Events

Pre-1600

• 484 The Arian Vandal Kingdom ceases its persecution of Nicene Christianity.

• 558 Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks.

• 583 Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque.

• 962 The Sack of Aleppo as part of the Arab–Byzantine wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo.

• 1299 The Ilkhanate ruler Ghazan defeats a Mamluk army that opposes his invasion into Syria in the Battle of Wadi al-Khaznadar near Homs.

• 1598 Arauco War: Governor of Chile Martín García Óñez de Loyola is killed in the Battle of Curalaba by Mapuches led by Pelantaru.

1601–1900

• 1688 As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England flees from England to Paris after being deposed in favor of his son-in-law and nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary.

• 1773 Moscow State Academy of Choreography is founded under the reign of Catherine II. It is the second ballet school in Russia after Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.

• 1783 George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.

• 1793 The Battle of Savenay: A decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in War in the Vendée during the French Revolution.

• 1815 The novel Emma by Jane Austen is first published.

• 1823 The poem "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," also known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," is published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel.

• 1876 First day of the Constantinople Conference which resulted in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.

• 1893 The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.

1901–present

• 1905 The Tampere conference, where Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin meet for the first time, is held in Tampere, Finland.

• 1913 The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System.

• 1914 World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops arrive in Cairo, Egypt.

• 1914 World War I: During the Battle of Sarikamish, Ottoman forces mistook one another for Russian troops. The following friendly fire incident leaves 2,000 Ottomans dead and many more wounded.

• 1916 World War I: Battle of Magdhaba: Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

• 1919 Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 becomes law in the United Kingdom, allowing women to serve as lawyers, civil servants, and in other professions, as well as to serve on juries.

• 1936 Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.

• 1936 Spanish Civil War: The Spanish Republic legalizes the Regional Defence Council of Aragon.

• 1941 World War II: After 15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army occupies Wake Island.

• 1947 The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.

• 1948 Seven Japanese military and political leaders convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed by Allied occupation authorities at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, Japan.

• 1950 Korean War: General Walton Walker dies in a jeep accident and is replaced by General Matthew Ridgway in the Eighth United States Army.

• 1954 First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.

• 1955 The first film adaptation of Väinö Linna's novel The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine, premieres.

• 1960 Hilkka Saarinen née Pylkkänen is murdered in the so-called "oven homicide" case in Krootila, Kokemäki, Finland.

• 1968 The 82 sailors from the are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.

• 1970 The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York is topped out at , making it the tallest building in the world.

• 1970 The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a one-party state.

• 1972 The Immaculate Reception is caught by Franco Harris to win the Pittsburgh Steelers their first ever playoff victory, after defeating the Oakland Raiders.

• 1972 A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes the Nicaraguan capital of Managua killing more than 10,000.

• 1972 The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, surviving by cannibalism.

• 1978 Alitalia Flight 4128 crashes into the Tyrrhenian Sea while on approach to Falcone Borsellino Airport in Palermo, Italy, killing 108.

• 1979 Soviet–Afghan War: Soviet Union forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.

• 1984 After experiencing an engine fire, Aeroflot Flight 3519 attempts to make an emergency landing at Krasnoyarsk International Airport but crashes, killing 110 of the 111 people on board.

• 1986 Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.

• 1990 History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88.5% of Slovenia's overall electorate vote for independence from Yugoslavia.

• 2002 A U.S. MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25 in the first combat engagement between a drone and conventional aircraft.

• 2003 An explosion at the PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field in Kai County, Chongqing, China, kills at least 234.

• 2005 An Antonov An-140, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Aktau, Kazakhstan, heading across the Caspian Sea, crashes, killing 23 people.

• 2007 An agreement is made for the Kingdom of Nepal to be abolished and the country to become a federal republic with the Prime Minister becoming head of state.

• 2008 A coup d'état occurs in Guinea hours after the death of President Lansana Conté.

• 2015 A bomb explodes at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport, killing one airport cleaner. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks claim responsibility for the attack four days later.

• 2023 A series of massacres targeting Berom civilians unfold in the Plateau State in Nigeria, killing over 200 people and further injuring over 500. No group claims responsibility.

• 2025 The crash of Harmony Jets Flight 185 killed all eight people on board, including the Libyan Army chief Mohammed al-Haddad in Ankara, Turkey.

Births

Pre-1600

• 968 Emperor Zhenzong of Song, emperor of the Song dynasty (died 1022)

• 1173 Louis I, duke of Bavaria (died 1231)

• 1513 Thomas Smith, English scholar and diplomat (died 1577)

• 1525 John Albert I, duke of Mecklenburg (died 1576)

• 1573 Giovanni Battista Crespi, Italian painter, sculptor and architect (died 1632)

• 1582 Severo Bonini, Italian organist and composer (died 1663)

• 1544 Anna of Saxony, only child and heiress of Maurice, Elector of Saxony (died 1577)

• 1597 Martin Opitz, German poet and composer (died 1639)

1601–1900

• 1605 Tianqi Emperor, Chinese emperor (died 1627)

• 1613 Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish field marshal and politician, Lord High Constable of Sweden (died 1676)

• 1621 Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (died 1682)

• 1621 Edmund Berry Godfrey, English lawyer and judge (died 1678)

• 1689 Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (died 1755)

• 1690 Pamheiba, Indian emperor (died 1751)

• 1713 Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3rd Yokozuna (died 1749)

• 1732 Richard Arkwright, English businessman and inventor, invented the Water frame and Spinning frame (died 1792)

• 1750 Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (died 1827)

• 1758 Nathan Wilson, American soldier and politician (died 1834)

• 1766 Wilhelm Hisinger, Swedish physicist and chemist (died 1852)

• 1777 Alexander I of Russia (died 1825)

• 1782 William Armstrong, American lawyer, civil servant, politician, and businessperson (died 1865)

• 1790 Jean-François Champollion, French philologist, orientalist, and scholar (died 1832)

• 1793 Dost Mohammad Khan, emir of Afghanistan (died 1863)

• 1804 Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French author, critic, and academic (died 1869)

• 1805 Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement (died 1844)

• 1807 Anthony Mary Claret, Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop and missionary (died 1870)

• 1810 Edward Blyth, English zoologist (died 1873)

• 1810 Karl Richard Lepsius, German Egyptologist (died 1884)

• 1812 Samuel Smiles, Scottish-English author (died 1904)

• 1812 Henri-Alexandre Wallon, French historian and statesman (died 1904)

• 1819 Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch pastor and poet (died 1889)

• 1822 Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (died 1875)

• 1828 Mathilde Wesendonck, German poet and author (died 1902)

• 1839 János Murkovics, Slovene-Hungarian author and educator (died 1917)

• 1843 Richard Conner, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1924)

• 1854 Henry B. Guppy, English botanist and author (died 1926)

• 1861 Edgar P. Rucker, American lawyer, politician, and businessman (died 1908)

• 1865 James M. Canty, American educator, school administrator, and businessperson (died 1964)

• 1867 Madam C. J. Walker, American businesswoman and philanthropist (died 1919)

• 1870 John Marin, American painter (died 1953)

• 1878 Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (died 1972)

• 1885 Pierre Brissaud, French illustrator, painter, and engraver (died 1964)

• 1894 Arthur Gilligan, English cricketer (died 1976)

• 1895 Nola Luxford, New Zealand-American actress and broadcaster (died 1994)

• 1896 Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian lieutenant and author (died 1957)

• 1900 Merle Barwis, American-Canadian supercentenarian (died 2014)

• 1900 Marie Bell, French actress and stage director (died 1985)

• 1900 Otto Soglow, American cartoonist (died 1975)

1901–present

• 1901 Viktor Gutić, Croatian fascist official (died 1947)

• 1902 Norman Maclean, American author and academic (died 1990)

• 1902 Charan Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (died 1987)

• 1907 Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean author and poet (died 2005)

• 1907 James Roosevelt, American general and politician (died 1991)

• 1907 Avraham Stern, Polish Zionist leader (died 1942)

• 1908 Gertrude Bancroft, American economist (died 1985)

• 1908 Yousuf Karsh, Armenian-Canadian photographer (died 2002)

• 1910 Kurt Meyer, German SS general and convicted war criminal (died 1961)

• 1911 James Gregory, American actor (died 2002)

• 1911 Niels Kaj Jerne, English-Danish physician and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1994)

• 1912 Anna J. Harrison, American organic chemist and academic (died 1998)

• 1916 Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (died 2008)

• 1918 José Greco, Italian-American dancer and choreographer (died 2000)

• 1918 Helmut Schmidt, German soldier, economist, and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (died 2015)

• 1919 Kenneth M. Taylor, American general and pilot (died 2006)

• 1921 Guy Beaulne, Canadian actor and director (died 2001)

• 1922 Micheline Ostermeyer, French discus thrower, shot putter, and pianist (died 2001)

• 1923 Onofre Marimón, Argentinian race car driver (died 1954)

• 1923 Günther Schifter, Austrian journalist and radio host (died 2008)

• 1923 James Stockdale, American admiral and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 2005)

• 1924 Bob Kurland, American basketball player and politician (died 2013)

• 1925 Duncan Hallas, English author and politician (died 2002)

• 1925 Rayner Unwin, English publisher (died 2000)

• 1926 Robert Bly, American poet and essayist (died 2021)

• 1926 Harold Dorman, American singer-songwriter (died 1988)

• 1929 Chet Baker, American jazz trumpet player, flugelhorn player, and singer (died 1988)

• 1929 Dick Weber, American professional bowler (died 2005)

• 1931 Ronnie Schell, American comedian and actor (died 2026)

• 1932 Richard Clark Barkley, American soldier, academic, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to East Germany (died 2015)

• 1933 Akihito, Emperor of Japan

• 1933 Noella Leduc, American baseball player (died 2014)

• 1935 Paul Hornung, American football player and sportscaster (died 2020)

• 1935 Johnny Kidd, English singer-songwriter (died 1966)

• 1935 Abdul Ghani Minhat, Malaysian footballer and manager (died 2012)

• 1935 Esther Phillips, American R&B singer (died 1984)

• 1936 Frederic Forrest, American actor (died 2023)

• 1936 Bobby Ross, American football player and coach

• 1936 Willie Wood, American football player (died 2020)

• 1937 Barney Rosenzweig, American screenwriter and producer

• 1937 Nelson Shanks, American painter, historian, and educator (died 2015)

• 1938 Bob Kahn, American computer scientist and engineer, co-developed the Transmission Control Protocol

• 1939 Nancy Graves, American sculptor and painter (died 1995)

• 1940 Mamnoon Hussain, Pakistani businessman and politician, 12th President of Pakistan (died 2021)

• 1940 Jorma Kaukonen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1940 Robert Labine, Canadian politician (died 2021)

• 1940 Jeanie Lambe, Scottish jazz singer (died 2020)

• 1940 Kevin Longbottom, Australian rugby league player (died 1986)

• 1940 Eugene Record, American soul singer-songwriter (died 2005)

• 1941 Peter Davis, English businessman

• 1941 Tim Hardin, American folk singer-songwriter and musician (died 1980)

• 1942 Quentin Bryce, Australian lawyer and politician, 25th Governor-General of Australia

• 1943 Ron Allen, American baseball player

• 1943 Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov, Russian-French mathematician and academic

• 1943 Terry Peder Rasmussen, American serial killer (died 2010)

• 1943 Harry Shearer, American actor, voice artist, and comedian

• 1943 Queen Silvia of Sweden

• 1944 Wesley Clark, American general

• 1945 Adly Mansour, Egyptian lawyer, judge, and politician, President of Egypt

• 1945 Geoffrey Wheatcroft, English journalist and author

• 1946 Robbie Dupree, American singer-songwriter

• 1946 Edita Gruberová, Slovak soprano and actress (died 2021)

• 1946 Susan Lucci, American actress

• 1946 John Sullivan, English screenwriter, producer, and composer (died 2011)

• 1947 Bill Rodgers, American runner

• 1948 David Davis, English politician, Minister of State for Europe

• 1948 Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, and journalist

• 1948 Jack Ham, American football player and sportscaster

• 1948 Rick Wohlhuter, American runner

• 1949 Adrian Belew, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1949 Reinhold Weege, American screenwriter and producer (died 2012)

• 1950 Michael C. Burgess, American obstetrician and politician

• 1950 Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, English general

• 1950 Vicente del Bosque, Spanish footballer and manager

• 1950 Ilchi Lee, South Korean author and educator

• 1951 Anthony Phillips, English guitarist and songwriter

• 1952 William Kristol, American journalist, publisher, activist, and pundit

• 1953 Andres Alver, Estonian architect and academic

• 1953 Gerrit W. Gong, American religious leader and academic

• 1954 Raivo Järvi, Estonian radio host and politician (died 2012)

• 1954 Brian Teacher, American tennis player

• 1955 Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright

• 1955 Grace Knight, English-Australian singer-songwriter

• 1956 Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver (died 2001)

• 1956 Dave Murray, English guitarist and songwriter

• 1957 Dan Bigras, Canadian singer-songwriter

• 1957 Peter Wynn, Australian rugby league player and businessman

• 1958 Joan Severance, American actress

• 1958 Victoria Williams, American singer-songwriter

• 1961 Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian journalist and author

• 1961 Ketan J. Patel, Kenyan-English biologist and academic

• 1961 Carol Smillie, Scottish model and actress

• 1961 Lorna Tolentino, Filipino actress and producer

• 1962 Bertrand Gachot, Belgian race car driver

• 1962 Stefan Hell, Romanian-German physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate

• 1962 Kang Je-gyu, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter

• 1962 Keiji Mutoh, Japanese wrestler and actor

• 1963 Jim Harbaugh, American football player and coach

• 1963 Jess Harnell, American singer-songwriter and voice actor

• 1963 Donna Tartt, American author

• 1963 Ante Zelck, German businessman

• 1964 Eddie Vedder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1966 Badi Assad, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1967 Carla Bruni, Italian-French singer-songwriter and model

• 1967 Otis Grant, Jamaican-Canadian boxer, coach, and manager

• 1968 Karyn Bryant, American journalist, actress, producer, and screenwriter

• 1968 Barry Kooser, American painter and animator

• 1968 Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, Puerto Rican-American photographer

• 1968 René Tretschok, German footballer and manager

• 1970 Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater and sportscaster

• 1970 Karine Polwart, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1971 Corey Haim, Canadian actor (died 2010)

• 1971 Jo Johnson, English banker, journalist, and politician

• 1971 Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, English model, actress, and author (died 2017)

• 1972 Morgan, Italian singer-songwriter and composer

• 1972 Christian Potenza, Canadian actor, voice actor and singer

• 1974 Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer and politician

• 1974 Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2004)

• 1975 Lady Starlight, American singer-songwriter

• 1976 Joanna Hayes, American hurdler and coach

• 1976 Brad Lidge, American baseball player

• 1976 Jamie Noble, American wrestler and producer

• 1976 Mikael Samuelsson, Swedish ice hockey player

• 1977 Matt Baker, English television presenter

• 1977 Alge Crumpler, American football player

• 1977 Tore Johansen, Norwegian trumpeter and composer

• 1977 Jari Mäenpää, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1978 Esthero, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and producer

• 1978 Aleš Kotalík, Czech ice hockey player

• 1978 Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player

• 1979 Johan Franzén, Swedish ice hockey player

• 1979 Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player

• 1979 Holly Madison, American model, television personality, and actress

• 1979 Megan Mayhew Bergman, American author and educator

• 1979 Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer

• 1979 Yukifumi Murakami, Japanese javelin thrower

• 1980 Cody Ross, American baseball player

• 1981 Maritza Correia, Puerto Rican-American swimmer

• 1981 Yuriorkis Gamboa, Cuban boxer

• 1981 Hiro Fujiwara, Japanese manga artist

• 1981 Agnes Milowka, Polish-Australian diver, explorer, photographer, and author (died 2011)

• 1981 Mario Santana, Argentine footballer

• 1982 Zbyněk Michálek, Czech ice hockey player

• 1982 Shaone Morrisonn, Canadian-Croatian ice hockey player

• 1982 Thomas Rohregger, Austrian cyclist

• 1983 Michael Chopra, English footballer

• 1983 Lisa Dobriskey, English runner

• 1983 Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player

• 1984 Dudu Aharon, Israeli singer-songwriter

• 1984 Bernard Pollard, American football player

• 1984 Josh Satin, American baseball player

• 1984 Sebastian Werle, German rugby player

• 1985 Dev Hynes (also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion), English singer, songwriter, producer, and composer

• 1985 Harry Judd, English drummer and songwriter

• 1985 Alison Sudol, American actress and singer-songwriter

• 1986 Thomas Bourgin, French motorcycle racer (died 2013)

• 1986 Beau Champion, Australian rugby league player

• 1986 Balázs Dzsudzsák, Hungarian footballer

• 1986 T. J. Oshie, American ice hockey player

• 1987 Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer

• 1987 Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player

• 1987 Jori Lehterä, Finnish ice hockey player

• 1988 Mallory Hagan, American beauty queen, Miss America 2013

• 1989 David Szymanski, American video game developer

• 1990 Brice Dja Djédjé, Ivorian footballer

• 1990 Mitch Haniger, American baseball player

• 1990 Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American actress and singer

• 1991 Kyren Wilson, English snooker player

• 1992 Spencer Daniels, American actor

• 1992 Mbwana Samatta, Tanzanian footballer

• 1992 Jeff Schlupp, German footballer

• 1994 Reed Alexander, American actor

• 1996 Bartosz Kapustka, Polish footballer

• 1999 Samuel Lino, Brazilian footballer

• 2000 Victor Boniface, Nigerian footballer

• 2002 Finn Wolfhard, Canadian actor and musician

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 423 Ming Yuan Di, ruler of Northern Wei (born 392)

• 484 Huneric, Vandal king

• 668 Gabriel of Beth Qustan, bishop and saint (born 594)

• 679 Dagobert II, Frankish king (probable; b. 650)

• 761 Gaubald, Frankish bishop (born 700)

• 889 Solomon II, bishop of Constance

• 910 Naum of Preslav, Bulgarian missionary and scholar

• 918 Conrad I, king of East Francia (born 890)

• 940 Ar-Radi, Abbasid caliph (born 909)

• 1172 Ugo Ventimiglia, Italian cardinal

• 1193 Thorlak, patron saint of Iceland (born 1133)

• 1230 Berengaria of Navarre, queen of England (born 1165)

• 1304 Matilda of Habsburg, duchess regent of Bavaria (born 1253)

• 1383 Beatrice of Bourbon, Queen of Bohemia (born 1320)

• 1384 Thomas Preljubović, ruler of Epirus

• 1392 Isabella of Castile, duchess of York (born 1355)

• 1556 Nicholas Udall, English cleric, playwright, and educator (born 1504)

• 1572 Johann Sylvan, German theologian (executed; date of birth unknown)

• 1575 Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese samurai (born 1531)

• 1588 Henry I, duke of Guise (born 1550)

1601–1900

• 1631 Michael Drayton, English poet and playwright (born 1563)

• 1638 Barbara Longhi, Italian painter (born 1552)

• 1646 François Maynard, French poet and academic (born 1582)

• 1652 John Cotton, English minister and theologian (born 1585)

• 1675 Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French general and diplomat (born 1602)

• 1722 Pierre Varignon, French mathematician and academic (born 1654)

• 1761 Alastair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish spy (born 1725)

• 1771 Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian nun and saint, founded Grey Nuns (born 1701)

• 1779 Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (born 1724)

• 1789 Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French priest and educator (born 1712)

• 1795 Henry Clinton, English general and politician (born 1730)

• 1805 Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and author (born 1723)

• 1834 Thomas Robert Malthus, English economist and demographer (born 1766)

• 1884 John Chisum, American businessman and poker player (born 1824)

• 1889 Constance Naden, English poet and philosopher (born 1858)

• 1892 Frederick Tracy Dent, Brigadier General in the Regular United States Army, brother in law to President Ulysses S. Grant.

1901–present

• 1902 Frederick Temple, English archbishop and academic (born 1821)

• 1906 Mdungazwe Ngungunyane Nxumalo, last emperor of the Gaza Empire (born c.1850)

• 1912 Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist and academic (born 1850)

• 1926 Swami Shraddhanand, Indian monk, missionary, and educator (born 1856)

• 1930 Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay, Turkish lieutenant and educator (born 1906)

• 1931 Wilson Bentley, American meteorologist and photographer (born 1865)

• 1939 Anthony Fokker, Indonesia-born Dutch pilot and engineer, designed the Fokker Dr.I and Fokker D.VII (born 1890)

• 1946 John A. Sampson, American gynecologist and academic (born 1873)

1948 Executions resulting from convictions at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal

• Kenji Doihara, Japanese general (born 1883)

• Kōki Hirota, Japanese diplomat and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1878)

• Seishirō Itagaki, Japanese general (born 1885)

• Heitarō Kimura, Japanese general (born 1888)

• Iwane Matsui, Japanese general (born 1878)

• Akira Mutō, Japanese general (born 1883)

• Hideki Tojo, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1884)

• 1950 Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (born 1878)

• 1953 Lavrentiy Beria, Soviet general and politician, head of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (born 1899)

• 1954 René Iché, French soldier and sculptor (born 1897)

• 1961 Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, American author (born 1875)

• 1961 Kurt Meyer, German SS general and convicted war criminal (born 1910)

• 1970 Charles Ruggles, American actor (born 1886)

• 1970 Aleksander Warma, Estonian lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (born 1890)

• 1972 Andrei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-95 and Tupolev Tu-104 (born 1888)

• 1973 Irna Phillips, American screenwriter, created Guiding Light and As the World Turns (born 1901)

• 1979 Peggy Guggenheim, American-Italian art collector (born 1898)

• 1982 Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1920)

• 1983 Colin Middleton, Irish painter and illustrator (born 1910)

• 1984 Joan Lindsay, Australian author and playwright (born 1896)

• 1992 Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (born 1934)

• 1994 Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (born 1905)

• 1995 Patric Knowles, English actor (born 1911)

• 1998 Joe Orlando, Italian-American author and illustrator (born 1927)

• 2000 Billy Barty, American actor (born 1924)

• 2000 Victor Borge, Danish-American comedian, pianist, and conductor (born 1909)

• 2001 Bola Ige, Nigerian lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Oyo State (born 1930)

• 2004 P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (born 1921)

• 2005 Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer and manager (born 1914)

• 2005 Yao Wenyuan, Chinese writer and politician, member of the Gang of Four (born 1931)

• 2006 Charlie Drake, English actor (born 1925)

• 2006 Timothy J. Tobias, American pianist and composer (born 1952)

• 2006 Johnny Vincent, English footballer (born 1947)

• 2007 William Francis Ganong, Jr., American physiologist and academic (born 1924)

• 2007 Michael Kidd, American dancer and choreographer (born 1915)

• 2007 Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (born 1925)

• 2009 Robert L. Howard, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1939)

• 2009 Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan general and politician (born 1910)

• 2009 Edward Schillebeeckx, Belgian theologian and academic (born 1914)

• 2010 Fred Hargesheimer, American soldier and pilot (born 1916)

• 2010 K. Karunakaran, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Kerala (born 1918)

• 2011 Aydın Menderes, Turkish economist and politician (born 1946)

• 2012 Jean Harris, American educator and murderer (born 1923)

• 2012 Eduardo Maiorino, Brazilian mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (born 1979)

• 2013 Chryssa, Greek-American sculptor (born 1933)

• 2013 Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian general and weapons designer, designed the AK-47 rifle (born 1919)

• 2013 Yusef Lateef, American saxophonist, composer, and educator (born 1920)

• 2013 Ricky Lawson, American drummer and composer (born 1954)

• 2013 G. S. Shivarudrappa, Indian poet and educator (born 1926)

• 2013 Robert W. Wilson, American philanthropist and art collector (born 1928)

• 2014 Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (born 1944)

• 2014 Robert V. Hogg, American statistician and academic (born 1924)

• 2015 Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1941)

• 2015 Don Howe, English footballer and manager (born 1935)

• 2015 Jean-Marie Pelt, French biologist, pharmacist, and academic (born 1933)

• 2015 Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1923)

• 2017 Maurice Hayes, Irish educator and politician (born 1927)

• 2020 Leslie West, American singer and guitarist (born 1945)

• 2021 Joan Didion, American writer (born 1934)

• 2022 Brandon Montrell, American TikTok personality and stand-up comedian (born 1979)

• 2023 William Pope.L, American performance artist (born 1955)

• 2024 Shyam Benegal, Indian director and screenwriter (born 1934)

• 2024 Dési Bouterse, Surinamese general and politician, 9th President of Suriname (born 1945)

• 2024 Sophie Hediger, Swiss snowboarder (born 1998)

Holidays and observances

• Birthday of the Queen Silvia, an official flag flying day (Sweden)

• Children's Day (South Sudan and Sudan)

Christian Feast Day:

• Abassad (Coptic Church)

• Behnam, Sarah, and the Forty Martyrs (Coptic Church)

• Dagobert II

• John Cantius

• O Emmanuel

• Psote (Coptic Church)

• Thorlac Thorhallsson, patron saint of Iceland; The last day of preparations before Christmas.

• Victoria

• December 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Day of all level operational control structures servicemen (Ukraine)

• Festivus, a secular holiday made popular by the sitcom Seinfeld

• HumanLight (Secular humanism in United States)

• Kisan Diwas (Uttar Pradesh, India)

• Night of the Radishes (Oaxaca City, Mexico)

• Tibb's Eve (Newfoundland and Labrador)

• Tom Bawcock's Eve (Mousehole, Cornwall)

• Victory Day (Egypt)

References

External links

• BBC: On This Day

• Historical Events on December 23