1696 – A window tax imposed in England, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax.
1776 – Rhode Island establishes wage & price controls to curb inflation: Limit is 70 cents a day for carpenters, 42 cents for tailors.
1841 – Alabama becomes 1st state to license dental surgeons.
1904 – First New Year’s Eve celebration held in Times Square (then Longacre Square) in New York City.
1910 – US tobacco industry produced 9 billion cigarettes in 1910.
1930 – US tobacco industry produced 123 billion cigarettes in 1930.
1943 – NYC’s Times Square greets Frank Sinatra at Paramount Theater.
1946 – US President Harry Truman officially proclaims end of WW II.
1953 – Bill Shoemaker shatters record, riding 485 winners in a row.
1955 – The General Motors Corporation becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over $1 billion USD in a year.
1961 – National Football League Championship, City Stadium, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0; first of 5 NFL titles won in 7-season span by Packers and head coach, Vince Lombardi.
1963 – Dear Abby show premieres on CBS radio (runs 11 years)
1970 – Paul McCartney files a lawsuit to dissolve The Beatles.
1974 – New York Yankees sign Cy Young Award winner Jim “Catfish” Hinter for 5 years for a record $3.75 million from the Oakland A’s.
1981 – CNN Headline News debuts.
1988 – “The Fog Bowl”, a heavy, dense fog rolls over Soldier Field in Chicago during second quarter of the Bears vs Eagles NFC Divisional Playoff Game, cuts visibility to 15-20 yards (Bears win 20-12)
1989 – “Me & My Girl” closes at Marquis Theater NYC after 1420 performances.
1997 – Intel cuts price of Pentium II-233 MHz from $401 to $268.
2005 – Jamie Dimon named as CEO of JP Morgan Chase.
2017 – Cleveland Browns lose 38-24 to Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field to become only the 2nd team in NFL history to finish season with 0-16 record.