UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
31 December 2016 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 31 December 2016 was a Saturday.
- ARIA No. 1
- The ARIA No. 1 was “Rockabye” by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie.
- Top Film of 2016
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2016 was Captain America: Civil War.
- Best-Selling Vehicle of 2016
- Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 2016 was the Toyota HiLux.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 2016 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 31 December 2016 was Waxing Crescent.
On this day: 31 December
- 2009 Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occur.
- 2011 NASA succeeds in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites in orbit around the Moon.
- 2015 A fire breaks out at the Downtown Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located near the Burj Khalifa, two hours before the fireworks display is due to commence. Sixteen injuries were reported; one had a heart attack, another suffered a major injury, and fourteen others with minor injuries.
- 2019 The World Health Organization is informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause, detected in Wuhan. This later turned out to be COVID-19, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2020 The World Health Organization issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Famous people born on 31 December
- Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
- Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
- Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
- Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 2016 in Australia
A selection from Wikipedia's '2016 in Australia'. Not a complete list.
- 2 February – The Federal Government reintroduces its bill for the Australian Building and Construction Commission on the first parliamentary sitting of 2016.
- 2 July – A double dissolution federal election is held. On 10 July, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull claims victory for the Liberal–National Coalition which was returned with a reduced majority.
- 26 July – A royal commission into juvenile detention in the Northern Territory is announced, after the Four Corners program airs footage of abuse of detainees at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre.
Life in Australia in 2016
Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull
Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II
Petrol (per litre)
$1.10
Loaf of Bread
$3.55
Average House
$600,000
Weekly Wage
$1,530.00
Or
Browse by Year
About The Day You Were Born
Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.
About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →