What happened on 31 December?

13 events from the Ever-When timeline, ranked by how much they mattered.

1. 1600 British East India Company chartered Royal charter grants English merchants a monopoly on East Indies trade.
2. 1999 Putin's rule of Russia President, then prime minister through Medvedev's term, then president again: recentralised power, Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine.
3. 1840 Industrial Revolution ends Conventional end of Industrial Revolution.
4. 1980 Decolonisation of Africa ends Conventional end of Decolonisation of Africa.
5. 2022 Death of Pope Benedict XVI First papal funeral conducted by a successor pope in 600 years.
6. 2020 UK leaves the EU customs union/single market End of UK-EU transition period.
7. 1999 Putin comes to power Yeltsin resigns and names Vladimir Putin acting president, beginning Russia's defining political era of the 21st century.
8. 1875 London sewer system / Bazalgette ends Conventional end of London sewer system / Bazalgette.
9. 1850 Trail of Tears ends Conventional end of Trail of Tears.
10. 1860 Highland Clearances ends Conventional end of Highland Clearances.
11. 2020 Lost Decades (Japan) ends Conventional end of Lost Decades (Japan).
12. 1857 Chartism / People's Charter ends Conventional end of Chartism / People's Charter.
13. 1840 Mfecane ends Conventional end of Mfecane.