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 9th


- Anna's Day, a Swedish name day, celebrating all people named Anna and marks the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on Christmas Eve. (Sweden and Finland)
- Christian Feast Day
- Day of Remembrance for Egil Skallagrimsson (Asatru)
- Feast of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by St. Anne (Orthodox Church)
- Independence Day, celebrate the independence of Tanganyika from Britain in 1961. (Tanzania)
- International Anti-Corruption Day (International)
- National Heroes Day, formerly V.C. Bird Day. (Antigua and Barbuda)
- Yuri's Day in the Autumn (Russian Orthodox Church)

December 9th


- 2008 - The Governor of Illinois, Rob Blagojevich, is arrested by federal officials for a number of alleged crimes including attempting to sell the United States Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama's election to the Presidency.
- 1979 - The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first and to date only human disease driven to extinction.
- 2006 - Moscow suffers its worst fire since 1977, killing 45 women in a drug rehabilitation center.
- 2003 - A blast in the center of Moscow kills six people and wounds several more.
- 2000 - The Supreme Court of the United States stays the sixth Florida recount.
- 1988 - The Michael Hughes Bridge in Sligo, Ireland is officially opened.
- 1987 - Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
- 1971 - The United Arab Emirates join the United Nations.
- 1968 - NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) is publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco.
- 1966 - Barbados joins the United Nations.
- 1965 - The Kecksburg UFO incident: a fireball is seen from Michigan to Pennsylvania; witnesses report something crashing in the woods near Pittsburgh. In 2005 NASA admits that it examined an object.
- 1962 - The Petrified Forest National Park is established in Arizona.
- 1961 - The trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Israel ends with verdicts of guilty on 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and membership of an outlawed organization.
- 1961 - Tanganyika becomes independent from Britain.
- 1960 - The first episode of Britain's longest running television soap opera Coronation Street is broadcast.
- 1958 - The John Birch Society was founded in the United States.
- 1956 - Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, a Canadair North Star, crashes near Hope, British Columbia, Canada, killing all 62 people on board.
- 1953 - Red Scare: General Electric announces that all communist employees will be discharged from the company.
- 1950 - Harry Gold is sentenced to thirty years in jail for helping Klaus Fuchs pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union. His testimony is later instrumental in the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
- 1946 - The "Subsequent Nuremberg Trials" begin with the "Doctors' Trial", prosecuting doctors alleged to be involved in human experimentation.
- 1941 - World War II: The Republic of China, Cuba, Guatemala, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and the Philippine Commonwealth, declare war on Germany and Japan.
- 1941 - World War II: The 19th Bombardment Group attacks Japanese ships off the coast of Vigan, Luzon.
- 1940 - World War II: Operation Compass – British and Indian troops under the command of Major-General Richard O'Connor attack Italian forces near Sidi Barrani in Egypt.
- 1937 - Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanjing – Japanese troops under the command of Lt. Gen. Asaka Yasuhiko launch an assault on the Chinese city of Nanjing.
- 1935 - Walter Liggett, American newspaper editor and muckraker, is killed in gangland murder.
- 1931 - The Constituent Cortes approves the constitution which establishes the Second Spanish Republic.
- 1922 - Gabriel Narutowicz is announced the first president of Poland.
- 1917 - In Palestine, Field Marshal Edmund Allenby captures Jerusalem.
- 1905 - In France, the law separating church and state is passed.
- 1897 - Activist Marguerite Durand founds the feminist daily newspaper, La Fronde, in Paris.
- 1888 - Statistician Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United States War Department.
- 1875 - The Massachusetts Rifle Association, "America's Oldest Active Gun Club", is founded.
- 1872 - In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first serving African-American governor of a U.S. state.
- 1861 - American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by the U.S. Congress.
- 1856 - The Iranian city of Bushehr surrenders to occupying British forces.
- 1851 - The first YMCA in North America is established in Montreal, Quebec.
- 1835 - The Republic of Texas captures San Antonio, Texas.
- 1824 - Patriot forces led by General Antonio José de Sucre defeat a Royalist army in the Battle of Ayacucho, putting an end to the Peruvian War of Independence.
- 1793 - New York City's first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is established by Noah Webster.
- 1531 - The Virgin of Guadalupe first appears to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico City.
- 1425 - The Catholic University of Leuven is founded.
- 730 - Battle of Marj Ardabil: the Khazars annihilate an Umayyad army and kill its commander, al-Djarrah ibn Abdullah
- 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city, returning the old capital to its empire.

December 9th


- 2001 - Ronnie Paris, African American child abuse and murder victim (d. 2005)
- 1991 - Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
- 1990 - LaFee, German singer
- 1989 - Lindsey Evans, American glamor model
- 1987 - Mat Latos, American baseball player
- 1984 - Leon Hall, American football player
- 1983 - Jermaine Beckford, English footballer
- 1983 - Dariusz Dudka, Polish footballer
- 1982 - Tamilla Abassova, Russian cyclist
- 1982 - Nathalie De Vos, Belgian athlete
- 1982 - Ryan Grant, American football player
- 1981 - Mardy Fish, American tennis player
- 1981 - Dia Mirza, Indian actress
- 1980 - Ryder Hesjedal, Canadian cyclist
- 1980 - Simon Helberg, American actor
- 1979 - Chen Hao, Chinese actress
- 1979 - Olivia Lufkin, Japanese singer
- 1979 - Stephen McPhail, Irish footballer
- 1978 - Gaston Gaudio, Argentine tennis player
- 1978 - Jesse Metcalfe, American actor
- 1977 - Saskia Garel, Canadian actress
- 1977 - Shayne Graham, American football player
- 1977 - Imogen Heap, English singer-songwriter
- 1976 - Chris Booker, American baseball player
- 1974 - Aloísio, Brazilian footballer
- 1974 - Canibus, American rapper
- 1974 - Wendy Dillinger, American footballer and coach
- 1974 - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan,Pakistani singer
- 1973 - Fabio Artico, Italian footballer
- 1972 - Reiko Aylesworth, American actress
- 1972 - Tre Cool, German-born American drummer (Green Day)
- 1972 - Fabrice Santoro, Tahitian-born French tennis player
- 1971 - Petr Nedv?d, Czech ice hockey player
- 1970 - Kara DioGuardi, American songwriter, record producer, and singer
- 1970 - Lance Krall, American comedian
- 1969 - Jakob Dylan, American singer (The Wallflowers)
- 1969 - Bixente Lizarazu, French footballer
- 1969 - Allison Smith, American actress
- 1969 - Sebastian Spence, Canadian actor
- 1968 - Kurt Angle, American wrestler
- 1968 - Brian Bell, American guitarist (Weezer)
- 1968 - Brent Price, American basketball player
- 1967 - Jason Dozzell, English footballer
- 1967 - Gheorghe Popescu, Romanian footballer
- 1966 - Dave Harold, English professional snooker player
- 1966 - Toby Huss, American actor
- 1966 - Dana Murzyn, Canadian hockey player
- 1966 - Spencer Rochfort, Canadian-American actor
- 1966 - Julio Alberto Rodas Hurtarte, former soccer player
- 1966 - Mateo Romero, Native American painter
- 1966 - Gideon Sa'ar, Israeli politician
- 1966 - Kadyrbek Sarbayev, foreign minister
- 1966 - Shane Scott, American director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor, musician
- 1966 - Martin Taylor, footballer coach
- 1966 - Natee Thongsookkaew, Thailand footballer
- 1966 - Michael Foster, drummer for rock band FireHouse
- 1966 - Kirsten Gillibrand, American politician
- 1966 - Montserrat Gil Torné, Andorran politician
- 1965 - Joe Ausanio, American baseball player
- 1965 - Vecepia Towery, American Survivor contestant, Winner of Survivor: Marquesas
- 1964 - Hape Kerkeling, German actor, TV presenter and comedian
- 1964 - Johannes B. Kerner, German TV presenter
- 1964 - Paul Landers, German guitarist (Rammstein)
- 1963 - Dave Hilton, Jr., Canadian boxer
- 1963 - Masako, Crown Princess of Japan
- 1962 - Felicity Huffman, American actress
- 1961 - David Anthony Higgins, American actor
- 1961 - Joe Lando, American actor
- 1960 - Terry Moran, American TV reporter
- 1960 - Stefen Fangmeier, American film director
- 1960 - Dobroslav Paraga,Croatian politician and editor
- 1960 - Juan Samuel, Dominican baseball player
- 1958 - Rikk Agnew, American guitarist (The Adolescents)
- 1958 - Nick Seymour, Australian bassist (Crowded House)
- 1957 - Donny Osmond, American singer and actor
- 1957 - Peter O’Mara, Australian jazz guitarist and comopser
- 1955 - Chamras Saewataporn, Thai composer and musician
- 1954 - Herman Finkers, Dutch comedian
- 1953 - World B. Free, American basketball player
- 1953 - John Malkovich, American actor
- 1952 - Liaqat Baloch, Pakistani politician
- 1952 - Michael Dorn, American actor
- 1950 - Joan Armatrading, St. Kitts-born English singer
- 1949 - Tom Kite, American golfer
- 1949 - Nando Parrado, Uruguayan plane crash survivor
- 1948 - Dennis Dunaway, American musician
- 1948 - Marleen Gorris, Dutch film director
- 1947 - Tom Daschle, American politician
- 1947 - Jaak Jõerüüt, Soviet-born Estonian politician
- 1946 - Sonia Gandhi, Italian-born Indian politician
- 1946 - Shatrughan Sinha, Indian actor
- 1945 - Matti Mäntylä, Finnish actor
- 1945 - Michael Nouri, American actor
- 1944 - Neil Innes, English singer/songwriter (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Rutles)
- 1944 - Ki Longfellow, American novelist
- 1944 - Bob O'Connor, American politician (d. 2006)
- 1943 - Pit Martin, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
- 1942 - Billy Bremner, Scottish footballer (d. 1997)
- 1942 - Dick Butkus, American football player
- 1941 - Beau Bridges, American actor
- 1941 - Dan Hicks, American musician
- 1940 - Clancy Eccles, Jamaican Reggae Musician (d. 2005)
- 1938 - David Houston, American country singer (d. 1993)
- 1938 - Deacon Jones, American football player
- 1937 - Darwin Joston, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1934 - Dame Judi Dench, English actress
- 1934 - Junior Wells, American musician (d. 1998)
- 1933 - Ashleigh Brilliant, American writer (Pot-Shots)
- 1933 - Morton Downey Jr., American talk show host (d. 2001)
- 1933 - Monique Miller, French Canadian actress
- 1933 - Orville Moody, American golfer (d. 2008)
- 1932 - Edd Wheeler, American singer-songwriter
- 1931 - William Reynolds, American actor
- 1931 - Ladislav Smoljak, Czech actor
- 1930 - Buck Henry, American actor
- 1929 - John Cassavetes, American actor and director (d. 1989)
- 1929 - Bob Hawke, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia
- 1928 - André Milhoux, Belgian racing driver
- 1928 - Dick Van Patten, American actor
- 1927 - Pierre Henry, French composer
- 1926 - Henry Way Kendall, American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1999)
- 1926 - Jan K?esadlo, Czech writer (d. 1995)
- 1925 - Dina Merrill, American actress
- 1922 - Redd Foxx, American comedian (d. 1991)
- 1920 - Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Italian Republic
- 1919 - William Lipscomb, American chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1918 - Joyce Redman, Irish actress
- 1917 - James Angleton, head of counterintelligence for the CIA (d. 1987)
- 1917 - James Rainwater, American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1986)
- 1916 - Kirk Douglas, American actor
- 1916 - Jerome Beatty Jr., American author (d. 2002)
- 1915 - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, German-born soprano (d. 2006)
- 1914 - Frances Reid, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1912 - Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1994)
- 1911 - Broderick Crawford, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1911 - Lee J. Cobb, American actor (d. 1976)
- 1911 - Ry?z? Sejima, Japanese educator (d. 2007)
- 1909 - Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., American actor (d. 2000)
- 1906 - Grace Hopper, American computer pioneer (d. 1992)
- 1905 - Dalton Trumbo, American writer (d. 1976)
- 1904 - Robert Livingston, American actor (d. 1988)
- 1902 - Margaret Hamilton, American actress (d. 1985)
- 1901 - Carol Dempster, American actress (d. 1991)
- 1901 - Ödön von Horváth, Hungarian-born writer (d. 1938)
- 1901 - Jean Mermoz, French pilot (d. 1936)
- 1900 - Albert Weisbord, American labor organizer (d. 1977)
- 1899 - Jean de Brunhoff, French author (d. 1937)
- 1898 - Emmett Kelly, American circus clown (d. 1979)
- 1897 - Hermione Gingold, English actress (d. 1987)
- 1895 - Dolores Ibárruri, Spanish political leader (d. 1989)
- 1895 - Conchita Supervía, Spanish opera singer (d. 1936)
- 1891 - Maksim Bahdanovi?, Belarusian poet (d. 1917)
- 1889 - Hannes Kolehmainen, Finnish long-distance runner (d. 1966)
- 1887 - Tim Moore, American actor and vaudevillian (d. 1958)
- 1886 - Clarence Birdseye, American frozen food manufacturer (d. 1956)
- 1883 - Nikolai Luzin, Russian mathematician (d. 1950)
- 1883 - Alexander Papagos, Greek General and Prime Minister (d. 1955)
- 1882 - Joaquín Turina, Spanish composer (d. 1949)
- 1876 - Berton Churchill, American actor (d. 1940)
- 1871 - Joe Kelley, American baseball player (d. 1943)
- 1868 - Fritz Haber, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1934)
- 1861 - Hélène Smith, French psychic (d. 1929)
- 1850 - Emma Abbott, American soprano (d. 1891)
- 1847 - George Grossmith, English actor and writer (d. 1912)
- 1845 - Joel Chandler Harris, American writer (d. 1908)
- 1842 - Peter Kropotkin, Russian anarchist (d. 1921)
- 1837 - Émile Waldteufel, French composer (d. 1915)
- 1806 - Jean-Olivier Chénier, French Canadian physician and Patriote (d. 1838)
- 1787 - John Dobson, English architect (d. 1865)
- 1751 - Maria Luisa of Parma, queen of Charles IV of Spain (d. 1819)
- 1748 - Claude Louis Berthollet, French chemist (d. 1822)
- 1717 - Johann Joachim Winckelmann, German art historian (d. 1768)
- 1667 - William Whiston, English mathematician (d. 1752)
- 1652 - Augustus Quirinus Rivinus, German physician (d. 1723)
- 1610 - Baldassare Ferri, Italian castrato (d. 1680)
- 1608 - John Milton, English poet (d. 1674)
- 1594 - Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (d. 1632)
- 1579 - Martin de Porres, Peruvian saint (d. 1639)
- 1571 - Metius (Adriaan Adriaanszoon), Dutch mathematician and astronomer (d. 1635)
- 1561 - Sir Edwin Sandys, English-born Virginian colonist (d. 1629)
- 1508 - Gemma Frisius, Dutch mathematician and cartographer (d. 1555)
- 1447 - Chenghua, Emperor of China (d. 1487)