Thursday, December 31st
The 365th day of 2009.
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Today's Highlights in History
On Dec. 31, 1946, President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II. (Go to article.)
On Dec. 31, 1869, Henri Matisse, one of the foremost painters of 20th century French art, was born. Following his death on Nov. 3, 1954, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On December 31, 1864, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about President Abraham Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction of the Union. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1775 The British repulsed an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec; Montgomery was killed.
1857 Britain's Queen Victoria decided to make Ottawa the capital of Canada.
1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed an act admitting West Virginia to the Union.
1879 Thomas Edison first publicly demonstrated his electric incandescent light in Menlo Park, N.J.
1961 The Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $12 billion in foreign aid.
1974 Private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.
1978 Taiwanese diplomats struck their colors for the final time from the embassy flagpole in Washington, D.C., marking the end of diplomatic relations with the United States.
1985 Rock singer Rick Nelson, 45, and six other people were killed when fire broke out aboard a DC-3 that was taking the group to a New Year's Eve performance in Dallas.
1986 A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, killed 97 and injured 140 people.
1993 Entertainer Barbra Streisand performed her first paid concert in 22 years, singing to a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
1997 Michael Kennedy, 39-year-old son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain in Colorado.
2004 Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych resigned, acknowledging that he had little hope of reversing the presidential election victory of his Western-leaning rival, Viktor Yushchenko.
2006 The death toll for Americans killed in the Iraq war reached 3,000.
Current Birthdays
Ben Kingsley turns 66 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini Actor Ben Kingsley turns 66 years old today.
80 George Schlatter
TV producer ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In")
72 Anthony Hopkins
Actor
69 Tim Considine
Actor ("My Three Sons")
68 Sarah Miles
Actress
67 Andy Summers
Rock musician (The Police)
66 Peter Quaife
Rock musician (The Kinks)
65 Taylor Hackford
Director, producer
63 Diane Von Furstenberg
Fashion designer
62 Burton Cummings
Rock musician (The Guess Who)
62 Tim Matheson
Actor ("Animal House," "The West Wing")
61 Joe Dallesandro
Actor
61 Donna Summer
Singer
58 Tom Hamilton
Rock musician (Aerosmith)
56 James Remar
Actor
51 Bebe Neuwirth
Actress ("Cheers")
50 Val Kilmer
Actor
50 Paul Westerberg
Rock singer (The Replacements)
47 Don Diamont
Actor ("The Young and the Restless")
47 Ric Ivanisevich
Rock musician (Oleander)
46 Scott Ian
Rock musician (Anthrax)
44 Gong Li
Actress
44 Nicholas Sparks
Author
37 Joe McIntyre
Singer (New Kids on the Block)
34 Mikko Siren
Rock musician (Apocalyptica)
30 Bob Bryar
Rock musician (My Chemical Romance)
Historic Birthdays
Henri Matisse
12/31/1869 - 11/3/1954
French painter
(Go to obit.)
88 Jules Styne
12/31/1905 - 9/20/1994
American songwriter
88 Nathan Milstein
12/31/1903 - 12/21/1992
Russian-born American violinist
87 Elizabeth Arden
12/31/1878 - 10/18/1966
Canadian-born American cosmetic executive
78 Ben Jones
12/31/1882 - 6/13/1961
American racehorse trainer
78 George C. Marshall
12/31/1880 - 10/16/1959
U.S. Army general
86 Robert Aitken
12/31/1864 - 10/29/1951
American astronomer
66 Charles Cornwallis
12/31/1738 - 10/5/1805
English soldier and statesman
65 Jacques Cartier
12/31/1491 - 9/1/1557
French explorer
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SOURCE: The Associated Press
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