Updated December 30, 2011, 1:28 pm
On Dec. 31, 1946, President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.
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 obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
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. 1951 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. 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. 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. 2006 The death toll for Americans killed in the Iraq war reached 3,000. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor Ben Kingsley turns 68 years old today.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer
Actor Anthony Hopkins turns 74 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
1942 Andy Summers, Rock musician (The Police), turns 69 1944 Taylor Hackford, Director, producer, turns 67 1946 Diane Von Furstenberg, Fashion designer, turns 65 1947 Burton Cummings, Rock musician (The Guess Who), turns 64 1947 Tim Matheson, Actor (“Animal House,” “The West Wing”), turns 64 1948 Donna Summer, Singer, turns 63 1958 Bebe Neuwirth, Actress (“Cheers”), turns 53 1959 Val Kilmer, Actor, turns 52 1959 Paul Westerberg, Rock singer (The Replacements), turns 52
Historic Birthdays
Henri Matisse 12/31/1869 – 11/3/1954 French painter. Go to obituary »
88 Jules Styne 12/31/1905 – 9/20/1994
American songwriter88 Nathan Milstein 12/31/1903 – 12/21/1992
Russian-born American violinist87 Elizabeth Arden 12/31/1878 – 10/18/1966
Canadian-born American cosmetic executive78 Ben Jones 12/31/1882 – 6/13/1961
American racehorse trainer78 George C. Marshall 12/31/1880 – 10/16/1959
U.S. Army general86 Robert Aitken 12/31/1864 – 10/29/1951
American astronomer66 Charles Cornwallis 12/31/1738 – 10/5/1805
English soldier and statesman65 Jacques Cartier 12/31/1491 – 9/1/1557
French explorer
