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 23rd


- Festivus, a holiday made popular by the sitcom Seinfeld
- Birthday of the Queen Silvia, an official flag day (Sweden)
- Christian Feast Day
- HumanLight (Secular humanism in United States)
- Larentalia, in honor of Larenta. (Roman empire)
- Night of the Radishes (Oaxaca, Mexico)
- The Emperor's Birthday, birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan. (Japan)

December 23rd


- 1947 - The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
- 1913 - The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve.
- 2005 - Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Aktau, Kazakhstan crashes shortly after takeoff killing 23 people.
- 2005 - Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.
- 2004 - An 8.1 magnitude earthquake hits Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean.
- 2003 - PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai County, Chongqing, China, killing at least 234.
- 2002 - A MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25, making it the first time in history that an aircraft and an unmanned drone had engaged in combat.
- 1990 - History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88% of Slovenia's population vote for independence from Yugoslavia.
- 1986 - Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.
- 1982 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces it has identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
- 1979 - Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
- 1972 - A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes the Nicaraguan capital of Managua killing more than 10,000.
- 1972 - The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.
- 1970 - The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
- 1968 - The United States wins the release of 82 sailors by issuing a written apology to North Korea for spying on the Communist country. The apology was immediately retracted after their release.
- 1958 - Dedication of Tokyo Tower, the world's highest self-supporting iron tower.
- 1957 - Ian Craig of Australia becomes the youngest Test cricket captain in history.
- 1948 - Seven Japanese convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo.
- 1941 - World War II: The Japanese Imperial Army occupies Wake Island.
- 1940 - World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis (?-2) sinks the Italian motor ship Antonietta.
- 1938 - Discovery of the first modern coelacanth in South Africa.
- 1937 - First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
- 1936 - Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1921 - Visva-Bharati University is inaugurated.
- 1916 - World War I: Battle of Magdhaba – Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in Egypt's Sinai peninsula.
- 1914 - World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops arrive in Cairo, Egypt.
- 1893 - The opera Hänsel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.
- 1793 - The Battle of Savenay, decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in Revolt in the Vendée during the French Revolution.
- 1783 - George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
- 1493 - Georg Alt's German translation of Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle is published.
- 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city of Aleppo

December 23rd


- 1964 - Eddie Vedder, American musician (Pearl Jam)
- 1990 - Anna Maria Perez de Taglé, American actress, model, and singer
- 1988 - Eri Kamei, Japanese singer
- 1987 - Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer
- 1987 - Owen Franks, New Zealand All Black rugby player
- 1986 - TJ Oshie, American ice hockey player
- 1985 - Harry Judd, British drummer (McFly)
- 1985 - Luke O'Loughlin, Australian actor
- 1984 - Sebastian Werle, German rugby player
- 1984 - Joseph Stacey, British actor
- 1983 - Michael Chopra, English footballer
- 1983 - Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
- 1983 - Carlos Jimenez, Spanish ice hockey player
- 1982 - Brad Nelson, American baseball player
- 1981 - Beth, Spanish singer
- 1981 - Yuriorkis Gamboa, Cuban boxer
- 1981 - Maritza Correia, American swimmer
- 1980 - Cody Ross, American baseball player
- 1980 - Elvin Ng, Singaporean actor
- 1979 - Summer Altice, American model and actress
- 1979 - Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player
- 1979 - Holly Madison, American model
- 1979 - Kenny Miller, Scottish football player
- 1978 - Jodie Marsh, British glamour model
- 1978 - Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1978 - Estella Warren, Canadian model and actress
- 1978 - Andra Davis, American football player
- 1978 - Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
- 1977 - Alge Crumpler, American football player
- 1977 - Jari Mäenpää, Finnish guitarist and singer
- 1977 - Paul Shirley, American basketball player
- 1976 - Brad Lidge, American baseball player
- 1976 - Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Greek footballer
- 1976 - Jamie Noble, American professional wrestler
- 1975 - Sky Lopez, American actress
- 1975 - Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1974 - Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1971 - Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
- 1971 - Masayoshi Yamazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1971 - Michalis Klokidis, Greek footballer
- 1971 - Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite
- 1971 - Wim Vansevenant, Belgian cyclist
- 1970 - Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
- 1970 - Raymont Harris, American football player
- 1969 - Martha Byrne, American actress
- 1969 - Rob Pelinka, American sports agent
- 1968 - Quincy Jones III, Swedish-American musician
- 1968 - Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, American photographer
- 1967 - Carla Bruni, Italian-French model and singer
- 1967 - Tim Fountain, British playwright
- 1967 - Otis Grant, Jamaican-Canadian Professional Boxer
- 1963 - Jim Harbaugh, American football player
- 1963 - Donna Tartt, American author
- 1962 - Bertrand Gachot, Belgian racing driver
- 1962 - Kang Je-gyu, South Korean film director
- 1962 - Great Muta, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1961 - Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian novelist.
- 1961 - Carol Smillie, British television personality
- 1959 - Geoff Willis, British engineer
- 1958 - Victoria Williams, American singer
- 1958 - Joan Severance, American actress
- 1957 - Dan Bigras, Canadian singer
- 1957 - Trisha Goddard, English television presenter
- 1956 - Michele Alboreto, Italian Formula one driver (d. 2001)
- 1956 - Dave Murray, English musician (Iron Maiden)
- 1953 - Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
- 1952 - William Kristol, American political commentator
- 1951 - Anthony Phillips, British musician (Genesis)
- 1950 - Michael C. Burgess, American politician
- 1950 - Vicente del Bosque, Spanish football manager
- 1950 - Ilchi Lee, Korean educator and author
- 1949 - Adrian Belew, American musician
- 1948 - Jack Ham, American football player
- 1948 - Leslie Moonves, American television executive
- 1947 - Graham Bonnet, English musician
- 1946 - Edita Gruberova, Slovak operatic soprano
- 1946 - Susan Lucci, American actress
- 1945 - Ron Bushy, American drummer (Iron Butterfly)
- 1944 - Wesley Clark, American military officer
- 1943 - Mikhail Gromov, Russian-born mathematician
- 1943 - Harry Shearer, American actor
- 1943 - Ron Allen, American baseball player
- 1943 - Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
- 1943 - Silvia Sommerlath, Queen of Sweden
- 1942 - Quentin Bryce, Governor-General of Australia
- 1942 - John Peterman, American fashion designer
- 1941 - Tim Hardin, American musician (d. 1980)
- 1941 - Serge Reding, Belgian weightlifter (d. 1975)
- 1940 - Eugene Record, American singer (The Chi-Lites) (d. 2005)
- 1940 - Jorma Kaukonen, American musician (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
- 1940 - Robert Labine, French-Canadian politician
- 1938 - Bob Kahn, American Internet pioneer
- 1937 - Barney Rosenzweig, American television producer
- 1937 - Edward Irving Wortis, American author
- 1936 - Frederic Forrest, American actor
- 1935 - Paul Hornung, American football player
- 1935 - Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
- 1933 - Akihito, Emperor of Japan
- 1931 - Ronnie Schell, American actor
- 1929 - Chet Baker, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1988)
- 1929 - Dick Weber, American professional tenpin bowler (d. 2005)
- 1928 - Chronis Aidonidis, Greek singer
- 1926 - Robert Bly, American poet
- 1925 - Duncan Hallas, British political figure
- 1925 - Rayner Unwin, British book publisher (d. 2000)
- 1923 - Onofre Marimón, Argentine racing driver (d. 1954)
- 1923 - Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist
- 1923 - Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
- 1923 - James Stockdale, American admiral (d. 2005)
- 1922 - Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician (d. 2001)
- 1921 - Guy Beaulne, French Canadian actor and theatre director (d. 2001)
- 1919 - Kenneth M. Taylor, American pilot (d. 2006)
- 1918 - Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany
- 1918 - José Greco, Italian-born flamenco dancer (d. 2001)
- 1918 - Kumar Pallana, Indian-born American actor
- 1916 - Dino Risi, Italian film director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1911 - Niels Kaj Jerne, English-born immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)
- 1911 - James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1910 - Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (d. 1961)
- 1908 - Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born, Canadian portrait photographer (d. 2002)
- 1907 - Avraham Stern, Polish-born Zionist leader (d. 1942)
- 1907 - Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean writer and poet (d. 2005)
- 1902 - Norman Maclean, American author (d. 1990)
- 1900 - Otto Soglow, American comics artist (d. 1975)
- 1896 - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Sicilian writer (d. 1957)
- 1891 - Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
- 1885 - Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
- 1878 - Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (d. 1972)
- 1867 - Madam C.J. Walker, American philanthropist and tycoon (d. 1919)
- 1864 - Zorka of Montenegro, Princess of Serbia (d. 1890)
- 1854 - Henry B. Guppy, British botanist (d. 1926)
- 1843 - Richard Conner, American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient (d. 1924)
- 1822 - Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
- 1819 - Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
- 1805 - Joseph Smith, Jr., American religious leader (d. 1844)
- 1804 - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
- 1790 - Jean François Champollion, French Egyptologist (d. 1832)
- 1777 - Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
- 1758 - Nathan Wilson U.S. Representative from New York (d. 1834)
- 1750 - King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
- 1743 - Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet (d. 1803)
- 1732 - Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)
- 1713 - Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3rd Yokozuna (d. 1749)
- 1689 - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
- 1621 - Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (d. 1678)
- 1621 - Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)
- 1613 - Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
- 1597 - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
- 1582 - Severo Bonini, Italian composer (d. 1663)
- 1513 - Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (d. 1577)
- 1173 - Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
- 245 - Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra