Events

Pre-1600

• 771 Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom.

• 963 The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated on 6 December after ordination.

• 1110 An army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem and Sigurd the Crusader of Norway captures Sidon at the end of the First Crusade.

• 1259 Kings Louis IX of France and Henry III of England agree to the Treaty of Paris, in which Henry renounces his claims to French-controlled territory on continental Europe (including Normandy) in exchange for Louis withdrawing his support for English rebels.

• 1563 The final session of the Council of Trent is held nearly 18 years after the body held its first session on December 13, 1545.

1601–1900

• 1619 Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia. The group's charter proclaims that the day "be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."

• 1623 50 Christians are executed in Edo, Japan, during the Great Martyrdom of Edo.

• 1676 The Battle of Lund occurs, and is the bloodiest battle in Scandinavian history.

• 1745 Charles Edward Stuart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the Second Jacobite Rising.

• 1783 At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.

• 1786 Mission Santa Barbara is dedicated (on the feast day of Saint Barbara).

• 1791 The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published.

• 1804 The United States House of Representatives adopts articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.

• 1808 Napoleonic Wars: Under the orders by commander Tomás de Morla, the city of Madrid surrenders to French Emperor Napoleon I after a 4 day long siege.

• 1829 In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets sati in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide.

• 1861 American Civil War: The 109 electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.

• 1863 American Civil War: Confederate General James Longstreet lifts his unsuccessful siege of Knoxville, Tennessee after failing to capture the city.

• 1864 American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Union cavalry forces defeat Confederate cavalry in the Battle of Waynesboro, Georgia, opening the way for General William T. Sherman's army to approach the coast.

• 1865 North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed two days later by Georgia, and U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.

• 1867 Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).

• 1872 The American brigantine is discovered drifting in the Atlantic. Her crew is never found.

• 1875 Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison; he is later recaptured in Spain.

• 1881 The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.

• 1893 First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.

1901–present

• 1906 Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

• 1909 In Canadian football, the First Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26–6.

• 1909 The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.

• 1917 The Finnish Senate submits to the Parliament of Finland a proposal for the form of government of the Republic of Finland and issues a communication to Parliament declaring the independence of Finland.

• 1918 U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.

• 1919 Ukrainian War of Independence: The Polonsky conspiracy is initiated, with an attempt to assassinate the high command of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.

• 1928 Cosmo Gordon Lang was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the first bachelor to be appointed in 150 years.

• 1939 World War II: is struck by a mine (laid by ) off the Scottish coast and is laid up for repairs until August 1940.

• 1942 World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal campaign ends.

• 1943 World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.

• 1943 World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment in the United States.

• 1945 By a vote of 65–7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations. (The UN had been established on October 24, 1945.)

• 1948 Chinese Civil War: The SS Kiangya, carrying Nationalist refugees from Shanghai, explodes in the Huangpu River.

• 1949 Sir Duncan George Stewart, governor of the Crown Colony of Sarawak, was fatally stabbed by a member of the Rukun 13.

• 1950 Korean War: Jesse L. Brown (the 1st African-American Naval aviator) is killed in action during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

• 1950 Korean War: Associated Press photographer Max Desfor photographs hundreds of Korean refugees crossing a downed bridge in the Taedong River: 1951 Pulitzer Prize winner Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea.

• 1956 The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time.

• 1964 Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents' decision to forbid protests on UC property.

• 1965 Launch of Gemini 7 with crew members Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. The Gemini 7 spacecraft was the passive target for the first crewed space rendezvous performed by the crew of Gemini 6A.

• 1969 Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.

• 1971 The PNS Ghazi, a Pakistan Navy submarine, sinks during the course of the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971.

• 1971 During a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the Montreux Casino, an audience member fires a flare gun into the ceiling, causing a fire that destroys the venue. The incident served as the inspiration for Deep Purple's 1973 song Smoke on the Water.

• 1974 Martinair Flight 138 crashes into the Saptha Kanya mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka, killing 191.

• 1977 Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire.

• 1977 Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjong Kupang, Johor, killing 100.

• 1978 Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor.

• 1979 The Hastie fire in Hull kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee.

• 1981 South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland" (not recognized by any government outside South Africa).

• 1982 The China adopts its current constitution.

• 1983 US Navy aircraft from USS John F. Kennedy and USS Independence attack Syrian missile sites in Lebanon in response to an F-14 being fired on by an SA-7. One A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair are shot down. One American pilot is killed, one is rescued, and one is captured.

• 1984 Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers kill 107–150 civilians in Mannar.

• 1986 The MV Amazon Venture oil tanker begins leaking oil while at the port of Savannah in the United States, resulting in an oil spill of approximately .

• 1991 Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut; he is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.

• 1991 Pan American World Airways ceases its operations after 64 years.

• 1992 Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.

• 1996 Journalists Fernando Balderas Sánchez and Yolanda Figueroa and their three children are murdered in a case that initially prompted speculation about links to organized crime, corruption, or their journalistic work.

• 1998 The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, is launched.

• 2005 Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.

• 2006 Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana.

• 2014 Islamic insurgents kill three state police at a traffic circle before taking an empty school and a "press house" in Grozny. Ten state forces die with 28 injured in gun battles ending with ten insurgents killed.

• 2015 A firebomb is thrown into a restaurant in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing 17 people.

• 2017 The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually became the largest wildfire in modern California history to date after burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

• 2021 Semeru on the Indonesian island of Java erupts, killing at least 68 people.

• 2024 UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is shot and killed in Manhattan, New York City near the entrance of the New York Hilton Midtown.

• 2025 Yasser Abu Shabab is assassinated near Rafah, Gaza Strip.

Births

Pre-1600

• AD 34 Persius, Roman poet (died 62)

• 846 Hasan al-Askari 11th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam (died 874)

• 1428 Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe (died 1511)

• 1506 Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche (died 1558)

• 1555 Heinrich Meibom, German poet and historian (died 1625)

• 1575 Sister Virginia Maria, Italian nun (died 1650)

• 1580 Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (died 1626)

• 1585 John Cotton, English-American minister and theologian (died 1652)

• 1595 Jean Chapelain, French poet and critic (died 1674)

1601–1900

• 1647 Daniel Eberlin, German composer (died 1715)

• 1660 André Campra, French composer and conductor (died 1744)

• 1667 Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, French composer and educator (died 1737)

• 1670 John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (died 1742)

• 1713 Gasparo Gozzi, Italian playwright and critic (died 1786)

• 1727 Johann Gottfried Zinn, German anatomist and botanist (died 1759)

• 1777 Juliette Récamier, French businesswoman (died 1849)

• 1795 Thomas Carlyle, Scottish-English historian, philosopher, and academic (died 1881)

• 1798 Jules Armand Dufaure, French lawyer and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France (died 1881)

• 1817 Nikoloz Baratashvili, Georgian poet and author (died 1845)

• 1835 Samuel Butler, English author and critic (died 1902)

• 1844 Franz Xavier Wernz, German religious leader, 25th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (died 1914)

• 1861 Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic poet and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland (died 1922)

• 1865 Edith Cavell, English nurse, humanitarian, and saint (Anglicanism) (died 1915)

• 1867 Stanley Argyle, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Victoria (died 1940)

• 1868 Jesse Burkett, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1953)

• 1875 Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (died 1964)

• 1875 Joe Corbett, American baseball player and coach (died 1945)

• 1875 Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian-Swiss poet and author (died 1926)

• 1877 Morris Alexander, South African politician (died 1946)

• 1881 Erwin von Witzleben, Polish-German field marshal (died 1944)

• 1882 Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (died 1963)

• 1883 Katharine Susannah Prichard, Australian author and playwright (died 1969)

• 1884 R. C. Majumdar, Indian historian (died 1980)

• 1887 Winifred Carney, Irish suffragist, trade unionist, and Irish republican (died 1943)

• 1892 Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator, Prime Minister of Spain (died 1975)

• 1892 Liu Bocheng, Chinese commander and politician (died 1986)

• 1893 Herbert Read, English poet and critic (died 1968)

• 1895 Feng Youlan, Chinese philosopher and academic (died 1990)

• 1897 Robert Redfield, American anthropologist of Mexico (died 1958)

• 1899 Karl-Günther Heimsoth, German physician and politician (died 1934)

• 1899 Charlie Spencer, English footballer and manager (died 1953)

1901–present

• 1903 Cornell Woolrich, American author (died 1968)

• 1904 Albert Norden, German journalist and politician (died 1982)

• 1908 Alfred Hershey, American bacteriologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1997)

• 1910 Alex North, American composer and conductor (died 1991)

• 1910 R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (died 2009)

• 1912 Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1988)

• 1913 Mark Robson, Canadian-American director and producer (died 1978)

• 1914 Rudolf Hausner, Austrian painter and sculptor (died 1995)

• 1914 Claude Renoir, French cinematographer (died 1993)

• 1915 Eddie Heywood, American pianist and composer (died 1989)

• 1916 Ely Jacques Kahn Jr., American journalist and author (died 1994)

• 1919 I. K. Gujral, Indian poet and politician, 12th Prime Minister of India (died 2012)

• 1920 Nadir Afonso, Portuguese painter and architect (died 2013)

• 1920 Michael Bates, English actor (died 1978)

• 1920 Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (died 2013)

• 1921 Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress and singer (died 2013)

• 1923 Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier (died 2014)

• 1923 Eagle Keys, American-Canadian football player and coach (died 2012)

• 1923 John Krish, English director and screenwriter (died 2016)

• 1924 John C. Portman Jr., American architect, designed the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square (died 2017)

• 1925 Albert Bandura, Canadian-American psychologist and academic (died 2021)

• 1926 Ned Romero, American actor and opera singer (died 2017)

• 1929 Şakir Eczacıbaşı, Turkish pharmacist, photographer, and businessman (died 2010)

• 1930 Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor and comedian (died 2016)

• 1930 Jim Hall, American guitarist and composer (died 2013)

• 1931 Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2025)

• 1931 Wally George, American radio and television host (died 2003)

• 1932 Roh Tae-woo, South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea (died 2021)

• 1933 Horst Buchholz, German actor (died 2003)

• 1933 Wink Martindale, American game show host and producer (died 2025)

• 1933 Dick Ricketts, American baseball and basketball player (died 1988)

• 1934 Bill Collins, Australian film critic and author (died 2019)

• 1934 Victor French, American actor and director (died 1989)

• 1935 Paul O'Neill, American businessman and politician, 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury (died 2020)

• 1936 Freddy Cannon, American singer and guitarist

• 1936 John Giorno, American poet and performance artist (died 2019)

• 1937 Max Baer Jr., American actor, director, and producer

• 1938 Andre Marrou, American lawyer and politician

• 1938 Yvonne Minton, Australian-English soprano and actress

• 1939 Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (died 2016)

• 1939 Joan Brady, American-British author (died 2024)

• 1940 Gerd Achterberg, German footballer and manager

• 1940 Gary Gilmore, American murderer (died 1977)

• 1941 Marty Riessen, American tennis player and coach

• 1942 Bob Mosley, American singer-songwriter and bass player

• 1944 Chris Hillman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1944 Anna McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter

• 1944 François Migault, French race car driver (died 2012)

• 1944 Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer (died 1983)

• 1945 Roberta Bondar, Canadian neurologist, academic, and astronaut

• 1946 Karina, Spanish singer/actress

• 1947 Jane Lubchenco, American ecologist, academic, and diplomat

• 1948 Southside Johnny, American singer-songwriter

• 1949 Jeff Bridges, American actor

• 1949 Jock Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, English air marshal and politician

• 1950 Bjørn Kjellemyr, Norwegian bassist and composer (died 2025)

• 1951 Gary Rossington, American guitarist (died 2023)

• 1951 Patricia Wettig, American actress and playwright

• 1953 Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

• 1953 Jean-Marie Pfaff, Belgian footballer and manager

• 1954 Tony Todd, American actor (died 2024)

• 1955 Philip Hammond, English businessman and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer

• 1955 Dave Taylor, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager

• 1955 Cassandra Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer

• 1956 Nia Griffith, Welsh educator and politician, former Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

• 1956 Bernard King, American basketball player and sportscaster

• 1957 Raul Boesel, Brazilian race car driver and radio host

• 1957 Eric S. Raymond, American computer programmer and author

• 1957 Lee Smith, American baseball player

• 1958 Sergei Starikov, Russian ice hockey player and coach

• 1960 David Green, Nicaraguan-American baseball player

• 1960 Glynis Nunn, Australian heptathlete and hurler

• 1961 Frank Reich, American football player and coach

• 1961 Naomi Robson, American-Australian television host

• 1962 Vinnie Dombroski, American singer-songwriter and musician

• 1962 Gary Freeman, New Zealand rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster

• 1962 Nixon Kiprotich, Kenyan runner

• 1962 Kevin Richardson, English footballer and manager

• 1963 Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter

• 1963 Nigel Heslop, English rugby player

• 1964 Scott Hastings, Scottish rugby player and sportscaster (died 2026)

• 1964 Chelsea Noble, American actress

• 1964 Marisa Tomei, American actress

• 1965 Álex de la Iglesia, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter

• 1965 Shaun Hollamby, English race car driver and businessman

• 1965 Ulf Kirsten, German footballer and manager

• 1966 Fred Armisen, American actor and musician

• 1966 Andy Hess, American bass player

• 1966 Suzanne Malveaux, American journalist

• 1966 Suzette M. Malveaux, American lawyer and academic

• 1967 Guillermo Amor, Spanish footballer and manager

• 1968 Tahir Dawar, Pakistani police officer and Pashto poet (died 2018)

• 1969 Dionne Farris, American singer-songwriter, producer and actress

• 1969 Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, actor, and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records

• 1969 Plum Sykes, English journalist and author

• 1970 Kevin Sussman, American actor and comedian

• 1971 Shannon Briggs, American boxer and actor

• 1972 Jassen Cullimore, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1972 Yūko Miyamura, Japanese voice actress and singer

• 1973 Tyra Banks, American model, actress, and producer

• 1973 Mina Caputo, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player

• 1973 Michael Jackson, English footballer and manager

• 1973 Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league player

• 1973 Kate Rusby, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1973 Corliss Williamson, American basketball player and coach

• 1974 Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player

• 1976 Kristina Groves, Canadian speed skater

• 1976 Betty Lennox, American basketball player

• 1977 Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricketer

• 1977 Darvis Patton, American sprinter

• 1977 Morten Veland, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter

• 1978 Jaclyn Victor, Malaysian singer and actress

• 1979 Ysabella Brave, American singer-songwriter

• 1979 Jay DeMerit, American soccer player

• 1980 Brian Cook, American basketball player

• 1980 Viktor, Canadian wrestler and manager

• 1981 Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist

• 1982 Nathan Douglas, English triple jumper

• 1982 Waldo Ponce, Chilean footballer

• 1982 Ho-Pin Tung, Dutch-Chinese race car driver

• 1982 Nick Vujicic, Australian evangelist

• 1983 Jimmy Bartel, Australian footballer

• 1983 Chinx, American rapper (died 2015)

• 1984 Lindsay Felton, American actress

• 1984 Anna Petrakova, Russian basketball player

• 1984 Jelly Roll, American singer and rapper

• 1984 Joe Thomas, American football player

• 1985 Andrew Brackman, American baseball player

• 1985 Carlos Gómez, Dominican baseball player

• 1986 Kaija Udras, Estonian skier

• 1986 Martell Webster, American basketball player

• 1987 Orlando Brown, American actor and rapper

• 1988 Yeng Constantino, Filipina singer and songwriter

• 1990 Lukman Haruna, Nigerian footballer

• 1990 Blake Leary, Australian rugby league player

• 1991 Duje Dukan, Croatian basketball player

• 1991 André Roberson, American basketball player

• 1991 Max Holloway, American mixed martial artist

• 1991 Reality Winner, American intelligence specialist convicted of espionage

• 1992 Robin Bruyère, Belgian politician

• 1992 Peta Hiku, New Zealand rugby league player

• 1992 Jean-Claude Iranzi, Rwandan footballer

• 1992 Jin, South Korean singer, songwriter and actor

• 1992 Joe Musgrove, American baseball player

• 1992 Blake Snell, American baseball player

• 1994 Gabriel Lundberg, Danish basketball player

• 1996 Diogo Jota, Portuguese footballer (died 2025)

• 1996 Sebastián Vegas, Chilean footballer

• 1999 Kim Do-yeon, South Korean singer and actress

• 1999 Kang Mi-na, South Korean actress and singer

• 2002 María Dueñas, Spanish violinist and composer

• 2003 Jackson Holliday, American baseball player

• 2003 Kim Do-ah, South Korean singer and actress

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 749 John of Damascus, Syrian priest and saint (born 676)

• 771 Carloman I, Frankish king (born 751)

• 870 Suairlech ind Eidnén mac Ciaráin, Irish bishop

• 1075 Anno II, German archbishop and saint (born 1010)

• 1131 Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (born 1048)

• 1214 William the Lion, Scottish king (born 1143)

• 1260 Aymer de Valence, Bishop of Winchester (born 1222)

• 1270 Theobald II of Navarre (born 1238)

• 1334 Pope John XXII (born 1249)

• 1340 Henry Burghersh, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (born 1292)

• 1341 Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno

• 1408 Valentina Visconti, wife of Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans

• 1456 Charles I, Duke of Bourbon (born 1401)

• 1459 Adolphus VIII, Count of Holstein (born 1401)

• 1576 Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian-Slovak mathematician and cartographer (born 1514)

• 1585 John Willock, Scottish minister and reformer (born 1515)

1601–1900

• 1603 Maerten de Vos, Flemish painter and draughtsman (born 1532)

• 1609 Alexander Hume, Scottish poet (born 1560)

• 1637 Nicholas Ferrar, English trader (born 1592)

• 1642 Cardinal Richelieu, French cardinal and politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch (born 1585)

• 1649 William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet (born 1585)

• 1679 Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and theorist (born 1588)

• 1680 Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (born 1616)

• 1696 Empress Meishō of Japan (born 1624)

• 1728 Richard Ferrier, English politician (born c. 1671)

• 1732 John Gay, English poet and playwright (born 1685)

• 1798 Luigi Galvani, Italian physician, physicist, and philosopher (born 1737)

• 1828 Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1770)

• 1839 John Leamy, Irish–American merchant (born 1757)

• 1841 David Daniel Davis, Welsh-English physician and academic (born 1777)

• 1845 Gregor MacGregor, Scottish soldier and explorer (born 1786)

• 1850 William Sturgeon, English physicist, invented the electric motor (born 1783)

• 1893 John Tyndall, Irish-English physicist and chemist (born 1820)

• 1897 Griffith Rhys Jones, Welsh conductor (born 1834)

1901–present

• 1902 Charles Dow, American journalist and publisher, co-founded the Dow Jones & Company (born 1851)

• 1926 Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (born 1861)

• 1932 Edmund Wojtyła, Polish doctor (born 1906)

• 1933 Stefan George, German-Swiss poet and translator (born 1868)

• 1935 Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1864)

• 1935 Charles Richet, French physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1850)

• 1938 Borghild Holmsen, Norwegian pianist, composer and music critic (born 1865)

• 1938 Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (born 1903)

• 1942 Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, 3rd Head of State of Estonia (born 1885)

• 1942 Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (born 1883)

• 1944 Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player and manager (born 1879)

• 1945 Thomas Hunt Morgan, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1866)

• 1945 Richárd Weisz, Hungarian Olympic champion wrestler (born 1879)

• 1948 Frank Benford, American physicist and engineer (born 1883)

• 1950 Jesse L. Brown, 1st African-American Naval aviator (born 1926)

• 1954 George Shepherd, 1st Baron Shepherd (born 1881)

• 1955 József Galamb, Hungarian-American engineer (born 1881)

• 1963 Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (born 1882)

• 1967 Bert Lahr, American actor (born 1895)

• 1969 Fred Hampton, American Black Panthers activist (born 1948)

• 1971 Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator, founded the San Francisco Zen Center (born 1904)

• 1975 Hannah Arendt, German-American historian, theorist, and academic (born 1906)

• 1976 Tommy Bolin, American guitarist and songwriter (born 1951)

• 1976 Benjamin Britten, English pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1913)

• 1976 W. F. McCoy, Irish soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1886)

• 1980 Francisco de Sá Carneiro, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Portugal (born 1934)

• 1980 Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-American runner (born 1911)

• 1980 Don Warrington, Canadian football player (born 1948)

• 1981 Jeanne Block, American psychologist (born 1923)

• 1984 Jack Mercer, American animator, screenwriter, voice actor, and singer (born 1910)

• 1987 Arnold Lobel, American author and illustrator (born 1933)

• 1987 Rouben Mamoulian, Armenian-American director and screenwriter (born 1897)

• 1988 Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic (born 1899)

• 1992 Henry Clausen, American lawyer and author (born 1905)

• 1993 Margaret Landon, American missionary and author (born 1903)

• 1993 Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1940)

• 1999 Rose Bird, American academic and judge, 25th Chief Justice of California (born 1936)

• 2000 Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname (born 1936)

• 2003 Iggy Katona, American race car driver (born 1916)

• 2004 Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano and actress (born 1943)

• 2005 Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand soldier and author (born 1924)

• 2005 Gregg Hoffman, American film producer (born 1963)

• 2006 K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (born 1938)

• 2006 Ross A. McGinnis, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1987)

• 2007 Pimp C, American rapper (born 1973)

• 2009 Liam Clancy, Irish singer, actor, and guitarist (born 1935)

• 2010 King Curtis Iaukea, American wrestler (born 1937)

• 2011 Sonia Pierre, Haitian-Dominican activist (born 1965)

• 2011 Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (born 1954)

• 2011 Hubert Sumlin, American singer and guitarist (born 1931)

• 2012 Vasily Belov, Russian author, poet, and playwright (born 1932)

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

• 2012 Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (born 1971)

• 2012 Anthony Deane-Drummond, English general (born 1917)

• 2013 Joana Raspall i Juanola, Spanish author and poet (born 1913)

• 2014 Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (born 1957)

• 2014 V. R. Krishna Iyer, Indian lawyer and judge (born 1914)

• 2014 Vincent L. McKusick, American lawyer and judge (born 1921)

• 2014 Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (born 1929)

• 2015 Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (born 1932)

• 2015 Robert Loggia, American actor and director (born 1930)

• 2015 Yossi Sarid, Israeli journalist and politician, 15th Israeli Minister of Education (born 1940)

• 2016 Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer (born 1921)

• 2017 Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor (born 1938)

• 2022 Bob McGrath, American singer and actor (born 1932)

• 2022 Patrick Tambay, French race car driver (born 1949)

• 2024 Princess Birgitta of Sweden, Swedish royal (born 1937)

• 2024 - Brian Thompson, businessman (born 1974)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

• Ada

• Anno II

Barbara, and its related observances:

• Barbórka, Miners' Day in Poland

• Eid il-Burbara, a holiday similar to Halloween in honor of Saint Barbara. (Russia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey)

• Bernardo degli Uberti

• Clement of Alexandria (Anglicanism, Eastern Catholicism)

• Giovanni Calabria

• John of Damascus

• Maruthas

• Nicholas Ferrar (Anglicanism)

• Osmund

• Sigiramnus

• December 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Navy Day (India)

• Thai Environment Day (Thailand)

• Tupou I Day (Tonga)

References

External links

• BBC: On This Day

• Historical Events on December 4