SUNDAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday, Dec. 31, the 365th and final day of 2017.

Highlight in History:

On Dec. 31, 1879, Thomas Edison first publicly demonstrated his electric incandescent light by illuminating some40 bulbs at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J.

On this date:

In 1775, during the Revolutionary War, the British repulsed an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec; Montgomery was killed.

In 1857, Britain’s Queen Victoria decided to make Ottawa the capital of Canada.

In 1904, New York’s Times Square sawits first NewYear’s Eve celebration, with an estimated 200,000 people in attendance.

In 1946, President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.

In 1951, the Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $12 billion in foreign aid.

In 1987, Robert Mugabe was sworn in as Zimbabwe’s first executive president.

In 1997, Michael Kennedy, the 39-year-old son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident on AspenMountain in Colo.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush signed legislation to allowstates and local governments to cut investment ties with Sudan because of the violence in Darfur.

Five years ago: Racing the clock, the White House reached a New Year’s Eve accord with Senate Republicans to block acrossthe-board tax increases and spending cuts in government programsdue to take effect at midnight.

One year ago: Mariah Carey ushered in 2017 with a botched performance on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” on ABC; Carey blamed the show’s producers for technical difficulties, while Dick ClarkProductions calledCarey’s claims “absurd.”

Today’s Birthdays: TV producer George Schlatter is 88. Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins is 80. Actress Sarah Miles is 76. Actor Sir Ben Kingsley is 74. Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg is 71. Actor Val Kilmer is 58. Actress Gong Li is 52. AuthorNicholas Sparks is 52. Pop singer JoeMcIntyre is 45. Business executive Donald Trump Jr. is 40. Rapper PSY is 40. Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas is 22.

Thought for Today: “Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.” — Brooks Atkinson, American drama critic (1894-1984).