December 31
What happened on December 31 in history
5 events fall on December 31, from 1600 to 1999. Read them below, then try to place a historical scene yourself — guess where in the world it happened and in what year.
Guess where and when
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Events on December 31
1600
The East India Company is chartered
Elizabeth I grants a monopoly on English trade with the east.
1695
The window tax
England begins taxing houses by their number of windows.
1907
The first Times Square ball drop
A lighted ball is lowered to mark the new year in New York.
1946
Truman declares hostilities over
The president formally ends the Second World War for the United States.
1999
The Panama Canal is handed over
The United States transfers control of the canal to Panama.