Κάλαντα, Νικηφόρος Λύτρας, 1872

Καλήν εσπέραν άρχοντες, αν είναι ο ορισμός σας
Χριστού την θείαν Γέννησιν να πω στ’ αρχοντικό σας…

Αρχιμηνιά κι αρχιχρονιά κι αρχή καλός μας χρόνος…

Σήμερα τα φώτα κι ο Φωτισμός
Και χαρά μεγάλη κι αγιασμός…

Οι καλύτερες φωτογραφιες της χρονιάς 

Αντρας βουτάει με τον σκύλο του στην πόλη Πιράν, Σλοβενία

Φεγγάρι και αερόστατο, Καλιφόρνια, ΗΠΑ 

Γιορτή της ανθρώπινης πυραμίδας, Ταραγόνα, Ισπανία 

Εναρξη ιστιοδρομίας, Τεργέστη, Ιταλία

Εκρήξεις στην επιφάνεια του Ηλιου 

Μικροπωλητής στην Ινδία

Σπίτι στην εξοχή της Αγγλίας 

Πανσέληνος και ρόδα λούνα παρκ, Μοντάνα, ΗΠΑ

Αγόρι κοιτά τοιχογραφία για την ειρήνη, Μασαχουσέτη, ΗΠΑ

Μικροί πίθηκοι αρπάζουν τα μπιμπερό, Κίνα 

Ετήσια παρέλαση προβάτων, Μαδρίτη 

Πανσέληνος πάνω από το χωριό Ολβέρα, Ισπανία 

Μικρός Κινέζος κοιμάται με τη γάτα του μετά τον σεισμό στην επαρχία Λουδιάν, Κίνα 

Παραλία στο Ρίο Ντε Τζανέιρο, Βραζιλία  

Αντρας σε ερημικό δρόμο της Ζένιτσα, Βοσνία 

Τα τρίδυμα πάντα της Κίνας 

Τουρίστρια και σαπουνόφουσκα, Λισσαβώνα, Πορτογαλία 

Τελετή για τα θύματα του τυφώνα Χαγιάν, Φιλιππίνες 

Κοριτσάκι στον εορτασμό της επετείου της πτώσης του Τείχους, Βερολίνο 

Ροζ ομπρέλες για την έναρξη του μήνα της καταπολέμησης του καρκίνου του μαστού

ΝΕΡΙΤ , το νέο εποπτικό συμβούλιο

[edit]

• 333 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevates his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar.
• 336 – First documentary sign of Christmas celebration in ancient Rome
• 350 – Vetranio meets Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and is forced to abdicate his title (Caesar). Constantius allows him to live as a private citizen on a state pension.
• 496 – Clovis I, king of the Franks, is baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.
• 597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptise in Kent more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons.
• 800 – Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.
• 1000 – The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.
• 1025 – Coronation of Mieszko II Lambert as King of Poland
• 1066 – William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London.
• 1076 – Coronation of Bolesław II the Generous as king of Poland.
• 1100 – Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.
• 1130 – Count Roger II of Sicily is crowned the first King of Sicily.
• 1261 – John IV Laskaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaiologos.
• 1492 – Carrack Santa María captained by Christopher Columbus runs onto reefs off Haiti due to a proper watch not being kept. Local natives help to save food, armory and ammunition but not the ship.
• 1553 – Battle of Tucapel: Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeat the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia.
• 1559 – Pope Pius IV is elected.
• 1643 – Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean found and named by Captain William Mynors of the English East India Company vessel, the Royal Mary.
• 1776 – George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River at night to attack Hessian forces serving Great Britain at Trenton, New Jersey, the next day.
• 1809 – Dr. Ephraim McDowell performs the first ovariotomy, removing a 22 pound tumor.
• 1814 – Rev. Samuel Marsden holds the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay.
• 1815 – The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance.
• 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening.
• 1837 – Second Seminole War: American general Zachary Taylor leads 1100 troops against the Seminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee.
• 1868 – United States President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.
• 1914 – A series of unofficial truces occur across the Western Front to celebrate Christmas.
• 1926 – Emperor Taishō of Japan dies. His son, Prince Hirohito, succeeds him as Emperor Shōwa.
• 1927 – The Vietnamese Nationalist Party is founded.
• 1932 – A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills 275 people.
• 1941 – Admiral Chester W. Nimitz arrives at Pearl Harbor to assume command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet
• 1941 – World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
• 1941 – Admiral Émile Muselier seizes the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which become the first part of France to be liberated by the Free French Forces.
• 1946 – The first in Europe artificial, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated within Soviet F-1 nuclear reactor.
• 1947 – The Constitution of the Republic of China goes into effect.
• 1950 – The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951.
• 1963 – Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.
• 1965 – The Yemeni Nasserist Unionist People's Organisation is founded in Ta'izz
• 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the very first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.
• 1968 – Kilvenmani massacre, 44 Dalits (untouchables) burnt to death in Kizhavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit laborers.
• 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Northern Territory Australia.
• 1974 – Marshall Fields drives a vehicle through the gates of the White House, resulting in a four-hour standoff.
• 1977 – Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with its president Anwar Sadat.
• 1989 – Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, First-Deputy Prime-Minister Elena Ceaușescu are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial.
• 1991 – Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as General Secretary of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day). Ukraine's referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union.
• 2000 – Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a bill into law that officially establishes a new National Anthem of Russia, with music adopted from the anthem of the Soviet Union that was composed by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov.
• 2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express spacecraft on December 19, disappears shortly before its scheduled landing.
• 2004 – Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005.
• 2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro Airport Northwest Airlines Flight 253
• 2012 – An Antonov An-72 plane crashes close to the city of Shymkent, killing 27 people.

Births[edit]

• 1250 – John IV Laskaris, Byzantine emperor (d. 1305)
• 1461 – Christina of Saxony (d. 1521)
• 1583 – Orlando Gibbons, English organist and composer (d. 1625)
• 1584 – Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain (d. 1611)
• 1628 – Noël Coypel, French painter (d. 1707)
• 1642 – Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (d. 1727)
• 1652 – Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician, anatomist, and scholar (d. 1713)
• 1665 – Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish-English poet and songwriter (d. 1746)
• 1667 – Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal (d. 1743)
• 1674 – Thomas Halyburton, Scottish minister and theologian (d. 1712)
• 1686 – Giovanni Battista Somis, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1763)
• 1696 – Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar (d. 1715)
• 1700 – Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (d. 1758)
• 1711 – Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, French violinist and composer (d. 1772)
• 1716 – Johann Jakob Reiske, German physician and scholar (d. 1774)
• 1717 – Pope Pius VI (d. 1799)
• 1728 – Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (d. 1804)
• 1730 – Philip Mazzei, Italian-American physician and philosopher (d. 1816)
• 1742 – Charlotte von Stein, German assistant of Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (d. 1827)
• 1745 – Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Caribbean-French violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1799)
• 1757 – Benjamin Pierce, American general and politician, 17th Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1839)
• 1763 – Claude Chappe, French engineer (d. 1805)
• 1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)
• 1776 – Sydney, Lady Morgan, Irish-English author (d. 1859)
• 1817 – John Hewitt Jellett, Irish priest and academic (d. 1888)
• 1821 – Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross (d. 1912)
• 1829 – Patrick Gilmore, Irish-American composer and bandleader (d. 1892)
• 1856 – Pud Galvin, American baseball player (d. 1902)
• 1856 – Hans von Bartels, German painter (d. 1913)
• 1860 – Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (d. 1921)
• 1861 – Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian educator, lawyer, and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (d. 1946)
• 1864 – Thomas Cahill, American soccer player and coach (d. 1951)
• 1865 – Evangeline Booth, English 4th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1950)
• 1869 – Charles Finger, English-American journalist and author (d. 1941)
• 1870 – Lloyd Hildebrand, English cyclist (d. 1924)
• 1870 – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman (d. 1965)
• 1871 – Katherine McKinley, American daughter of William McKinley (d. 1875)
• 1873 – Otto Frederick Hunziker, Swiss-American agriculturalist and educator (d. 1959)
• 1874 – Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano and actress (d. 1944)
• 1875 – Theodor Innitzer, Austrian cardinal (d. 1955)
• 1876 – Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Indian-Pakistani lawyer and politician, 1st Governor-General of Pakistan (d. 1948)
• 1876 – Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
• 1877 – Noël Bas, French gymnast (d. 1960)
• 1878 – Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver (d. 1941)
• 1878 – Noëlle, Countess of Rothes (d. 1956)
• 1878 – Joseph Schenk, Russian-born American film executive (d. 1961)
• 1883 – Hugo Bergmann, Czech-Israeli philosopher and academic (d. 1975)
• 1884 – Samuel Berger, American boxer (d. 1925)
• 1884 – Evelyn Nesbit, American actress (d. 1967)
• 1886 – Kid Ory, American trombonist and bandleader (d. 1973)
• 1887 – Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (d. 1979)
• 1889 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader's Digest (d. 1984)
• 1890 – Noel Odell, English geologist and mountaineer (d. 1987)
• 1890 – Robert Ripley, American anthropologist and publisher, founded Ripley's Believe It or Not! (d. 1949)
• 1891 – Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (d. 1980)
• 1899 – Humphrey Bogart, American actor and singer (d. 1957)
• 1901 – Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (d. 2004)
• 1902 – Barton MacLane, American actor, singer, and playwright (d. 1969)
• 1902 – William Bell, American tuba player and educator (d. 1971)
• 1903 – Antiochos Evangelatos, Greek composer and conductor (d. 1981)
• 1904 – Gerhard Herzberg, German-Canadian physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
• 1906 – Lew Grade, Ukrainian-English film producer (d. 1998)
• 1906 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
• 1907 – Cab Calloway, American singer-songwriter and bandleader (d. 1994)
• 1907 – Mike Mazurki, Ukrainian-American wrestler and actor (d. 1990)
• 1907 – Glenn McCarthy, American businessman, founded the Shamrock Hotel (d. 1988)
• 1908 – Quentin Crisp, English actor, author, and illustrator (d. 1999)
• 1908 – Ernest L. Massad, American general (d. 1993)
• 1908 – Jo-Jo Moore, American baseball player (d. 2001)
• 1909 – Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American engineer (d. 1996)
• 1911 – Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor and painter (d. 2010)
• 1913 – Candy Candido, American singer, bass player, and voice actor (d. 1999)
• 1913 – Tony Martin, American singer and actor (d. 2012)
• 1913 – Henri Nannen, German journalist (d. 1966)
• 1914 – James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand businessman (d. 2007)
• 1915 – Pete Rugolo, Italian-American composer and producer (d. 2011)
• 1916 – Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (d. 2012)
• 1917 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (d. 2009)
• 1918 – Anwar Sadat, Egyptian lieutenant and politician, 3rd President of Egypt, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
• 1919 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer and director (d. 2006)
• 1919 – Paul David, Canadian cardiologist and politician, founded the Montreal Heart Institute (d. 1999)
• 1919 – Noele Gordon, English actress (d. 1985)
• 1920 – Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist (d. 2011)
• 1921 – Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, Indian-Pakistani journalist and author (d. 2000)
• 1921 – Steve Otto, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
• 1922 – William Demby, American author (d. 2013)
• 1923 – René Girard, French historian, philosopher, and critic
• 1924 – Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer, created The Twilight Zone (d. 1975)
• 1924 – Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian poet and politician, 10th Prime Minister of India
• 1925 – Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-American anthropologist and author (d. 1998)
• 1925 – Ned Garver, American baseball player
• 1925 – Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (d. 2007)
• 1926 – Febo Conti, Italian actor (d. 2012)
• 1926 – Enrique Jorrín, Cuban composer and violinist (d. 1987)
• 1927 – Nellie Fox, American baseball player and coach (d. 1975)
• 1927 – Ram Narayan, Indian sarangi player
• 1927 – Leo Kubiak, American basketball and baseball player
• 1928 – Dick Miller, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1929 – Stuart Hall, English radio and television host
• 1929 – Christine M. Jones, American educator and politician (d. 2013)
• 1929 – Chris Kenner, American singer-songwriter (d. 1976)
• 1930 – Emmanuel Agassi, Iranian-American boxer
• 1930 – Armenak Alachachian, Armenian basketball player and coach
• 1930 – Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet and illustrator (d. 1986)
• 1932 – Mabel King, American actress and singer (d. 1999)
• 1933 – Basil Heatley, English long-distance runner
• 1935 – Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudanese politician, Prime Minister of Sudan
• 1935 – Stephen Barnett, American academic and scholar (d. 2009)
• 1935 – Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, American politician (d. 2007)
• 1935 – Anne Roiphe, American author and activist
• 1936 – Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
• 1936 – Ismail Merchant, Indian-English director and producer (d. 2005)
• 1937 – O'Kelly Isley, Jr., American singer-songwriter (The Isley Brothers) (d. 1986)
• 1938 – Duane Armstrong, American painter
• 1938 – David Borden, American composer and academic
• 1938 – Noel Picard, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1939 – Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Pakistani businessman
• 1939 – Bob James, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Fourplay)
• 1939 – Akong Rinpoche, Tibetan-Chinese spiritual leader (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Royce D. Applegate, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2003)
• 1940 – Pete Brown, English singer-songwriter
• 1940 – Hilary Spurling, English journalist and author
• 1941 – Kenneth Calman, Scottish physician, surgeon, and academic
• 1942 – Françoise Dürr, Algerian-French tennis player
• 1942 – Barbara Follett, Jamaican-English politician
• 1942 – Enrique Morente, Spanish singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
• 1943 – Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior, Brazilian race car driver
• 1943 – Hanna Schygulla, German actress and singer
• 1944 – Jairzinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1944 – Kenny Everett, English comedian, actor, and radio host (d. 1995)
• 1944 – Nigel Starmer-Smith, English rugby player and journalist
• 1944 – Henry Vestine, American guitarist (Canned Heat and The Mothers of Invention) (d. 1997)
• 1945 – Rick Berman, American screenwriter and producer
• 1945 – Eve Pollard, English journalist and author
• 1945 – Mike Pringle, Zambian-Scottish politician
• 1945 – Noel Redding, English singer-songwriter and bass player (The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fat Mattress, Road, and The Noel Redding Band) (d. 2003)
• 1945 – Gary Sandy, American actor
• 1945 – Ken Stabler, American football player and sportscaster
• 1946 – Jimmy Buffett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
• 1946 – Larry Csonka, American football player and sportscaster
• 1946 – Christopher Frayling, English academic and author
• 1946 – Gene Lamont, American baseball player and manager
• 1946 – Stuart Wilson, English actor
• 1947 – Twink Caplan, American actress and producer
• 1948 – Alia al-Hussein, Egyptian wife of Hussein of Jordan (d. 1977)
• 1948 – Barbara Mandrell, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1948 – Joel Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1949 – Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, Brazilian singer
• 1949 – Nawaz Sharif, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan
• 1949 – Sissy Spacek, American actress and singer
• 1949 – Joe Louis Walker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
• 1950 – Peter Boardman, English mountaineer and author (d. 1982)
• 1950 – Yehuda Poliker, Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1950 – Karl Rove, American journalist and diplomat, White House Deputy Chief of Staff
• 1950 – Manny Trillo, Venezuelan baseball player and manager
• 1952 – Desireless, French singer
• 1952 – Tolossa Kotu, Ethiopian athlete and coach
• 1952 – C. C. H. Pounder, Guyanese-American actress
• 1953 – Kaarlo Maaninka, Finnish long-distance runner
• 1954 – Annie Lennox, Scottish singer-songwriter and pianist (The Tourists and Eurythmics)
• 1954 – Steve Wariner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1955 – Brett Vroman, American basketball player
• 1957 – Chris Kamara, English footballer and sportscaster
• 1957 – Shane MacGowan, English-Irish singer-songwriter (The Pogues, The Nips, and Shane MacGowan and The Popes)
• 1958 – Cheryl Chase, American voice actress and singer
• 1958 – Hanford Dixon, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1958 – Rickey Henderson, American baseball player and coach
• 1958 – Konstantin Kinchev, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Alisa)
• 1958 – Alannah Myles, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1958 – Martin Wiesner, German footballer
• 1959 – Michael P. Anderson, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2003)
• 1960 – Ron Bottitta, English actor
• 1961 – Íngrid Betancourt, Colombian politician
• 1962 – Dean Cameron, American actor
• 1964 – Ian Bostridge, English tenor
• 1964 – Gary McAllister, Scottish footballer and manager
• 1964 – Tim Royes, American director (d. 2007)
• 1964 – Bob Stanley, English keyboard player, songwriter, producer, and journalist (Saint Etienne)
• 1965 – Edward Davey, English politician
• 1965 – David Rath, Czech physician and politician
• 1966 – Toshi Arai, Japanese race car driver
• 1967 – Jason Thirsk, American bass player (Pennywise and Humble Gods) (d. 1996)
• 1968 – Helena Christensen, Danish model and actress
• 1968 – Jim Dowd, American ice hockey player
• 1969 – Frederick Onyancha, Kenyan middle-distance runner
• 1970 – Nagma, Indian actress
• 1970 – Emmanuel Amuneke, Nigerian footballer, coach, and manager
• 1970 – Rodney Dent, American basketball player
• 1971 – Dido, English singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Noel Hogan, Irish guitarist and producer (The Cranberries, Mono Band, and Arkitekt)
• 1971 – Justin Trudeau, Canadian educator and politician
• 1972 – Josh Freese, American drummer and songwriter (The Vandals and Devo)
• 1972 – Mac Powell, American singer-songwriter and producer (Third Day)
• 1972 – Qu Yunxia, Chinese middle-distance runner
• 1973 – Robbie Elliott, English footballer and coach
• 1973 – Chris Harris, American wrestler
• 1973 – Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist and director
• 1974 – Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, Mexican drug lord (d. 2012)
• 1975 – Rob Mariano, American reality show contestant, winner of Survivor: Redemption Island
• 1975 – Daniel Mustard, American singer-songwriter
• 1975 – Hideki Okajima, Japanese baseball player
• 1975 – Choi Sung-yong, South Korean footballer and manager
• 1975 – Marcus Trescothick, English cricketer
• 1976 – Tuomas Holopainen, Finnish keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Nightwish and For My Pain...)
• 1976 – Tim James, American basketball player and coach
• 1976 – Atko Väikmeri, Estonian footballer
• 1976 – Armin van Buuren, Dutch DJ and producer
• 1977 – Uhm Ji-won, South Korean actress
• 1977 – Priya Anjali Rai, Indian-American porn actress
• 1977 – Israel Vázquez, Mexican boxer
• 1977 – Ali Tandoğan, Turkish footballer
• 1978 – Simon Jones, Welsh cricketer
• 1978 – Joel Porter, Australian footballer and manager
• 1978 – Bridgetta Tomarchio, American actress and model
• 1979 – Laurent Bonnart, French footballer
• 1979 – Robert Huff, English race car driver
• 1979 – Hyun Young-min, South Korean footballer
• 1980 – Kahi, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (After School)
• 1980 – Locó, Angolan footballer
• 1980 – Joanna Angel, American porn actress, director, and producer
• 1980 – Reika Hashimoto, Japanese model and actress
• 1980 – Laura Sadler, English actress (d. 2003)
• 1980 – Marcus Trufant, American football player
• 1981 – Trenesha Biggers, American wrestler
• 1981 – Christian Holst, Danish-Faroese footballer
• 1981 – Willy Taveras, Dominican baseball player
• 1981 – Katie Wright, American actress
• 1982 – Dev, Indian actor and singer
• 1982 – Shawn Andrews, American football player
• 1982 – Rob Edwards, Welsh footballer
• 1982 – Ethan Kath, Canadian keyboard player, songwriter and producer (Crystal Castles and Kïll Cheerleadër)
• 1982 – Chris Rene, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1984 – Chris Cahill, Samoan footballer
• 1984 – Alastair Cook, English cricketer
• 1984 – Georgia Moffett, English actress
• 1984 – Jessica Origliasso, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (The Veronicas)
• 1984 – Lisa Origliasso, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (The Veronicas)
• 1984 – Chris Richard, American basketball player
• 1985 – Martin Mathathi, Kenyan long-distance runner
• 1985 – Alexander Rusev, Bulgarian wrestler
• 1985 – Leon Pisani, Welsh singer-songwriter (V)
• 1985 – Perdita Weeks, Welsh actress
• 1986 – Aya Suzaki, Japanese voice actress
• 1987 – Ceyhun Gülselam, Turkish footballer
• 1987 – Julian Lage, American guitarist and composer
• 1987 – Jorgie Porter, English actress
• 1987 – Justin Sweeney, Australian footballer
• 1987 – LJ Reyes, Filipino actress and dancer
• 1988 – Joãozinho, Brazilian footballer
• 1988 – Eric Gordon, American basketball player
• 1988 – Lukas Hinds-Johnson, German rugby player
• 1989 – Djameleddine Benlamri, Algerian footballer
• 1989 – Michael Green, American soccer player
• 1989 – Shahzaib Hasan, Pakistani cricketer
• 1989 – Keri Wong, American tennis player
• 1990 – Conny Perrin, Swiss tennis player
• 1993 – Emi Takei, Japanese model, actress, and singer
• 1995 – Mimmi Sandén, Swedish singer and actress

Deaths[edit]

• 795 – Pope Adrian I (b. 700)
• 820 – Leo V the Armenian, Byzantine emperor (b. 775)
• 940 – Makan ibn Kaki, Iranian general
• 1156 – Peter the Venerable, French saint (b. 1092)
• 1553 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish-Chilean explorer and politician, 1st Royal Governor of Chile (b. 1500)
• 1635 – Samuel de Champlain, French soldier, geographer, and explorer (b. 1567)
• 1676 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire (b. 1592)
• 1676 – Matthew Hale, English lawyer and jurist, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (b. 1609)
• 1683 – Kara Mustafa Pasha, Ottoman general (b. 1634)
• 1758 – James Hervey, English priest and author (b. 1714)
• 1763 – Suraj Mal, Indian ruler (b. 1707)
• 1784 – Yosa Buson, Japanese poet and painter (b. 1716)
• 1824 – Barbara von Krüdener, German mystic and author (b. 1764)
• 1868 – Linus Yale, Jr., American engineer and businessman (b. 1821)
• 1875 – Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (b. 1851)
• 1880 – Fridolin Anderwert, Swiss politician, President of the Swiss National Council (b. 1828)
• 1916 – Albert Chmielowski, Polish saint, founded the Albertine Brothers (b. 1845)
• 1916 – Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (b. 1854)
• 1921 – Vladimir Korolenko, Russian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1853)
• 1925 – Karl Abraham, German psychoanalyst (b. 1877)
• 1926 – Emperor Taishō of Japan (b. 1879)
• 1928 – Miles Burke, American boxer (b. 1885)
• 1933 – Francesc Macià i Llussà, Catalan colonel and politician, 122nd President of Catalonia (b. 1859)
• 1935 – Paul Bourget, French author and critic (b. 1852)
• 1938 – Karel Čapek, Czech author and playwright (b. 1890)
• 1940 – Agnes Ayres, American actress (b. 1898)
• 1941 – Richard S. Aldrich, American politician (b. 1884)
• 1944 – George Steer, South African-English journalist and author (b. 1909)
• 1945 – Franz Kröwerath, German rower (b. 1880)
• 1946 – W. C. Fields, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1880)
• 1947 – Gaspar G. Bacon, American politician, 51st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1886)
• 1949 – Leon Schlesinger, American animator and producer, founded Warner Bros. Cartoons (b. 1884)
• 1950 – Neil Francis Hawkins, English politician (b. 1903)
• 1952 – Margrethe Mather, American photographer (b. 1886)
• 1953 – Patsy Donovan, Irish-American baseball player and manager (b. 1865)
• 1953 – William Haselden, Spanish-English cartoonist (b. 1872)
• 1954 – Johnny Ace, American singer (b. 1929)
• 1956 – Robert Walser, Swiss author (b. 1878)
• 1957 – Charles Pathé, French record producer, founded Pathé Records (b. 1863)
• 1961 – Owen Brewster, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 54th Governor of Maine (b. 1888)
• 1961 – Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1873)
• 1963 – Tristan Tzara, Romanian-French poet, playwright, painter, and critic (b. 1896)
• 1970 – Michael Peto, Hungarian-English photographer and journalist (b. 1908)
• 1973 – İsmet İnönü, Turkish general and politician, 2nd President of Turkey (b. 1884)
• 1973 – Gabriel Voisin, French pilot and engineer (b. 1880)
• 1975 – Gaston Gallimard, French publisher, founded Éditions Gallimard (b. 1881)
• 1975 – Gunnar Kangro, Estonian mathematician and author (b. 1913)
• 1977 – Charlie Chaplin, English actor and director (b. 1889)
• 1979 – Joan Blondell, American actress and singer (b. 1906)
• 1979 – Jordi Bonet, Canadian painter and sculptor (b. 1932)
• 1983 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1893)
• 1988 – Shōhei Ōoka, Japanese author and critic (b. 1909)
• 1988 – Edward Pelham-Clinton, 10th Duke of Newcastle, English lepidopterist (b. 1920)
• 1989 – Benny Binion, American poker player and businessman (b. 1904)
• 1989 – Elena Ceaușescu, Romanian politician (b. 1919)
• 1989 – Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanian general and politician, 1st President of Romania (b. 1918)
• 1989 – Betty Garde, American actress (b. 1905)
• 1989 – Frederick F. Houser, American judge and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of California (b. 1905)
• 1989 – Billy Martin, American baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
• 1989 – Florică Murariu, Romanian rugby player (b. 1955)
• 1989 – Robert Pirosh, American director and screenwriter (b. 1910)
• 1989 – Wally Ris, American swimmer (b. 1924)
• 1992 – Monica Dickens, English-American author (b. 1915)
• 1993 – Pierre Victor Auger, French physicist (b. 1899)
• 1994 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (b. 1916)
• 1995 – Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian-French philosopher and academic (b. 1906)
• 1995 – Dean Martin, American singer and actor (b. 1917)
• 1996 – Bill Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1928)
• 1997 – Anatoli Boukreev, Kazakh mountaineer and explorer (b. 1958)
• 1997 – Denver Pyle, American actor, singer, and director (b. 1920)
• 1998 – Bryan MacLean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Love) (b. 1946)
• 1998 – John Pulman, English snooker player (b. 1926)
• 1999 – Peter Jeffrey, English actor (b. 1929)
• 2000 – Neil Hawke, Australian cricketer and footballer (b. 1939)
• 2000 – Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher and academic (b. 1908)
• 2001 – Alfred A. Tomatis, French otolaryngologist (b. 1920)
• 2002 – William T. Orr, American actor and producer (b. 1917)
• 2003 – Nicholas Mavroules, American politician (b. 1929)
• 2004 – Gennadi Strekalov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1940)
• 2004 – Robert Elliott, American actor (b. 1944)
• 2005 – Derek Bailey, English guitarist (b. 1930)
• 2005 – Robert Barbers, Filipino police officer, lawyer, and politician (b. 1944)
• 2005 – Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (b. 1918)
• 2006 – James Brown, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (The Famous Flames) (b. 1933)
• 2006 – Hiroaki Hidaka, Japanese serial killer (b. 1962)
• 2007 – Des Barrick, English cricketer (b. 1927)
• 2007 – Jim Beauchamp, American baseball player and coach (b. 1939)
• 2007 – Mighty King Kong, Kenyan singer (b. 1973)
• 2008 – Eartha Kitt, American singer and actress (b. 1927)
• 2009 – Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (brute. and The Undertow Orchestra) (b. 1964)
• 2010 – Carlos Andrés Pérez, Venezuelan politician, 66th President of Venezuela (b. 1922)
• 2011 – Giorgio Bocca, Italian journalist (b. 1920)
• 2011 – Jim Sherwood, American saxophonist (The Mothers of Invention) (b. 1942)
• 2011 – Simms Taback, American author and illustrator (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Sita bint Fahd Al Damir, Saudi Arabian wife of Khalid of Saudi Arabia (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Erico Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1940)
• 2012 – Turki bin Sultan, Saudi Arabian politician (b. 1959)
• 2012 – Augusto Bracca, Venezuelan composer (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Frank Calabrese, Sr., American mobster (b. 1937)
• 2012 – Jane Dixon, American bishop (b. 1937)
• 2012 – Rachel Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre, English wife of William Douglas-Home (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Halfdan Hegtun, Norwegian radio host and politician (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Edward Hughes, American bishop (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Henry Ford Kamel, Ghanaian banker and politician (b. 1961)
• 2012 – Joe Krivak, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Şerafettin Elçi, Turkish lawyer, politician (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Anthony J. Bryant, American historian and author (b. 1961)
• 2013 – Luis Humberto Gómez Gallo, Colombian engineer and politician (b. 1962)
• 2013 – David R. Harris, English geographer, anthropologist, archaeologist and academic (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Wayne Harrison, English footballer (b. 1967)
• 2013 – Mike Hegan, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1942)
• 2013 – Andy Malcolm, English-South African footballer (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Mel Mathay, Filipino politician, 8th Mayor of Quezon City (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Adnan Şenses, Turkish singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1935)

Holidays and observances[edit]

• Christian feast day:
  • Anastasia of Sirmium (Catholic Church)
  • December 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Christmas Day, Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus. (International)
• Constitution Day (Taiwan)
• Malkh-Festival (Nakh peoples of Chechnya and Ingushetia)
• Quaid-e-Azam's Day (Pakistan)
• Takanakuy (Chumbivilcas Province, Peru)

Σε περίπου 290 ανέρχονται οι χώροι ή τα μνημεία πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς στη Συρίαπου έχουν καταστραφεί από τον συνεχιζόμενο εμφύλιο πόλεμο όπως προκύπτει από δορυφορικές φωτογραφίες, ανακοίνωσε το Ινστιτούτο των Ηνωμένων Εθνών για την Εκπαίδευση και την Έρευνα (UNITAR).

Αν και η χώρα είναι διάσημη σε όλο τον κόσμο για τα νησιά της που γεμίζουν κάθε χρόνο από τουρίστες, το ξένο μέσο έχει βρει πολλούς λόγους ένας επισκέπτης να γνωρίσει την Ελλάδα και το Χειμώνα

[edit]

• 537 – The Hagia Sophia is completed.
• 1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to native Indians in the New World.
• 1655 – Second Northern War/the Deluge: Monks at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa are successful in fending off a month-long siege.
• 1657 – The Flushing Remonstrance is signed.
• 1703 – Portugal and England sign the Methuen Treaty which gives preference to Portuguese imported wines into England.
• 1814 – War of 1812: The American schooner USS Carolina is destroyed. It was the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson's makeshift fleet that fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans.
• 1831 – Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, during which he will begin to formulate the theory of evolution.
• 1836 – The worst ever avalanche in England occurs at Lewes, Sussex, killing eight people.
• 1845 – Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.
• 1845 – Journalist John L. O'Sullivan, writing in his newspaper the New York Morning News, argues that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country "by the right of our manifest destiny".
• 1911 – "Jana Gana Mana", the national anthem of India, is first sung in the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.
• 1918 – The Great Poland Uprising against the Germans begins.
• 1922 – Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō becomes the first purpose built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world.
• 1923 – Daisuke Namba, a Japanese student, tries to assassinate the Prince Regent Hirohito.
• 1927 – Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opens at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway.
• 1929 – Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin orders the "liquidation of the kulaks as a class", ostensibly as an effort to spread socialism to the countryside.
• 1932 – Radio City Music Hall, "Showplace of the Nation", opens in New York City.
• 1939 – Erzincan, Turkey, is hit by an earthquake, killing 30,000.
• 1939 – Winter War: Finland holds off a Soviet attack in the Battle of Kelja.
• 1942 – The Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia is founded.
• 1945 – The World Bank and International Monetary Fund are created with the signing of an agreement by 29 nations.
• 1949 – Indonesian National Revolution: The Netherlands officially recognizes Indonesian independence. End of the Dutch East Indies.
• 1966 – The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the world, is discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
• 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital manned mission to the Moon.
• 1978 – Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship.
• 1979 – The Soviet Union invades the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
• 1983 – Pope John Paul II visits Mehmet Ali Ağca in Rebibbia's prison and personally forgives him for the 1981 attack on him in St. Peter's Square.
• 1985 – Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside the airports of Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.
• 1989 – The Romanian Revolution concludes, as the last minor street confrontations and stray shootings abruptly end in the country's capital, Bucharest.
• 1996 – Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Airfield which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul, Afghanistan.
• 1997 – Protestant paramilitary leader Billy Wright is assassinated in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
• 2001 – China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States.
• 2002 – Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia.
• 2004 – Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet.
• 2007 – Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a shooting incident.
• 2007 – Riots erupt in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of the presidential election, triggering a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis.
• 2008 – Operation Cast Lead: Israel launches 3-week operation on Gaza.
• 2009 – Iranian election protests: On the Day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, government security forces fire upon demonstrators.

Births[edit]

• 1390 – Anne de Mortimer, Irish wife of Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (d. 1411)
• 1571 – Johannes Kepler, German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer (d. 1630)
• 1572 – Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech poet, playwright, and composer (d. 1622)
• 1683 – Conyers Middleton, English clergyman and theologian (d. 1750)
• 1714 – George Whitefield, English-American preacher and saint (d. 1770)
• 1715 – Philippe de Noailles, French soldier (d. 1794)
• 1721 – François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher and author (d. 1790)
• 1761 – Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal and politician (d. 1818)
• 1773 – George Cayley, English engineer and politician (d. 1857)
• 1776 – Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (d. 1811)
• 1796 – Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet (d. 1869)
• 1803 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian activist (d. 1839)
• 1809 – Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece (d. 1892)
• 1822 – Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (d. 1895)
• 1823 – Mackenzie Bowell, English-Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1917)
• 1832 – Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tretyakov Gallery (d. 1897)
• 1858 – Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Chilean lawyer and politician, 17th President of Chile (d. 1930)
• 1863 – Louis Lincoln Emmerson, American politician, 27th Governor of Illinois (d. 1941)
• 1864 – Hermann-Paul, French painter and illustrator (d. 1940)
• 1879 – Sydney Greenstreet, English-American actor and singer (d. 1954)
• 1883 – Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1979)
• 1888 – Thea von Harbou, German actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 1954)
• 1892 – Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot (d. 1917)
• 1896 – Louis Bromfield, American author and theorist (d. 1956)
• 1896 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (d. 1952)
• 1896 – Carl Zuckmayer, German author and playwright (d. 1977)
• 1900 – Hans Stuck, German race car driver (d. 1978)
• 1901 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (d. 1992)
• 1901 – Irene Handl, English actress (d. 1987)
• 1904 – René Bonnet, French racing driver and automobile constructor (d. 1983)
• 1906 – Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, and actor (d. 1972)
• 1907 – Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
• 1907 – Mary Howard, English author (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Conrad L. Raiford, American baseball player and activist (d. 2002)
• 1907 – Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer (d. 1978)
• 1909 – James Riddell, English skier and author (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Charles Olson, American poet and educator (d. 1970)
• 1911 – Anna Russell, English-Canadian singer and actress (d. 2006)
• 1914 – Jack Latham, American actor, and news anchor (d. 1987)
• 1915 – Mary Kornman, American actress (d. 1973)
• 1915 – William Masters, American gynecologist, author, and academic (d. 2001)
• 1915 – Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian footballer manager and (d. 1999)
• 1916 – Werner Baumbach, German pilot (d. 1953)
• 1917 – T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic (d. 2004)
• 1917 – Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (d. 2009)
• 1918 – John Celardo, American illustrator (d. 2012)
• 1919 – Charles Sweeney, American general (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Bruce Hobbs, American jockey and trainer (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Bruno Bobak, Polish-Canadian painter and educator (d. 2012)
• 1924 – James A. McClure, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2011)
• 1924 – Hung Sin-nui, Chinese actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Maurice Bambier, French politician (d. 1994)
• 1925 – Michel Piccoli, French actor, singer, director, and producer
• 1926 – Jerome Courtland, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Antony Gardner, English politician (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Nityanand Swami, Indian politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Audrey Wagner, American baseball player, obstetrician, and gynecologist (d. 1984)
• 1930 – Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist and academic
• 1930 – Wilfrid Sheed, English-American author (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist (The Blue Moon Boys)
• 1934 – Christopher Benjamin, English actor
• 1934 – Larisa Latynina, Ukrainian gymnast
• 1934 – Jeffrey Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow, English businessman
• 1935 – Michael Turnbull, English bishop
• 1936 – Eve Uusmees, Estonian swimmer and coach
• 1938 – Stanislav Stanojevic, Serbian-French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1939 – John Amos, American actor
• 1941 – Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
• 1941 – Mike Pinder, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (The Moody Blues)
• 1941 – Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach
• 1942 – Byron Browne, American baseball player
• 1942 – Charmian Carr, American actress and singer
• 1942 – Thomas Menino, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston (d. 2014)
• 1942 – Ron Rothstein, American basketball player and coach
• 1942 – Claus Schiprowski, German pole vaulter
• 1943 – Cokie Roberts, American journalist and author
• 1943 – Joan Manuel Serrat, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1943 – Peter Sinfield, English songwriter and producer
• 1943 – Roy White, American baseball player and coach
• 1944 – Mick Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Foreigner and Spooky Tooth)
• 1944 – Tracy Nelson, American singer-songwriter (Mother Earth)
• 1946 – Lenny Kaye, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1946 – Joe Kinnear, Irish footballer and manager
• 1946 – Joyce Spiliotis, American politician (d. 2012)
• 1946 – Janet Street-Porter, English journalist and producer
• 1946 – Polly Toynbee, English journalist
• 1947 – Bill Eadie, American wrestler
• 1947 – Janet Perry, American soprano
• 1947 – Willy Polleunis, Belgian runner
• 1947 – Mickey Redmond, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1947 – Doug Livermore, English footballer and manager
• 1947 – Osman Pamukoğlu, retired major general of the Turkish Army and politician who founded the Rights and Equality Party
• 1948 – Gérard Depardieu, French actor, singer, and producer
• 1950 – Haris Alexiou, Greek singer-songwriter
• 1950 – Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer
• 1950 – Terry Bozzio, American drummer and songwriter (Missing Persons UK, and HoBoLeMa)
• 1950 – Morgan Chu, American lawyer
• 1950 – Doug Stone, Canadian voice actor and singer
• 1951 – Ernesto Zedillo, Mexican economist and politician, 54th President of Mexico
• 1952 – Karla Bonoff, American singer-songwriter (Bryndle)
• 1952 – Tovah Feldshuh, American actress, singer, and playwright
• 1952 – Jay Hill, Canadian politician
• 1952 – David Knopfler, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Dire Straits)
• 1952 – Raimund Krauth, German footballer (d. 2012)
• 1953 – Arthur Kent, Canadian television journalist
• 1954 – Mandie Fletcher, English director, producer, and production manager
• 1955 – E. E. Bell, American actor
• 1955 – Brad Murphey, Australian race car driver
• 1955 – Barbara Olson, American journalist and author (d. 2001)
• 1956 – Doina Melinte, Romanian middle-distance runner
• 1957 – Jerry Gaskill, American drummer (King's X)
• 1957 – Greg Mortenson, American humanitarian and author
• 1957 – Dane Witherspoon, American actor (d. 2014)
• 1958 – Barbara Crampton, American actress
• 1958 – Steve Jones, American golfer
• 1958 – Norbert Schmitz, German footballer (d. 1998)
• 1959 – Gerina Dunwich, American astrologer, historian, and author
• 1959 – Andre Tippett, American football player
• 1960 – Maryam d'Abo, English actress and producer
• 1960 – Victoria Paige Meyerink, American actress and producer
• 1960 – Donald Nally, American conductor and academic
• 1962 – Mark Few, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – John Kampfner, Singaporean journalist
• 1962 – Bill Self, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – Sherri Steinhauer, American golfer
• 1962 – Sara Thornton, English police officer
• 1962 – Pierlucio Tinazzi, Italian security guard (d. 1999)
• 1963 – Gaspar Noé, Argentinian-French director and screenwriter
• 1964 – Ian Gomez, American actor
• 1964 – Theresa Randle, American actress
• 1965 – Salman Khan, Indian actor and singer
• 1965 – Chris Mainwaring, Australian footballer (d. 2007)
• 1966 – Wendy Coakley-Thompson, American-Bahamian author
• 1966 – Marianne Elliott, English director and producer
• 1966 – Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler, and actor
• 1966 – Eva LaRue, American actress
• 1966 – Fabian Núñez, American politician
• 1969 – Jean-Christophe Boullion, French race car driver
• 1969 – Sarah Vowell, American author and journalist
• 1970 – Chyna, American wrestler and actress
• 1970 – Brendon Cook, Australian race car driver
• 1970 – Tracey Cherelle Jones, American actress
• 1970 – Lorenzo Neal, American football player
• 1971 – Sergei Bodrov, Jr., Russian actor and screenwriter (d. 2002)
• 1971 – Duncan Ferguson, Scottish footballer
• 1971 – Guthrie Govan, English guitarist (GPS, The Aristocrats, and Asia)
• 1971 – Savannah Guthrie, American lawyer and journalist
• 1971 – Jason Hawes, American paranormal investigator and author, founded The Atlantic Paranormal Society
• 1971 – Bryan Smolinski, American ice hockey player
• 1972 – Thomas Wilson Brown, American actor
• 1972 – Colin Charvis, English rugby player
• 1972 – Kevin Ollie, American basketball player and coach
• 1972 – Matt Slocum, American guitarist and songwriter (Sixpence None the Richer)
• 1973 – Tabatha Cash, French pornographic actress
• 1973 – Wilson Cruz, American actor
• 1973 – Luka Grubor, Croatian-English rower
• 1973 – Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch pianist and composer
• 1974 – Tomáš Janků, Czech high jumper
• 1974 – Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor and visual effects designer
• 1974 – Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1974 – Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player
• 1974 – Édgar Ponce, Mexican actor and dancer (d. 2005)
• 1975 – Aigars Fadejevs, Latvian race walker
• 1975 – Heather O'Rourke, American actress (d. 1988)
• 1976 – Nikolaos Georgeas, Greek footballer
• 1976 – Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (d. 2009)
• 1976 – Daimí Pernía, Cuban hurdler
• 1976 – Fernando Pisani, Canadian-Italian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Aaron Stanford, American actor
• 1977 – Jacqueline Pillon, Canadian actress
• 1978 – Deuce McAllister, American football player
• 1978 – Pelin Batu, Turkish author, actress, historian, and television personality
• 1979 – David Dunn, English footballer
• 1979 – Carson Palmer, American football player
• 1980 – Bernard Berrian, American football player
• 1980 – Antonio Cesaro, Swiss-American wrestler
• 1980 – Cas Haley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Dahntay Jones, American basketball player
• 1980 – Meelis Kompus, Estonian journalist
• 1981 – David Aardsma, American baseball player
• 1981 – Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
• 1981 – Javine Hylton, English singer
• 1981 – Moise Joseph, American-Haitian runner
• 1981 – Patrick Sharp, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Erin E. Stead, American illustrator
• 1983 – Anthony Boric, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Cole Hamels, American baseball player
• 1983 – Jesse Williams, American high jumper
• 1984 – Andrejs Perepļotkins, Ukrainian-Latvian footballer
• 1984 – Pleasure P, American singer-songwriter and producer (Pretty Ricky)
• 1984 – Gilles Simon, French tennis player
• 1985 – Logan Bailly, Belgian footballer
• 1985 – Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Belgian race car driver
• 1985 – Paul Stastny, Canadian-American ice hockey player
• 1986 – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican sprinter
• 1988 – Zavon Hines, Jamaican-English footballer
• 1988 – Rick Porcello, American baseball player
• 1988 – Ok Taecyeon, South Korean rapper, dancer, and actor (2PM)
• 1988 – Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter (Paramore)
• 1989 – Ingrid Várgas Calvo, Peruvian tennis player
• 1990 – Lazaro Arbos, Cuban-American singer
• 1990 – Max Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
• 1990 – Milos Raonic, Canadian tennis player
• 1991 – Chloe Bridges, American actress
• 1991 – Danny Wilson, Scottish footballer
• 1992 – Joel Indermitte, Estonian footballer
• 1992 – Maicel Uibo, Estonian decathlete
• 1995 – Mark Lapidus, Estonian chess player
• 1997 – Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player

Deaths[edit]

• 683 – Emperor Gaozong of Tang (b. 628)
• 1076 – Sviatoslav II of Kiev (b. 1027)
• 1087 – Bertha of Savoy, (b. 1051)
• 1381 – Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, English politician (b. 1352)
• 1543 – George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1484)
• 1548 – Francesco Spiera, Italian jurist (b. 1502)
• 1603 – Thomas Cartwright, English clergyman and theologian (b. 1535)
• 1704 – Hans Albrecht von Barfus, Prussian field marshal and politician (b. 1635)
• 1707 – Jean Mabillon, French monk and scholar (b. 1632)
• 1737 – William Bowyer, English printer (b. 1663)
• 1743 – Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (b. 1659)
• 1771 – Henri Pitot, French engineer, invented the Pitot tube (b. 1695)
• 1782 – Henry Home, Lord Kames, Scottish judge and philosopher (b. 1697)
• 1800 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (b. 1718)
• 1812 – Joanna Southcott, English prophet (b. 1750)
• 1834 – Charles Lamb, English author (b. 1775)
• 1836 – Stephen F. Austin, American soldier and politician (b. 1793)
• 1858 – Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French pianist and composer (b. 1785)
• 1896 – John Brown, English businessman and politician (b. 1816)
• 1900 – William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, English engineer and businessman, founded Armstrong Whitworth (b. 1810)
• 1914 – Charles Martin Hall, American chemist and engineer (b. 1863)
• 1919 – Achilles Alferaki, Russian-Greek composer (b. 1846)
• 1923 – Gustave Eiffel, French architect and engineer, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (b. 1832)
• 1936 – Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Turkish poet, writer, academic, member of parliament, and the author of the Turkish National Anthem (b. 1873)
• 1938 – Calvin Bridges, American geneticist and academic (b. 1889)
• 1938 – Osip Mandelstam, Polish-Russian poet and critic (b. 1891)
• 1943 – Ants Kurvits, Estonian general and politician, 10th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1887)
• 1950 – Max Beckmann, German-American painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
• 1952 – Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian priest, author, and educator (b. 1878)
• 1953 – Julian Tuwim, Polish poet and author (b. 1894)
• 1953 – Şükrü Saracoğlu, Turkish politician and the sixth Prime Minister of Turkey. He was also the chairman of Fenerbahçe S.K. (b. 1887)
• 1955 – Alfred Carpenter, English admiral (b. 1881)
• 1956 – Lambert McKenna, Irish priest and lexicographer (b. 1870)
• 1958 – Harry Warner, Polish-American film producer, co-founded Warner Bros. (b. 1881)
• 1960 – Jakob "Jackie" Gerlich, Austrian-American actor (b. 1917)
• 1965 – Edgar Ende, German painter (b. 1901)
• 1972 – Lester B. Pearson, Canadian historian and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
• 1974 – Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist and mathematician (b. 1898)
• 1974 – Amy Vanderbilt, American author (b 1908)
• 1978 – Chris Bell American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Big Star) (b. 1951)
• 1978 – Houari Boumediene, Algerian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Algeria (b. 1932)
• 1978 – Bob Luman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
• 1979 – Hafizullah Amin, Afghan educator and politician, 2nd President of Afghanistan (b. 1929)
• 1981 – Hoagy Carmichael, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (b. 1899)
• 1982 – Jack Swigert, American pilot, astronaut, and politician (b. 1931)
• 1985 – Jean Rondeau, French race car driver (b. 1946)
• 1986 – George Dangerfield, English-American historian and journalist (b. 1904)
• 1986 – Dumas Malone, American historian and author (b. 1892)
• 1988 – Hal Ashby, American director and producer (b. 1929)
• 1992 – Kay Boyle, American author, poet, and educator (b. 1902)
• 1993 – Feliks Kibbermann, Estonian chess player and philologist (b. 1902)
• 1993 – Evald Mikson, Estonian footballer (b. 1911)
• 1993 – André Pilette, Belgian race car driver (b. 1918)
• 1994 – Fanny Cradock, English chief, author, and critic (b. 1909)
• 1994 – J. B. L. Reyes, Filipino lawyer and jurist (b. 1902)
• 1995 – Shura Cherkassky, Ukrainian-American pianist (b. 1909)
• 1995 – Genrikh Kasparyan, Armenian chess player (b. 1910)
• 1995 – Konstantinos Kypriotis, Greek martial artist (b. 1954)
• 1997 – Brendan Gill, American journalist and author (b. 1914)
• 1997 – Billy Wright, English-Irish commander (b. 1960)
• 1999 – Michael McDowell, American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1950)
• 2002 – George Roy Hill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
• 2003 – Alan Bates, English actor and singer (b. 1934)
• 2003 – Iván Calderón, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1962)
• 2003 – Vestal Goodman, American singer (b. 1929)
• 2004 – Hank Garland, American guitarist (b. 1930)
• 2004 – Alfredo Rostgaard, Cuban visual artist (b. 1943)
• 2005 – William Doody, Canadian politician (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician, 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan (b. 1953)
• 2007 – Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Polish director and screenwriter (b. 1922)
• 2007 – Jaan Kross, Estonian author (b. 1920)
• 2008 – Delaney Bramlett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Delaney & Bonnie) (b. 1939)
• 2008 – Robert Graham, Mexican-American sculptor (b. 1938)
• 2009 – Isaac Schwartz, Ukrainian-Russian composer (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Catê, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1973)
• 2011 – Michael Dummett, English soldier, philosopher, and academic (b. 1925)
• 2011 – Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and educator (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Johnny Wilson, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Valentin Boreyko, Russian rower (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Lloyd Charmers, Jamaican singer, keyboard player, and producer (The Uniques) (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Hamid Ghodse, Iranian-English psychiatrist and academic (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Sohrab Hossain, Bangladeshi singer (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Jorma Kortelainen, Finnish skier (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Tingye Li, Chinese-American physicist and engineer (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Edgar May, American journalist and politician (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., American general (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Jesco von Puttkamer, German-American engineer (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Mlađa Veselinović, Serbian actor (b. 1915)
• 2012 – Salt Walther, American race car driver (b. 1947)
• 2013 – Richard Ambler, English-Scottish biologist and academic (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Mohamad Chatah, Lebanese economist and politician, Lebanese Minister of Finance (b. 1951)
• 2013 – Gianna D'Angelo, American soprano and educator (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Boyd Lee Dunlop, American pianist (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Peter John Harding, English air marshal (b. 1940)
• 2013 – John Matheson, Canadian colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1917)
• 2013 – Gunn Olsen, Norwegian politician (b. 1952)
• 2013 – Farooq Sheikh, Indian actor (b. 1948)

Holidays and observances[edit]

• Christian feast day:
  • Fabiola
  • John the Apostle
  • Nicarete
  • December 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Constitution Day (North Korea)
• Emergency Rescuer's Day (Russia)
• St. Stephen's Day (Eastern Orthodox Church; a public holiday in Romania)
• The third of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)