Burmese military forces killed at least 40 civilians during the Mo So massacre in Kayah State, Myanmar.
The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, began attacks on several villages in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing hundreds and committing numerous atrocities.
Jihadists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 to force the release of Islamist figures held in prison in India.
Aeroflot Flight 601 crashed on approach to Leshukonskoye in the Russian SSR, killing 44 out of 49 people on board.
The Soviet government deployed troops in Afghanistan, starting the Soviet–Afghan War.
The U.S. Congress granted home rule to Washington, D.C., allowing the residents to elect their own mayor and a city council.
Piloted by Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 became the first human spaceflight to reach and orbit the Moon (Earthrise pictured).
The Viet Cong bombed the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, killing two U.S. Army officers and raising fears of an escalation of the Vietnam War.
According to legend, the NORAD Tracks Santa program began after children began calling the Continental Air Defense Command Center to inquire about Santa Claus's whereabouts due to a misprinted phone number in an advertisement.
A railway bridge at Tangiwai on New Zealand's North Island was damaged by a lahar and collapsed beneath a passenger train (wreckage pictured), killing 151 people.
Forces united in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes defeated Hungarian forces to end the occupation of Međimurje.
World War I: British and German soldiers interrupted fighting to celebrate Christmas, beginning the Christmas truce .
Seventy-three people were crushed to death in a stampede after someone falsely yelled "fire" at a crowded Christmas party in Calumet, Michigan, U.S.
Aida, one of Giuseppe Verdi's most popular operas, made its debut in Cairo, Egypt.
Six Confederate veterans of the American Civil War founded a social club they named the Ku Klux Klan, which later became a white supremacist group.
The Sultanate of Brunei ceded the island of Labuan to the British Empire.
The Christmas carol "Silent Night" (audio featured) by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber was first performed in a church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.
The United Kingdom and the United States signed a peace treaty in Ghent, present-day Belgium, ending the War of 1812.
An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas Island (pictured), the largest coral atoll in the world.
The Tang-dynasty poet Du Fu departed for Chengdu, where he lived for the next five years and composed poems about life in his thatched cottage.
Burmese military forces commit the Mo So massacre, killing at least 44 civilians.
A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor.
The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400.
Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of belligerence against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.
The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.
Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed).
The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people.
A Learjet 35 crashes into Smarts Mountain near Dorchester, New Hampshire, killing both pilots on board.
Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists.
Aeroflot Flight 601 crashes during takeoff from Leshukonskoye Airport, Russia, killing 44 of the 49 people on board.
Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.
District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
LANSA Flight 508 is struck by lightning and crashes in the Puerto Inca District in the Department of Huánuco in Peru, killing 91.
Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital.
Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits, took the Earthrise photograph, broadcast live TV pictures, and read the first ten verses of Genesis.
A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 111.
Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital.
Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 crashes after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, killing three.
A flood devastates California, killing 74 people across portions of the state.
Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people.
First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber.
Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya.
Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down.
World War II: The Belgian Troopship Leopoldville was torpedoed and sank with the loss of 763 soldiers and 56 crew.
World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for Operation Overlord.
World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria.
World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces.
World War II: Benghazi is conquered by the British Eighth Army.
World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace.
Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.
A four alarm fire breaks out in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C.
Albania becomes a republic.
Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian Armed Forces.
Region of Međimurje is captured by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from Hungary.
World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins.
The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 striking workers families at a Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire".
Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt.
The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I.
Former Confederate officers Frank McCord, Richard Reed, John Lester, John Kennedy, J. Calvin Jones, and James Crowe form the Ku Klux Klan.
British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain.
The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning.
The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the Nikolauskirche in Oberndorf, Austria.
Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.
The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte.
Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.
The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal.
A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia.
Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned.
The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.
Battle of Ayn Shams: The Fatimids under Jawhar defeat the Qarmatians at the gates of Cairo, putting an end to the First Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.
Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.
Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death.
Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate.
Joshua Primo, Canadian basketball player
Jeremiah Trotter Jr., American football player
Alexis Mac Allister, Argentine footballer
William Contreras, Venezuelan baseball player
Anett Kontaveit, Estonian tennis player
Fa'amanu Brown, New Zealand rugby league player
Miguel Castro, Dominican baseball player
Matt Frawley, Australian rugby league player
Han Seung-woo, South Korean singer
Davante Adams, American football player
Serge Aurier, Ivorian footballer
P. J. Hairston, American basketball player
Sofia Black-D'Elia, American actress
Lara Michel, Swiss tennis player
Eric Moreland, American basketball player
Louis Tomlinson, English singer
Taylor Zakhar Perez, American actor
Brigetta Barrett, American high jumper
Ryo Miyake, Japanese fencer
Matt Calvert, Canadian ice hockey player
Stefanos Athanasiadis, Greek footballer
Emre Özkan, Turkish footballer
Simon Zenke, Nigerian footballer
Jane Summersett, American ice dancer
Tim Elliott, American mixed martial artist
Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukrainian basketball player
Alexey Dmitriev, German ice hockey player
Isaac De Gois, Australian rugby league player
Austin Stowell, American actor
Gregor Blanco, Venezuelan baseball player
Tim Jennings, American football player
Dima Bilan, Russian singer-songwriter and actor
Stephen Appiah, Ghanaian footballer
Tomas Kalnoky, Czech-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Maarja-Liis Ilus, Estonian pop musician
Yıldıray Baştürk, German-Turkish footballer
Heinrich Himmer, Austrian politician
Michael Raymond-James, American actor
Linda Ferga, French hurdler
Thure Lindhardt, Danish actor
Paal Nilssen-Love, Norwegian drummer and composer
Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer
Ryan Seacrest, American radio host and television personality, and producer
J.D. Walsh, American actor, director, and producer
Liu Dong, Chinese-Spanish runner
Stephenie Meyer, American author and film producer
Ali Salem Tamek, Moroccan activist
Álvaro Mesén, Costa Rican footballer
Geoff Allott, New Zealand cricketer
Sascha Fischer, German rugby player
Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and actor
Adam Haslett,Amaury Nolasco, Puerto Rican actor
Milan Blagojevic, Australian footballer and manager
Pernille Fischer Christensen, Danish director and screenwriter
Ed Miliband, English academic and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office
Luis Musrri, Chilean footballer and manager
Oleg Skripochka, Russian astronaut and engineer
Gintaras Staučė, Lithuanian footballer and manager
Marleen Renders, Belgian runner
Mikhail Shchennikov, Russian race walker
Pernilla Wahlgren, Swedish singer and actress
Diedrich Bader, American actor
Mark Valley, American actor
Caroline Aherne, English actress, producer, and screenwriter (died 2016)
Jay Bilas, American basketball player and sportscaster
Timo Jutila, Finnish ice hockey player and sportscaster
Mary Ramsey, American singer-songwriter and violinist
Kate Spade, American fashion designer (died 2018)
Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani businessman and politician, 4th President of Azerbaijan
Mary Barra, American businesswoman, current CEO and chairwoman of General Motors
Eriko Kitagawa, Japanese director and screenwriter
Wade Williams, American actor
Jay Wright, American basketball player and coach
Glenn McQueen, Canadian-American animator (died 2002)
Carol Vorderman, Welsh television host
Chris Blackhurst, English journalist
Lee Daniels, American director and producer
Munetaka Higuchi, Japanese drummer and producer (died 2008)
Diane Tell, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Hamid Karzai, Afghan politician, 12th President of Afghanistan
Shim Hwa-jin, South Korean academic and educator
Anil Kapoor, Indian actor and producer
Grand L. Bush, American actor
Scott Fischer, American mountaineer and guide (died 1996)
Clarence Gilyard, American actor and educator (died 2022)
Yves Debay, Congolese-French commander and journalist (died 2013)
José María Figueres, Costa Rican businessman and politician, President of Costa Rica (1994–1998)
Timothy Carhart, American actor
John D'Acquisto, American baseball player
Dana Gioia, American poet and critic
Hiroshi Ikushima, Japanese businessman and academic
Libby Larsen, American composer
Tommy Turtle, British soldier (died 2020)
Warwick Brown, Australian racing driver
Stan Bowles, English footballer and sportscaster (died 2024)
Frank Oliver, New Zealand rugby player and coach (died 2014)
Kevin Sheedy, Australian footballer and coach
Jan Akkerman, Dutch rock guitarist and songwriter
Jeff Sessions, American lawyer and politician, 44th Attorney General of Alabama and 84th Attorney General of the United States
Lemmy, English hard rock singer-songwriter and bass player (died 2015)
Nicholas Meyer, American screenwriter, film director, and author
Mike Curb, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California
Daniel Johnson, Jr., Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Premier of Quebec
Erhard Keller, German speed skater
Bob Shaw, Australian golfer
Woody Shaw, American trumpeter (died 1989)
Tarja Halonen, Finnish lawyer and politician, 11th President of Finland
Indra Bania, Indian actor, director, and playwright (died 2015)
Jonathan Borofsky, American sculptor and painter
Đoàn Viết Hoạt, Vietnamese journalist, educator, and activist
Mike Hazlewood, English singer-songwriter (died 2001)
Janet Carroll, American actress and singer (died 2012)
Anthony Fauci, American physician, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Valentim Loureiro, Portuguese soldier and politician
Félix, Brazilian footballer and manager (died 2012)
Ivan Lawrence, English lawyer and politician
Stjepan Mesić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Croatia
Colin Cowdrey, Indian-English cricketer (died 2000)
On Kawara, Japanese-American painter (died 2014)
Ray Bryant, American pianist and composer (died 2011)
Mauricio Kagel, Argentinian-German composer and scholar (died 2008)
Robert Joffrey, American dancer and choreographer (died 1988)
John J. Kelley, American runner (died 2011)
Lennart Skoglund, Swedish footballer (died 1975)
Red Sullivan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2019)
Adam Exner, Canadian Roman Catholic prelate (died 2023)
Lev Vlassenko, Georgian-Australian pianist and educator (died 1996)
Mary Higgins Clark, American author (died 2020)
Lee Dorsey, American singer-songwriter (died 1986)
Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian soldier and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (died 2014)
George Patton IV, American general (died 2004)
William C. Schneider, American aerospace engineer (died 1999)
Ava Gardner, American actress (died 1990)
Franco Lucentini, Italian author and screenwriter (died 2002)
Yevgeniya Rudneva, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant and navigator (died 1944)
Qateel Shifai, Pakistani poet and songwriter (died 2001)
Pierre Soulages, French artist (died 2022)
Dave Bartholomew, American bandleader, composer and arranger (died 2019)
Ralph Marterie, Italian-American trumpet player and bandleader (died 1978)
Herbert Reinecker, German author and screenwriter (died 2007)
Ad Reinhardt, American painter and academic (died 1967)
Ellen Braumüller, German javelin thrower and triathlete (died 1991)
Fritz Leiber, American author and poet (died 1992)
Max Miedinger, Swiss typeface designer, created Helvetica (died 1980)
I. F. Stone, American journalist and author (died 1989)
Franz Waxman, German-American composer and conductor (died 1967)
Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, and pilot (died 1976)
Joseph M. Juran, Romanian-American engineer and businessman (died 2008)
Joseph Cornell, American sculptor and director (died 1972)
Ernst Krenkel, Polish-Russian geographer and explorer (died 1971)
Ava Helen Pauling, American humanitarian and activist (died 1981)
Nina Negri, Argentine-French painter and engraver (died 1981)
Joey Smallwood, Canadian journalist and politician, 1st Premier of Newfoundland (died 1991)
Hawayo Takata, Japanese-American teacher and master practitioner of Reiki (died 1980)
Baby Dodds, American drummer (died 1959)
Ville Pörhölä, Finnish shot putter and discus thrower (died 1964)
Väinö Sipilä, Finnish runner (died 1987)
E. Roland Harriman, American financier and philanthropist (died 1978)
Noel Streatfeild, English author (died 1986)
Marguerite Williams, American geologist (died 1991)
Georges Guynemer, French captain and pilot (died 1917)
Jack Thayer, American businessman (died 1945)
Harry Warren, American pianist and composer (died 1981)
Ruth Chatterton, American actress (died 1961)
Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky, Russian illustrator and painter (died 1970)
Louis Jouvet, French actor and producer (died 1951)
Axel Revold, Norwegian painter (died 1962)
Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American actor, director, and producer (died 1962)
Paul Manship, American sculptor (died 1966)
Stefan Jaracz, Polish actor and producer (died 1945)
Hans Rebane, Estonian journalist and politician, 8th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 1961)
Georges Legagneux, French aviator (died 1914)
Charles Wakefield Cadman, American composer and critic (died 1946)
Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (died 1939)
Émile Nelligan, Canadian poet (died 1941)
Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (died 1952)
Sigrid Schauman, Finnish painter and critic (died 1979)
Émile Wegelin, French rower (died 1962)
Frederick Semple, American golfer and tennis player (died 1927)
Henriette Roland Holst, Dutch poet, playwright, and politician (died 1952)
Charles Harvey Bollman, American naturalist (died 1889)
Emanuel Lasker, German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher (died 1941)
Tevfik Fikret, Turkish poet and educator (died 1915)
Szymon Askenazy, Polish historian, educator, and diplomat, founded the Askenazy school (died 1935)
George I of Greece (died 1913)
Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet and playwright (died 1886)
Empress Elisabeth of Austria (died 1898)
Alexander von Oettingen, German theologian and statistician (died 1905)
Matthew Arnold, English poet and critic (died 1888)
James Prescott Joule, English physicist and brewer (died 1889)
Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (died 1894)
Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter and illustrator (died 1873)
Kit Carson, American general (died 1868)
Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet and playwright (died 1855)
Carl Georg von Wächter, German jurist (died 1880)
Selim III, Ottoman sultan (died 1808)
Jean-Louis Pons, French astronomer (died 1831)
George Crabbe, English priest, surgeon, and poet (died 1832)
Julie Bondeli, Swiss salonist and lady of letters (died 1778)
Johann Hartmann, Danish composer (died 1793)
William Warburton, English bishop (died 1779)
Domenico Sarro, Italian composer and educator (died 1744)
Mariana of Austria (died 1696)
Johann Rudolph Ahle, German organist, composer, and theorist (died 1673)
Honoré II, Prince of Monaco (died 1662)
Leonaert Bramer, Dutch painter (died 1674)
Constance of Austria (died 1631)
Kaspar Ulenberg, German theologian (died 1617)
Willem IV van den Bergh, Stadtholder of Guelders and Zutphen (died 1586)
Martha Leijonhufvud, Swedish noble (died 1584)
Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian scholar (died 1567)
Thomas Murner, German poet and translator (died 1537)
Bartolomeo degli Organi, Italian musician (died 1539)
John V, Duke of Brittany (died 1442)
John, King of England (died 1216)
Galba, Roman emperor (died 69)
Richard Perry, American record producer (born 1942)
Cheri Barry, American politician and mayor of Meridian, Mississippi (born 1955)
Richard Bowes, American science fiction author (born 1944)
Troy Dargan, Cook Islands rugby league footballer (born 1997)
Martha Érika Alonso, Governor of Puebla (born 1973)
Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor of Puebla (born 1968)
Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (born 1935)
Heather Menzies, Canadian-American model and actress (born 1949)
Rick Parfitt, British musician (born 1948)
Liz Smith, English actress (born 1921)
Richard Adams, English author (born 1920)
Ben Xi, Chinese singer (born1994)
Turid Birkeland, Norwegian businesswoman and politician, Norwegian Minister of Culture (born 1962)
Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, Filipino journalist (born 1941)
Adriana Olguín, Chilean lawyer and politician, Chilean Minister of Justice (born 1911)
Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player (born 1923)
Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (born 1944)
Herbert Harris, American lawyer and politician (born 1926)
Krzysztof Krauze, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1953)
Frédéric Back, German-Canadian director, animator, and screenwriter (born 1924)
Ian Barbour, Chinese-American author and scholar (born 1923)
John M. Goldman, English haematologist and oncologist (born 1938)
Allan McKeown, English-American screenwriter and producer (born 1946)
Richard Rodney Bennett, English-American composer and academic (born 1936)
Charles Durning, American soldier and actor (born 1923)
Jack Klugman, American actor (born 1922)
Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (born 1954)
Johannes Heesters, Dutch-German entertainer (born 1903)
Elisabeth Beresford, English journalist and author (born 1926)
Frans de Munck, Dutch footballer and manager (born 1922)
Orestes Quércia, Brazilian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of São Paulo State (born 1938)
Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (born 1930)
Marcus Bakker, Dutch journalist and politician (born 1923)
Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela (born 1916)
George Michael, American sportscaster (born 1939)
Gero von Wilpert, German author and academic (born 1933)
Ralph Harris, British journalist (born 1921)
Harold Pinter, English playwright, screenwriter, director, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1930)
Nicholas Pumfrey, English lawyer and judge (born 1951)
George Warrington, American businessman (born 1952)
Braguinha, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (born 1907)
Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer (born 1961)
Frank Stanton, American businessman (born 1908)
Johnny Oates, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1946)
Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author and poet (born 1920)
Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1938)
John Cooper, English businessman, co-founded the Cooper Car Company (born 1923)
Bill Bowerman, American runner, coach, and businessman, co-founded Nike, Inc. (born 1911)
Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, 152nd Prime Minister of France (born 1907)
João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (born 1918)
William C. Schneider, American aerospace engineer (born 1923)
Syl Apps, Canadian ice hockey player and pole vaulter (born 1915)
James Komack, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)
Toshiro Mifune, Chinese-Japanese actor and producer (born 1920)
Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (born 1925)
John Boswell, American historian, author, and academic (born 1947)
Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor (born 1916)
Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (born 1898)
Bobby LaKind, American singer-songwriter and conga player (born 1945)
James Mathews, Australian rugby league player (born 1968)
Peyo, Belgian cartoonist, created The Smurfs (born 1928)
Virginia Sorensen, American author (born 1912)
Thorbjørn Egner, Norwegian playwright and songwriter (born 1922)
Jainendra Kumar, Indian author (born 1905)
Joop den Uyl, Dutch journalist, economist, and politician, 45th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1919)
M. G. Ramachandran, Sri Lankan-Indian actor, producer, and politician, 5th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (born 1917)
Gardner Fox, American author (born 1911)
Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, American lawyer (born 1904)
Camille Tourville, Canadian-American wrestler and manager (born 1927)
Peter Lawford, English-American actor (born 1923)
Louis Aragon, French author and poet (born 1897)
Karl Dönitz, German admiral and politician, President of Germany (born 1891)
Samael Aun Weor, Colombian author and educator (born 1917)
Bernard Herrmann, American composer and conductor (born 1911)
Fritz Gause, German historian and author (born 1893)
Gisela Richter, English-American archaeologist and historian (born 1882)
Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (born 1924)
Stanisław Błeszyński, Polish-German entomologist and lepidopterist (born 1927)
Cortelia Clark, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1907)
Olivia FitzRoy, English soldier and author (born 1921)
Alfred B. Skar, Norwegian journalist and politician (born 1896)
Burt Baskin, American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (born 1913)
John Black, English businessman (born 1895)
William M. Branham, American minister and theologian (born 1906)
Claudia Jones, Trinidad-British journalist and activist (born 1915)
Wilhelm Ackermann, German mathematician (born 1896)
Eveline Adelheid von Maydell, German illustrator (born 1890)
Robert Hillyer, American poet and academic (born 1895)
Norma Talmadge, American actress and producer (born 1894)
Charles Gondouin, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (born 1875)
Josephine Sabel, American singer and comedian (born 1866)
François Darlan, French admiral and politician, 122nd Prime Minister of France (born 1881)
Siegfried Alkan, German composer (born 1858)
Bruno Taut, German architect and urban planner (born 1880)
Alban Berg, Austrian composer and educator (born 1885)
Carlo Fornasini, micropalaeontologist (born 1854)
Flying Hawk, American warrior, educator and historian (born 1854)
Wesley Coe, American shot putter, hammer thrower, and discus thrower (born 1879)
Joe Lacey, Irish Hunger Striker died during the 1923 Irish hunger strikes (born 1895)
Stephen Mosher Wood, American lieutenant and politician (born 1832)
John Muir, Scottish-American geologist, botanist, and author, founded Sierra Club (born 1838)
Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese priest and saint (born 1828)
B. T. Finniss, Australian politician, 1st Premier of South Australia (born 1807)
Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch pastor and poet (born 1819)
Anna Bochkoltz, German operatic soprano, voice teacher and composer (born 1815)
Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1795)
William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish physicist and engineer (born 1820)
Adolphe d'Archiac, French paleontologist and geologist (born 1802)
José Mariano Salas, Mexican general and politician. President of Mexico (1846, 1859) and regent of the Second Mexican Empire (born 1797)
Charles Lock Eastlake, English painter and historian (born 1793)
William Makepeace Thackeray, English author and poet (born 1811)
Friedrich Bernhard Westphal, Danish-German painter (born 1803)
Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (born 1740)
Noël Coypel, French painter and educator (born 1628)
Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (born 1631)
Hester Jonas, German nurse (born 1570)
Andreas Karlstadt, Christian theologian and reformer (born 1486)
Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (born 1469)
John Cantius, Polish scholar and theologian (born 1390)
Đurađ Branković, Despot of Serbia (born 1377)
John Dunstaple, English composer (born 1390)
Walter Bower, Scottish chronicler (born 1385)
Henry V of Luxembourg (born 1216)
Hōjō Tokiyori, regent of Japan (born 1227)
John I, Count of Hainaut (born 1218)
Roger III of Sicily (born 1175)
Shi Hongzhao, Chinese general
Wang Zhang, Chinese official
Yang Bin, Chinese chancellor
Hedwiga, duchess of Saxony
Archbishop Sisinnius I of Constantinople
Gongsun Shu, emperor of Chengjia
Christian feast day: Adela and Irmina
Christian feast day: Paola Elisabetta Cerioli
Christian feast day: Adam and Eve
Christian feast day: December 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Aðfangadagskvöld, the day when the 13th and the last Yule Lad arrives to towns. (Iceland)
Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian Americans)
Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Juleaften (Denmark)/Julaften (Norway)/Julafton (Sweden)
Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Nittel Nacht (certain Orthodox Jewish denominations)
Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Nochebuena (Spain and Spanish-speaking countries)
Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: The Declaration of Christmas Peace (Old Great Square of Turku, Finland's official Christmas City)
Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Wigilia (Poland)
Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Quviasukvik, the Inuit new year (Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia)
Kūčios (Lithuania)
Independence Day (Libya)
Day of Military Honour – Siege of Ismail (Russia)