In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist-Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.
- 1956 - The Granma yacht reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente province and Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.
- 1954 - Red Scare: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to condemn Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute".
- 1954 - The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and the Republic of China, is signed in Washington, D.C..
- 1947 - Jerusalem Riots of 1947: Riots break out in Jerusalem in response to the approval of the 1947 UN Partition Plan.
- 1946 - The British Government invites four Indian leaders, Nehru, Baldev Singh, Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan to obtain the participation of all parties in the Constituent Assembly.
- 1943 - A Luftwaffe bombing raid on the harbour of Bari, Italy, sinks numerous cargo and transport ships, including an American Liberty ship, the John Harvey, with a stockpile of World War I-era mustard gas.
- 1942 - Manhattan Project: A team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
- 1939 - New York City's La Guardia Airport opens.
- 1930 - Great Depression: US President Herbert Hoover goes before the United States Congress and asks for a US$150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.
- 1927 - Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile.
- 1920 - Following more than a month of Turkish-Armenian War, the Turkish dictated Treaty of Alexandropol is concluded.
- 1917 - An armistice was signed between Russia and the Central Powers at Brest-Litovsk and peace talks leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk began.
- 1908 - Child Emperor Pu Yi ascends the Chinese throne at the age of two
- 1899 - Philippine-American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, termed "The Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.
- 1867 - At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States.
- 1859 - Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October 16th raid on Harper's Ferry.
- 1852 - Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomes Emperor of the French (Napoleon III).
- 1851 - French President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte overthrows the Second Republic.
- 1848 - Franz Josef I becomes Emperor of Austria.
- 1845 - Manifest Destiny: US President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
- 1823 - Monroe Doctrine: US President James Monroe delivers a speech establishing American neutrality in future European conflicts.
- 1805 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Austerlitz – French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.
- 1804 - At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French, the first French Emperor in a thousand years.
- 1775 - The USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones.
- 1763 - Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what became the United States.
- 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire.
- 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens.

December 2nd


- 2007 - Al Jalila bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
- 1992 - Brandon Knight, American basketball player
- 1990 - Hikaru Yaotome, Japanese idol (Hey! Say! JUMP)
- 1989 - Cassie Steele, Canadian actress
- 1988 - Alfred Enoch, British actor
- 1988 - Soniya Mehra, Indian actress
- 1987 - Teairra Mari, American R&B singer
- 1986 - Claudiu Keserü, Romanian football player
- 1985 - Dorell Wright, American basketball player
- 1985 - Amaury Leveaux, French swimmer
- 1984 - Péter Máté, Hungarian footballer
- 1983 - Jana Kramer, American actress
- 1983 - Chris Burke, Scottish footballer
- 1983 - Daniela Ruah, Portuguese actress
- 1983 - Bibiana Candelas, Mexican volleyball player
- 1983 - Aaron Rodgers, American football player
- 1982 - Michelle Banzer, model/beauty queen
- 1982 - Christos Karipidis, Greek footballer
- 1982 - Pizon, American rapper/producer
- 1982 - Matt Ware, American football player
- 1981 - Britney Spears, American singer and entertainer
- 1981 - Danijel Pranji?, Croatian football player
- 1980 - Adam Kreek, Canadian rower
- 1979 - Yvonne Catterfeld, German singer and actress
- 1979 - Michael McIndoe, Scottish professional footballer
- 1978 - Melissa Archer, American actress
- 1978 - Jarron Collins, American basketball player
- 1978 - Jason Collins, American basketball player
- 1978 - Nelly Furtado, Portuguese-Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1978 - Luigi Malafronte, Italian footballer
- 1978 - Peter Moylan, Australian baseball player
- 1978 - Maëlle Ricker, Canadian snowboarder, Olympic Gold Medalist
- 1978 - David Rivas, Spanish footballer
- 1978 - Chris Wolstenholme, British bassist (Muse)
- 1977 - Siyabonga Nomvethe, South African footballer
- 1976 - Eddy Garabito, Dominican baseball player
- 1976 - Masafumi Got?, Japanese singer (Asian Kung-Fu Generation)
- 1973 - Graham Kavanagh, Irish footballer
- 1973 - Monica Seles, Yugoslavian-born tennis player
- 1973 - Jan Ullrich, German cyclist
- 1972 - Sergei Zholtok, Latvian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
- 1971 - Wilson Jermaine Heredia, American actor
- 1971 - Francesco Toldo, Italian Football Player
- 1970 - Joe Lo Truglio, American actor, writer and comedian
- 1970 - Treach, American rapper (Naughty by Nature)
- 1970 - Yang Hyun Suk, South Korean record producer
- 1968 - Darryl Kile, baseball player (d. 2002)
- 1968 - Lucy Liu, American actress
- 1968 - Nate Mendel, American bassist (Foo Fighters)
- 1968 - Rena Sofer, American actress
- 1966 - Jinsei Shinzaki, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1963 - Dan Gauthier, American actor
- 1963 - Ann Patchett, American novelist
- 1963 - Ron Sutter, National Hockey League player
- 1963 - Rich Sutter, National Hockey League player
- 1963 - Brendan Coyle, English actor
- 1962 - Kardam, Prince of Turnovo, titular Bulgarian royal family
- 1960 - Nicholas Dingley alias Razzle, British drummer (Hanoi Rocks) (d. 1984)
- 1960 - Rick Savage, British bassist (Def Leppard)
- 1959 - Frank Dietrich, German footballer
- 1958 - Uladzimir Parfianovich, Belarusian canoer
- 1958 - George Saunders, American writer
- 1957 - Dagfinn Høybråten, Norwegian politician
- 1956 - Steven Bauer, American actor
- 1954 - Dan Butler, American actor
- 1954 - Stone Phillips, American television journalist
- 1952 - Carol Shea-Porter, American Congresswoman
- 1951 - Adrian Devine, American baseball pitcher
- 1950 - Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd on Whale Wars.
- 1950 - Amin Saikal, Afghan-Australian academic
- 1950 - Benjamin Stora, French historian
- 1950 - Bob Kevoian, American radio personality
- 1948 - T. Coraghessan Boyle, American writer
- 1947 - Isaac Bitton, French rock band drummer (Les Variations)
- 1947 - Tommy Jenkins, English football player
- 1947 - Ivan Atanassov Petrov, Bulgarian neurologist
- 1946 - Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer (d. 1997)
- 1945 - Penelope Spheeris, American film director
- 1944 - Inger Davidson, Swedish politician
- 1944 - Ibrahim Rugova, first President of Kosovo (d. 2006)
- 1944 - Dionysis Savvopoulos, Greek musician and songwriter
- 1944 - Botho Strauß, German author
- 1943 - Wayne Allard, American politician
- 1939 - Yael Dayan, Israeli writer and politician
- 1939 - Francis Fox, Canadian politician, member of the Senate
- 1939 - Harry Reid, American politician
- 1937 - Manohar Joshi, Indian politician
- 1935 - David Hackett Fischer, American historian
- 1934 - Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
- 1934 - Sissela Bok, Swedish philosopher and ethicist
- 1934 - Andre Rodgers, baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1933 - Michael Larrabee, American athlete (d. 2003)
- 1933 - K. Veeramani, Indian anti-caste activist
- 1931 - Nigel Calder, British science writer
- 1931 - Hatsumi Masaaki, founder and head of the Bujinkan Dojo organization
- 1931 - Wynton Kelly, American jazz pianist (d. 1971)
- 1931 - Edwin Meese, American lawyer, U.S. attorney general and presidential advisor
- 1930 - Gary Becker, American economist, recipient of the Bank of Sweden Prize
- 1930 - David Piper, British race car driver
- 1925 - Julie Harris, American actress
- 1924 - Alexander Haig, American soldier and politician (d. 2010)
- 1924 - Vilgot Sjöman, Swedish writer and film director (d. 2006)
- 1923 - Maria Callas, Greek soprano (d. 1977)
- 1922 - Iakovos Kambanelis, Greek poet, playwright, lyricist, and novelist
- 1921 - Carlo Furno, Cardinal Grand Master Emeritus of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
- 1917 - Sylvia Syms, American jazz singer (d. 1992)
- 1915 - Prince Mikasa, Japanese royal
- 1914 - Ray Walston, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1914 - Bill Erwin, American actor
- 1914 - Adolph Green, American composer (d. 2002)
- 1910 - Russell Lynes, American art historian, photographer, author and managing editor of Harper's Magazine (d. 1991)
- 1906 - Peter Carl Goldmark, Hungarian-born recording engineer (d. 1977)
- 1901 - Raimundo Orsi, Argentine-born footballer (d. 1986)
- 1899 - John Barbirolli, British conductor (d. 1970)
- 1899 - John Cobb, British racing driver (d. 1952)
- 1899 - Ray Morehart, American baseball player (d. 1989)
- 1898 - Indra Lal Roy, Indian pilot (d. 1918)
- 1897 - Hovhannes Bagramyan, Marshall of the Soviet Union (d. 1982)
- 1895 - Harriet Cohen, British pianist (d. 1967)
- 1894 - Warren William, American Broadway and film actor (d. 1948)
- 1893 - Leo Ornstein, Russian-born composer and pianist (d. 2002)
- 1891 - Otto Dix, German painter and graphic artist (d. 1969)
- 1891 - Charles H. Wesley, author writer and Brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. (d. 1987)
- 1886 - Harry Burleigh, American composer (d. 1949)
- 1885 - George Richards Minot, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize (d. 1950)
- 1884 - Erima Harvey Northcroft, New Zealand lawyer and judge (d. 1953)
- 1863 - Charles Ringling, American circus owner (d. 1926)
- 1859 - Georges Seurat, French painter (d. 1891)
- 1846 - Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau, French statesman (d. 1904)
- 1825 - Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (d. 1891)
- 1817 - Heinrich von Sybel, German historian (d. 1895)
- 1811 - Jean-Charles Chapais, French Canadian politician, Father of the Canadian Confederation (d. 1885)
- 1760 - John Breckinridge, American politician (d. 1806)
- 1754 - William Cooper, American judge (d. 1809)
- 1738 - Richard Montgomery, Irish-born soldier (d. 1775)
- 1710 - Bertinazzi, Italian actor and writer (d. 1783)
- 1703 - Ferdinand Konscak, Croatian explorer (d. 1759)
- 1694 - William Shirley, Colonial Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1771)
- 1578 - Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and music theorist (d. 1640)