December 8

Events

395 – Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope.

757 – Du Fu returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuanzong's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion.

877 – Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne.

1432 – The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the Lithuanian Civil War.

1660 – A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.

1813 – Premiere of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.

1854 – In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived free of Original Sin.

1864 – Pope Pius IX promulgates the encylical Quanta cura and its appendix, the Syllabus of Errors, outlining the authority of the Catholic Church and condemning various liberal ideas.

1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.

1912 – Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out.

1914 – World War I: A squadron of Britain's Royal Navy defeats the Imperial German East Asia Squadron in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

1922 – Northern Ireland ceases to be part of the Irish Free State.

1927 – The Brookings Institution, one of the United States' oldest think tanks, is founded through the merger of three organizations that had been created by philanthropist Robert S. Brookings.

1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "a date which will live in infamy", after which the U.S. declares war on Japan.

1941 – World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. (See December 7 for the concurrent attack on Pearl Harbor in the Western Hemisphere.)

1953 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.

1955 – The Flag of Europe is adopted by Council of Europe.

1962 – Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.

1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board.

1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.

1969 – Olympic Airways Flight 954 strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90 people in the worst crash of a Douglas DC-6 in history.

1971 – Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi.

1972 – United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45. This is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737.

1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.

1980 – Former Beatle John Lennon is murdered in front of The Dakota in New York City.

1985 – South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia is established.

1987 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed.

1987 – An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the First Intifada.

1988 – A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing 5 people and injuring 50 others.

1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.

1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.

2004 – The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.

2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 127 people and injure 448 others.

2010 – With the second launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the first launch of the SpaceX Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.

2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km.

2013 – Riots break out in Singapore after a fatal accident in Little India.

2016 – Syrian army starts final phase of the attack and progress has been made in the district of, "Sheikh Said" and preparing to storm the neighborhood "Sukkari" in East of Aleppo.

2016 – Syrian army and its allies stunts shooting arguing evacuate around 8,000 civilians from Aleppo.

Births

65 BC – Horace, Roman soldier and poet (d. 8 BC)

1021 – Wang Anshi, Chinese economist and chancellor (d. 1086)

1412 – Astorre II Manfredi, Italian lord (d. 1468)

1418 – Queen Jeonghui, Queen consort of Korea (d. 1483)

1424 – Anselm Adornes, Merchant, politician and diplomat (d. 1483)

1542 – Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587)

1678 – Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole, English politician and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (d. 1757)

1699 – Maria Josepha of Austria (d. 1757)

1708 – Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1765)

1724 – Claude Balbastre, French organist and composer (d. 1799)

1730 – Jan Ingenhousz, Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist (d. 1799)

1731 – František Xaver Dušek, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1799)

1756 – Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (d. 1801)

1765 – Eli Whitney, American engineer, invented the cotton gin (d. 1825)

1795 – Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1874)

1813 – August Belmont, Prussian-American financier and diplomat, 16th United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (d. 1890)

1815 – Adolph Menzel, German painter and illustrator (d. 1905)

1817 – Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1896)

1818 – Charles III, Prince of Monaco (d. 1889)

1822 – Jakov Ignjatović, Hungarian-Serbian author (d. 1889)

1832 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)

1860 – Amanda McKittrick Ros, Irish author and poet (d. 1939)

1861 – William C. Durant, American businessman, founded General Motors and Chevrolet (d. 1947)

1861 – Aristide Maillol, French sculptor and painter (d. 1944)

1861 – Georges Méliès, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1938)

1862 – Georges Feydeau, French playwright (d. 1921)

1864 – Camille Claudel, French illustrator and sculptor (d. 1943)

1865 – Rüdiger von der Goltz, German general (d. 1946)

1865 – Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician and academic (d. 1963)

1865 – Jean Sibelius, Finnish violinist and composer (d. 1957)

1874 – Ernst Moro, Austrian physician and pediatrician (d. 1951)

1875 – Frederik Buch, Danish actor and screenwriter (d. 1925)

1877 – Paul Ladmirault, French pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 1944)

1880 – Johannes Aavik, Estonian linguist and philologist (d. 1973)

1881 – Albert Gleizes, French painter (d. 1953)

1884 – Francis Cecil Campbell Balfour, English colonel and politician (d. 1965)

1886 – Diego Rivera, Mexican painter and educator (d. 1957)

1890 – Bohuslav Martinů, Czech-American pianist and composer (d. 1959)

1892 – Marcus Lee Hansen, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1938)

1894 – E. C. Segar, American cartoonist, created Popeye (d. 1938)

1894 – James Thurber, American humorist and cartoonist (d. 1961)

1899 – Arthur Leslie, English-Welsh actor and playwright (d. 1970)

1899 – John Qualen, Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)

1900 – Sun Li-jen, Chinese general and politician (d. 1990)

1900 – Ants Oras, Estonian-American author and academic (d. 1982)

1902 – Wifredo Lam, Cuban-French painter (d. 1982)

1908 – Concha Piquer, Spanish singer and actress (d. 1990)

1908 – John A. Volpe, American soldier and politician, 61st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1994)

1909 – Lesslie Newbigin, English bishop and theologian (d. 1998)

1911 – Lee J. Cobb, American actor (d. 1976)

1911 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (d. 1992)

1913 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet and short story writer (d. 1966)

1914 – Floyd Tillman, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)

1914 – Ernie Toshack, Australian cricketer (d. 2003)

1915 – Ernest Lehman, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2005)

1916 – Richard Fleischer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)

1917 – Ian Johnson, Australian cricketer and administrator (d. 1998)

1919 – Peter Tali Coleman, Samoan-American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of American Samoa (d. 1997)

1919 – Julia Robinson, American mathematician and theorist (d. 1985)

1919 – Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (d. 2001)

1920 – McDonald Bailey, Trinidadian-English sprinter and rugby player (d. 2013)

1922 – Lucian Freud, German-English painter and illustrator (d. 2011)

1922 – Jean Ritchie, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)

1923 – Dewey Martin, American actor

1923 – Rudolph Pariser, Chinese-American soldier and chemist

1924 – Lionel Gilbert, Australian historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)

1925 – Sammy Davis, Jr., American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1990)

1925 – Carmen Martín Gaite, Spanish author and poet (d. 2000)

1925 – Jimmy Smith, American organist (d. 2005)

1927 – Ferdie Pacheco, American physician and author

1927 – Vladimir Shatalov, Kazakhstani general, pilot, and astronaut

1928 – Bill Hewitt, Canadian journalist and sportscaster (d. 1996)

1928 – Ulric Neisser, German-American psychologist, neuroscientist, and academic (d. 2012)

1930 – Julian Critchley, English journalist and politician (d. 2000)

1930 – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)

1931 – Bob Arum, American boxing promoter, founded Top Rank

1933 – Flip Wilson, American actor and comedian (d. 1998)

1935 – Dharmendra, Indian actor, producer, and politician

1935 – Tatiana Zatulovskaya, Russian-Israeli chess player

1936 – David Carradine, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2009)

1936 – Michael Hobson, American publisher

1936 – Peter Parfitt, English cricketer

1937 – James MacArthur, American actor (d. 2010)

1937 – Arne Næss, Jr., German-Norwegian mountaineer and businessman (d. 2004)

1939 – Red Berenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1939 – Jerry Butler, American singer-songwriter and producer

1939 – James Galway, Irish flute player

1939 – Felipe Gozon, Filipino lawyer and businessman

1939 – Dariush Mehrjui, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter

1939 – Soko Richardson, American drummer (d. 2004)

1940 – Brant Alyea, American baseball player

1941 – Ed Brinkman, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)

1941 – Bob Brown, American football player

1941 – Duke Cunningham, American commander and politician

1941 – Bobby Elliott, English drummer

1941 – Geoff Hurst, English footballer and manager

1943 – Larry Martin, American paleontologist and ornithologist (d. 2013)

1943 – Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 1971)

1943 – James Tate, American poet (d. 2015)

1943 – Bodo Tümmler, German runner

1943 – Mary Woronov, American actress, director, and screenwriter

1944 – George Baker, Dutch singer-songwriter

1944 – Bertie Higgins, American singer-songwriter

1944 – Ted Irvine, Canadian ice hockey player

1944 – Vince MacLean, Canadian educator and politician

1945 – John Banville, Irish novelist and screenwriter

1946 – John Rubinstein, American actor, director, and composer

1947 – Chava Alberstein, Polish-Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist

1947 – Gregg Allman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1947 – Gérard Blanc, French singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 2009)

1947 – Thomas Cech, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1947 – Kati-Claudia Fofonoff, Finnish author and poet

1947 – Margaret Geller, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic

1948 – Luis Caffarelli, Argentinian-American mathematician and academic

1948 – John Waters, English-Australian actor, singer-songwriter, and guitarist

1949 – Mary Gordon, American author, critic, and academic

1949 – Nancy Meyers, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1949 – Ray Shulman, English violinist, guitarist, and producer

1949 – Robert Sternberg, American psychologist and academic

1950 – Rick Baker, American actor and makeup artist

1950 – Tim Foli, American baseball player, coach, and manager

1950 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1994)

1951 – Bill Bryson, American essayist, travel and science writer

1951 – Richard Desmond, English publisher and businessman, founded Northern & Shell

1951 – Jan Eggum, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1952 – Khaw Boon Wan, Malayan-Singaporean politician, Singaporean Minister of Health

1952 – Steve Atkinson, English-Hong Kong cricketer

1953 – Kim Basinger, American actress

1953 – Roy Firestone, American sportscaster and journalist

1953 – Norman Finkelstein, American author, academic, and activist

1953 – Sam Kinison, American comedian (d. 1992)

1953 – Władysław Kozakiewicz, Lithuanian-Polish pole vaulter and coach

1953 – Steve Yates, English footballer

1954 – Harold Hongju Koh, American lawyer, academic, and politician

1954 – Frits Pirard, Dutch cyclist

1955 – Kasim Sulton, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer

1955 – Milenko Zablaćanski, Serbian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)

1956 – Warren Cuccurullo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1956 – Andrius Kubilius, Lithuanian academic and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Lithuania

1957 – James Cama, American martial artist and educator (d. 2014)

1957 – Phil Collen, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1957 – Slick, American wrestler and manager

1958 – Rob Byrnes, American author and blogger

1958 – Rob Curling, Malayan-English journalist

1958 – Michel Ferté, French race car driver

1958 – Bob Greene, American physiologist and author

1958 – Mirosław Okoński, Polish footballer

1959 – Stephen Jefferies, South African cricketer and coach

1959 – Mark Steyn, Canadian-American author and critic

1960 – Aaron Allston, American game designer and author (d. 2014)

1960 – Lim Guan Eng, Malaysian accountant and politician, 4th Chief Minister of the State of Penang

1961 – Ann Coulter, American lawyer, journalist, and author

1961 – Mikey Robins, Australian comedian and television host

1962 – Steve Elkington, Australian-American golfer

1962 – Marty Friedman, American-Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and television host

1962 – Nikos Karageorgiou, Greek footballer and manager

1962 – Berry van Aerle, Dutch footballer

1963 – Greg Howe, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1963 – Toshiaki Kawada, Japanese wrestler

1963 – Ricky Walford, Australian rugby league player

1964 – James Blundell, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1964 – Teri Hatcher, American actress

1964 – Chigusa Nagayo, Japanese wrestler

1964 – Óscar Ramírez, Costa Rican footballer and coach

1965 – David Harewood, English actor

1965 – Theo Maassen, Dutch actor, producer, and screenwriter

1966 – Les Ferdinand, English footballer and coach

1966 – Tyler Mane, Canadian wrestler and actor

1966 – Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer-songwriter

1967 – Jeff George, American football player

1967 – Andy Kapp, German curler

1967 – Kotono Mitsuishi, Japanese voice actress and singer

1967 – Darren Sheridan, English footballer and manager

1968 – Mike Mussina, American baseball player and coach

1968 – Doriano Romboni, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2013)

1969 – Kristin Lauter, American mathematician and cryptographer

1971 – Abdullah Ercan, Turkish footballer and manager

1972 – Marco Abreu, Angolan footballer

1972 – Indrek Allmann, Estonian architect

1972 – Édson Ribeiro, Brazilian sprinter

1974 – Cristian Castro, Mexican singer

1974 – Tony Simmons, American football player and coach

1974 – Nick Zinner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1975 – Kevin Harvick, American race car driver

1976 – Brettina, Bahamian-American singer-songwriter and actress

1976 – Reed Johnson, American baseball player

1976 – Dominic Monaghan, German-born English actor

1977 – Ryan Newman, American race car driver

1977 – Aleksandra Olsza, Polish tennis player

1977 – Anita Weyermann, Swiss runner and journalist

1978 – John Oster, English-Welsh footballer

1978 – Frédéric Piquionne, French footballer

1978 – Anwar Siraj, Ethiopian footballer

1978 – Ian Somerhalder, American actor

1978 – Vernon Wells, American baseball player

1979 – Daniel Fitzhenry, Australian rugby player

1979 – Johan Forssell, Swedish lawyer and politician

1979 – Raymond Lam, Chinese actor and singer

1979 – Ingrid Michaelson, American singer-songwriter and pianist

1979 – José Peña, Venezuelan sprinter

1979 – Christian Wilhelmsson, Swedish footballer

1980 – Yuliya Krevsun, Ukrainian runner

1981 – Jeremy Accardo, American baseball player

1981 – Simon Finnigan, English rugby player

1981 – Philip Rivers, American football player

1982 – Alfredo Aceves, American baseball player

1982 – Chrisette Michele, American singer-songwriter

1982 – Nicki Minaj, Trinidadian-American rapper and actress

1983 – Neel Jani, Swiss race car driver

1983 – Valéry Mézague, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2014)

1984 – Emma Green Tregaro, Swedish high jumper

1984 – Greg Halford, English footballer

1984 – Sam Hunt, American singer-songwriter

1985 – Josh Donaldson, American baseball player

1985 – Meagan Duhamel, Canadian figure skater

1985 – Dwight Howard, American basketball player

1985 – Oleksiy Pecherov, Ukrainian basketball player

1986 – Enzo Amore, American wrestler

1986 – Amir Khan, English boxer

1986 – Sam Tagataese, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player

1986 – Kate Voegele, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress

1987 – Jana Juricová, Slovak tennis player

1989 – Drew Doughty, Canadian ice hockey player

1989 – Jesse Sene-Lefao, New Zealand rugby league player

1993 – Janari Jõesaar, Estonian basketball player

1993 – Jordan Obita, English footballer

1993 – AnnaSophia Robb, American actress

1994 – Conseslus Kipruto, Kenyan runner

1995 – Jordon Ibe, English footballer

Deaths

899 – Arnulf of Carinthia (b. 850)

1186 – Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen (b.c 1125)

1292 – John Peckham, Archbishop of Canterbury

1431 – Hedwig Jagiellon, Polish and Lithuanian princess (b. 1408)

1550 – Gian Giorgio Trissino, Italian humanist, poet, dramatist and diplomat (b. 1478)

1626 – John Davies, English poet, lawyer, and politician (b. 1569)

1632 – Philippe van Lansberge, Dutch astronomer and mathematician (b. 1561)

1638 – Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet (b. 1589)

1643 – John Pym, English politician (b. 1583)

1649 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (b. 1613)

1680 – Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, English lawyer and politician (b. 1606)

1691 – Richard Baxter, English minister, poet, and hymn-writer (b. 1615)

1695 – Barthélemy d'Herbelot, French orientalist and academic (b. 1625)

1709 – Thomas Corneille, French playwright and philologist (b. 1625)

1722 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (b. 1652)

1744 – Marie Anne de Mailly, French mistress of Louis XV of France (b. 1717)

1745 – Étienne Fourmont, French orientalist and academic (b. 1683)

1746 – Charles Radclyffe, English courtier and soldier (b. 1693)

1756 – William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, English politician and diplomat, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690)

1768 – Jean Denis Attiret, French painter and missionary (b. 1702)

1779 – Nathan Alcock, English physician (b. 1707)

1830 – Benjamin Constant, Swiss-French philosopher and author (b. 1767)

1859 – Thomas De Quincey, English journalist and author (b. 1785)

1864 – George Boole, English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1815)

1869 – Narcisa de Jesús, Ecuadorian saint (b. 1832)

1885 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1821)

1886 – Isaac Lea, American conchologist, geologist, and publisher (b. 1792)

1894 – Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1821)

1903 – Herbert Spencer, English biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and philosopher (b. 1820)

1907 – Oscar II of Sweden (b. 1829)

1913 – Camille Jenatzy, Belgian race car driver (b. 1868)

1914 – Melchior Anderegg, Swiss mountain guide (b. 1828)

1914 – Maximilian von Spee, Danish-German admiral (b. 1861)

1917 – Mendele Mocher Sforim, Russian author (b. 1836)

1918 – Josip Štadler, Croatian archbishop (b. 1843)

1919 – J. Alden Weir, American painter (b. 1852)

1937 – Hans Molisch, Czech-Austrian botanist and academic (b. 1856)

1938 – Friedrich Glauser, Swiss soldier and author (b. 1896)

1940 – George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (b. 1861)

1942 – Albert Kahn, American architect, Fisher Building, Packard Automotive Plant, Ford River Rouge Complex (b. 1869)

1952 – Charles Lightoller, English sailor (b. 1874)

1954 – Gladys George, American actress (b. 1904)

1954 – Joseph B. Keenan, American lawyer and politician (b. 1888)

1958 – Tris Speaker, American baseball player and manager (b. 1888)

1963 – Sarit Thanarat, Thai field marshal and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1908)

1966 – Ward Morehouse, American playwright, author, and critic (b. 1899)

1971 – Ernst Krenkel, Russian geographer and explorer (b. 1903)

1971 – Eleni Ourani, Greek poet and critic (b. 1896)

1975 – Gary Thain, New Zealand bass player (b. 1948)

1978 – Golda Meir, Ukrainian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898)

1980 – John Lennon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)

1982 – Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist and politician (b. 1951)

1982 – André Kamperveen, Surinamese footballer and manager (b. 1924)

1982 – Marty Robbins, American singer-songwriter and race car driver (b. 1925)

1983 – Keith Holyoake, New Zealand farmer and politician, 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1904)

1983 – Slim Pickens, American actor (b. 1919)

1984 – Luther Adler, American actor (b. 1903)

1984 – Robert Jay Mathews, American militant leader, founded The Order (b. 1953)

1984 – Semih Sancar, Turkish general (b. 1911)

1991 – Buck Clayton, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1911)

1992 – William Shawn, American journalist (b. 1917)

1993 – Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (b. 1933)

1994 – Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927)

1996 – Howard Rollins, American actor (b. 1950)

1996 – Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 47th Yokozuna (b. 1938)

1997 – Bob Bell, American clown and actor (b. 1922)

1999 – Péter Kuczka, Hungarian poet and author (b. 1923)

2001 – Mirza Delibašić, Bosnian basketball player and coach (b. 1954)

2001 – Betty Holberton, American computer scientist and programmer (b. 1917)

2003 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (b. 1919)

2004 – Dimebag Darrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)

2006 – Martha Tilton, American singer (b. 1915)

2006 – José Uribe, Dominican baseball player (b. 1959)

2007 – Gerardo García Pimentel, Mexican journalist (b. 1983)

2008 – Oliver Postgate, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)

2008 – Robert Prosky, American actor (b. 1930)

2009 – Luis Días, Dominican singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)

2012 – Jerry Brown, American football player (b. 1987)

2012 – John Gowans, Scottish-English 16th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1934)

2012 – Johnny Lira, American boxer (b. 1951)

2013 – John Cornforth, Australian-English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)

2013 – Sándor Szokolay, Hungarian composer and academic (b. 1931)

2013 – Richard S. Williamson, American lawyer and diplomat (b. 1949)

2014 – Tom Gosnell, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1951)

2014 – Russ Kemmerer, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)

2014 – Knut Nystedt, Norwegian organist and composer (b. 1915)

2015 – Mattiwilda Dobbs, American soprano and actress (b. 1925)

2015 – Alan Hodgkinson, English footballer and coach (b. 1936)

2015 – Douglas Tompkins, American businessman, co-founded The North Face and Esprit Holdings (b. 1943)

2015 – John Trudell, American author, poet, and actor (b. 1946)

2015 – Elsie Tu, English-Hong Kong educator and politician (b. 1913)

2016 – John Glenn, American astronaut & senator, first American to go into orbit (b. 1921)

Holidays and observances

Bodhi Day (Japan)

CARICOM–Cuba Day (Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba)

Christian feast day:

Clement of Ohrid (Julian Calendar), and its related observances:

Student's Day (Bulgaria)

Eucharius

Feast of the Immaculate Conception (public holiday in several countries, a holy day of obligation in others), and its related observances:

Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican Communion), lesser commemoration

Christmas on Campus (University of Dayton)

Festa da Conceição da Praia, celebrating Yemanjá, Queen of the Ocean in Umbanda (Salvador, Bahia)

Festival of Lights (Lyon)

Mother's Day (Panama)

Lady of Camarin Day (Guam)

Richard Baxter (US Episcopal Church)

Romaric

December 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Constitution Day (Romania)

Constitution Day (Uzbekistan)

Day of Finnish Music (Finland)

Earliest day on which National Tree Planting Day can fall, while December 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in December. (Malawi)

Hari-Kuyō (Kansai region, Japan)

National Youth Day (Albania)