1862 – Union ironclad ship “Monitor” sank off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
1904 – First New Year’s Eve celebration held in Times Square, New York City..
1907 – For 1st time, a ball drops at Times Square to signal the New Year.
1910 – US tobacco industry produced 9 billion cigarettes in 1910.
1918 – Kid Gleason replaces Pants Rowland as Chicago White Sox manager, reach World Series but lose in the “Black Sox” betting scandal; Gleason not involved.
1930 – US tobacco industry produced 123 billion cigarettes in 1930.
1935 – Charles Darrow patents the board game Monopoly, goes on to be the 1st millionaire game designer.
1945 – Ratification of United Nations Charter completed.
1946 – US President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of WWII.
1955 – The General Motors Corporation becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over $1 billion in a year.
1963 – Dear Abby show premieres on CBS radio (runs 11 years)
1967 – Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to jump the Caesar’s Palace Fountain, Las Vegas, breaking his pelvis, femur, wrist, hip and both ankles.
1974 – New York Yankees sign Cy Young Award winner Jim “Catfish” Hunter for 5 years for a record $3.75 million from the Oakland A’s.
1981 – CNN Headline News debuts.
1991 – Dow Jones closes at record high 3168.83.
1997 – Microsoft buys Hotmail email service for $400 million and re-launches it as MSN Hotmail.
2005 – Jamie Dimon named as CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
2015 – 82nd Orange Bowl: #1 Clemson beats #4 Oklahoma, 37-17.
2017 – Cleveland Browns crash to a 28-24 loss to Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field to become the 2nd team in NFL history to finish the season with 0-16 record.
2020 – WHO grants the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine emergency authorization paving the way for worldwide distribution.
