On December 31

War in Somalia: Transitional Federal Government forces attacked the last stronghold of the Islamic Courts Union in the town of Jilib.

Taipei 101 (pictured) in Taipei, Taiwan, opened to the public as the world's tallest building.

In accordance with the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, Panama assumed full control of the Panama Canal Zone from the United States.

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

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

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.

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 American history.

Two Australian biologists published an article titled "A Synopsis of the Class Reptilia in Australia", initiating the Wells and Wellington affair.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.