What are the important events that happened on December 31? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

December 31: Facts & Myths About This Day

December 31 is the 365^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. The day of the week is Wednesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 18, 2025 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,767,139,200 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘trihectahexacontapentagon’ day.

Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Turquoise is the modern birthstone for this month. Onyx is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 48 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,758 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

December 31: This Day In History

It is widely known as New Year’s Eve since the following day is New Year’s Day. It is the last day of the year.

December 31 Historical Events

• 1600 –
  The British East India Company is chartered.
• 1790 –
  Efimeris, the oldest Greek newspaper of which issues have survived till today is published for the first time.
• 1853 –
  A dinner party is held inside a life-size model of an Iguanodon created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir Richard Owen in south London, England, United Kingdom
• 1862 –
  American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.
• 1906 –
  Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar signs the Persian Constitution of 1906.
• 1946 –
  President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.
• 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.
• 1983 –
  In Nigeria a coup d'état led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari ends the Nigerian Second Republic.
• 1991 –
  All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date and the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.
• 1998 –
  The European Exchange Rate Mechanism freezes the values of the legacy currencies in the Eurozone, and establishes the value of the euro currency.

Who were born on December 31?

• 1668 –
  Herman Boerhaave, Dutch humanist and physician (d. 1738)
• 1815 –
  George Meade, American Civil War general (d. 1872)
• 1904 –
  Umm Kulthum, Egyptian singer and actress (d. 1975)
• 1945 –
  Barbara Carrera, Nicaraguan actress and model
• 1960 –
  Steve Bruce, English footballer
• 1966 –
  Lisa Joyner, American entertainment reporter
• 1971 –
  Esteban Loaiza, Mexican Major League Baseball player
• 1973 –
  Shandon Anderson, American basketball player
• 1977 –
  Wardy Alfaro, Costa Rican footballer
• 1986 –
  Bronson Pelletier, Canadian actor

Who died on December 31?

• 1194 –
  Duke Leopold V of Austria (killed at a tournament) (b. 1157)
• 1583 –
  Thomas Erastus, Swiss theologian (b. 1524)
• 1673 –
  Oliver St John, English statesman and judge
• 1910 –
  John Moisant, American aviator (b. 1868)
• 1948 –
  Malcolm Campbell, English race car driver (b. 1885)
• 1953 –
  Albert Plesman, Dutch aviation pioneer (b. 1889)
• 1994 –
  Leigh Bowery, Australian-born English fashion performance artist (b. 1961)
• 2003 –
  Arthur R. von Hippel German-born physicist (b. 1898)
• 2007 –
  Ettore Sottsass, Italian architect and designer (b. 1917)
• 2007 –
  Markku Peltola, Finnish actor and musician (b. 1956)