Editing December 21

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{{This date in recent years}}
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==Events==
===Pre-1600===
*[[AD 69]] &ndash; The [[Roman Senate]] declares [[Vespasian]] [[Roman emperor|emperor of Rome]], the last in the [[Year of the Four Emperors]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Stanley|last=Sandler|title=Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L_xxOM85bD8C&pg=PA923|year=2002|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-344-5|page=923}}</ref>
*[[1124]] &ndash; [[Pope Honorius II]] is consecrated, having been elected after the controversial dethroning of Pope Celestine II.<ref>{{cite book|first=Philippe|last=Levillain|title=The Papacy: Gaius-Proxies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VDcmDeLuV4C&pg=PA732|year=2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-92230-2|page=732}}</ref>
*[[1140]] &ndash; After a [[Siege of Weinsberg|siege of several weeks]], the city of Weinsberg and its castle surrender to [[Conrad III of Germany]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Toynbee|first=Paget Jackson|title=Dante Alighieri: His Life and Works|location=London|publisher=Methuen|date=1910|oclc=8059335|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_15dAAAAMAAJ|page=2|isbn=9780827438156|postscript=none}}; {{cite book|last=Hüsken|first=Wim|chapter=Mirror, Mirror on the Wall... History in Late Medieval Drama From the Low Countries|title=Staging History: Essays in Late Medieval and Humanist Drama|editor-last1=Happé|editor-first1=Peter|editor-last2=Hüsken|editor-first2=Wim N. M.|location=Leiden|publisher=Brill Rodopi|date=2021|isbn=9789004449497|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YrscEAAAQBAJ|page=148}}</ref>
*[[1237]] &ndash; The city of [[Ryazan]] is [[Siege of Ryazan|sacked]] by the [[Mongols|Mongol]] army of [[Batu Khan]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rachewiltz |first1=Igor de |last2=Wang |first2=May |title=In the Service of the Khan: Eminent Personalities of the Early Mongol-Yüan Period (1200–1300) |date=1993 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-03339-8 |page=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kG45gi7E3hsC&pg=PA23 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[1361]] &ndash; The [[Battle of Linuesa]] is fought in the context of the Spanish [[Reconquista]] between the forces of the [[Emirate of Granada]] and the combined army of the [[Kingdom of Castile]] and of [[Kingdom of Jaén|Jaén]] resulting in a Castilian victory.
*[[1598]] &ndash; [[Battle of Curalaba]]: The revolting [[Mapuche]], led by [[cacique]] [[Pelantaro|Pelentaru]], inflict a major defeat on [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] troops in southern [[Captaincy General of Chile|Chile]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Prieto Pastén|first=Andrés I.|chapter=Empathy with the Mapuche: Rosales's Manifiesto apologético and Pineda y Bascuñán's Cautiverio feliz|title=A History of Chilean Literature|editor-last=López-Calvo|editor-first=Ignacio|location=Cambridge, UK|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=2021|isbn=9781108487375|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9xBEAAAQBAJ|pages=79–80}}</ref>
===1601–1900===
*[[1620]] &ndash; [[Plymouth Colony]]: [[William Bradford (Plymouth Colony governor)|William Bradford]] and the ''[[Mayflower]]'' [[Pilgrim Fathers|Pilgrims]] land near what is now known as [[Plymouth Rock]] in [[Plymouth, Massachusetts]].
*[[1826]] &ndash; American settlers in [[Nacogdoches, Texas|Nacogdoches]], [[Mexican Texas]], declare their independence, starting the [[Fredonian Rebellion]].
*[[1832]] &ndash; [[Egyptian–Ottoman War (1831–33)|Egyptian–Ottoman War]]: [[Egypt]]ian forces decisively defeat [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] troops at the [[Battle of Konya]].
*[[1844]] &ndash; The [[Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers]] commences business at its [[cooperative]] in [[Rochdale]], England, [[History of the cooperative movement|starting the Cooperative movement]].
*[[1861]] &ndash; [[Medal of Honor]]: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Abraham Lincoln]].
*[[1872]] &ndash; [[Challenger expedition]]: {{HMS|Challenger|1858|6}}, commanded by Captain [[George Nares]], sails from [[Portsmouth|Portsmouth, England]].
*[[1879]] &ndash; World premiere of [[Henrik Ibsen]]'s ''[[A Doll's House]]'' at the [[Royal Danish Theatre|Royal Theatre]] in [[Copenhagen]], Denmark.
*[[1883]] &ndash; [[The Royal Canadian Dragoons]] and [[The Royal Canadian Regiment]], the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the [[Canadian Army]], are formed.
*[[1891]] &ndash; [[James Naismith]], a Canadian-American gym teacher at [[Springfield College]], publishes the first rules for the game now known as [[basketball]] and brings it to his class, which then plays the first game of basketball.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Griffiths |first=Sian |date=20 September 2019 |title=The Canadian who invented basketball |work=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11348053 |access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Naismith |first=James|author-link=James Naismith|title=Basketball: Its Origin and Development |publisher=Association Press |year=1941 |location=New York City |pages=53–59}}</ref>

===1901–present===
*[[1907]] &ndash; The [[Chilean Army]] [[Santa María School massacre|commits a massacre]] of at least 2,000 striking [[Sodium nitrate|saltpeter]] miners in [[Iquique]], [[Chile]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=La Masacre de la Escuela Santa María de Iquique: Mirada Histórica desde la Cámara de Diputados|last=Hoehn|first=Marek|publisher=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile|year=2007|isbn=978-956-7629-04-6|page=110|editor-last=Vásquez|editor-first=David|language=es|chapter=Una visión comparativa sobre la huelga de Santa María de Iquique y el legado de los movimientos obreros de la época|quote=Ya es sabido que dicha huelga culminó en la masacre de más de dos mil obreros en la escuela Santa María}}</ref>
*[[1910]] &ndash; [[Pretoria Pit disaster|An underground explosion]] at the [[Hulton Colliery Company|Hulton Bank Colliery]] No. 3 Pit in [[Over Hulton]], [[Westhoughton]], England, kills 344 miners.
*[[1913]] &ndash; [[Arthur Wynne]]'s "word-cross", the first [[crossword]] puzzle, is published in the ''[[New York World]]''.
*[[1919]] &ndash; American [[anarchism|anarchist]] [[Emma Goldman]] is deported to Russia.
*[[1923]] &ndash; United Kingdom and [[Nepal]] formally sign an agreement of friendship, called the [[Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923]], which superseded the [[Treaty of Sugauli]] signed in 1816.
*[[1934]] &ndash; ''[[Lieutenant Kijé (Prokofiev)|Lieutenant Kijé]]'', one of [[Sergei Prokofiev]]'s best-known works, premiered.<ref>{{cite book|last= MacDonald|first= Laurence E.|title= The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=e0NYYHWtz6sC|publisher= The Scarecrow Press|location= New York|year= 2013|page=35|isbn= 978-0-8108-8397-0}}</ref>
*[[1936]] &ndash; First flight of the [[Junkers Ju 88]] multi-role combat aircraft.
*[[1937]] &ndash; ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'', the world's first full-length [[Animation|animated]] feature, premieres at the [[Carthay Circle Theatre]].
*[[1941]] &ndash; [[World War II]]: A [[Thailand in World War II|Thai-Japanese Pact of Alliance]] is signed.
*[[1946]] &ndash; An 8.1 [[Moment magnitude scale|M<sub>w</sub>]] [[1946 Nankai earthquake|earthquake]] and subsequent [[tsunami]] in [[Nankaidō]], Japan, kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.
*[[1963]] &ndash; [[Bloody Christmas (1963)|"Bloody Christmas"]] begins in Cyprus, ultimately resulting in the displacement of 25,000–30,000 [[Turkish Cypriots]] and destruction of more than 100 villages.
*[[1965]] &ndash; [[International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination]] is adopted.
*[[1967]] &ndash; [[Louis Washkansky]], the first man to undergo a human-to-human [[Heart transplantation|heart transplant]], dies in [[Cape Town]], South Africa, having lived for 18 days after the transplant.
*[[1968]] &ndash; [[Apollo program]]: [[Apollo 8]] is launched from the [[Kennedy Space Center]], placing its crew on a [[Moon|lunar]] trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.
*[[1970]] &ndash; First flight of [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat|F-14]] multi-role combat aircraft.
*[[1973]] &ndash; The [[Geneva Conference (1973)|Geneva Conference]] on the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] opens.
*[[1979]] &ndash; [[Lancaster House Agreement]]: An independence agreement for [[Rhodesia]] is signed in London by [[Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington|Lord Carrington]], Sir [[Ian Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar|Ian Gilmour]], [[Robert Mugabe]], [[Joshua Nkomo]], Bishop [[Abel Muzorewa]] and S.C. Mundawarara.
*[[1988]] &ndash; A bomb explodes on board [[Pan Am Flight 103]] over [[Lockerbie]], [[Dumfries and Galloway]], Scotland, killing 270.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lockerbie bombing suspect in US custody |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-63933837 |website=BBC News |access-date=11 December 2022 |date=11 December 2022}}</ref> This is to date the deadliest air disaster to occur on British soil. 
*  1988   &ndash; The first flight of [[Antonov An-225 Mriya]], the largest aircraft in the world.
*[[1991]] &ndash; [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union]]: The leaders of 11 now effectively autonomous Soviet republics sign the [[Alma-Ata Protocol]] establishing the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] in place of the collapsing [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fedor |first=Helen |title=Belarus and Moldova: Country Studies |publisher=[[Federal Research Division]] |year=1995 |isbn=0844408492 |edition=1st |location=Washington, D.C. |page=195 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[1992]] &ndash; A [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|DC-10]], flight [[Martinair Flight 495|Martinair MP 495]], crashes at [[Faro Airport]], killing 56.
*[[1995]] &ndash; The city of [[Bethlehem]] passes from [[Israel]]i to [[Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian]] control.
*[[1999]] &ndash; The [[Civil Guard (Spain)|Spanish Civil Guard]] intercepts a van loaded with 950&nbsp;kg of explosives that [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]] intended to use to blow up [[Torre Picasso]] in [[Madrid]], Spain.
*  1999   &ndash; [[Cubana de Aviación Flight 1216]] overshoots the runway at [[La Aurora International Airport]], killing 18.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19991221-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 F-GTDI Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport (GUA)|last=Ranter|first=Harro|website=aviation-safety.net|access-date=2019-09-20}}</ref>
*[[2004]] &ndash; [[Iraq War]]: A [[suicide attack|suicide bomber]] [[2004 Forward Operating Base Marez bombing|kills 22]] at the [[forward operating base]] next to the main U.S. military airfield at [[Mosul]], [[Iraq]], the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers in Iraq.
*[[2012]] &ndash; [[2012 phenomenon]]: Festivities are held in parts of Mesoamerica to commemorate the conclusion of b’ak’tun 13, a roughly 5,126-year-long cycle in the [[Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar]] whose passing many [[New Age]] spiritualists had earlier held to portend a variety of cataclysmic or transformative events.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Alper |first=Alexandra |date=21 December 2012 |title=Celebrations in Mexico as world survives Maya "end of days" |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE8BJ16Q/ |access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[2020]] &ndash; A [[great conjunction]] of [[Jupiter]] and [[Saturn]] occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.<ref>{{Cite web|title=See the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, 21 December 2020|url=https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/skills/great-conjunction-jupiter-saturn|access-date=2020-11-29|website=BBC Sky at Night Magazine}}</ref>
*[[2023]] &ndash; Fourteen people are killed and 25 others injured during [[2023 Prague shooting|a mass shooting]] at [[Charles University]] in [[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]]. The perpetrator, a student at the university, kills himself after police arrived; he also killed his father before the shooting.<ref>{{cite web |title=A lone gunman opens fire in a Prague university, killing 15 people and injuring 24 |url=https://apnews.com/article/prague-shooting-dead-injured-9a383bc6919c1b0d929cf06aa4818341 |website=AP News |date=21 December 2023 |access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref>

==Births==
===Pre-1600===
<!-- Please do not add yourself or anyone else who does not have a biography in Wikipedia to this list.-->
* [[968]] &ndash; [[Minamoto no Yorinobu]], Japanese samurai (d. 1048)
*[[1401]] &ndash; [[Masaccio]], Italian painter (d. 1428)<ref>{{cite book|author=Bruce Cole|title=Masaccio and the art of early Renaissance Florence|url=https://archive.org/details/masaccioartofear0000cole|url-access=registration|year=1980|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-12298-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/masaccioartofear0000cole/page/108 108]}}</ref>
*[[1468]] &ndash; [[William Conyers, 1st Baron Conyers]], English baron (d. 1524)
*[[1505]] &ndash; [[Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton]], English politician (d. 1550)<ref>{{cite book|author=Ann Hoffmann|title=Lives of the Tudor Age, 1485–1603|url=https://archive.org/details/livesoftudorage10000hoff|url-access=registration|year=1977|publisher=Barnes & Noble Books|isbn=978-0-06-494331-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/livesoftudorage10000hoff/page/476 476]}}</ref>
*[[1538]] &ndash; [[Luigi d'Este]], Catholic cardinal (d. 1586)
*[[1542]] &ndash; [[Thomas Allen (mathematician)|Thomas Allen]], English mathematician and astrologer (d. 1632)
*[[1550]] &ndash; [[Man Singh I]], Mughal noble (d. 1614)<ref>{{cite book|author=Rajiva Nain Prasad|title=Raja Mān Singh of Amber|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FsA5AQAAIAAJ|year=1966|publisher=World Press|page=19|isbn=9780842614733}}</ref>
*[[1596]] &ndash; [[Peter Mohyla]], Ruthenian Orthodox metropolitan and saint (d. 1646)
===1601–1900===
*[[1603]] &ndash; [[Roger Williams]], English minister, theologian, and politician, 9th [[List of colonial governors of Rhode Island|President of the Colony of Rhode Island]] (d. 1684)
*[[1615]] &ndash; [[Benedict Arnold (governor)|Benedict Arnold]], Rhode Island colonial governor (d. 1678)<ref>{{cite book|title=The American Quarterly Register|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=reX-9CBk6w4C&pg=PA276|year=1841|publisher=The Society|page=276}}</ref>
*[[1672]] &ndash; [[Benjamin Schmolck]], German pastor and composer (d. 1737)
*[[1714]] &ndash; [[John Bradstreet]], Canadian-English general (d. 1774)
*[[1728]] &ndash; [[Hermann Raupach]], German [[harpsichord]] player and composer (d. 1778)
*[[1778]] &ndash; [[Anders Sandøe Ørsted]], Danish jurist and politician, 3rd [[Prime Minister of Denmark]] (d. 1860)
*[[1795]] &ndash; [[Jack Russell (priest)|Jack Russell]], English priest, hunter, and dog breeder (d. 1883)
*  1795   &ndash; [[Leopold von Ranke]], German historian, author, and academic (d. 1886)<ref>{{cite book|author=Andreas D Boldt|title=Leopold Von Ranke: A Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3nGPDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22|date=29 March 2019|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-04272-7|page=22}}</ref>
*[[1803]] &ndash; [[Achille Vianelli]], Italian painter and academic (d. 1894)
*[[1804]] &ndash; [[Benjamin Disraeli]], English lawyer and politician, [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] (d. 1881)<ref>{{cite book|author=Jonathan Parry|title=Benjamin Disraeli|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kKkzv_iyVgoC&pg=RA1-PA1|date=23 April 2007|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-164751-2|page=1}}</ref>
*[[1805]] &ndash; [[Thomas Graham (chemist)|Thomas Graham]], Scottish chemist and academic (d. 1869)
*[[1811]] &ndash; [[Archibald Tait]], Scottish-English archbishop (d. 1882)
*[[1815]] &ndash; [[Thomas Couture]], French painter and educator (d. 1879)
*[[1820]] &ndash; [[William H. Osborn]], American businessman (d. 1894)
*[[1830]] &ndash; [[Bartolomé Masó]], Cuban soldier and politician (d. 1907)
*[[1832]] &ndash; [[John H. Ketcham]], American general and politician (d. 1906)
*[[1840]] &ndash; [[Ernest de Munck]], Belgian cellist and composer<ref>{{Cite book |last=Riemann |first=Hugo |author-link=Hugo Riemann |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmusi00riem/page/184/mode/2up |title=Dictionary of Music |publisher=[[Augener & Co.]] |year=1908 |edition=4th |page=185 |translator-last=Shedlock |translator-first=J. S.}}</ref> (d. 1915)<ref>{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rApDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA96 |title=Musical News |date=January 30, 1915 |volume=48 |page=96 |chapter=Obituary: Chevalier Ernest de Munck}}</ref>
*  1840   &ndash; [[Namık Kemal]], Turkish journalist, playwright, and activist (d. 1888)
*[[1843]] &ndash; [[Thomas Bracken]], Irish-New Zealander journalist, poet, and politician (d. 1898)
*[[1850]] &ndash; [[Zdeněk Fibich]], Czech composer and poet (d. 1900)
*[[1851]] &ndash; [[Thomas Chipman McRae]], American lawyer and politician, 26th [[Governor of Arkansas]] (d. 1929)
*[[1857]] &ndash; [[Joseph Carruthers]], Australian politician, 16th [[Premier of New South Wales]] (d. 1932)
*[[1859]] &ndash; [[Gustave Kahn]], French poet and critic (d. 1936)
*[[1866]] &ndash; [[Maud Gonne]], Irish nationalist and political activist (d. 1953)<ref>{{cite book| last=Cardozo | first=Nancy | title=Maud Gonne | place=New York | publisher=Amsterdam Books | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-9415-3395-9 | page=12}}</ref>
*[[1868]] &ndash; [[George W. Fuller]], American chemist and engineer (d. 1934)
*[[1872]] &ndash; [[Trevor Kincaid]], Canadian-American zoologist and academic (d. 1970) 
*  1872   &ndash; [[Lorenzo Perosi]], Italian priest and composer (d. 1956)
*  1872   &ndash; [[Albert Payson Terhune]], American journalist and author (d. 1942)
*[[1876]] &ndash; [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]], Australian lawyer and politician, 23rd [[Premier of New South Wales]] (d. 1975)
*[[1877]] &ndash; [[Jaan Sarv]], Estonian mathematician and scholar (d. 1954)
*[[1878]] &ndash; [[Jan Łukasiewicz]], Polish-Irish mathematician and philosopher (d. 1956)
*[[1884]] &ndash; [[María Cadilla]], Puerto Rican writer, educator, women's rights activist (d. 1951)<ref>{{cite book | last1=Sicherman | first1=Barbara | last2=Hurd Green | first2=Carol | title=Notable American Women: The Modern Period | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts| publisher=Belknap | year=1983 | isbn=978-0-6746-2733-8 | page=[https://archive.org/details/notableamericanw00sich_0/page/129 129] | url=https://archive.org/details/notableamericanw00sich_0/page/129 }}</ref>
*[[1885]] &ndash; [[Frank Patrick (ice hockey)|Frank Patrick]], Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1960)
*[[1888]] &ndash; [[Jean Bouin]], French runner and rugby player (d. 1914)
*[[1889]] &ndash; [[Sewall Wright]], American geneticist and biologist (d. 1988)
*[[1890]] &ndash; [[Hermann Joseph Muller]], American geneticist and biologist, [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel Prize]] laureate (d. 1967)
*[[1891]] &ndash; [[John William McCormack]], American lawyer and politician, 53rd [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]] (d. 1980)
*[[1892]] &ndash; [[Walter Hagen]], American golfer (d. 1969)
*  1892   &ndash; [[Rebecca West]], English journalist and author (d. 1983) 
*[[1896]] &ndash; [[Konstantin Rokossovsky]], Marshal of the Soviet Union during World War II (d. 1968)
*[[1900]] &ndash; [[Luis Arturo González López]], Guatemalan supreme court judge and briefly acting president (d. 1965)

===1901–present===
*[[1905]] &ndash; [[Käte Fenchel]], German mathematician (d. 1983)<ref>{{cite book | last1=Grinstein | first1=Louise S. | last2=Campbell | 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/30 30] | url=https://archive.org/details/womenofmathemati0000unse/page/30 }}</ref>
*  1905   &ndash; [[Anthony Powell]], English author (d. 2000)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/anthony-powell-chronicler-of-time-dies-at-94-284091.html |title=Anthony Powell, chronicler of Time, dies at 94 |last=Buncombe |first=Andrew |newspaper=The Independent |date=28 March 2000 |access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref>
*[[1909]] &ndash; [[Seichō Matsumoto]], Japanese journalist and author (d. 1992)
*[[1911]] &ndash; [[Josh Gibson]], American baseball player (d. 1947)<ref name="UPI">{{cite web |title=Famous birthdays for Dec. 21: Tom Payne, Jane Fonda |url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2022/12/21/Famous-birthdays-for-Dec-21-Tom-Payne-Jane-Fonda/6231671587296/ |publisher=[[UPI]] |access-date=20 December 2023 |date=21 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[1913]] &ndash; [[Arnold Friberg]], American illustrator and painter (d. 2010)
*[[1914]] &ndash; [[Frank Fenner]], Australian microbiologist and virologist (d. 2010)
*[[1917]] &ndash; [[Heinrich Böll]], German novelist and short story writer, [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]] laureate (d. 1985)
*[[1918]] &ndash; [[Donald Regan]], American colonel and politician, 11th [[White House Chief of Staff]] (d. 2003)
*  1918   &ndash; [[Kurt Waldheim]], Austrian colonel and politician; 9th [[President of Austria]] (d. 2007)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kandell |first1=Jonathan |title=Kurt Waldheim dies at 88; ex-UN chief hid Nazi past |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/world/europe/14iht-waldheim.3.6141106.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=18 October 2022 |date=14 June 2007}}</ref>
*[[1919]] &ndash; [[Doug Young (actor)|Doug Young]], American voice actor (d. 2018)
*[[1920]] &ndash; [[Alicia Alonso]], Cuban ballerina and choreographer, founded the [[Cuban National Ballet]] (d. 2019)
*  1920 &ndash; [[Adele Goldstine]], American computer programmer (d. 1964)<ref>{{cite book | last=Henderson | first=Harry | title= A to Z of Computer Scientists | url=https://archive.org/details/tozcomputerscien00hend | url-access=limited | place=New York | publisher=Facts on File | year=2003 | isbn=978-0-8160-4531-0 | page=[https://archive.org/details/tozcomputerscien00hend/page/n111 99]}}</ref>
*  1920 &ndash; [[Iris Cummings]], American swimmer and aviator (d. 2025)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Langer |first=Emily |date=January 31, 2025 |title=Iris Cummings Critchell, pioneering aviator and Olympian, dies at 104 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/01/31/iris-cummings-critchell-swimmer-aviator/ |access-date=February 2, 2025 |work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>
*[[1922]] &ndash; [[Itubwa Amram]], Nauruan pastor and politician (d. 1989)
*  1922   &ndash; [[Cécile DeWitt-Morette]], French mathematician and physicist (d. 2017)<ref>{{cite book | last=Oakes | first=Elizabeth H. | title=Encyclopedia of World Scientists | url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaworl00oake | url-access=limited | place=New York | publisher=Facts on File | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-8160-6158-7 | page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaworl00oake/page/n195 179]}}</ref>
*  1922   &ndash; [[Paul Winchell]], American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist (d. 2005)
*[[1923]] &ndash; [[Wat Misaka]], American basketball player (d. 2019)<ref name=goldstein>{{cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Richard|author-link=Richard Goldstein (writer, born 1942)|title=Wat Misaka, First Nonwhite in Modern Pro Basketball, Dies at 95 | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 21, 2019 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/sports/basketball/wat-misaka-dead.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/sports/basketball/wat-misaka-dead.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited|access-date=November 22, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*[[1926]] &ndash; [[Arnošt Lustig]], Czech author and playwright (d. 2011)
*  1926   &ndash; [[Joe Paterno]], American football player and coach (d. 2012)<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*[[1930]] &ndash; [[Phil Roman]], American animator<ref name="el-paso">{{cite news|last=Renteria|first=Ramon|title=Art creates a life-come-true|date=January 29, 1998|newspaper=[[El Paso Times]]|page=1D}}</ref>
*[[1932]] &ndash; [[U. R. Ananthamurthy]], Indian author, poet, and critic (d. 2014)
*  1932   &ndash; [[Edward Hoagland]], American author and critic
*[[1933]] &ndash; [[Jackie Hendriks]], Jamaican cricketer
*  1933   &ndash; [[Robert Worcester]], American businessman and academic, founded [[MORI]]
*[[1934]] &ndash; [[Giuseppina Leone]], Italian sprinter
*  1934   &ndash; [[Hanif Mohammad]], Pakistani cricketer (d. 2016)
*[[1935]] &ndash; [[John G. Avildsen]], American director, producer, and cinematographer (d. 2017)
*  1935   &ndash; [[Lorenzo Bandini]], Italian racing driver (d. 1967)
*  1935   &ndash; [[Phil Donahue]], American talk show host and producer<ref name="AP"></ref> (d. 2024)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-19 |title=Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/phil-donahue-talk-show-host-pioneer-dies-rcna129601 |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>
*  1935   &ndash; [[Stela Popescu]], Romanian actress (d. 2017)
*  1935   &ndash; [[Edward Schreyer]], Canadian academic and politician, [[Governor General of Canada]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lentz |first1=Harris M. |title=Heads of States and Governments Since 1945 |date=4 February 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-26490-2 |page=144 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6HKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA144 |language=en}}</ref>
*  1935   &ndash; [[Janet Metcalf]], American politician (d. 2025)<ref>[https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/11/former-iowa-house-pro-choice-abortion-rights-gop-lawmaker-janet-metcalf-dies-at-89/82266003007/ Former Iowa Rep. Janet Metcalf, a longtime pro-choice Republican, dies at 89]</ref>
*[[1937]] &ndash; [[Jane Fonda]], American actress and activist<ref>{{cite web |title=Jane Fonda |url=https://www.britannica.com/explore/100women/profiles/jane-fonda |website=Britannica Presents 100 Women Trailblazers |access-date=26 July 2021 |language=en |date=25 March 2020}}</ref>
*[[1938]] &ndash; [[Larry Bryggman]], American actor<ref name="AP"></ref>
*[[1939]] &ndash; [[Lloyd Axworthy]], Canadian academic and politician, 2nd [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)|Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
*  1939   &ndash; [[Wafic Saïd]], Syrian-Saudi Arabian financier, businessman and philanthropist
*[[1940]] &ndash; [[Frank Zappa]], American singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer and producer (d. 1993)<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*[[1942]] &ndash; [[Hu Jintao]], Chinese engineer and politician, 5th [[Paramount leader]] of China<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*  1942   &ndash; [[Carla Thomas]], American singer<ref name="AP"></ref>
*[[1943]] &ndash; [[Albert Lee]], English guitarist and songwriter<ref name="AP"></ref> 
*  1943   &ndash; [[Walter Spanghero]], French rugby player
*[[1944]] &ndash; [[Michael Tilson Thomas]], American pianist, composer, and conductor
*  1944   &ndash; [[Zheng Xiaoyu]], Chinese diplomat (d. 2007)
*[[1945]] &ndash; [[Doug Walters]], Australian cricketer
*[[1946]] &ndash; [[Roy Karch]], American director, producer, and screenwriter
*  1946   &ndash; [[Carl Wilson]], American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*[[1947]] &ndash; [[Paco de Lucía]], Spanish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 2014)
*[[1948]] &ndash; [[Barry Gordon]], American actor and voice artist; longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild (1988–95)
*  1948   &ndash; [[Samuel L. Jackson]], American actor and producer<ref name="AP">{{cite web |last1=Rose |first1=Mike |title=Today's famous birthdays list for December 21, 2022 includes celebrities Jane Fonda, Samuel L. Jackson |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/12/todays-famous-birthdays-list-for-december-21-2022-includes-celebrities-jane-fonda-samuel-l-jackson.html |website=[[The Plain Dealer]] |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=20 December 2023 |date=21 December 2022}}</ref>
*  1948   &ndash; [[Dave Kingman]], American baseball player
*[[1949]] &ndash; [[Thomas Sankara]], Burkinabé captain and politician, 5th [[President of Burkina Faso]] (d. 1987)
*  1949   &ndash; [[Nikolaos Sifounakis]], Greek lawyer and politician
*[[1950]] &ndash; [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]], American screenwriter and producer, co-founded [[DreamWorks Animation]]<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*  1950   &ndash; [[Max Maven]], American magician and mentalist (d. 2022)
*  1950   &ndash; [[Lillebjørn Nilsen]], Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2024)
*[[1951]] &ndash; [[Steve Perryman]], English footballer and manager
*[[1952]] &ndash; [[Joaquín Andújar]], Dominican baseball player (d. 2015)
*  1952   &ndash; [[Dennis Boutsikaris]], American actor<ref name="AP"></ref>
*  1952   &ndash; [[Steve Furniss]], American swimmer
*[[1953]] &ndash; [[András Schiff]], Hungarian-English pianist and conductor
*  1953   &ndash; [[Betty Wright]], American singer-songwriter (d. 2020)<ref>{{Cite news|title=Betty Wright, Grammy-Winning R&B Singer, Dies at 66|url=https://www.thewrap.com/betty-wright-grammy-winning-rb-singer-dies-at-66/|last=Fuster|first=Jeremy|date=May 10, 2020|access-date=May 10, 2020|work=[[The Wrap]]}}</ref>
*[[1954]] &ndash; [[Chris Evert]], American tennis player and coach<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chris Evert {{!}} Player Stats & More – WTA Official |url=https://www.wtatennis.com/players/50020/name |access-date=2022-10-22 |website=Women's Tennis Association |language=en}}</ref>
*[[1955]] &ndash; [[Jane Kaczmarek]], American actress<ref name="AP"></ref>
*  1955   &ndash; [[Kazuyuki Sekiguchi]], Japanese singer-songwriter and bass player 
*[[1956]] &ndash; [[Dave Laut]], American shot putter (d. 2009)
*[[1957]] &ndash; [[Ray Romano]], American actor, producer, and screenwriter<ref name="AP"></ref>
*  1957   &ndash; [[Tony Lewis (musician)|Tony Lewis]], English singer and songwriter (d. 2020)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tonylewismusic.com/news/2018/9/18/forbes-magazine-interview|title=Forbes Magazine Interview|website=Tony Lewis|date=18 September 2018 |access-date=21 May 2019}}</ref>
*[[1958]] &ndash; [[Tamara Bykova]], Russian high jumper
*[[1959]] &ndash; [[Florence Griffith Joyner]], American sprinter and actress (d. 1998)<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*  1959   &ndash; [[Krishnamachari Srikkanth]], Indian cricketer
*[[1960]] &ndash; [[Sherry Rehman]], Pakistani journalist, politician, and diplomat, 25th [[Pakistan Ambassador to the United States]]
*[[1961]] &ndash; [[Ryuji Sasai]], Japanese bass player and composer
*[[1963]] &ndash; [[Govinda (actor)|Govinda]], Indian actor, singer, and politician
*[[1964]] &ndash; [[Kunihiko Ikuhara]], Japanese director and illustrator
*  1964   &ndash; [[Joe Kocur]], Canadian ice hockey player and coach
*[[1965]] &ndash; [[Glenn Coleman (rugby league)|Glenn Coleman]], Australian rugby league player
*  1965   &ndash; [[Andy Dick]], American actor and comedian<ref>{{cite web |title=Turning 50 in 2015 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/02/09/entertainment/celebs-turning-50/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=14 December 2022 |date=9 April 2015}}</ref>
*  1965   &ndash; [[Anke Engelke]], Canadian-German actress, director, and screenwriter
*[[1966]] &ndash; [[Michelle Hurd]], American actress<ref name="AP"></ref>
*  1966   &ndash; [[William Ruto]], 5th [[List of heads of state of Kenya|President of Kenya]]<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*  1966   &ndash; [[Kiefer Sutherland]], British-Canadian actor, director, and producer<ref>{{cite book|author1=Maxine Block|author2=Anna Herthe Rothe|author3=Marjorie Dent Candee|author4=Charles Moritz|title=Current Biography Yearbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4sYAAAAIAAJ|year=2002|publisher=H. W. Wilson Company|page=542}}</ref>
*[[1967]] &ndash; [[Terry Mills (basketball)|Terry Mills]], American basketball player and coach
*  1967   &ndash; [[Mikheil Saakashvili]], Georgian lawyer and politician, 3rd [[President of Georgia]]<ref>{{cite book|author=B. Turner|title=The Statesman's Yearbook 2008: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZPlDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA502|date=12 January 2017|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-349-74024-6|page=502}}</ref>
*[[1969]] &ndash; [[Julie Delpy]], French model, actress, director, and screenwriter<ref name="AP"></ref>
*  1969   &ndash; [[Mihails Zemļinskis]], Latvian footballer, coach, and manager
*[[1971]] &ndash; [[Matthieu Chedid]], French singer-songwriter and guitarist
*  1971   &ndash; [[Natalie Grant]], American singer-songwriter and author<ref name="AP"></ref>
*[[1972]] &ndash; [[Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy]], Indian Politician, 17th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
*[[1973]] &ndash; [[Irakli Alasania]], Georgian colonel and politician, [[Ministry of Defense of Georgia|Georgian Minister of Defense]]
*  1973   &ndash; [[Matías Almeyda]], Argentine footballer and manager
*[[1974]] &ndash; [[Karrie Webb]], Australian golfer
*[[1975]] &ndash; [[Paloma Herrera]], Argentine ballerina
*[[1977]] &ndash; [[Buddy Carlyle]], American baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Buddy Carlyle |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/buddy-carlyle-234194 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
*  1977   &ndash; [[Corey Collymore]], Barbadian cricketer<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.middlesexccc.com/squads/hall-of-fame/corey-collymore|title=Corey Collymore|publisher=[[Middlesex County Cricket Club]]|website=middlesexccc.com}}</ref> 
*  1977   &ndash; [[Leon MacDonald]], New Zealand rugby player
*  1977   &ndash; [[Emmanuel Macron]], French politician, 25th [[President of France]]<ref>{{cite book|author=Sophie Pedder|title=Revolution Française: Emmanuel Macron and the quest to reinvent a nation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lhc0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT54|date=21 June 2018|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4729-4861-8|page=54}}</ref>
*  1977   &ndash; [[Freddy Sanchez]], American baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Freddy Sanchez |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/freddy-sanchez-408108 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1978]] &ndash; [[Emiliano Brembilla]], Italian swimmer
*  1978   &ndash; [[Charles Dera]], American pornographic actor, dancer, model, and mixed martial arts fighter
*  1978   &ndash; [[Shaun Morgan]], South African musician, singer, and guitarist
*  1978   &ndash; [[Rutina Wesley]], American actress<ref name="AP"></ref>
*[[1979]] &ndash; [[Steve Montador]], Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
*[[1981]] &ndash; [[Marta Fernández (basketball)|Marta Fernández]], Spanish basketball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Marta Fernandez |url=https://www.wnba.com/player/201037/marta-fernandez |publisher=[[WNBA]] |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
*  1981   &ndash; [[Cristian Zaccardo]], Italian footballer
*[[1982]] &ndash; [[Primo Colón]], Puerto Rican wrestler<ref>{{cite web |title=Primo |url=https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/17174098/football/club |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=20 December 2023 |date=11 August 2016}}</ref>
*  1982   &ndash; [[Philip Humber]], American baseball player
*  1982   &ndash; [[Tom Payne (actor)|Tom Payne]], English actor<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*[[1983]] &ndash; [[Taylor Teagarden]], American baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Taylor Teagarden |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/taylor-teagarden-460003 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
*  1983   &ndash; [[Steven Yeun]], American actor<ref name="AP"></ref>
*[[1985]] &ndash; [[Tom Sturridge]], English actor
*[[1987]] &ndash; [[Khris Davis]], American baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Khris Davis |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/khris-davis-501981 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1988]] &ndash; [[Danny Duffy]], American baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Danny Duffy |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/danny-duffy-518633 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
*  1988   &ndash; [[Perri Shakes-Drayton]], English sprinter and hurdler
*[[1989]] &ndash; [[Mark Ingram II]], American football player<ref>{{cite web |title=Mark Ingram II |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/13981/mark-ingram-ii |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref>
*  1989   &ndash; [[Tamannaah]], Indian actress
*[[1991]] &ndash; [[Nic Maddinson]], Australian cricketer<ref>http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/333780.html  ESPNcricinfo</ref>
*  1991   &ndash; [[Otis (wrestler)|Otis]], American wrestler<ref>{{cite web |title=Otis Dozovic |url=https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/25765217/wwe-profile-page-otis-dozovic |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=20 December 2023 |date=8 March 2022}}</ref>
*  1991   &ndash; [[Riccardo Saponara]], Italian footballer
*[[1992]] &ndash; [[Ha Ha Clinton-Dix]], American football player<ref>{{cite web |title=Ha Ha Clinton-Dix |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/16735/ha-ha-clintondix |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
*  1992   &ndash; [[Jamie Oleksiak]], Canadian ice hockey player<ref>{{cite web |title=Jamie Oleksiak |url=https://www.nhl.com/kraken/player/jamie-oleksiak-8476467 |publisher=[[National Hockey League]] |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1994]] &ndash; [[Luke Brooks]], Australian rugby league player<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/luke-brooks/summary.html|title=Luke Brooks – Career Stats & Summary|publisher=Rugby League Project|access-date=2016-03-14}}</ref>
*[[1996]] &ndash; [[Ben Chilwell]], English footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Ben Chilwell|url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/13491/Ben-Chilwell/overview|website=[[Premier League]]|access-date=21 December 2024}}</ref>
*  1996   &ndash; [[Kaitlyn Dever]], American actress<ref name="AP"></ref>
*[[1997]] &ndash; [[Madelyn Cline]], American actress and model<ref name="UPI"></ref>
*  1997   &ndash; [[Charlie McAvoy]], American ice hockey player <ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlie McAvoy Stats And News |url=https://www.nhl.com/bruins/player/charlie-mcavoy-8479325 |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref>
*[[2002]] &ndash; [[Clara Tauson]], Danish tennis player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clara Tauson {{!}} Player Stats & More – WTA Official |url=https://www.wtatennis.com/players/327793/clara-tauson |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=Women's Tennis Association |language=en}}</ref>
*[[2006]] &ndash; [[Cooper Flagg]], American basketball player<ref>{{cite news |last=Lopresti |first=Mike |title=Cooper Flagg— the freshman phenom who only now can vote |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-12-19/cooper-flagg-freshman-phenom-who-only-now-can-vote |access-date=December 20, 2024 |work=NCAA.com |date=December 19, 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===
*[[AD 72]] &ndash; [[Thomas the Apostle]], Roman martyr and saint (b. 1 AD)
* [[882]] &ndash; [[Hincmar]], French archbishop and historian (b. 806)
* [[956]] &ndash; [[Sun Sheng (Southern Tang)|Sun Sheng]], Chinese chancellor
* [[975]] &ndash; [[Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah|Al-Mu'izz]], Fatimid caliph (b. 932)
*[[1001]] &ndash; [[Hugh of Tuscany]], Italian margrave (b. 950)
*[[1215]] &ndash; [[Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid]], ''[[Da'i al-Mutlaq|Dāʿī al-Muṭlaq]]'' of [[Tayyibi Isma'ilism]] (b. c. 1128)<ref>{{EI3 | last = Poonawala | first = Ismail K. | title = ʿAlī b. al-Walīd | year = 2009 | doi = 10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_22932}}</ref>
*[[1308]] &ndash; [[Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse]] (b. 1244)
*[[1338]] &ndash; [[Thomas Hemenhale]], bishop of Worcester
*[[1362]] &ndash; [[Constantine III, King of Armenia|Constantine III]], king of Armenia (b. 1313)
*[[1375]] &ndash; [[Giovanni Boccaccio]], Italian author and poet (b. 1313)
*[[1504]] &ndash; [[Berthold von Henneberg]], German archbishop (b. 1442)
*[[1536]] &ndash; [[John Seymour (1474–1536)|John Seymour]], English courtier (b. 1474)
*[[1549]] &ndash; [[Marguerite de Navarre]], queen of [[Henry II of Navarre]] (b. 1492)
*[[1581]] &ndash; [[Jean de la Cassière]], 51st Grandmaster of the [[Knights Hospitaller]] (b. 1502)
*[[1597]] &ndash; [[Peter Canisius]], Dutch priest and saint (b. 1521)
===1601–1900===
*[[1608]] &ndash; [[William Davison (diplomat)|William Davison]], secretary to Queen [[Elizabeth I of England]] (b. c. 1541)
*[[1610]] &ndash; [[Catherine Vasa]], Swedish princess (b. 1539)
*[[1701]] &ndash; [[Sir Hugh Paterson, 1st Baronet|Sir Hugh Paterson]], Baronet of Bannockburn (b. 1659)
*[[1807]] &ndash; [[John Newton]], English soldier and minister (b. 1725)
*[[1824]] &ndash; [[James Parkinson]], English physician and paleontologist (b. 1755)
*[[1869]] &ndash; [[Friedrich Ernst Scheller]], German jurist and politician (b. 1791)
*[[1873]] &ndash; [[Francis Garnier]], French admiral and explorer (b. 1839)
*[[1889]] &ndash; [[Friedrich August von Quenstedt]], German geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1809)
===1901–present===
*[[1920]] &ndash; [[Mohammed Abdullah Hassan]], leader of the [[Dervish state|Dervish movement]] (b. 1856)
*[[1929]] &ndash; [[I. L. Patterson]], American politician, 18th [[Governor of Oregon]] (b. 1859)
*[[1933]] &ndash; [[Knud Rasmussen]], Greenlandic anthropologist and explorer (b. 1879)
*[[1935]] &ndash; [[Ted Birnie]], English footballer and manager (b. 1878)
*  1935   &ndash; [[Kurt Tucholsky]], German-Swedish journalist and author (b. 1890)
*[[1937]] &ndash; [[Violette Neatley Anderson]], American judge (b. 1882)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ssMBzqrUpjwC&pg=PA11|title=Notable Black American Women|last1=Smith|first1=Jessie Carney|last2=Phelps|first2=Shirelle|date=1996|publisher=VNR AG|isbn=978-0-8103-9177-2|page=11}}</ref>
*  1937   &ndash; [[Ted Healy]], American comedian and actor (b. 1896)
*  1937   &ndash; [[Frank B. Kellogg]], American lawyer and politician, 45th [[United States Secretary of State]], [[Nobel Peace Prize|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. 1856)
*[[1940]] &ndash; [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], American novelist and short story writer (b. 1896)
*[[1945]] &ndash; [[George S. Patton]], American general (b. 1885)
*[[1948]] &ndash; [[Władysław Witwicki]], Polish psychologist, philosopher, translator, historian (of philosophy and art) and artist (b. 1878)<ref>{{cite book |last=Nowicki |first=Andrzej |author-link=Andrzej Nowicki (philosopher) |title=Witwicki | publisher=Wiedza Powszechna |location=Warszawa |year=1982 |language=pl |page=120 |isbn=83-214-0301-8}}</ref>
*[[1952]] &ndash; [[Kenneth Edwards (golfer)|Kenneth Edwards]], American golfer (b. 1886)
*[[1953]] &ndash; [[Kaarlo Koskelo]], Finnish-American wrestler and businessman (b. 1888)
*[[1957]] &ndash; [[Eric Coates]], English viola player and composer (b. 1886)
*[[1958]] &ndash; [[H.B. Warner]], English actor (b. 1875)
*  1958   &ndash; [[Lion Feuchtwanger]], German-American author and playwright (b. 1884)
*[[1959]] &ndash; [[Rosanjin]], Japanese calligrapher, engraver, and painter (b. 1883)
*[[1963]] &ndash; [[Jack Hobbs]], English cricketer and journalist (b. 1882)
*[[1964]] &ndash; [[Carl Van Vechten]], American author and photographer (b. 1880)<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Vogel|first=Shane|title=Van Vechten, Carl (1880–1964) |entry=Van Vechten, Carl (1880–1964)|encyclopedia=[[Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism]]]|date=2016|doi=10.4324/9781135000356-REM130-1|isbn=9781135000356}}</ref>
*[[1965]] &ndash; [[Claude Champagne]], Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (b. 1891)
*[[1968]] &ndash; [[Vittorio Pozzo]], Italian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1886)
*[[1974]] &ndash; [[Richard Long (actor)|Richard Long]], American actor and director (b. 1927)
*[[1982]] &ndash; [[Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jullundhri]], Pakistani poet and composer (b. 1900)
*[[1983]] &ndash; [[Paul de Man]], Belgian-born philosopher, literary critic and theorist (b. 1919)
*[[1988]] &ndash; [[Nikolaas Tinbergen]], Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. 1907)
*[[1992]] &ndash; [[Stella Adler]], American actress and educator (b. 1901)<ref>{{cite web |title=Stella Adler {{!}} American actress {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stella-Adler |website=www.britannica.com |access-date=10 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
*  1992   &ndash; [[Albert King]], American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1924)
*  1992   &ndash; [[Nathan Milstein]], Russian-American violinist and composer (b. 1903)
*[[1998]] &ndash; [[Ernst-Günther Schenck]], German colonel and physician (b. 1904)
*[[2004]] &ndash; [[Autar Singh Paintal]], Indian physiologist and neurologist (b. 1925)
*[[2006]] &ndash; [[Saparmurat Niyazov]], Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st [[President of Turkmenistan]] (b. 1940)
*[[2009]] &ndash; [[Edwin G. Krebs]], American biochemist and academic, [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. 1918)
*  2009   &ndash; [[Christos Lambrakis]], Greek journalist and businessman (b. 1934)
*[[2010]] &ndash; [[Enzo Bearzot]], Italian footballer and manager (b. 1927)
*[[2013]] &ndash; [[Edgar Bronfman Sr.]], Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1929)
*  2013   &ndash; [[John Eisenhower]], American historian, general, and diplomat, 45th [[United States Ambassador to Belgium]] (b. 1922)
*[[2014]] &ndash; [[Udo Jürgens]], Austrian-Swiss singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1934)
*  2014   &ndash; [[Sitor Situmorang]], Indonesian poet and author (b. 1923)
*  2014   &ndash; [[Billie Whitelaw]], English actress (b. 1932)<ref>{{cite news|last=Coveney|first=Michael |title=Billie Whitelaw obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/dec/22/billie-whitelaw|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=24 June 2020 |date=22 December 2014}}</ref>
*[[2017]] &ndash; [[Bruce McCandless II]], US astronaut who conducted the first untethered spacewalk (b. 1937)
*[[2019]] &ndash; [[Andrew Clennel Palmer]], British engineer (b. 1938)<ref>{{ cite journal | last = King | first = Roger Anthony | doi = 10.1098/rsbm.2022.0015 | date = 27 July 2022 | title = Andrew Clennel Palmer. 26 May 1938 – 21 December 2019 | journal = [[Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society]] | volume = 73 | pages = 379–393 | s2cid = 251071307 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
*[[2024]] – [[Michelle Botes]], South African actress (b. 1962)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Engelbrecht |first=Leandra |date=December 21, 2024 |title=Celebrated actor and Isidingo villain Michelle Botes has died |url=https://www.news24.com/life/arts-and-entertainment/celebrities/celebrated-actor-and-isidingo-villain-michelle-botes-63-has-died-20241221 |access-date=January 5, 2025 |website=[[News24 (website)|News24]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
*2024 – [[Art Evans (actor)|Art Evans]], American actor (b. 1942)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Minton |first=Matt |date=December 22, 2024 |title=Art Evans, 'Die Hard 2' and 'A Soldier's Story' Actor, Dies at 82 |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/art-evans-dead-a-soldiers-story-die-hard-2-1236257536/ |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
<!--Please do not add non-notable people, fictional characters or people without Wikipedia articles to this list. Do not trust "this year in history" websites for accurate date information. Do not link multiple occurrences of the same year, just link the first occurrence.-->

==Holidays and observances==
*[[Armed Forces Day]] ([[Philippines]])
*Christian [[Calendar of saints|feast day]]:
**[[O Oriens]]
**[[Peter Canisius]]
**[[Thomas the Apostle]]
**[[December 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)]]
*[[Forefathers' Day]] ([[Plymouth, Massachusetts]])
*[[Public holidays in São Tomé and Príncipe|São Tomé Day]] ([[São Tomé and Príncipe]])

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/21 BBC: On This Day]
* {{NYT On this day|month=12|day=21}}
* [https://www.onthisday.com/events/december/21 Historical Events on December 21]

{{months}}

[[Category:Days of December]]