December 31 in History

• 1600

  December 31, 1600:

  A royal charter in England incorporates the East India Company, a company formed to exploit trade with India, East Asia and Southeast Asia.

• 1775

  December 31, 1775:

  The British defeat American troops in the Battle of Quebec.

• 1857

  December 31, 1857:

  Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom names Ottawa as the capital city of Canada.

• 1879

  December 31, 1879:

  “Pirates of Penzance”, a comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and W. S. Gilbert, is premiered at New York City’s Fifth Avenue Theatre.

• 1904

  December 31, 1904:

  New Year’s Eve celebration debuts in Time Square, New York City.

• 1972

  December 31, 1972:

  American baseball player Roberto Clemente dies in a plane crash while on his way to Nicaragua with relief items for earthquake survivors.

• 1991

  December 31, 1991:

  The Soviet Union goes out of existence following the member unions’ decision to be independent countries earlier in the month.

• 1999

  December 31, 1999:

  The control of the Panama Canal is officially handed to Panama by the United States.

• 2004

  December 31, 2004:

  The Taipei 101 opens in Taipei, Taiwan as the world’s tallest building, standing at 508 meters.