December 31st, 1539

Born on December 31st, 1539

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 176,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 104 days, exactly on August 9th, 2024, people who were born on December 31st, 1539 will be 177,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on December 31st?

December 31st, 1950

Korean War: North Korean troops attacked United Nations forces in the first of two battles at Wonju.

December 31st, 2010

28 tornadoes (one depicted) touched down in midwestern and southern United States, part of an outbreak that led to the deaths of nine people and large property damage.

December 31st, 1999

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin became acting president upon President Boris Yeltsin's unexpected resignation.

December 31st, 1998

The European Exchange Rate Mechanism froze the exchange rates of the legacy currencies in the eurozone, establishing the value of the euro.

December 31st, 1993

Brandon Teena, an American trans man, was raped and murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska; his death led to increased lobbying for hate crime laws in the United States.

December 31st, 1986

Three disgruntled employees set fire to the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, killing more than 90 people and injuring 140 others, making it the second-deadliest hotel fire in United States history.

December 31st, 1972

Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash en route to deliver aid to victims of that year's Nicaragua earthquake.

December 31st, 1965

Central African military officers led by Jean-Bédel Bokassa began a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko.

December 31st, 1961

RTÉ, Ireland's first television network, began broadcasting.

December 31st, 1909

The Manhattan Bridge, connecting Lower Manhattan to Downtown Brooklyn and considered to be the forerunner of modern suspension bridges, opened to traffic.

December 31st, 1907

New York City held its first annual ball drop event in Times Square as part of New Year's Eve celebrations.

December 31st, 1862

The Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, began with an engagement in which both sides would suffer their highest casualty rates in the American Civil War.

December 31st, 1857

Queen Victoria announced the choice of Ottawa (pictured), then a small logging town, to be the capital of the British colony of Canada.

December 31st, 1775

American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Quebec, British forces repulsed an attack by the Continental Army to capture Quebec City and enlist French Canadian support.

December 31st, 1759

Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease at £45 per annum to the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin and began brewing Guinness.

Birthdays
... of famous people, actors, celebrities and stars on December 31st

Same Day
Who's birthday is on December 31st?

78

Vernon Wells

Australian actor

*December 31st, 1945, Rushworth

65

Jacques Cartier

Breton maritime explorer of North America (1491–1557)

*December 31st, 1491, Saint-Malo †September 1st, 1557, Saint-Malo

84

Henri Matisse

French artist (1869–1954)

*December 31st, 1869, Le Cateau-Cambrésis †November 3rd, 1954, Nice

31

Manu Attri

Badminton player

*December 31st, 1992, Meerut

49

Andreas Vesalius

Flemish anatomist, physician and author (1514–1564)

*December 31st, 1514, Mont aux Potences - Galgenberg †October 16th, 1564, Zakynthos

86

Anthony Hopkins

Welsh actor and director (born 1937)

*December 31st, 1937, Port Talbot

65

Ferdinand Noack

German classical archaeologist and classical philologist (1865-1931)

*December 31st, 1865, Burgholzhausen vor der Höhe †September 21st, 1931, Berlin

57

Rudy Gunawan

Badminton player

*December 31st, 1966, Surakarta City

49

Bas Böttcher

German writer and poetry slam performer

*December 31st, 1974, Bremen

96

Simon Wiesenthal

Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter

*December 31st, 1908, Buchach †September 20th, 2005, Vienna

67

Vaughan Jones

New Zealand mathematician and Fields Medalist

*December 31st, 1952, Gisborne †September 6th, 2020, Nashville

70

James Remar

American actor

*December 31st, 1953, Boston

88

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

King of Saudi Arabia since 2015

*December 31st, 1935, Riyadh

65

Bebe Neuwirth

American actress

*December 31st, 1958, Newark

78

George Marshall

American army officer and statesman (1880–1959)

*December 31st, 1880, Uniontown †October 16th, 1959, Washington, D.C.

51

Grégory Coupet

French association football player

*December 31st, 1972, Le Puy-en-Velay

87

Elizabeth Arden

Canadian American businesswoman

*December 31st, 1878, Woodbridge †October 18th, 1966, New York City

80

Ben Kingsley

English actor

*December 31st, 1943, Snainton

38

Jan Smit

Dutch singer and TV presenter

*December 31st, 1985, Volendam

93

Francesco Alberoni

Italian journalist and professor of sociology (1929–2023)

*December 31st, 1929, Borgonovo Val Tidone †August 14th, 2023, Milan

Same year
Born in 1539

64

Fausto Sozzini

Polish-Italian theologian

*December 5th, 1539, Siena †March 4th, 1604, Lusławice, Lesser Poland Voivodeship

62

Paulus Melissus

German composer (1539-1602)

*December 20th, 1539, Mellrichstadt †February 3rd, 1602, Heidelberg

58

Franciscus Raphelengius

Flemish orientalist, text editor, printer, professor

*February 27th, 1539, Lannoy †July 20th, 1597, Leiden

77

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega

Spanish chronicler (1539-1616)

*April 12th, 1539, Cuzco †April 23rd, 1616, Córdoba

43

Elisabeth of Hesse, Electress Palatine

Electress Palatine by marriage

*February 13th, 1539, Kassel †March 15th, 1582, Heidelberg

63

Andreas Schato

German mathematician (1539-1603)

*August 19th, 1539, Torgau †March 17th, 1603, Lutherstadt Wittenberg

63

Amalia of Neuenahr

German noble

*April 6th, 1539, Alpen †April 10th, 1602, Alpen

44

Louis VI

Elector Palatine

*July 4th, 1539, Simmern †October 22nd, 1583, Heidelberg

56

Louis Gonzaga

Duke of Nevers, Italian-French prince (1539-1595)

*September 18th, 1539, Mantua †October 23rd, 1595, Nesle

73

Salima Sultan Begum

Third wife and chief consort of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1539–1613)

*March 5th, 1539, Kannauj †December 15th, 1612, Delhi

64

Christoph Pezel

German theologian

*March 5th, 1539, Plauen †February 25th, 1604, Bremen

49

Henry XI of Legnica

Thrice Duke of Legnica: 1551-1556 (under regency), 1559–1576 and 1580-1581

*February 23rd, 1539, Legnica †March 3rd, 1588, Kraków

71

Catherine Vasa of Sweden

Regent of East Frisia; Swedish princess, writer

*January 6th, 1539, Stockholm †December 21st, 1610, Berum

57

Pierre Pithou

French lawyer and scholar (1539-1596)

*November 1st, 1539, Troyes †November 1st, 1596, Nogent-sur-Seine

64

George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

Regent of Prussia

*April 5th, 1539, Ansbach †April 25th, 1603, Ansbach

60

Maria of Nassau

Countess of Nassau

*March 18th, 1539, Dillenburg †May 28th, 1599, Castle of Ulft

62

Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Estouteville

(1539-1601)

*January 1st, 1539, La Fère †January 1st, 1601, Pontoise

79

Nicolò Donato

Doge of Venice (1539-1618)

*January 28th, 1539, Venice †May 9th, 1618, Venice

44

Tobias Stimmer

Swiss artist (1539-1584)

*April 7th, 1539, Schaffhausen †January 4th, 1584, Strasbourg

33

Archduchess Barbara of Austria

Austrian archduchess

*April 30th, 1539, Innsbruck †September 19th, 1572, Ferrara

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on December 31st

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day, New Year's Eve) which are celebrated on December 31st.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

No: With 365 days 1539 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
December 1539