Events That Happened on December 27

Bek Air Flight 2100 crashes during takeoff from Almaty International Airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan, killing 13.

Iranian election protests: On the Day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, government security forces fire upon demonstrators.

Operation Cast Lead: Israel launches three-week operation on Gaza.

Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a shooting incident.

Riots erupt in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of the presidential election, triggering a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis.

Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet.

Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia.

Burger King and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission order a recall of plastic Poké Ball containers after they are determined to be a choking hazard.

Protestant paramilitary leader Billy Wright is assassinated in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Airfield which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul, Afghanistan.

Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 751 crashes in Gottröra in the Norrtälje Municipality in Sweden, injuring 92.

The Romanian Revolution concludes, as the last minor street confrontations and stray shootings abruptly end in the country's capital, Bucharest.

Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside the airports of Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.

Pope John Paul II visits Mehmet Ali Ağca in Rebibbia's prison and personally forgives him for the 1981 attack on him in St. Peter's Square.

Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of fascist dictatorship.

Apollo program: Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital crewed mission to the Moon.

North Central Airlines Flight 458 crashes at O'Hare International Airport, killing 28.

The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the world, is discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

Indonesian National Revolution: The Netherlands officially recognizes Indonesian independence. End of the Dutch East Indies.

The International Monetary Fund is created with the signing of an agreement by 29 nations.

The 7.8 Mw  Erzincan earthquake shakes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). At least 32,700 people were killed.

Winter War: Finland holds off a Soviet attack in the Battle of Kelja.

Regina Jonas is ordained as the first female rabbi in the history of Judaism.

Radio City Music Hall, "Showplace of the Nation", opens in New York City.

Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin orders the "liquidation of the kulaks as a class".

Kern and Hammerstein's musical play Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opens at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway.

Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō becomes the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world.

The Great Poland Uprising against the Germans begins.

Ukrainian War of Independence: The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine occupies Yekaterinoslav and seizes seven airplanes from the UPRAF, establishing an Insurgent Air Fleet.

"Jana Gana Mana", the national anthem of India, is first sung in the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.

Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.

Having coined the phrase "manifest destiny" the previous July, journalist John L. O'Sullivan argued in his newspaper New York Morning News that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country.

The worst ever avalanche in England occurs at Lewes, Sussex, killing eight people.

Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard HMS Beagle, during which he will begin to formulate his theory of evolution.

War of 1812: The destruction of the schooner USS Carolina brings to an end Commodore Daniel Patterson's makeshift fleet, which fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans.

Portugal and England sign the Methuen Treaty which allows Portugal to export wines to England on favorable trade terms.

The Flushing Remonstrance articulates for the first time in North American history that freedom of religion is a fundamental right.

Second Northern War/the Deluge: Monks at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa are successful in fending off a month-long siege.

The Zwickau prophets arrive in Wittenberg, disturbing the peace and preaching the Apocalypse.

The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to native Indians in the New World.

The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated.

Ander Barrenetxea, Spanish footballer

Brock Purdy, American football player

Luka Garza, American basketball player

Mads Juel Andersen, Danish footballer

Vachirawit Chivaaree, Thai actor and singer

Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player

Jang Gyu-ri, South Korean actress

Timothée Chalamet, French-American actor

Nick Chubb, American football player

Ghislain Konan, Ivorian footballer

Mark Lapidus, Estonian chess player

Isi Palazón, Spanish footballer

Olivia Cooke, English actress

Joel Indermitte, Estonian footballer

Maicel Uibo, Estonian decathlete

Chloe Bridges, American actress

Michael Morgan, Australian rugby league player

Beth Potter, Scottish triathlete and long-distance runner

Danny Wilson, Scottish footballer

Max Lindholm, Finnish figure skater

Jonathan Marchessault, Canadian ice hockey player

Milos Raonic, Canadian tennis player

Zelina Vega, American wrestler

Ingrid Várgas Calvo, Peruvian tennis player

Jorge Gutiérrez, Mexican basketball player

Hera Hilmar, Icelandic actress

Zavon Hines, Jamaican-English footballer

Ok Taec-yeon, South Korean singer and actor

Rick Porcello, American baseball player

Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter

Lily Cole, English model

Torah Bright, Australian snowboarder

Jamaal Charles, American football player

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican sprinter

Logan Bailly, Belgian footballer

Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Belgian racing driver

Adil Rami, French footballer

Paul Stastny, Canadian-American ice hockey player

Andrejs Perepļotkins, Ukrainian-Latvian footballer

Gilles Simon, French tennis player

Anthony Boric, New Zealand rugby union player

Cole Hamels, American baseball player

Jesse Williams, American high jumper

Erin E. Stead, American illustrator

David Aardsma, American baseball player

Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress

Jay Ellis, American actor

Moise Joseph, American-Haitian runner

Patrick Sharp, Canadian ice hockey player

Bernard Berrian, American football player

Claudio Castagnoli, Swiss wrestler

Dahntay Jones, American basketball player

Meelis Kompus, Estonian journalist

Pascale Dorcelus, Canadian weightlifter

David Dunn, English footballer and manager

Carson Palmer, American football player

Deuce McAllister, American football player

Lisa Jakub, Canadian actress

Jacqueline Pillon, Canadian actress

Chris Tate, English footballer

Nikolaos Georgeas, Greek footballer

Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (died 2009)

Daimí Pernía, Cuban basketball player and hurdler

Fernando Pisani, Canadian-Italian ice hockey player

Aigars Fadejevs, Latvian race walker and therapist

Heather O'Rourke, American actress (died 1988)

Tomáš Janků, Czech high jumper

Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor and visual effects designer

Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer

Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player and coach

Wilson Cruz, American actor

Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch pianist and composer

Colin Charvis, Welsh rugby union player and coach

Kevin Ollie, American basketball player and coach

Matt Slocum, American guitarist and songwriter

Duncan Ferguson, Scottish footballer and coach

Guthrie Govan, English guitarist and educator

Savannah Guthrie, American television journalist

Lorenzo Neal, American football player and radio host

Naoko Yamazaki, Japanese pilot and astronaut

Jean-Christophe Boullion, French racing driver

Chyna, American professional wrestler and actress (died 2016)

Sarah Vowell, American author and journalist

Marianne Elliott, English director and producer

Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler and actor

Eva LaRue, American model and actress

Salman Khan, Indian film actor and producer

Ian Gomez, American actor

Theresa Randle, American actress

Gaspar Noé, Argentine-French director and screenwriter

Mark Few, American basketball player and coach

John Kampfner, Singaporean journalist and author

Bill Self, American basketball player and coach

Sherri Steinhauer, American golfer

Guido Westerwelle, German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (died 2016)

Maryam d'Abo, English actress

Donald Nally, American conductor and academic

Terry Price, Australian golfer

Gerina Dunwich, American astrologer, historian, and author

Andre Tippett, American football player and coach

Steve Jones, American golfer

Doina Melinte, Romanian runner

Brad Murphey, American race car driver

Barbara Olson, American journalist and author (died 2001)

Kent Benson, American basketball player

Mandie Fletcher, English director, producer, and production manager

Teo Chee Hean, Singaporean politician and 5th Senior Minister of Singapore

Jay Hill, Canadian farmer and politician

David Knopfler, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Karla Bonoff, American singer-songwriter

Ernesto Zedillo, Mexican economist and politician, 54th President of Mexico

Haris Alexiou, Greek singer-songwriter

Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer and manager

Terry Bozzio, American drummer and songwriter

Terry Ito, Japanese director, producer, and critic

Gérard Depardieu, French-Russian actor

Bill Eadie, American wrestler and coach

Doug Livermore, English footballer and manager

Willy Polleunis, Belgian runner

Lenny Kaye, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

Joe Kinnear, Irish footballer and manager (died 2024)

Janet Street-Porter, English journalist and producer

Polly Toynbee, English journalist and author

Mick Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer

Cokie Roberts, American journalist and author (died 2019)

Joan Manuel Serrat, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist

Peter Sinfield, English songwriter and producer (died 2024)

Roy White, American baseball player and coach

Byron Browne, American baseball player

Thomas Menino, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston (died 2014)

Ron Rothstein, American basketball player and coach

Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach

Mike Pinder, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (died 2024)

Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach

David Shepherd, English cricketer and umpire (died 2009)

John Amos, American actor (died 2024)

James Harrison, Australian blood plasma donor (died 2025)

Phil Sharpe, English cricketer (died 2014)

Eve Uusmees, Estonian swimmer and coach

Michael Turnbull, English bishop

Larisa Latynina, Ukrainian gymnast and coach

Jeffrey Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow, English businessman

Dave Marr, American golfer (died 1997)

Scotty Moore, American guitarist and songwriter (died 2016)

Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist and academic (died 2021)

Wilfrid Sheed, English-born American novelist and essayist (died 2011)

Antony Gardner, English engineer and politician (died 2011)

Nityanand Swami, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (died 2012)

Audrey Wagner, American baseball player, obstetrician, and gynecologist (died 1984)

Jerome Courtland, American actor, director, and producer (died 2012)

Michel Piccoli, French actor, singer, director, and producer (died 2020)

Jean Bartik, American computer scientist and engineer (died 2011)

James A. McClure, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (died 2011)

Bruno Bobak, Polish-Canadian painter and educator (died 2012)

Lucas Mangope, South African politician (died 2018)

John Whitworth, English countertenor (died 2013)

Bruce Hobbs, American jockey and trainer (died 2005)

Charles Sweeney, American general and pilot (died 2004)

John Celardo, American captain and illustrator (died 2012)

Buddy Boudreaux, American saxophonist and clarinet player (died 2015)

T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic (died 2004)

Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (died 2009)

Werner Baumbach, German pilot (died 1953)

Cathy Lewis, American actress (died 1968)

William Masters, American gynecologist, author, and academic (died 2001)

Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian-Cypriot footballer and manager (died 1999)

Elizabeth Smart, Canadian poet and novelist (died 1986)

Anna Russell, English-Canadian singer and actress (died 2006)

Charles Olson, American poet and educator (died 1970)

James Riddell, English skier and author (died 2000)

Asaf Halet Çelebi, Turkish poet (died 1958)

Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (died 1999)

Mary Howard, English author (died 1991)

Conrad L. Raiford, American baseball player and activist (died 2002)

Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer (died 1978)

Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, and actor (died 1972)

Cliff Arquette, American actor and comedian (died 1974)

René Bonnet, French racing driver and engineer (died 1983)

Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (died 1992)

Irene Handl, English actress (died 1987)

Hans Stuck, German racing driver (died 1978)

Inejiro Asanuma, Japanese politician (died 1960)

Louis Bromfield, American author and theorist (died 1956)

Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (died 1952)

Carl Zuckmayer, German author and playwright (died 1977)

Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot (died 1917)

Thea von Harbou, German actress, director, and screenwriter (died 1954)

Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (died 1979)

Mina Loy, British modernist poet and artist (died 1966)

Sydney Greenstreet, English-American actor (died 1954)

Kalle Korhonen, Finnish politician (died 1938)

Hermann-Paul, French painter and illustrator (died 1940)

Louis Lincoln Emmerson, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Illinois (died 1941)

Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Chilean lawyer and politician, 17th President of Chile (died 1930)

Lars Oftedal, Norwegian priest, social reformer, politician, and newspaper editor (died 1900)

Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tretyakov Gallery (died 1897)

Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (died 1900)

Mackenzie Bowell, English-Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Canada (died 1917)

Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (died 1895)

Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece (died 1892)

François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian activist (died 1839)

Ghalib, Indian poet (died 1869)

Charles Hodge, American theologian (died 1878)

Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (died 1811)

George Cayley, English engineer and politician (died 1857)

François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher and author (died 1790)

Philippe de Noailles, French general (died 1794)

George Whitefield, English preacher and saint (died 1770)

Giovanni Battista Borra, Italian architect and engineer (died 1770)

Prince Frederick Henry Eugen of Anhalt-Dessau, German prince of the House of Ascania (died 1781)

Sollom Emlyn, Irish legal writer (died 1754)

Jacob August Franckenstein, Encyclopedia editor, professor (died 1733)

Conyers Middleton, English priest and theologian (died 1750)

Johann Melchior Roos, German painter (died 1731)

Veronica Giuliani, Italian Capuchin mystic (died 1727)

Abstrupus Danby, English politician (died 1727)

Giovanni Antonio Viscardi, Swiss architect (died 1713)

Petar Kanavelić, Venetian writer (died 1719)

William Whitelock, English gentleman, Member of Parliament (died 1717)

Jean de Lamberville, French missionary (died 1714)

Teofil Rutka, Polish philosopher (died 1700)

Bohdan Khmelnytsky, hetman of Ukraine (died 1657)

Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania (died 1625)

Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech poet, playwright, and composer (died 1622)

Johannes Kepler, German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer (died 1630)

Jan Jesenius, Bohemian physician, politician and philosopher (died 1621)

Johann Pfeffinger, German theologian (died 1573)

Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Margrave of Bayreuth (died 1527)

John I Albert, King of Poland (died 1501)

Anne de Mortimer, claimant to the English throne (died 1411)

John I of Aragon (died 1395)

Greg Gumbel, American sportscaster (born 1946)

Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress (born 1951)

Charles Shyer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1941)

Lee Sun-kyun, South Korean actor (born 1975)

Gaston Glock, Austrian firearm engineer and founder of Glock (born 1929)

Maria Creveling, American League of Legends player (born 1995)

Frank Blaichman, Polish resistance fighter (born 1922)

Carrie Fisher, American actress, screenwriter, author, producer, and speaker (born 1956)

Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Sri Lankan politician (born 1933)

Stein Eriksen, Norwegian-American skier (born 1927)

Dave Henderson, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1958)

Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (born 1923)

Meadowlark Lemon, American basketball player and minister (born 1932)

Alfredo Pacheco, Salvadoran footballer (born 1982)

Stevie Wright, English-Australian singer-songwriter (born 1947)

Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, American-Israeli religious leader, founded the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (born 1939)

Ulises Estrella, Ecuadorian poet and academic (born 1939)

Ronald Li, Hong Kong accountant and businessman (born 1929)

Karel Poma, Belgian bacteriologist and politician (born 1920)

Richard Ambler, English-Scottish biologist and academic (born 1933)

Mohamad Chatah, Lebanese economist and politician, Lebanese Minister of Finance (born 1951)

Gianna D'Angelo, American soprano and educator (born 1929)

John Matheson, Canadian colonel, lawyer, and politician (born 1917)

Farooq Sheikh, Indian actor, philanthropist and a popular television presenter (born 1948)

Harry Carey, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921)

Lloyd Charmers, Jamaican singer, keyboard player, and producer (born 1938)

Tingye Li, Chinese-American physicist and engineer (born 1931)

Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (born 1924)

Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., American general and engineer (born 1934)

Salt Walther, American race car driver (born 1947)

Catê, Brazilian footballer and manager (born 1973)

Michael Dummett, English soldier, philosopher, and academic (born 1925)

Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and educator (born 1928)

Johnny Wilson, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (born 1929)

Isaac Schwartz, Ukrainian-Russian composer and educator (born 1923)

Delaney Bramlett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1939)

Robert Graham, Mexican-American sculptor (born 1938)

Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician, Prime Minister of Pakistan (born 1953)

Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1922)

Jaan Kross, Estonian author and poet (born 1920)

Hank Garland, American guitarist (born 1930)

Alan Bates, English actor (born 1934)

Iván Calderón, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (born 1962)

George Roy Hill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921)

Michael McDowell, American author and screenwriter (born 1950)

Brendan Gill, American journalist and essayist (born 1914)

Billy Wright, Northern Irish loyalist leader (born 1960)

Shura Cherkassky, Ukrainian-American pianist (born 1909)

Genrikh Kasparyan, Armenian chess player and composer (born 1910)

Fanny Cradock, English author and critic (born 1909)

J. B. L. Reyes, Filipino lawyer and jurist (born 1902)

Feliks Kibbermann, Estonian chess player and philologist (born 1902)

Evald Mikson, Estonian footballer (born 1911)

André Pilette, Belgian racing driver (born 1918)

Kay Boyle, American novelist, poet, and educator (born 1902)

Hal Ashby, American director and producer (born 1929)

Rewi Alley, New Zealand writer and political activist (born 1897)

George Dangerfield, English-American historian and journalist (born 1904)

Dumas Malone, American historian and author (born 1892)

Jean Rondeau, French racing driver (born 1946)

Jack Swigert, American pilot, astronaut, and politician (born 1931)

Hoagy Carmichael, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (born 1899)

Hafizullah Amin, Afghan educator and politician, 2nd General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (born 1929)

Chris Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1951)

Houari Boumediene, Algerian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Algeria (born 1932)

Bob Luman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1937)

Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist and mathematician (born 1898)

Amy Vanderbilt, American author (born 1908)

Lester B. Pearson, Canadian historian and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1897)

Edgar Ende, German painter (born 1901)

Lambert McKenna, Irish priest and lexicographer (born 1870)

Alfred Carpenter, English admiral, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1881)

Şükrü Saracoğlu, Turkish soldier and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1887)

Julian Tuwim, Polish poet and author (born 1894)

Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian priest, author, and educator (born 1878)

Max Beckmann, German-American painter and sculptor (born 1884)

Ants Kurvits, Estonian general and politician, 10th Estonian Minister of War (born 1887)

Rinaldo Cuneo, American painter (born 1877)

Calvin Bridges, American geneticist and academic (born 1889)

Osip Mandelstam, Polish-Russian poet and critic (born 1891)

Zona Gale, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (born 1874)

Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Turkish poet, academic, and politician (born 1873)

Agda Meyerson, Swedish nurse and healthcare activist (born 1866)

Gustave Eiffel, French architect and engineer, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (born 1832)

Achilles Alferaki, Russian-Greek composer and politician, Governor of Taganrog (born 1846)

Charles Martin Hall, American chemist and engineer (born 1863)

William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, English engineer and businessman, founded Armstrong Whitworth (born 1810)

John Brown, English businessman and politician (born 1816)

Eivind Astrup, Norwegian explorer (born 1871)

Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French pianist and composer (born 1785)

Stephen F. Austin, American soldier and politician (born 1793)

Charles Lamb, English essayist and poet (born 1775)

Joanna Southcott, English religious leader (born 1750)

Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (born 1718)

Henry Home, Lord Kames, Scottish judge and philosopher (born 1697)

Johann Rall, Hessian colonel (born c. 1726)

Henri Pitot, French engineer, invented the Pitot tube (born 1695)

Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (born 1659)

William Bowyer, English printer (born 1663)

Jean Mabillon, French monk and scholar (born 1632)

Robert Leke, 3rd Earl of Scarsdale, English earl, politician (born 1654)

Hans Albrecht von Barfus, Prussian field marshal and politician (born 1635)

Henrik Span, naval officer in the Dutch (born 1634)

Henri de Villars, French prelate (born 1621)

Gervase Bryan, English clergyman (born 1622)

Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen consort of Portugal (born 1646)

Jacques Rohault, French philosopher (born 1618)

Christine of France, Duchess of Savoy (born 1606)

Hervey Bagot, English politician (born 1591)

Andrew White, English Jesuit missionary (born 1579)

Herman op den Graeff, Dutch bishop (born 1585)

Francis van Aarssens, Dutch diplomat (born 1572)[citation needed]

Vincenzo Giustiniani, Italian banker (born 1564)

Thomas Cartwright, English minister and theologian (born 1535)

Francesco Spiera, Italian lawyer and jurist (born 1502)

George, margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (born 1484)

Mahmood Shah Bahmani II, sultan of the Bahmani Sultanate (born c. 1470)

Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, English politician (born 1352)

Bertha of Savoy, Holy Roman Empress (born 1051)

Sviatoslav II, Grand Prince of Kiev (born 1027)

Nilus the Younger, Byzantine abbot (born 910)

Emma of Blois, French duchess and regent

Balderic, bishop of Utrecht (born 897)

Aeneas of Paris, Frankish bishop

Gaozong of Tang, 3rd emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty (born 628)

Christian feast day: Blessed Francesco Spoto

Christian feast day: Blessed Sára Salkaházi

Christian feast day: Fabiola

Christian feast day: John the Apostle

Christian feast day: Pope Maximus of Alexandria

Christian feast day: Nicarete

Christian feast day: Theodorus and Theophanes

Christian feast day: December 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Constitution Day (North Korea)

Emergency Rescuer's Day (Russia)

Saint Stephen's Day (Eastern Orthodox Church; a public holiday in Romania)

The third of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)