◆ On this day

December 31

4 sourced moments from December 31 in history: Edison gave the first public demonstration of his light bulb (1879); The first New Year's Eve ball drop was held in Times Square (1907); The BBC First Broadcast the Chimes of Big Ben (1923), plus 1 more.

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4 things happened on December 31

newest first ↓

1999 Geography · Landmarks & Wonders

The U.S. handed control of the Panama Canal to Panama

At noon on the last day of 1999, a waterway the United States had run for 85 years passed fully into Panamanian hands.

1923 Language & Communication · Media & Communication

The BBC First Broadcast the Chimes of Big Ben

On New Year's Eve 1923, an engineer scaled a Westminster rooftop so the whole nation could hear midnight strike.

1907 Culture & Arts · Performing Arts

The first New Year's Eve ball drop was held in Times Square

After the city banned his rooftop fireworks, a newspaper publisher lowered a 700-pound lit ball instead — and a tradition was born.

1879 Technology · Inventions

Edison gave the first public demonstration of his light bulb

On New Year's Eve 1879, special trains carried crowds to Menlo Park to see a laboratory glowing without a single flame.