1932 – United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth
1945 – German air raid on allied airports at Eindhoven/Saint-Trond/Brussels
1962 – 28th Orange Bowl: #4 LSU beats #7 Colorado, 25-7
1963 – 29th Orange Bowl: #5 Alabama beats #8 Oklahoma, 17-0
1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US
1990 – 19th Fiesta Bowl: #5 Florida State beats #6 Nebraska, 41-17
1990 – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implements “SYNDEX,” granting independent stations more rights over cable TV outlets for exclusive syndicated programs
2000 – Opening of the Holy Doors of Santa Maria Maggiore by Pope John Paul II in Rome to celebrate the new millennium
Author: gil7
Today in History for 1st January 2026
Historical Events
1954 – Rose and Cotton Bowl are 1st sport colorcasts
1993 – Blockbuster Bowl 3: Stanford beats Penn State, 24-3
1993 – 79th Rose Bowl: #7 Michigan beats #9 Washington, 38-31
2007 – Bulgarian, Romanian, and Irish become official languages of the European Union, joining 20 other official languages
2007 – 36th Fiesta Bowl: #9 Boise State beats #7 Oklahoma, 43-42 (OT)
Famous Birthdays
766 – Ali al-Rida [Abū al-Ḥasan al-Thānī], 8th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam and descendant of the prophet Muhammad, born in Medina, Abbasid Caliphate (d. 818) [approximate birthdate]
1711 – Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier whose unit is considered one of the worst in European history due to insubordination and plundering, born in Reggio di Calabria (d. 1749)
1848 – John W. Goff, American lawyer and judge known for his part in the Catalpa Rescue, born in Gorey, Ireland (d. 1924)
1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and founder of the Anton Melik Geographical Institute (The Geography of Slovenia), born in Črna Vas, Austrio-Hungarian Empire (d. 1966)
1970 – Gabriel Jarret, American actor (Real Genius, Apollo 13), born in Los Angeles, California
Famous Deaths
1957 – Seán South, Irish Republican Army volunteer, killed during the Brookeborough Raid, at 28
1994 – Arthur Porritt, New Zealand athlete (Olympic bronze 100m 1924) and 11th governor-general of New Zealand 1967-72, dies at 93
1996 – Orapin Chaiyakan, first Thai woman elected to the Parliament of Thailand, dies at 91
2006 – Dawn Lake, Australian TV comedienne, dies at 78
2015 – Jeff Golub, American jazz guitarist (Avenue Blue; Rod Stewart), dies of a rare brain disease at 59
Famous Deaths for 31st December 2025
1679 – Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (b. 1608)
1799 – Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and writer, dies at 76
1818 – Jean-Pierre Duport, French composer and cellist, dies at 77
1872 – Aleksis Kivi, Finnish writer and poet (Kanervala), dies at 38
1921 – József Kiss, Hungarian literary (Zsido Dalok), dies at 78
1941 – Sigwart Aspestrand, Norwegian composer, dies at 85
1964 – Ólafur Thors, Icelandic Prime Minister (5 times between 1942-63), dies at 72
1997 – Floyd Cramer, American Country Music Hall of Fame pianist (“Last Date”, “On the Rebound”), dies of cancer at 64
2007 – Ettore Sottsass, Italian architect, industrial engineer, furniture and product designer, dies at 90
2022 – Benedict XVI [Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger], German Catholic Pope (2005-13), dies at 95
Historical Events for 31st December 2025
870 – Skirmish at Englefield: Ethelred of Wessex beats a section of the Viking Great Heathen Army, camped at Reading
1911 – Marie Curie receives her second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her work with radioactivity
1923 – BBC begins using Big Ben’s chimes as an interval signal
1957 – Amateur Athletic Union awards American sprinter Bobby Morrow the James E. Sullivan Award
1975 – 42nd Sugar Bowl: #3 Alabama beats #7 Penn State, 13-6
1986 – Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 97
1996 – 63rd Orange Bowl: #6 Nebraska beats #10 Virginia Tech, 41-21
1997 – 27th Fiesta Bowl: #10 Kansas State beats #14 Syracuse, 35-18
Today in History for 31st December 2025
Historical Events
406 – “The Great Invasion” sees a vast horde of Vandals, Alans, and Suebi cross the Rhine at Mainz, beginning the invasion of Gaul
1968 – Record high barometric pressure (1083.8 mb, 32 inches) recorded at Agata in Siberia, Soviet Union; eclipsed in December 2001
1969 – Congo-Brazzaville becomes People’s republic, under major Ngouabi
1984 – Test Cricket debut of Mohammad Azharuddin, v England at Calcutta
1998 – US movie box office hits record $6.24 billion for year
Famous Birthdays
1928 – Hugh McElhenny, American Pro/College Football HOF halfback (University of Washington; 5 × First-team All-Pro; 6 × Pro Bowl; Minnesota Vikings, SF 49ers), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2022)
1936 – Jerry Sturm, American football tackle (AFL All-Star 1964, 66; Denver Broncos, NO Saints), born in English, Indiana (d. 2020)
1949 – Susan Shwartz, American author, born in Youngstown, Ohio
1949 – Ellen Datlow, American editor, born in New York City
1954 – Alex Salmond, Scottish politician (Scottish National Party) First Minister of Scotland (2007-14), born in Linlithgow, Scotland (d. 2024)
Famous Deaths
1510 – Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, dies at 38
1987 – Leo Steiner, American restaurateur and co-owner of the Carnegie Deli, dies at 48 (b. circa 1939)
1991 – Georges Poulet, French-Belgian critic (Temps Humain), dies at 89
1993 – Arthur Dreifuss, director and producer (Murder in Amsterdam), dies at 85
2022 – Sergei Bautin, Belarusian ice hockey defenceman (Olympic gold Unified Team 1992; Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks), dies at 55
Famous Deaths for 30th December 2025
1460 – Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, claimant to the English throne killed in Battle of Wakefield at 49 (b. 1411)
1591 – Pope Innocent IX [Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti], 230th Catholic pope (1591), dies at 72
1621 – Saint Job of Maniava, Ukrainian Orthodox Saint (b. 1550)
1895 – LP Hartley, British writer, dies
1982 – Alberto Vargas, Peruvian-American painter, primarily of “pin-up girls”, dies at 86
1995 – Clarence Satchell, American funk saxophonist (Ohio Players – “Fire”;”Love Rollercoaster”), dies of a brain aneurysm at 55
2010 – Roger Milliken, American millionaire (CEO of Milliken and Company), dies at 95
2012 – Carl Woese, American microbiologist (defining the Archaea) and academic, dies of pancreatic cancer at 84
2015 – Donald Barron, Scottish accountant and CEO (Midland Bank), dies at 94
2018 – Larry Austin, American classical and electronic composer and educator, dies at 88
Historical Events for 30th December 2025
1621 – English King James I tears the Protestation of Parliament from the records, objecting to Parliament commenting on a foreign marriage alliance
1672 – Baron Karl Rabenhaupt occupies Coevorden, Netherlands
1896 – Stanley Cup, Granite Rink, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Ernie McLea scores a hat-trick as Montreal Victorias beat Winnipeg Victorias, 6-5; first SC Challenge game played outside of Montreal
1917 – -37°F (-38°C) in Lewisburg, WV (state record)
1953 – Queen Elizabeth II visits the Tūrangawaewae marae in New Zealand, home of the Māori Kīngitanga movement
1973 – AFC Championship, Miami Orange Bowl: Miami Dolphins beat Oakland Raiders, 27-10
1979 – English Progressive rock group, Emerson, Lake and Palmer break up
1997 – In the worst incident in Algeria’s insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people are killed from four villages.
Today in History for 30th December 2025
Historical Events
1672 – Baron Karl Rabenhaupt occupies Coevorden, Netherlands
1924 – Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces the existence of other galaxies at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society
1958 – French franc devalued
1997 – An abandoned building collapses on NY’s 42nd St, no one hurt
2006 – Madrid Barajas International Airport is bombed.
Famous Birthdays
1887 – Henry George Ley, British organist, composer, and teacher (Eton, 1926-45), born in Chagford, England (d. 1962)
1934 – Barry Briggs, New Zealand speedway rider (World Champion 1957-58, 64, 66; British Championship 1961, 64-67, 69), born in Christchurch, Canterbury
1945 – Vernon Wells, Australian actor (Commando; Mad Max: The Road Warrior), born in Rushworth, Australia
1953 – Daniel T. Barry, American engineer and NASA astronaut (STS 72), born in Norwalk, Connecticut
1965 – David Baker, UK cyclist, born in Sheffield, England
Famous Deaths
1947 – Alfred North Whitehead, British mathematician and philosopher (Adventures of Ideas), dies at 86
1968 – Trygve Lie, Norwegian politician and 1st Secretary-General of the United Nations (1946-52), dies at 72
1995 – Doris Grau, American script supervisor, actress and voice artist (Point Blank, King Kong), dies from respiratory failure at 71
1998 – Johnny Moore, American singer (The Drifters) (b. 1934)
2019 – Johnny Ward, English rugby league hooker (4 Tests Great Britain, 3 England; Castleford 262 games), dies at 78
Famous Deaths for 29th December 2025
1634 – John Albert Vasa, Polish bishop, dies at 22
1737 – Joseph Saurin, French mathematician (b. 1659)
1926 – Rainer Maria Rilke, Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist (Ana, The City, Duino Elegies), dies at 51
1975 – Euell Gibbons, American outdoorsman and proponent of natural diets (b. 1911).
1984 – Sidney Garfield, American physician and pioneer of health maintenance organizations (Kaiser Permanente), dies at 78
2008 – Freddie Hubbard, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1938)
2018 – Bill Watson, Australian cricketer (NSW and Australian opening batsman mid-1950s), dies at 87
2019 – LaDell Andersen, American college basketball coach (Utah State, BYU), dies at 90
2023 – Maurice Hines, American tap-dancer, choreographer, actor, and theater director, dies at 80
2024 – George Folsey Jr., American film editor (Coming to America; The Blues Brothers), dies of complications of pneumonia at 85
Historical Events for 29th December 2025
1911 – Mongolia gains independence from the Qing dynasty
1944 – Belgian Walloon Nazi collaborator Léon Degrelle sentenced to death
1955 – NHL officials wear new vertically striped black-and-white sweaters for the first time in Montreal Canadiens’ 5-2 win over Toronto Maple Leafs
1957 – National Football League Championship, Briggs Stadium, Detroit: Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns, 50-14; Lions score 2 touchdowns in each quarter
1965 – The Supremes release single “My World is Empty Without You”
1992 – Governor Cuomo grants Jean Harris (Scarsdale Diet Dr killer) clemency
1994 – Australian cricket’s spin king Shane Warne dismisses England’s Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm for a famous hat-trick in 2nd Test win in Melbourne
1998 – Leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologize for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed over a million people