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–87 “Ben Kingsley”(Krishna Bhanji)–81 Diane Von Furstenberg(Diana Halfin)–78 Timothy Matthieson–77 Beatrice “Bebe” Neuwirth–66 Val Kilmer–65 Michael McDonald–60 Joseph “Joey” McIntyre–52 ; 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.