1879CE
Invention
Edison Demonstrates Lightbulb
Thomas Edison gives the first public demonstration of his incandescent lightbulb at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Daily Chronicle
December 31
3 Historical Records
1937CE
Birth
Anthony Hopkins Born
Welsh actor renowned for his portrayals of complex characters, most famously Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won an Academy Award. He has had a distinguished career spanning over six decades in film and theater.
1999CE
Politics
Boris Yeltsin Resigns
Russian President Boris Yeltsin unexpectedly resigns, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as acting President as the new millennium dawns.