December 23

### Up to 1900

- 583 – Maya Queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque.
- 679 – King Dagobert II of Paris is murdered on a hunting trip.
- 962 – Arab-Byzantine Wars: Under future Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo in present–day Syria.
- 1572 – Theologian Johann Sylvan is executed in Heidelberg.
- 1631 – Thirty Years' War: Sweden takes over the city of Mainz.
- 1672 – Giovanni Cassini discovers Saturn's moon Rhea.
- 1688 – James II of England flees to Paris, as Mary II and William III take the throne to rule jointly.
- 1783 – George Washington resigns as commander–in–chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis.
- 1787 – The HMVA Bounty is sent to Tahiti to collect breadfruit plants.
- 1793 – Battle of Savenay: Decisive defeat of the royalist counter–revolutionaries in the war in the Vendee during the French Revolution.
- 1823 – "A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas", is published anonymously.
- 1876 – First day of the Constantinople Conference which results in an agreement for the political reforms in the Balkans.
- 1888 – Part of Vincent van Gogh's left ear is cut off in as–yet unexplained circumstances.
- 1893 – The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is performed for the first time.

### 1901 – 2000

- 1913 – The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by US President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve Bank.
- 1914 – World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops land in Cairo, Egypt.
- 1916 – World War I: Battle of Maghdaba – Allied forces defeat Turkish forces on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
- 1920 – The UK government agrees on the _Government of Ireland Act_, which ends up splitting the island of Ireland in two.
- 1933 – A train crash occurs at Lagny–Pomponne in France, killing 204 people, and injuring 120.
- 1936 – Colombia becomes a signatory of the Buenos Aires Convention.
- 1938 – The first modern coelacanth fish is discovered in South Africa. The species was thought to be extinct.
- 1940 – World War II: Greek submarine _Papanikolis (Y-2)_ sinks the Italian motor ship _Antonietta_.
- 1941 – World War II: After 15 days of fighting, Japan takes control of Wake Island.
- 1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated.
- 1948 – Japanese officials who were found guilty of war crimes, are executed.
- 1954 – The first successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
- 1957 – Ian Craig of Australia becomes the youngest test cricket captain in history.
- 1958 – The Tokyo Tower is dedicated, becoming the world's tallest self–supporting iron tower.
- 1968 – The 82 sailors from the USS _Pueblo_ are released after 11 months of internment in North Korea.
- 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City is topped out at a height of 417 metres.
- 1970 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a single–party state.
- 1972 – A major earthquake hits Nicaragua, killing thousands of people. It was of magnitude 6.2.
- 1972 – Members of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes, near the border between Chile and Argentina, are rescued.
- 1973 – Royal Air Maroc airliner crashes over Morocco, killing 106 people.
- 1978 – An Alitalia Douglas DC–9 crashes on landing, into the Mediterranean Sea off Palermo, Sicily, killing 108 people. 22 people are saved and transported to land in fishing boats.
- 1979 – Soviet forces occupy Kabul, Afghanistan.
- 1982 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces that it has detected dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
- 1986 – Voyager becomes the first aircraft without an aerial or ground refuelling to fly non–stop around the world.
- 1990 – In a referendum, most of Slovenia's voters support independence from Yugoslavia.
- 1991 – Germany recognises Croatia's independence.

### From 2001

- 2003 – An explosion at the PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field near Chongqing, China, kills 234 people.
- 2005 – Lech Kaczynski becomes President of Poland. His time in office ends with his death in a plane crash on April 10, 2010.
- 2007 – An agreement is made for Nepal to change its system of government from a monarchy to a republic.
- 2011 – At least 40 people are killed in bomb attacks in Damascus, Syria.
- 2013 – A storm hits the UK and Ireland, with strong winds and heavy rain, killing 2 people and affecting transport in the run–up to Christmas.
- 2017 – A fire at a shopping center in Davao City, Southern Philippines, kills at least 37 people.

### Up to 1900

- 968 – Emperor Zhenzong of Song of China (d. 1022)
- 1173 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
- 1525 – John I, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1576)
- 1537 – John III of Sweden, King of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1582 – Severo Bonini, composer (d. 1663)
- 1597 – Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
- 1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
- 1689 – Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
- 1690 – Pamheiba, Indian Emperor (d. 1755)
- 1713 – Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1749)
- 1732 – Richard Arkwright, industrialist, and inventor of the Water Frame (d. 1792)
- 1750 – King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
- 1777 – Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
- 1783 – Giovanni Bechet, Italian poet and patriot (d. 1851)
- 1790 – Jean François Champollion, French Egyptologist, deciphered the Rosetta Stone (d. 1832)
- 1793 – Dost Mohammad Khan, ruler of Afghanistan (d. 1863)
- 1797 – Adrien-Henri de Jussieu, French botanist and physician (d. 1853)
- 1799 – Karl Bryullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
- 1804 – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
- 1805 – Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement (d. 1844)
- 1810 – Edward Blyth, English zoologist and ornithologist (d. 1873)
- 1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
- 1822 – Wilhelm Bauer, engineer (d. 1875)
- 1839 – Janos Murkovics, Slovenian–Hungarian writer and clergyman (d. 1889)
- 1841 – Ignacio Agramonte, Cuban revolutionary (d. 1873)
- 1854 – Henry B. Guppy, English botanist (d. 1926)
- 1856 – James Buchanan Duke, American industrialist (d. 1925)
- 1858 – Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian theatre director, writer and playwright (d. 1943)
- 1864 – Zorka of Montenegro, Princess of Serbia (d. 1890)
- 1867 – Madam C. J. Walker, first African American millionaire (d. 1919).
- 1878 – Mikheil Tsereteli, Georgian historian, philologist and sociologist (d. 1965)
- 1881 – Juan Ramon Jimenez, Spanish poet (d. 1958)
- 1885 – Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
- 1886 – Albert Ehrenstein, Austrian–German poet (d. 1950)
- 1887 – John Cromwell, American actor and director (d. 1979)
- 1891 – Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
- 1896 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian writer (d. 1957)
- 1900 – Arnold Bode, German artist (d. 1977)

### 1901 – 1950

- 1902 – Charan Singh, Prime Minister of India (d. 1987)
- 1903 – Boleslaw Kominek, Polish Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wroclaw (d. 1974)
- 1907 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean writer and poet (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Avraham Stern, Zionist group leader (d. 1942)
- 1908 – Yousuf Karsh, Armenian–Canadian portrait photographer (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (d. 1961)
- 1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, Danish immunologist (d. 1994)
- 1911 – James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1911 – Marie Olav, Estonian chess player (d. 1994)
- 1916 – Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1974–1982 (d. 2015)
- 1918 – José Greco, dancer (d. 2000)
- 1922 – Calder Willingham, writer (d. 1995)
- 1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician (d. 2001)
- 1923 – James Stockdale, United States Navy admiral (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Pierre Bérégovoy, Prime Minister of France (d. 1993)
- 1925 – Mohammed Mzali, Prime Minister of Tunisia (d. 2010)
- 1926 – Robert Bly, American poet
- 1929 – Chet Baker, American jazz trumpeter (d. 1988)
- 1931 – Lev Durov, Russian actor (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Akihito, Emperor of Japan
- 1934 – Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
- 1935 – Paul Hornung, American football player
- 1935 – Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
- 1936 – Frederic Forrest, American actor
- 1937 – Barney Rosenzweig, American screenwriter and producer
- 1937 – Nelson Shanks, American artist (d. 2015)
- 1939 – La Lupe, Cuban–American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1939 – Nancy Graves, American sculptor, painter and printmaker (d. 1995)
- 1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, Finnish–American musician (Jefferson Airplane)
- 1941 – Tim Hardin, musician
- 1941 – Nigel Anthony, English actor
- 1942 – Quentin Bryce, 25th Governor-General of Australia
- 1942 – M. M. Ruhul Amin, Bangladeshi judge (d. 2017)
- 1942 – Lars-Erik Berenett, Swedish actor (d. 2017)
- 1943 – Mikhail Gromov, Russian mathematician
- 1943 – Harry Shearer, American actor, voice actor (_This Is Spinal Tap_, _The Simpsons_)
- 1943 – Silvia, Queen of Sweden
- 1943 – Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
- 1944 – Wesley Clark, American General and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander
- 1945 – Adly Mansour, Interim President of Egypt
- 1946 – Ray Tabano, American musician
- 1946 – John Sullivan, English television writer (d. 2011)
- 1947 – Susan Lucci, soap opera actress
- 1948 – David Davis, British politician
- 1948 – Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, writer and journalist
- 1948 – Jack Ham, American football player
- 1949 – Adrian Belew, American guitarist
- 1950 – Michael C. Burgess, American politician
- 1950 – Vicente del Bosque, Spanish football manager
- 1950 – Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, English general

### 1951 – 1975

- 1951 – Anthony Phillips, British musician (Genesis)
- 1952 – William Kristol, American conservative commentator
- 1952 – David Loebsack, American politician
- 1953 – Andres Alver, Estonian architect
- 1953 – Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, Russian aristocrat
- 1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright
- 1956 – Dave Murray, English musician (Iron Maiden)
- 1957 – Trisha Goddard, English television presenter
- 1958 – Victoria Williams, singer
- 1961 – Carol Smillie, Scottish television personality
- 1962 – Stefan Hell, Romanian–German physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize winner
- 1962 – Kang Je-gyu, South Korean movie director, producer and screenwriter
- 1963 – Jim Harbaugh, American football quarterback
- 1964 – Eddie Vedder, musician (Pearl Jam)
- 1966 – Badi Assad, Brazilian singer, guitarist and composer
- 1967 – Carla Bruni–Sarkozy, Italian–French singer, model and former First Lady of France
- 1968 – Quincy Jones III, English–Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1968 – Barry Kooser, American artist and animation filmmaker
- 1968 – Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, Puerto Rican photographer
- 1968 – Sandra Roelofs, Dutch–born former First Lady of Georgia
- 1968 – Olga Shishigina, Kazakhstani hurdler
- 1969 – Martha Byrne, soap opera actress
- 1969 – Rob Pelinka, American basketball player, agent and lawyer
- 1970 – Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
- 1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
- 1971 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite (d. 2017)
- 1971 – Jo Johnson, British politician
- 1974 – Agustin Delgado, Ecuadorean footballer

### From 1976

- 1976 – Joanna Hayes, American hurdler
- 1977 – Matt Baker, British television presenter
- 1977 – Alge Crumpler, American football player
- 1978 – Andra Davis, American football player
- 1978 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1978 – Estella Warren, Canadian actress and model
- 1978 – Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
- 1979 – Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer
- 1979 – Holly Madison, American model and actress
- 1981 – Agnes Milowka, Polish–Australian diver, explorer, writer and photographer (d. 2011)
- 1981 – Beth, Spanish singer
- 1981 – Mario Santana, Argentine footballer
- 1983 – Michael Chopra, English footballer
- 1983 – Lisa Dobriskey, English middle–distance runner
- 1984 – Alison Sudol, American actress, singer and songwriter
- 1985 – Harry Judd, English drummer (McFly)
- 1987 – Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player
- 1988 – Eri Kamei, Japanese singer
- 1988 – Yuka Kashino, Japanese singer and dancer
- 1989 – Lils Koger, Estonian painter and architect
- 1990 – Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American actress
- 1992 – Spencer Daniels, American actor
- 1992 – Jeff Schlupp, German–Ghananian footballer
- 1996 – Bartosz Kapustka, Polish footballer
- 2002 – Finn Wolfhard, Canadian actor

### Up to 1900

- 130 – Emperor Keiko of Japan (b. 60)
- 484 – Huneric, Vandal king
- 558 – Childebert I, King of Paris
- 668 – Mor Gabriel, Syriac bishop and saint (b. 594)
- 679 – Dagobert II, Frankish king (b. 650)
- 910 – Saint Naum of Ohrid, Macedonian missionary and scholar (b. 830)
- 918 – Conrad I of Germany (b. 890)
- 1193 – Saint Thorlak, patron Saint of Iceland (b. 1133)
- 1230 – Berengia of Navarre (b. 1165)
- 1572 – Johann Sylvan, German theologian
- 1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese military commander (b. 1531)
- 1588 – Henry I, Duke of Guise (b. 1550)
- 1631 – Michael Drayton, English poet (b. 1563)
- 1652 – John Cotton, English–born American minister (b. 1585)
- 1722 – Pierre Varignon, French mathematician (b. 1654)
- 1745 – Jan Dismas Zelenka, Bohemian composer (b. 1679)
- 1795 – Henry Clinton, English general and politician (b. 1730)
- 1831 – Emilia Plater, Lithuanian countess and freedom fighter (b. 1806)
- 1850 – Samuel Bell, Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1770)
- 1851 – Giovanni Bechet, Italian poet and patriot (b. 1783)
- 1872 – George Catlin, American painter (b. 1796)

### 1901 – 2000

- 1902 – Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1821)
- 1920 – Walter Runeberg, Finnish sculptor (b. 1838)
- 1931 – Wilson Bentley, American scientist (b. 1865)
- 1939 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
- 1948 – Akira Muto, Japanese military commander (b. 1892)
- 1948 – Hideki Tōjō, 40th Prime Minister of Japan, Led the Attack on Pearl Harbour (b. 1884)
- 1950 – Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (b. 1878)
- 1953 – Lavrentiy Beria, Soviet–Georgian politician (b. 1899)
- 1954 – René Iché, French sculptor and scholar (b. 1897)
- 1961 – Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (b. 1910)
- 1970 – Aleksander Warma, Estonian politician (b. 1890)
- 1972 – Charles Atlas, American bodybuilder (b. 1892)
- 1972 – Andrei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1888)
- 1973 – Charles Atlas, Italian–American bodybuilder (b. 1892)
- 1978 – Misao Tamai, Japanese footballer (b. 1903)
- 1979 – Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (b. 1898)
- 1984 – Joan Lindsay, Australian writer (b. 1896)
- 1992 – Eddie Hazel, American musician (b. 1950)
- 1994 – Sebastian Shaw, British actor (b. 1905)
- 1997 – Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer (b. 1908)
- 1998 – Anatoly Rybakov, Russian writer (b. 1911)
- 1998 – Joe Orlando, Italian–American comics writer, artist and editor (b. 1927)
- 1998 – Michelle Thomas, American actress (b. 1969)
- 2000 – Victor Borge, Danish comedian and pianist (b. 1909)

### From 2001

- 2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
- 2005 – Lajos Baroti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1914)
- 2007 – Oscar Peterson, American jazz pianist and composer (b. 1925)
- 2009 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan politician (b. 1910)
- 2010 – K. Karunakaran, Indian politician (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian inventor of the AK-47 (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Yusef Lateef, American saxophonist (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Robert W. Wilson, American philanthropist and businessman (b. 1926)
- 2014 – K. Balachander, Indian director and producer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Jeremy Lloyd, English writer, screenwriter, writer, poet and actor (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Jacques Chancel, French journalist and writer (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Hocine Aït Ahmed, Algerian politician (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Don Howe, English footballer (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Bülent Ulusu, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Jean-Marie Pelt, French biologist, botanist and pharmacist (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist (b. 1941)
- 2016 – Anis Amri, Tunisian suspected terrorist (2016 Berlin attack) (b. 1992)
- 2016 – Heinrich Schiff, Austrian cellist and conductor (b. 1951)
- 2016 – Piers Sellers, English–American astronaut (b. 1955)
- 2017 – Maurice Hayes, Irish politician (b. 1927)
- 2020 – Kay Purcell, English actress (b. 1963)

## Observances

- Akihito's birthday (Japan)
- Saint Thorlak's Day (Iceland)
- HumanLight (secular humanism in the United States)
- Festivus
- Kiran Diwas (Uttar Pradesh)
- Victory Day (Egypt)
- Children's Day (Sudan and South Sudan)