A 20-year-old gunman shot twenty children and six adult staff members in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
A 20-year-old gunman shot twenty children and six adult staff members in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
The tino rangatiratanga flag, representing the Māori people, was officially recognized by the government of New Zealand.
During a press conference in Baghdad, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at U.S. president George W. Bush and Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, yelling "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq".
Torrential rains caused flash floods in the Venezuelan state of Vargas, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of thousands of homes, and the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure.
Kosovo War: Yugoslav forces ambushed a group of Kosovo Liberation Army militants attempting to smuggle weapons into Yugoslavia from Albania.
War in Abkhazia: A helicopter carrying evacuees was shot down during the siege of Tkvarcheli, resulting in at least 52 deaths and catalysing more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of Abkhazia.
The Knesset passed the Golan Heights Law, extending Israeli "laws, jurisdiction and administration" to the Golan Heights, effectively annexing the territory internationally recognized as part of Syria.
Upon completing the third extra-vehicular activity of Apollo 17, American astronaut Gene Cernan became the last person to date to walk on the Moon.
The dam containing the Baldwin Hills Reservoir in Los Angeles failed, releasing a flood that killed five people and destroyed 277 homes.
NASA's Mariner 2 became the world's first spacecraft to successfully conduct a planetary encounter when it flew by Venus.
Australian cricketer Ian Meckiff was run out on the last day of the first Test match between Australia and the West Indies, resulting in the first tied Test in cricket history.
American physicists Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann were awarded a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device, the first interactive electronic game.
The first British general election with female voters took place, with women over the age of thirty permitted to vote.
Giacomo Puccini's comic opera Gianni Schicchi premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Haruna (pictured), the fourth and last Japanese battlecruiser of the Kongō class, was launched and went on to serve in both world wars.
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first people to reach the South Pole.
American Civil War: The Battle of Bean's Station, the final battle of the Knoxville campaign, was fought in Grainger County, Tennessee.
The Toledo War, a mostly bloodless territorial dispute between Ohio and the Michigan Territory, was unofficially ended with a resolution passed by the controversial "Frostbitten Convention".
English domestic servant Anne Greene survived being hanged for infanticide.
In the Sweet Dew incident, Emperor Wenzong (pictured) of the Tang dynasty conspired to kill the powerful eunuchs of the Tang court, but the plot was foiled.
A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean.
The Walt Disney Company announces that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, for $52.4 billion.
A reported coup attempt in South Sudan leads to continued fighting and hundreds of casualties.
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, are killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
The Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, is formally inaugurated near Millau, France.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt.
Torrential rains cause flash floods in Vargas, Venezuela, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of thousands of homes, and the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure.
Yugoslav Wars: The Yugoslav Army ambushes a group of Kosovo Liberation Army fighters attempting to smuggle weapons from Albania into Kosovo, killing 36.
Yugoslav Wars: The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by the leaders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Construction begins on the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river.
War in Abkhazia: Siege of Tkvarcheli: A helicopter carrying evacuees from Tkvarcheli is shot down, resulting in at least 52 deaths, including 25 children. The incident catalyses more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of Abkhazia.
Qasba Aligarh massacre: Over 400 Muhajirs killed in revenge killings in Qasba colony after a raid on Pashtun heroin processing and distribution center in Sohrab Goth by the security forces.
Wilma Mankiller takes office as the first woman elected to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Arab–Israeli conflict: Israel's Knesset ratifies the Golan Heights Law, extending Israeli law to the Golan Heights.
Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the most recent person to walk on the Moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final extravehicular activity (EVA) of the Apollo 17 mission.
Bangladesh Liberation War: Over 200 of East Pakistan's intellectuals are executed by the Pakistan Army and their local allies. (The date is commemorated in Bangladesh as Martyred Intellectuals Day.)
American Civil Rights Movement: Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Congress can use the Constitution's Commerce Clause to fight discrimination.
The dam containing the Baldwin Hills Reservoir bursts, killing five people and damaging hundreds of homes in Los Angeles, California.
NASA's Mariner 2 becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus.
Convention against Discrimination in Education of UNESCO is adopted.
The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility.
Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ceylon, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania and Spain join the United Nations through United Nations Security Council Resolution 109.
Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann are granted a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device, the earliest known interactive electronic game.
An Aeroflot Tupolev ANT-20 crashes near Tashkent, killing all 36 people on board.
Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California.
Winter War: The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland.
Friedrich Karl von Hessen, a German prince elected by the Parliament of Finland to become King Väinö I, renounces the Finnish throne.
Portuguese President Sidónio Pais is assassinated.
The 1918 United Kingdom general election occurs, the first where women were permitted to vote. In Ireland the Irish republican political party Sinn Féin wins a landslide victory with nearly 47% of the popular vote.
Giacomo Puccini's comic opera Gianni Schicchi premieres at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Lisandro de la Torre and others found the Democratic Progressive Party (Partido Demócrata Progresista, PDP) at the Hotel Savoy, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Haruna, the fourth and last Kongō-class ship, launches, eventually becoming one of the Japanese workhorses during World War I and World War II.
Roald Amundsen's team, comprising himself, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole.
New South Wales Premier Charles Wade signs the Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909, formally completing the transfer of State land to the Commonwealth to create the Australian Capital Territory.
The Thomas W. Lawson, the largest ever ship without a heat engine, runs aground and founders near the Hellweather's Reef within the Isles of Scilly in a gale. The pilot and 15 seamen die.
The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from San Francisco to Honolulu.
Quantum mechanics: Max Planck presents a theoretical derivation of his black-body radiation law (quantum theory) at the Physic Society in Berlin.
The Glasgow Underground Railway is opened by the Glasgow District Subway Company.
American Civil War: The Confederate victory under General James Longstreet at the Battle of Bean's Station in East Tennessee ends the Knoxville Campaign, but achieves very little as Longstreet returns to Virginia next spring.
The Toledo War unofficially ends as the "Frostbitten Convention" votes to accept Congress' terms for admitting Michigan as a U.S. state.
Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state.
War of 1812: The Royal Navy seizes control of Lake Borgne, Louisiana.
The French invasion of Russia comes to an end as the remnants of the Grande Armée are expelled from Russia.
The Montgolfier brothers first test fly an unmanned hot air balloon in France; it floats nearly 2.5 km (1.6 mi).
Founding Father Alexander Hamilton marries Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York.
The Theresian Military Academy is founded in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Princess Mary Stuart becomes Queen of Scots at the age of one week on the death of her father, James V of Scotland.
St. Lucia's flood: The Zuiderzee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses, killing over 50,000 people.
Sweet Dew Incident: Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dynasty conspires to kill the powerful eunuchs of the Tang court, but the plot is foiled.
Constantinople is severely damaged by an earthquake, which cracks the dome of Hagia Sophia.
Francisco Conceição, Portuguese footballer
Joshua Rush, American actor and activist
Lonnie Walker IV, American basketball player
Kim Ji-woong, South Korean singer and actor
DK Metcalf, American football player
Barbie Ferreira, American actress and model
Li Zijun, Chinese figure skater
Ivan Barbashev, Russian ice hockey player
Calvyn Justus, South African swimmer
Álvaro Odriozola, Spanish footballer
Antonio Giovinazzi, Italian race car driver
Tori Kelly, American singer-songwriter
Ryo Miyaichi, Japanese footballer
Ben Henry, New Zealand rugby league player
Offset, American rapper
Robert Covington, American basketball player
Pedro Botelho, Brazilian footballer
Sam Burgess, English rugby league player
Onew, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
Nicolas Batum, French basketball player
Nate Ebner, American football player
Vanessa Hudgens, American actress and singer
Hayato Sakamoto, Japanese baseball player
Kenneth Medwood, Belizean-American hurdler
Jakub Błaszczykowski, Polish footballer
Alex Pennie, Welsh keyboard player
Tom Smith, English-Welsh rugby player
Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress and singer
Chris Brunt, Northern Irish footballer
Rana Daggubati, Indian actor and producer
Ed Rainsford, Zimbabwean cricketer
Jackson Rathbone, American actor, singer, and musician
Leanne Mitchell, English singer-songwriter
Josh Fields, American baseball player
Steve Sidwell, English footballer
Anthony Way, English singer and actor
Amber Chia, Malaysian model
Johnny Jeter, American wrestler
Liam Lawrence, Irish footballer
Shaun Marcum, American baseball player
Thed Björk, Swedish race car driver
Gordon Greer, Scottish footballer
Didier Zokora, Ivorian footballer
Jean-Alain Boumsong, French footballer
Andrei Makrov, Estonian ice hockey player
Kyle Shanahan, American football coach
Sophie Monk, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actress
Michael Owen, English footballer and sportscaster
Dean Brogan, Australian footballer and coach
Shedrack Kibet Korir, Kenyan runner
Zdeněk Pospěch, Czech footballer
Patty Schnyder, Swiss tennis player
Kim St-Pierre, Canadian ice hockey player
Brendan Nash, Australian-Jamaican cricketer
Jamie Peacock, English rugby player and manager
Tammy Blanchard, American actress and singer
Leland Chapman, American bounty hunter
Sebastien Chaule, French-German rugby player
André Couto, Portuguese race car driver
Santiago Ezquerro, Spanish footballer
Justin Furstenfeld, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Ben Kay, English rugby player
KaDee Strickland, American actress
Billy Koch, American baseball player
Falk Balzer, German hurdler
Pat Burke, Irish basketball player
Tomasz Radzinski, Canadian soccer player
Saulius Štombergas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
Miranda Hart, English actress
Marcus Jensen, American baseball player and coach
Michaela Watkins, American actor and comedian
Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
Beth Orton, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Scott Hatteberg, American baseball player and sportscaster
Archie Kao, American actor and producer
Natascha McElhone, English-Irish actress
Dave Nilsson, Australian baseball player and manager
Arthur Numan, Dutch footballer and manager
Kelley Armstrong, Canadian author
Mohamed Saad, Egyptian actor
Ewa Białołęcka, Polish author
Hanne Haugland, Norwegian high jumper and coach
Fabrizio Giovanardi, Italian race car driver
Carl Herrera, Trinidadian-Venezuelan basketball player
Anthony Mason, American basketball player (died 2015)
Bill Ranford, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Tim Sköld, Swedish bass player and producer
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish academic and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Denmark
Craig Biggio, American baseball player and coach
Ken Hill, American baseball player
Ted Raimi, American actor, director, and screenwriter
Greg Abbott, English footballer and manager
William Bedford, American basketball player
Diana Gansky, German discus thrower
Cynthia Gibb, American actress and model
Patrik Sundström, Swedish ice hockey player
James Comey, American lawyer, 7th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Don Franklin, American actor
Chris Waddle, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
Diane Williams, American sprinter
Bob Paris, American-Canadian bodybuilder and actor
Jorge Vaca, Mexican boxer
Mike Scott, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
Spider Stacy, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
T. K. Carter, American actor
Linda Fabiani, Scottish politician
Hanni Wenzel, German skier
Jane Crafter, Australian golfer
Jill Pipher, American mathematician and academic
Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (died 1993)
Steve MacLean, Canadian physicist and astronaut
Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis player and sportscaster
Wade Davis, Canadian anthropologist, author, and photographer
René Eespere, Estonian composer
Vangelis Meimarakis, Greek lawyer and politician, 4th Greek Minister for National Defence
Mikael Odenberg, Swedish soldier and politician, 29th Swedish Minister for Defence
John Lurie, American actor, saxophonist, painter, director, and producer
John Brown, American basketball player
Jan Timman, Dutch chess player and author
Bill Buckner, American baseball player and manager (died 2019)
David A. Cherry, American artist and illustrator
Cliff Williams, Australian bass player
Lester Bangs, American journalist and author (died 1982)
Kim Beazley, Australian politician and diplomat, 9th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Boudewijn Büch, Dutch author, poet, and television host (died 2002)
Peeter Kreitzberg, Estonian lawyer and politician (died 2011)
Dee Wallace, American actress
Christopher Parkening, American guitarist and educator
Dilma Rousseff, Brazilian economist and politician, 36th President of Brazil
Antony Beevor, English historian and author
Jane Birkin, English-French actress and singer (died 2023)
John Du Prez, English conductor and composer
Patty Duke, American actress (died 2016)
Ruth Fuchs, German javelin thrower and politician (died 2023)
Peter Lorimer, Scottish footballer (died 2021)
Michael Ovitz, American talent agent, co-founded Creative Artists Agency
Stan Smith, American tennis player and coach
Lynne Marie Stewart, American actress (died 2025)
Joyce Vincent Wilson, American singer
Graham Kirkham, Baron Kirkham, English businessman, founded DFS
Denis Thwaites, English professional footballer murdered in the 2015 Sousse attacks (died 2015)
Britt Allcroft, English writer (died 2024)
Tommy McAvoy, Scottish politician (died 2024)
Emmett Tyrrell, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded The American Spectator
Chris Harris, English actor and director (died 2014)
Dick Wagner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2014)
Karan Armstrong, American soprano and actress (died 2021)
Ellen Willis, American journalist, critic, and academic (died 2006)
Lex Gold, Scottish footballer and civil servant
Ann Cryer, English academic and politician
Ernie Davis, American football player (died 1963)
Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian and author
Charlie Griffith, Barbadian cricketer
Lewis Arquette, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2001)
Lee Remick, American actress (died 1991)
Shyam Benegal, Indian director and screenwriter (died 2024)
Charlie Hodge, American guitarist and singer (died 2006)
George Furth, American actor and playwright (died 2008)
Abbe Lane, American actress, singer, and dancer
Charlie Rich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1995)
Jon Elia, Pakistani philosopher, poet, and scholar (died 2002)
Vladimir-Georg Karassev-Orgusaar, Estonian director and politician (died 2015)
Margaret Bakkes, South African author (died 2016)
David R. Harris, English geographer, anthropologist, and archaeologist (died 2013)
Ron Jarden, New Zealand rugby player (died 1977)
Richard Cassilly, American tenor and actor (died 1998)
Koos Rietkerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of the Interior (died 1986)
Raj Kapoor, Indian actor, director, and producer (died 1988)
Gerard Reve, Dutch-Belgian author and poet (died 2006)
Nikolay Basov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2001)
Don Hewitt, American journalist and producer, created 60 Minutes (died 2009)
Junior J. Spurrier, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1984)
Clark Terry, American trumpet player, composer, and educator (died 2015)
James T. Aubrey, American broadcaster (died 1994)
Radu Beligan, Romanian actor and director (died 2016)
B. K. S. Iyengar, Indian yoga instructor and author, founded Iyengar Yoga (died 2014)
C.-H. Hermansson, Swedish author and politician (died 2016)
Elyse Knox, American actress and fashion designer (died 2012)
June Taylor, American dancer and choreographer (died 2004)
Shirley Jackson, American novelist and short story writer (died 1965)
Dan Dailey, American dancer and actor (died 1978)
Karl Carstens, German lieutenant and politician, 5th President of the Federal Republic of Germany (died 1992)
Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichord player (died 2003)
Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish swimmer and water polo player (died 1943)
Spike Jones, American singer and bandleader (died 1965)
Hans von Ohain, German-American physicist and engineer (died 1998)
Edward Lawrie Tatum, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1975)
Morey Amsterdam, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (died 1996)
Claude Davey, Welsh rugby player (died 2001)
Mária Szepes, Hungarian journalist, author, and screenwriter (died 2007)
Virginia Coffey, American civil rights activist (died 2003)
Walter Rangeley, English sprinter (died 1982)
Frances Bavier, American actress (died 1989)
Herbert Feigl, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (died 1988)
Henri Cochet, French tennis player (died 1987)
Paul of Greece (died 1964)
DeFord Bailey, American Hall of Fame country and blues musician (died 1982)
Kurt Schuschnigg, Italian-Austrian lawyer and politician, 15th Federal Chancellor of Austria (died 1977)
Margaret Chase Smith, American educator and politician (died 1995)
Jimmy Doolittle, American general and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1993)
George VI of the United Kingdom (died 1952)
Paul Éluard, French poet and author (died 1952)
Alexander Nelke, Estonian-American painter and carpenter (died 1974)
Xul Solar, Argentinian painter and sculptor (died 1963)
Jane Cowl, American actress and playwright (died 1950)
Manolis Kalomiris, Greek pianist and composer (died 1962)
Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, developed aikido (died 1969)
Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (died 1956)
Karl Renner, Austrian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Austria (died 1950)
Roger Fry, English painter and critic (died 1934)
Louis Marshall, American lawyer and activist (died 1929)
Daniel De Leon, Curaçaoan-American journalist and politician (died 1914)
Mary Tappan Wright, American novelist and short story writer (died 1916)
Daniel H. Reynolds, American general, lawyer, and politician (died 1902)
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, French painter and illustrator (died 1898)
Abraham Hochmuth, Hungarian rabbi and educator (died 1889)
Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (died 1872)
Charles Wolfe, Irish priest and poet (died 1823)
Maria Szymanowska, Polish composer and pianist (died 1831)
Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (died 1806)
Du Pré Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (died 1839)
Philander Chase, American bishop and educator, founded Kenyon College (died 1852)
Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Scottish admiral and politician (died 1860)
Jan Antonín Koželuh, Czech composer and educator (died 1814)
Capel Bond, English organist and composer (died 1790)
Justus Möser, German jurist and theorist (died 1794)
Daniel Neal, English historian and author (died 1743)
Aphra Behn, English playwright and author (died 1689)
Anne Conway, English philosopher and author (died 1679)
Barthélemy d'Herbelot, French orientalist and academic (died 1695)
János Kemény, Hungarian prince (died 1662)
Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge, English politician (died 1668)
Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer and chemist (died 1601)
Frederick III, German nobleman (died 1381)
Go-Suzaku, emperor of Japan (died 1045)
Isak Andic, Turkish-Spanish billionaire businessman (born 1953)
Tomáš Janovic, Slovak writer (born 1937)
Jean Franco, American academic and literary critic (born 1924)
Gérard Houllier, French Football manager (born 1947)
Chuy Bravo, Mexican-American comedian and actor (born 1956)
Yu Kwang-chung, Chinese writer (born 1928)
Paulo Evaristo Arns, Brazilian cardinal (born 1921)
Bernard Fox, Welsh actor (born 1927)
Terry Backer, American soldier and politician (born 1954)
Glen Sonmor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1929)
Vadym Tyshchenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (born 1963)
Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Lillian Vernon Company (born 1927)
Theo Colborn, American zoologist and academic (born 1927)
Irene Dalis, American soprano and pianist (born 1925)
Louis Alphonse Koyagialo, Congolese politician, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (born 1947)
Bess Myerson, American model, activist, game show panelist and television personality; Miss America 1945 (born 1924)
Fred Thurston, American football player (born 1933)
Janet Dailey, American author (born 1944)
C. N. Karunakaran, Indian painter and illustrator (born 1940)
Dennis Lindley, English statistician and academic (born 1923)
Peter O'Toole, British-Irish actor (born 1932)
George Rodrigue, American painter (born 1944)
John Graham, English general (born 1923)
Edward Jones, American police officer and politician (born 1950)
Victoria Leigh Soto, American educator (born 1985)
Joe Simon, American author and illustrator (born 1913)
Billie Jo Spears, American singer-songwriter (born 1937)
Timothy Davlin, American politician, Mayor of Springfield (born 1957)
Neva Patterson, American actress (born 1920)
Dale Roberts, English footballer (born 1986)
Alan A'Court, English footballer and manager (born 1934)
Anton Balasingham, Sri Lankan-English strategist and negotiator (born 1938)
Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-American composer and producer, co-founded Atlantic Records (born 1923)
Mike Evans, American actor and screenwriter (born 1949)
Rod Kanehl, American baseball player (born 1934)
Fernando Poe Jr., Filipino actor, director, producer, and politician (born 1939)
Jeanne Crain, American actress (born 1925)
Blas Ople, Filipino journalist and politician, 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines (born 1927)
Frank Sheeran, American union leader and mobster (born 1920)
W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (born 1944)
Norman Fell, American actor and comedian (born 1924)
A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., American lawyer, judge, and activist (born 1928)
Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician, Mayor of Dallas (born 1924)
Stubby Kaye, American actor and comedian (born 1918)
Emily Cheney Neville, American author (born 1919)
Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (born 1946)
Gaston Miron, Canadian poet and author (born 1928)
G. C. Edmondson, American soldier and author (born 1922)
Orval Faubus, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Arkansas (born 1910)
Jeff Alm, American football player (born 1968)
Myrna Loy, American actress (born 1905)
Robert Eddison, Japanese-English actor (born 1908)
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright (born 1921)
Paula Nenette Pepin, French composer, pianist and lyricist (born 1908)
Jock Mahoney, American actor and stuntman (born 1919)
Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1921)
Jean Schramme, Belgian mercenary, farmer, and convicted murderer (born 1929)
Catherine Doherty, Russian-Canadian activist, founded the Madonna House Apostolate (born 1896)
Roger Maris, American baseball player and coach (born 1934)
Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1898)
Elston Howard, American baseball player and coach (born 1929)
Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish historian and diplomat, co-founded the College of Europe (born 1886)
Arthur Treacher, English-American entertainer (born 1894)
Walter Lippmann, American journalist and author (born 1889)
Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury, Bangladeshi linguist and scholar (born 1926)
Munier Choudhury, Bangladeshi author, playwright, and critic (born 1925)
Shahidullah Kaiser, Bangladeshi journalist and author (born 1927)
Franz Schlegelberger, German judge and politician, German Reich Minister of Justice (born 1876)
William Bendix, American actor (born 1906)
Dinah Washington, American singer and pianist (born 1924)
Juho Kusti Paasikivi, Finnish lawyer and politician, 7th President of Finland (born 1870)
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American author and academic (born 1896)
Stanley Baldwin, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1867)
Edward Higgins, English-American 3rd General of The Salvation Army (born 1864)
Lupe Vélez, Mexican actress (born 1908)
John Harvey Kellogg, American physician and businessman, co-invented corn flakes (born 1852)
Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (born 1872)
Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (born 1869)
Stanley G. Weinbaum, American author (born 1902)
Henry B. Jackson, British admiral (born 1855)
Julian Sochocki, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1842)
George Gipp, American football player (born 1895)
Phil Waller, Welsh rugby player (born 1889)
Eva Gouel, French choreographer and girlfriend of Pablo Picasso
Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis, English lieutenant and explorer (born 1887)
Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (born 1843)
Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American zoologist and geologist (born 1807)
Johan Georg Forchhammer, Danish geologist and mineralogist (born 1794)
Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (born 1819)
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Scottish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1784)
Ben Crack-O, king of several tribes around Cape Palmas
Jean-Olivier Chénier, Canadian physician (born 1806)
Martin Baum, American businessman and politician, 5th Mayor of Cincinnati (born 1765)
George Washington, American general and politician, 1st President of the United States (born 1732)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German pianist and composer (born 1714)
Charles III of Spain (born 1716)
Giovanni Battista Cipriani, Italian painter and engraver (born 1727)
Charles Rollin, French historian and educator (born 1661)
Thomas Tanner, English bishop and historian (born 1674)
Thomas Tenison, English archbishop (born 1636)
Pierre Dupuy, French historian and scholar (born 1582)
Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English politician, Lord High Admiral of England (born 1536)
Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon (born 1535)
John of the Cross, Spanish priest and saint (born 1542)
James V of Scotland (born 1512)
Friedrich of Saxony (born 1473)
Sten Sture the Elder, regent of Sweden (born 1440)
Niccolò Perotti, humanist scholar (born 1429)
Guarino da Verona, Italian scholar and translator (born 1370)
John Oldcastle, English Lollard leader
Cangrande II della Scala, Lord of Verona (born 1332)
Rinchinbal Khan, Mongolian emperor (born 1326)
Margaret of Brabant, German queen consort (born 1276)
Al-Ashraf Khalil, Mamluk sultan of Egypt
Agnes of Poitou, Holy Roman Empress and regent (born c. 1025)
Pope Adrian II (born 792)
Aldfrith, king of Northumbria (or 705)
John III of the Sedre, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch
Xue Rengao, emperor of Qin
Christian feast day: Folcwin
Christian feast day: John of the Cross
Christian feast day: John III of the Sedre (Syriac Orthodox Church)
Christian feast day: Matronian
Christian feast day: Nicasius of Rheims
Christian feast day: Nimatullah Kassab (Maronite Church)
Christian feast day: Spyridon (Western Church)
Christian feast day: Venantius Fortunatus
Christian feast day: December 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Alabama Day (Alabama)
Forty-seven Ronin Remembrance Day (Sengaku-ji, Tokyo)
Martyred Intellectuals Day (Bangladesh)
Monkey Day