December 31st, 1808

Born on December 31st, 1808

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 78,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 350 days, exactly on April 17th, 2025, people who were born on December 31st, 1808 will be 79,000 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

65

Ferdinand Noack

German classical archaeologist and classical philologist (1865-1931)

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

31

Manu Attri

Badminton player

*December 31st, 1992, Meerut

86

Anthony Hopkins

Welsh actor and director (born 1937)

*December 31st, 1937, Port Talbot

57

Rudy Gunawan

Badminton player

*December 31st, 1966, Surakarta City

49

Bas Böttcher

German writer and poetry slam performer

*December 31st, 1974, Bremen

65

Jacques Cartier

Breton maritime explorer of North America (1491–1557)

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

88

Giovanni Boldini

Italian painter (1842-1931)

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

96

Simon Wiesenthal

Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter

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

78

George Marshall

American army officer and statesman (1880–1959)

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

70

Marie d'Agoult

Franco-German romantic author and historian (1805-1876)

*December 31st, 1805, Frankfurt †March 5th, 1876, Paris

87

Elizabeth Arden

Canadian American businesswoman

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

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

65

Bebe Neuwirth

American actress

*December 31st, 1958, Newark

51

Grégory Coupet

French association football player

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

93

Francesco Alberoni

Italian journalist and professor of sociology (1929–2023)

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

80

Ben Kingsley

English actor

*December 31st, 1943, Snainton

Same year
Born in 1808

66

Andrew Johnson

President of the United States from 1865 to 1869

*December 29th, 1808, Raleigh †July 31st, 1875, Elizabethton

64

Napoleon III

President and Emperor of the French (1808–1873)

*April 20th, 1808, Paris †January 9th, 1873, Chislehurst

62

Michael William Balfe

Irish composer

*May 15th, 1808, Dublin †October 20th, 1870, Hertfordshire

79

Alexander William Doniphan

American politician and soldier (1808-1887)

*July 9th, 1808, Mason County †August 8th, 1887

46

Gérard de Nerval

French writer, poet, essayist and translator (1808–1855)

*May 22nd, 1808, Paris †January 26th, 1855, Paris

37

Henrik Wergeland

Norwegian writer (1808–1845)

*June 17th, 1808, Kristiansand Municipality †July 12th, 1845, Christiania

81

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865

*June 3rd, 1808, Fairview †December 6th, 1889, New Orleans

74

Abdelkader El Djezairi

Algerian religious and military leader (1808–1883)

*September 6th, 1808, Guittena †May 26th, 1883, Damascus

68

Antoine Elwart

French composer (1808-1877)

*November 19th, 1808, Paris †October 14th, 1877, 18th arrondissement of Paris

85

Charles Merivale

English historian and churchman (1808-1893)

*March 8th, 1808, London †December 27th, 1893, Ely

57

Claude Paris

French composer

*September 19th, 1808, Lyon †July 25th, 1866, Paris

56

Hugh Falconer

Scottish scientist (1808–1865)

*February 29th, 1808, Forres †January 31st, 1865, London

85

Patrice de Mac-Mahon, Duke of Magenta

Third President of the French Republic (1808–1893)

*May 13th, 1808, Sully †October 16th, 1893, Montcresson

70

Honoré Daumier

French artist (1808–1879)

*February 26th, 1808, Marseille †February 10th, 1879, Valmondois

74

Philipp Christoph Zeller

German entomologist (1808–1883)

*April 8th, 1808, Steinheim an der Murr †March 27th, 1883, Szczecin

83

Thomas Cook

English founder of the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son

*November 22nd, 1808, Derbyshire †July 18th, 1892, Leicester

65

Salmon P. Chase

American politician and lawyer (1808–1873)

*January 13th, 1808, Cornish †May 7th, 1873, New York City

34

José de Esproncedo

Spanish poet (1808-1842)

*March 25th, 1808, Almendralejo †May 23rd, 1842, Madrid

63

Cristina Trivulzio Belgiojoso

Italian noblewoman, patriot, editor and philantropist

*June 28th, 1808, Milan †July 5th, 1871, Milan

28

Maria Malibran

Spanish opera singer (1808–1836)

*March 24th, 1808, Paris †September 23rd, 1836, Manchester

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: 1808 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 1808