On this day for the United States
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December 31:
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Events
- 1775 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Quebec: British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army General Richard Montgomery.
- 1831 - Gramercy Park is deeded to New York City.
- 1862
- American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.
- The Battle of Stones River is fought near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
- 1879 - Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.
- 1891 - A new immigration depot is opened on Ellis Island, New York.
- 1904 - The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York, New York.
- 1909 - The Manhattan Bridge opens.
- 1946 - President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.
- 1951 - The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.
- 1955
- General Motors becomes the first American corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.
- Michigan J. Frog, a Warner Bros. cartoon character, made its debut in One Froggy Evening.
- 1999 - The United States Government hands control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.
Holidays and observances