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 16th


- The beginning of the nine-day celebration beginning December 16 and ending December 24, celebrating the trials which Mary and Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born (Christians of Spanish-origin):
The first day of Las Posadas (Mexico, other Latin Americans)
- Christian Feast Day
- Day of Reconciliation, formerly celebrated as Day of the Vow by the Afrikaners (South Africa)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kazakhstan from the Soviet Union in 1991.
- National Day, celebrates the withdrawal of United Kingdom from Bahrain, making Bahrain an independent emirate in 1971.
- National Sports Day (Thailand)
- The first day of Misa de Gallo (Philippines)
- Victory Day (Bangladesh)
- Victory Day (India)

December 16th


- 2003 - President George W. Bush signs the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 into law. The law establishes the United States' first national standards for the sending of commercial e-mail and requires the Federal Trade Commission to enforce its provisions.
- 1991 - Independence of The Republic of Kazakhstan.
- 1985 - Mafia: In New York City, Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead on the orders of John Gotti, who assumes leadership of the Gambino family.
- 1811 - The first two in a series of severe earthquakes occur in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri. These three so-called mega-quakes are believed to be an ongoing cataclysmic danger that could reprise the 1811-12 series of 2,000 quakes that affected the lands of what would be eight of today's heartland states of the United States.
- 1773 - American Revolution: Boston Tea Party – Members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawks dump crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the Tea Act.
- 1998 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Operation Desert Fox – The United States and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq.
- 1997 - An episode of Pokémon, "Denn? Senshi Porygon", aired in Japan induces seizures in hundreds of Japanese children.
- 1991 - United Nations General Assembly: UN General Assembly Resolution 4686 revokes UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 after Israel makes revocation of resolution 3379 a condition of its participation in the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991.
- 1989 - Protests break out in Timi?oara in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor László T?kés.
- 1989 - Walter LeRoy Moody begins his terrorist bombing streak when he sends Judge Robert Smith Vance a bomb in the mail, instantly killing him near his house in Birmingham, Alabama.
- 1986 - Revolt in Kazakhstan against Communist party, known as Zheltoksan, which becomes the first sign of ethnic strife during Gorbachev's tenure
- 1982 - The Federal Reserve announces that the operating capacity of factories has gone down to 67.8%.
- 1979 - Libya joins four other OPEC nations in raising crude oil prices, having an immediate dramatic effect on the United States.
- 1978 - Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first post-Depression era city to default on its loans, owing $14,000,000 to local banks.
- 1972 - Vietnam War: Henry Kissinger announces that North Vietnam has left private peace negotiations, in Paris.
- 1971 - Bangladesh War of Independence and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The surrender of the Pakistan army brings an end to both conflicts.
- 1971 - Independence Day of the Kingdom of Bahrain from British Protectorate status
- 1965 - Vietnam War: General William Westmoreland sends U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara a request for 243,000 more men by the end of .
- 1960 - 1960 New York air disaster: While approaching New York's Idlewild Airport, a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 collides with a TWA Lockheed Super Constellation in a blinding snowstorm over Staten Island, killing 134.
- 1957 - Sir Feroz Khan Noon replaces Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
- 1950 - U.S. President Harry S. Truman declares a state of emergency, after Chinese troops enter the fight with communist North Korea in the Korean War.
- 1949 - Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, later knows as SAAB, is founded in Sweden.
- 1947 - William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain build the first practical point-contact transistor.
- 1946 - Thailand joins the United Nations.
- 1944 - World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest.
- 1942 - Holocaust: Porajmos – Heinrich Himmler orders that Roma candidates for extermination be deported to Auschwitz.
- 1941 - World War II: Japanese forces occupy Miri, Sarawak
- 1938 - Adolf Hitler institutes the Cross of Honor of the German Mother
- 1937 - Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from the American federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; neither is ever seen again.
- 1930 - Bank robber Herman Lamm and members of his crew are killed by a posse of 200, following a botched bank robbery in Clinton, Indiana.
- 1925 - Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity is founded at Lafayette College.
- 1922 - President of Poland Gabriel Narutowicz is assassinated by Eligiusz Niewiadomski at the Zach?ta Gallery in Warsaw.
- 1920 - The Haiyuan earthquake, magnitude 8.5, rocks the Gansu province in China, killing an estimated 200,000.
- 1914 - World War I: German battleships under Franz von Hipper bombard the English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough.
- 1907 - The Great White Fleet begins its circumnavigation of the world
- 1893 - Antonín Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, From The New World is given its world premičre performance at Carnegie Hall.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Franklin-Nashville Campaign – Battle of Nashville – Major General George H. Thomas's Union forces defeat Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's Confederate Army of Tennessee.
- 1863 - American Civil War: Joseph E. Johnston replaces Braxton Bragg as commander of the Army of Tennessee.
- 1850 - History of New Zealand: The Charlotte-Jane and the Randolph bring the first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton, New Zealand.
- 1838 - Battle of Blood River: Voortrekkers led by Andries Pretorius combat Zulu impis, led by Dambuza (Nzobo) and Ndlela kaSompisi in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
- 1826 - Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican controlled Nacogdoches, Texas and declares himself ruler of the Republic of Fredonia.
- 1761 - Seven Years' War: After a four-month siege, the Russians under Pyotr Rumyantsev take the Prussian fortress of Kolobrzeg.
- 1707 - Last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.
- 1689 - Convention Parliament: The Declaration of Right is embodied in the Bill of Rights.
- 1653 - English Interregnum: The Protectorate – Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland.
- 1598 - Seven Year War: Battle of Noryang Point – The final battle of the Seven Year War is fought between the China and the Korean Allied Forces and Japanese navies, resulting in a decisive Allied Forces victory.
- 1575 - The 1575 Valdivia earthquake takes place.
- 1497 - Vasco da Gama rounds the Cape of Good Hope, the point where Bartolomeu Dias had previously turned back to Portugal.
- 1431 - Henry VI of England is crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris.
- 1392 - Nanboku-ch?: Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu.
- 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during the Tang Dynasty of China.

December 16th


- 1988 - Anna Popplewell, English actress
- 1987 - Beau Dowler, Australian rules footballer
- 1987 - Hallee Hirsh, American actress
- 1986 - Alcides Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1985 - Keita Tachibana, Member of Japanese boy band w-inds.
- 1983 - Kelenna Azubuike, American basketball player
- 1983 - Danielle Lloyd, English model
- 1982 - Garnon Davies, Welsh actor
- 1982 - Antrel Rolle, American football player
- 1981 - Anna Sedokova, Ukrainian singer
- 1981 - Gareth Williams, Scottish footballer, Miguel Gomina Alves
- 1979 - Mihai Tr?istariu, Romanian singer
- 1979 - Jessie Ward, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Trevor Immelman, South African golfer
- 1979 - Tramar Dillard, American Rapper, better known as Flo Rida
- 1978 - Gunter Van Handenhoven, Belgian footballer
- 1978 - Kaine, American rapper (Ying Yang Twins)
- 1977 - Éric Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 - Sylvain Distin, French footballer
- 1975 - Valentin B?doi, Romanian footballer
- 1975 - Nawo Kawakita, Japanese drummer (Maximum the Hormone)
- 1975 - Benjamin Kowalewicz, Canadian musician (Billy Talent)
- 1975 - Jonathan Scarfe, Canadian actor
- 1974 - Frida Hallgren, Swedish actress
- 1973 - Themba Mnguni, South African footballer
- 1973 - Scott Storch, Canadian-American hip-hop producer
- 1972 - Angela Bloomfield, New Zealand actress
- 1972 - Charles Gipson, American baseball player
- 1972 - Željko Kalac, Australian footballer
- 1971 - Michael McCary, American singer (Boyz II Men)
- 1971 - Seyhan Kurt, French-Turkish poet,writer
- 1971 - Paul van Dyk, German DJ
- 1970 - Daniel Cosgrove, American actor
- 1968 - Lalah Hathaway, American singer and daughter of (Donny Hathaway)
- 1967 - Donovan Bailey, Jamaican-born Canadian sprinter,
- 1967 - Mark Palmer, American-born Ambassador
- 1967 - Miranda Otto, Australian actress
- 1966 - Clifford Robinson, American basketball player
- 1966 - Dennis Wise, English footballer
- 1965 - Chris Jones, American baseball player
- 1965 - Melanie Sloan, American attorney
- 1965 - Nancy Valen, American actress
- 1964 - Heike Drechsler, East German–born sprinter
- 1964 - Georgie Parker, Australian actress
- 1964 - Billy Ripken, American baseball player
- 1963 - Benjamin Bratt, American actor
- 1963 - Jeff Carson, American singer
- 1963 - James Mangold, American film director and screenwriter
- 1962 - Maruschka Detmers, Dutch actress
- 1962 - William "The Refrigerator" Perry, American football player
- 1961 - Bill Hicks, American comedian (d. 1994)
- 1961 - Jon Tenney, American actor
- 1961 - Andre Andersen, Danish (Russia-born) multi-instrumentalist and composer
- 1960 - Pat Van Den Hauwe, Belgian footballer
- 1959 - Alison LaPlaca, American actress
- 1958 - Katie Leigh, American voice actress
- 1957 - Antonio Vega, Spanish pop singer-songwriter (d. 2009)
- 1955 - Xander Berkeley, American actor
- 1955 - Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
- 1953 - Rebecca Forstadt, American voice actor
- 1952 - Joel Garner, Barbadian West Indies cricketer
- 1952 - Francesco Graziani, Italian footballer
- 1951 - Robben Ford, American guitarist
- 1950 - Claudia Cohen, American gossip columnist and socialite (d. 2007)
- 1950 - Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist (d. 2006)
- 1949 - Billy Gibbons, American guitarist (ZZ Top)
- 1948 - Christopher Biggins, English actor
- 1947 - Ben Cross, English actor
- 1947 - Vincent Matthews, American sprinter
- 1946 - Benny Andersson, Swedish musician, singer and songwriter (ABBA)
- 1946 - Trevor Pinnock, English conductor and harpsichordist
- 1945 - Patti Deutsch, American actress and Match Game panelist
- 1945 - Bobby George, English professional darts player
- 1945 - Yukio Hattori, Japanese Iron Chef commentator
- 1944 - Don Meyer Basketball coach Northern State, Lipscomb, and Hamline
- 1943 - Steven Bochco, American television producer and writer
- 1943 - Tony Hicks, English guitarist (The Hollies)
- 1942 - Donald Carcieri, American politician, governor of Rhode Island
- 1941 - Lesley Stahl, American journalist
- 1938 - Frank Deford, American sportswriter
- 1938 - Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress
- 1937 - Joyce Bulifant, American actress
- 1936 - Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center
- 1932 - Rodion Shchedrin, Soviet/Russian composer
- 1929 - Nicholas Courtney, English actor
- 1928 - Philip K. Dick, American writer (d. 1982)
- 1927 - Randall Garrett, American writer (d. 1987)
- 1926 - James McCracken, American tenor (d. 1988)
- 1923 - Menahem Pressler, German-Israeli pianist.
- 1922 - Cy Leslie, American music and video executive (d. 2008)
- 1918 - Pierre Delanoë, French songwriter and lyricist (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Nabi Bux Khan Baloch, Sindhi scholar
- 1917 - Sir Arthur C. Clarke, English writer (d. 2008)
- 1916 - Birgitta Valberg, Swedish actress
- 1915 - Turk Murphy, American trombonist (d. 1987)
- 1913 - George Ignatieff, Russian-born Canadian diplomat (d. 1989)
- 1906 - Barbara Kent, Canadian actress
- 1905 - Piet Hein, Danish mathematician and inventor (d. 1996)
- 1902 - Rafael Alberti, Spanish poet (d. 1999)
- 1901 - Margaret Mead, American anthropologist (d. 1978)
- 1900 - V. S. Pritchett, English author and critic (d. 1997)
- 1899 - Sir Noel Coward, English playwright, actor and composer (d. 1973)
- 1889 - Kim Jwa-jin, played an important role in the Korean Anarchist Movement (d. 1930)
- 1888 - King Alexander I of Yugoslavia (d. 1934)
- 1888 - Alphonse Juin, marshall of France (d. 1967)
- 1883 - Max Linder, French pioneer of silent film (d. 1925)
- 1882 - Sir Jack Hobbs, English cricketer (d. 1963)
- 1882 - Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian composer (d. 1967)
- 1882 - Walther Meissner, German physicist (d. 1974)
- 1872 - Anton Ivanovich Denikin, Russian general (d. 1947)
- 1869 - Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian revolutionary (d. 1952)
- 1867 - Amy Carmichael, missionary in Dohnavur, India (d. 1951)
- 1866 - Wassily Kandinsky, Russian-born French abstract painter (d. 1944)
- 1865 - Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet (d. 1918)
- 1863 - George Santayana, Spanish philosopher and writer (d. 1952)
- 1861 - Antonio de La Gandara, French painter (d. 1917)
- 1834 - Léon Walras, French economist (d. 1910)
- 1804 - Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician (d. 1889)
- 1790 - King Léopold I of Belgium (d. 1865)
- 1787 - Mary Russell Mitford, English writer (d. 1855)
- 1778 - John Ordronaux, privateer of the War of 1812 (d. 1841)
- 1776 - Johann Wilhelm Ritter, German physicist (d. 1810)
- 1775 - Jane Austen, English writer (d. 1817)
- 1775 - François-Adrien Boďeldieu, French composer (d. 1834)
- 1770 - Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer and pianist (d. 1827)
- 1742 - Gebhard Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt, German Field Marshal (d. 1819)
- 1717 - Elizabeth Carter, English writer (d. 1806)
- 1716 - Louis-Jules Mancini-Mazarini, Duc de Nivernais, French diplomat and writer (d. 1798)
- 1714 - George Whitefield, English-born Methodist leader (d. 1770)
- 1614 - Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1674)
- 1584 - John Selden, English jurist and oriental scholar (d. 1654)
- 1485 - Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England (d. 1536)