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 20th


- Christian Feast Day
- Earliest date for Winter solstice's eve:
Yalda (Iran)
- Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day (Macau)

December 20th


- 2007 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.
- 2007 - The painting Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, is stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art, along with O Lavrador de Café, by the major Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari.
- 2006 - A judge rules against the death penalty in the case of Naveed Haq, a man convicted in the shooting death and injuries at the Jewish Federation in Seattle.
- 2005 - US District Court Judge John E. Jones III rules against mandating the teaching of "intelligent design" in his ruling of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.
- 2005 - The first same sex civil partnerships in Scotland are celebrated.
- 2002 - US Senator Trent Lott resigns as majority leader.
- 1999 - Macau is handed over to the People's Republic of China by Portugal.
- 1996 - NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.
- 1995 - NATO begins peacekeeping in Bosnia.
- 1995 - American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia killing 160.
- 1995 - The Democratic Social Movement is founded in Greece.
- 1991 - A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.
- 1989 - United States invasion of Panama: The United States sends troops into Panama to overthrow government of Manuel Noriega.
- 1988 - The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is signed in Vienna.
- 1987 - History's worst peacetime sea disaster, when the passenger ferry Doña Paz sinks after colliding with the oil tanker Vector 1 in the Tablas Strait in the Philippines, killing an estimated 4,000 people (1,749 official).
- 1984 - The Summit tunnel fire is the largest underground fire in history, as a freight train carrying over 1 million litres of petrol derails near the town of Todmorden in the Pennines.
- 1977 - Djibouti and Vietnam join the United Nations.
- 1973 - The Spanish Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, is assassinated by a car bomb attack in Madrid.
- 1968 - The Zodiac Killer kills Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Vallejo, California.
- 1960 - National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam is formed.
- 1959 - The Walker Family Murders
- 1955 - Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.
- 1952 - United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington killing 87.
- 1951 - The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho becomes the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. The electricity powered four light bulbs.
- 1942 - World War II: Bombing of Calcutta by the Japanese.
- 1941 - World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers" in Kunming, China.
- 1924 - Hitler: was released from Landsberg Prison
- 1917 - Cheka, the first Soviet secret police, is founded.
- 1915 - World War I: Last Australian troops evacuated from Gallipoli.
- 1860 - South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.
- 1835 - First signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at Goliad, Texas.
- 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.
- 1606 - The Virginia Company loads three ships with settlers and sets sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
- 1522 - Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.
- 1192 - Richard the Lion-Heart is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after signing a treaty with Saladin ending the Third crusade.
- 217 - The papacy of Zephyrinus ends. Callixtus I is elected as the sixteenth pope, but is opposed by the theologian Hippolytus who accuses him of laxity and of being a Modalist, one who denies any distinction between the three persons of the Trinity.
- 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of emperor.

December 20th


- 1992 - Ksenia Makarova, Russian-American figure skater
- 1991 - Hunter Gomez, American actor
- 1990 - JoJo, American singer
- 1988 - Andrés Bottiglieri Italian–Argentine footballer
- 1987 - Tariel Zintiridis, Greek judoka
- 1986 - Benjamin Brierley, English-born German rugby player
- 1986 - Anoop Desai, American singer and former American Idol contestant
- 1983 - Jonah Hill, American actor
- 1983 - Lucy Pinder, British model
- 1983 - Darren Sammy, St. Lucian West Indies cricketer
- 1983 - Adrián Varela, Mexican singer
- 1982 - David Cook, American singer, winner of American Idol.
- 1982 - David Wright, American baseball player
- 1982 - David Tavaré, Spanish singer
- 1982 - Keny Arkana, French rapper & singer
- 1982 - Mohammed Asif, Pakistani cricket player
- 1982 - Kasper Klausen, Danish footballer
- 1981 - Roy Williams, American football player
- 1981 - James Shields, American baseball player
- 1981 - Royal Ivey, American basketball player
- 1980 - Ashley Cole, English footballer
- 1980 - Fitz Hall, English footballer
- 1980 - Tony, French-born Portuguese footballer
- 1980 - Martín Demichelis, Argentine footballer
- 1979 - David DeJesus, American baseball player
- 1979 - Michael Rogers, Australian cyclist
- 1978 - Tony Moore, American comic book artist
- 1978 - Geremi Njitap, Cameroon footballer
- 1978 - Andrei Markov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1977 - Saukrates, Canadian rapper
- 1976 - Jang Hyuk, Korean actor
- 1976 - Aubrey Huff, American baseball player
- 1976 - Adam Powell, Neopets creator
- 1976 - Ramon Stoppelenburg, world traveler and Dutch author
- 1975 - Bartosz Bosacki, Polish footballer
- 1975 - Jaydy Michel, Mexican model
- 1974 - Die, Japanese musician (Dir en grey)
- 1973 - Cory Stillman, National Hockey League forward
- 1972 - Anders Odden, Norwegian musician
- 1971 - Roger J. Beaujard, American musician
- 1970 - Nicole DeBoer, Canadian actress
- 1970 - Alister McRae, Scottish rally driver
- 1970 - Grant Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1969 - Bobby Phills, American basketball player (d. 2000)
- 1968 - Karl Wendlinger, Austrian racing driver
- 1968 - Joe Cornish, British comedian
- 1966 - Matt Neal , British Race Driver
- 1966 - Chris Robinson, American singer (Black Crowes)
- 1966 - Myrra Malmberg, Swedish singer
- 1965 - Robert Cavanah, Scottish actor
- 1965 - Jim Carr (US), Digital Strategist
- 1965 - Rich Gannon, American football player
- 1964 - Mark Coleman, American Mixed Martial Artist, UFC Hall of Famer
- 1963 - Infanta Elena of Spain
- 1963 - Joel Gretsch, American actor
- 1961 - Mohammad Fouad, Arab singer and actor
- 1961 - Mike Keneally, American musician
- 1960 - Nalo Hopkinson, Canadian writer
- 1960 - Kim Ki-duk, Korean filmmaker
- 1959 - Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Polish politician
- 1959 - Trent Tucker, American basketball player
- 1958 - Steve Sailer, American political commentator
- 1957 - Billy Bragg, English singer and songwriter
- 1957 - Mike Watt, American bassist
- 1957 - Stephen Bicknell, British organ builder and scholar (d. 2007)
- 1957 - Joyce Hyser, American actress
- 1957 - Anna Vissi, Greek-Cypriot singer
- 1956 - Blanche Baker, American actress
- 1956 - Junji Hirata, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1955 - David Breashears, American mountaineer
- 1955 - Ed Kuepper, German-born Australian musician (The Saints, Laughing Clowns)
- 1955 - Rory Markas, American sportscaster (d. 2010)
- 1954 - Michael Badalucco, American actor
- 1954 - Sandra Cisneros, American writer
- 1952 - Jenny Agutter, English actress
- 1952 - Sky Gilbert, Canadian writer
- 1951 - Gilbert Montagné, French musician
- 1951 - Peter May, Scottish novelist and scriptwriter
- 1950 - Arturo Marquez, Mexican composer
- 1949 - Soumaïla Cissé, Malian politician
- 1949 - Cecil Cooper, American baseball player
- 1948 - Alan Parsons, British music producer and artist
- 1948 - Stevie Wright, English-born Australian musician and songwriter
- 1947 - Gigliola Cinquetti, Italian singer
- 1946 - Lloyd Mumphord, NFL football player
- 1946 - John Spencer, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1946 - Sonny Perdue, American politician, governor of Georgia
- 1946 - Dick Wolf, American television series creator
- 1946 - Lesley Judd, English TV presenter and dancer
- 1945 - Peter Criss, American drummer and singer (Kiss)
- 1945 - Sivakant Tiwari, senior legal officer of the Singapore Legal Service (d. 2010)
- 1944 - Bobby Colomby, American musician (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
- 1944 - Jean Fergusson, English actress
- 1942 - Rana Bhagwandas, Former Pakistani Chief Justice
- 1942 - Jean-Claude Trichet, French banker and economist
- 1941 - Tommy Cole, American makeup artist, actor and singer
- 1940 - Pat Chapman, English Author, Founder The Curry Club
- 1938 - John Harbison, American composer
- 1935 - Khalid Ibadulla, Pakistani cricket player
- 1933 - Jean Carnahan, U.S. Senator
- 1933 - Rik van Looy, Belgian cyclist
- 1932 - John Hillerman, American actor (Magnum, P.I.)
- 1931 - Mala Powers, American film actress (d. 2007)
- 1931 - Terry Sanders, American filmmaker
- 1927 - Kim Young-sam, President of South Korea
- 1926 - Sir Geoffrey Howe, British politician
- 1926 - Otto Graf Lambsdorff, German politician
- 1925 - Benito Lorenzi, Italian footballer (d. 2007)
- 1925 - Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia
- 1924 - Charlie Callas, American comedian
- 1924 - Judy LaMarsh, Canadian politician and broadcaster (d. 1980)
- 1922 - George Roy Hill, American film director (d. 2002)
- 1922 - Beverly Pepper, American sculptor and painter
- 1918 - Jean Marchand, French Canadian trade unionist and politician (d. 1988)
- 1918 - Audrey Totter, American actress
- 1917 - David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (d. 1992)
- 1916 - Michel Chartrand, Quebec union leader (d. 2010)
- 1914 - Harry F. Byrd Jr, American politician
- 1911 - Hortense Calisher, American author (d. 2009)
- 1909 - Vakkom Majeed, Indian politician (d. 2000)
- 1908 - Dennis Morgan, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1907 - Paul Francis Webster, songwriter (d. 1984)
- 1905 - Bill O'Reilly, Australian cricket player (d. 1992)
- 1904 - Yevgenia Ginzburg, Russian writer (d. 1977)
- 1904 - Spud Davis, baseball player (d. 1984)
- 1902 - Sidney Hook, American philosopher (d. 1989)
- 1902 - George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent (d. 1942)
- 1901 - Robert Van de Graaff, American physicist and inventor (d. 1967)
- 1898 - Irene Dunne, American actress (d. 1990)
- 1894 - Sir Robert Menzies, twelfth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1978)
- 1890 - Yvonne Arnaud, French-born actress (d. 1958)
- 1890 - Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
- 1888 - Yitzhak Baer, German-born Israeli historian (d. 1980)
- 1888 - Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (d. 1958)
- 1886 - Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, American tennis player (d. 1974)
- 1881 - Branch Rickey, baseball executive (d. 1965)
- 1873 - Kwan-Ichi Asakawa, Japanese historian (d. 1948)
- 1868 - Harvey Firestone, American automobile pioneer (d. 1938)
- 1865 - Elsie De Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (d. 1950)
- 1861 - Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (d. 1926)
- 1860 - Dan Leno, English entertainer (d. 1904)
- 1841 - Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1932)
- 1838 - Edwin Abbott Abbott, English schoolmaster, theologian, and author (d. 1926)
- 1833 - Samuel Mudd, American physician (d. 1883)
- 1792 - Nicolas Charlet, French painter (d. 1845)
- 1786 - Pietro Raimondi, Italian composer (d. 1853)
- 1740 - Arthur Lee, American diplomat (d. 1792)
- 1717 - Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French statesman and diplomat (d. 1787)
- 1629 - Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (d. 1684)
- 1626 - Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff, German statesman (d. 1692)
- 1579 - (baptized) John Fletcher, English playwright (d. 1625)
- 1566 - Edward Wightman, English Baptist preacher (d. 1612)
- 1537 - King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1494 - Oronce Finé, French mathematician (d. 1555)