Events

Pre-1600

• 1118 The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid.

• 1271 Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China.

• 1499 A rebellion breaks out in Alpujarras in response to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain.

1601–1900

• 1622 Portuguese forces score a military victory over the Kingdom of Kongo at the Battle of Mbumbi in present-day Angola.

• 1655 The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290.

• 1777 The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.

• 1787 New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

• 1833 The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed.

• 1854 The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada abolishes the seigneurial system.

• 1865 US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States.

• 1867 A magnitude 7.0 earthquakes strikes off the coast of Taiwan, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 580 people.

• 1878 The Al-Thani family become the rulers of the state of Qatar.

• 1892 The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiers in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

• 1898 Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized land speed record of in a Jeantaud electric car.

1901–present

• 1916 World War I: The Battle of Verdun ends when the second French offensive pushes the Germans back two or three kilometres, causing them to cease their attacks.

• 1917 The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition is passed by the United States Congress.

• 1932 The Chicago Bears defeat the Portsmouth Spartans in the first NFL playoff game to win the NFL Championship.

• 1935 The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is founded in Ceylon.

• 1939 World War II: The Battle of the Heligoland Bight, the first major air battle of the war, takes place.

• 1944 World War II: XX Bomber Command responds to the Japanese Operation Ichi-Go offensive by dropping five hundred tons of incendiary bombs on a supply base in Hankow, China.

• 1944 The Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Korematsu v. United States supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 which cleared the way for the incarceration of nearly all 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the United States.

• 1957 A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois.

• 1958 Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, is launched.

• 1966 Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by astronomer Richard Walker.

• 1972 Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will engage North Vietnam in Operation Linebacker II, a series of Christmas bombings, after peace talks collapsed with North Vietnam on the 13th.

• 1973 Soviet Soyuz Programme: Soyuz 13, crewed by cosmonauts Valentin Lebedev and Pyotr Klimuk, is launched from Baikonur in the Soviet Union.

• 1977 United Airlines Flight 2860 crashes near Kaysville, Utah, killing all three crew members on board.

• 1977 SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 crashes near Madeira Airport in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, killing 36.

• 1981 First flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160, the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built.

• 1995 A Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes in Jamba, Cuando, Angola, killing 141 people.

• 1999 NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.

• 2002 California gubernatorial recall: Then Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier.

• 2005 The Chadian Civil War begins when rebel groups, allegedly backed by neighbouring Sudan, launch an attack in Adré.

• 2006 The first of a series of floods strikes Malaysia. The death toll of all flooding is at least 118, with over 400,000 people displaced.

• 2006 United Arab Emirates holds its first-ever elections.

• 2015 Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closes.

• 2017 Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501, derailed near DuPont, Washington, a city in United States near Olympia, Washington killing six people, and injuring 70 others.

• 2019 The United States House of Representatives impeaches Donald Trump for the first time.

• 2022 Argentina win the FIFA World Cup final, defeating title holders France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1406 Richard Olivier de Longueil, French Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal (died 1470)

• 1481 Sophie of Mecklenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg, Duchess of Saxony (died 1503)

• 1499 Sebald Heyden, German musicologist and theologian (died 1561)

• 1505 Philipp von Hutten, German explorer (died 1546)

• 1507 Ōuchi Yoshitaka, Japanese daimyō (died 1551)

• 1552 Ahmad Ibn al-Qadi, Moroccan writer, judge and mathematician (died 1616)

• 1590 William Louis, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken (died 1640)

1601–1900

• 1602 Simonds d'Ewes, English historian and politician (died 1650)

• 1610 Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange, French philologist and historian (died 1688)

• 1620 Heinrich Roth, German missionary and scholar (died 1668)

• 1624 John Hull, colonial American merchant and politician (died 1683)

• 1626 Christina, Queen of Sweden (died 1689)

• 1660 Countess Johanna Magdalene of Hanau-Lichtenberg (died 1715)

• 1661 Christopher Polhem, Swedish physicist and inventor (died 1751)

• 1662 James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry, Scottish colonel and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland (died 1711)

• 1707 Charles Wesley, English missionary and composer (died 1788)

• 1725 Johann Salomo Semler, German historian and theologian (died 1791)

• 1734 Jean-Baptiste Rey, French conductor and composer (died 1810)

• 1800 James Watney, English brewer and businessman (died 1884)

• 1824 John Hall, English-New Zealand politician, 12th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1907)

• 1825 Charles Griffin, American general (died 1876)

• 1825 John S. Harris, American surveyor and politician (died 1906)

• 1825 Mariano Ignacio Prado, Peruvian general, twice President of Peru (died 1901)

• 1835 Lyman Abbott, American minister, theologian, and author (died 1922)

• 1847 Augusta Holmès, French pianist and composer (died 1903)

• 1849 Henrietta Edwards, Canadian activist and author (died 1931)

• 1856 J. J. Thomson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1940)

• 1860 Edward MacDowell, American pianist and composer (died 1908)

• 1861 Lionel Monckton, English composer and critic (died 1924)

• 1863 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (died 1914)

• 1867 Foxhall P. Keene, American polo player and horse breeder (died 1941)

• 1869 Edward Willis Redfield, American painter and educator (died 1965)

• 1870 Saki, British short story writer (died 1916)

• 1873 Francis Burton Harrison, American general and politician, 6th Governor-General of the Philippines (died 1957)

• 1875 Matt McGrath, Irish-American hammer thrower (died 1941)

• 1878 Joseph Stalin, Georgian-Russian marshal and politician,General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (died 1953)

• 1879 Paul Klee, Swiss-German painter and educator (died 1940)

• 1882 Richard Maury, American-Argentinian engineer, designed the Salta–Antofagasta railway (died 1950)

• 1884 Emil Starkenstein, Czech pharmacologist, co-founded clinical pharmacology (died 1942)

• 1886 Ty Cobb, American baseball player and manager (died 1961)

• 1887 Bhikhari Thakur, Indian actor, singer, and playwright (died 1971)

• 1888 Gladys Cooper, English actress and singer (died 1971)

• 1888 Robert Moses, American urban planner (died 1981)

• 1890 Edwin Howard Armstrong, American engineer, invented FM radio (died 1954)

• 1896 Gerald Barry, English colonel and cricketer (died 1977)

• 1897 Fletcher Henderson, American pianist and composer (died 1952)

• 1899 Peter Wessel Zapffe, Norwegian philosopher and author (died 1990)

1901–present

• 1904 George Stevens, American director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer (died 1975)

• 1907 Bill Holland, American race car driver (died 1984)

• 1907 Lawrence Lucie, American guitarist and educator (died 2009)

• 1908 Celia Johnson, English actress (died 1982)

• 1908 Paul Siple, American geographer and explorer (died 1969)

• 1910 Abe Burrows, American author, playwright, and director (died 1985)

• 1910 Eric Tindill, New Zealand rugby player, cricketer, and umpire (died 2010)

• 1911 Jules Dassin, American-Greek actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2008)

• 1912 Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American general and pilot (died 2002)

• 1913 Alfred Bester, American author and screenwriter (died 1987)

• 1913 Willy Brandt, German politician, 4th Chancellor of Germany, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1992)

• 1913 Ray Meyer, American basketball player and coach (died 2006)

• 1916 Douglas Fraser, Scottish-American trade union leader and academic (died 2008)

• 1916 Betty Grable, American actress, singer, and dancer (died 1973)

• 1917 Ossie Davis, American actor and activist (died 2005)

• 1920 Robert Leckie, American soldier and author (died 2001)

• 1922 Jack Brooks, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (died 2012)

• 1922 Esther Lederberg, American microbiologist (died 2006)

• 1923 Edwin Bramall, Baron Bramall, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Greater London (died 2019)

• 1927 Ramsey Clark, American lawyer and politician, 66th United States Attorney General (died 2021)

• 1927 Roméo LeBlanc, Canadian journalist and politician, 25th Governor General of Canada (died 2009)

• 1928 Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Indian-English caliph and author (died 2003)

• 1928 Harold Land, American tenor saxophonist (died 2001)

• 1929 Gino Cimoli, American baseball player (died 2011)

• 1929 Józef Glemp, Polish cardinal (died 2013)

• 1930 Moose Skowron, American baseball player (died 2012)

• 1931 Allen Klein, American businessman and music publisher (died 2009)

• 1931 Alison Plowden, English historian and author (died 2007)

• 1931 Gene Shue, American basketball player, coach, and executive (died 2022)

• 1931 Bill Thompson, American television host (died 2014)

• 1932 Norm Provan, Australian rugby league player, coach, and businessman (died 2021)

• 1932 Roger Smith, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2017)

• 1933 Lonnie Brooks, American blues singer and guitarist (died 2017)

• 1934 Marc Rich, Belgian-American businessman, founded Glencore (died 2013)

• 1934 Boris Volynov, Russian colonel, engineer, and cosmonaut

• 1935 Rosemary Leach, English actress (died 2017)

• 1935 Jacques Pépin, French-American chef and author

• 1936 Malcolm Kirk, English rugby player and wrestler (died 1987)

• 1937 Nancy Ryles, American politician (died 1990)

• 1938 Chas Chandler, English bass player and producer (died 1996)

• 1938 Joel Hirschhorn, American songwriter and composer (died 2005)

• 1939 Pedro Jirón, Nicaraguan footballer (died 2018)

• 1939 Michael Moorcock, English author and songwriter

• 1939 Harold E. Varmus, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

• 1940 Ilario Castagner, Italian football manager (died 2023)

• 1940 John Cooper, English sprinter and hurdler (died 1974)

• 1941 Sam Andrew, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2015)

• 1941 Wadada Leo Smith, American trumpet player and composer

• 1941 Joan Wallach Scott, American historian, author, and academic

• 1942 Lenore Blum, American mathematician and academic

• 1942 Bobby Keyes, Australian rugby league player (died 2022)

• 1943 Bobby Keys, American saxophone player (died 2014)

• 1943 Keith Richards, English musician

• 1943 Alan Rudolph, American director and screenwriter

• 1944 Crispian Steele-Perkins, English trumpet player and educator

• 1945 Jean Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

• 1946 Steve Biko, South African activist, founded the Black Consciousness Movement (died 1977)

• 1946 Steven Spielberg, American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded DreamWorks

• 1947 Leonid Yuzefovich, Russian author and screenwriter

• 1948 George T. Johnson, American basketball player

• 1948 Bill Nelson, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1948 Mimmo Paladino, Italian sculptor and painter

• 1948 Laurent Voulzy, French-English singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1949 David A. Johnston, American volcanologist and geologist (died 1980)

• 1950 Gillian Armstrong, Australian director, producer, and screenwriter

• 1950 Randy Castillo, American drummer and songwriter (died 2002)

• 1950 Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lankan general and politician

• 1950 Lizmark, Mexican wrestler (died 2015)

• 1950 Leonard Maltin, American historian, author, and critic

• 1951 Bobby Jones, American basketball player

• 1952 John Leventhal, American songwriter and producer

• 1953 Kevin Beattie, English footballer (died 2018)

• 1953 Elliot Easton, American guitarist and singer

• 1954 John Booth, English race car driver

• 1954 Ray Liotta, American actor (died 2022)

• 1954 Willi Wülbeck, German runner

• 1955 Vijay Mallya, Indian businessman and politician

• 1955 Bogusław Mamiński, Polish runner

• 1956 T. K. Carter, American actor (died 2026)

• 1956 Ron White, American comedian

• 1957 Jonathan Cainer, English astrologer and author (died 2016)

• 1958 Geordie Walker, English guitarist (died 2023)

• 1958 Julia Wolfe, American composer and educator

• 1960 Kazuhide Uekusa, Japanese economist and academic

• 1960 Naoko Yamano, Japanese singer, guitarist and composer

• 1961 Brian Orser, Canadian figure skater and coach

• 1961 Lalchand Rajput, Indian cricketer

• 1961 Leila Steinberg, American singer, producer, author, and poet

• 1961 Angie Stone, American singer, songwriter, and actress (died 2025)

• 1963 Greg D'Angelo, American drummer

• 1963 Karl Dorrell, American football player and coach

• 1963 Pierre Nkurunziza, Burundian soldier and politician, 9th President of Burundi (died 2020)

• 1963 Charles Oakley, American basketball player and coach

• 1963 Brad Pitt, American actor and producer

• 1964 Stone Cold Steve Austin, American professional wrestler and producer

• 1964 Don Beebe, American football player and coach

• 1965 Shawn Christian, American actor, director, and screenwriter

• 1965 Manolo Peña, Spanish footballer (died 2012)

• 1966 Gianluca Pagliuca, Italian footballer and sportscaster

• 1967 Mille Petrozza, German singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1967 Toine van Peperstraten, Dutch journalist

• 1968 Mario Basler, German footballer and manager

• 1968 Rachel Griffiths, Australian actress

• 1968 Alejandro Sanz, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1968 Casper Van Dien, American actor and producer

• 1969 Santiago Cañizares, Spanish footballer

• 1969 Justin Edinburgh, English footballer and manager (died 2019)

• 1969 Akira Iida, Japanese race car driver

• 1970 Norman Brown, American singer and guitarist

• 1970 DMX, American rapper and actor (died 2021)

• 1970 Lucious Harris, American basketball player

• 1970 Giannis Ploutarhos, Greek singer-songwriter

• 1970 Rob Van Dam, American wrestler

• 1970 Jonathan Yeo, English painter

• 1971 Barkha Dutt, Indian journalist

• 1971 Noriko Matsueda, Japanese pianist and composer

• 1971 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Spanish tennis player and sportscaster

• 1972 Anzhela Balakhonova, Ukrainian pole vaulter

• 1972 Raymond Herrera, American drummer and songwriter

• 1972 DJ Lethal, Latvian-American musician

• 1972 Lawrence Wong, Singaporean civilist and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Singapore

• 1973 Fatuma Roba, Ethiopian runner

• 1974 Peter Boulware, American football player and politician

• 1974 Knut Schreiner, Norwegian singer, guitarist, and producer

• 1975 Randy Houser, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1975 Sia, Australian singer-songwriter

• 1975 Trish Stratus, Canadian wrestler and actress

• 1977 Axwell, Swedish DJ, record producer, member of Swedish House Mafia

• 1977 Claudia Gesell, German runner

• 1978 Daniel Cleary, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1978 Ali Curtis, American soccer player

• 1978 Josh Dallas, American actor

• 1978 Katie Holmes, American actress

• 1980 Christina Aguilera, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress

• 1980 Neil Fingleton, English actor and basketball player, one of the tallest 25 men in the world (died 2017)

• 1980 Benjamin Watson, American football player

• 1983 Andy Fantuz, Canadian football player

• 1984 Brian Boyle, American ice hockey player

• 1984 Paul Harrison, English footballer

• 1984 Giuliano Razzoli, Italian skier

• 1984 Derrick Tribbett, American bass player and singer

• 1986 Chris Carter, American baseball player

• 1986 François Hamelin, Canadian speed skater

• 1986 Usman Khawaja, Pakistani-Australian cricketer

• 1987 Miki Ando, Japanese figure skater

• 1988 Lizzie Deignan, English cyclist

• 1988 Seth Doege, American football player

• 1988 Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Canadian heptathlete

• 1988 Imad Wasim, Pakistani cricketer

• 1989 Ashley Benson, American actress and singer

• 1990 Victor Hedman, Swedish ice hockey player

• 1990 Sierra Kay, American singer-songwriter

• 1991 Marcus Butler, English model and YouTuber

• 1992 Ryan Crouser, American shot putter

• 1992 Kristen Faulkner, American road cyclist

• 1992 Bridgit Mendler, American singer-songwriter and actress

• 1993 Byron Buxton, American baseball player

• 1993 Thomas Lam, Finnish footballer

• 1994 Gerard Gumbau, Spanish footballer

• 1994 Natália Kelly, American-Austrian singer

• 1995 Barbora Krejčíková, Czech tennis player

• 1995 Lim Na-young, South Korean singer and actress

• 1995 Mads Pedersen, Danish road cyclist

• 1996 Caileigh Filmer, Canadian rower

• 1997 Ronald Acuña Jr., Venezuelan baseball player

• 1997 Alex DeBrincat, American ice hockey player

• 1998 Paola Egonu, Italian volleyball player

• 1998 Simona Quadarella, Italian swimmer

• 1998 Klaudia Zwolińska, Polish slalom canoeist

• 1999 Dorka Juhász, Hungarian basketball player

• 2000 Jayden Daniels, American football player

• 2000 Korapat Kirdpan, Thai actor and singer

• 2000 Travon Walker, American football player

• 2001 Billie Eilish, American singer

• 2001 Jalen Johnson, American basketball player

• 2002 Syd Hartha, Filipino singer-songwriter

• 2002 Giuliano Simeone, Argentine footballer

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 919 Lady Wu, wife of Qian Liu (born 858)

• 933 Yaonian Yanmujin, Chinese empress dowager

• 1075 Edith of Wessex, Queen Consort of the English (born 1025)

• 1133 Hildebert, French poet and scholar (born 1055)

• 1290 Magnus Ladulås, king of Sweden (born 1240)

• 1442 Pierre Cauchon, French Catholic bishop (born 1371)

• 1495 Alfonso II of Naples (born 1448)

• 1577 Anna of Saxony, Princess consort of Orange (born 1544)

1601–1900

• 1645 Nur Jahan, empress consort of the Mughal Empire (born 1577)

• 1651 William Brabazon, 1st Earl of Meath, English lawyer and politician (born 1580)

• 1692 Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff, German scholar and politician (born 1626)

• 1737 Antonio Stradivari, Italian instrument maker (born 1644)

• 1787 Soame Jenyns, English poet and politician (born 1704)

• 1799 Jean-Étienne Montucla, French mathematician and historian (born 1725)

• 1803 Johann Gottfried Herder, German philosopher, theologian, and poet (born 1744)

• 1829 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, French soldier, biologist, and academic (born 1744)

• 1843 Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch, Scottish-English general and politician (born 1748)

• 1848 Bernard Bolzano, Bohemian priest and mathematician (born 1781)

• 1864 José Justo Corro, Mexican politician, President of Mexico (1836–1837) (born 1794)

• 1869 Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (born 1829)

• 1880 Michel Chasles, French mathematician and academic (born 1793)

• 1892 Richard Owen, English biologist, anatomist, and paleontologist (born 1804)

1901–present

• 1919 John Alcock, English captain and pilot (born 1892)

• 1922 Sir Carl Meyer, 1st Baronet, German-English banker and businessman (born 1851)

• 1925 Hamo Thornycroft, English sculptor and academic (born 1850)

• 1932 Eduard Bernstein, German theorist and politician (born 1850)

• 1936 Andrija Mohorovičić, Croatian meteorologist and seismologist (born 1857)

• 1939 Ernest Lawson, Canadian-American painter (born 1873)

• 1961 Leo Reisman, American violinist and bandleader (born 1897)

• 1969 Charles Dvorak, American pole vaulter and coach (born 1878)

• 1971 Bobby Jones, American golfer and lawyer (born 1902)

• 1971 Diana Lynn, American actress (born 1926)

• 1972 Neilia Hunter Biden, first wife of Joe Biden (born 1942)

• 1973 Allamah Rasheed Turabi, Indian-Pakistani religious leader and philosopher (born 1908)

• 1974 Harry Hooper, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1887)

• 1975 Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ukrainian geneticist and biologist (born 1900)

• 1977 Michio Nishizawa, Japanese baseball player and manager (born 1921)

• 1977 Louis Untermeyer American poet, anthologist, critic (born 1885)

• 1980 Dobriša Cesarić, Croatian poet and translator (born 1902)

• 1980 Alexei Kosygin, Russian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of the Soviet Union (born 1904)

• 1982 Hans-Ulrich Rudel, German colonel and pilot (born 1916)

• 1985 Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (born 1916)

• 1987 Conny Plank, German keyboard player and producer (born 1940)

• 1988 Niyazi Berkes, Turkish Cypriot-English sociologist and academic (born 1908)

• 1990 Anne Revere, American actress (born 1903)

• 1990 Paul Tortelier, French cellist and composer (born 1914)

• 1990 Joseph Zubin, Lithuanian-American psychologist and academic (born 1900)

• 1991 George Abecassis, English race car driver (born 1913)

• 1992 Mark Goodson, American game show producer, created Family Feud and The Price Is Right (born 1915)

• 1993 Helm Glöckler, German race car driver (born 1909)

• 1993 Sam Wanamaker, American-English actor, director, and producer (born 1919)

• 1994 Roger Apéry, Greek-French mathematician and academic (born 1916)

• 1994 Lilia Skala, Austrian-American actress (born 1896)

• 1995 Brian Brockless, English organist, composer, and conductor (born 1926)

• 1995 Ross Thomas, American author (born 1926)

• 1995 Konrad Zuse, German engineer, designed the Z3 computer (born 1910)

• 1996 Yulii Borisovich Khariton, Russian physicist and academic (born 1904)

• 1996 Irving Caesar, American composer (born 1895)

• 1997 Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (born 1964)

• 1998 Lev Dyomin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (born 1926)

• 1999 Robert Bresson, French director and screenwriter (born 1901)

• 2000 Stan Fox, American race car driver (born 1952)

• 2000 Randolph Apperson Hearst, American businessman (born 1915)

• 2000 Kirsty MacColl, British singer-songwriter (born 1959)

• 2001 Gilbert Bécaud, French singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (born 1927)

• 2001 Dimitris Dragatakis, Greek violinist and composer (born 1914)

• 2001 Marcel Mule, French saxophonist and educator (born 1901)

• 2002 Necip Hablemitoğlu, Turkish historian and academic (born 1954)

• 2002 Ray Hnatyshyn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 24th Governor General of Canada (born 1934)

• 2002 Wayne Owens, American lawyer and politician (born 1937)

• 2002 Lucy Grealy, Irish-American author (born 1963)

• 2004 Anthony Sampson, English journalist and author (born 1926)

• 2005 Alan Voorhees, American engineer and urban planner (born 1922)

• 2006 Joseph Barbera, American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (born 1911)

• 2006 Ruth Bernhard, German-American photographer (born 1905)

• 2006 Shaukat Siddiqui, Pakistani author and activist (born 1923)

• 2007 Hans Billian, Polish-German actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1918)

• 2007 Gerald Le Dain, Canadian lawyer and judge (born 1924)

• 2007 William Strauss, American author and playwright (born 1947)

• 2007 Alan Wagner, American businessman and critic (born 1931)

• 2008 Majel Barrett, American actress and producer (born 1932)

• 2008 Mark Felt, American FBI agent, "Deep Throat" informant in the Watergate scandal (born 1913)

• 2010 Phil Cavarretta, American baseball player and manager (born 1916)

• 2010 Jacqueline de Romilly, French philologist, author, and scholar (born 1913)

• 2010 Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, Italian economist and politician, Italian Minister of Economy and Finances (born 1940)

• 2010 James Pickles, English judge and journalist (born 1925)

• 2011 Václav Havel, Czech poet, playwright, and politician, 1st President of the Czech Republic (born 1936)

• 2012 Frank Macchiarola, American lawyer and academic (born 1941)

• 2012 Mustafa Ould Salek, Mauritanian colonel and politician, President of Mauritania (born 1936)

• 2012 Jim Whalen, American football player (born 1943)

• 2012 Anatoliy Zayaev, Ukrainian footballer, coach, and manager (born 1931)

• 2013 Ken Hutcherson, American football player (born 1952)

• 2013 Graham Mackay, South African-English businessman (born 1949)

• 2014 Donald J. Albosta, American soldier and politician (born 1925)

• 2014 Gideon Ben-Yisrael, Israeli soldier and politician (born 1923)

• 2014 Larry Henley, American singer-songwriter (born 1937)

• 2014 Virna Lisi, Italian actress (born 1936)

• 2014 Mandy Rice-Davies, English model and actress, central figure in the Profumo affair (born 1944)

• 2014 Robert Simpson, American meteorologist and author (born 1912)

• 2015 Luc Brewaeys, Belgian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1959)

• 2015 Helge Solum Larsen, Norwegian businessman and politician (born 1969)

• 2016 Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and socialite (born 1917)

• 2017 Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (born 1990)

• 2020 Jerry Relph, American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate (born 1944)

• 2021 Sayaka Kanda, Japanese actress and singer (born 1986)

• 2024 Slim Dunlap, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1951)

• 2024 John Marsden, Australian writer (born 1950)

• 2025 Jim Hunt, American politician, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (born 1937)

• 2025 Osman Hadi, Bangladeshi politician and activist (born 1993)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

• Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

• Flannán

• Gatianus of Tours

• O Adonai

• Sebastian (Eastern Orthodox Church)

• Winibald

• December 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• International Migrants Day

• National Day (Qatar)

• Republic Day (Niger)

• UN Arabic Language Day (United Nations)

References

External links

• BBC: On This Day

• Historical Events on December 18