December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are nine days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Sunday or Monday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Wednesday or Friday (56). In some regions of the Northern Hemisphere, meteorological winter is frequently regarded as starting on this date.
69 – Emperor Vitellius is captured and murdered at the Gemonian stairs in Rome .
401 – Pope Innocent I is elected.
856 – Damghan earthquake : An earthquake near the Persian city of Damghan kills an estimated 200,000 people, the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
880 – Luoyang , eastern capital of the Tang dynasty , is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong .
1135 – Stephen of Blois becomes King of England
1216 – Pope Honorius III approves the Dominican Order through the papal bull of confirmation Religiosam vitam .
1622 – Bucaramanga , Colombia is founded.
1769 – Sino-Burmese War : The war ends with an uneasy truce.
1788 – Nguyễn Huệ proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing on his own the Lê dynasty .
1790 – The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Alexander Suvorov and his Russian armies.
1807 – The Embargo Act , forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress , at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson .
1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien , Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony , Sixth Symphony , Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano).
1851 – India's first freight train is operated in Roorkee , India.
1864 – Savannah, Georgia falls to General William Tecumseh Sherman , concluding his "March to the Sea ".
1882 – First Christmas tree illuminated with electric Christmas lights .
1885 – Itō Hirobumi , a samurai , became the first Prime Minister of Japan .
1890 – Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kentville and Kingsport, Nova Scotia .
1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.
1894 – The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason .
1920 – The GOELRO economic development plan is adopted by the 8th Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR .
1921 – Opening of Visva-Bharati College , also known as Santiniketan College, now Visva Bharati University in India .
1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City.
1939 – Indian Muslims observe a "Day of Deliverance " to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World War II with the United Kingdom.
1940 – World War II: Himara is captured by the Greek army.
1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon.
1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge – German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne , Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe : "Nuts!"
1944 – World War II: The Vietnam People's Army is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina , now Vietnam .
1947 – The Constituent Assembly of Italy approves the Constitution of Italy .
1948 – Sjafruddin Prawiranegara established the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (Pemerintah Darurat Republik Indonesia , PDRI) in West Sumatra .
1951 – The Selangor Labour Party is founded in Selangor , Malaya .
1956 – Colo , the first gorilla to be bred in captivity , is born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio .
1963 – The cruise ship Lakonia burns 180 miles (290 km) north of Madeira , Portugal with the loss of 128 lives.
1964 – The first test flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird) took place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California .
1965 – In the United Kingdom, a 70 mph speed limit is applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time. Previously, there had been no speed limit.
1968 – Cultural Revolution : People's Daily posted the instructions of Mao Zedong that it is "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."(Down to the Countryside Movement )
1974 – Grande Comore , Anjouan and Mohéli vote to become the independent nation of Comoros . Mayotte remains under French administration.
1974 – The house of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is attacked by members of the Provisional IRA .
1978 – The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao -era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform .
1984 – Bernhard Goetz shoots four would-be muggers on an express train in Manhattan section of New York, New York.
1987 – In Zimbabwe , the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi .
1988 – Chico Mendes , a Brazilian rubber tapper , unionist and environmental activist , is assassinated.
1989 – Communist President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu is overthrown by Ion Iliescu after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife flee Bucharest with a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.
1989 – Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
1990 – Lech Walesa is democratically elected the President of Poland . His victory inspires democratization in other ex-Warsaw Pact member countries in Eastern Europe .
1990 – Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship .
1990 – The Croatian Parliament adopts the current Constitution of Croatia .
1991 – Armed opposition groups launch a military coup against President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia .
1992 – The International Telecommunication Convention was replaced by the in Geneva signed ITU Constitution and Convention .
1992 – The Archives of Terror are discovered.
1997 – Acteal massacre : Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.
1997 – Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo , Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
1999 – Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 , a Boeing 747-200 F crashes shortly after take-off from London Stansted Airport due to pilot error . All 4 crew members are killed.
2001 – Burhanuddin Rabbani , political leader of the Northern Alliance , hands over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai .
2001 – Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63 .
2008 – An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee , releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3 ) of coal fly ash slurry .
2010 – The repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Barack Obama .
2015 – SpaceX lands a first stage Falcon 9 rocket on ground, after reaching Low Earth orbit at 1:40 UTC for the first time in history.
244 – Diocletian , Roman emperor (d. 311)
1095 – Roger II of Sicily (d. 1154)
1178 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (d. 1185)
1183 – Chagatai Khan , Mongol ruler (d. 1242)
1459 – Sultan Cem , Ottoman politician (d. 1495)
1546 – Kuroda Yoshitaka , Japanese daimyo (d. 1604)
1550 – Cesare Cremonini , Italian philosopher and author (d. 1631)
1639 – Jean Racine , French poet and playwright (d. 1699)
1666 – Guru Gobind Singh , Indian guru and poet (d. 1708)
1694 – Hermann Samuel Reimarus , German philosopher and academic (d. 1768)
1696 – James Oglethorpe , English general and politician, 1st Colonial Governor of Georgia (d. 1785)
1723 – Carl Friedrich Abel , German viol player and composer (d. 1787)
1765 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff , German mathematician and academic (d. 1825)
1799 – Nicholas Callan , Irish priest and physicist (d. 1864)
1805 – John Obadiah Westwood , English entomologist and archaeologist (d. 1893)
1807 – Johan Sebastian Welhaven , Norwegian author, poet, and critic (d. 1873)
1819 – Franz Abt , German composer and conductor (d. 1870)
1819 – Pierre Ossian Bonnet , French mathematician and academic (d. 1892)
1839 – John Nevil Maskelyne , English magician (d. 1917)
1850 – Victoriano Huerta , Mexican general and politician, 35ht President of Mexico (d. 1916)
1853 – Teresa Carreño , Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1917)
1853 – Evgraf Fedorov , Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (d. 1919)
1853 – Sarada Devi , Indian mystic and philosopher (d. 1920)
1856 – Frank B. Kellogg , American lawyer and politician, 45th United States Secretary of State , Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
1858 – Giacomo Puccini , Italian composer and educator (d. 1924)
1862 – Connie Mack , American baseball player and manager (d. 1956)
1865 – Charles Sands , American golfer and tennis player (d. 1945)
1868 – Jaan Tõnisson , Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1941?)
1869 – Dmitri Egorov , Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1931)
1869 – Edwin Arlington Robinson , American poet and playwright (d. 1935)
1872 – Camille Guérin , French veterinarian and bacteriologist (d. 1961)
1874 – Franz Schmidt , Austrian cellist, pianist, and composer (d. 1939)
1876 – Filippo Tommaso Marinetti , Egyptian-Italian poet and composer (d. 1944)
1878 – Myer Prinstein , Polish-American jumper (d. 1925)
1883 – Marcus Hurley , American cyclist (d. 1941)
1883 – Edgard Varèse , French-American composer (d. 1965)
1885 – Abe Manley , American businessman (d. 1952)
1885 – Deems Taylor , American conductor and critic (d. 1966)
1887 – Srinivasa Ramanujan , Indian mathematician and theorist (d. 1920)
1888 – J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank , English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (d. 1972)
1889 – George Hutson , English runner and soldier (d. 1914)
1889 – Minor Watson , American actor (d. 1965)
1892 – Herman Potočnik , Croatian-Austrian engineer (d. 1929)
1898 – Vladimir Fock , Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1974)
1899 – Gustaf Gründgens , German actor and director (d. 1963)
1900 – Marc Allégret , French director and screenwriter (d. 1973)
1901 – Andre Kostelanetz , Russian-American conductor and composer (d. 1980)
1903 – Haldan Keffer Hartline , American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)
1905 – Pierre Brasseur , French-Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
1905 – Pierre Levegh , French ice hockey player and race car driver (d. 1955)
1905 – Kenneth Rexroth , American poet, translator, and academic (d. 1982)
1907 – Peggy Ashcroft , English actress (d. 1991)
1908 – Giacomo Manzù , Italian sculptor and academic (d. 1991)
1909 – Patricia Hayes , English actress (d. 1998)
1911 – Danny O'Dea , English actor (d. 2003)
1912 – Elias Degiannis , Greek commander (d. 1943)
1912 – Lady Bird Johnson , American wife of Lyndon B. Johnson , 38th First Lady of the United States (d. 2007)
1913 – Giorgio Oberweger , Italian discus thrower and hurdler (d. 1998)
1914 – Satchidananda Saraswati , Indian-American guru and educator (d. 2002)
1915 – Barbara Billingsley , American actress (d. 2010)
1915 – Phillip Glasier , English author and academic (d. 2000)
1917 – Gene Rayburn , American game show host and actor (d. 1999)
1919 – Lil Green , American singer-songwriter (d. 1954)
1921 – Dimitri Fampas , Greek guitarist and composer (d. 1996)
1921 – Hawkshaw Hawkins , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
1922 – Ruth Roman , American actress and singer (d. 1999)
1922 – Jim Wright , American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 2015)
1923 – Peregrine Worsthorne , English journalist and author
1924 – Frank Corsaro , American actor and director
1925 – Lewis Glucksman , American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2006)
1925 – Lefter Küçükandonyadis , Turkish footballer and manager (d. 2012)
1928 – Fredrik Barth , German-Norwegian anthropologist and academic (d. 2016)
1928 – George H. Buck, Jr. , American businessman (d. 2013)
1928 – Piero Angela , Italian television host and science journalist
1930 – Ardalion Ignatyev , Russian sprinter and educator (d. 1998)
1931 – Gisela Birkemeyer , German hurdler and coach
1931 – Carlos Graça , São Toméan lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (d. 2013)
1932 – Phil Woosnam , Welsh-American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
1933 – John Hartle , English motorcycle racer (d. 1968)
1934 – David Pearson , American race car driver
1935 – Paulo Rocha , Portuguese director and screenwriter (d. 2012)
1936 – James Burke , Irish historian and author
1936 – Héctor Elizondo , American actor and director
1936 – Wojciech Frykowski , Polish-American actor and author (d. 1969)
1937 – Charlotte Lamb , English author (d. 2000)
1937 – Eduard Uspensky , Russian author, poet, and playwright
1937 – Ken Whitmore , English author and playwright
1938 – Matty Alou , Dominican-American baseball player and scout (d. 2011)
1938 – Lucien Bouchard , Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of Quebec
1939 – James Gurley , American guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company ) (d. 2009)
1940 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar , Colombian rancher and politician (d. 2009)
1940 – Mike Molloy , English journalist, author, and illustrator
1941 – Jose Duval , Belgian porn actor
1942 – Jerry Koosman , American baseball player
1942 – Dick Parry , English saxophonist (Jokers Wild )
1943 – Stefan Janos , Slovak-Swiss physicist and academic
1943 – Paul Wolfowitz , American banker and politician, 25th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
1944 – Mary Archer , English chemist and academic
1944 – Steve Carlton , American baseball player
1944 – Barry Jenkins , English drummer (The Animals and The Nashville Teens )
1945 – Frances Lannon , English historian and academic
1945 – Diane Sawyer , American journalist
1946 – Roger Carr , English businessman
1946 – C. Eugene Steuerle , American economist and author
1947 – Brian Daley , American author and screenwriter (d. 1996)
1948 – Steve Garvey , American baseball player and sportscaster
1948 – Don Kardong , American runner, journalist, and author
1948 – Rick Nielsen , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Cheap Trick , Fuse , and Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters )
1948 – Chris Old , English cricketer and coach
1948 – Lynne Thigpen , American actress and singer (d. 2003)
1948 – Martin Yan , Chinese chef and author
1949 – Maurice Gibb , Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (Bee Gees , The Bloomfields , and The Rattlesnakes ) (d. 2003)
1949 – Robin Gibb , Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (Bee Gees and The Rattlesnakes ) (d. 2012)
1949 – Ray Guy , American football player
1951 – Charles de Lint , Dutch-Canadian author and critic
1951 – Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster , Irish general and businessman
1951 – Dan Martin , American actor
1952 – Sandra Kalniete , Russian-Latvian politician and diplomat, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs
1953 – Ian Turnbull , Canadian ice hockey player
1953 – Tom Underwood , American baseball player (d. 2010)
1954 – Hideshi Matsuda , Japanese race car driver
1955 – Galina Murašova , Lithuanian discus thrower
1955 – Lonnie Smith , American baseball player
1955 – Thomas C. Südhof , German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1956 – Jane Lighting , English businesswoman
1957 – Stephen Conway , English bishop
1957 – Carole James , English-Canadian educator and politician
1958 – Frank Gambale , Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Chick Corea Elektric Band , Return to Forever , and Vital Information )
1958 – David Heavener , American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
1959 – Bernd Schuster , German footballer and manager
1960 – Jean-Michel Basquiat , American painter and poet (d. 1988)
1960 – Mark Brydon , English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Moloko , Chakk , and Krush )
1960 – Luther Campbell , American rapper and actor (2 Live Crew )
1960 – Wakin Chau , Hong Kong-Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor (Superband )
1960 – Patrick Fitzgerald , American lawyer
1961 – Andrew Fastow , American businessman
1961 – Yuri Malenchenko , Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
1961 – Marcus O'Sullivan , Irish runner and coach
1962 – Ralph Fiennes , English actor
1963 – Giuseppe Bergomi , Italian footballer and coach
1963 – Russell Lewis , British television writer and former child actor
1963 – Brian McMillan , South African cricketer and educator
1963 – Luna H. Mitani , Japanese-American painter and illustrator
1964 – Simon Kirby , English businessman and politician
1964 – Mike Jackson , American baseball player
1965 – Urszula Włodarczyk , Polish heptathlete and triple jumper
1966 – Dmitry Bilozerchev , Russian gymnast and coach
1966 – Sayuri Kokushō , Japanese actress and singer
1966 – Marcel Schirmer , German singer-songwriter and bass player (Destruction )
1966 – David Wright , English lawyer and politician
1967 – Richey Edwards , Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (Manic Street Preachers ) (d. 1995)
1967 – Stéphane Gendron , Canadian lawyer and politician
1967 – Rebecca Harris , English businesswoman and politician
1967 – Paul Morris , Australian race car driver and businessman
1967 – Dan Petrescu , Romanian footballer and manager
1968 – Emre Aracı , Turkish composer, conductor, and historian
1968 – Lauralee Bell , American actress
1968 – Luis Hernández , Mexican footballer
1969 – Myriam Bédard , Canadian biathlete
1969 – Mark Robins , English footballer and manager
1970 – Gary Anderson , Scottish darts player
1970 – Ted Cruz , Canadian-American lawyer and politician
1971 – Pat Mastroianni , Canadian actor
1971 – Ajeenkya Patil , Indian economist and academic
1972 – Kirk Maltby , Canadian ice hockey player and scout
1972 – Vanessa Paradis , French singer-songwriter and actress
1972 – Big Tigger , American radio and television host
1974 – Michael Barron , English footballer, coach, and manager
1974 – Heather Donahue , American actress
1975 – Sergei Aschwanden , Swiss martial artist
1975 – Dmitri Khokhlov , Russian footballer and manager
1975 – Marcin Mięciel , Polish footballer
1975 – Stanislav Neckář , Czech ice hockey player
1976 – Katleen De Caluwé , Belgian sprinter
1976 – Jason Lane , American baseball player and coach
1976 – Aya Takano , Japanese author and illustrator
1977 – Steve Kariya , Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1978 – Joy Ali , Fijian boxer (d. 2015)
1978 – Anthony Jeselnik , American comedian, actor, and television host
1978 – Joanne Kelly , Canadian actress
1978 – Emmanuel Olisadebe , Nigerian-Polish footballer
1979 – Jamie Langfield , Scottish footballer and coach
1980 – Chris Carmack , American model, actor, and singer
1981 – David Cormican , Canadian actor and producer
1981 – Marina Kuptsova , Russian high jumper
1981 – Megumi Yasu , Japanese actress
1982 – Agbani Darego , Nigerian model, Miss World 2001
1982 – Rodney Martin , American sprinter
1982 – Brooke Nevin , Canadian actress
1983 – Jennifer Hawkins , Australian model, Miss Universe 2004
1983 – Drew Hankinson , American wrestler
1983 – Viola Kibiwot , Kenyan runner
1984 – Basshunter , Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
1986 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , Nigerian terrorist
1986 – Dennis Armfield , Australian footballer
1986 – Fatih Öztürk , Turkish footballer
1987 – Éder , Bissau-Portuguese footballer
1987 – Johannes Ahun , Estonian windsurfer
1987 – Garfield Darien , French hurdler
1988 – Leigh Halfpenny , Welsh rugby player
1989 – Jordin Sparks , American singer-songwriter and actress
1989 – Jharal Yow Yeh , Australian rugby player
1990 – Jean-Baptiste Maunier , French actor and singer
1990 – Josef Newgarden , American race car driver
1991 – Paul Alo-Emile , New Zealand-Australian rugby player
1992 – Michaela Hončová , Slovak tennis player
1993 – Meghan Trainor , American singer-songwriter and producer
1994 – Rúben Lameiras , Portuguese footballer
1994 – Hà Ngọc Diễm , Vietnamese volleyball player
1996 – Makisig Morales , Filipino singer and actor (Mak and the Dudes )
1998 – G Hannelius , American actress and singer
1999 – Ameer Idreis , Emirati-Canadian author
69 – Vitellius , Roman emperor (b. 15)
1100 – Bretislaus II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1060)
1530 – Willibald Pirckheimer , German lawyer and author (b. 1470)
1603 – Mehmed III , Ottoman sultan (b. 1566)
1646 – Peter Mogila , Moldavian metropolitan and saint (b. 1596)
1660 – André Tacquet , Flemish priest and mathematician (b. 1612)
1666 – Guercino , Italian painter (b. 1591)
1681 – Richard Alleine , English minister and author (b. 1611)
1708 – Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (b. 1681)
1738 – Constantia Jones , English prostitute (b. 1708)
1767 – John Newbery , English publisher (b. 1713)
1788 – Percivall Pott , English physician and surgeon (b. 1714)
1806 – William Vernon , American merchant (b. 1719)
1828 – William Hyde Wollaston , English chemist and physicist (b. 1766)
1828 – Rachel Jackson , American wife of Andrew Jackson (b. 1767)
1867 – Jean-Victor Poncelet , French mathematician and engineer (b. 1788)
1870 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer , Spanish journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1836)
1880 – George Eliot , English journalist, author, and poet (b. 1819)
1899 – Dwight L. Moody , American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Publishers (b. 1837)
1902 – Richard von Krafft-Ebing , German-Austrian psychiatrist and author (b. 1840)
1917 – Frances Xavier Cabrini , Italian-American nun and saint (b. 1850)
1918 – Aristeidis Moraitinis , Greek lieutenant and pilot (b. 1891)
1919 – Hermann Weingärtner , German gymnast (b. 1864)
1925 – Amelie Beese , German pilot and engineer (b. 1886)
1926 – Mina Arndt , New Zealander painter (b. 1885)
1939 – Ma Rainey , American singer (b. 1886)
1940 – Nathanael West , American author and screenwriter (b. 1903)
1941 – Karel Hašler , Czech actor, director, composer, and screenwriter (b. 1879)
1942 – Franz Boas , German-American anthropologist and linguist (b. 1858)
1943 – Beatrix Potter , English children's book writer and illustrator (b. 1866)
1944 – Harry Langdon , American actor, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1884)
1944 – Eleni Papadaki , Greek actress and singer (b. 1903)
1950 – Frederick Freake , English polo player (b. 1876)
1957 – Frank George Woollard , English engineer (b. 1883)
1959 – Gilda Gray , Polish-American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1901)
1960 – Ninian Comper , Scottish-English architect (b. 1864)
1963 – Giovanni Giorgio Trissino , Italian horse rider (b. 1877)
1965 – Richard Dimbleby , English journalist (b. 1913)
1968 – Raymond Gram Swing , American journalist (b. 1887)
1971 – Godfried Bomans , Dutch journalist and author (b. 1913)
1974 – Sterling North , American author and critic (b. 1906)
1979 – Darryl F. Zanuck , American actor, director, and producer (b. 1902)
1985 – D. Boon , American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Minutemen and The Reactionaries ) (b. 1958)
1986 – Mary Burchell , English author and activist (b. 1904)
1987 – Luca Prodan , Italian-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Sumo ) (b. 1953)
1988 – Chico Mendes , Brazilian union leader and activist (b. 1944)
1989 – Samuel Beckett , Irish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
1992 – Harry Bluestone , English violinist and composer (b. 1907)
1992 – Frederick William Franz , American religious leader (b. 1893)
1993 – Don DeFore , American actor (b. 1913)
1995 – Osvald Käpp , Estonian wrestler (b. 1905)
1995 – Butterfly McQueen , American actress and dancer (b. 1911)
1995 – James Meade , English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
1996 – Jack Hamm , American cartoonist and television host (b. 1916)
1997 – Sebastian Arcos Bergnes , Cuban-American dentist and activist (b. 1931)
2001 – Ovidiu Iacov , Romanian footballer (b. 1981)
2001 – Walter Newton Read , American lawyer and second chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission (b. 1918)
2002 – Desmond Hoyte , Guyanese lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Guyana (b. 1929)
2002 – Joe Strummer , English singer-songwriter and actor (The Clash , The Mescaleros , and The Pogues ) (b. 1952)
2003 – Dave Dudley , American singer (b. 1928)
2004 – Doug Ault , American baseball player and manager (b. 1950)
2004 – Nezihe Viranyalı , Bulgarian-Turkish pilot (b. 1925)
2006 – Dennis Linde , American singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
2006 – Michael Morrison , American pornographic actor, producer, and director (b. 1946)
2006 – Elena Mukhina , Russian gymnast (b. 1960)
2006 – Galina Ustvolskaya , Russian composer (b. 1919)
2007 – Adrian Cristobal , Filipino journalist and playwright (b. 1932)
2009 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar , Colombian rancher and politician (b. 1940)
2009 – Albert Scanlon , English footballer (b. 1935)
2010 – Fred Foy , American soldier and announcer (b. 1921)
2012 – Chuck Cherundolo , American football player and coach (b. 1916)
2012 – Ryan Freel , American baseball player (b. 1976)
2012 – Rip Hawk , American wrestler and booker (b. 1930)
2012 – Cliff Osmond , American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
2012 – Lim Keng Yaik , Malaysian physician and politician (b. 1939)
2013 – Diomedes Díaz , Colombian singer-songwriter (b. 1956)
2013 – Hans Hækkerup , Danish lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
2013 – Ed Herrmann , American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
2013 – Keith McGowan , Australian radio host (b. 1943)
2013 – Oscar Peer , Swiss author, playwright, and philologist (b. 1928)
2014 – John Robert Beyster , American physicist and academic (b. 1924)
2014 – Christine Cavanaugh , American actress and singer (b. 1963)
2014 – Joe Cocker , English singer-songwriter (The Grease Band ) (b. 1944)
2014 – Joseph Sargent , American actor, director, and producer (b. 1925)
2014 – Bernard Stone , American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
2015 – Peter Lundblad , Swedish singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
2015 – Freda Meissner-Blau , Australian activist and politician (b. 1927)
Holidays and observances [ edit ]
External links [ edit ]
Months and days of the year
January
February
March
April
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June
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