THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009

Today is Thursday, December 31, the last day of 2009. There are no days left in the year.

1762 _ Mozart family moves from Vienna to Salzburg

1805 _ End of French Republican calendar; France returns to Gregorianism

1907 _ For the first time a ball drops at Times Square to signal the New Year

1911 _ Marie Curie receives her second Nobel Prize

1958 _ Cuban dictator Batista flees

1961 _ Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $12 billion

1966 _ Monkee's ``I'm a Believer" hits No. 1 and stays there for seven weeks

1970 _ President Allende nationalizes Chilean coal mines

1991 _ USSR, last day of existence

1999 _ Control of Panama Canal reverts to Panama