December 31 in history: • 1759 – Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease at £45 per annum to the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin and began brewing Guinness. → go there • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Quebec, British forces repulsed an attempt by the Continental Army to capture Quebec City and enlist French Canadian support. → go there • 1950 – Korean War: North Korean troops attacked United Nations forces in the first of two battles at Wonju. → go there • 1965 – Central African military officers led by Jean-Bédel Bokassa began a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko. → go there • 1972 – Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Clemente (pictured) died in a plane crash en route to deliver aid to victims of that year's Nicaragua earthquake. → go there Died 1730: Carlo Gimach Wiki link Died 1960: C. D. Howe Wiki link Born 1980: Richie McCaw Wiki link Born 1995: Gabby Douglas Wiki link Pictured: Roberto Clemente.