December 31st, 1608

Born on December 31st, 1608

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 151,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 307 days, exactly on February 28th, 2025, people who were born on December 31st, 1608 will be 152,000 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

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

49

Andreas Vesalius

Flemish anatomist, physician and author (1514–1564)

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

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

78

George Marshall

American army officer and statesman (1880–1959)

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

65

Bebe Neuwirth

American actress

*December 31st, 1958, Newark

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 1608

65

John Milton

English poet and civil servant (1608–1674)

*December 9th, 1608, Cheapside †November 8th, 1674, London

39

Evangelista Torricelli

Italian physicist and mathematician (1608-1647)

*October 15th, 1608, Rome †October 25th, 1647, Florence

48

Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1608-1657)

*July 13th, 1608, Graz †April 2nd, 1657, Vienna

48

Jean-Jacques Olier

French Catholic priest and founder (1608-1657)

*September 20th, 1608, Paris †April 2nd, 1657, Paris

51

Judith Leyster

Dutch Golden Age painter (1609-1660)

*November 30th, 1608, Haarlem †February 10th, 1660, Heemstede

89

António Vieira

Portuguese diplomat and missionary (1608-1697)

*February 6th, 1608, Sé †July 18th, 1697, Salvador

61

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle

English soldier and politician (1608-1670)

*December 6th, 1608, London Borough of Merton †January 3rd, 1670, London

74

Cesare Facchinetti

Catholic cardinal

*September 17th, 1608, Bologna †January 30th, 1683, Rome

73

Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches

Austrian marshall

*August 16th, 1608, La Rochelle †August 12th, 1682, Jevišovice

51

Gaston, Duke of Orléans

French prince

*April 25th, 1608, Fontainebleau †February 2nd, 1660, Château de Blois

71

Giovanni Alfonso Borelli

Italian physicist (*1608 – †1679)

*January 28th, 1608, Naples †December 31st, 1679, Rome

34

René Goupil

French Jesuit lay brother and missionary (1608-1642)

*May 15th, 1608, Saint-Martin-du-Bois †September 29th, 1642, Auriesville

69

Andrzej Wiszowaty

Polish theologian (1608-1678)

*November 26th, 1608, Filipów, Podlaskie Voivodeship †July 29th, 1678, Amsterdam

57

Francisco Manuel de Melo

Portuguese writer, politician and military officer (1608-1666)

*November 23rd, 1608, Lisbon †August 24th, 1666, Lisbon

58

Gaspar Schott

German scientist

*February 5th, 1608, Bad Königshofen im Grabfeld †May 22nd, 1666, Würzburg

70

Alfonso Litta

Cardinal Archbishop of Milan

*September 19th, 1608, Milan †August 28th, 1679, Rome

75

Christian Lorentz von Adlershelm

German politician (1608-1684)

*July 26th, 1608, Leipzig †February 7th, 1684, Leipzig

76

Daniello Bartoli

Italian Jesuit cleric-scientist

*February 12th, 1608, Ferrara †January 13th, 1685, Rome

69

Giacomo Torelli

Italian stage designer, engineer, and architect (1608-1678)

*September 1st, 1608, Fano †June 17th, 1678, Fano

48

Nicole, Duchess of Lorraine

French noble

*October 3rd, 1608, Nancy †February 2nd, 1657, Paris

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

Yes: 1608 is a leap year, therefore has a 29th of February with an additional leap day and a total of 366 days (instead of the usual 365 days in a normal year).

Calendar
December 1608