On this day: December 31
POSTED: 02:25 AM PST Dec 29, 2012
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PST Dec 30, 2012
Times Square holds its first New Year's Eve celebration, the board game Monopoly is patented, "Calvin and Hobbes" say goodbye, and the U.S. relinquishes control of the Panama Canal, all on this day.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
1990: Pro Football Hall of Fame coach George Allen, who never had a losing season in 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins, dies of ventricular fibrillation at the age of 72 in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. He ranked 10th all-time in coaching victories at time of retirement and has the fourth best winning percentage in the NFL.
