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 31st


- Christian Feast Day:
- New Year's Eve (International observances), and its related observances:
Last Day of the Year or Bisperas ng Bagong Taon, special holiday between Rizal Day and New Year's Day (the Philippines)
- The first day of Hogmanay or "Auld Year’s Night" (Scotland)
- The seventh day of Christmas (Western Christianity)

December 31st


- 2007 - Bocaue Fire: Seven people are injured when a fire results in the explosions of several fireworks stores in the municipality of Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines.
- 2004 - The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).
- 1999 - Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, resigns as President of Russia, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.
- 1999 - Five hijackers, who had been holding 155 hostages on an Indian Airlines plane, leave the plane with two Islamic clerics that they had demanded be freed.
- 1999 - The United States Government hands control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
- 1998 - The European Exchange Rate Mechanism freezes the values of the legacy currencies in the Eurozone, and establishes the value of the euro currency.
- 1994 - This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC-11 to UTC+13 and UTC-10 to UTC+14, respectively.
- 1992 - Czechoslovakia is dissolved, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- 1991 - All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date and the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.
- 1986 - A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, kills 97 and injures 140.
- 1983 - The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.
- 1981 - A coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.
- 1965 - Jean-Bédel Bokassa, leader of the Central African Republic army, and his military officers begins a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko.
- 1963 - The Central African Federation officially collapses and splits into Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
- 1960 - The farthing coin ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.
- 1955 - The General Motors Corporation becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over $1 billion USD in a year.
- 1951 - The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $13.3 billion USD in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.
- 1946 - President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.
- 1944 - World War II: Hungary declares war on Nazi Germany.
- 1923 - The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast on radio for the first time by the .
- 1909 - Manhattan Bridge opens.
- 1904 - The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York, New York.
- 1891 - A new immigration depot is opened on Ellis Island, New York.
- 1879 - Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.
- 1862 - American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.
- 1862 - American Civil War: The Battle of Stones River is fought near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
- 1857 - Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa, Ontario, as the capital of Canada.
- 1831 - Gramercy Park is deeded to New York City.
- 1775 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Quebec: British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army General Richard Montgomery.
- 1759 - Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000 year lease at Ł45 per annum and starts brewing Guinness.
- 1695 - A window tax is imposed in England, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax.
- 1687 - The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope.
- 1660 - James II of England is named Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV of France.
- 1600 - The British East India Company is chartered.
- 1229 - James I of Aragon the Conqueror enters Medina Mayurqa (now known as Palma, Spain) thus consummating the Christian reconquest of the island of Majorca.
- 1225 - The Ly Dynasty of Vietnam ends after 216 years by the enthronement of the boy emperor Tran Thai Tong, husband of the last Ly monarch, Ly Chieu Hoang, starting the Tran Dynasty.
- 535 - Byzantine General Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily, defeating the Ostrogothic garrison of Syracuse, and ending his consulship for the year.
- 406 - Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gaul.

December 31st


- 1987 - Javaris Crittenton, American basketball player
- 1987 - Émilie Le Pennec, French gymnast
- 1986 - Bronson Pelletier, Canadian actor
- 1985 - Jan Smit, Dutch singer
- 1984 - Paul Rodriguez Jr., Professional skateboarder
- 1983 - Mike Williams, American football player
- 1982 - Bryce Avary, The Rocket Summer, American musician
- 1982 - Julio DePaula, Dominican baseball player
- 1982 - Craig Gordon, Scottish footballer
- 1982 - Luke Schenscher, Australian basketball player
- 1981 - Jason Campbell, American football player
- 1981 - Matthew Pavlich, Australian football player
- 1980 - Jesse Carlson, American baseball player
- 1980 - Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby player
- 1980 - Matthew Capiccioni, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Bob Bryar, American drummer (My Chemical Romance)
- 1979 - Elaine Cassidy, Irish actress
- 1978 - Papoose, American rapper
- 1977 - Wardy Alfaro, Costa Rican footballer
- 1977 - Donald Trump Jr., son of Donald Trump and Ivana Trump
- 1976 - Craig Reucassel, Australian comedian, member of The Chaser
- 1975 - Toni Kuivasto, Finnish footballer
- 1975 - Rob Penders, Dutch footballer
- 1974 - Mario Aerts, Belgian cyclist
- 1974 - Tony Kanaan, Brazilian racing driver
- 1974 - Ryan Sakoda, Japanese American professional wrestler
- 1973 - Shandon Anderson, American basketball player
- 1973 - Malcolm Middleton, Scottish musician (Arab Strap)
- 1972 - Joe McIntyre, American singer (New Kids on the Block)
- 1971 - Brent Barry, American basketball player
- 1971 - Esteban Loaiza, Mexican Major League Baseball player
- 1971 - Ricardo López Felipe, Spanish footballer
- 1970 - Jorjăo, Brazilian footballer
- 1970 - Carlos Morales Quintana, husband of Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark
- 1970 - Bryon Russell, American basketball player
- 1969 - Dominik Diamond, Scottish presenter and newspaper columnist
- 1969 - Are Kalvř, Norwegian writer and satirist
- 1969 - Lance Reddick, American actor
- 1968 - Gerry Dee, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1966 - Lisa Joyner, American entertainment reporter
- 1965 - Julie Doucet, Canadian underground cartoonist
- 1965 - Gong Li, Chinese actress
- 1965 - Nicholas Sparks, American author
- 1964 - Michael McDonald, American actor-comedian
- 1963 - Scott Ian, American guitarist (Anthrax)
- 1963 - Konishiki, American sumo wrestler
- 1962 - Tyrone Corbin, American basketball player
- 1962 - Heather McCartney, British activist
- 1961 - Rick Aguilera, American baseball player
- 1961 - Nina Li Chi, Chinese actress
- 1960 - John Allen Muhammad, American spree killer (d. 2009)
- 1960 - Steve Bruce, English football player & manager
- 1959 - Liveris Andritsos, Greek basketball player
- 1959 - Alfie Anido, Filipino actor (d. 1981)
- 1959 - Val Kilmer, American actor
- 1959 - Phill Kline, American politician
- 1959 - Baron Waqa, Nauruan politician and musician
- 1959 - Paul Westerberg, American musician (The Replacements)
- 1958 - Bebe Neuwirth, American actress
- 1956 - Steve Rude, American comics artist
- 1955 - Dawood Ibrahim, Indian crime boss
- 1954 - Alex Salmond, Scottish politician
- 1954 - Hermann Tilke, German racing circuit architect
- 1953 - James Remar, American actor
- 1953 - Jane Badler, American actress
- 1951 - Tom Hamilton, American bassist (Aerosmith)
- 1949 - Ellen Datlow, American editor
- 1949 - Susan Shwartz, American writer
- 1949 - Seub Nakhasathien, Thai conservationist (d. 1990)
- 1948 - Donna Summer, American singer
- 1948 - Joe Dallesandro American actor
- 1948 - René Robert, National Hockey League player
- 1947 - Burton Cummings, Canadian keyboardist (The Guess Who)
- 1947 - Tim Matheson, American actor
- 1947 - Rita Lee, Brazilian Rock Star
- 1946 - Pius Ncube, Zimbabwean human rights advocate
- 1945 - Diane von Fürstenberg, Belgian-born fashion designer
- 1945 - Barbara Carrera, Nicaraguan actress and model
- 1945 - Connie Willis, American writer
- 1944 - Taylor Hackford, American producer and director
- 1944 - Neil Ross, British-American voice actor
- 1943 - John Denver, American singer and songwriter (d. 1997)
- 1943 - Sir Ben Kingsley, English actor
- 1943 - Pete Quaife, English bassist (The Kinks)
- 1942 - Andy Summers, British guitarist (The Police)
- 1941 - Sir Alex Ferguson, Scottish football manager
- 1941 - Sarah Miles, English actress
- 1940 - Mani Neumeier, German musician (Guru Guru)
- 1938 - Rosalind Cash, American actress (d. 1995)
- 1937 - Avram Hershko, Israeli biologist, Nobel laureate
- 1937 - Sir Anthony Hopkins, Welsh actor
- 1934 - Akram Awan, Islamic scholar
- 1933 - Edward Bunker, American author and actor (d. 2005)
- 1931 - Bob Shaw, Irish writer (d. 1996)
- 1930 - Odetta, American singer (d. 2008)
- 1930 - Jaime Escalante, American teacher (d. 2010)
- 1928 - Siné, French cartoonist
- 1926 - Billy Snedden, Australian politician (d. 1987)
- 1924 - Taylor Mead, American actor
- 1920 - Rex Allen, American actor, singer, and songwriter (d. 1999)
- 1919 - Tommy Byrne, American baseball player (d. 2007)
- 1917 - Wilfrid Noyce, English mountaineer (d. 1962)
- 1912 - Maj-Gen John Frost, British para commander (d. 1993)
- 1911 - Dal Stivens, Australian novelist (d. 1997)
- 1910 - Carl Dudley, American film director (d. 1973)
- 1909 - Jonah Jones, American jazz trumpeter (d. 2000)
- 1908 - Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor (d. 2005)
- 1905 - Jule Styne, English-born composer (d. 1994)
- 1904 - Umm Kulthum, Egyptian singer and actress (d. 1975)
- 1903 - Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist (d. 1992)
- 1902 - Lionel Daunais, Quebec singer and composer (d. 1982)
- 1901 - Nikos Ploumpidis, Greek resistance fighter (d. 1954)
- 1901 - Julia Bathory, Hungarian glass designer(d. 2000)
- 1899 - Silvestre Revueltas, Mexican composer (d. 1940)
- 1894 - Pola Negri, Polish actress (d. 1987)
- 1885 - Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1970)
- 1884 - Bobby Byrne, American baseball player (d. 1964)
- 1882 - Martin O'Meara, Australian soldier (d. 1935)
- 1881 - Max Pechstein, German painter (d. 1955)
- 1880 - George C. Marshall, United States Secretary of State, Nobel Laureate (d. 1959)
- 1880 - Fred Beebe, American baseball player (d. 1957)
- 1878 - Elizabeth Arden, Canadian businesswoman (d. 1966)
- 1878 - Horacio Quiroga, Uruguayan-Argentinian writer (d. 1937)
- 1877 - Lawrence Beesley, English journalist and author (d. 1967)
- 1869 - Henri Matisse, French painter (d. 1954)
- 1860 - Joseph S. Cullinan, American oil industrialist (d. 1937)
- 1857 - King Kelly, American baseball player (d. 1894)
- 1855 - Giovanni Pascoli, Italian poet (d. 1912)
- 1830 - Isma'il Pasha, Governor of Egypt (d. 1895)
- 1830 - Alexander Smith, Scottish poet (d. 1867)
- 1823 - Sándor Pet?fi, Hungarian poet (d. 1849)
- 1815 - George Meade, American Civil War general (d. 1872)
- 1763 - Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (d. 1806)
- 1741 - Isabella Maria of Parma, wife of future Holy Roman emperor (d. 1763)
- 1738 - Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British general (d. 1805)
- 1720 - Charles Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne (d. 1788)
- 1668 - Herman Boerhaave, Dutch humanist and physician (d. 1738)
- 1572 - Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan, (d. 1617)
- 1514 - Andreas Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (d. 1564)
- 1491 - Jacques Cartier, French explorer (d. 1557)
- 1378 - Pope Callixtus III (d. 1458)
- 695 - Muhammad bin Qasim, Syrian general (d. 715)