At the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to become World Drivers' Champion.
North Korea made its first successful satellite launch, as Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 reached orbit.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the recount of ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election be stopped, effectively making George W. Bush (pictured) the winner.
Three trains collided near Clapham Junction railway station in London, killing 35 people and injuring 484 others.
Arrow Air Flight 1285R crashed after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, killing 256 people, including 248 members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division.
A .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}Mw8.2 earthquake struck just offshore of Tumaco, Colombia, causing at least 300 deaths, mostly by the resulting tsunami.
The Greek junta announced its withdrawal from the Council of Europe after the junta was found guilty of torture and other human-rights violations by the European Commission of Human Rights.
Jomo Kenyatta became the first president of the Republic of Kenya.
World War II: German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad.
The Holocaust: At a Nazi Party meeting in the Reich Chancellery, Adolf Hitler declared the imminent destruction of the Jewish people.
The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duchess collided with HMS Barham, the battleship she was escorting, sinking with heavy loss of life.
Republic of China leader Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang, a former warlord of Manchuria.
In support of the December Uprising in Moscow, the Council of Workers' Deputies of Kyiv staged a mass uprising, establishing the Shuliavka Republic in the city.
England's worst mining disaster occurred when a series of explosions (depicted) caused by flammable gases ripped through the Oaks Colliery, killing 361 people.
Unable to defend her possessions, Maria of Enghien sold the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
At the Battle of Nineveh, the Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeated the forces of Sasanian emperor Khosrow II, commanded by Rhahzadh, near present-day Mosul, Iraq.
Indian Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju became the undisputed World Chess Champion in a tournament held in Singapore, making him the 18th and the youngest champion in chess history.
Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands.
The Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted.
North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2.
Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải announces the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps.
The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits the Philippines's main island of Luzon, killing six people, injuring 40, and causing power outages that affected the capital Manila.
The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains—one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom.
Arrow Air Flight 1285R, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 256 people on board, including 236 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
The 8.2 Mw Tumaco earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 300–600, and generating a large tsunami.
Coup d'état of December Twelfth occurs in South Korea.
The Piazza Fontana bombing; a bomb explodes at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura (the National Agricultural Bank) in Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy, killing 17 people and wounding 88. The same afternoon, three more bombs are detonated in Rome and Milan, and another is found unexploded.
Kenya declares independence from Great Britain.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 121 relating to acceptance of Japan to the United Nations is adopted.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 13 relating to acceptance of Siam (now Thailand) to the United Nations is adopted.
The People's Republic of Korea is outlawed in the South, by order of the United States Army Military Government in Korea.
World War II: Fifty-four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed.
The Holocaust: Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.
HMS Duchess sinks after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.
Winter War: The Battle of Tolvajärvi, also known as the first major Finnish victory in the Winter War, begins.
Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze river in China.
The beginning of Xi'an incident. As a result, Chiang Kai Shek is captured.
The Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.
Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
Yuan Shikai declares the establishment of the Empire of China and proclaims himself Emperor.
![Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [•••] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Guglielmo_Marconi.jpg/330px-Guglielmo_Marconi.jpg)
Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [•••] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman.
Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers.
American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River.
Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the US Constitution.
Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
Michael Olise, French footballer
Ed Oliver, American football player
Lucas Hedges, American actor
Otto Warmbier, American student imprisoned in North Korea (died 2017)
Zeli Ismail, English footballer
Shohjahon Ergashev, Uzbek professional boxer
Joseph Leilua, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
Nixon Chepseba, Kenyan runner
Dawin, American singer-songwriter
Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer
Tyron Smith, American football player
Isaac John, New Zealand rugby league player
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, Israeli Olympic marathon runner
Daddy Birori, Rwandan footballer
Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer
Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper
T. J. Ward, American football player
Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player
Andrew Ladd, Canadian ice hockey player
Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
Roni Porokara, Finnish footballer
Ervin Santana, Dominican baseball player
Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player and coach
Eddie Kingston, American wrestler
Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer
Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer
Stephen Warnock, English footballer
Andrew Whitworth, American football player and commentator
Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopian runner (died 2010)
Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer
Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
Nate Clements, American football player
John Salmons, American basketball player
Yoel Hernández, Cuban hurdler
Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
Dean Macey, English decathlete and bobsledder
Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player
Mayim Bialik, American actress, neuroscientist, and author
Craig Moore, Australian footballer and manager
Bernard Lagat, Kenyan-American runner
Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer and manager
Nicky Eaden, English footballer and coach
Craig Field, Australian rugby league player
Wilson Kipketer, Kenyan-Danish runner
Georgios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter
Sammy Korir, Kenyan runner
Mädchen Amick, American actress and director
Jennifer Connelly, American actress
Regina Hall, American actress
Wilfred Kirochi, Kenyan runner
Fiona May, English-Italian long jumper
Michael Möllenbeck, German discus thrower
Sašo Udovič, Slovenian footballer
John Randle, American football player
Russell Batiste Jr., American funk and R&B drummer (died 2023)
Will Carling, English rugby union player
Haywood Jeffires, American football player and coach
Sabu, American wrestler
Eduardo Castro Luque, Mexican businessman and politician (died 2012)
Tracy Austin, American tennis player and sportscaster
Arturo Barrios, Mexican-American runner
Mike Golic, American football player and radio host
Andrey Perlov, Russian race walker
Martina Hellmann, German discus thrower
Sheree J. Wilson, American actress
Sheila E., American singer and musician
Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
Eddy Schepers, Belgian cyclist
Stephen Smith, Australian politician
Martin Ferguson, Australian lawyer and politician
Rafael Septién, Mexican-American football player
Cathy Rigby, American gymnast
Rehman Malik, Pakistani politician, Pakistani Minister of Interior (died 2022)
Pedro Ferriz de Con, Mexican journalist
Heiner Flassbeck, German economist and academic
Rajinikanth, Indian actor
Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
Gorman Thomas, American baseball player
Bill Nighy, English actor
Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy businessman and politician, President of Madagascar
Randy Smith, American basketball player (died 2009)
Colin Todd, English football player and coach
Wings Hauser, American actor (died 2025)
Don Keith, American writer
Chris Mullin, English journalist and politician
Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian racing driver
Gísli S. Einarsson, Icelandic politician
Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (died 1997)
Dickey Betts, American musician and songwriter (died 2024)
Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (died 1999)
Bob Thompson, American jazz pianist, composer and arranger
Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Agriculture
Dionne Warwick, American singer
Connie Francis, American singer, musician, and actress (died 2025)
Philip Ledger, English pianist, composer, and academic (died 2012)
Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper and educator (died 2016)
Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican lawyer and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (died 2012)
Christa Stubnick, German sprinter (died 2021)
Bob Pettit, American basketball player and coach
Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer
Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and academic (died 2011)
Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (died 1990)
Étienne-Émile Baulieu, French biochemist and endocrinologist (died 2025)
Ted Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2009)
Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (died 1985)
Vladimir Shainsky, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer (died 2017)
Ed Koch, American politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (died 2013)
Bob Barker, American game show host and producer (died 2023)
Bob Dorough, American musician, composer, and producer (died 2018)
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, Ethiopian pianist, composer and nun (died 2023)
Josef Doležal, Czech race walker (died 1999)
Joe Williams, American singer and pianist (died 1999)
Frank Sinatra, American singer, actor, and producer (died 1998)
Patrick O'Brian, English author (died 2000)
Henry Armstrong, American boxer (died 1988)
Roy Douglas, English pianist and composer (died 2015)
Harald Kaarmann, Estonian footballer (died 1942)
Edward G. Robinson, American actor (died 1973)
Louise Thuliez, French school teacher, resistance fighter during World War I and World War II and author (died 1966)
Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and runner (died 1928)
Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman, co-founded Hughes Tool Company (died 1912)
Alfred Werner, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1919)
Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (died 1944)
Bruce Price, American architect, designed the American Surety Building and Bank of the Metropolis (died 1903)
Adolf Bötticher, German journalist and historian (died 1901)
Joseph Orville Shelby, Confederate general (died 1897)
Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (died 1880)
John Sandfield Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Ontario (died 1872)
Stand Watie, American general (died 1871)
Henry Wells, American businessman, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (died 1878)
Karl Bryullov, Russian painter (died 1852)
William L. Marcy, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (died 1857)
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral and politician (died 1816)
Lodovico Giustini, Italian pianist and composer (died 1743)
Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (died 1588)
Vicente Fernández, Mexican actor, ranchera singer, and film producer (born 1940)
Bernie Fowler, American politician and environmental advocate (born 1924)
Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi, Tongan politician and military officer, Deputy Prime Minister (born 1955)
John le Carré, English author (born 1931)
Ann Reinking, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (born 1949)
Danny Aiello, American actor (born 1933)
Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (born 1952)
Pat DiNizio, American singer and songwriter (born 1955)
Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1931)
Frans Geurtsen, Dutch footballer (born 1942)
Evelyn S. Lieberman, American politician, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (born 1944)
Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (born 1928)
Ivor Grattan-Guinness, English mathematician, historian, and academic (born 1941)
Herb Plews, American baseball player (born 1928)
Tom Laughlin, American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator, and activist (born 1931)
Abdul Quader Molla, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (born 1948)
Audrey Totter, American actress (born 1917)
Joe Allbritton, American banker, publisher, and philanthropist, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (born 1924)
David Tait, English rugby player (born 1987)
Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver, founded Tom Walkinshaw Racing (born 1946)
Avery Dulles, American cardinal and theologian (born 1918)
Van Johnson, American actor (born 1916)
François al-Hajj, Lebanese general (born 1953)
Ike Turner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1931)
Paul Arizin, American basketball player (born 1928)
Peter Boyle, American actor (born 1935)
Raymond P. Shafer, American attorney and politician, 39th Governor of Pennsylvania (born 1917)
Alan Shugart, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Seagate Technology (born 1930)
Robert Newmyer, American actor and producer (born 1956)
Annette Stroyberg, Danish actress (born 1936)
Gebran Tueni, Lebanese journalist and politician (born 1957)
Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani general and politician, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (born 1923)
Dee Brown, American historian and author (born 1908)
Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and explorer (born 1897)
Paul Cadmus, American painter and illustrator (born 1904)
Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright(born 1923)
Lawton Chiles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Governor of Florida (born 1930)
Morris Udall, American captain and politician (born 1922)
Evgenii Landis, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and academic (born 1921)
Vance Packard, American journalist, author, and critic (born 1914)
Stuart Roosa, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (born 1933)
József Antall, Hungarian historian and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Hungary (born 1932)
Anne Baxter, American actress (born 1923)
Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Quebec (born 1912)
Richard Baggallay, English colonel and cricketer (born 1884)
Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (born 1889)
Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (born 1902)
Karl Ruberl, Austrian-American swimmer (born 1880)
Albert Walsh, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (born 1900)
Mildred Bailey, American singer (born 1907)
Marjory Stephenson, British biochemist (born 1885)
César Basa, Filipino lieutenant and pilot (born 1915)
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1883)
Thorleif Haug, Norwegian skier (born 1894)
Raymond Radiguet, French author and poet (born 1903)
Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (born 1868)
Menelik II, Ethiopian emperor (born 1844)
John Sparrow David Thompson, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1845)
Viktor Bunyakovsky, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist (born 1804)
Jacques Viger, Canadian archeologist and politician, 1st Mayor of Montreal (born 1787)
Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden (born 1750)
Meshullam Feivush Heller, Ukrainian author (born 1742)
Johann Christoph Gottsched, German philosopher, author, and critic (born 1700)
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English philosopher and politician, Secretary at War (born 1678)
Loredana Marcello, Dogaressa of Venice, botanist, author
Isabella of Mar, first wife of Robert Bruce VII (born 1277)
King Carloman II of the Franks (born c.866; hunting accident)
Christian feast day: Corentin of Quimper
Christian feast day: Jane Frances de Chantal
Christian feast day: Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
Christian feast day: Finnian of Clonard
Christian feast day: Thomas Holland
Christian feast day: Ida of Nivelles
Christian feast day: Peter the Aleut
Christian feast day: Vicelinus
Christian feast day: Our Lady of Guadalupe
Christian feast day: December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Constitution Day (Russia)
Day of Neutrality (Turkmenistan)