On this day in history - December 31

What Happened On This Day – December 31

• 2009 Both a Blue Moon and lunar eclipse occured on the same day

  The next such event to happen on New Year's eve will be in 2028.

• 1994 Date skipped in Kiribati

  The Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands in Kiribati skip December 31st due to a change in their time zone from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively.

• 1983 Coup in Nigeria

  A military coup in Nigeria overthrew the civilian government of Shehu Shagari and installed Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

• 1909 Manhattan Bridge opens for traffic

  The Manhattan Bridge, one of the first suspension bridges ever constructed, was opened to traffic on this day. The bridge was designed by Leon Moisseiff and crosses the East River in New York City.

• 1907 The first annual ball drop at Times Square

  The annual tradition of dropping a ball at 11:59 pm to mark the start of the New Year was organized for the first time by Adolph Ochs, the owner of the New York Times.