December 31

Last Sugar Bowl in Tulane Stadium
December 31, 1974

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Ground was broken for Tulane stadium on April 7, 1924. It opened on October 23, 1926 with a seating capacity of roughly 35,000.

New Orleans-Item sports editor Fred Digby popularized the term "Sugar Bowl" in 1927. The first Sugar Bowl game was played there on January 1, 1935, against the Philadelphia Temple Owls.

The last Sugar Bowl game in Tulane Stadium was played on December 31, 1974 when Nebraska beat Florida 14-10. The stadium was condemned in 1975. Upon appeal by the university, the original concrete and brick section was deemed fit to use, but the newer metal seating section was declared unfit.

The last game ever played in Tulane Stadium was between De La Salle and Rummel on November 1, 1979. The last point scored in Tulane Stadium history was by Rummel High place kicker Gary Boudreaux. The stadium was under demolition from November 18, 1979 through June 15, 1980.

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The Superdome's 1977 New Year's Eve celebration opened with the Emotions and Deniece Williams, followed by Earth, Wind and Fire.

On December 31, 1978 the Marshall Tucker Band, Firefall, and Jay Boy Adams performed at A Warehouse.

On December 31, 1976, Styx and Hot Sauce performed at A Warehouse.

On December 31, 1975, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Hydra performed at A Warehouse.

The Allman Bros., R.E.O. Speedwagon, and Vince Vance & Valiants performed at A Warehouse on December 31, 1971.

The Allman Brothers Band and Dr. John the Night Tripper performed at A Warehouse on December 31, 1970.

For several generations in Bucktown and West End history the Bruning family was known and loved for their volunteer efforts to save lives along the shores they called home. When Theodore Bruning III died in 1914 of typhoid malaria the headline included “He saved others, himself he could not save”. The article included the fact that “father, son , and grandson, all with the same name “Theodore” and John C. have been heroic life savors in Lake Pontchartrain for years”. When Captain John Charles Bruning died at age 91 on December 31, 1963 the news appeared on the front page of the Times-Picayune, noting his 20 plus years of service on the Jefferson Parish School Board, the one-day closing of the schools in his memory, and the many lives he and his family had saved through the years. These quite heroics (they did not accept monetary thanks and seldom acknowledged awards) began in 1859 when several restaurants were opened along the shoreline near the 17th Street Canal. In that year Theodore Bruning moved his Carrollton restaurant to Bucktown/East End. In 1882 he leased no.16, Revetment Levee, West End from the city of New Orleans for $150 per year. His son continued the restaurant business and his grandsons opened a boathouse and fishing supply business. A storm destroyed the restaurant which was rebuilt on the Jefferson Parish side of the peninsula which jutted out past the canal. The Original Bruning’s Restaurant which, for a time, featured dancing waitresses and rows of slot machines operated over the lake until Hurricane Georges badly damaged it in 1998. The restaurant moved to Federico's on-land building next door where Bruning’s served seafood until Hurricane Katrina decimated the area. Bruning's was the third oldest restaurant in New Orleans; only Antoine's and Tujaques pre-dated it. In 1893 Captain John C. Bruning built the landmark family home which was also washed away in Hurricane Katrina.

December 31, 1955 Photo of the NORD team which won the Santa Bowl.

Born on December 31, 1868 in Ascension Parish, musician Claiborne Williams worked the Werlein Music Company on Canal Street, where he repaired musical instruments. At the age of 17 he led a band at the Wilbert Theatre in Baton Rouge. At 18 he was also leader of the St. Joseph Brass Band, and was a music teacher in the nearby towns of Donaldsonville where notable pupils included Louis Nelson and Oscar "Papa" Celestin. Williams' musical career continued well into the early 1940s. Members of the Claiborne Williams band included Dave Bartholomew, "Papa" John Joseph, Richard Jones, and Walter Lewis. Claiborne Williams died in New Orleans on October 10, 1952. (NOPL)

Born on December 31, 1868 in Ascension Parish, musician Claiborne Williams worked the Werlein Music Company on Canal Street, where he repaired musical instruments. At the age of 17 he led a band at the Wilbert Theatre in Baton Rouge. At 18 he was also leader of the St. Joseph Brass Band, and was a music teacher in the nearby towns of Donaldsonville where notable pupils included Louis Nelson and Oscar "Papa" Celestin. Williams' musical career continued well into the early 1940s. Members of the Claiborne Williams band included Dave Bartholomew, "Papa" John Joseph, Richard Jones, and Walter Lewis. Claiborne Williams died in New Orleans on October 10, 1952.

Glendy Burke, commission merchant, planter, banker. Born, Baltimore, Md., December 31, 1805; son of David Burke, a Baltimore shipping executive. Removed to New Orleans in 1826, worked for Abijah Fisk (q.v.) and within five years bought Fisk's business. As a result of the Panic of 1837, amassed a debt of three million dollars which he paid off in ten years. By the 1850s became a millionaire for the second time with assets which included: commission merchant house, banking interests, sugar and cotton plantations, and one thousand slaves. A steamboat named for Glendy Burke served as the subject and title for one of Stephen Foster's most famous songs. Political service: was elected to the city council of the Second Municipality; served two terms in the state legislature. Helped to create the first public-school system in Louisiana in the 1840s. Was a Whig and later a Know-Nothing. During the occupation of New Orleans by the Union Army, served briefly as chairman of the bureau of finance under Mayor Hugh Kennedy (q.v.) and as a temporary mayor of New Orleans for three weeks (June 8-June 28, 1865). Married (1) Czarina Eliza Rogers of Baltimore (d. 1842). Married (2) Annie Hooke of Havana, Cuba (d. 1854). Married (3) Victoria Catherine de Bolle of Philadelphia (d. 1904). Three children: Corneal, George B., and Mojesta, all of whom survived him. Religion: reared a Presbyterian, became an Episcopalian, and later a lay minister in the Church of the New Jerusalem (the Swedenborgian faith). Ruined financially as a result of the Civil War. Died, June 21, 1879; interred Girod Street Cemetery. Remains later moved to Hope Mausoleum in St. John Cemetery, New Orleans. J.J.J. Sources: "Gallery of Industry and Enterprise: Glendy Burke of New Orleans, Merchant," DeBow's Southern and Western Review, XI, O.S. (August, 1851); Melvin G. Holli and Peter d'A. Jones, eds., Biographical Dictionary of American Mayors, 1820-1980 … (1981); New Orleans Daily Picayune, June 22, 1879; Works Program Administration, "Administrations of the Mayors of New Orleans, 1803 to 1936" (New Orleans Public Library, 1940 typescript). From http://lahistory.org/site19.php

CHRISTIAN, Emile Joseph, jazz musician (trombone and string bass). Born, New Orleans, April 20, 1895. Last surviving member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, which he joined in 1918 at Reisenweher in New York City. He traveled with the band to London in 1919, then left it in 1920 to join Phil Napoleon's Memphis Five for a brief time. Left that band and returned to Europe for 20 years, playing in Berlin, Paris, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and in Bombay, India. During several years of his intercontinental tour, he was the only white member of Leon Abbey's Orchestra. After returning to New Orleans, remained active with local musicians like George Gerard, Pete Fountain, Johnny Wiggs and Sharkey Bonano. Children: Azilda, Frank. Died, New Orleans, December 31, 1973; interred Greenwood Cemetery. Source: http://lahistory.org/site20.php

Moisant Dies in Crash Near New Orleans
December 31, 1910

TodayInNewOrleansHistory/1910MoisantLOC.jpg On New Year's Eve, 1910, John Bevins Moisant competed with four pilots for the $4,000 Michelin Prize to beat the sustained flight record of 362.66 miles. He flew from City Park headed for the competition's start field in Harahan. After circling three times at 200 feet, wind shear at twenty-five feet caused the plane to crash as he attempted to land. Scientific American magazine reported that he was the first aviator to be thrown from a plane in a. fatal accident. In 1946, the city named its new airport in Kenner Moisant Field (now Louis Armstrong International). At the dedication ceremonies aviator Jimmy Doolittle was present to unveil the monument which reads “In commemoration of a pioneer in aviation, who lost his life in an airplane accident near this site December 31, 1910. He was the first pilot: to carry a passenger across the English Channel, inventor of the early all-metal airplane, a man of lovable character whose tragic death was a great loss to aviation”. Note that the date on this photograph – Moisant had also crashed in October, 1910 but escaped serious injury. Photo from the Library of Congress. Text from New Orleans City Park by Catherine Campanella.