Events

Up to 1900 
 474 - Zeno becomes Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
 794 - Emperor Kammu of Japan changes his residence from Nara to Kyoto.
 1183 - Battle of Mizushima in Japan.
 1292 – John Balliol becomes King of Scotland.
 1511 – Spain and England ally against France.
 1558 – Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England.
 1603 - English politician and explorer Walter Raleigh is put on trial for reason.
 1659 - The Treaty of the Pyrenees is signed by France and Spain.
 1777 - US Articles of Confederation are submitted to the states for ratification.
 1796 - French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of the Bridge of Arcole - French forces defeat the Austrians in Italy.
 1800 – The United States Capitol building in Washington, DC holds its first session of the U.S. Congress.
 1810 - Sweden declares war on the United Kingdom, though no fighting takes place.
 1811 - José Miguel Carrera is sworn in as President of the Executive Junta of the government of Chile.
 1820 - Captain Nathaniel Palmer becomes the first American to see Antarctica.
 1831 – Ecuador and Venezuela are separated from Greater Colombia.
 1839 - Oberto, Giuseppe Verdi's first opera, opens at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
 1863 - American Civil War: The Siege of Knoxville begins. Confederate forces under James Longstreet place Knoxville, Tennessee under siege.
 1869 – In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony.
 1871 - The National Rifle Association is given a charter by the state of New York.
 1874 - British sailing ship Cospatrick catches fire in the South Atlantic Ocean and sinks, killing 467 people.
 1876 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Slavonic March" is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
 1878 - An assassination attempt is made on King Umberto I of Italy by anarchist Giovanni Passannante.

1901  2000 
 1903 - The Russian Social Democratic Party splits into the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.
 1919 – King George V of the United Kingdom proclaims Armistice Day (later Remembrance Day). The idea was first suggested by Edward George Honey.
 1922 - Former Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed VI, goes into exile in Italy.
 1933 – The United States recognizes the Soviet Union.
 1939 - Nine Czech students are executed as a response to Anti-Nazi protests after the death of Jan Opletal. All Czech universities are shut down and over 1,200 students are sent to concentration camps.
 1947 - The Screen Actors Guild implements an Anti-Communist loyalty oath.
 1947 - American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain observe the basic principles of the transistor.
 1950 - Lhamo Dondrub is officially named Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama.
 1953 - The last people to have lived in the Blasket Islands, County Kerry, Ireland, are evacuated from their homes.
 1954 – Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes President of Egypt.
 1962 - John F. Kennedy dedicates Washington Dulles International Airport, serving the Washington, DC region.
 1968 - Alexandros Panagoulis is condemned to death for attempting to kill Greek dictator George Papadopoulos.
 1969 - Soviet and US negotiators meet in Helsinki to begin talks on limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides.
 1970 – Vietnam War: Lieutenant William Calley goes on trial for the My Lai massacre.
 1970 - Soviet Luna programme: The Soviet Union launches the "Lunokhod 1" probe to the Moon, released by the Luna 17 aircraft.
 1973 - The Athens Polytechnic Uprising against the Greek military regime ends in bloodshed.
 1973 – Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, US President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors "I am not a crook".
 1982 - Duk Koo Kim, a South Korean boxer, dies as a result from injuries he suffered in a Las Vegas boxing match against Ray Mancini.
 1983 - The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is founded in Mexico.
 1989 - The Velvet Revolution begins in Czechoslovakia against the government of Ladislav Adamec. It is part of the Fall of the Iron Curtain, and leads to Vaclav Havel becoming President on December 29.
 1990 - Fugnendake, part of the Mount Unzen volcano in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, erupts.
 1993 - The United States House of Representatives approves the North American Free Trade Agreement.
 1993 - In Nigeria, Sani Abacha comes to power through a military coup against the government of Ernest Shonekon.
 1997 - 62 people are killed by Islamic militants in Luxor, Egypt.
 2000 - A landslide occurs at Log pog Mangartom, Slovenia, killing 7 people.
 2000 – Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as President of Peru.

From 2001 
 2003 – Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes Governor of California.
 2012 - Over 50 schoolchildren are killed in an accident at a railway crossing near Malafut, Egypt.
 2013 - Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363 crashes at the airport in Kazan, Russia, killing 50 people.
 2018 - Ibrahim Mohamed Solih becomes President of the Maldives.

Births

Up to 1900 
 9 – Vespasian, Roman Emperor (d. 79)
 1293 - King Philip V of France (d. 1322)
 1502 – Atahualpa, last emperor of the Inca (d. 1533)
 1503 - Agnolo Bronzini, Italian painter (d. 1572)
 1576 - Roqué González de Santa Cruz, Paraguayan missionary (d. 1628)
 1587 - Joost van den Vondel, Dutch poet, writer and playwright (d. 1679)
 1612 - Dorgon, Manchu prince of the Qing Dynasty (d. 1650)
 1729 – Maria Antonietta of Spain, Queen of Sardinia (d. 1785)
 1749 – Nicolas Appert, French inventor (d. 1841)
 1755 – King Louis XVIII of France (d. 1824)
 1784 - Ebenezer Henderson, Scottish minister and missionary (d. 1858)
 1790 – August Ferdinand Moebius, German mathematician (d. 1868)
 1794 - George Grote, English classicist (d. 1871)
 1816 - August Wilhelm Ambros, Austrian composer (d. 1876)
 1827 - Petko Slaveykov, Bulgarian poet (d. 1895)
 1835 - Andrew L. Harris, 44th Governor of Ohio (d. 1915)
 1854 - Hubert Lyautey, French general (d. 1934)
 1857 - Joseph Babinski, French neurologist (d. 1932)
 1866 - Voltarine de Cleyre, American author and activist (d. 1912)
 1868 - Korbinian Brodmann, German neurologist (d. 1918)
 1877 - Frank Calder, English-Canadian journalist and businessman (d. 1943)
 1878 - Grace Abbott, American social worker (d. 1939)
 1878 - Augustus Goessling, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1963)
 1878 – Lise Meitner, Austrian physicist (d. 1968)
 1886 - Walter Terence Stace, British philosopher (d. 1957)
 1887 – Bernard Montgomery, British World War II commander (d. 1976)
 1895 - Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher (d. 1975)
 1895 - Gregorio López, Mexican journalist, author and poet (d. 1966)
 1896 - Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist (d. 1934)

1901  1950 
 1901 – Lee Strasberg, Austrian director (d. 1982)
 1901 - Walter Hallstein, German politician and diplomat (d. 1982)
 1902 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian physicist (d. 1995)
 1904 – Salomeja Neris, Lithuanian poet (d. 1945)
 1904 - Paul Chaudet, Swiss politician (d. 1977)
 1905 – Queen Astrid of the Belgians (d. 1935)
 1905 - Mischa Auer, Russian-born American actor (d. 1967)
 1906 – Soichiro Honda, Japanese businessman and automobile executive (d. 1991)
 1912 - Kim Sung-Gan, Korean-Japanese footballer (d. 1984)
 1916 - George Silk, New Zealand-American photojournalist (d. 2004)
 1916 - Shelby Foote, American historian and novelist (d. 2005)
 1920 - Camillo Felgen, Luxembourg singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
 1920 - Ellis Kaut, German writer and illustrator (d. 2015)
 1921 - Albert Bertelsen, Danish painter
 1922 – Stanley Cohen, American biochemist
 1923 – Aristides Pereira, 1st President of Cape Verde (d. 2011)
 1923 - Hubertus Brandenburg, German-born Swedish Roman Catholic bishop (d. 2009)
 1925 – Rock Hudson, American actor (d. 1985)
 1925 – Charles Mackerras, Australian conductor (d. 2010)
 1926 - Vlasta Chramostová, Czech actress (d. 2019)
 1928 - Arman, French-American artist (d. 2005)
 1928 - Rance Howard, American actor (d. 2017)
 1929 - Norm Zauchin, American baseball player (d. 1999)
 1930 - Bob Mathias, American athlete, actor and politician (d. 2006)
 1933 - Isao Iwabuchi, Japanese footballer (d. 2003)
 1933 - Roger Leloup, Belgian comic artist and writer
 1934 - Jim Inhofe, American politician, United States Senator for Oklahoma
 1935 – Toni Sailer, Austrian skier (d. 2009)
 1937 - Peter Cook, British author, actor and comedian (d. 1995)
 1938 – Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian singer
 1939 - Eddie Reeves, American songwriter and record label executive (d. 2018)
 1940 - Luke Kelly, Irish singer and banjo player (d. 1984)
 1940 - Gunnar Uldall, German politician (d. 2017)
 1942 – Martin Scorsese, American movie director
 1943 - Lauren Hutton, American actress
 1944 – Danny DeVito, American actor
 1944 – Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect
 1944 - Joe Boeheim, American basketball player and coach
 1944 - Lorne Michaels, Israeli-American television producer
 1945 - Elvin Hayes, American basketball player
 1945 - Jeremy Hanley, English politician
 1946 – Martin Barre, English rock musician (Jethro Tull)
 1946 - Terry Branstad, 39th Governor of Iowa
 1947 - Jorge Sassi, Argentine actor (d. 2015)
 1948 – Howard Dean, American politician
 1948 - Tom Wolf, American politician, 47th Governor of Pennsylvania
 1949 – Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam
 1949 – John Boehner, American politician

1951  1975 
 1951 - Dean Paul Martin, American singer, actor and tennis player (d. 1987)
 1951 - Stephen Root, American actor
 1951 - Jack Vettriano, Scottish painter
 1952 - Cyril Ramaphosa, South African politician and businessman, President of South Africa
 1954 – Chopper Read, Australian mobster (d. 2013)
 1955 – Yolanda King, American activist (d. 2007)
 1958 - Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, American actress and singer
 1959 - Terry Fenwick, English footballer
 1959 – Thomas Allofs, German footballer
 1960 – Jonathan Ross, British television presenter
 1960 - RuPaul, American actor, drag queen, model, author and singer
 1960 - Mandy Yachad, South African cricketer and field hockey player
 1961 - Wolfram Wuttke, German footballer (d. 2015)
 1964 - Susan Rice, American politician and diplomat
 1964 - Iain Stewart, Scottish geologist
 1964 - Moses Sithole, South African serial killer
 1966 – Jeff Buckley, American musician (d. 1997)
 1966 – Richard Fortus, American guitarist (Guns N' Roses)
 1966 - Daisy Fuentes, Cuban-American television host and model
 1966 – Sophie Marceau, French actress
 1967 - Tab Benoit, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 1968 - Sean Miller, American basketball player
 1970 - Paul Allender, English guitarist and songwriter
 1971 - Michael Adams, English chess player
 1972 - Kimya Dawson, American singer-songwriter
 1972 - Lorraine Pascale, British chef and former model
 1973 - Andreas Hedlund, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
 1973 - Eli Marrero, Cuban-American baseball player, coach and manager
 1973 – Bernd Schneider, German footballer
 1973 - Alexei Urmanov, Russian figure skater
 1974 - Eunice Barber, Sierra Leonean-French heptathlete and long jumper
 1974 - Leslie Bibb, American actress
 1974 - Berto Romero, Spanish humorist
 1975 - Jerome P. James, American basketball player

From 1976 
 1976 - Jacqueline Aguilera, Venezuelan model
 1976 - Brandon Call, American actor
 1976 - Diane Neal, American actress
 1978 - Frode Kippe, Norwegian footballer
 1978 - Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress
 1980 - Isaac Hanson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Hanson)
 1981 – Sarah Harding, English singer (Girls Aloud)
 1983 - Ryan Bradley, American figure skater
 1983 - Harry Lloyd, British actor
 1984 - Park Han-byul, South Korean actress
 1986 - Luis Aguiar, Uruguayan footballer
 1986 – Nani, Portuguese footballer
 1986 - Alexis Vastine, French boxer (d. 2015)
 1986 - Greg Rutherford, British long jumper and sprinter
 1987 – Gemma Spofforth, British swimmer
 1990 - Shanica Knowles, American actress and singer
 1990 - Doriemus, New Zealand racehorse (d. 2015)
 1993 - Taylor Gold, American snowboarder
 1994 – Raquel Castro, American actress
 1998 - Kara Hayward, American actress

Deaths

Up to 1900 
 344 - Emperor Kang of Jin
 375 – Valentinian I, Roman Emperor (b. 321)
 474 - Leo II, Byzantine Emperor (b. 467)
 594 - Gregory of Tours, Gallo-Roman bishop
 641 - Emperor Jomei of Japan (b. 593)
 885 - Liugard of Saxony (b. 845)
 1231 - Elizabeth of Hungary (b. 1207)
 1492 - Jami, Persian poet (b. 1414)
 1494 - Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Italian philosopher (b. 1463)
 1558 - Reginald Pole, English archbishop (b. 1500)
 1558 – Queen Mary I of England (b. 1516)
 1562 - Antoine of Navarre (b. 1518)
 1592 – King John III of Sweden (b. 1537)
 1600 - Kuki Yoshitaka, Japanese navy commander (b. 1542)
 1632 - Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian field marshal (b. 1594)
 1713 – Abraham van Riebeeck, Dutch colonial governor (b. 1653)
 1720 - Calico Jack, English pirate (b. 1682)
 1768 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1693)
 1780 - Bernardo Bellotto, Italian painter (b. 1720)
 1796 – Catherine II of Russia (b. 1729)
 1818 – Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Consort of Great Britain and Ireland (b. 1744)
 1825 - Walter Leake, Governor of Mississippi (b. 1762)
 1858 – Robert Owen, Welsh social reformer (b. 1771)
 1893 - Alexander of Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria (b. 1857)

1901  2000 
 1905 – Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1817)
 1917 – Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (b. 1840)
 1920 - John Franklin Fort, Governor of New Jersey (b. 1852)
 1922 - Robert Comtesse, Swiss politician (b. 1847)
 1924 - Patriarch Gregory VII of Constantinople (b. 1850)
 1928 - Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author and politician (b. 1865)
 1929 - Herman Hollerith, American businessman (b. 1860)
 1934 - Joachim Ringelnatz, German writer (b. 1883)
 1940 - Eric Gill, English sculptor (b. 1882)
 1940 - Raymond Pearl, American biologist (b. 1879)
 1947 - Ricarda Huch, German writer, poet, philosopher and historian (b. 1864)
 1959 – Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer (b. 1887)
 1961 - Michael Rockefeller, American explorer (b. 1938)
 1966 – James Jabara, American Air Force pilot (b. 1923)
 1968 – Mervyn Peake, British writer (b. 1911)
 1971 - Debaki Bose, Indian actor, director and writer (b. 1898)
 1971 - Gladys Cooper, British actress (b. 1888)
 1973 - Mirra Alfassa, French-Indian spiritual leader (b. 1878)
 1974 – Erskine Hamilton Childers, President of Ireland (b. 1905)
 1979 – John Glascock, British musician (Jethro Tull) (b. 1951)
 1982 - Duk Koo Kim, South Korean boxer (b. 1959)
 1985 - Lon Nol, Cambodian politician (b. 1913)
 1986 - Georges Besse, French manager (Renault) (b. 1927)
 1987 - Paul Derringer, American baseball player (b. 1906)
 1990 – Robert Hofstadter, American physicist (b. 1915)
 1992 - Audre Lorde, Caribbean-American author, poet and activist (b. 1934)
 1998 - Esther Rolle, American actress (b. 1920)
 2000 – Louis Néel, French physicist (b. 1904)

From 2001 
 2002 - Abba Eban, Israeli politician (b. 1915)
 2004 - Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1941)
 2004 - Mikael Ljungberg, Swedish wrestler (b. 1970)
 2006 – Ferenc Puskas, Hungarian footballer (b. 1927)
 2006 – Bo Schembechler, American football coach (b. 1929)
 2006 – Flo Sandon's, Italian singer (b. 1924)
 2010 – Olavo Rodrigues Barbosa, Brazilian footballer (b. 1923)
 2012 - Bal Thackeray, Indian politician (b. 1926)
 2013 - Doris Lessing, British writer (b. 1919)
 2014 - Bill Frenzel, American politician (b. 1928)
 2014 - Jimmy Ruffin, American singer (b. 1936)
 2015 - Rahim Moeini Kermanshahi, Iranian poet and songwriter (b. 1922)
 2016 - Ruth Gruber, American journalist (b. 1911)
 2016 - Whitney Smith, American vexillologist (b. 1940)
 2017 - Salvatore Riina, Italian mafia boss (b. 1930)
 2017 - Earle Hyman, American actor (b. 1926)
 2017 - Rikard Wolff, Swedish actor (b. 1958)
 2017 - Aleksandr Salnikov, Soviet-Ukrainian basketball player (b. 1949)
 2018 - Richard Baker, English broadcaster (b. 1925)
 2018 - Gene Berce, American basketball player (b. 1926)
 2018 - Kayo Dottley, American football player (b. 1928)
 2018 - Alyque Padamsee, Indian actor (b. 1928)
 2018 - Eduard von Falz-Fein, Russian-born Liechtensteiner businessman, journalist and sportsman  (b. 1912)
 2019 - Harley D. Nygren, American admiral and photographer (b. 1924)
 2019 - Adnan Pachachi, Iraqi politician and diplomat (b. 1923)

Observances 
 International Students' Day
 World Prematurity Day
 Struggle for Freedom and Democracy (Czech Republic and Slovakia)

Days of the year