December 8 is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 23 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).
395 – Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope .
757 – Du Fu returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuanzong 's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion .
877 – Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald ) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne .
1432 – The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany) , launching the most active phase of the Lithuanian Civil War .
1660 – A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall ) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello .
1813 – Premiere of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony .
1854 – In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus , Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception , which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived free of Original Sin .
1864 – Pope Pius IX promulgates the encylical Quanta cura and its appendix, the Syllabus of Errors , outlining the authority of the Catholic Church and condemning various liberal ideas.
1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne .
1912 – Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out.
1914 – World War I : A squadron of Britain's Royal Navy defeats the Imperial German East Asia Squadron in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
1922 – Northern Ireland ceases to be part of the Irish Free State .
1927 – The Brookings Institution , one of the United States' oldest think tanks , is founded through the merger of three organizations that had been created by philanthropist Robert S. Brookings .
1941 – World War II : U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "a date which will live in infamy ", after which the U.S. declares war on Japan .
1941 – World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade Shanghai International Settlement , Malaya , Thailand , Hong Kong , the Philippines , and the Dutch East Indies . (See December 7 for the concurrent attack on Pearl Harbor in the Western Hemisphere .)
1953 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace " speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
1955 – The Flag of Europe is adopted by Council of Europe .
1962 – Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.
1963 – Pan Am Flight 214 , a Boeing 707 , is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland , killing all 81 people on board.
1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea , killing over 200.
1969 – Olympic Airways Flight 954 strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90 people in the worst crash of a Douglas DC-6 in history.
1971 – Indo-Pakistani War : The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan 's port city of Karachi .
1972 – United Airlines Flight 553 , a Boeing 737 , crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport , killing 45. This is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737.
1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece .
1980 – Former Beatle John Lennon is murdered in front of The Dakota in New York City.
1985 – South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation , the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia is established.
1987 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed.
1987 – An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border , which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the First Intifada .
1988 – A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid , Germany, killing 5 people and injuring 50 others.
1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States .
1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria .
2004 – The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco , Peru , establishing the South American Community of Nations .
2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq , kill 127 people and injure 448 others.
2010 – With the second launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the first launch of the SpaceX Dragon , SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft .
2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km.
2013 – Riots break out in Singapore after a fatal accident in Little India .
65 BC – Horace , Roman soldier and poet (d. 8 BC)
1021 – Wang Anshi , Chinese economist and chancellor (d. 1086)
1412 – Astorre II Manfredi , Italian lord (d. 1468)
1542 – Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587)
1678 – Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole , English politician and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (d. 1757)
1699 – Maria Josepha of Austria (d. 1757)
1708 – Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1765)
1724 – Claude Balbastre , French organist and composer (d. 1799)
1730 – Jan Ingenhousz , Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist (d. 1799)
1731 – František Xaver Dušek , Czech pianist and composer (d. 1799)
1756 – Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (d. 1801)
1765 – Eli Whitney , American engineer, invented the cotton gin (d. 1825)
1795 – Peter Andreas Hansen , Danish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1874)
1813 – August Belmont , Prussian-American financier and diplomat, 16th United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (d. 1890)
1815 – Adolph Menzel , German painter and illustrator (d. 1905)
1817 – Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs , Danish lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1896)
1818 – Charles III, Prince of Monaco (d. 1889)
1822 – Jakov Ignjatović , Hungarian-Serbian author (d. 1889)
1832 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson , Norwegian-French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
1860 – Amanda McKittrick Ros , Irish author and poet (d. 1939)
1861 – William C. Durant , American businessman, founded General Motors and Chevrolet (d. 1947)
1861 – Aristide Maillol , French sculptor and painter (d. 1944)
1861 – Georges Méliès , French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1938)
1862 – Georges Feydeau , French playwright (d. 1921)
1864 – Camille Claudel , French illustrator and sculptor (d. 1943)
1865 – Rüdiger von der Goltz , German general (d. 1946)
1865 – Jacques Hadamard , French mathematician and academic (d. 1963)
1865 – Jean Sibelius , Finnish violinist and composer (d. 1957)
1874 – Ernst Moro , Austrian physician and pediatrician (d. 1951)
1875 – Frederik Buch , Danish actor and screenwriter (d. 1925)
1877 – Paul Ladmirault , French pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 1944)
1880 – Johannes Aavik , Estonian linguist and philologist (d. 1973)
1884 – Francis Cecil Campbell Balfour , English colonel and politician (d. 1965)
1886 – Diego Rivera , Mexican painter and educator (d. 1957)
1890 – Bohuslav Martinů , Czech-American pianist and composer (d. 1959)
1892 – Marcus Lee Hansen , American historian, author, and academic (d. 1938)
1894 – E. C. Segar , American cartoonist, created Popeye (d. 1938)
1894 – James Thurber , American humorist and cartoonist (d. 1961)
1899 – Arthur Leslie , English-Welsh actor and playwright (d. 1970)
1899 – John Qualen , Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)
1900 – Sun Li-jen , Chinese general and politician (d. 1990)
1900 – Ants Oras , Estonian-American author and academic (d. 1982)
1902 – Wifredo Lam , Cuban-French painter (d. 1982)
1908 – Concha Piquer , Spanish singer and actress (d. 1990)
1908 – John A. Volpe , American soldier and politician, 61st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1994)
1909 – Lesslie Newbigin , English bishop and theologian (d. 1998)
1911 – Lee J. Cobb , American actor (d. 1976)
1911 – Nikos Gatsos , Greek poet and songwriter (d. 1992)
1913 – Delmore Schwartz , American poet and short story writer (d. 1966)
1914 – Floyd Tillman , American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
1914 – Ernie Toshack , Australian cricketer (d. 2003)
1915 – Ernest Lehman , American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
1916 – Richard Fleischer , American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
1917 – Ian Johnson , Australian cricketer and administrator (d. 1998)
1919 – Peter Tali Coleman , Samoan-American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of American Samoa (d. 1997)
1919 – Julia Robinson , American mathematician and theorist (d. 1985)
1919 – Kateryna Yushchenko , Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (d. 2001)
1920 – McDonald Bailey , Trinidadian-English sprinter and rugby player (d. 2013)
1922 – Lucian Freud , German-English painter and illustrator (d. 2011)
1922 – Jean Ritchie , American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
1923 – Dewey Martin , American actor
1923 – Rudolph Pariser , Chinese-American soldier and chemist
1924 – Lionel Gilbert , Australian historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)
1925 – Sammy Davis, Jr. , American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1990)
1925 – Carmen Martín Gaite , Spanish author and poet (d. 2000)
1925 – Jimmy Smith , American organist (d. 2005)
1927 – Ferdie Pacheco , American physician and author
1927 – Vladimir Shatalov , Kazakhstani general, pilot, and astronaut
1928 – Bill Hewitt , Canadian journalist and sportscaster (d. 1996)
1928 – Ulric Neisser , German-American psychologist, neuroscientist, and academic (d. 2012)
1930 – Julian Critchley , English journalist and politician (d. 2000)
1930 – Maximilian Schell , Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
1931 – Bob Arum , American boxing promoter, founded Top Rank
1933 – Flip Wilson , American actor and comedian (d. 1998)
1935 – Dharmendra , Indian actor, producer, and politician
1935 – Tatiana Zatulovskaya , Russian-Israeli chess player
1936 – David Carradine , American actor, director, and producer (d. 2009)
1936 – Michael Hobson , American publisher
1936 – Peter Parfitt , English cricketer
1937 – James MacArthur , American actor (d. 2010)
1937 – Arne Næss, Jr. , German-Norwegian mountaineer and businessman (d. 2004)
1939 – Red Berenson , Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1939 – Jerry Butler , American singer-songwriter and producer
1939 – James Galway , Irish flute player
1939 – Felipe Gozon , Filipino lawyer and businessman
1939 – Dariush Mehrjui , Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
1939 – Soko Richardson , American drummer (d. 2004)
1940 – Brant Alyea , American baseball player
1941 – Ed Brinkman , American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
1941 – Bob Brown , American football player
1941 – Duke Cunningham , American commander and politician
1941 – Bobby Elliott , English drummer
1941 – Geoff Hurst , English footballer and manager
1943 – Larry Martin , American paleontologist and ornithologist (d. 2013)
1943 – Jim Morrison , American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 1971)
1943 – James Tate , American poet (d. 2015)
1943 – Bodo Tümmler , German runner
1943 – Mary Woronov , American actress, director, and screenwriter
1944 – George Baker , Dutch singer-songwriter
1944 – Bertie Higgins , American singer-songwriter
1944 – Ted Irvine , Canadian ice hockey player
1944 – Vince MacLean , Canadian educator and politician
1945 – John Banville , Irish novelist and screenwriter
1946 – John Rubinstein , American actor, director, and composer
1947 – Chava Alberstein , Polish-Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist
1947 – Gregg Allman , American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1947 – Gérard Blanc , French singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 2009)
1947 – Thomas Cech , American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1947 – Kati-Claudia Fofonoff , Finnish author and poet
1947 – Margaret Geller , American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
1948 – Luis Caffarelli , Argentinian-American mathematician and academic
1948 – John Waters , English-Australian actor, singer-songwriter, and guitarist
1949 – Mary Gordon , American author, critic, and academic
1949 – Nancy Meyers , American director, producer, and screenwriter
1949 – Ray Shulman , English violinist, guitarist, and producer
1949 – Robert Sternberg , American psychologist and academic
1950 – Rick Baker , American actor and makeup artist
1950 – Tim Foli , American baseball player, coach, and manager
1950 – Dan Hartman , American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1994)
1951 – Bill Bryson , American essayist, travel and science writer
1951 – Richard Desmond , English publisher and businessman, founded Northern & Shell
1951 – Jan Eggum , Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1952 – Khaw Boon Wan , Malayan-Singaporean politician, Singaporean Minister of Health
1952 – Steve Atkinson , English-Hong Kong cricketer
1953 – Kim Basinger , American actress
1953 – Roy Firestone , American sportscaster and journalist
1953 – Norman Finkelstein , American author, academic, and activist
1953 – Sam Kinison , American comedian (d. 1992)
1953 – Władysław Kozakiewicz , Lithuanian-Polish pole vaulter and coach
1953 – Steve Yates , English footballer
1954 – Harold Hongju Koh , American lawyer, academic, and politician
1954 – Frits Pirard , Dutch cyclist
1955 – Kasim Sulton , American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
1955 – Milenko Zablaćanski , Serbian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
1956 – Warren Cuccurullo , American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1956 – Andrius Kubilius , Lithuanian academic and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Lithuania
1957 – James Cama , American martial artist and educator (d. 2014)
1957 – Phil Collen , English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1957 – Slick , American wrestler and manager
1958 – Rob Byrnes , American author and blogger
1958 – Rob Curling , Malayan-English journalist
1958 – Michel Ferté , French race car driver
1958 – Bob Greene , American physiologist and author
1958 – Mirosław Okoński , Polish footballer
1959 – Stephen Jefferies , South African cricketer and coach
1959 – Mark Steyn , Canadian-American author and critic
1960 – Aaron Allston , American game designer and author (d. 2014)
1960 – Lim Guan Eng , Malaysian accountant and politician, 4th Chief Minister of the State of Penang
1961 – Ann Coulter , American lawyer, journalist, and author
1961 – Mikey Robins , Australian comedian and television host
1962 – Steve Elkington , Australian-American golfer
1962 – Marty Friedman , American-Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and television host
1962 – Nikos Karageorgiou , Greek footballer and manager
1962 – Berry van Aerle , Dutch footballer
1963 – Greg Howe , American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1963 – Toshiaki Kawada , Japanese wrestler
1963 – Ricky Walford , Australian rugby league player
1964 – James Blundell , Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1964 – Teri Hatcher , American actress
1964 – Chigusa Nagayo , Japanese wrestler
1964 – Óscar Ramírez , Costa Rican footballer and coach
1965 – David Harewood , English actor
1965 – Theo Maassen , Dutch actor, producer, and screenwriter
1966 – Les Ferdinand , English footballer and coach
1966 – Tyler Mane , Canadian wrestler and actor
1966 – Sinéad O'Connor , Irish singer-songwriter
1967 – Jeff George , American football player
1967 – Andy Kapp , German curler
1967 – Kotono Mitsuishi , Japanese voice actress and singer
1967 – Darren Sheridan , English footballer and manager
1968 – Mike Mussina , American baseball player and coach
1968 – Doriano Romboni , Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2013)
1971 – Abdullah Ercan , Turkish footballer and manager
1972 – Marco Abreu , Angolan footballer
1972 – Indrek Allmann , Estonian architect
1972 – Édson Ribeiro , Brazilian sprinter
1974 – Cristian Castro , Mexican singer
1974 – Tony Simmons , American football player and coach
1974 – Nick Zinner , American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1975 – Kevin Harvick , American race car driver
1976 – Brettina , Bahamian-American singer-songwriter and actress
1976 – Reed Johnson , American baseball player
1976 – Dominic Monaghan , German-English actor
1977 – Ryan Newman , American race car driver
1977 – Aleksandra Olsza , Polish tennis player
1977 – Anita Weyermann , Swiss runner and journalist
1978 – John Oster , English-Welsh footballer
1978 – Frédéric Piquionne , French footballer
1978 – Anwar Siraj , Ethiopian footballer
1978 – Ian Somerhalder , American actor
1978 – Vernon Wells , American baseball player
1979 – Daniel Fitzhenry , Australian rugby player
1979 – Johan Forssell , Swedish lawyer and politician
1979 – Raymond Lam , Chinese actor and singer
1979 – Ingrid Michaelson , American singer-songwriter and pianist
1979 – José Peña , Venezuelan sprinter
1979 – Christian Wilhelmsson , Swedish footballer
1980 – Yuliya Krevsun , Ukrainian runner
1981 – Jeremy Accardo , American baseball player
1981 – Simon Finnigan , English rugby player
1981 – Philip Rivers , American football player
1982 – Alfredo Aceves , American baseball player
1982 – Chrisette Michele , American singer-songwriter
1982 – Nicki Minaj , Trinidadian-American rapper and actress
1983 – Neel Jani , Swiss race car driver
1983 – Valéry Mézague , Cameroonian footballer (d. 2014)
1984 – Emma Green Tregaro , Swedish high jumper
1984 – Greg Halford , English footballer
1984 – Sam Hunt , American singer-songwriter
1985 – Josh Donaldson , American baseball player
1985 – Meagan Duhamel , Canadian figure skater
1985 – Dwight Howard , American basketball player
1985 – Oleksiy Pecherov , Ukrainian basketball player
1986 – Enzo Amore , American wrestler
1986 – Amir Khan , English boxer
1986 – Sam Tagataese , New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
1986 – Kate Voegele , American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
1987 – Jana Juricová , Slovak tennis player
1989 – Drew Doughty , Canadian ice hockey player
1989 – Jesse Sene-Lefao , New Zealand rugby league player
1993 – Janari Jõesaar , Estonian basketball player
1993 – Jordan Obita , English footballer
1993 – AnnaSophia Robb , American actress
1994 – Conseslus Kipruto , Kenyan runner
1994 – Aika Ota , Japanese singer
1995 – Jordon Ibe , English footballer
899 – Arnulf of Carinthia (b. 850)
1626 – John Davies , English poet, lawyer, and politician (b. 1569)
1632 – Philippe van Lansberge , Dutch astronomer and mathematician (b. 1561)
1638 – Ivan Gundulić , Croatian poet (b. 1589)
1643 – John Pym , English politician (b. 1583)
1649 – Noël Chabanel , French missionary and saint (b. 1613)
1680 – Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester , English lawyer and politician (b. 1606)
1691 – Richard Baxter , English minister, poet, and hymn-writer (b. 1615)
1695 – Barthélemy d'Herbelot , French orientalist and academic (b. 1625)
1709 – Thomas Corneille , French playwright and philologist (b. 1625)
1722 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (b. 1652)
1744 – Marie Anne de Mailly , French mistress of Louis XV of France (b. 1717)
1745 – Étienne Fourmont , French orientalist and academic (b. 1683)
1746 – Charles Radclyffe , English courtier and soldier (b. 1693)
1756 – William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington , English politician and diplomat, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690)
1768 – Jean Denis Attiret , French painter and missionary (b. 1702)
1779 – Nathan Alcock , English physician (b. 1707)
1830 – Benjamin Constant , Swiss-French philosopher and author (b. 1767)
1859 – Thomas De Quincey , English journalist and author (b. 1785)
1864 – George Boole , English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1815)
1869 – Narcisa de Jesús , Ecuadorian saint (b. 1832)
1885 – William Henry Vanderbilt , American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1821)
1894 – Pafnuty Chebyshev , Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1821)
1903 – Herbert Spencer , English biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and philosopher (b. 1820)
1907 – Oscar II of Sweden (b. 1829)
1913 – Camille Jenatzy , Belgian race car driver (b. 1868)
1914 – Melchior Anderegg , Swiss mountain guide (b. 1828)
1914 – Maximilian von Spee , Danish-German admiral (b. 1861)
1917 – Mendele Mocher Sforim , Russian author (b. 1836)
1918 – Josip Štadler , Croatian archbishop (b. 1843)
1919 – J. Alden Weir , American painter (b. 1852)
1937 – Hans Molisch , Czech-Austrian botanist and academic (b. 1856)
1938 – Friedrich Glauser , Swiss soldier and author (b. 1896)
1940 – George Lloyd , English-Canadian bishop and theologian (b. 1861)
1942 – Albert Kahn , American architect, Fisher Building , Packard Automotive Plant , Ford River Rouge Complex (b. 1869)
1952 – Charles Lightoller , English sailor (b. 1874)
1954 – Gladys George , American actress (b. 1904)
1954 – Joseph B. Keenan , American lawyer and politician (b. 1888)
1958 – Tris Speaker , American baseball player and manager (b. 1888)
1963 – Sarit Thanarat , Thai field marshal and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1908)
1966 – Ward Morehouse , American playwright, author, and critic (b. 1899)
1971 – Ernst Krenkel , Russian geographer and explorer (b. 1903)
1971 – Eleni Ourani , Greek poet and critic (b. 1896)
1975 – Gary Thain , New Zealand bass player (b. 1948)
1978 – Golda Meir , Ukrainian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898)
1980 – John Lennon , English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
1982 – Bram Behr , Surinamese journalist and politician (b. 1951)
1982 – André Kamperveen , Surinamese footballer and manager (b. 1924)
1982 – Marty Robbins , American singer-songwriter and race car driver (b. 1925)
1983 – Keith Holyoake , New Zealand farmer and politician, 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1904)
1983 – Slim Pickens , American actor (b. 1919)
1984 – Luther Adler , American actor (b. 1903)
1984 – Robert Jay Mathews , American militant leader, founded The Order (b. 1953)
1984 – Semih Sancar , Turkish general (b. 1911)
1991 – Buck Clayton , American trumpet player and composer (b. 1911)
1992 – William Shawn , American journalist (b. 1917)
1993 – Yevgeny Minayev , Russian weightlifter (b. 1933)
1994 – Antônio Carlos Jobim , Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927)
1996 – Howard Rollins , American actor (b. 1950)
1996 – Kashiwado Tsuyoshi , Japanese sumo wrestler, the 47th Yokozuna (b. 1938)
1997 – Bob Bell , American clown and actor (b. 1922)
1999 – Péter Kuczka , Hungarian poet and author (b. 1923)
2001 – Mirza Delibašić , Bosnian basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
2001 – Betty Holberton , American computer scientist and programmer (b. 1917)
2003 – Rubén González , Cuban pianist (b. 1919)
2004 – Dimebag Darrell , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)
2006 – Martha Tilton , American singer (b. 1915)
2006 – José Uribe , Dominican baseball player (b. 1959)
2007 – Gerardo García Pimentel , Mexican journalist (b. 1983)
2008 – Oliver Postgate , English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
2008 – Robert Prosky , American actor (b. 1930)
2009 – Luis Días , Dominican singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
2012 – Jerry Brown , American football player (b. 1987)
2012 – John Gowans , Scottish-English 16th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1934)
2012 – Johnny Lira , American boxer (b. 1951)
2013 – John Cornforth , Australian-English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
2013 – Sándor Szokolay , Hungarian composer and academic (b. 1931)
2013 – Richard S. Williamson , American lawyer and diplomat (b. 1949)
2014 – Tom Gosnell , Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1951)
2014 – Russ Kemmerer , American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
2014 – Knut Nystedt , Norwegian organist and composer (b. 1915)
2015 – Mattiwilda Dobbs , American soprano and actress (b. 1925)
2015 – Alan Hodgkinson , English footballer and coach (b. 1936)
2015 – Douglas Tompkins , American businessman, co-founded The North Face and Esprit Holdings (b. 1943)
2015 – John Trudell , American author, poet, and actor (b. 1946)
2015 – Elsie Tu , English-Hong Kong educator and politician (b. 1913)
2016 – John Glenn , American astronaut & senator, first American to go into orbit (b. 1921)
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