Events

Pre-1600

• 502 Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate.

• 640 Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death.

• 759 Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.

• 971 Battle of Ayn Shams: The Fatimids under Jawhar defeat the Qarmatians at the gates of Cairo, putting an end to the First Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.

• 1144 The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.

• 1294 Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned.

• 1500 A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia.

1601–1900

• 1737 The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal.

• 1777 Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.

• 1800 The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte.

• 1814 Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.

• 1818 The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the Nikolauskirche in Oberndorf, Austria.

• 1846 British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain.

• 1865 Former Confederate officers Frank McCord, Richard Reed, John Lester, John Kennedy, J. Calvin Jones, and James Crowe form the Ku Klux Klan.

• 1868 The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I.

1901–present

• 1906 Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.

• 1913 The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 striking workers families at a Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire".

• 1914 World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins.

• 1918 Region of Međimurje is captured by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from Hungary.

• 1920 Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian Armed Forces.

• 1924 Albania becomes a republic.

• 1929 Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.

• 1929 A four alarm fire breaks out in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C.

• 1939 World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace.

• 1941 World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces.

• 1941 World War II: Benghazi is conquered by the British Eighth Army.

• 1942 World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria.

• 1943 World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for Operation Overlord.

• 1944 World War II: The Belgian Troopship Leopoldville was torpedoed and sank with the loss of 763 soldiers and 56 crew.

• 1945 Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down.

• 1951 Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya.

• 1952 First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber.

• 1953 Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people.

• 1955 A flood devastates California, killing 74 people across portions of the state.

• 1964 Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital.

• 1964 Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 crashes after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, killing three.

• 1966 A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 111.

• 1968 Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits, took the Earthrise photograph, broadcast live TV pictures, and read the first ten verses of Genesis.

• 1968 Allegheny Airlines Flight 736 crashes on approach to Bradford Regional Airport, killing 20.

• 1969 Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital.

• 1971 LANSA Flight 508 is struck by lightning and crashes in the Puerto Inca District in the Department of Huánuco in Peru, killing 91.

• 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.

• 1974 Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.

• 1979 The first Ariane 1 rocket is launched from ELA-1 at the Guiana Space Centre.

• 1983 Aeroflot Flight 601 crashes during takeoff from Leshukonskoye Airport, Russia, killing 44 of the 49 people on board.

• 1994 Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists.

• 1996 A Learjet 35 crashes into Smarts Mountain near Dorchester, New Hampshire, killing both pilots on board.

• 1997 The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people.

• 1999 Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed).

• 2003 The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50kg of explosives at 3:55p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.

• 2005 Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of belligerence against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.

• 2008 The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400.

• 2018 A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor.

• 2021 Burmese military forces commit the Mo So massacre, killing at least 44 civilians.

Births

Pre-1600

• 3 BC Galba, Roman emperor (died 69)

• 1166 John, King of England (died 1216)

• 1389 John V, Duke of Brittany (died 1442)

• 1474 Bartolomeo degli Organi, Italian musician (died 1539)

• 1475 Thomas Murner, German poet and translator (died 1537)

• 1508 Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian scholar (died 1567)

• 1520 Martha Leijonhufvud, Swedish noble (died 1584)

• 1537 Willem IV van den Bergh, Stadtholder of Guelders and Zutphen (died 1586)

• 1549 Kaspar Ulenberg, German theologian (died 1617)

• 1588 Constance of Austria (died 1631)

• 1596 Leonaert Bramer, Dutch painter (died 1674)

• 1597 Honoré II, Prince of Monaco (died 1662)

1601–1900

• 1625 Johann Rudolph Ahle, German organist, composer, and theorist (died 1673)

• 1634 Mariana of Austria (died 1696)

• 1679 Domenico Sarro, Italian composer and educator (died 1744)

• 1698 William Warburton, English bishop (died 1779)

• 1726 Johann Hartmann, Danish composer (died 1793)

• 1731 Julie Bondeli, Swiss salonist and lady of letters (died 1778)

• 1754 George Crabbe, English priest, surgeon, and poet (died 1832)

• 1761 Selim III, Ottoman sultan (died 1808)

• 1761 Jean-Louis Pons, French astronomer (died 1831)

• 1797 Carl Georg von Wächter, German jurist (died 1880)

• 1798 Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet and playwright (died 1855)

• 1809 Kit Carson, American general (died 1868)

• 1810 Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter and illustrator (died 1873)

• 1812 Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (died 1894)

• 1818 James Prescott Joule, English physicist and brewer (died 1889)

• 1822 Matthew Arnold, English poet and critic (died 1888)

• 1822 Charles Hermite, French mathematician (died 1901)

• 1827 Alexander von Oettingen, German theologian and statistician (died 1905)

• 1837 Empress Elisabeth of Austria (died 1898)

• 1843 Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet and playwright (died 1886)

• 1845 George I of Greece (died 1913)

• 1865 Szymon Askenazy, Polish historian, educator, and diplomat, founded the Askenazy school (died 1935)

• 1867 Tevfik Fikret, Turkish poet and educator (died 1915)

• 1868 Charles Harvey Bollman, American naturalist (died 1889)

• 1868 Emanuel Lasker, German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher (died 1941)

• 1869 Henriette Roland Holst, Dutch poet, playwright, and politician (died 1952)

• 1872 Frederick Semple, American golfer and tennis player (died 1927)

• 1875 Émile Wegelin, French rower (died 1962)

• 1877 Sigrid Schauman, Finnish painter and critic (died 1979)

• 1879 Émile Nelligan, Canadian poet (died 1941)

• 1879 Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (died 1952)

• 1880 Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (died 1939)

• 1881 Charles Wakefield Cadman, American composer and critic (died 1946)

• 1882 Hans Rebane, Estonian journalist and politician, 8th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 1961)

• 1882 Georges Legagneux, French aviator (died 1914)

• 1883 Stefan Jaracz, Polish actor and producer (died 1945)

• 1885 Paul Manship, American sculptor (died 1966)

• 1886 Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American actor, director, and producer (died 1962)

• 1887 Louis Jouvet, French actor and producer (died 1951)

• 1887 Axel Revold, Norwegian painter (died 1962)

• 1891 Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky, Russian illustrator and painter (died 1970)

• 1892 Ruth Chatterton, American actress (died 1961)

• 1893 Harry Warren, American pianist and composer (died 1981)

• 1894 Georges Guynemer, French captain and pilot (died 1917)

• 1894 Jack Thayer, American businessman and Titanic survivor (died 1945)

• 1895 E. Roland Harriman, American financier and philanthropist (died 1978)

• 1895 Noel Streatfeild, English author (died 1986)

• 1895 Marguerite Williams, American geologist (died 1991)

• 1897 Ville Pörhölä, Finnish shot putter and discus thrower (died 1964)

• 1897 Väinö Sipilä, Finnish runner (died 1987)

• 1898 Baby Dodds, American drummer (died 1959)

• 1900 Joey Smallwood, Canadian journalist and politician, 1st Premier of Newfoundland (died 1991)

• 1900 Hawayo Takata, Japanese-American teacher and master practitioner of Reiki (died 1980)

1901–present

• 1901 Nina Negri, Argentine-French painter and engraver (died 1981)

• 1903 Joseph Cornell, American sculptor and director (died 1972)

• 1903 Ernst Krenkel, Polish-Russian geographer and explorer (died 1971)

• 1903 Ava Helen Pauling, American humanitarian and activist (died 1981)

• 1904 Joseph M. Juran, Romanian-American engineer and businessman (died 2008)

• 1905 Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, and pilot (died 1976)

• 1906 Franz Waxman, German-American composer and conductor (died 1967)

• 1907 I. F. Stone, American journalist and author (died 1989)

• 1910 Ellen Braumüller, German javelin thrower and triathlete (died 1991)

• 1910 Fritz Leiber, American author and poet (died 1992)

• 1910 Max Miedinger, Swiss typeface designer, created Helvetica (died 1980)

• 1913 Ad Reinhardt, American painter and academic (died 1967)

• 1914 Ralph Marterie, Italian-American trumpet player and bandleader (died 1978)

• 1914 Herbert Reinecker, German author and screenwriter (died 2007)

• 1918 Dave Bartholomew, American bandleader, composer and arranger (died 2019)

• 1919 Qateel Shifai, Pakistani poet and songwriter (died 2001)

• 1919 Pierre Soulages, French artist (died 2022)

• 1920 Franco Lucentini, Italian author and screenwriter (died 2002)

• 1920 Yevgeniya Rudneva, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant and navigator (died 1944)

• 1922 Ava Gardner, American actress (died 1990)

• 1923 George Patton IV, American general (died 2004)

• 1923 William C. Schneider, American aerospace engineer (died 1999)

• 1924 Lee Dorsey, American singer-songwriter (died 1986)

• 1924 Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian soldier and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (died 2014)

• 1927 Mary Higgins Clark, American author (died 2020)

• 1928 Adam Exner, Canadian Roman Catholic prelate (died 2023)

• 1928 Lev Vlassenko, Georgian-Australian pianist and educator (died 1996)

• 1929 Lennart Skoglund, Swedish footballer (died 1975)

• 1929 Red Sullivan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2019)

• 1930 Robert Joffrey, American dancer and choreographer (died 1988)

• 1930 John J. Kelley, American runner (died 2011)

• 1931 Ray Bryant, American pianist and composer (died 2011)

• 1931 Mauricio Kagel, Argentinian-German composer and scholar (died 2008)

• 1932 Colin Cowdrey, Indian-English cricketer (died 2000)

• 1932 On Kawara, Japanese-American painter (died 2014)

• 1934 Stjepan Mesić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Croatia

• 1937 Félix, Brazilian footballer and manager (died 2012)

• 1938 Valentim Loureiro, Portuguese soldier and politician

• 1940 Janet Carroll, American actress and singer (died 2012)

• 1940 Anthony Fauci, American physician, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

• 1941 Nel Beltrán Santamaría, Colombian Roman Catholic prelate (died 2025)

• 1942 Indra Bania, Indian actor, director, and playwright (died 2015)

• 1942 Jonathan Borofsky, American sculptor and painter

• 1942 Đoàn Viết Hoạt, Vietnamese journalist, educator, and activist

• 1943 Tarja Halonen, Finnish lawyer and politician, 11th President of Finland

• 1944 Jan Erik Berntsen, Norwegian actor and singer (died 2025)

• 1944 Mike Curb, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California

• 1944 Daniel Johnson, Jr., Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Premier of Quebec

• 1944 Erhard Keller, German speed skater

• 1944 Woody Shaw, American trumpeter (died 1989)

• 1945 Lemmy, English hard rock singer-songwriter and bass player (died 2015)

• 1945 Nicholas Meyer, American screenwriter, film director, and author

• 1946 Jan Akkerman, Dutch rock guitarist and songwriter

• 1946 Jeff Sessions, American lawyer and politician, 44th Attorney General of Alabama and 84th Attorney General of the United States

• 1947 Kevin Sheedy, Australian footballer and coach

• 1948 Stan Bowles, English footballer and sportscaster (died 2024)

• 1948 Frank Oliver, New Zealand rugby player and coach (died 2014)

• 1948 Antoni Pietkiewicz, Polish engineer, businessperson and politician

• 1949 Warwick Brown, Australian racing driver

• 1950 Dana Gioia, American poet and critic

• 1950 Libby Larsen, American composer

• 1950 Tommy Turtle, British soldier (died 2020)

• 1953 Timothy Carhart, American actor

• 1954 Yves Debay, Congolese-French commander and journalist (died 2013)

• 1954 José María Figueres, Costa Rican businessman and politician, President of Costa Rica (1994–1998)

• 1955 Grand L. Bush, American actor

• 1955 Scott Fischer, American mountaineer and guide (died 1996)

• 1955 Clarence Gilyard, American actor and educator (died 2022)

• 1956 Shim Hwa-jin, South Korean academic and educator

• 1956 Anil Kapoor, Indian actor and producer

• 1957 Hamid Karzai, Afghan politician, 12th President of Afghanistan

• 1958 Munetaka Higuchi, Japanese drummer and producer (died 2008)

• 1958 Diane Tell, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1959 Lee Daniels, American director and producer

• 1960 Glenn McQueen, Canadian-American animator (died 2002)

• 1960 Carol Vorderman, Welsh television host

• 1961 Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani businessman and politician, 4th President of Azerbaijan

• 1961 Mary Barra, American businesswoman, current CEO and chairwoman of General Motors

• 1961 Eriko Kitagawa, Japanese director and screenwriter

• 1961 Wade Williams, American actor

• 1962 Kate Spade, American fashion designer (died 2018)

• 1963 Caroline Aherne, English actress, producer, and screenwriter (died 2016)

• 1963 Jay Bilas, American basketball player and sportscaster

• 1963 Timo Jutila, Finnish ice hockey player and sportscaster

• 1963 Mary Ramsey, American singer-songwriter and violinist

• 1964 Mark Valley, American actor

• 1966 Diedrich Bader, American actor

• 1967 Mikhail Shchennikov, Russian race walker

• 1967 Pernilla Wahlgren, Swedish singer and actress

• 1968 Marleen Renders, Belgian runner

• 1969 Milan Blagojevic, Australian footballer and manager

• 1969 Pernille Fischer Christensen, Danish director and screenwriter

• 1969 Ed Miliband, English academic and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office

• 1969 Luis Musrri, Chilean footballer and manager

• 1969 Oleg Skripochka, Russian astronaut and engineer

• 1969 Gintaras Staučė, Lithuanian footballer and manager

• 1970 Amaury Nolasco, Puerto Rican actor

• 1971 Geoff Allott, New Zealand cricketer

• 1971 Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and actor

• 1972 Álvaro Mesén, Costa Rican footballer

• 1973 Liu Dong, Chinese-Spanish runner

• 1973 Stephenie Meyer, American author and film producer

• 1973 Ali Salem Tamek, Moroccan activist

• 1974 Thure Lindhardt, Danish actor

• 1974 Paal Nilssen-Love, Norwegian drummer and composer

• 1974 Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer

• 1974 Ryan Seacrest, American radio host and television personality, and producer

• 1976 Linda Ferga, French hurdler

• 1977 Michael Raymond-James, American actor

• 1978 Yıldıray Baştürk, German-Turkish footballer

• 1978 Heinrich Himmer, Austrian politician

• 1980 Stephen Appiah, Ghanaian footballer

• 1980 Maarja-Liis Ilus, Estonian pop musician

• 1981 Dima Bilan, Russian singer-songwriter and actor

• 1983 Gregor Blanco, Venezuelan baseball player

• 1983 Tim Jennings, American football player

• 1984 Isaac De Gois, Australian rugby league player

• 1984 Austin Stowell, American actor

• 1985 Alexey Dmitriev, German ice hockey player

• 1986 Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukrainian basketball player

• 1987 Jane Summersett, American ice dancer

• 1988 Stefanos Athanasiadis, Greek footballer

• 1988 Emre Özkan, Turkish footballer

• 1988 Simon Zenke, Nigerian footballer

• 1989 Matt Calvert, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1990 Brigetta Barrett, American high jumper

• 1991 Sofia Black-D'Elia, American actress

• 1991 Lara Michel, Swiss tennis player

• 1991 Eric Moreland, American basketball player

• 1991 Louis Tomlinson, English singer

• 1991 Taylor Zakhar Perez, American actor

• 1992 Davante Adams, American football player

• 1992 Serge Aurier, Ivorian footballer

• 1992 P. J. Hairston, American basketball player

• 1994 Han Seung-woo, South Korean singer

• 1995 Anett Kontaveit, Estonian tennis player

• 1997 Neeraj Chopra, Indian javelin thrower

• 1997 William Contreras, Venezuelan baseball player

• 1998 Alexis Mac Allister, Argentine footballer

• 2001 Choi Sung-beom, South Korean football player

• 2002 Joshua Primo, Canadian basketball player

• 2002 Jeremiah Trotter Jr., American football player

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 36 Gongsun Shu, emperor of Chengjia

• 427 Archbishop Sisinnius I of Constantinople

• 903 Hedwiga, duchess of Saxony

• 950 Shi Hongzhao, Chinese general

• 950 Wang Zhang, Chinese official

• 950 Yang Bin, Chinese chancellor

• 1193 Roger III of Sicily (born 1175)

• 1257 John I, Count of Hainaut (born 1218)

• 1263 Hōjō Tokiyori, regent of Japan (born 1227)

• 1281 Henry V of Luxembourg (born 1216)

• 1449 Walter Bower, Scottish chronicler (born 1385)

• 1453 John Dunstaple, English composer (born 1390)

• 1456 Đurađ Branković, Despot of Serbia (born 1377)

• 1473 John Cantius, Polish scholar and theologian (born 1390)

• 1524 Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (born 1469)

• 1541 Andreas Karlstadt, Christian theologian and reformer (born 1486)

1601–1900

• 1635 Hester Jonas, German nurse (born 1570)

• 1660 Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (born 1631)

• 1707 Noël Coypel, French painter and educator (born 1628)

• 1813 Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (born 1740)

• 1844 Friedrich Bernhard Westphal, Danish-German painter (born 1803)

• 1863 William Makepeace Thackeray, English author and poet (born 1811)

• 1865 Charles Lock Eastlake, English painter and historian (born 1793)

• 1867 José Mariano Salas, Mexican general and politician. President of Mexico (1846, 1859) and regent of the Second Mexican Empire (born 1797)

• 1868 Adolphe d'Archiac, French paleontologist and geologist (born 1802)

• 1872 William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish physicist and engineer (born 1820)

• 1873 Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1795)

• 1879 Anna Bochkoltz, German operatic soprano, voice teacher and composer (born 1815)

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

• 1893 B. T. Finniss, Australian politician, 1st Premier of South Australia (born 1807)

• 1898 Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese priest and saint (born 1828)

1901–present

• 1908 James C. Corrigan, Canadian-American businessman (born 1846)

• 1914 John Muir, Scottish-American geologist, botanist, and author, founded Sierra Club (born 1838)

• 1920 Stephen Mosher Wood, American lieutenant and politician (born 1832)

• 1923 Joe Lacey, Irish Hunger Striker died during the 1923 Irish hunger strikes (born 1895)

• 1926 Wesley Coe, American shot putter, hammer thrower, and discus thrower (born 1879)

• 1931 Carlo Fornasini, micropalaeontologist (born 1854)

• 1931 Flying Hawk, American warrior, educator and historian (born 1854)

• 1935 Alban Berg, Austrian composer and educator (born 1885)

• 1938 Bruno Taut, German architect and urban planner (born 1880)

• 1941 Siegfried Alkan, German composer (born 1858)

• 1942 François Darlan, French admiral and politician, 122nd Prime Minister of France (born 1881)

• 1945 Josephine Sabel, American singer and comedian (born 1866)

• 1947 Charles Gondouin, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (born 1875)

• 1957 Norma Talmadge, American actress and producer (born 1894)

• 1961 Robert Hillyer, American poet and academic (born 1895)

• 1962 Wilhelm Ackermann, German mathematician (born 1896)

• 1962 Eveline Adelheid von Maydell, German illustrator (born 1890)

• 1964 Claudia Jones, Trinidad-British journalist and activist (born 1915)

• 1965 John Black, English businessman (born 1895)

• 1965 William M. Branham, American minister and theologian (born 1906)

• 1967 Burt Baskin, American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (born 1913)

• 1969 Stanisław Błeszyński, Polish-German entomologist and lepidopterist (born 1927)

• 1969 Cortelia Clark, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1907)

• 1969 Olivia FitzRoy, English soldier and author (born 1921)

• 1969 Alfred B. Skar, Norwegian journalist and politician (born 1896)

• 1971 Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (born 1924)

• 1972 Gisela Richter, English-American archaeologist and historian (born 1882)

• 1973 Fritz Gause, German historian and author (born 1893)

• 1975 Bernard Herrmann, American composer and conductor (born 1911)

• 1977 Samael Aun Weor, Colombian author and educator (born 1917)

• 1980 Karl Dönitz, German admiral and politician, President of Germany (born 1891)

• 1982 Louis Aragon, French author and poet (born 1897)

• 1984 Peter Lawford, English-American actor (born 1923)

• 1985 Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, American lawyer (born 1904)

• 1985 Camille Tourville, Canadian-American wrestler and manager (born 1927)

• 1986 Gardner Fox, American author (born 1911)

• 1987 Joop den Uyl, Dutch journalist, economist, and politician, 45th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1919)

• 1987 M. G. Ramachandran, Sri Lankan-Indian actor, producer, and politician, 5th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (born 1917)

• 1988 Jainendra Kumar, Indian author (born 1905)

• 1990 Thorbjørn Egner, Norwegian playwright and songwriter (born 1922)

• 1991 Virginia Sorensen, American author (born 1912)

• 1992 Bobby LaKind, American singer-songwriter and conga player (born 1945)

• 1992 James Mathews, Australian rugby league player (born 1968)

• 1992 Peyo, Belgian cartoonist, created The Smurfs (born 1928)

• 1993 Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (born 1898)

• 1994 John Boswell, American historian, author, and academic (born 1947)

• 1994 Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor (born 1916)

• 1997 James Komack, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)

• 1997 Toshiro Mifune, Chinese-Japanese actor and producer (born 1920)

• 1997 Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (born 1925)

• 1998 Syl Apps, Canadian ice hockey player and pole vaulter (born 1915)

• 1999 Bill Bowerman, American runner, coach, and businessman, co-founded Nike, Inc. (born 1911)

• 1999 Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, 152nd Prime Minister of France (born 1907)

• 1999 João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (born 1918)

• 1999 William C. Schneider, American aerospace engineer (born 1923)

• 2000 John Cooper, English businessman, co-founded the Cooper Car Company (born 1923)

• 2002 Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author and poet (born 1920)

• 2002 Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1938)

• 2004 Johnny Oates, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1946)

• 2006 Braguinha, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (born 1907)

• 2006 Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer (born 1961)

• 2006 Frank Stanton, American businessman (born 1908)

• 2007 Nicholas Pumfrey, English lawyer and judge (born 1951)

• 2007 George Warrington, American businessman (born 1952)

• 2008 Ralph Harris, British journalist (born 1921)

• 2008 Harold Pinter, English playwright, screenwriter, director, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1930)

• 2009 Marcus Bakker, Dutch journalist and politician (born 1923)

• 2009 Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela (born 1916)

• 2009 George Michael, American sportscaster (born 1939)

• 2009 Gero von Wilpert, German author and academic (born 1933)

• 2010 Elisabeth Beresford, English journalist and author (born 1926)

• 2010 Frans de Munck, Dutch footballer and manager (born 1922)

• 2010 Orestes Quércia, Brazilian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of São Paulo State (born 1938)

• 2010 Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (born 1930)

• 2011 Johannes Heesters, Dutch-German entertainer (born 1903)

• 2012 Richard Rodney Bennett, English-American composer and academic (born 1936)

• 2012 Charles Durning, American soldier and actor (born 1923)

• 2012 Jack Klugman, American actor (born 1922)

• 2012 Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (born 1954)

• 2013 Frédéric Back, German-Canadian director, animator, and screenwriter (born 1924)

• 2013 Ian Barbour, Chinese-American author and scholar (born 1923)

• 2013 John M. Goldman, English haematologist and oncologist (born 1938)

• 2013 Allan McKeown, English-American screenwriter and producer (born 1946)

• 2014 Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player (born 1923)

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

• 2014 Herbert Harris, American lawyer and politician (born 1926)

• 2014 Krzysztof Krauze, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1953)

• 2015 Turid Birkeland, Norwegian businesswoman and politician, Norwegian Minister of Culture (born 1962)

• 2015 Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, Filipino journalist (born 1941)

• 2015 Adriana Olguín, Chilean lawyer and politician, Chilean Minister of Justice (born 1911)

• 2016 Rick Parfitt, British musician (born 1948)

• 2016 Liz Smith, English actress (born 1921)

• 2016 Richard Adams, English author (born 1920)

• 2016 Ben Xi, Chinese singer (born 1994)

• 2017 Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (born 1935)

• 2017 Heather Menzies, Canadian-American model and actress (born 1949)

• 2018 Martha Érika Alonso, Governor of Puebla (born 1973)

• 2018 Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor of Puebla (born 1968)

• 2023 Cheri Barry, American politician and mayor of Meridian, Mississippi (born 1955)

• 2023 Richard Bowes, American science fiction author (born 1944)

• 2023 Troy Dargan, Cook Islands rugby league footballer (born 1997)

• 2024 Hudson Meek, American actor (born 2008)

• 2024 Richard Perry, American record producer (born 1942)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

• Adela and Irmina

• Paola Elisabetta Cerioli

• Adam and Eve

• December 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances:

• Aðfangadagskvöld, the day when the 13th and the last Yule Lad arrives to towns. (Iceland)

• Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian Americans)

• Juleaften (Denmark)/Julaften (Norway)/Julafton (Sweden)

• Nittel Nacht (certain Orthodox Jewish denominations)

• Nochebuena (Spain and Spanish-speaking countries)

• The Declaration of Christmas Peace (Old Great Square of Turku, Finland's official Christmas City)

• Wigilia (Poland)

• Quviasukvik, the Inuit new year (Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia)

• Kūčios (Lithuania)

• Independence Day (Libya)

• Day of Military Honour – Siege of Ismail (Russia)

References

External links

• BBC: On This Day

• Historical Events on December 24