December 12

Events

 * 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
 * 884 – King Carloman II dies after a hunting accident. He is succeeded by his cousin, emperor Charles the Fat, who for the last time reunites the Frankish Empire.
 * 1098 – First Crusade: Siege of Ma'arrat al-Numan: Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they reportedly resort to cannibalism.
 * 1388 – Mary of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
 * 1408 – The Order of the Dragon, a monarchical chivalric order, is created by Sigismund of Luxembourg, then king of Hungary.
 * 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant: A British fleet led by HMS Victory defeats a French fleet.
 * 1787 – Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, five days after Delaware became the first.
 * 1862 – American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by a controlled mine.
 * 1866 – Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 383 miners and rescuers.
 * 1870 – Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman, the first being Hiram Revels.
 * 1897 – Belo Horizonte, the first planned city in Brazil, is founded.
 * 1901 – Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [***] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
 * 1911 – Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India.
 * 1911  – King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck are enthroned as Emperor and Empress of India.
 * 1915 – President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai, announces his intention to reinstate the monarchy and proclaim himself Emperor of China.
 * 1917 – In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
 * 1918 – The Flag of Estonia is raised atop the Pikk Hermann for the first time.
 * 1925 – The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Khan as the new Shah of Iran, starting the Pahlavi dynasty.
 * 1935 – Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.
 * 1936 – Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, is kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang.
 * 1937 – Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat USS Panay (PR-5) on the Yangtze river in China.
 * 1939 – Winter War: Battle of Tolvajärvi: Finnish forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict.
 * 1939  – HMS Duchess (H64) sinks after a collision with HMS Barham (04) off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.
 * 1940 – World War II: Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield, as a result of a German air raid.
 * 1941 – World War II: Fifty-four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed.
 * 1941  – World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan.
 * 1941  – Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery
 * 1942 – World War II: German troops begin Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad.
 * 1946 – A fire at an ice plant in Hudson Heights, Manhattan spreads to an adjacent tenement, killing 37 people.
 * 1948 – Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali massacre: Fourteen members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaya allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village.
 * 1950 – Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
 * 1956 – Beginning of the Irish Republican Army's "Border Campaign".
 * 1963 – Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
 * 1964 – Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta becomes the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
 * 1969 – Years of Lead: Piazza Fontana bombing: The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed.
 * 1979 – Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Jeong Seung-hwa without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung-hee.
 * 1979  – President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
 * 1979  – The unrecognised state of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia returns to British control and resumes using the name Southern Rhodesia.
 * 1979  – The 8.2 Mw Tumaco earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 300–600, and generating a large tsunami.
 * 1983 – The Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating floats the Australian dollar.
 * 1984 – Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya becomes the third president of Mauritania after a coup d'état against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla while the latter is attending a summit.
 * 1985 – Arrow Air Flight 1285, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 256 people on board, including 236 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
 * 1988 – The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains&mdash;one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom.
 * 1991 – The Russian Federation gains independence from the USSR.
 * 2000 – The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.
 * 2001 – Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải announces the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps.
 * 2012 – North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, using an Unha-3 carrier rocket.

Births

 * 1298 – Albert II, Duke of Austria (d. 1358)
 * 1526 – Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (d. 1588)
 * 1574 – Anne of Denmark (d. 1619)
 * 1610 – Basil of Ostrog, Serbian monk and saint (d. 1671)
 * 1685 – Lodovico Giustini, Italian pianist and composer (d. 1743)
 * 1712 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (d. 1780)
 * 1724 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral and politician (d. 1816)
 * 1731 – Erasmus Darwin, English physician and poet (d. 1802)
 * 1745 – John Jay, American jurist and politician, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1829)
 * 1753 – William Beechey, English portrait-painter (d. 1839)
 * 1766 – Nikolay Karamzin, Russian poet and historian (d. 1826)
 * 1779 – Madeleine Sophie Barat, French nun and saint, founded the Society of the Sacred Heart (d. 1865)
 * 1786 – William L. Marcy, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (d. 1857)
 * 1791 – Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (d. 1847)
 * 1792 – Alexander Ypsilantis, Greek-Russian general and politician, Military ruler of Moldavia (d. 1828)
 * 1799 – Karl Bryullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
 * 1805  – Henry Wells, American businessman, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1878)
 * 1806 – Stand Watie, American general (d. 1871)
 * 1812 – John Sandfield Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Ontario (d. 1872)
 * 1814 – Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1870)
 * 1821 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (d. 1880)
 * 1842 – Adolf Bötticher, German journalist and historian (d. 1901)
 * 1845 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the American Surety Building and Bank of the Metropolis (d. 1903)
 * 1849 – William Kissam Vanderbilt, American businessman and horse breeder (d. 1920)
 * 1862 – J. Bruce Ismay, English businessman (d. 1937)
 * 1863 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1944)
 * 1864 – Paul Elmer More, American journalist, author, and critic (d. 1937)
 * 1866 – Alfred Werner, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)
 * 1870 – Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman, co-founded Hughes Tool Company (d. 1912)
 * 1875 – Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (d. 1953)
 * 1876 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and runner (d. 1928)
 * 1881 – Harry Warner, Polish-American businessman, co-founded Warner Bros (d. 1958)
 * 1882 – Ioannis Demestichas, Greek admiral and politician (d. 1960)
 * 1884 – Zinaida Serebriakova, Ukrainian-French painter (d. 1967)
 * 1887 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer and engineer (d. 1974)
 * 1892 – Milko Kos, Slovenian historian and academic (d. 1972)
 * 1893 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973)
 * 1900 – Sammy Davis, Sr., American actor and dancer (d. 1988)
 * 1901 – Harald Kaarmann, Estonian footballer (d. 1942)
 * 1902 – Adele Dunlap, American educator and supercentenarian
 * 1903 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1976)
 * 1903  – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 1963)
 * 1904 – Nicolas de Gunzburg, French-American banker and journalist (d. 1981)
 * 1905 – Manès Sperber, Austrian-French psychologist and author (d. 1984)
 * 1905 – Vasily Grossman, Russian journalist and author (d. 1964)
 * 1907 – Roy Douglas, English pianist and composer (d. 2015)
 * 1908 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian composer and conductor (d. 1993)
 * 1909 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch psychologist, author, and poet (d. 2011)
 * 1909  – Karen Morley, American actress and political activist (d. 2003)
 * 1911 – Boun Oum, Laotian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Laos (d. 1980)
 * 1912 – Henry Armstrong, American boxer (d. 1988)
 * 1914 – Patrick O'Brian, English author and translator (d. 2000)
 * 1915 – Frank Sinatra, American singer, actor, and producer (d. 1998)
 * 1917 – James Wall, American actor and manager (d. 2010)
 * 1918 – Joe Williams, American singer and pianist (d. 1999)
 * 1919 – Olivia Barclay, English astrologer and author (d. 2001)
 * 1919  – Dan DeCarlo, American soldier and illustrator (d. 2001)
 * 1919  – B. B. Nimbalkar, Indian cricketer (d. 2012)
 * 1920 – Josef Doležal, Czech race walker (d. 1999)
 * 1920  – Fred Kida, American illustrator (d. 2014)
 * 1922 – Christian Dotremont, Belgian painter and poet (d. 1979)
 * 1923 – Bob Barker, American game show host and producer
 * 1923  – Bob Dorough, American musician, composer, and producer
 * 1924 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (d. 2013)
 * 1925 – Ted Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2009)
 * 1925  – Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (d. 1985)
 * 1925  – Vladimir Shainsky, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer
 * 1925  – Ahmad Shamloo, Iranian journalist and poet (d. 2000)
 * 1927 – Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (d. 1990)
 * 1928 – Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstani diplomat and author (d. 2008)
 * 1928  – Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and academic (d. 2011)
 * 1929 – Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer
 * 1929  – John Osborne, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1994)
 * 1930 – Silvio Santos, Brazilian television host and businessman, founded Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão
 * 1931 – Lionel Blair, English actor
 * 1932 – Bob Pettit, American basketball player and coach
 * 1933 – Manu Dibango, Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player
 * 1933  – Christa Stubnick, German sprinter
 * 1934 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican lawyer and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (d. 2012)
 * 1935 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Minister of Agriculture (d. 2013)
 * 1936 – Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper and educator (d. 2016)
 * 1936  – Denise Coffey, English actress and director
 * 1937 – Michael Jeffery, Australian general and politician, 24th Governor-General of Australia
 * 1937  – Philip Ledger, English pianist, composer, and academic (d. 2012)
 * 1937  – Buford Pusser, American police officer (d. 1974)
 * 1938 – Connie Francis, American singer and actress
 * 1939 – Terry Kirkman, American singer-songwriter and musician
 * 1940 – Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Agriculture
 * 1940  – Dionne Warwick, American singer
 * 1942 – Morris Sadek, Egyptian-American lawyer and activist
 * 1942  – Brough Scott, English jockey and journalist
 * 1943 – Vassilis Alexakis, Greek-French author and translator
 * 1943  – Dickey Betts, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1943  – Sadeq Tabatabaei, Iranian journalist and politician (d. 2015)
 * 1943  – Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (d. 1999)
 * 1944 – Jean Doré, Canadian lawyer and politician, 39th Mayor of Montreal (d. 2015)
 * 1944  – Cara Duff-MacCormick, Canadian actress
 * 1944  – Rob Tyner, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 1991)
 * 1945 – Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaican politician, 7th Prime Minister of Jamaica
 * 1945  – Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (d. 1997)
 * 1946 – Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver
 * 1947 – Will Alsop, English architect and academic
 * 1947  – Wings Hauser, American actor, director, and screenwriter
 * 1947  – Chris Mullin, English journalist and politician
 * 1948 – Colin Todd, English football player and coach
 * 1949 – Gopinath Munde, Indian lawyer and politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2014)
 * 1949  – Bill Nighy, English actor
 * 1949  – Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy businessman and politician, President of Madagascar
 * 1950 – Pedro Ferriz de Con, Mexican journalist
 * 1950  – Martina Hellmann, German athlete
 * 1950  – Heiner Flassbeck, German economist and academic
 * 1950  – Rajinikanth, Indian actor
 * 1950  – Gorman Thomas, American baseball player
 * 1950  – Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
 * 1951 – Rehman Malik, Pakistani politician, Pakistani Minister of Interior
 * 1952 – Herb Dhaliwal, Indian-Canadian businessman and politician, 3rd Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
 * 1952  – Sarah Douglas, English actress
 * 1952  – Cathy Rigby, American gymnast
 * 1953 – Martin Ferguson, Australian lawyer and politician
 * 1953  – Bruce Kulick, American guitarist and songwriter
 * 1953  – Rafael Septién, Mexican-American football player
 * 1955 – Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek businesswoman
 * 1955  – Eddy Schepers, Belgian cyclist
 * 1955  – Stephen Smith, Australian lawyer and politician, 53rd Australian Minister of Defence
 * 1956 – Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
 * 1957 – Cy Curnin, English singer-songwriter and musician
 * 1957  – Sheila E., American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actress
 * 1958 – Alexander Crutchfield, American businessman, financier and investor
 * 1959 – Jasper Conran, English fashion designer
 * 1960 – Martina Hellmann, German discus thrower
 * 1961 – Andrey Perlov, Russian race walker
 * 1962 – Tracy Austin, American tennis player and sportscaster
 * 1962  – Arturo Barrios, Mexican-American runner
 * 1962  – Peter Bergen, American-English journalist and author
 * 1962  – Mike Golic, American football player and radio host
 * 1962  – Ulrike Tillmann, German mathematician and academic
 * 1963 – Eduardo Castro Luque, Mexican businessman and politician (d. 2012)
 * 1964 – Reeta Chakrabarti, English journalist
 * 1964  – Haywood Jeffires, American football player and coach
 * 1965 – Will Carling, English rugby player
 * 1966 – Royce Gracie, Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and actor
 * 1966  – Ian Paisley, Jr., Northern Irish politician
 * 1967 – Yuzo Koshiro, Japanese composer and producer
 * 1967  – John Randle, American football player
 * 1968 – Rory Kennedy, American director and producer
 * 1968  – Sašo Udovič, Slovenian footballer
 * 1968  – Laurie Williams, Jamaican cricketer (d. 2002)
 * 1969 – Sophie Kinsella, English author and educator
 * 1969  – Wilfred Kirochi, Kenyan runner
 * 1969  – Fiona May, English-Italian long jumper
 * 1969  – Michael Möllenbeck, German discus thrower
 * 1970 – Tahir Bilgic, Turkish-Australian comedian and actor
 * 1970  – Jennifer Connelly, American actress
 * 1970  – Regina Hall, American actress
 * 1971 – Sammy Korir, Kenyan runner
 * 1972 – Nicky Eaden, English footballer and coach
 * 1972  – Craig Field, Australian rugby league player
 * 1972  – Wilson Kipketer, Kenyan-Danish runner
 * 1972  – Georgios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter
 * 1972  – Hank Williams III, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1973 – Tony Hsieh, American businessman, founded LinkExchange
 * 1973  – Walter Otta, Argentinian footballer
 * 1974 – Bernard Lagat, Kenyan-American runner
 * 1974  – Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer and manager
 * 1975 – Mayim Bialik, American actress
 * 1975  – Wesley Charles, Vincentian footballer
 * 1975  – Craig Moore, Australian footballer and manager
 * 1976 – Dan Hawkins, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
 * 1976  – Brent Johnson, Canadian football player
 * 1976  – Lloyd Owusu, Ghanaian footballer
 * 1976  – Asaka Seto, Japanese actress
 * 1977 – Yoel Hernández, Cuban hurdler
 * 1977  – Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
 * 1977  – Dean Macey, English decathlete and bobsledder
 * 1977  – Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1978 – Gbenga Akinnagbe, American actor and screenwriter
 * 1978  – Shin Seung-hwan, South Korean actor
 * 1979 – Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
 * 1979  – Nate Clements, American football player
 * 1979  – John Salmons, American basketball player
 * 1980 – Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopian runner (d. 2010)
 * 1980  – Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer
 * 1980  – Berkant Göktan, Turkish-German footballer
 * 1981 – Ronnie Brown, American football player
 * 1981  – Jeret Peterson, American skier (d. 2011)
 * 1981  – Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer
 * 1981  – Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer
 * 1981  – Stephen Warnock, English footballer
 * 1982 – Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player
 * 1984 – Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
 * 1984  – Daniel Merrett, Australian footballer
 * 1985 – Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player
 * 1985  – Chris Jennings, American football player
 * 1985  – David Veikune, American football player
 * 1985  – Giannis Zaradoukas, Greek footballer
 * 1986 – Daddy Birori, Rwandan footballer
 * 1986  – Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer
 * 1986  – Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper
 * 1986  – T. J. Ward, American football player
 * 1987 – Marte Eberson, Norwegian keyboard player and composer
 * 1988 – Isaac John, New Zealand rugby league player
 * 1988  – Tony Williams, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
 * 1990 – Nixon Chepseba, Kenyan runner
 * 1990  – Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer
 * 1991 – Joseph Leilua, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
 * 1993 – Zeli Ismail, English footballer
 * 1994 – Mitchell Pinnock, English footballer
 * 1996 – Lachlan Croker, Australian rugby league player

Deaths

 * 884 – Carloman II, Frankish king (b. 866)
 * 894 – Guy III, king of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor
 * 1143 – Kogyo-Daishi, restorer of Shingon Buddhism in Japan (b. 1095)
 * 1204 – Maimonides, Egyptian religious scholar, philosopher and physician (b. 1135)
 * 1212 – Geoffrey, English archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1152)
 * 1569 – Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow (b. 1507)
 * 1586 – Stephen Báthory, Polish king (b. 1533)
 * 1685 – John Pell, English mathematician and linguist (b. 1610)
 * 1751 – Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English philosopher and politician, Secretary at War (b. 1678)
 * 1766 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German philosopher, author, and critic (b. 1700)
 * 1782 – Charles Gray, English lawyer and politician (b. 1696)
 * 1789 – John Ponsonby, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1713)
 * 1790 – Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian historian and philosopher (b. 1733)
 * 1794 – Meshullam Feivush Heller, Ukrainian author (b. 1742)
 * 1817 – Tekle Giyorgis I, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1751)
 * 1843 – William I of the Netherlands (b. 1772)
 * 1858 – Jacques Viger, Canadian archeologist and politician, 1st Mayor of Montreal (b. 1787)
 * 1889 – Robert Browning, English poet and playwright (b. 1812)
 * 1889  – Viktor Bunyakovsky, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1804)
 * 1894 – John Sparrow David Thompson, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1845)
 * 1913 – Menelik II, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1844)
 * 1921 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (b. 1868)
 * 1923 – Raymond Radiguet, French author and poet (b. 1903)
 * 1924 – Alexander Parvus, Russian-German theorist and politician (b. 1867)
 * 1926 – Jean Richepin, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1849)
 * 1934 – Thorleif Haug, Norwegian skier (b. 1894)
 * 1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1883)
 * 1941 – César Basa, Filipino lieutenant and pilot (b. 1915)
 * 1951 – Mildred Bailey, American singer (b. 1907)
 * 1952 – Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist (b. 1879)
 * 1958  – Albert Walsh, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1900)
 * 1963 – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1903)
 * 1964 – Maithili Sharan Gupt, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1866)
 * 1964  – William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes, English businessman, founded Rootes Group (b. 1894)
 * 1966 – Karl Ruberl, Austrian-American swimmer (b. 1880)
 * 1968 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902)
 * 1970 – Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (b. 1889)
 * 1970  – George Terwilliger, American director and screenwriter (b. 1882)
 * 1971 – Yechezkel Kutscher, Israeli philologist and linguist (b. 1909)
 * 1971  – David Sarnoff, Belarusian-American businessman (b. 1891)
 * 1975 – Richard Baggallay, English colonel and cricketer (b. 1884)
 * 1976 – Jack Cassidy, American actor (b. 1927)
 * 1978 – Fay Compton, English actress (b. 1894)
 * 1980 – Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Quebec (b. 1912)
 * 1985 – Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923)
 * 1985  – Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboard player and manager (b. 1938)
 * 1986 – Paul Verner, German politician (b. 1911)
 * 1987 – Enrique Jorrín, Cuban violinist and composer (b. 1926)
 * 1992 – Suzanne Lilar, Belgian author and playwright (b. 1901)
 * 1993 – József Antall, Hungarian historian and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1932)
 * 1994 – Stuart Roosa, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1933)
 * 1994  – Donna J. Stone, American poet and philanthropist (b. 1933)
 * 1996 – Vance Packard, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1914)
 * 1997 – Evgenii Landis, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
 * 1998 – Lawton Chiles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Governor of Florida (b. 1930)
 * 1998  – Marco Denevi, Argentinian author and screenwriter (b. 1922)
 * 1998  – Mo Udall, American captain and politician (b. 1922)
 * 1999 – Paul Cadmus, American painter and illustrator (b. 1904)
 * 1999  – Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright(b. 1923)
 * 2000 – George Montgomery, American actor, stuntman, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1916)
 * 2000  – Ndabaningi Sithole, Zimbabwean militant leader, founded Zimbabwe African National Union (b. 1920)
 * 2001 – Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and explorer (b. 1897)
 * 2002 – Dee Brown, American historian and author (b. 1908)
 * 2003 – Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani general and politician, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
 * 2003  – Gangodawila Soma Thero, Sri Lankan monk and educator (b. 1948)
 * 2005 – Robert Newmyer, American actor and producer (b. 1956)
 * 2005  – Ramanand Sagar, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1917)
 * 2005  – Annette Stroyberg, Danish actress (b. 1936)
 * 2005  – Gebran Tueni, Lebanese journalist and politician (b. 1957)
 * 2006 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (b. 1928)
 * 2006  – Peter Boyle, American actor (b. 1935)
 * 2006  – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player and saxophonist (b. 1935)
 * 2006  – Raymond P. Shafer, American lawyer and politician, 38th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1917)
 * 2006  – Alan Shugart, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Seagate Technology (b. 1930)
 * 2007 – François al-Hajj, Lebanese general (b. 1953)
 * 2007  – Ike Turner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1931)
 * 2008 – Avery Dulles, American cardinal and theologian (b. 1918)
 * 2008  – Van Johnson, American actor (b. 1916)
 * 2008  – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 5th President of Cyprus (b. 1934)
 * 2010 – Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver, founded Tom Walkinshaw Racing (b. 1946)
 * 2012 – Joe Allbritton, American banker, publisher, and philanthropist, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (b. 1924)
 * 2012  – Nityanand Swami, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (b. 1927)
 * 2012  – David Tait, English rugby player (b. 1987)
 * 2013 – Tom Laughlin, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
 * 2013  – Abdul Quader Molla, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1948)
 * 2013  – Leo Sachs, German-Israeli biologist and academic (b. 1924)
 * 2013  – Jang Sung-taek, North Korean general and politician (b. 1946)
 * 2013  – Audrey Totter, American actress (b. 1917)
 * 2014 – Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (b. 1928)
 * 2014  – Ivor Grattan-Guinness, English mathematician, historian, and academic (b. 1941)
 * 2014  – Herb Plews, American baseball player (b. 1928)
 * 2014  – Yury Shutov, Russian politician (b. 1946)
 * 2015 – Luis Bermejo, Spanish illustrator (b. 1931)
 * 2015  – Frans Geurtsen, Dutch footballer (b. 1942)
 * 2015  – Sharad Anantrao Joshi, Indian farmer and politician (b. 1935)
 * 2015  – Evelyn S. Lieberman, American politician, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (b. 1944)
 * 2016 – Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1931)

Holidays and observances

 * Christian feast day:
 * Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
 * Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
 * Vicelinus
 * December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Constitution Day (Russia)
 * Croatian Air Force Day (Croatia)
 * Feast of Masá'il ("Questions"), the first day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith)
 * Ground Forces Day (Ukraine)
 * Jamhuri Day, celebrates the independence of Kenya from Britain in 1963.
 * Kanji Day (Japan)
 * Neutrality Day (Turkmenistan)