December 22

December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are nine days remaining until the end of the year.
In some regions of the Northern Hemisphere, meteorological winter is frequently regarded as starting on this date.

Events

• 69 – Emperor Vitellius is captured and murdered at the Gemonian stairs in Rome.
• 880 – Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang dynasty, is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong.
• 1135 – Stephen of Blois becomes King of England
• 1216 – Pope Honorius III approves the Dominican Order through the papal bull of confirmation Religiosam vitam.
• 1622 – Bucaramanga, Colombia is founded.
• 1769 – Sino-Burmese War: The war ends with an uneasy truce.
• 1788 – Nguyễn Huệ proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing on his own the Lê dynasty.
• 1790 – The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Alexander Suvorov and his Russian armies.
• 1807 – The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson.
• 1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano).
• 1851 – India's first freight train is operated in Roorkee, India.
• William Tecumseh Sherman, concluding his "March to the Sea".
• 1885 – Itō Hirobumi, a samurai, became the first Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1890 – Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kentville and Kingsport, Nova Scotia.
• 1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.
• 1894 – The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason.
• 1920 – The GOELRO economic development plan is adopted by the 8th Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR.
• 1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City.
• 1939 – Indian Muslims observe a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World War II with the United Kingdom.
• 1940 – World War II: Himarë is captured by the Greek army.
• 1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon.
• 1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge – German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"
• 1944 – World War II: The Vietnam People's Army is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina, now Vietnam.
• 1947 – The Constituent Assembly of Italy approves the Constitution of Italy.
• 1951 – The Selangor Labour Party is founded in Selangor, Malaya.
• 1956 – Colo, the first gorilla to be bred in captivity, is born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio.
• 1963 – The cruise ship Lakonia burns 180 miles (290 km) north of Madeira, Portugal with the loss of 128 lives.
• 1964 – The first test flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird) took place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.
• 1965 – In the United Kingdom, a 70 mph speed limit is applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time. Previously, there had been no speed limit.
• 1968 – Cultural Revolution: People's Daily posted the instructions of Mao Zedong that it is "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."(Down to the Countryside Movement)
• 1974 – Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli vote to become the independent nation of Comoros. Mayotte remains under French administration.
• 1974 – The house of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is attacked by members of the Provisional IRA.
• 1978 – The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
• 1984 – Bernhard Goetz shoots four would-be muggers on an express train in Manhattan section of New York, New York.
• 1987 – In Zimbabwe, the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi.
• 1988 – Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist, is assassinated.
• 1989 – Communist President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu is overthrown by Ion Iliescu after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife flee Bucharest with a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.
• 1989 – Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
• 1990 – Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship.
• 1990 – The Croatian Parliament adopts the current Constitution of Croatia.
• Zviad Gamsakhurdia.
• 1992 – The Archives of Terror are discovered.
• 1997 – Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.
• 1997 – Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo, Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
• 1999 – Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, a Boeing 747-200F crashes shortly after take-off from London Stansted Airport due to pilot error. All 4 crew members are killed.
• 2001 – Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, hands over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.
• 2001 – Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.
• 2008 – An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m³) of coal fly ash slurry.
• 2010 – The repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Barack Obama.

Births

• 244 – Diocletian, Roman emperor (d. 311)
• 1095 – Roger II of Sicily (d. 1154)
• 1178 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (d. 1185)
• 1546 – Kuroda Yoshitaka, Japanese daimyo (d. 1604)
• 1550 – Cesare Cremonini, Italian philosopher and author (d. 1631)
• 1639 – Jean Racine, French poet and playwright (d. 1699)
• 1666 – Guru Gobind Singh, Indian guru and poet (d. 1708)
• 1694 – Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher and academic (d. 1768)
• Colonial Governor of Georgia (d. 1785)
• 1723 – Carl Friedrich Abel, German viol player and composer (d. 1787)
• 1765 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (d. 1825)
• 1805 – John Obadiah Westwood, English entomologist and archaeologist (d. 1893)
• 1807 – Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian author, poet, and critic (d. 1873)
• 1819 – Franz Abt, German composer and conductor (d. 1870)
• 1819 – Pierre Ossian Bonnet, French mathematician and academic (d. 1892)
• 1839 – John Nevil Maskelyne, English stage magician (d. 1917)
• 1853 – Teresa Carreño, Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1917)
• 1853 – Evgraf Fedorov, Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (d. 1919)
• 1853 – Sarada Devi, Indian mystic and philosopher (d. 1920)
• 1856 – Frank B. Kellogg, American lawyer and politician, 45th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
• 1858 – Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer (d. 1924)
• 1862 – Connie Mack, American baseball player and manager (d. 1956)
• 1865 – Charles Sands, American golfer and tennis player (d. 1945)
• 1868 – Jaan Tõnisson, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1941?)
• 1869 – Dmitri Egorov, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1931)
• 1869 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet and playwright (d. 1935)
• 1872 – Camille Guérin, French veterinarian and bacteriologist (d. 1961)
• 1874 – Franz Schmidt, Austrian cellist, pianist, and composer (d. 1939)
• 1876 – Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Egyptian-Italian poet and composer (d. 1944)
• 1878 – Myer Prinstein, Polish-American jumper (d. 1925)
• 1883 – Marcus Hurley, American cyclist (d. 1941)
• 1883 – Edgard Varèse, French-American composer (d. 1965)
• 1885 – Abe Manley, American businessman (d. 1952)
• 1885 – Deems Taylor, American conductor and critic (d. 1966)
• 1887 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and theorist (d. 1920)
• Rank Organisation (d. 1972)
• George Hutson, English runner and soldier (d. 1914)
• 1889 – Minor Watson, American actor (d. 1965)
• 1892 – Herman Potočnik, Croatian-Austrian engineer (d. 1929)
• 1898 – Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1974)
• 1899 – Gustaf Gründgens, German actor and director (d. 1963)
• 1900 – Marc Allégret, French director and screenwriter (d. 1973)
• 1901 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor and composer (d. 1980)
• 1903 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)
• 1905 – Pierre Brasseur, French-Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
• 1905 – Pierre Levegh, Frencg racing driver (d. 1955)
• 1905 – Kenneth Rexroth, American poet and academic (d. 1982)
• 1907 – Peggy Ashcroft, English actress (d. 1991)
• 1908 – Giacomo Manzù, Italian sculptor and academic (d. 1991)
• 1909 – Patricia Hayes, English actress (d. 1998)
• 1911 – Danny O'Dea, English actor (d. 2003)
• 1912 – Elias Degiannis, Greek commander (d. 1943)
• 1912 – Lady Bird Johnson, American wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, 38th First Lady of the United States (d. 2007)
• Giorgio Oberweger, Italian discus thrower and hurdler (d. 1998)
• 1914 – Satchidananda Saraswati, Indian-American guru and educator (d. 2002)
• 1915 – Barbara Billingsley, American actress (d. 2010)
• 1915 – Phillip Glasier, English author and academic (d. 2000)
• 1917 – Gene Rayburn, American game show host and actor (d. 1999)
• 1919 – Lil Green, American singer-songwriter (d. 1954)
• 1921 – Dimitri Fampas, Greek guitarist and composer (d. 1996)
• 1921 – Hawkshaw Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
• 1922 – Ruth Roman, American actress and singer (d. 1999)
• 1922 – Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 2015)
• 1923 – Peregrine Worsthorne, English journalist
• 1924 – Frank Corsaro, American actor and director
• 1925 – Lewis Glucksman, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2006)
• 1925 – Lefter Küçükandonyadis, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 2012)
• George H. Buck, Jr., American businessman (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Ardalion Ignatyev, Russian sprinter (d. 1998)
• 1931 – Gisela Birkemeyer, German hurdler and coach
• 1931 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (d. 2013)
• 1932 – Phil Woosnam, Welsh-American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
• 1933 – John Hartle, English motorcycle racer (d. 1968)
• 1934 – David Pearson, American race car driver
• 1935 – Paulo Rocha, Portuguese director and screenwriter (d. 2012)
• 1936 – James Burke, Irish historian and author
• 1936 – Héctor Elizondo, American actor and director
• 1936 – Wojciech Frykowski, Polish-American actor and author (d. 1969)
• 1937 – Charlotte Lamb, English author (d. 2000)
• 1937 – Eduard Uspensky, Russian author, poet, and playwright
• 1937 – Ken Whitmore, English author and playwright
• 1938 – Matty Alou, Dominican-American baseball player and scout (d. 2011)
• 1938 – Lucien Bouchard, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of Quebec
• 1939 – James Gurley, American guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company) (d. 2009)
• 1940 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian rancher and politician (d. 2009)
• 1940 – Mike Molloy, English journalist, author, and illustrator
• 1941 – Jose Duval, Belgian pornographic actor
• 1941 – Tiit Pääsuke, Estonian painter
• 1942 – Jerry Koosman, American baseball player
• 1942 – Dick Parry, English saxophonist (Jokers Wild)
• 1943 – Stefan Janos, Slovak-Swiss physicist and academic
• 1943 – Paul Wolfowitz, American banker and politician, 25th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
• 1944 – Mary Archer, English chemist and academic
• 1944 – Steve Carlton, American baseball player
• 1944 – Barry Jenkins, English drummer (The Animals and The Nashville Teens)
• 1945 – Frances Lannon, English historian and academic
• 1945 – Diane Sawyer, American journalist
• 1946 – Roger Carr, English businessman
• 1947 – Brian Daley, American author and screenwriter (d. 1996)
• 1948 – Noel Edmonds, English game show host
• 1948 – Steve Garvey, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1948 – Don Kardong, American runner, journalist, and author
• 1948 – Flip Mark, American actor
• 1948 – Rick Nielsen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Cheap Trick, Fuse, and Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters)
• 1948 – Chris Old, English cricketer
• 1948 – Lynne Thigpen, American actress and singer (d. 2003)
• 1948 – Martin Yan, Chinese chef and author
• 1949 – Maurice Gibb, Manx-English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer (Bee Gees, The Bloomfields, and The Rattlesnakes) (d. 2003)
• 1949 – Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and record producer (Bee Gees and The Rattlesnakes) (d. 2012)
• 1949 – Ray Guy, American football player
• 1951 – Charles de Lint, Dutch-Canadian author and critic
• 1951 – Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, Irish general and businessman
• 1951 – Dan Martin, American actor
• 1952 – Sandra Kalniete, Latvian politician, author, and diplomat
• 1953 – Bern Nadette Stanis, American actress
• 1953 – Ian Turnbull, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1953 – Tom Underwood, American baseball player (d. 2010)
• 1954 – Hideshi Matsuda, Japanese race car driver
• 1955 – Galina Murašova, Lithuanian discus thrower
• 1955 – Lonnie Smith, American baseball player
• 1956 – Erica Boyer, American porn actress and producer (d. 2009)
• 1956 – Jane Lighting, English businesswoman
• 1957 – Stephen Conway, English bishop
• 1957 – Carole James, English-Canadian educator and politician
• 1957 – Susan Powter, Australian personal trainer and author
• 1958 – Frank Gambale, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Chick Corea Elektric Band, Return to Forever, and Vital Information)
• 1958 – David Heavener, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
• 1959 – Bernd Schuster, German footballer and manager
• 1960 – Jean-Michel Basquiat, American painter and poet (d. 1988)
• 1960 – Mark Brydon, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Moloko, Chakk, and Krush)
• 1960 – Luther Campbell, American rapper and actor (2 Live Crew)
• 1960 – Wakin Chau, Hong Kong-Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor (Superband)
• 1960 – Patrick Fitzgerald, American lawyer
• 1961 – Andrew Fastow, American businessman
• 1961 – Yuri Malenchenko, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
• 1961 – Marcus O'Sullivan, Irish runner and coach
• 1962 – Ralph Fiennes, English actor and singer
• 1963 – Giuseppe Bergomi, Italian footballer and coach
• 1963 – Brian McMillan, South African cricketer and educator
• 1963 – Luna H. Mitani, Japanese-American painter and illustrator
• 1964 – Simon Kirby, English politician
• 1964 – Mike Jackson, American baseball player
• 1965 – Urszula Włodarczyk, Polish heptathlete and triple jumper
• 1966 – Dmitry Bilozerchev, Russian gymnast and coach
• 1966 – Sayuri Kokushō, Japanese actress and singer
• 1966 – Marcel Schirmer, German singer-songwriter and bass player (Destruction)
• 1966 – David Wright, English politician
• 1967 – Richey Edwards, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (Manic Street Preachers) (d. 1995)
• 1967 – Stéphane Gendron, Canadian lawyer and politician
• 1967 – Rebecca Harris, English politician
• 1967 – Paul Morris, Australian race car driver
• 1967 – Dan Petrescu, Romanian footballer and manager
• 1968 – Lauralee Bell, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1968 – Luis Hernández, Mexican footballer
• 1968 – Dina Meyer, American actress
• 1969 – Myriam Bédard, Canadian biathlete
• 1969 – Mark Robins, English footballer and manager
• 1970 – Gary Anderson, Scottish darts player
• 1970 – Ted Cruz, Canadian-American lawyer and politician
• 1971 – Pat Mastroianni, Canadian actor
• 1971 – Ajeenkya Patil, Indian economist and academic
• 1972 – Kirk Maltby, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1972 – Vanessa Paradis, French singer-songwriter and actress
• 1972 – Big Tigger, American radio and television host
• 1974 – Michael Barron, English footballer, coach, and manager
• 1974 – Heather Donahue, American actress
• 1975 – Sergei Aschwanden, Swiss martial artist
• 1975 – Dmitri Khokhlov, Russian footballer and manager
• 1975 – Marcin Mięciel, Polish footballer
• 1975 – Stanislav Neckář, Czech ice hockey player
• 1976 – Katleen De Caluwé, Belgian sprinter
• 1976 – Jason Lane, American baseball player
• 1976 – Aya Takano, Japanese author and illustrator
• 1977 – Steve Kariya, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1978 – Joy Ali, Fijian boxer (d. 2015)
• 1978 – Anthony Jeselnik, American comedian, actor, and television host
• 1978 – Joanne Kelly, Canadian actress
• 1978 – Emmanuel Olisadebe, Nigerian-Polish footballer
• 1979 – Jamie Langfield, Scottish footballer
• 1980 – Chris Carmack, American model, actor, and singer
• 1981 – David Cormican, Canadian actor and producer
• 1981 – Marina Kuptsova, Russian high jumper
• 1982 – Rodney Martin, American sprinter
• 1982 – Brooke Nevin, Canadian actress
• 1983 – Jennifer Hawkins, Australian model, Miss Universe 2004
• 1983 – Drew Hankinson, American wrestler
• 1983 – Viola Kibiwot, Kenyan runner
• 1984 – Basshunter, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
• 1986 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Nigerian terrorist
• 1986 – Dennis Armfield, Australian footballer
• 1987 – Osamu Adachi, Japanese actor (D-Boys)
• 1987 – Johannes Ahun, Estonian windsurfer
• 1987 – Éder, Bissau-Portuguese footballer
• 1987 – Garfield Darien, French hurdler
• 1988 – Leigh Halfpenny, Welsh rugby player
• 1989 – Jordin Sparks, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1989 – Jharal Yow Yeh, Australian rugby player
• 1990 – Jean-Baptiste Maunier, French actor and singer
• 1990 – Josef Newgarden, American race car driver
• 1991 – Paul Alo-Emile, New Zealand-Australian rugby player
• 1992 – Michaela Hončová, Slovak tennis player
• 1992 – Shiori Kutsuna, Japanese-Australian actress and idol
• 1992 – Aby Maraño, Filipino volleyball player
• 1993 – Ali Lohan, American actress and singer
• 1993 – Meghan Trainor, American singer-songwriter
• 1994 – Rúben Lameiras, Portuguese footballer
• 1994 – Hà Ngọc Diễm, Vietnamese volleyball player
• 1996 – Makisig Morales, Filipino singer and actor (Mak and the Dudes)
• 1998 – G. Hannelius, American actress and singer
• 1999 – Ameer Idreis, Emirati-Canadian author

Deaths

• 69 – Vitellius, Roman emperor (b. 15)
• 1100 – Bretislaus II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1060)
• 1603 – Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1566)
• 1646 – Peter Mogila, Moldavian metropolitan and saint (b. 1596)
• 1660 – André Tacquet, Flemish priest and mathematician (b. 1612)
• 1681 – Richard Alleine, English minister and author (b. 1611)
• 1708 – Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (b. 1681)
• 1738 – Constantia Jones, English prostitute (b. 1708)
• 1767 – John Newbery, English publisher (b. 1713)
• 1788 – Percivall Pott, English physician and surgeon (b. 1714)
• 1806 – William Vernon, American merchant (b. 1719)
• 1828 – William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist and physicist (b. 1766)
• 1867 – Jean-Victor Poncelet, French mathematician and engineer (b. 1788)
• 1870 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1836)
• George Eliot, English journalist and author (b. 1819)
• 1899 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Publishers (b. 1837)
• 1902 – Richard von Krafft-Ebing, German-Austrian psychiatrist and author (b. 1840)
• 1917 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, Italian-American nun and saint (b. 1850)
• 1918 – Aristeidis Moraitinis, Greek lieutenant and pilot (b. 1891)
• 1919 – Hermann Weingärtner, German gymnast (b. 1864)
• 1925 – Amelie Beese, German pilot and engineer (b. 1886)
• 1926 – Mina Arndt, New Zealander painter (b. 1885)
• 1939 – Ma Rainey, American singer (b. 1886)
• 1940 – Nathanael West, American author and screenwriter (b. 1903)
• 1941 – Karel Hašler, Czech actor, director, composer, and screenwriter (b. 1879)
• 1942 – Franz Boas, German-American anthropologist and linguist (b. 1858)
• 1943 – Beatrix Potter, English author and illustrator (b. 1866)
• 1944 – Harry Langdon, American actor, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1884)
• 1944 – Eleni Papadaki, Greek actress and singer (b. 1903)
• 1950 – Frederick Freake, English polo player (b. 1876)
• 1955 – Jules De Bisschop, Belgian rower (b. 1879)
• Frank George Woollard, English engineer (b. 1883)
• 1959 – Gilda Gray, Polish-American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1901)
• 1960 – Ninian Comper, Scottish-English architect (b. 1864)
• Giovanni Giorgio Trissino, Italian horse rider (b. 1877)
• 1965 – Richard Dimbleby, English journalist (b. 1913)
• 1968 – Raymond Gram Swing, American journalist (b. 1887)
• 1971 – Godfried Bomans, Dutch journalist and author (b. 1913)
• 1974 – Sterling North, American author (b. 1906)
• 1979 – Darryl F. Zanuck, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1902)
• 1985 – D. Boon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Minutemen and The Reactionaries) (b. 1958)
• 1986 – Mary Burchell, English author and activist (b. 1904)
• 1987 – Luca Prodan, Italian-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Sumo) (b. 1953)
• 1988 – Chico Mendes, Brazilian union leader and activist (b. 1944)
• 1989 – Samuel Beckett, Irish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
• 1989 – Nicolae Ceaușescu, President of Romania from 1967 to 1989.
• 1992 – Harry Bluestone, English violinist and composer (b. 1907)
• 1992 – Frederick William Franz, American religious leader (b. 1893)
• 1995 – Osvald Käpp, Estonian wrestler (b. 1905)
• 1995 – Butterfly McQueen, American actress and dancer (b. 1911)
• 1995 – James Meade, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
• 1996 – Jack Hamm, American cartoonist (b. 1916)
• 1997 – Sebastian Arcos Bergnes, Cuban-American dentist and activist (b. 1931)
• 2000 – Stuart Lancaster American actor (b. 1920)
• 2001 – Ovidiu Iacov, Romanian footballer (b. 1981)
• 2002 – Desmond Hoyte, Guyanan lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Guyana (b. 1929)
• 2002 – Joe Strummer, English singer-songwriter and actor (The Clash, The Mescaleros, and The Pogues) (b. 1952)
• 2002 – Kenneth Tobey, American actor (b. 1917)
• 2003 – Dave Dudley, American singer (b. 1928)
• 2004 – Doug Ault, American baseball player and manager (b. 1950)
• 2004 – Nezihe Viranyalı, Bulgarian-Turkish pilot (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Dennis Linde, American singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
• 2006 – Elena Mukhina, Russian gymnast (b. 1960)
• 2006 – Galina Ustvolskaya, Russian composer (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist and playwright (b. 1932)
• 2009 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian rancher and politician (b. 1940)
• 2009 – Albert Scanlon, English footballer (b. 1935)
• 2010 – Fred Foy, American soldier and announcer (b. 1921)
• 2011 – William Duell, American actor and singer (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Chuck Cherundolo, American football player and coach (b. 1916)
• 2012 – Ryan Freel, American baseball player (b. 1976)
• 2012 – Rip Hawk, American wrestler (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Cliff Osmond, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
• 2012 – Lim Keng Yaik, Malaysian physician and politician (b. 1939)
• 2013 – Diomedes Díaz, Colombian singer-songwriter (b. 1956)
• 2013 – Hans Hækkerup, Danish politician (b. 1945)
• 2013 – Ed Herrmann, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
• 2013 – Keith McGowan, Australian radio host (b. 1943)
• 2013 – Oscar Peer, Swiss author, playwright, and philologist (b. 1928)
• 2014 – John Robert Beyster, American physicist and academic (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Christine Cavanaugh, American actress (b. 1963)
• 2014 – Joe Cocker, English singer-songwriter (The Grease Band) (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Catherine N. Norton, American librarian (b. 1941)
• 2014 – Joseph Sargent, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Bernard Stone, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances

• Armed Forces Day (Vietnam)
• Christian feast day:
  • Anastasia of Sirmium (Orthodox Church)
  • O Rex
  • Lottie Moon (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • December 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Mother's Day (Indonesia)
• National Mathematics Day (India)
• Unity Day (Zimbabwe)
• Winter solstice-related observance (see December 21):
  • Dongzhi Festival (East Asia)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• : On This DayThe New York Times
• On This Day in Canada