December 31st, 1740

Born on December 31st, 1740

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 103,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 528 days, exactly on September 28th, 2025, people who were born on December 31st, 1740 will be 104,000 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

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

65

Ferdinand Noack

German classical archaeologist and classical philologist (1865-1931)

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

86

Anthony Hopkins

Welsh actor and director (born 1937)

*December 31st, 1937, Port Talbot

65

Jacques Cartier

Breton maritime explorer of North America (1491–1557)

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

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

66

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis

British general, colonial official, diplomat (1738–1805)

*December 31st, 1738, Grosvenor Square †October 5th, 1805, Ghazipur

78

George Marshall

American army officer and statesman (1880–1959)

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

88

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

King of Saudi Arabia since 2015

*December 31st, 1935, Riyadh

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

87

Elizabeth Arden

Canadian American businesswoman

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

65

Bebe Neuwirth

American actress

*December 31st, 1958, Newark

51

Grégory Coupet

French association football player

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

88

Giovanni Boldini

Italian painter (1842-1931)

*December 31st, 1842, Ferrara †January 12th, 1931, Paris

61

Friedrich Wilhelm von Arnim

Prussian politician (1739-1801)

*December 31st, 1739, Berlin †January 21st, 1801, Berlin

80

Ben Kingsley

English actor

*December 31st, 1943, Snainton

Same year
Born in 1740

74

Marquis de Sade

French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer of erotic works

*June 2nd, 1740, Paris †December 2nd, 1814, Saint-Maurice

62

Samuel Arnold

English composer and organist (1740-1802)

*August 10th, 1740, London †October 22nd, 1802, London

79

Johanna Isabella Eleonore Wallenrodt

German writer (1740–1819)

*February 28th, 1740, Uhlstädt †October 11th, 1819, Grodziszcze, Ząbkowice Śląskie County

74

Margaret Bingham

British painter and writer (1740–1814)

*January 1st, 1740, Devon †February 27th, 1814, St James's Place

73

Louis-Sébastien Mercier

French dramatist and writer (1740-1814)

*June 6th, 1740, Paris †April 25th, 1814, Paris

65

Isabelle de Charrière

Dutch French-language writer and composer

*October 20th, 1740, Zuylen Castle †December 27th, 1805, Colombier

54

James Boswell

British lawyer, diarist, and author (1740–1795)

*October 18th, 1740, Edinburgh †May 19th, 1795, London

23

Ivan VI of Russia

Emperor of Russia (1740–1764)

*August 12th, 1740, Saint Petersburg †July 5th, 1764, Shlisselburg

55

Carl Michael Bellman

Swedish poet, songwriter and composer (1740–1795)

*February 4th, 1740, Maria Magdalena parish †February 11th, 1795, Klara Church Parish

74

Matthias Claudius

German poet (1740-1815)

*August 15th, 1740, Reinfeld †January 21st, 1815, Hamburg

54

Nicolas Chamfort

French journalist and moralistic author

*April 6th, 1740, Clermont-Ferrand †April 13th, 1794, Paris

58

Horace Bénédict de Saussure

Genevan scientist (1740-1799)

*February 17th, 1740, Conches †January 22nd, 1799, Geneva

87

Elisabeth Olin

Singer (1740-1828)

*December 23rd, 1740, Katarina church parish †March 26th, 1828, Storkyrkoförsamlingen

64

Armand-Gaston Camus

French archivist and revolutionary (1740–1804)

*April 2nd, 1740, Paris †November 2nd, 1804, Paris

87

Carlo Francesco Maria Caselli

French politician and priest (1740-1828)

*October 20th, 1740, Alessandria †April 19th, 1828, Parma

68

Manuel Bayeu

Spanish painter (1740-1809)

*January 8th, 1740, Zaragoza †November 30th, 1808, Zaragoza

81

Elias Boudinot

American lawyer and statesman (1740-1821)

*May 2nd, 1740, Philadelphia †October 24th, 1821, Burlington

67

Christoph Dionysius von Seeger

Württembergian university teacher (1740-1808)

*October 7th, 1740, Schöckingen †June 26th, 1808, Blaubeuren

54

Nicola Spedalieri

Italian priest, theologian, and philosopher (1740-1795)

*December 6th, 1740, Bronte †November 26th, 1795, Rome

61

Josep Esteve i Bonet

Spanish sculptor (1741-1802)

*November 30th, 1740, Valencia †November 30th, 1801, Valencia

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: 1740 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 1740