On this day

December 31, 2006

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from December 31, 2006

Back in View, a First Lady With Her Own Legacy

By Jennifer Steinhauer

Death of former Pres Gerald Ford thrusts his widow Betty back into public spotlight she had largely avoided for years; Betty Ford has spent last three decades living in golf community and tending to Betty Ford Center for treatment of drug and alcohol addiction; as first lady, she argued passionately for equal rights for women and mused aloud on other issues; her candor about her own addiction set stage for widespread acknowledgement and advocacy that is commonplace today; photos (L)

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David Lynch’s Shockingly Peaceful Inner Life

By Alex Williams

David Lynch, director and auteur, discusses how transcendental meditation allowed him to quiet and exploit his inner demons; also talks about his autobiography, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity; photos (M)

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of December 27, 2006, covering December 31, 2006.

  1. 1
    Album cover for The Inspiration by Young Jeezy

    The Inspiration

    Young Jeezy

    Last week
    —
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    1
  2. 2
    Album cover for Taylor Hicks by Taylor Hicks

    Taylor Hicks

    Taylor Hicks

    Last week
    —
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    1
  3. 3
    Album cover for Hannah Montana by Soundtrack

    Hannah Montana

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    8
  4. 4
    Album cover for NOW 23 by Various Artists

    NOW 23

    Various Artists

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    6
  5. 5
    Album cover for Awake by Josh Groban

    Awake

    Josh Groban

    Last week
    11
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    6

Notable Deaths

2006Ya'akov Hodorov, Israeli footballer (born 1927)[†]

Ya'akov "Yankele" Hodorov was an Israeli football goalkeeper in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. He is one Israel's best goalkeepers of all time and the leading goalkeeper of his generation.

Seymour Martin Lipset

2006Seymour Martin Lipset, American sociologist, author, and academic (born 1922)[†]

Seymour Martin Lipset was an American sociologist and political scientist. His major work was in the fields of political sociology, trade union organization, social stratification, public opinion, and the sociology of intellectual life. He also wrote extensively about the conditions for democracy in comparative perspective. He was president of both the American Political Science Association (1979–1980) and the American Sociological Association (1992–1993). A socialist in his early life, Lipset later moved to the right, and was considered to be one of the first neoconservatives.

George Sisler Jr.

2006George Sisler, Jr., American businessman (born 1917)[†]

George Harold Sisler Jr. was an American professional baseball player and executive. The son of Hall of Fame first baseman and two-time .400 hitter George Sisler and the brother of two Major League Baseball players, Dick and Dave, George Jr. was a longtime executive in minor-league baseball, especially in the Triple-A International League (IL); at his death, the IL calculated that Sisler had been associated with that league for 52 of its 124 years of existence. He also served in the majors as chief assistant to St. Louis Cardinals vice president and de facto general manager William Walsingham Jr. during the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Historical Context for December 31, 2006

In 2006, the world population was approximately 6,671,452,015 people[†]