Editing December 17

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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}

==Events==
===Pre-1600===
<!-- Please don't Wikify years that have already been linked  -->
*[[497 BC]] &ndash; The first [[Saturnalia]] festival was celebrated in [[ancient Rome]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bradley|first=Keith R.|title=The Early Development of Slavery at Rome|journal=Historical Reflections / Réflexions Historiques|date=Spring 1985|volume=12|issue=1|page=3|jstor=41298844|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41298844}}</ref>
* [[546]] &ndash; [[Sack of Rome (546)|Siege of Rome]]: The [[Ostrogoths]] under king [[Totila]] plunder the city, by bribing the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman]] garrison.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibbon|first=Edward|title=The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|location=New York|publisher=Modern Library|year=2005|isbn=9780345478849|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xriVJrENcMC|page=752}}</ref>
* [[920]] &ndash; [[Romanos I Lekapenos]] is crowned co-emperor of the underage [[Constantine VII]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Speake|first=Graham|title=Encyclopedia of Greece and the Hellenic Tradition. Vol. 2: L—Z|location=New York|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2021|isbn=9781135942137|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pJoMEAAAQBAJ|page=1465}}</ref>
* [[942]] &ndash; Assassination of [[William I of Normandy]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Petkov|first=Kiril|title=The Kiss of Peace: Ritual, Self, and Society in the High and Late Medieval West|location=Boston|publisher=Brill|year=2003|isbn=9789004130388|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vc_1PAcOgnUC|page=39}}</ref>
* [[1297]] &ndash; King [[Kyawswa of Pagan]] is overthrown by the [[Myinsaing Kingdom|three Myinsaing brothers]], marking the de facto end of the [[Pagan Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite journal | author=Than Tun | author-link=Than Tun | title=History of Burma: A.D. 1300–1400 | journal=[[Journal of Burma Research Society]] | date=December 1959 | volume=XLII | number=II | pages=119–120}}</ref>
* [[1354]] &ndash; [[Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut|Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut and Holy Roman Empress]] and her son [[William I, Duke of Bavaria]], sign a peace treaty ending the [[Hook and Cod wars]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blok |first=P. J. |title=Inhoudsopgave van Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche volk. Deel 1 |url=https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/blok013gesc01_01/index.php |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=DBNL |page=326 |language=nl}}</ref>
*[[1398]] &ndash; [[Tughlaq dynasty|Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud]]'s armies in Delhi are defeated by [[Timur]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Srivastava|first=Ashirbadi Lal|title=The History of India, 1000 A.D.—1707 A.D.|location=Jaipur, India|publisher=Shiva Lal Agarwala|year=1964|oclc=1100402590|page=181}}</ref>
*[[1538]] &ndash; [[Pope Paul III]] excommunicates [[Henry VIII of England]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Scarisbrick|first=J.J.|title=Henry VIII|location=New Haven, Conn.|publisher=Yale University Press|year=1997|isbn=978-0-30007158-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oSuFAwAAQBAJ|page=361}}</ref>
*[[1583]] &ndash; [[Cologne War]]: Forces under [[Ernest of Bavaria]] defeat troops under [[Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg]] at the [[Siege of Godesberg]].
*[[1586]] &ndash; [[Emperor Go-Yōzei|Go-Yōzei]] becomes [[Emperor of Japan]].

===1601–1900===
*[[1665]] &ndash; The first account of a [[blood transfusion]] is published, in the form of a letter from physician Richard Lower to chemist Robert Boyle, in ''[[Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society]]''<ref>“[http://rstl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/23-32/617.full.pdf+html An Extract of a Letter, Written by J. Denis, Doctor of Physick and Professor of Philosophy and Mathematics at Paris, Touching a Late Cure of an Inveterate Phrensy by the Transfusion of Blood],” In: ''[[Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society]]'', Volume 2. (1666-1667) pp. 617-623. </ref> 
*[[1718]] &ndash; [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]]: Great Britain declares war on Spain.
*[[1777]] &ndash; [[American Revolution]]: [[France in the American Revolutionary War|France]] formally [[France–United States relations|recognizes]] the United States.
*[[1790]] &ndash; The [[Aztec calendar stone]] is discovered at  El Zócalo, Mexico City.
*[[1807]] &ndash; [[Napoleonic Wars]]: France issues the [[Milan Decree]], which confirms the [[Continental System]].
*[[1812]] &ndash; [[War of 1812]]: U.S. forces attack a [[Lenape]] village in the [[Battle of the Mississinewa]].
*[[1819]] &ndash; [[Simón Bolívar]] declares the independence of [[Gran Colombia]] in Angostura (now [[Ciudad Bolívar]] in [[Venezuela]]).
*[[1835]] &ndash; The second [[Great Fire of New York]] destroys {{convert|13|acre|m2|order=flip}} of New York City's [[Financial District, Manhattan|Financial District]].
*[[1837]] &ndash; A [[fire in the Winter Palace]] of [[Saint Petersburg]] kills 30 guards.
*[[1862]] &ndash; [[American Civil War]]: General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] issues ''[[General Order No. 11 (1862)|General Order No. 11]]'', expelling [[Jews]] from parts of [[Tennessee]], [[Mississippi]], and [[Kentucky]].
*[[1865]] &ndash; First performance of the [[Symphony No. 8 (Schubert)|Unfinished Symphony]] by [[Franz Schubert]].
*[[1892]] &ndash; First issue of ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' is published.
*[[1896]] &ndash; [[Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's]] [[Schenley Park Casino]], which was the first multi-purpose [[arena]] with the technology to create an artificial ice surface in North America, is destroyed in a fire.

===1901–present===
*[[1903]] &ndash; The [[Wright brothers]] make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the ''[[Wright Flyer]]'' at [[Kitty Hawk, North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Wright_Bros/First_Powered_Flight/WR6.htm |title=The First Powered Flight – 1903 |website=[[U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission]] |access-date=November 22, 2021}}</ref>
*[[1907]] &ndash; [[Ugyen Wangchuck]] is crowned first King of [[Bhutan]].
*[[1918]] &ndash; [[Darwin Rebellion]]: Up to 1,000 demonstrators march on [[Government House, Darwin|Government House]] in Darwin, [[Northern Territory]], Australia.
*[[1926]] &ndash; [[Antanas Smetona]] assumes power in [[Lithuania]] as the [[1926 Lithuanian coup d'état|1926 coup d'état]] is successful.
*[[1927]] &ndash; Indian revolutionary [[Rajendra Lahiri]] is hanged in Gonda jail, Uttar Pradesh, India, two days before the scheduled date.
*[[1928]] &ndash; Indian revolutionaries [[Bhagat Singh]], [[Sukhdev Thapar]] and [[Shivaram Rajguru]] assassinate British police officer James Saunders in [[Lahore]], [[Punjab region|Punjab]], to avenge the death of [[Lala Lajpat Rai]] at the hands of the police. The three were executed in 1931.
*[[1933]] &ndash; The [[1933 NFL Championship Game|first NFL Championship Game]] is played at [[Wrigley Field]] in [[Chicago]] between the [[New York Giants]] and [[Chicago Bears]]. The Bears won 23–21.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballhof.com/news/1933-nfl-championship-game/|title=1933 NFL Championship Game &#124; Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site|website=profootballhof.com}}</ref>
*[[1935]] &ndash; First flight of the [[Douglas DC-3]].
*[[1938]] &ndash; [[Otto Hahn]] discovers the [[nuclear fission]] of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of [[Nuclear power|nuclear energy]].
*[[1939]] &ndash; [[World War II]]: [[Battle of the River Plate]]: The ''[[German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee|Admiral Graf Spee]]'' is scuttled by Captain [[Hans Langsdorff]] outside [[Montevideo]].
*[[1943]] &ndash; All Chinese are again permitted to become citizens of the United States upon the repeal of the [[Chinese Exclusion Act|Act of 1882]] and the introduction of the [[Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act|Magnuson Act]].
*[[1944]] &ndash; World War II: [[Battle of the Bulge]]: [[Malmedy massacre]]: American [[285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion]] [[Prisoner of war|POWs]] are shot by [[Waffen-SS]] [[Kampfgruppe]] [[Joachim Peiper]].
*[[1945]] &ndash; [[Kurdistan]] flag day, the [[flag of Kurdistan]] was raised for the first time in [[Mahabad]] in eastern Kurdistan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The reason for the appointment of the Kurdistan Flag Day on the 17th of December-ARK NEWS |url=https://www.arknews.net/en/node/15360 |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=arknews.net |language=en}}</ref>
*[[1947]] &ndash; First flight of the [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet]] [[strategic bomber]].
*[[1948]] &ndash; The [[Finnish Security and Intelligence Service|Finnish Security Police]] is established to remove [[Communist Party of Finland|communist leadership]] from its predecessor, the [[State Police (Finland)|State Police]].
*[[1950]] &ndash; The [[North American F-86 Sabre|F-86 Sabre]]'s first mission over Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/f-86s-and-migs-over-korea |title=F-86s and MiGs over Korea |date=December 17, 2020 |access-date=December 15, 2024 |url-status=live |last=Borja |first=Elizabeth |archive-date=October 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023080955/https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/f-86s-and-migs-over-korea |work=[[National Air and Space Museum]] |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>
*[[1951]] &ndash; The American [[Civil Rights Congress]] delivers "[[We Charge Genocide]]" to the [[United Nations]].
*[[1957]] &ndash; The United States successfully launches the first [[SM-65 Atlas|Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile]] at [[Cape Canaveral, Florida]].
*[[1960]] &ndash; Troops loyal to Emperor [[Haile Selassie]] in [[Ethiopia]] crush the [[1960 Ethiopian coup attempt|coup]] that began [[December 13]], returning power to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.
*  1960   &ndash; [[1960 Munich C-131 crash|Munich C-131 crash]]: Twenty passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground are killed.
*[[1961]] &ndash; [[Niterói circus fire]]: Fire breaks out during a performance by the Gran Circus Norte-Americano in the city of [[Niterói|Niterói, Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil, killing more than 500.
*[[1967]] &ndash; [[Harold Holt]], [[Prime Minister of Australia]], [[Disappearance of Harold Holt|disappears while swimming]] near [[Portsea, Victoria]], and is presumed drowned.
*[[1969]] &ndash; [[Project Blue Book]]: The United States Air Force closes its study of [[Unidentified flying object|UFOs]].
*[[1970]] &ndash; [[1970 Polish protests|Polish protests]]: In [[Gdynia]], soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens.
*[[1973]] &ndash; Thirty passengers are killed in [[1973 Rome airport attacks and hijacking|an attack]] by [[Palestinian political violence|Palestinian terrorists]] on Rome's [[Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport]].
*[[1981]] &ndash; American Brigadier General [[James L. Dozier]] is abducted by the [[Red Brigades]] in [[Verona]], Italy.
*[[1983]] &ndash; [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] members [[Harrods bombings|detonate a car bomb]] at [[Harrods]] Department Store in London. Three police officers and three civilians are killed.
*[[1989]] &ndash; [[Romanian Revolution]]: Protests continue in [[Timișoara]], Romania, with rioters breaking into the [[Romanian Communist Party]]'s District Committee building and attempting to set it on fire.
*  1989   &ndash; [[Fernando Collor de Mello]] defeats [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]] in the second round of the [[Brazilian presidential election, 1989|Brazilian presidential election]], becoming the first democratically elected [[President of Brazil|President]] in almost 30 years.
*  1989   &ndash; ''[[The Simpsons]]'' premieres on television with the episode "[[Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire]]".<ref>{{cite book|last=Fink|first=Moritz|title=The Simpsons: A Cultural History|location=Lanham, Md.|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2019|isbn=978-1-53811616-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UOGTDwAAQBAJ|page=181}}</ref>
*[[1997]] &ndash; [[Peruvian internal conflict]]: Fourteen members of the [[Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement]] provoke a [[Japanese embassy hostage crisis|hostage crisis by taking over the Japanese embassy]] in Lima.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/13/newsid_3330000/3330127.stm |title=	
1997: Shots heard at besieged embassy in Peru |date=	
13 January 1997 |publisher= BBC News |access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref>
*  1997   &ndash; [[Aerosvit Flight 241]]: A [[Yakovlev Yak-42]] crashes into the [[Pierian Mountains]] near [[Thessaloniki Airport]] in [[Thessaloniki]], Greece, killing all 70 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident Yakovlev Yak-42 UR-42334 Thessaloniki|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19971217-0|url-status=live|access-date=December 16, 2021|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=[[Aviation Safety Network]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051109174407/http://www.aviation-safety.net:80/database/record.php?id=19971217-0 |archive-date=November 9, 2005 }}</ref>
*[[2002]] &ndash; [[Second Congo War]]: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for [[Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|transitional governance]] and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
*[[2003]] &ndash; The [[Soham murders|Soham murder]] trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder.  His girlfriend, Maxine Carr, is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
*  2003   &ndash; [[SpaceShipOne]], piloted by [[Brian Binnie]], makes [[SpaceShipOne flight 11P|its first powered and first supersonic flight]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Belfiore |first1=Michael |title=Rocketeers: how a visionary band of business leaders, engineers, and pilots is boldly privatizing space |year=2007 |publisher=Smithsonian Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-06-114903-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rocketeershowvis00belf/page/8 8] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/rocketeershowvis00belf }}</ref>
*  2003   &ndash; Sex work rights activists establish December 17 (or "D17") as [[International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers]] to memorialize victims of a serial killer who targeted prostitutes, and highlight State violence against sex workers by police and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://december17.swopusa.org/|title=December 17th – International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers|access-date=December 17, 2020|archive-date=August 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813124143/https://december17.swopusa.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[2005]] &ndash; Anti-[[World Trade Organization]] [[World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2005#17 December 2005|protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong]].
*  2005   &ndash; [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck]] abdicates the throne as King of [[Bhutan]].
*[[2009]] &ndash; {{MV|Danny F II}} sinks off the coast of [[Lebanon]], resulting in the deaths of 44 people and over 28,000 animals.
*[[2010]] &ndash; [[Mohamed Bouazizi]] [[Self-immolation|sets himself on fire]]. This act became the catalyst for the [[Tunisian Revolution]] and the wider [[Arab Spring]].
*[[2014]] &ndash; The United States and Cuba re-establish [[Cuba–United States relations|diplomatic relations]] after severing them in 1961.

==Births==
===Pre-1600===
<!-- Please do not add yourself or anyone else without a biography in Wikipedia to this list.-->
*[[1239]] &ndash; [[Kujō Yoritsugu]], Japanese shōgun (d. 1256)
*[[1267]] &ndash; [[Emperor Go-Uda]] of Japan (d. 1324)
*[[1554]] &ndash; [[Ernest of Bavaria]], Roman Catholic bishop (d. 1612)
*[[1556]] &ndash; [[Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana]], poet in Mughal Empire (d. 1627)
*[[1574]] &ndash; [[Pedro Téllez-Girón, 3rd Duke of Osuna]], Spanish nobleman and politician (d. 1624)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://datos.bne.es/persona/XX826770.html |title=Osuna, Pedro Téllez Girón, Duque de (1574-1624) |website=datos.bne.es |access-date=June 15, 2023 |language=es}}</ref>

===1601–1900===
*[[1616]] &ndash; [[Roger L'Estrange]], English pamphleteer and author (d. 1704)
*[[1619]] &ndash; [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine]] (d. 1682)
*[[1632]] &ndash; [[Anthony Wood (antiquary)|Anthony Wood]], English historian and author (d. 1695)
*[[1685]] &ndash; [[Thomas Tickell]], English poet (d. 1740)
*[[1699]] &ndash; [[Charles-Louis Mion]], French composer and educator (d. 1775)
*[[1706]] &ndash; [[Émilie du Châtelet]], French mathematician and physicist (d. 1749)<ref>{{cite book | first=Garry J. | last=Tee | chapter=Gabrielle-Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet | editor-last1=Grinstein | editor-first1=Louise S. | editor-last2=Campbell | editor-first2=Paul J. | title=Women of Mathematics: a Biobibliographic Sourcebook | place=New York | publisher=Greenwood Press | year=1987 | isbn=978-0-3132-4849-8 | page=[https://archive.org/details/womenofmathemati0000unse/page/21 21] | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/womenofmathemati0000unse/page/21 }}</ref>
*[[1734]] &ndash; [[Maria I of Portugal]] (d. 1816)
*[[1749]] &ndash; [[Domenico Cimarosa]], Italian composer and educator (d. 1801)
*[[1778]] &ndash; [[Humphry Davy]], English chemist and physicist (d. 1829)
*[[1796]] &ndash; [[Thomas Chandler Haliburton]], Canadian judge and politician (d. 1865)
*[[1797]] &ndash; [[Joseph Henry]], American physicist and engineer (d. 1878)
*[[1807]] &ndash; [[John Greenleaf Whittier]], American poet and activist (d. 1892)
*[[1812]] &ndash; [[Vilhelm Petersen (painter)|Vilhelm Petersen]], Danish painter (d. 1880)
*[[1827]] &ndash; [[Alexander Wassilko von Serecki]], Austrian lawyer and politician (d. 1893)  
*[[1830]] &ndash; [[Jules de Goncourt]], French author and critic (d. 1870)
*[[1835]] &ndash; [[Alexander Emanuel Agassiz]], Swiss-American ichthyologist and engineer (d. 1910)
*[[1840]] &ndash; [[Nozu Michitsura]], Japanese field marshal (d. 1908)
*[[1842]] &ndash; [[Sophus Lie]], Norwegian mathematician and academic (d. 1899)
*[[1847]] &ndash; [[Émile Faguet]], French author and critic (d. 1916)
*[[1853]] &ndash; [[Pierre Paul Émile Roux]], French physician and immunologist, co-founded the [[Pasteur Institute]] (d. 1933)
*[[1858]] &ndash; [[Eva Nansen]], Norwegian mezzo-soprano singer and pioneer on women{{'s}} skiing (d. 1907)<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Eva Nansen |first= |last= |encyclopedia=[[Store norske leksikon]] |date= 23 August 2023|editor-last=Bolstad | editor-first=Erik |publisher=Norsk nettleksikon |location=Oslo |url=https://snl.no/Eva_Nansen |language=no|access-date=March 28, 2024}}</ref>
*[[1859]] &ndash; [[Paul César Helleu]], French painter and illustrator (d. 1927)
*[[1866]] &ndash; [[Kazys Grinius]], Lithuanian physician and politician, third [[President of Lithuania]] (d. 1950)
*[[1873]] &ndash; [[Ford Madox Ford]],  English novelist, poet, and critic  (d. 1939)
*[[1874]] &ndash; [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], Canadian economist and politician, tenth [[Prime Minister of Canada]] (d. 1950)
*[[1881]] &ndash; [[Aubrey Faulkner]], South African-English cricketer and coach (d. 1930)
*[[1884]] &ndash; [[Alison Uttley]], English children's book writer (d. 1976)
*[[1887]] &ndash; [[Josef Lada]], Czech painter and illustrator (d. 1957)
*[[1890]] &ndash; [[Prince Joachim of Prussia]] (d. 1920)
*[[1892]] &ndash; [[Sam Barry]], American basketball player and coach (d. 1950)
*[[1893]] &ndash; [[Charles C. Banks]], English captain and pilot (d. 1971)
*  1893   &ndash; [[Erwin Piscator]], German director and producer (d. 1966)
*[[1894]] &ndash; [[Arthur Fiedler]], American conductor (d. 1979)
*  1894   &ndash; [[Patrick Flynn (athlete)|Patrick Flynn]], Irish-American runner and soldier (d. 1969)
*  1894   &ndash; [[Wim Schermerhorn]], Dutch cartographer, engineer, and politician, [[List of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands|Prime Minister of the Netherlands]] (d. 1977)
*[[1895]] &ndash; [[Gerald Patterson]], Australian tennis player (d. 1967)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gerald Patterson &#124; Overview &#124; ATP Tour &#124; Tennis |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/gerald-patterson/pj50/overview |access-date=October 23, 2022 |website=ATP Tour}}</ref>
*[[1898]] &ndash; [[Loren Murchison]], American sprinter (d. 1979)
*[[1900]] &ndash; [[Mary Cartwright]], English mathematician and academic, one of the first people to analyze a dynamical system with chaos (d. 1998)

===1901–present===
*[[1903]] &ndash; [[Erskine Caldwell]], American novelist and short story writer (d. 1987)
*  1903   &ndash; [[Ray Noble]], English bandleader, composer, and actor (d. 1978)
*[[1904]] &ndash; [[Paul Cadmus]], American painter and illustrator (d. 1999)
*[[1905]] &ndash; [[Simo Häyhä]], Finnish soldier and sniper (d. 2002)
*  1905   &ndash; [[Mohammad Hidayatullah]], 11th [[Chief Justice of India]], and politician, sixth [[List of Vice Presidents of India|Vice President of India]] (d. 1992)
*  1905   &ndash; [[Erico Verissimo]], Brazilian author and translator (d. 1975)
*[[1906]] &ndash; [[Fernando Lopes-Graça]], Portuguese composer and conductor (d. 1994)
*  1906   &ndash; [[Russell C. Newhouse]], American pilot and engineer (d. 1998)
*[[1908]] &ndash; [[Willard Libby]], American chemist and academic, [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|Nobel Prize]] laureate (d. 1980)
*[[1910]] &ndash; [[Eknath Easwaran]], Indian-American educator and author (d. 1999)
*  1910   &ndash; [[Sy Oliver]], American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (d. 1988)
*[[1912]] &ndash; [[Edward Short, Baron Glenamara]], English captain and politician, [[Lord President of the Council]] (d. 2012)
*[[1913]] &ndash; [[Burt Baskin]], American businessman, co-founded [[Baskin-Robbins]] (d. 1967)<ref name="UPI">{{cite web |title=Famous birthdays for Dec. 17: Milla Jovovich, Sarah Paulson |url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2022/12/17/Famous-birthdays-for-Dec-17-Milla-Jovovich-Sarah-Paulson/3711671211251/ |publisher=[[UPI]] |access-date=December 16, 2023 |date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
*[[1914]] &ndash; [[Mushtaq Ali]], Indian cricketer (d. 2005)
*  1914   &ndash; [[Fernando Alonso (dancer)|Fernando Alonso]], Cuban ballet dancer, co-founded the [[Cuban National Ballet]] (d. 2013)
*[[1916]] &ndash; [[Penelope Fitzgerald]], English author and poet (d. 2000)
*[[1917]] &ndash; [[Kenneth Dike]], Nigerian historian, author, and academic (d. 1983)
*[[1920]] &ndash; [[Kenneth E. Iverson]], Canadian computer scientist, developed the [[APL (programming language)|APL programming language]] (d. 2004)
*[[1921]] &ndash; [[Lore Berger]], German-Swiss author and translator (d. 1943)
*[[1922]] &ndash; [[Alan Voorhees]], American engineer and academic (d. 2005)
*[[1923]] &ndash; [[Jaroslav Pelikan]], American historian and scholar (d. 2006)
*[[1926]] &ndash; [[Ray Jablonski]], American baseball player (d. 1985)
*  1926   &ndash; [[John Hans Krebs]], American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
*  1926   &ndash; [[Stephen Lewis (actor)|Stephen Lewis]], English actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (d. 2015)
*[[1927]] &ndash; [[Richard Long (actor)|Richard Long]], American actor and director (d. 1974)
*  1927   &ndash; [[Edward Meneeley]], American painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
*[[1928]] &ndash; [[Marilyn Beck]], American journalist (d. 2014)
*  1928   &ndash; [[Eli Beeding]], American captain and pilot (d. 2013)
*  1928   &ndash; [[Doyle Conner]], American farmer and politician, seventh [[Florida Commissioner of Agriculture]] (d. 2012)
*[[1929]] &ndash; [[William Safire]], American journalist and author (d. 2009)
*[[1930]] &ndash; [[Bob Guccione]], American photographer and publisher, founded ''[[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse]]'' (d. 2010)
*  1930   &ndash; [[Armin Mueller-Stahl]], German actor and painter
*  1930   &ndash; [[Dorothy Rowe]], Australian psychologist and author (d. 2019)
*[[1931]] &ndash; [[Gerald Finnerman]], American director and cinematographer (d. 2011)
*  1931   &ndash; [[Dave Madden]], Canadian-American actor (d. 2014)
*  1931   &ndash; [[James McGaugh]], American neurobiologist and psychologist
*[[1932]] &ndash; [[John Bond (footballer)|John Bond]], English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
*[[1934]] &ndash; [[Irving Petlin]], American painter and academic (d. 2018)
*  1934   &ndash; [[Ray Wilson (English footballer)|Ray Wilson]], English footballer and manager (d. 2018)
*[[1935]] &ndash; [[Brian Langford]], English cricketer (d. 2013)
*  1935   &ndash; [[Cal Ripken Sr.]], American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1999)
*[[1936]] &ndash; [[Pope Francis]] (d. 2025)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winfield |first=Nicole |date=April 21, 2025 |title=Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88 |url=https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-francis-dead-01ca7d73c3c48d25fd1504ba076e2e2a |access-date=April 21, 2025 |website=[[Associated Press]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="AP" />
*  1936   &ndash; [[Tommy Steele]], English singer, guitarist, and actor<ref name="AP" />
*[[1937]] &ndash; [[Brian Hayes (broadcaster)|Brian Hayes]], Australian-English radio host
*  1937   &ndash; [[Art Neville]], American singer and keyboard player (d. 2019)
*  1937   &ndash; [[Kerry Packer]], Australian businessman, founded [[World Series Cricket]] (d. 2005)
*  1937   &ndash; [[John Kennedy Toole]],  American novelist (d. 1969)
*  1937   &ndash; [[Calvin Waller]], American general (d. 1996)
*[[1938]] &ndash; [[Peter Snell]], New Zealand runner (d. 2019)
*[[1939]] &ndash; [[James Booker]], American pianist (d. 1983)
*  1939   &ndash; [[Eddie Kendricks]], American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
*[[1940]] &ndash; [[Kåre Valebrokk]], Norwegian journalist (d. 2013)
*  1940   &ndash; [[María Elena Velasco]], Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
*[[1941]] &ndash; [[Dave Dee]], English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
*  1941   &ndash; [[Stan Mudenge]], Zimbabwean historian and politician, [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Zimbabwe)|Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs]] (d. 2012)
*[[1942]] &ndash; [[Muhammadu Buhari]], Nigerian general and politician, 7th [[List of heads of state of Nigeria|Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria]]
*  1942   &ndash; [[Paul Butterfield]], American singer and harmonica player (d. 1987)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/sweethomecookcounty/Pages/PaulButterfield.aspx |author=County Clerk |title=Paul Butterfield |website=Sweet Home Cook County |access-date= September 15, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513045039/http://cookcountyclerk.com/sweethomecookcounty/Pages/PaulButterfield.aspx |archive-date = May 13, 2014}}</ref>
*[[1943]] &ndash; [[Ron Geesin]], Scottish pianist and composer
*[[1944]] &ndash; [[Jack L. Chalker]], American author and educator (d. 2005)
*  1944   &ndash; [[Carlo M. Croce]], Italian-American oncologist and academic
*  1944   &ndash; [[Bernard Hill]], English actor (d. 2024)<ref name="AP" />
*[[1945]] &ndash; [[Ernie Hudson]], American actor<ref name="AP" />
*  1945   &ndash; [[David Mallet (director)|David Mallet]], English director
*  1945   &ndash; [[Chris Matthews]], American journalist and author<ref name="AP" />
*  1945   &ndash; [[Jüri Talvet]], Estonian poet and critic
*  1945   &ndash; [[Jacqueline Wilson]], English author and academic<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ferguson |first1=Donna |title=My parents at war: Jacqueline Wilson opens up about unhappy early life |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/24/jacqueline-wilson-unhappy-childhood-tracy-beaker |website=The Observer |access-date=September 23, 2020 |date=September 24, 2016}}</ref>
*[[1946]] &ndash; [[Simon Bates]], English radio host
*  1946   &ndash; [[Eugene Levy]], Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter<ref name="AP">{{cite web |last1=Rose |first1=Mike |title=Today's famous birthdays list for December 17, 2022 includes celebrities Milla Jovovich, Claire Forlani |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/12/todays-famous-birthdays-list-for-december-17-2022-includes-celebrities-milla-jovovich-claire-forlani.html |website=[[The Plain Dealer]] |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=December 16, 2023 |date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
*[[1947]] &ndash; [[Wes Studi]], American actor and producer<ref>{{cite book |last1=Berumen |first1=Frank Javier Garcia |title=American Indian Image Makers of Hollywood |year=2020 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-47663647-4 |page=232}}</ref>
*[[1948]] &ndash; [[Valery Belousov]], Russian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
*  1948   &ndash; [[Jim Bonfanti]], American rock drummer<ref name="AP" />
*  1948   &ndash; [[Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu]], Turkish economist and politician
*[[1949]] &ndash; [[Joel Brooks]], American actor<ref name="AP" />
*  1949   &ndash; [[Sotiris Kaiafas]], Cypriot footballer
*  1949   &ndash; [[Paul Rodgers]], English singer-songwriter and producer<ref name="AP" />
*[[1950]] &ndash; [[Laurence F. Johnson]], American educator and author
*  1950   &ndash; [[Maurice Peoples]], American sprinter and coach
*[[1951]] &ndash; [[Pat Hill]], American football player and coach
*  1951   &ndash; [[Ken Hitchcock]], Canadian ice hockey player and coach
*  1951   &ndash; [[Tatyana Kazankina]], Russian runner
*[[1953]] &ndash; [[Bill Pullman]], American actor<ref name="AP" />
*[[1954]] &ndash; [[Sergejus Jovaiša]], Lithuanian basketball player
*[[1955]] &ndash; [[Brad Davis (basketball)|Brad Davis]], American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
*[[1956]] &ndash; [[Peter Farrelly]], American director, producer, and screenwriter<ref name="AP" />
*  1956   &ndash; [[Dominic Lawson]], English journalist and author
*  1956   &ndash; [[Totka Petrova]], Bulgarian runner
*[[1957]] &ndash; [[Wendy Hoyte]], English sprinter
*  1957   &ndash; [[Bob Ojeda]], American baseball player and coach
*[[1958]] &ndash; [[Mike Mills]], American bass player, songwriter, and producer<ref name="AP" />
* 1958 &ndash; [[Donald Payne Jr.]], American politician (d. 2024)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/04/24/donald-payne-new-jersey-dead/|title=Donald Payne, congressman from New Jersey, dies at 65|date=April 24, 2024|access-date=September 8, 2024|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
*[[1959]] &ndash; [[Bob Stinson]], American songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)
*[[1961]] &ndash; [[Mansoor al-Jamri]], Bahraini journalist and author
*  1961   &ndash; [[Sara Dallin]], English singer<ref name="AP" />
*[[1962]] &ndash; [[Paul Dobson (footballer)|Paul Dobson]], English footballer
*  1962   &ndash; [[Galina Malchugina]], Russian sprinter
*  1962   &ndash; [[Rocco Mediate]], American golfer and journalist
*[[1964]] &ndash; [[Frank Musil]], Czech ice hockey player and coach
*  1964   &ndash; [[Joe Wolf]], American basketball player and coach (d. 2024)
*[[1965]] &ndash; [[Craig Berube]], Canadian ice hockey player and coach
*  1965   &ndash; [[Jeff Grayer]], American basketball player and coach<ref>{{cite web |title=Jeff Grayer |url=https://www.nba.com/stats/player/81/career |publisher=[[National Basketball Association]] |access-date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>
*[[1966]] &ndash; [[Tracy Byrd]], American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*  1966   &ndash; [[Kristiina Ojuland]], Estonian politician, 23rd [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Estonia)|Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
*[[1967]] &ndash; [[Vincent Damphousse]], Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
*  1967   &ndash; [[Gigi D'Agostino]], Italian muscisian, singer and DJ.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.danceanni90.com/?ind=reviews&op=entry_view&iden=34|title=La musica Dance dagli anni '90 ad oggi il sito riferimento in Italia !!! La musica Dance dagli anni '90 ad oggi}}</ref>
*  1967   &ndash; [[Karsten Neitzel]], German footballer and manager
*[[1968]] &ndash; [[Claudio Suárez]], Mexican footballer
*  1968   &ndash; [[Paul Tracy]], Canadian race car driver and sportscaster
*[[1969]] &ndash; [[Laurie Holden]], American actress and model<ref name="AP" />
*  1969   &ndash; [[Inna Lasovskaya]], Russian triple jumper
*  1969   &ndash; [[Chuck Liddell]], American mixed martial artist and kick-boxer<ref name="UPI" />
*  1969   &ndash; [[Mick Quinn]], English singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
*[[1970]] &ndash; [[Sean Patrick Thomas]], American actor<ref name="AP" />
*[[1971]] &ndash; [[Claire Forlani]], English actress<ref name="AP" />
*  1971   &ndash; [[Alan Khan]], South African radio and TV presenter
*  1971   &ndash; [[Nikki McCray-Penson]], American basketball player and coach (d. 2023)<ref>{{cite web |title=Nikki McCray |url=https://www.wnba.com/player/100198/nikki-mccray |publisher=[[WNBA]] |access-date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>
*  1971   &ndash; [[Antoine Rigaudeau]], French basketball player
*[[1972]] &ndash; [[John Abraham]], Indian actor and producer
*  1972   &ndash; [[Iván Pedroso]], Cuban long jumper and coach
*[[1973]] &ndash; [[Eddie Fisher (drummer)|Eddie Fisher]], American drummer<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091217/APA/912170503 |title=Today in History – Dec. 17 |agency=The Associated Press |date=December 17, 2009 |work=The Journal Gazette |access-date=August 6, 2010 |location=Fort Wayne, Ind. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302075712/http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20091217/APA/912170503 |archive-date=March 2, 2012 }}</ref>
*  1973   &ndash; [[Konstadinos Gatsioudis]], Greek javelin thrower
*  1973   &ndash; [[Rian Johnson]], American director, producer, and screenwriter
*  1973   &ndash; [[Paula Radcliffe]], English runner
*  1973   &ndash; [[Hasan Vural]], German-Turkish footballer
*[[1974]] &ndash; [[Charl Langeveldt]], South African cricketer
*  1974   &ndash; [[Sarah Paulson]], American actress<ref name="AP" />
*  1974   &ndash; [[Giovanni Ribisi]], American actor
*  1974   &ndash; [[Marissa Ribisi]], American actress<ref name="AP" />
*[[1975]] &ndash; [[Nick Dinsmore]], American wrestler and trainer
*  1975   &ndash; [[Susanthika Jayasinghe]], Sri Lankan sprinter
*  1975   &ndash; [[Milla Jovovich]], Ukrainian-American actress<ref name="AP" /> 
*[[1976]] &ndash; [[Éric Bédard]], Canadian speed skater and coach
*  1976   &ndash; [[Nir Davidovich]], Israeli footballer and manager
*  1976   &ndash; [[Patrick Müller (footballer)|Patrick Müller]], Swiss footballer
*  1976   &ndash; [[Andrew Simpson (sailor)|Andrew Simpson]], English sailor (d. 2013)
*  1976   &ndash; [[Takeo Spikes]], American football player and sportscaster
*[[1977]] &ndash; [[Arnaud Clément]], French tennis player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arnaud Clement &#124; Overview &#124; ATP Tour &#124; Tennis |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/arnaud-clement/c487/overview |access-date=October 23, 2022 |website=ATP Tour}}</ref>
*  1977   &ndash; [[Samuel Påhlsson]], Swedish ice hockey player
*  1977   &ndash; [[Katheryn Winnick]], Canadian actress<ref name="UPI" />
*[[1978]] &ndash; [[Alex Cintrón]], Puerto Rican baseball player and sportscaster
*  1978   &ndash; [[Riteish Deshmukh]], Indian film actor, producer and architect
*  1978   &ndash; [[Manny Pacquiao]], Filipino boxer and politician<ref name="AP" />
*  1978   &ndash; [[Neil Sanderson]], Canadian drummer and songwriter 
*  1978   &ndash; [[Chase Utley]], American baseball player
*[[1979]] &ndash; [[Matt Murley]], American ice hockey player
*  1979   &ndash; [[Paul Smith (footballer, born 1979)|Paul Smith]], English footballer
*[[1980]] &ndash; [[Suzy Batkovic]], Australian basketball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Suzy Batkovic-Brown |url=https://www.wnba.com/player/100878/suzy-batkovic-brown |publisher=[[WNBA]] |access-date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>
*  1980   &ndash; [[Ryan Hunter-Reay]], American race car driver
*  1980   &ndash; [[Alexandra Papageorgiou]], Greek hammer thrower
*  1980   &ndash; [[Eli Pariser]], American activist and author
*[[1981]] &ndash; [[Jerry Hsu]], American skateboarder and photographer
*  1981   &ndash; [[Tim Wiese]], German footballer
*[[1982]] &ndash; [[Josh Barfield]], American baseball player
*  1982   &ndash; [[Lorenzo Cittadini]], Italian rugby player
*  1982   &ndash; [[Craig Kielburger]], Canadian activist and author
*  1982   &ndash; [[Stéphane Lasme]], Gabonese basketball player
*[[1983]] &ndash; [[Gregory Campbell (ice hockey)|Gregory Campbell]], Canadian ice hockey player and executive<ref>{{cite web |title=Gregory Campbell |url=https://www.nhl.com/player/gregory-campbell-8470169 |publisher=[[National Hockey League]] |access-date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>
*  1983   &ndash; [[Erik Christensen]], Canadian ice hockey player
*  1983   &ndash; [[Mikky Ekko]], American singer and songwriter<ref name="AP" />
*  1983   &ndash; [[Haron Keitany]], Kenyan runner 
*  1983   &ndash; [[Sébastien Ogier]], French race car driver
*[[1984]] &ndash; [[Luis Alfageme]], Argentinian footballer
*  1984   &ndash; [[Julian Bennett (footballer)|Julian Bennett]], English footballer
*  1984   &ndash; [[Andrew Davies (footballer)|Andrew Davies]], English footballer
*  1984   &ndash; [[Shannon Woodward]], American actress<ref name="AP" />
*[[1985]] &ndash; [[Fernando Abad]], Dominican baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Fernando Abad |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/fernando-abad-472551 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>
*  1985   &ndash; [[Łukasz Broź]], Polish footballer
*  1985   &ndash; [[Craig Reid (footballer, born 1985)|Craig Reid]], English footballer
*[[1986]] &ndash; [[Emma Bell]], American actress<ref name="AP" />
*  1986   &ndash; [[Frank Winterstein]], Australian-Samoan rugby league player
*  1986   &ndash; [[Vanessa Zima]], American actress<ref name="AP" />
*[[1987]] &ndash; [[Maryna Arzamasova]], Belarusian middle-distance runner<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/arzamasava-maryna-1044952/|title=Maryna Arzamasava - Athletics - Olympic Athlete &#124; London 2012|date=July 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721173440/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/arzamasava-maryna-1044952/|access-date=January 3, 2019|archive-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref> 
*  1987   &ndash; [[Bo Guagua]], Chinese businessman
*  1987   &ndash; [[Chelsea Manning]], American soldier and intelligence analyst<ref name="UPI" />
*  1987   &ndash; [[Donovan Solano]], Colombian baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Donovan Solano |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/donovan-solano-456781 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>
*[[1988]] &ndash; [[Liisa Ehrberg]], Estonian cyclist
*  1988   &ndash; [[Grethe Grünberg]], Estonian ice dancer
*  1988   &ndash; [[Kris Joseph]], Canadian basketball player
*  1988   &ndash; [[David Rudisha]], Kenyan runner
*  1988   &ndash; [[Yann Sommer]], Swiss footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Yann Sommer|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/yann-sommer/11341/|website=Soccerway|access-date=17 December 2024}}</ref>
*  1988   &ndash; [[Craig Sutherland]], Scottish footballer
*[[1989]] &ndash; [[André Ayew]], Ghanaian footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=André Ayew|url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/5594/Andr%C3%A9-Ayew/overview|website=[[Premier League]]|access-date=17 December 2024}}</ref>
*  1989 &ndash; [[Taylor York]], American musician<ref name="AP" />
*[[1990]] &ndash; [[Graham Rogers (actor)|Graham Rogers]], American actor<ref name="AP" />
*[[1991]] &ndash; [[Jordan Rankin]], Australian rugby league player
*  1991   &ndash; [[Atsedu Tsegay]], Ethiopian runner
*[[1992]] &ndash; [[Quinton de Kock]], South African cricketer
*  1992   &ndash; [[Buddy Hield]], Bahamian basketball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Buddy Hield |url=https://www.nba.com/player/1627741/buddy-hield |publisher=[[National Basketball Association]] |access-date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>
*  1992   &ndash; [[Joshua Ingram]], Canadian drummer and percussionist
*[[1993]] &ndash; [[Kiersey Clemons]], American actress<ref name="UPI" />
*  1993   &ndash; [[Patricia Kú Flores]], Peruvian tennis player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Billie Jean King Cup Player Profile: Patricia Kú Flores |url=https://www.billiejeankingcup.com/en/players/player.aspx?id=800157699 |access-date=October 23, 2022 |website=billiejeankingcup.com |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023121814/https://www.billiejeankingcup.com/en/players/player.aspx?id=800157699 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[1994]] &ndash; [[Lloyd Perrett]], New Zealand rugby league player
*  1994   &ndash; [[Nat Wolff]], American singer-songwriter, keyboard player and actor<ref name="AP" /> 
*[[1995]] &ndash; [[Guerschon Yabusele]], French basketball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Guerschon Yabusele |url=https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1627824/career |publisher=[[National Basketball Association]] |access-date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>
*[[1996]] &ndash; [[Elizaveta Tuktamysheva]], Russian figure skater
*[[1997]] &ndash; [[Naiktha Bains]], British-Australian tennis player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Naiktha Bains |url=https://www.tennis.com.au/player-profiles/naiktha-bains |access-date=October 23, 2022 |website=Tennis Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref>
*  1997   &ndash; [[Shoma Uno]], Japanese figure skater
*[[1998]] &ndash; [[Jasmine Armfield]], English actress
*  1998   &ndash; [[Martin Ødegaard]], Norwegian footballer 
*[[1999]] &ndash; [[Mirei Sasaki]], Japanese singer, model, and actress<ref>{{cite web |title=佐々木 美玲 |url=https://www.hinatazaka46.com/s/official/artist/8?ima=0000 |website=日向坂46公式サイト |access-date=December 11, 2020 |language=ja}}</ref>
*[[2000]] &ndash; [[Wesley Fofana (footballer)|Wesley Fofana]], French footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Wesley Fofana|url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/66284/Wesley-Fofana/overview|website=[[Premier League]]|access-date=17 December 2024}}</ref>
*[[2002]] &ndash; [[Castello Lukeba]], French footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Castello Lukeba|url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/player/castello-lukeba|website=[[Bundesliga]]|access-date=17 December 2024}}</ref>
<!--Please do not add yourself, non-notable people, fictional characters, or people without Wikipedia articles to this list. No red links, please. Do not link multiple occurrences of the same year, just link the first occurrence. If there are multiple people in the same birth year, put them in alphabetical order. Do not trust "this year in history" websites for accurate date information.-->

==Deaths==
===Pre-1600===
<!-- Please don't Wikify years that have already been linked -->
* [[779]] &ndash; [[Saint Sturm|Sturm]], [[abbot]] of [[Fulda monastery|Fulda]]
* [[908]] &ndash; [[al-Abbas ibn al-Hasan al-Jarjara'i]], Abbasid vizier
*   908   &ndash; [[Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz]], Abbasid prince and poet, anti-caliph for one day
* [[942]] &ndash; [[William I Longsword|William I]], duke of [[Duchy of Normandy|Normandy]]
*[[1187]] &ndash; [[Pope Gregory VIII]] (b. 1100)
*[[1195]] &ndash; [[Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut]] (b. 1150)
*[[1273]] &ndash; [[Rumi]], Persian jurist, theologian, and poet (b. 1207)
*[[1316]] &ndash; [[Juan Fernández (bishop of León)|Juan Fernández]], bishop-elect of León<ref name=POD>{{citation |author=Pablo Ordás Díaz |year=2018 |title=El episcopado de don García Miguel de Ayerbe y el conflictivo período de las tutorías de Alfonso XI para la catedral de León (1318–1332) |journal=En la España Medieval |volume=41 |pages=257–275, at 258 |doi=10.5209/ELEM.60011|doi-access=free |hdl=10347/19923 |hdl-access=free }}.</ref>
*[[1419]] &ndash; [[William Gascoigne]], Chief Justice of England
*[[1471]] &ndash; [[Infanta Isabel, Duchess of Burgundy]] (b. 1397)
*[[1559]] &ndash; [[Irene di Spilimbergo]], Italian Renaissance poet and painter (b. 1538)<ref>Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Biographical Dictionary of Italians), Edited by Treccani, Vol. 93, 2018.</ref>
*[[1562]] &ndash; [[Eleonora di Toledo]], Grand Duchess of Tuscany (b. 1522)

===1601–1900===
*[[1663]] &ndash; [[Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba]] (b. 1583)
*[[1721]] &ndash; [[Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough]], English soldier and politician, [[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]] (b. 1640)
*[[1830]] &ndash; [[Simón Bolívar]], Venezuelan general and politician, second [[President of Venezuela]] (b. 1783)
*[[1833]] &ndash; [[Kaspar Hauser]], German [[feral child]] (b. 1812?)
*[[1847]] &ndash; [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma]] (b. 1791) 
*[[1857]] &ndash; [[Francis Beaufort]], Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (b. 1774)
*[[1891]] &ndash; [[José María Iglesias]], Mexican politician and interim President (1876–1877) (b. 1823)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zárate |first=Julio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fVRCAQAAMAAJ&q=Jos%25C3%25A9+Mar%25C3%25ADa+Iglesias+(diciembre+or+noviembre)+1891&pg=PA292 |title=Compendio de historia general de Mexico ... |year=1907 |page=292 |language=es}}</ref>

===1901–present===
*[[1904]] &ndash; [[William Shiels]], Irish-Australian politician, 16th [[Premier of Victoria]] (b. 1848)
*[[1907]] &ndash; [[William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin]], Irish-Scottish physicist and engineer (b. 1824)
*[[1909]] &ndash; [[Leopold II of Belgium]] (b. 1835)
*[[1917]] &ndash; [[Elizabeth Garrett Anderson]], English physician and activist (b. 1836)
*[[1927]] &ndash; [[Rajendra Lahiri]], Indian activist (b. 1892)
*[[1928]] &ndash; [[Frank Rinehart]], American photographer (b. 1861)
*[[1929]] &ndash; [[Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa]], Portuguese general and politician, tenth [[President of Portugal]] (b. 1863)
*[[1930]] &ndash; [[Peter Warlock]], Welsh composer and critic (b. 1894)
*[[1932]] &ndash; [[Charles Winckler]], Danish discus thrower, shot putter, and [[tug of war]] competitor (b. 1867)
*[[1933]] &ndash; [[13th Dalai Lama]] (b. 1876)
*[[1935]] &ndash; [[Lizette Woodworth Reese]], American poet (b. 1856)<ref>{{cite web |title=Lizette Woodworth Reese &#124; American poet |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lizette-Woodworth-Reese |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=April 4, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[1940]] &ndash; [[Alicia Boole Stott]], Anglo-Irish mathematician and academic (b. 1860)
*[[1942]] &ndash; [[Allen Bathurst, Lord Apsley]], English lieutenant and politician (b. 1895)
*[[1947]] &ndash; [[Christos Tsigiridis]], Greek engineer (b. 1877)
*[[1956]] &ndash; [[Eddie Acuff]], American actor (b. 1903)
*[[1957]] &ndash; [[Dorothy L. Sayers]], English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)
*[[1962]] &ndash; [[Thomas Mitchell (actor)|Thomas Mitchell]], American actor (b. 1892)
*[[1964]] &ndash; [[Victor Francis Hess]], Austrian-American physicist and academic, [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. 1883)
*[[1967]] &ndash; [[Harold Holt]], Australian lawyer and politician, 17th [[Prime Minister of Australia]] (b. 1908)
*[[1970]] &ndash; [[Oliver Waterman Larkin]], American historian, author, and educator (b. 1896)
*[[1978]] &ndash; [[Don Ellis]], American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1934)
*[[1981]] &ndash; [[Antiochos Evangelatos]], Greek composer and conductor (b. 1903)
*[[1982]] &ndash; [[Homer S. Ferguson]], American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1889)
*[[1986]] &ndash; [[Guillermo Cano Isaza]], Colombian journalist (b. 1925)
*[[1987]] &ndash; [[Bernardus Johannes Alfrink]], Dutch cardinal (b. 1900)
*  1987   &ndash; [[Linda Wong (pornographic actress)|Linda Wong]], American porn actress (b. 1951)
*  1987   &ndash; [[Marguerite Yourcenar]], Belgian-American author and poet (b. 1903)
*[[1992]] &ndash; [[Günther Anders]], German journalist and philosopher (b. 1902)
*  1992   &ndash; [[Dana Andrews]], American actor (b. 1909)
*[[1999]] &ndash; [[Rex Allen]], American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1920)
*  1999   &ndash; [[Grover Washington Jr.]], American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1943)
*  1999   &ndash; [[C. Vann Woodward]], American historian and academic (b. 1908)
*[[2002]] &ndash; [[K. W. Devanayagam]], Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, tenth [[Minister of Justice (Sri Lanka)|Sri Lankan Minister of Justice]] (b. 1910)
*[[2003]] &ndash; [[Otto Graham]], American football player and coach (b. 1921)
*[[2004]] &ndash; [[Tom Wesselmann]], American painter and sculptor (b. 1931)
*[[2005]] &ndash; [[Jack Anderson (columnist)|Jack Anderson]], American journalist and author (b. 1922)
*  2005   &ndash; [[Marc Favreau]], Canadian actor and poet (b. 1929)
*  2005   &ndash; [[Haljand Udam]], Estonian orientalist and academic (b. 1936)
*[[2006]] &ndash; [[Larry Sherry]], American baseball player and coach (b. 1935)
*[[2008]] &ndash; [[Sammy Baugh]], American football player and coach (b. 1914)
*  2008   &ndash; [[Freddy Breck]], German singer-songwriter, producer, and journalist (b. 1942)
*  2008   &ndash; [[Dave Smith (pitcher, born 1955)|Dave Smith]], American baseball player and coach (b. 1955)
*  2008   &ndash; [[Gregoire (chimpanzee)|Gregoire]], Congolese [[chimpanzee]], oldest recorded (b. 1942)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/23/gregoire-oldest-chimp.html |title=Africa's Oldest Chimp, a Conservation Icon, Dies |first=Jennifer |last=Viegas |date=December 23, 2008 |website=[[Discovery Channel]] |access-date=September 20, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224073912/http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/23/gregoire-oldest-chimp.html |archive-date=December 24, 2008}}</ref>
*[[2009]] &ndash; [[Chris Henry (wide receiver)|Chris Henry]], American football player (b. 1983)
*  2009   &ndash; [[Jennifer Jones]], American actress (b. 1919)
*  2009   &ndash; [[Alaina Reed Hall]], American actress (b. 1946)
*[[2010]] &ndash; [[Captain Beefheart]], American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
*  2010   &ndash; [[Walt Dropo]], American basketball and baseball player (b. 1923)
*  2010   &ndash; [[Ralph Coates]], English footballer (b. 1946)
*[[2011]] &ndash; [[Eva Ekvall]], Venezuelan journalist and author, [[Miss Venezuela 2000]] (b. 1983)
*  2011   &ndash; [[Kim Jong-il]], North Korean commander and politician, second [[List of leaders of North Korea|Supreme Leader of North Korea]] (b. 1941)
*[[2012]] &ndash; [[Richard Adams (activist)|Richard Adams]], Filipino-American activist (b. 1947)
*  2012   &ndash; [[James Gower]], American priest and activist, co-founded the [[College of the Atlantic]] (b. 1922)
*  2012   &ndash; [[Daniel Inouye]], American captain and politician (b. 1924)
*  2012   &ndash; [[Laurier LaPierre]], Canadian historian, journalist, and politician (b. 1929)
*  2012   &ndash; [[Frank Pastore]], American baseball player and radio host (b. 1957)
*[[2013]] &ndash; [[Fred Bruemmer]], Latvian-Canadian photographer (b. 1929)
*  2013   &ndash; [[Ricardo María Carles Gordó]], Spanish cardinal (b. 1926)
*  2013   &ndash; [[Richard Heffner]], American historian and television host (b. 1925)
*  2013   &ndash; [[Tetsurō Kashibuchi]], Japanese drummer, songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)
*  2013   &ndash; [[Janet Rowley]],  American geneticist and biologist (b. 1925)
*  2013   &ndash; [[Conny van Rietschoten]], Dutch sailor (b. 1926)
*[[2014]] &ndash; [[Dieter Grau]], German-American scientist and engineer (b. 1913)
*  2014   &ndash; [[Richard C. Hottelet]], American journalist (b. 1917)
*  2014   &ndash; [[Oleh Lysheha]], Ukrainian poet and playwright (b. 1949)
*  2014   &ndash; [[Lowell Steward]], American captain (b. 1919)
*  2014   &ndash; [[Ivan Vekić (politician)|Ivan Vekić]], Croatian colonel, lawyer, and politician, [[Ministry of the Interior (Croatia)|Croatian Minister of the Interior]] (b. 1938)
*[[2015]] &ndash; [[Hal Brown]], American baseball player and manager (b. 1924)
*  2015   &ndash; [[Osamu Hayaishi]], American-Japanese biochemist and academic (b. 1920)
*  2015   &ndash; [[Michael Wyschogrod]], German-American philosopher and theologian (b. 1928)
*[[2016]] &ndash; [[Benjamin A. Gilman]], American soldier and politician (b. 1922)
*  2016   &ndash; [[Henry Heimlich]], American doctor (b. 1920)
*  2016   &ndash; [[Gordon Hunt (director)|Gordon Hunt]], American voice director (b. 1929)
*[[2020]] &ndash; [[Jeremy Bulloch]], English actor (b. 1945)<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 20, 2020|title=Jeremy Bulloch obituary|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/20/jeremy-bulloch-obituary|access-date=December 24, 2020|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref>
*  2020   &ndash; [[Allen Dines]], American politician (b. 1921)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2021/02/08/allen-dines-dead-obit-colorado/|title=Former Colorado House speaker who donated land to Staunton State Park dies at 99|first=Saja|last=Hindi|work=[[The Denver Post]]|date=February 8, 2021|access-date=February 8, 2021}}</ref>
* [[2023]] &ndash; [[Ronaldo Valdez]], Filipino actor (b. 1947)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://manilastandard.net/showbitz/celebrity-profiles/314399929/veteran-actor-ronaldo-valdez-died-at-76.html|title=Veteran actor Ronaldo Valdez dies at 76|first=Nickie|last=Wang|date=December 17, 2023|website=[[Manila Standard]]}}</ref>
* 2023 &ndash; [[James McCaffrey (actor)|James McCaffrey]], American actor (b. 1958)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=December 18, 2023 |title=James McCaffrey, voice of Max Payne and Alan Wake games, dies at 65 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/19/james-mccaffrey-dies-65-cause-of-death-myeloma-blood-cancer-max-payne-alan-wake |access-date=January 18, 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
* [[2024]] &ndash; [[Igor Kirillov (general)|Igor Kirillov]], Russian general (b. 1970)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kakissis |first=Joanna |date=December 17, 2024 |title=An explosion kills the head of Russia's nuclear defense forces in Moscow |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/12/17/g-s1-38555/moscow-bombing-russia-general-moscow |access-date=December 18, 2024 |work=[[NPR]]}}</ref>
* 2024 &ndash; [[Marisa Paredes]], Spanish film actress (b. 1946)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Alex |date=December 20, 2024 |title=Marisa Paredes, Acclaimed Diva of Spanish Cinema, Is Dead at 78 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/movies/marisa-paredes-dead.html |access-date=December 20, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
<!--Please do not add non-notable people, fictional characters, or people without Wikipedia articles to this list. No red links, please. Do not link multiple occurrences of the same year, just link the first occurrence. If there are multiple people in the same birth year, put them in alphabetical order. Do not trust "this year in history" websites for accurate date information.-->

==Holidays and observances==
* Christian [[Calendar of saints|feast day]]:
** [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] the Prophet
** [[Josep Manyanet i Vives]]
** [[Lazarus of Bethany]] (local commemoration in [[Cuba]])
** [[O antiphon|O Sapientia]]
** [[Olympias the Deaconess]]
** [[Wivina (abbess)|Wivina]]
** [[Saint Sturm|Sturm]]
** [[December 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)]]
* [[Accession Day (Bahrain)]]
* [[International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers]] 
* [[Flag of Kurdistan|Kurdish Flag Day]] (Global [[Kurdish population]])
* [[National Day (Bhutan)]]
* [[Pan American Aviation Day]] (United States)
* [[Wright Brothers Day]], a [[United States federal observances|United States federal observance]] by [[Presidential proclamation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/17 BBC: On This Day]
* {{NYT On this day|month=12|day=17}}
* [https://www.onthisday.com/events/december/17 Historical Events on December 17]

{{months}}

[[Category:Days of December]]