Events

Pre-1600

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

palace, dies at Jupille (modern Belgium). He is succeeded by his infant grandson Theudoald, while his widow Plectrude holds actual power in the Frankish Kingdom. * 755 – An Lushan revolts against

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Yang Guozhong at Yanjing, initiating the An Lushan Rebellion during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

of China. * 1431 –

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...

is crowned

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

at Notre Dame in Paris. * 1497 – Vasco da Gama passes the Great Fish River at the southern tip of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, where Bartolomeu Dias had previously turned back to Portugal. * 1575 – An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.5 strikes Valdivia, Chile. * 1598 – Seven-Year War: Battle of Noryang: The final battle of the Seven-Year War is fought between the China and the Korean allied forces and Japanese navies, resulting in a decisive allied forces victory.

1601–1900

* 1653 –

English Interregnum The Interregnum was the period between the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649 and the arrival of his son Charles II of England, Charles II in London on 29 May 1660, which marked the start of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration. During the ...

The Protectorate The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was the English form of government lasting from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659, under which the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotl ...

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

becomes

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometime ...

of the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

, Scotland and Ireland. * 1689 – Convention Parliament: The ''Declaration of Right'' is embodied in the '' Bill of Rights''. * 1707 – Most Recent Eruption of Mount Fuji. * 1761 –

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

: After a four-month siege, the Russians under Pyotr Rumyantsev take the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n fortress of

Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg (; ; ) is a port and spa city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast of the Baltic Sea (in the middle of the section ...

. * 1773 –

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was a seminal American protest, political and Mercantilism, mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, during the American Revolution. Initiated by Sons of Liberty activists in Boston in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colo ...

: Members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians dump hundreds of crates of tea into

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

harbor as a protest against the Tea Act. * 1777 – Virginia becomes the first state to ratify the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...

* 1782 –

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

: Muharram Rebellion: Hada and Mada Miah lead the first anti-British uprising in the subcontinent against Robert Lindsay and his contingents in Sylhet Shahi Eidgah. * 1811 – The first two in a series of four severe

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

s occur in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri. * 1826 – Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican-controlled Nacogdoches, Texas, and declares himself ruler of the Republic of Fredonia. * 1838 – Great Trek:

Battle of Blood River The Battle of Blood River or Voortrekker-Zulu War (16 December 1838) was fought on the bank of the Blood River, Ncome River, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led by Andries Pretorius, and an es ...

: '' Voortrekkers'' led by Andries Pretorius and Sarel Cilliers defeat Zulu ''

impi is a Nguni word meaning war or combat and by association any body of men gathered for war, for example is a term denoting an army. were formed from regiments () from large militarised homesteads (). In English is often used to refer to a ...

s'', led by Dambuza (Nzobo) and Ndlela kaSompisi in what is today

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

, South Africa. * 1850 – The '' Charlotte Jane'' and the '' Randolph'' bring the first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton, New Zealand. * 1863 –

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

: Confederate President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

appoints General Joseph E. Johnston to replace General Braxton Bragg as commander of the Army of Tennessee. * 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Nashville ends as the Union Army of the Cumberland under General George H. Thomas routs and destroys the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General John Bell Hood, ending its effectiveness as a combat unit. *

1880 Events January *January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...

– Outbreak of the First Boer War between the Boer

South African Republic The South African Republic (, abbreviated ZAR; ), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer republics, Boer republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it was annexed into the British Empire as a result ...

and the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. * 1882 –

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

contest the first Home Nations (now Six Nations) rugby union match. * 1883 – Tonkin Campaign: French forces capture the Sơn Tây citadel.

1901–present

* 1905 – In

Rugby Union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

, The "'' Match of the Century''" is played between

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

at Cardiff Arms Park. *

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

–

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

: The Royal Hellenic Navy defeats the Ottoman Navy at the Battle of Elli. * 1914 –

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

: Admiral Franz von Hipper commands a raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby. * 1920 – The Haiyuan earthquake of 8.5, rocks the

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

province in China, killing an estimated 200,000. *

1942 The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...

–

The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

chief

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

orders that Roma candidates for extermination be deported to Auschwitz. *

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

–

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

: The

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest. *

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

– A Miami Airlines Curtiss C-46 Commando crashes in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Doris Ruby. * 1960 – A United Air Lines Douglas DC-8 and a TWA Lockheed Super Constellation collide over

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, New York and crash, killing all 128 people aboard both aircraft and six more on the ground. * 1968 –

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

: Official revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain. *

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

–

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The surrender of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

brings an end to both conflicts. This is commemorated annually as Victory Day in Bangladesh and Vijay Diwas in India respectively. * 1971 – The United Kingdom recognizes

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

's independence, which is commemorated annually as Bahrain's National Day. *

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

– The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was enacted. *

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

– Aeroflot Flight 2022 crashes in the Soviet Union's (now Russia) Volokolamsky District, killing all 51 aboard, including four Lithuanian doctors. * 1986 – Jeltoqsan: Riots erupt in Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, in response to Soviet leader

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

's dismissal of ethnic Kazakh Dinmukhamed Kunaev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, and his replacement with Gennady Kolbin, an ethnic Russian from the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

. *

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

–

Romanian Revolution The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...

: Protests break out in

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor László Tőkés. *

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

– 1992 deportation of Hamas members: Israeli authorities began deporting hundreds of Palestinians suspected to be members of

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

across the Lebanese border. *

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

– Zhanaozen massacre: Violent protests by oil workers take place in Zhanaozen,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, leading to 16 people dead and 100 injured by the security forces. *

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

– A bus falls from an elevated highway in the Philippines capital

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

killing at least 18 people with 20 injured. *

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

– Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants attack an Army Public School in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, killing 150 people, 132 of them schoolchildren. *

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

– A landslide occurs at a camp at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali in

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

, Malaysia, trapping 92 people and killing 31. *

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

– A Abundant Life Christian School shooting: A mass shooting occurs at Abundant Life Christian School in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, killing 3 people (including the shooter) and injuring several others.

Births

Pre-1600

1364 Year 1364 (Roman numerals, MCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 15 – Joint kings Magnus IV of Sweden, Magnus Eriksson and Haakon VI of Norway, Haakon Magnusson ...

– Emperor Manuel III of Trebizond (died 1417) * 1485 –

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...

, Spanish princess, later queen consort of England (died 1536) * 1534 –

Hans Bol Hans Bol or Jan Bol (16 December 1534 – 20 November 1593), was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish painter, Miniature art, miniature painter, print artist and draftsman.

, Flemish artist (died 1593) * 1582 – Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey (died 1642) * 1584 –

John Selden John Selden (16 December 1584 – 30 November 1654) was an English jurist, a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law. He was known as a polymath; John Milton hailed Selden in 1644 as "the chief of learned m ...

, English jurist and scholar (died 1654) * 1585 –

Livia della Rovere Livia della Rovere (16 December 1585 – 6 July 1641) was an Italian nobility, Italian noblewoman of the House of della Rovere and the last Duchess of Urbino (1599–1631). Life Born in Pesaro on 16 December 1585,

, Italian noble (died 1641)

1601–1900

* 1605 – Jerome Weston, 2nd Earl of Portland, English diplomat (died 1663) * 1614 – Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (died 1674) * 1630 – Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort, British botanist (died 1715) * 1714 – George Whitefield, English Anglican priest (died 1770) * 1716 – Louis Jules Mancini Mazarini, French poet and diplomat (died 1798) * 1717 – Elizabeth Carter, English poet and scholar (died 1806) * 1730 – Diego Silang, Filipino revolutionary leader (died 1763) * 1742 – Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, German field marshal (died 1819) * 1770 –

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

, composer (died 1827) * 1775 –

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

, English novelist (died 1817) * 1775 – François-Adrien Boieldieu, French pianist and composer (died 1834) * 1776 – Johann Wilhelm Ritter, German chemist, physicist, and philosopher (died 1810) *

1778 Events January–March * January 18 – Third voyage of James Cook: Sea captain, Captain James Cook, with ships HMS Resolution (1771), HMS ''Resolution'' and HMS Discovery (1774), HMS ''Discovery'', first views Oahu, Oʻahu th ...

– John Ordronaux, French-American soldier (died 1841) * 1787 – Mary Russell Mitford, English author and playwright (died 1855) * 1790 – Leopold I of Belgium (died 1865) *

1804 Events January–March * January 1 – Haiti gains independence from France, and becomes the first black republic. * February 4 – The Sokoto Caliphate is founded in West Africa. * February 14 – The First Serbian uprising begins th ...

– Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (died 1889) * 1812 – Stuart Donaldson, English-Australian politician, 1st

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...

(died 1867) * 1834 –

Léon Walras Marie-Esprit-Léon Walras (; 16 December 1834 – 5 January 1910) was a French mathematical economics, mathematical economist and Georgist. He formulated the Marginalism, marginal theory of value (independently of William Stanley Jevons and Carl ...

, French-Swiss economist and theorist (died 1910) * 1836 – Ernst von Bergmann, Latvian-German surgeon and academic (died 1907) * 1849 – Mary Hartwell Catherwood, American author and poet (died 1902) * 1861 – Antonio de La Gándara, French painter and illustrator (died 1917) * 1863 – George Santayana, Spanish philosopher, novelist, and poet (died 1952) * 1865 – Olavo Bilac, Brazilian journalist and poet (died 1918) * 1866 –

Wassily Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky ( – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter and art theorist. Kandinsky is generally credited as one of the pioneers of abstract art, abstraction in western art. Born in Moscow, he spent his childhood in ...

, Russian-French painter and theorist (died 1944) * 1867 – Amy Carmichael, Irish missionary and humanitarian (died 1951) * 1869 – Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian physician and activist, co-founded the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (died 1952) * 1869 – Bertha Lamme Feicht, American electrical engineer (died 1943) *

1872 Events January * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. *January 20 – The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort S ...

– Anton Denikin, Russian general (died 1947) * 1882 – Jack Hobbs, English cricketer and journalist (died 1963) * 1882 –

Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (, ; , ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music education. ...

, Hungarian composer, conductor, and musicologist (died 1967) * 1882 – Walther Meissner, German physicist and engineer (died 1974) * 1883 – Károly Kós, Hungarian-Romanian architect, ethnologist, and politician (died 1977) * 1883 – Max Linder, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1925) * 1884 – John Gunn, Australian politician, 29th

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...

(died 1959) * 1884 – Seibo Kitamura, Japanese sculptor (died 1987) * 1888 – Alexander I of Yugoslavia (died 1934) * 1888 – Alphonse Juin, Algerian-French general (died 1967) * 1889 – Kim Chwa-chin, South Korean

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

leader (died 1930) * 1895 – Marie Hall Ets, American author and illustrator (died 1984) * 1896 – Anna Anderson, an imposter who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia (died 1984) *

1899 Events January * January 1 ** Spanish rule formally ends in Cuba with the cession of Spanish sovereignty to the U.S., concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.''The American Monthly Review of Reviews'' (February 1899), p ...

–

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

, English actor, playwright, and composer (died 1973) *

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...

– Lucille Lortel, American actress and producer (died 1999) * 1900 – V. S. Pritchett, British writer and literary critic (died 1997)

1901–present

* 1901 – Margaret Mead, American anthropologist and author (died 1978) * 1902 – Rafael Alberti, Spanish poet and playwright (died 1999) * 1903 – Hardie Albright, American actor (died 1975) * 1903 – Harold Whitlock, English race walker and coach (died 1985) * 1905 – Piet Hein, Danish mathematician, author, and poet (died 1996) * 1905 – Ruben Nirvi, Finnish linguist and professor (died 1986) *

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Moment magnitude scale, Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 9 – The "Mud March (suffragists), Mud March", the ...

– Barbara Kent, Canadian-born American film actress (died 2011) * 1908 – Remedios Varo, Spanish-Mexican surrealist painter & anarchist (died 1963) * 1910 – Freddie Brown, Peruvian-English cricketer and sportscaster (died 1991) * 1913 – George Ignatieff, Russian-Canadian scholar and diplomat, 8th Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations (died 1989) * 1914 – O. Winston Link, American photographer (died 2001) * 1916 –

Ruth Johnson Colvin Ruth Johnson Colvin (December 16, 1916 – August 18, 2024) was an American philanthropist who was the founder of the non-profit organization Literacy Volunteers of America, now called ProLiteracy Worldwide in Syracuse, New York, in 1962. She wa ...

, American author and educator, founded ProLiteracy Worldwide (died 2024) *

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

– Nabi Bux Khan Baloch, Pakistani author and scholar (died 2011) * 1917 – Pete T. Cenarrusa, American soldier, pilot, and politician, Secretary of State of Idaho (died 2013) * 1917 – Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer (died 2008) * 1920 – Frederick Rotimi Williams, Nigerian lawyer and politician (died 2005) * 1921 – Eulalio González, Mexican singer-songwriter, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2003) * 1922 – Cy Leslie, American record producer, founded

Pickwick Records Pickwick Records was an American record label and British record distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues and repackagings under the brands Design, Bravo (later changing its name to Internati ...

(died 2008) * 1923 – Menahem Pressler, German-American pianist (died 2023) * 1923 – Ernst Florian Winter, Austrian-American historian and political scientist (died 2014) * 1924 – Nicolas Sidjakov, Latvian-American illustrator (died 1993) * 1926 – James McCracken, American tenor and actor (died 1988) * 1926 – A. N. R. Robinson, Tobagonian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Trinidad and Tobago (died 2014) * 1926 – Jeffrey Stone, American actor and screenwriter (died 2012) *

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

– Peter Dickinson, Rhodesian-English author and poet (died 2015) * 1927 – Randall Garrett, American author and poet (died 1987) *

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

– Terry Carter, American actor, director, and producer (died 2024) * 1928 – Philip K. Dick, American philosopher and author (died 1982) * 1929 – Nicholas Courtney, Egyptian-English actor (died 2011) * 1930 – Bill Brittain, American author (died 2011) * 1930 – Sam Most, American flute player and saxophonist (died 2013) * 1930 – Bill Young, American sergeant and politician (died 2013) *

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

– Grace Alele-Williams, Nigerian mathematician and academic (died 2022) * 1932 –

Quentin Blake Sir Quentin Saxby Blake (born 16 December 1932) is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his l ...

, English author and illustrator * 1932 – Lin Zhao, Chinese dissident and Christian executed during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

(died 1968) *

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

– Morris Dees, American lawyer and activist, co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center * 1937 – Joyce Bulifant, American actress * 1937 – Edward Ruscha, American painter and photographer *

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

– Frank Deford, American journalist and author (died 2017) * 1938 –

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and filmmaker. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent collaborator of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, whom she date ...

, Norwegian actress, director, and screenwriter * 1939 – Philip Langridge, English tenor (died 2010) * 1939 – Gordon Miller, English high jumper * 1941 – Lesley Stahl, American journalist and actress * 1941 – Roger Neil Wheeler, English general *

– Donald Carcieri, American educator and politician, 73rd Governor of Rhode Island *

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 � ...

– Steven Bochco, American television writer and producer (died 2018) * 1943 – Patti Deutsch, American actress and comedian (died 2017) *

– Jeff Kanew, American director and screenwriter * 1944 – Don Meyer, American basketball player and coach (died 2014) * 1945 – Tony Hicks, English singer and guitarist *

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

–

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...

, Swedish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer * 1946 – Charles Dennis, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter * 1946 – Trevor Pinnock, English

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

player and conductor * 1946 – Tom Stern, American cinematographer *

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

– Ben Cross, English actor (died 2020) * 1947 – Vincent Matthews, American sprinter * 1947 – Martyn Poliakoff, English chemist and academic * 1947 – Trevor Żahra, Maltese novelist, poet and illustrator *

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

– Billy Gibbons, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1949 – Heather Hallett, English lawyer and judge *

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

– Claudia Cohen, American journalist (died 2007) * 1950 – Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist and manager (died 2006) *

– Aykut Barka, Turkish scientist (died 2002) * 1951 – Sally Emerson, English author and poet * 1951 – Mike Flanagan, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (died 2011) * 1951 – Robben Ford, American guitarist and songwriter * 1951 – Mark Heard, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 1992) *

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

– Joel Garner, Barbadian cricketer and manager * 1952 – Francesco Graziani, Italian footballer and manager *

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

– Rebecca Forstadt, American voice actress and screenwriter * 1955 –

Xander Berkeley Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His films include ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), ''Candyman ...

, American actor and producer * 1955 – Carol Browner, American lawyer and environmentalist, 8th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency * 1955 – Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este * 1955 – Chiharu Matsuyama, Japanese singer-songwriter *

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

– Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (died 2004) *

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

– Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2009) * 1958 – Bart Oates, American football player and lawyer * 1958 – Jeff Ruland, American basketball player * 1959 – H. D. Kumaraswamy, Indian social worker and politician, 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka * 1959 – Alison La Placa, American actress * 1959 – Alexander Lebedev, Russian businessman and politician * 1959 – Steve Mattsson, American author and illustrator * 1960 – Pat Van Den Hauwe, Belgian footballer and manager * 1961 – André Andersen, Russian-Danish keyboard player, songwriter, and producer * 1961 – Shane Black, American actor, director, and screenwriter * 1961 – Bill Hicks, American comedian and musician (died 1994) * 1961 – LaChanze, American actress, singer, and dancer * 1961 – Sam Robards, American actor * 1961 – Jon Tenney, American actor and director *

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

– Maruschka Detmers, Dutch-French actress * 1962 – William Perry, American football player and wrestler *

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

– Benjamin Bratt, American actor and producer * 1963 – Cathy Johnston-Forbes, American golfer * 1963 – James Mangold, American director, producer, and screenwriter * 1963 – Nadia Moscufo, Belgian politician * 1964 – Heike Drechsler, German sprinter and long jumper * 1964 – Todd Glass, American comedian * 1964 – John Kirwan, New Zealand rugby player and coach * 1964 – Georgie Parker, Australian actress * 1964 – Billy Ripken, American baseball player and sportscaster *

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

– Melanie Sloan, American lawyer and activist * 1965 – J. B. Smoove, American comedian, writer, and actor *

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

– Fatima Lamarti, Belgian politician * 1966 –

Paul McGinley Paul Noel McGinley (born 16 December 1966) is an Irish professional golfer who has won four events on the European Tour. At the 2002 Ryder Cup, he famously holed a ten-foot putt on the 18th hole in his match against Jim Furyk at The Belfry which ...

, Irish golfer * 1966 – Clifford Robinson, American basketball player (died 2020) * 1966 – Dennis Wise, English footballer and manager *

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

– Donovan Bailey, Canadian sprinter and sportscaster * 1967 – Indrek Kaseorg, Estonian decathlete * 1967 – Miranda Otto, Australian actress * 1968 – Wendy Doolan, Australian golfer * 1968 – Lalah Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer * 1968 – Greg Kovacs, Canadian bodybuilder (died 2013) * 1969 – Simon Grayson, English footballer and manager * 1969 – Kent Hehr, Canadian politician * 1969 – Adam Riess, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

laureate * 1969 – Michelle Smith, Irish swimmer * 1969 – Dmitri Tymoczko, American composer and theorist * 1969 – Craig White, English cricketer and coach *

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

– Valerie Chow, Canadian-Hong Kong actress and publicist * 1970 – Daniel Cosgrove, American actor *

– Seyhan Kurt, French-Turkish poet and sociologist * 1971 – Paul van Dyk, German musician, producer and DJ * 1971 – Michael McCary, American R&B singer *

– Charles Gipson, American baseball player * 1972 – Zeljko Kalac, Australian soccer player and manager * 1972 – Paul Leyden, Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter * 1972 – Travis Morrison, American singer-songwriter *

– Themba Mnguni, South African footballer * 1973 – Scott Storch, American songwriter and producer, founded Storch Music Company *1975 – Valentin Bădoi, Romanian footballer and manager * 1975 – Kaba Diawara, French-Guinean footballer * 1975 – Benjamin Kowalewicz, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1975 – Paul Maynard, English politician *1976 – Jen Golbeck, American computer scientist and academic *1977 – Éric Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player * 1977 – Sylvain Distin, French footballer *1978 – John Morris (curler), John Morris, Canadian curler and firefighter * 1978 – Gunter Van Handenhoven, Belgian footballer and manager *1979 – Trevor Immelman, South African golfer * 1979 – Brodie Lee, American wrestler (died 2020) * 1979 – Daniel Narcisse, French handball player * 1979 – Mihai Trăistariu, Romanian singer-songwriter * 1979 – Jessie Ward, American wrestler and producer *1980 – Danish Kaneria, Pakistani cricketer *1981 – Krysten Ritter, American actress, musician, and model * 1981 – Reanna Solomon, Nauruan weightlifter (died 2022) * 1981 – Gareth Williams (Scottish footballer), Gareth Williams, Scottish footballer *1982 – Antrel Rolle, American football player * 1982 – Anna Sedokova, Ukrainian singer, actress and television presenter * 1982 – Stanislav Šesták, Slovak footballer *1983 – Kelenna Azubuike, Nigerian-American basketball player * 1983 – Frankie Ballard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1983 – Joey Dorsey, American basketball player *1984 – Theo James, English actor *1985 – Stanislav Manolev, Bulgarian footballer * 1985 – James Nash (racing driver), James Nash, English race car driver * 1985 – Amanda Setton, American actress * 1986 – Alcides Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player * 1986 – Zoltán Kovács (footballer, born 1986), Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian footballer (died 2013) * 1986 – Pärt Uusberg, Estonian actor, composer, and conductor. *1987 – Mame Biram Diouf, Senegalese footballer * 1987 – Beau Dowler, Australian footballer * 1987 – Hallee Hirsh, American actress *1988 – Mats Hummels, German footballer * 1988 – Anna Popplewell, English actress * 1988 – Alexey Shved, Russian basketball player *

– Mikkel Bødker, Danish ice hockey player *1990 – Rebecca Marino, Canadian tennis player *1991 – Craig Goodwin, Australian footballer * 1991 – David Johnson (running back), David Johnson, American football player *

– Ulrikke Eikeri, Norwegian tennis player * 1992 – Anamul Haque, Bangladeshi cricketer * 1992 – Pietro Perdichizzi, Belgian footballer * 1992 – Tom Rogic, Australian footballer *1993 – Jyoti Amge, Indian actress * 1993 – Stephan James (actor), Stephan James, Canadian actor *1994 – Nigel Hayes, American basketball player * 1994 – Elliot Lee, English footballer * 1994 – Nicola Murru, Italian footballer * 1994 – José Rodríguez (footballer, born 1994), José Rodríguez, Spanish footballer *1996 – Wilfred Ndidi, Nigerian footballer * 1996 – Sergio Reguilón, Spanish footballer * 1996 – Henry Thornton (cricketer), Henry Thornton, Australian cricketer *1998 – Mira Antonitsch, Austrian tennis player * 1998 – Zhou Jieqiong, Chinese singer and actress *2001 – Kai Cenat, American streamer

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 604 – Chen Shubao, Houzhu, emperor of the Chen dynasty (born 553) * 705 – Wu Zetian, Empress of the Zhou dynasty (born 624) * 714 – Pepin of Herstal, Frankish statesman (born 635) * 867 – Eberhard of Friuli, Frankish duke (born 815) * 874 – Ado of Vienne, Ado, archbishop of Vienne * 882 – Pope John VIII, John VIII, pope of the Catholic Church * 902 – Wei Yifan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty *AD 999, 999 – Adelaide of Italy, Holy Roman Empress (born 931) *1153 – Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, Norman nobleman *1263 – Haakon IV of Norway, Haakon IV, king of Norway (born 1204) *1316 – Öljaitü, Mongolian ruler (born 1280) *1325 – Charles, Count of Valois, Charles, French nobleman (born 1270) *1378 – Secondotto, Marquess of Montferrat, Secondotto, marquess of Montferrat (born 1360) *1379 – John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel, English general and politician, Earl Marshal#Lords Marshal of England, 1135–1397, Lord Marshall of England (born 1348) *1470 – John II, Duke of Lorraine, John II, duke of Lorraine (born 1424) *1474 – Ali Qushji, Uzbek astronomer, mathematician, and physicist (born 1403) *1515 – Afonso de Albuquerque, Portuguese admiral and politician, 3rd List of governors of Portuguese India, Viceroy of Portuguese India (born 1453) *1558 – Thomas Cheney, English diplomat and Lord Warden of the ''Cinque Ports'' *1583 – Ivan Fyodorov (printer), Ivan Fyodorov, Russian printer *1594 – Allison Balfour, Scottish witch * 1598 – Yi Sun-sin, Korean general (born 1545)

1601–1900

*1669 – Nathaniel Fiennes, English soldier and politician (born 1608) *1687 – William Petty, English economist and philosopher (born 1623) *1751 – Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (born 1700) *1774 – François Quesnay, French economist, physician, and philosopher (born 1694) *1783 – Johann Adolph Hasse, German composer and educator (born 1699) * 1783 – Sir William James, 1st Baronet, Welsh-English commander and politician (born 1720) *1805 – Saverio Cassar, Gozitan priest and rebel leader (born 1746) *1809 – Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist and entomologist (born 1755) *1859 – Wilhelm Grimm, German anthropologist and author (born 1786) *1892 – Henry Yesler, American businessman and politician, 7th Mayor of Seattle (born 1810) *1897 – Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (born 1840) *1898 – Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and art collector (born 1832)

1901–present

* 1908 – American Horse, American tribal leader and educator (born 1840) *

– Frank Gotch, American wrestler (born 1878) * 1921 – Camille Saint-Saëns, French pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1835) * 1922 – Gabriel Narutowicz, Lithuanian–Polish engineer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Poland (born 1865) *

– Elinor Wylie, American poet and author (born 1885) *1935 – Thelma Todd, American actress and comedian (born 1905) *

– Frank Eugene, American-German photographer and educator (born 1865) *1940 – Eugène Dubois, Dutch paleoanthropologist (born 1858) * 1940 – Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1866), Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (born 1866) *

– George Bambridge, English diplomat (born 1892) *

– Betsie ten Boom, Dutch Holocaust victim (born 1885) * 1945 – Giovanni Agnelli, Italian businessman, founded Fiat (born 1866) * 1945 – Fumimaro Konoe, Japanese lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1891) *

– Sidney Olcott, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1873) *

– Robert Henry Best, American journalist (born 1896) *

– Nina Hamnett, Welsh painter and author (born 1890) * 1961 – Hans Rebane, Estonian journalist and politician, 8th Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1882) *

– W. Somerset Maugham, British playwright, novelist, and short story writer (born 1874) * 1968 – Futabayama Sadaji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 35th Makuuchi#Yokozuna, Yokozuna (born 1912) * 1968 – Muhammad Suheimat, Jordanian general and politician (born 1916) * 1969 – Alphonse Castex, French rugby union player (born 1899) * 1969 – Soe Hok Gie, Indonesian activist and academic (born 1942) *

– Oscar Lewis, American anthropologist of Latin America (born 1914) *1974 – Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (born 1884) *1976 – Réal Caouette, Canadian journalist and politician (born 1917) *1977 – Risto Jarva, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1934) *1980 – Colonel Sanders, American businessman, founded KFC (born 1890) * 1980 – Hellmuth Walter, German-American engineer (born 1900) *1982 – Colin Chapman, English engineer and businessman, founded Lotus Cars (born 1928) *1983 – Debs Garms, American baseball player (born 1907) *1983 – Mitchell WerBell III, American mercenary (born 1918) *1984 – Karl Deichgräber, German philologist and academic (born 1903) *1985 – Thomas Bilotti, American mobster (born 1940) * 1985 – Paul Castellano, American mobster (born 1915) *

– Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentinian race car driver (born 1913) * 1989 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (born 1930) * 1989 – Aileen Pringle, American actress (born 1895) * 1989 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (born 1925) *1991 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress and journalist (born 1938) *1993 – Moses Gunn, American actor (born 1929) * 1993 – Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese soldier and politician, 64th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1918) *1996 – Quentin Bell, English historian and author (born 1910) *1997 – Lillian Disney, American illustrator and philanthropist (born 1899) *1998 – William Gaddis, American author and academic (born 1922) *2001 – Stuart Adamson, English-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1958) * 2001 – Stefan Heym, German-American soldier and author (born 1913) *2003 – Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (born 1914) * 2003 – Gary Stewart (singer), Gary Stewart, American singer-songwriter (born 1945) *2004 – Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (born 1933) * 2004 – Deyda Hydara, Gambian journalist, co-founded ''The Point (the Gambia), The Point'' (born 1946) * 2004 – Agnes Martin, American painter and educator (born 1912) *2005 – Kenneth Bulmer, English author (born 1921) * 2005 – Ed Hansen, American director and screenwriter (born 1937) * 2005 – John Spencer (actor), John Spencer, American actor (born 1946) *2006 – Don Jardine, Canadian wrestler and trainer (born 1940) * 2006 – Taliep Petersen, South African singer-songwriter and director (born 1950) * 2006 – Pnina Salzman, Israeli pianist and educator (born 1922) * 2006 – Stanford J. Shaw, American historian and academic (born 1930) *2007 – Dan Fogelberg, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1951) *2009 – Roy E. Disney, American businessman (born 1930) * 2009 – Yegor Gaidar, Russian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Russia (born 1956) * 2009 – Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South African physician and politician, 22nd Minister of Health (South Africa), South African Minister of Health (born 1940) *2010 – Melvin E. Biddle, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1923) * 2010 – Ayinde Barrister, Nigerian fuji musician (born 1948) *

– Robert Easton (actor), Robert Easton, American actor and screenwriter (born 1930) * 2011 – Nicol Williamson, Scottish actor (born 1938) *2012 – Elwood V. Jensen, American biologist and academic (born 1920) * 2012 – Jake Adam York, American poet and academic (born 1972) *

– James Flint (RAF officer), James Flint, English commander (born 1913) * 2013 – Ray Price (musician), Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1926) * 2013 – Marta Russell, American journalist, author, and activist (born 1951) *

– Martin Brasier, English paleontologist, biologist, and academic (born 1947) * 2014 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (born 1955) *2015 – Peter Dickinson, Rhodesian-English author and poet (born 1927) * 2015 – Lizmark, Mexican wrestler (born 1950) * 2015 – George Earl Ortman, American painter and sculptor (born 1926) *2017 – Keely Smith, American singer and actress (born 1928) *

– Dick Van Arsdale, American basketball player (born 1943)

Holidays and observances

*Christian feast day: **Adelaide of Italy **Haggai **Ralph Adams Cram, Richard Upjohn and John La Farge (Episcopal Church (USA)) **December 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *Day of Reconciliation, formerly celebrated as Day of the Vow by the Afrikaners (South Africa) *Independence Day (Kazakhstan), Independence Day, celebrates the Declaration of independence of Kazakhstan, independence of

from the Soviet Union in 1991. *National Day, celebrates the withdrawal of United Kingdom from

, making Bahrain an independent emirate in 1971. *National Sports Day (Thailand) *The beginning of the nine-day celebration beginning December 16 and ending December 24, celebrating the trials which Mary (mother of Jesus), Mary and Saint Joseph, Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born (Hispanidad): **The first day of ''Las Posadas'' (Mexico, Latin America) **The first day of the ''Simbang Gabi'' novena of Mass (liturgy), masses (Philippines) * Victory Day observances, celebration of the Indo-Bangla allied victory over Pakistan armed forces and the Liberation of Bangladesh. (Bangladesh and India)

Notes

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on December 16
{{months Days of December