Today in History for 31st December 2023

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Historical Events

1564 - William I of Orange demands freedom of religious conscience for his subjects in dramatic speech to the Council of State
1904 - First New Year's Eve celebration held in Times Square, New York City
1944 - World War II: Hungary declares war on Germany.
1951 - 1st battery to convert radioactive energy to electricity announced
1958 - 47th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Brisbane (3-2)
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

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Famous Birthdays

1870 - Tom Connolly, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL-record 8 x World Series), born in Manchester, England (d. 1961)
1877 - Lawrence Beesley, English journalist and author, born in Wirksworth, United Kingdom (d. 1967)
1939 - Afaq Hussain, Pakistani cricketer (Pakistani off-spinner in 2 Tests 1961-64), born in Lucknow, India (d. 2002)
1947 - Burton Cummings, Canadian rock singer-songwriter, and keyboardist (Guess Who - "These Eyes"), born in Winnipeg, Canada
1948 - René Robert, Canadian ice hockey winger (NHL All Star 1972-73, 74-75; Buffalo Sabres 1st 100 point player 1974-75), born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec (d. 2021)
1964 - Michael McDonald, American actor-comedian, born in St. Louis, Missouri

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Famous Deaths

1880 - Arnold Ruge, German political philosopher and writer, dies at 78
1969 - Salvatore Baccaloni, Italian operatic bass buffo singer (Metropolitan Opera, 1940-62), and actor (Merry Andrew; Rock-a-Bye Baby), dies at 69
1983 - Frank Link, actor (Burns and Schreiber Comedy Show), dies at 46
1991 - Felicja Blumental, Polish-Brazilian concert pianist (Villa-Lobos' Piano Concerto No. 5; Penderecki's Partita for Harpsichord), dies at 83
1995 - Eduardo Hernández Moncada, Mexican composer and pianist, dies at 96
2015 - Natalie Cole, American pop vocalist ('Pink Cadillac"; "Miss You Like Crazy"), dies at 65

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