December 24

December 24 is the 358th day of the year (359th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are seven days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate.
• 640 – Pope John IV is elected.
• 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.
• 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.
• 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned.
• Cephalonia.
• 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.
• 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte.
• 1814 – The Treaty of Ghent is signed ending the War of 1812.
• 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
• 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning.
• 1851 – Library of Congress burns.
• 1865 – The Ku Klux Klan is formed.
• 1871 – Aida opens in Cairo, Egypt.
• 1906 – Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
• 1911 – Lackawanna Cut-Off railway line opens in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
• 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster ("1913 Massacre") in Calumet, Michigan, results in the death of 73 Christmas party goers held by striking mine workers, including 59 children.
• 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins.
• 1924 – Albania becomes a republic.
• 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.
• 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace.
• 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces.
• 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria.
• 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Invasion of Normandy.
• 1951 – Libya becomes independent from Italy. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya.
• 1953 – Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people.
• 1955 – NORAD Tracks Santa for the first time in what will become an annual Christmas Eve tradition.
• 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital.
• 1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129.
• 1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures.
• 1969 – Charles Manson is allowed to defend himself at the Tate–LaBianca murder trial.
• 1969 – The oil company Phillips Petroleum made the first oil discovery in the Norwegian sector of North Sea.
• 1969 – Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the last Biafran capital before its dissolution became Owerri
• 1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
• 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.
• 1979 – The first European Ariane rocket is launched.
• 1980 – Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's Roswell".
• 1994 – Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists.
• 1997 – The Sid El-Antri massacre (or Sidi Lamri) in Algeria kills 50–100 people.
• 1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India; aircraft eventually landed at Kandahar, Afghanistan. Ordeal ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger killed).
• 2000 – The Texas Seven hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is murdered during the robbery.
• 2003 – The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.
• 2005 – Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.
• 2008 – Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks on Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400.

Births

• 3 BC – Galba, Roman emperor (d. 69)
• 1166 – John, King of England (d. 1216)
• 1389 – John VI, Duke of Brittany (d. 1442)
• 1475 – Thomas Murner, German poet and translator (d. 1537)
• 1508 – Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian scholar (d. 1567)
• 1588 – Constance of Austria (d. 1631)
• 1597 – Honoré II, Prince of Monaco (d. 1662)
• 1609 – Philip Warwick, English politician (d. 1683)
• 1625 – Johann Rudolph Ahle, German organist, composer, and theorist (d. 1673)
• 1635 – Mariana of Austria (d. 1696)
• 1679 – Domenico Sarro, Italian composer (d. 1744)
• 1698 – William Warburton, English bishop (d. 1779)
• 1726 – Johann Hartmann, Danish composer (d. 1793)
• 1731 – Julie Bondeli, Swiss salonist (d. 1778)
• George Crabbe, English surgeon, clergyman, and poet (d. 1832)
• 1761 – Selim III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1808)
• 1761 – Jean-Louis Pons, French astronomer (d. 1831)
• 1784 – Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1803)
• 1798 – Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet and playwright (d. 1855)
• 1809 – Kit Carson, American general (d. 1868)
• 1810 – Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter and illustrator (d. 1873)
• 1812 – Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (d. 1894)
• 1818 – James Prescott Joule, English physicist and brewer (d. 1889)
• 1822 – Matthew Arnold, English poet and critic (d. 1888)
• 1827 – Alexander von Oettingen, German theologian and statistician (d. 1905)
• 1837 – Empress Elisabeth of Austria (d. 1898)
• 1837 – Cosima Wagner, German daughter of Franz Liszt (d. 1930)
• 1843 – Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet and playwright (d. 1886)
• George I of Greece (d. 1913)
• 1867 – Tevfik Fikret, Turkish poet and educator (d. 1915)
• 1867 – Kantarō Suzuki, Japanese admiral, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)
• 1868 – Emanuel Lasker, German chess player (d. 1941)
• 1869 – Henriette Roland Holst, Dutch poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1952)
• 1872 – Adam Gunn, Scottish-American decathlete (d. 1935)
• 1872 – Frederick Semple, American golfer and tennis player (d. 1927)
• 1875 – Émile Wegelin, French rower (d. 1962)
• 1877 – Sigrid Schauman, Finnish painter and critic (d. 1979)
• 1879 – Otto Fickeisen, German rower (d. 1963)
• 1879 – Émile Nelligan, Canadian poet (d. 1941)
• 1879 – Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1952)
• 1880 – Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (d. 1939)
• 1881 – Charles Wakefield Cadman, American composer and critic (d. 1946)
• 1882 – Hans Rebane, Estonian journalist and politician, 8th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1961)
• 1885 – Paul Manship, American sculptor (d. 1966)
• 1886 – Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1962)
• 1887 – Louis Jouvet, French actor and producer (d. 1951)
• 1891 – Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky, Russian illustrator (d. 1970)
• 1893 – Ruth Chatterton, American actress and singer (d. 1961)
• 1893 – Harry Warren, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
• Georges Guynemer, French captain and pilot (d. 1917)
• 1894 – Jack Thayer, American businessman (d. 1945)
• 1895 – E. Roland Harriman, American financier and philanthropist (d. 1978)
• 1895 – Noel Streatfeild, English author (d. 1986)
• 1895 – Marguerite Williams, American geologist and academic (d. 1999)
• 1896 – Jens Oliver Lisberg, Faroese designer of the Flag of the Faroe Islands (d. 1920)
• 1897 – Koto Okubo, Japanese super-centenarian (d. 2013)
• 1897 – Ville Pörhölä, Finnish shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1964)
• 1897 – Väinö Sipilä, Finnish runner (d. 1987)
• 1898 – Baby Dodds, American drummer (d. 1959)
• 1900 – Joey Smallwood, Canadian journalist and politician, 1st Premier of Newfoundland (d. 1991)
• 1903 – Joseph Cornell, American artist (d. 1972)
• 1903 – Ernst Krenkel, Polish-Russian geographer and explorer (d. 1971)
• 1903 – Ava Helen Pauling, American humanitarian and activist (d. 1981)
• 1904 – Joseph M. Juran, Romanian-American engineer and businessman (d. 2008)
• 1905 – Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, and pilot (d. 1976)
• 1906 – Franz Waxman, German-American composer (d. 1967)
• 1907 – I. F. Stone, American journalist and author (d. 1989)
• 1910 – Ellen Braumüller, German javelin thrower and triathlete (d. 1991)
• 1910 – Fritz Leiber, American author and poet (d. 1992)
• 1910 – Max Miedinger, Swiss typeface designer, created Helvetica (d. 1980)
• 1913 – Ad Reinhardt, American painter and academic (d. 1967)
• 1914 – Ralph Marterie, Italian-American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 1978)
• 1914 – Herbert Reinecker, German author and screenwriter (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Qateel Shifai, Pakistani poet and songwriter (d. 2001)
• 1920 – Franco Lucentini, Italian author and screenwriter (d. 2002)
• 1920 – Yevgeniya Rudneva, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant and navigator (d. 1944)
• 1922 – Ava Gardner, American actress and singer (d. 1990)
• 1923 – Michael DiBiase, American wrestler (d. 1969)
• 1923 – George Patton IV, American general (d. 2004)
• 1924 – Lee Dorsey, American singer-songwriter (d. 1986)
• 1924 – Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian soldier and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (d. 2014)
• 1924 – Mohammed Rafi, Indian actor and singer (d. 1980)
• 1924 – Norman Rossington, English actor (d. 1999)
• 1925 – Roy Hollis, English footballer (d. 1998)
• 1927 – Mary Higgins Clark, American author
• 1928 – Lev Vlassenko, Georgian-Australian pianist and educator (d. 1996)
• 1929 – Philip Ziegler, English historian and author
• 1930 – Robert Joffrey, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1988)
• 1930 – John J. Kelley, American runner (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Ray Bryant, American pianist and composer (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Mauricio Kagel, Argentinian-German composer and scholar (d. 2008)
• 1932 – On Kawara, Japanese-American painter (d. 2014)
• 1934 – John Critchinson, English pianist and composer
• 1934 – Stjepan Mesić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Croatia
• 1936 – Ivan Lawrence, English lawyer and politician
• 1937 – Félix Miélli Venerando, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
• 1937 – John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney, Irish politician
• 1938 – Bobby Henrich, American baseball player
• 1938 – Valentim Loureiro, Portuguese soldier and politician
• 1940 – Janet Carroll, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
• 1941 – David Arkin, American actor (d. 1991)
• 1941 – Mike Hazlewood, English singer-songwriter (The Family Dogg) (d. 2001)
• 1941 – John Levene, English actor
• 1942 – Indra Bania, Indian actor, director, and playwright (d. 2015)
• 1942 – Jonathan Borofsky, American sculptor and painter
• 1942 – Đoàn Viết Hoạt, Vietnamese journalist, educator, and activist
• 1943 – Tarja Halonen, Finnish lawyer and politician, 11th President of Finland
• 1943 – Suzy Menkes, English journalist and critic
• 1944 – Barry Elliot, English actor and screenwriter
• 1944 – Mike Curb, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California
• 1944 – Oswald Gracias, Indian cardinal
• 1944 – Daniel Johnson, Jr., Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Premier of Quebec
• 1945 – Lemmy, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (Motörhead, Hawkwind, The Head Cat, and The Rockin' Vickers)
• 1945 – Nicholas Meyer, American author, screenwriter, and director
• 1945 – Steve Smith, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1946 – Jan Akkerman, Dutch guitarist (Focus and Brainbox)
• 1946 – Brenda Howard, American activist (d. 2005)
• 1946 – Jeff Sessions, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 44th Attorney General of Alabama
• 1947 – Kevin Sheedy, Australian footballer and coach
• 1948 – Stan Bowles, English footballer
• 1948 – Frank Oliver, New Zealand rugby player and coach
• 1949 – Warwick Brown, Australian race car driver
• 1949 – Randy Neugebauer, American accountant and politician
• 1950 – Dana Gioia, American poet and critic
• 1950 – Hiroshi Ikushima, Japanese announcer and businessman
• 1951 – John D'Acquisto, American baseball player
• 1951 – Nick Kent, English-French journalist and author
• 1952 – Christopher Buckley, American journalist and author
• 1953 – Timothy Carhart, American actor
• 1954 – Yves Debay, Congolese-French commander and journalist (d. 2013)
• 1954 – José María Figueres, Costa Rican politician, President of Costa Rica
• 1954 – Helen Jones, English lawyer and politician
• 1955 – Grand L. Bush, American actor
• 1955 – Scott Fischer, American mountaineer and guide (d. 1996)
• 1955 – Clarence Gilyard, American actor and educator
• 1957 – Hamid Karzai, Afghan politician, 12th President of Afghanistan
• 1957 – Diane Tell, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1958 – Lyse Doucet, Canadian journalist
• 1958 – Munetaka Higuchi, Japanese drummer and producer (Loudness, Sly, and Lazy) (d. 2008)
• 1958 – Paul Pressey, American basketball player and coach
• 1958 – Gene Sperling, American economist and politician
• 1959 – Chris Blackhurst, English journalist
• 1959 – Keith Deller, English darts player
• 1959 – Anil Kapoor, Indian actor, singer, and producer
• 1960 – Glenn McQueen, Canadian-American animator (d. 2002)
• 1960 – Carol Vorderman, English television host
• 1961 – Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani politician, 4th President of Azerbaijan
• 1961 – Eriko Kitagawa, Japanese screenwriter and director
• 1961 – Jay Wright, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – Kate Spade, American fashion designer, co-founded Kate Spade New York
• 1962 – Darren Wharton, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Thin Lizzy and Dare)
• 1963 – Caroline Aherne, English actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1963 – Jay Bilas, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1963 – Timo Jutila, Finnish ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1963 – Mary Ramsey, American singer-songwriter and violinist (10,000 Maniacs and John & Mary)
• 1963 – Neil Turbin, American singer-songwriter (Anthrax and Deathriders)
• 1964 – Mark Valley, American actor
• 1965 – Millard Powers, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (Counting Crows, The Semantics, and Majosha)
• 1966 – Diedrich Bader, American actor
• 1967 – Mikhail Shchennikov, Russian race walker
• 1967 – Pernilla Wahlgren, Swedish singer and actress
• 1968 – Doyle Bramhall II, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Arc Angels)
• 1968 – Choi Jin-sil, South Korean actress (d. 2008)
• 1968 – Marleen Renders, Belgian runner
• 1969 – Brad Anderson, American wrestler
• 1969 – Milan Blagojevic, Australian soccer player
• 1969 – Pernille Fischer Christensen, Danish film director
• 1969 – Taro Goto, Japanese soccer player
• 1969 – Stephen Shaun Griffiths, English serial killier
• 1969 – Leavander Johnson, American lightweight boxer (d. 2005)
• 1969 – Ryuji Kato, Japanese soccer player
• 1969 – Nick Love, English film director and writer
• 1969 – Miyuki Matsushita, Japanese voice actress
• 1969 – Clinton McKinnon, American musician
• 1969 – Sean Cameron Michael, South African actor and singer
• 1969 – Ed Miliband, English academic and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office
• 1969 – Mark Millar, Scottish author
• 1969 – Luis Musrri, Chilean soccer player
• 1969 – Mariko Shiga, Japanese voice actress (d. 1989)
• 1969 – Oleg Skripochka, Russian cosmonaut
• 1969 – Gintaras Staučė, Lithuanian soccer player
• 1969 – Chen Yueling, American race walker
• 1969 – Jonathan Zittrain, American professor
• 1969 – Michael Zucchet, American economist and politician, Mayor of San Diego
• 1970 – Adam Haslett, American author
• 1970 – Larissa Netšeporuk, Ukrainian-Estonian heptathlete
• 1970 – Amaury Nolasco, Puerto Rican-American actor
• 1971 – Oro, Mexican wrestler (d. 1993)
• 1971 – Giorgos Alkaios, Greek singer
• 1971 – Sascha Fischer, German rugby player
• 1971 – Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and actor (Menudo)
• 1972 – Álvaro Mesén, Costa Rican footballer
• 1972 – Klaus Schnellenkamp, Chilean businessman and author
• 1973 – Liu Dong, Chinese-Spanish runner
• 1973 – Stephenie Meyer, American author and film producer
• 1973 – Eddie Pope, American soccer player
• 1973 – Ali Salem Tamek, Moroccan activist
• 1974 – Thure Lindhardt, Danish actor
• 1974 – Paal Nilssen-Love, Norwegian drummer (Atomic and The Thing)
• 1974 – Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer
• 1974 – Ryan Seacrest, American radio and television host
• 1976 – Yuri, South Korean singer (Girl Friends)
• 1976 – Linda Ferga, French hurdler
• 1977 – Gil Seong-joon, South Korean rapper and actor (Leessang)
• 1978 – Yıldıray Baştürk, German-Turkish footballer
• 1978 – Warren Tredrea, Australian footballer and sportscaster
• 1979 – Chris Hero, American wrestler
• 1980 – Stephen Appiah, Ghanaian footballer
• 1980 – Maarja-Liis Ilus, Estonian singer
• 1980 – Tomas Kalnoky, Czech-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Streetlight Manifesto, Catch 22, and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution)
• 1981 – Dima Bilan, Russian singer-songwriter and actor
• 1981 – Shane Tuck, Australian footballer
• 1982 – Masaki Aiba, Japanese singer, dancer, and actor (Arashi)
• 1982 – Robert Coppola Schwartzman, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (Rooney)
• 1983 – Maarten Heijmans, Dutch actor
• 1984 – Wallace Spearmon, American sprinter
• 1985 – Alexey Dmitriev, German ice hockey player
• 1985 – David Ragan, American race car driver
• 1986 – Tim Elliott, American mixed martial artist
• 1986 – Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukrainian basketball player
• 1986 – Satomi Ishihara, Japanese actress
• 1986 – Riyo Mori, Japanese model and dancer, Miss Universe 2007
• 1987 – Jane Summersett, American ice dancer
• 1988 – Stefanos Athanasiadis, Greek footballer
• 1988 – Emre Özkan, Turkish footballer
• 1988 – Simon Zenke, Nigerian footballer
• 1990 – Brigetta Barrett, American high jumper
• 1990 – Marcus Jordan, American basketball player
• 1991 – Lara Michel, Swiss tennis player
• 1991 – Wasim Tareen, Pakistani footballer
• 1991 – Louis Tomlinson, English singer-songwriter, actor, and footballer (One Direction)
• 1992 – Melissa Suffield, English actress
• 1993 – Mariya Nishiuchi, Japanese model, actress, and singer-songwriter
• 1994 – Miguel Castro, Dominican baseball player
• 1995 – Anett Kontaveit, Estonian tennis player
• 1997 – Marina Chan, Singaporean swimmer
• 2000 – Ethan Bortnick, American singer-songwriter and pianist

Deaths

• 427 – Archbishop Sisinnius I of Constantinople
• 1257 – John I, Count of Hainaut (b. 1218)
• 1281 – Henry V of Luxembourg, lord of Ligny, count of Arlon, Namur, Luxembourg and Laroche (b. 1216)
• 1453 – John Dunstaple, English composer (b. 1390)
• 1524 – Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer (b. 1469)
• 1635 – Hester Jonas, German midwife (b. 1570)
• 1660 – Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1631)
• 1707 – Noël Coypel, French painter (b. 1628)
• 1813 – Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1740)
• 1863 – William Makepeace Thackeray, English author and poet (b. 1811)
• 1865 – Charles Lock Eastlake, English painter and historian (b. 1793)
• 1868 – Adolphe d'Archiac, French paleontologist and geologist (b. 1802)
• 1872 – William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish physicist and engineer (b. 1820)
• 1873 – Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1795)
• 1889 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch clergyman and poet (b. 1819)
• 1898 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese priest and saint (b. 1828)
• 1914 – John Muir, Scottish-American geologist, botanist, and author, founded Sierra Club (b. 1838)
• 1920 – Stephen Mosher Wood, American politician (b. 1832)
• 1926 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, hammer thrower, and discus thrower (b. 1879)
• 1935 – Alban Berg, Austrian composer (b. 1885)
• 1938 – Bruno Taut, German architect and urban planner (b. 1880)
• 1941 – Siegfried Alkan, German composer (b. 1858)
• 1942 – François Darlan, French admiral and politician, 122nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1881)
• 1947 – Charles Gondouin, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (b. 1875)
• 1957 – Norma Talmadge, American actress and producer (b. 1893)
• 1961 – Robert Hillyer, American poet and academic (b. 1895)
• 1962 – Eveline Adelheid von Maydell, German illustrator (b. 1890)
• 1965 – John Black, English businessman (b. 1895)
• 1965 – William M. Branham, American minister and theologian (b. 1906)
• 1967 – Burt Baskin, American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1913)
• 1969 – Stanisław Błeszyński, Polish entomologist (b. 1927)
• 1969 – Cortelia Clark, African American blues singer and guitarist (b. 1907)
• 1969 – Olivia FitzRoy, British author of children's books (b. 1921)
• 1969 – Alfred B. Skar, Norwegian journalist and politician (b. 1896)
• 1969 – Seabury Quinn, American author (b. 1889)
• 1971 – Dora Altmann, German-American actress (b. 1881)
• 1971 – Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist (b. 1924)
• 1972 – Daniel McVey, Australian public servant (b. 1892)
• 1972 – Gisela Richter, English-American archaeologist and historian (b. 1882)
• 1972 – Melville Ruick, American actor (b. 1898)
• 1973 – Fritz Gause, German historian and author (b. 1893)
• 1975 – Bernard Herrmann, American composer and conductor (b. 1911)
• 1976 – Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza (b. 1907)
• 1977 – Samael Aun Weor, Colombian author and educator (b. 1917)
• 1980 – Karl Dönitz, German admiral and politician, President of Germany (b. 1891)
• 1980 – Siggie Nordstrom, American actress and singer (Nordstrom Sisters) (b. 1893)
• 1982 – Louis Aragon, French author and poet (b. 1897)
• 1984 – Peter Lawford, English-American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1923)
• 1985 – Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, American lawyer (b. 1904)
• 1985 – Camille Tourville, Canadian-American wrestler and manager (b. 1927)
• 1986 – Gardner Fox, American author (b. 1911)
• 1987 – Joop den Uyl, Dutch journalist, economist, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1919)
• 1987 – Betty Noyes, American singer and actress (b. 1912)
• 1987 – M. G. Ramachandran, Sri Lankan-Indian actor, producer, and politician, 5th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (b. 1917)
• 1988 – Jainendra Kumar, Indian author (b. 1905)
• 1990 – Thorbjørn Egner, Norwegian author, playwright, and songwriter (b. 1922)
• 1991 – Virginia Sorensen, American author (b. 1912)
• 1992 – Peyo, Belgian cartoonist, created The Smurfs (b. 1928)
• 1992 – Bobby LaKind, American singer-songwriter and conga player (b. 1945)
• 1993 – Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (b. 1898)
• 1994 – John Boswell, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1947)
• 1994 – Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1916)
• 1997 – James Komack, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 1997 – Toshiro Mifune, Chinese-Japanese actor and producer (b. 1920)
• 1997 – Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (b. 1925)
• 1998 – Syl Apps, Canadian ice hockey player and pole vaulter (b. 1915)
• 1999 – Bill Bowerman, American businessman, co-founded Nike, Inc. (b. 1911)
• 1999 – Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, 152nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1907)
• 1999 – João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (b. 1918)
• 2000 – John Cooper, English businessman, co-founded the Cooper Car Company (b. 1923)
• 2000 – Nick Massi, American singer and bass player (The Four Seasons) (b. 1935)
• 2002 – Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1920)
• 2002 – Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
• 2004 – Johnny Oates, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
• 2005 – Michael Vale, American actor (b. 1922)
• 2006 – Braguinha, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1907)
• 2006 – Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer (b. 1961)
• 2006 – Frank Stanton, American businessman (b. 1908)
• 2007 – Nicholas Pumfrey, English lawyer and judge (b. 1951)
• 2007 – George Warrington, American businessman (d. 1952)
• 2008 – Harold Pinter, English actor, director, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1930)
• 2009 – Marcus Bakker, Dutch journalist and politician (b. 1923)
• 2009 – Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela (b. 1916)
• 2009 – George Michael, American sportscaster (b. 1939)
• 2009 – Gero von Wilpert, German author and academic (b. 1933)
• 2010 – Elisabeth Beresford, French-English journalist and author (b. 1926)
• 2010 – Frans de Munck, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1922)
• 2010 – Orestes Quércia, Brazilian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of São Paulo State (b. 1938)
• 2010 – Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer (b. 1930)
• 2011 – Ben Breedlove, American blogger (b. 1993)
• 2011 – Johannes Heesters, Dutch-German actor and singer (b. 1903)
• 2012 – Richard Rodney Bennett, English-American composer and academic (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Ray Collins, American singer (The Mothers of Invention) (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Charles Durning, American actor and singer (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Jack Klugman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (b. 1954)
• 2012 – Capital Steez, American rapper (Pro Era) (b. 1993)
• 2013 – Rex Armistead, American police officer (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Frédéric Back, German-Canadian director, animator, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Ian Barbour, Chinese-American author and scholar (b. 1923)
• 2013 – John M. Goldman, English haematologist and oncologist (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Allan McKeown, English-American screenwriter and producer (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Herbert Harris, American lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
• 2014 – Krzysztof Krauze, Polish director and screenwriter (b. 1953)
• 2014 – Barry Williams, English spree killer (b. 1944)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Adela and Irmina
  • Paola Elisabetta Cerioli
  • December 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances:
  • Aðfangadagskvöld, the day when the 13th and the last Yule Lad arrives to towns. (Iceland)
  • Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italy)
  • Juleaften (Denmark)/Julaften (Norway)/Julafton (Sweden)
  • Nittel Nacht (certain Orthodox Jewish denominations)
  • Nochebuena (Spain and Spanish-speaking countries)
  • The Declaration of Christmas Peace (Old Great Square of Turku, Finland's official Christmas City)

• Independence Day (Libya)

External links

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