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 22nd


- Christian Feast Day
- Mother's Day (Indonesia)
- Winter solstice related observance (see December 21):
Dongzhi Festival (East Asia)

December 22nd


- 1989 - Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
- 1964 - First flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird).
- 1937 - The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City.
- 2001 - Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance, hands over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.
- 2001 - Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.
- 1999 - Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, a Boeing 747-200F crashes shortly after take-off from London Stansted Airport due to pilot error. All 4 crew members are killed.
- 1997 - Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.
- 1997 - Hussein Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo, Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
- 1992 - The Archives of Terror are discovered.
- 1990 - Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship.
- 1989 - After a week of bloody demonstrations, Ion Iliescu takes over as president of Romania, ending Nicolae Ceau?escu's Communist dictatorship.
- 1988 - Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist, is assassinated.
- 1984 - Bernhard Hugo Goetz shoots four would-be African-American muggers on an express train in Manhattan, New York City.
- 1978 - The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
- 1974 - Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli vote to become the independent nation of Comoros. Mayotte remains under French administration.
- 1974 - The house of former British Prime Minister Ted Heath is attacked by members of the Provisional IRA.
- 1965 - In the United Kingdom, a 70mph speed limit is applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time. Previously, there had been no speed limit.
- 1963 - The cruise ship Lakonia burns 180 miles north of Madeira with the loss of 128 lives.
- 1956 - Colo is born, the first gorilla to be bred in captivity.
- 1951 - The Selangor Labour Party is founded in Selangor, Malaya.
- 1947 - The Constituent Assembly of Italy approves the Constitution of Italy.
- 1944 - World War II: Battle of the Bulge – German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"
- 1944 - World War II: The People's Army of Vietnam is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indo-China, now Vietnam.
- 1942 - World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon.
- 1940 - World War II: Himarë is captured by the Greek army.
- 1920 - The GOELRO economic development plan is adopted by the 8th Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR.
- 1894 - The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason, on antisemitic grounds.
- 1890 - Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kingsport and Kentville, Nova Scotia.
- 1885 - Ito Hirobumi, a samurai, became the first Prime Minister of Japan.
- 1864 - Savannah, Georgia falls to General William Tecumseh Sherman, concluding his "March to the Sea".
- 1851 - The first freight train is operated in Roorkee, India.
- 1849 - The execution of Fyodor Dostoevsky is called off at the last second.
- 1809 - The Non-Intercourse Act, lifting the Embargo Act except for the United Kingdom and France, is passed by the U.S. Congress.
- 1807 - The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson.
- 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies.
- 69 - Emperor Vitellius is captured and murdered by the Gemonian stairs in Rome.

December 22nd


- 1912 - Lady Bird Johnson, First Lady of the United States (d. 2007)
- 1998 - Genevieve Hannelius, American child actress
- 1996 - Makisig Morales, Filipino child actor
- 1993 - Ali Lohan, American singer
- 1990 - Jean-Baptiste Maunier, French actor and singer
- 1989 - Logan Huffman, American actor
- 1989 - Jordin Sparks, American singer
- 1989 - Jharal Yow Yeh, professional rugby league player
- 1986 - Dennis Armfield, Australian footballer
- 1986 - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Nigerian terrorist suspect
- 1984 - Basshunter, Swedish singer
- 1983 - Drew Hankinson, American professional wrestler
- 1983 - Jennifer Hawkins, Australian beauty pageant contestant
- 1982 - Brooke Nevin, Canadian actress
- 1980 - Chris Carmack, American actor
- 1979 - Jamie Langfield, Scottish football player
- 1978 - Emmanuel Olisadebe, Nigerian/Polish footballer
- 1977 - Steve Kariya, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 - Katleen De Caluwé, Belgian athlete
- 1976 - Jason Lane, American baseball player
- 1975 - Chris Adler, American actor
- 1975 - Dmitri Khokhlov, Russian footballer
- 1975 - Stanislav Necká?, Czech ice hockey player
- 1975 - Sergei Aschwanden, Swiss judoka
- 1974 - Heather Donahue, American actress
- 1972 - Big Tigger, television host
- 1972 - Vanessa Paradis, French singer
- 1971 - Pat Mastroianni, Canadian actor
- 1969 - Myriam Bédard, Canadian athlete
- 1969 - Greg Biffle, American racecar driver
- 1968 - Dina Meyer, American actress
- 1968 - Lauralee Bell, American actress
- 1967 - Richey James Edwards, Welsh musician (Manic Street Preachers) (disappeared in 1995)
- 1967 - Stéphane Gendron, Quebec politician
- 1967 - Paul Morris, Australian racing driver
- 1967 - Dan Petrescu, Romanian footballer
- 1966 - Dmitry Bilozerchev, Soviet gymnast
- 1966 - Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer, German singer and bassplayer (Destruction)
- 1963 - Giuseppe Bergomi, Italian footballer
- 1963 - Luna H. Mitani, Japanese American surrealism painter
- 1963 - Brian McMillan, South African cricketer
- 1962 - Ralph Fiennes, English actor
- 1961 - Andrew Fastow, American businessman
- 1960 - Wakin Chau, Chinese singer
- 1960 - Jean-Michel Basquiat, American artist (d. 1988)
- 1960 - Luther Campbell (Luke), American rap artist (2 Live Crew)
- 1960 - Patrick Fitzgerald, American attorney
- 1959 - Bernd Schuster, German footballer
- 1958 - Frank Gambale, Australian musician
- 1958 - David Heavener, American actor and musician
- 1957 - Carole James, Canadian politician
- 1955 - Lonnie Smith, American baseball player
- 1954 - Hideshi Matsuda, Japanese racing driver
- 1953 - Bern Nadette Stanis, actress
- 1953 - Ian Turnbull, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1951 - Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster
- 1951 - Dan Martin, American voice actor
- 1949 - Maurice Gibb, English musician (The Bee Gees) (d. 2003)
- 1949 - Robin Gibb, English musician (The Bee Gees)
- 1948 - Noel Edmonds, English game show host
- 1948 - Steve Garvey, American baseball player
- 1948 - Chris Old, English cricketer
- 1948 - Lynne Thigpen, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1946 - Rick Nielsen, American musician (Cheap Trick)
- 1945 - Diane Sawyer, American journalist
- 1944 - Steve Carlton, American baseball player
- 1944 - Guido De Angelis, Italian musician
- 1943 - Stefan Janos, Slovak-Swiss physicist
- 1943 - Paul Wolfowitz, American politician
- 1942 - Dick Parry, English musician (Pink Floyd)
- 1940 - Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian politician (d. 2009)
- 1939 - James Gurley, American musician (d. 2009)
- 1938 - Matty Alou, Dominican baseball player
- 1938 - Lucien Bouchard, Quebec politician
- 1937 - Eduard Uspensky, Russian writer
- 1936 - James Burke, British writer
- 1936 - Hector Elizondo, American actor
- 1936 - Wojciech Frykowski, Polish actor (d. 1969)
- 1934 - David Pearson, American racecar driver
- 1925 - Lewis Glucksman, American financier (d. 2006)
- 1924 - Frank Corsaro, American stage director
- 1922 - Jack Brooks, American politician
- 1922 - Ruth Roman, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1921 - Hawkshaw Hawkins, American country singer (d. 1963)
- 1917 - Gene Rayburn, American game show host (d. 1999)
- 1915 - Barbara Billingsley, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1914 - Swami Satchidananda, Yogi and Spiritual teacher (d. 2002)
- 1912 - Elias Degiannis, Greek navy officer and Resistance fighter (d. 1943)
- 1909 - Patricia Hayes, English actress (d. 1998)
- 1907 - Dame Peggy Ashcroft, English actress (d. 1991)
- 1905 - Kenneth Rexroth, American poet (d. 1982)
- 1905 - Pierre Brasseur, French actor (d. 1972)
- 1903 - Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1983)
- 1901 - André Kostelanetz, American popular music orchestra leader and arranger (d. 1980)
- 1900 - Marc Allégret, French film director and screenwriter (d. 1973)
- 1899 - Gustav Gründgens, German actor (d. 1963)
- 1898 - Vladimir Aleksandrovich Fock, Russian physicist (d. 1974)
- 1888 - J. Arthur Rank, British film producer (d. 1972)
- 1887 - Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (d. 1920)
- 1885 - Deems Taylor American conductor and music critic (d. 1966)
- 1885 - Abe Manley, Negro League Baseball owner (d. 1952)
- 1883 - Edgard Varèse French-born composer (d. 1965)
- 1876 - Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Italian poet and editor (d. 1944)
- 1874 - Franz Schmidt, Austrian composer (d. 1939)
- 1872 - Camille Guérin, French veterinarian and bacteriologist (d. 1961)
- 1869 - Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet (d. 1935)
- 1869 - Dmitri Egorov, Russian mathematician (d. 1931)
- 1862 - Connie Mack, American baseball executive (d. 1956)
- 1860 - Austin Norman Palmer, American penmanship innovator (d. 1927)
- 1858 - Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer (d. 1924)
- 1856 - Frank B. Kellogg, 45th U.S. Secretary of State, Nobel laureate (d. 1937)
- 1853 - Teresa Carreño, Venezuelan pianist (d. 1917)
- 1853 - Yevgraf Fyodorov, Russian mathematician (d. 1919)
- 1819 - Franz Wilhelm Abt, German composer (d. 1870)
- 1819 - Pierre Ossian Bonnet, French mathematician (d. 1892)
- 1807 - Johann Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian poet (d. 1873)
- 1805 - John Obadiah Westwood, British entomologist (d. 1893)
- 1765 - Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician (d. 1825)
- 1723 - Carl Friedrich Abel, German composer (d. 1787)
- 1696 - James Oglethorpe, English general and founder of the state of Georgia (d. 1785)
- 1694 - Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher and writer (d. 1768)
- 1690 - Meidingnu Pamheiba, King of Manipur (d. 1751)
- 1666 - Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh guru (d. 1708)
- 1639 - Jean Racine, French dramatist (d. 1699)
- 1550 - Cesare Cremonini, Italian philosopher (d. 1631)
- 1546 - Kuroda Yoshitaka, Japanese Daimyo (d. 1604)
- 1178 - Emperor Antoku of Japan (d. 1185)
- 1095 - Roger II of Sicily, King of Sicily (d. 1154)
- 244 - Diocletian, Roman Emperor (d. 311)