Happy Birthday RIP Henri Matisse(1869–1954) Elizabeth Arden(1878–1966) “John Denver”(Henry Deutschendorf Jr 1943–1997) “Donna Summer”(LaDonna Gaines 1949–2012) ; Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins–85 “Ben Kingsley”(Krishna Bhanji)–79 Diane Von Furstenberg(Diana Halfin)–76 Timothy Matthieson–75 Beatrice “Bebe” Neuwirth–64 Val Kilmer–63 Michael McDonald–58 Joseph “Joey” McIntyre–50 ; 1907 – The first New Year’s Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in Manhattan. ; 1983 – The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government due to antitrust laws. ; 2021 – Beloved actress and Golden Girl Betty White dies at 99 only a few weeks before her birthday.