December 13

December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 18 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1294 – Saint Celestine V resigns the papacy after only five months; Celestine hoped to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit.
• 1545 – The Council of Trent begins.
• 1577 – Sir Francis Drake sets sail from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage.
• 1636 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony organizes three militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians. This organization is recognized today as the founding of the National Guard of the United States.
• 1642 – Abel Tasman reaches New Zealand.
• 1643 – English Civil War: The Battle of Alton takes place in Hampshire.
• 1758 – The English transport ship Duke William sinks in the North Atlantic, killing over 360 people.
• 1769 – Dartmouth College is founded by the Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, with a royal charter from King George III, on land donated by Royal governor John Wentworth.
• 1862 – American Civil War: At the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeats Union Major General Ambrose Burnside.
• 1867 – A Fenian bomb explodes in Clerkenwell, London, killing six.
• 1928 – George Gershwin's An American in Paris is first performed.
• 1937 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanking – The city of Nanjing, defended by the National Revolutionary Army under the command of General Tang Shengzhi, falls to the Japanese. This is followed by the Nanking Massacre, in which Japanese troops rape and murder hundreds of thousands of civilians.
• 1938 – The Holocaust: The Neuengamme concentration camp opens in the Bergedorf district of Hamburg, Germany.
• 1939 – World War II: Battle of the River Plate – Captain Hans Langsdorff of the German Deutschland-class cruiser (pocket battleship) Admiral Graf Spee engages with Royal Navy cruisers HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles.
• 1941 – World War II: The Kingdom of Hungary and Kingdom of Romania declare war on the United States.
• 1943 – World War II: The Massacre of Kalavryta by German occupying forces in Greece.
• 1949 – The Knesset votes to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.
• 1959 – Archbishop Makarios III becomes the first President of Cyprus.
• 1960 – While Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Brazil, his Imperial Bodyguard seizes the capital and proclaims him deposed and his son, Crown Prince Asfa Wossen, Emperor.
• 1962 – NASA launches Relay 1, the first active repeater communications satellite in orbit.
• 1967 – Constantine II of Greece attempts an unsuccessful counter-coup against the Regime of the Colonels.
• 1968 – Brazilian President Artur da Costa e Silva issues AI-5 (Institutional Act No. 5), enabling government by decree and suspending habeas corpus.
• 1972 – Apollo program: Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or "Moonwalk" of Apollo 17. To date they are the last humans to set foot on the Moon.
• 1974 – Malta becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.
• 1977 – A DC-3 aircraft chartered from the Indianapolis-based National Jet crashes near Evansville Regional Airport, killing 29, including the University of Evansville basketball team, support staff and boosters of the team.
• 1979 – The Canadian Government of Prime Minister Joe Clark is defeated in the House of Commons, prompting the 1980 Canadian election.
• 1981 – General Wojciech Jaruzelski declares martial law in Poland to prevent dismantling of the communist system by Solidarity.
• 1988 – PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat gives a speech at a UN General Assembly meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, after United States authorities refused to grant him a visa to visit UN headquarters in New York.
• 1989 – The Troubles: Attack on Derryard checkpoint – The Provisional Irish Republican Army launches an attack on a British Army temporary vehicle checkpoint near Rosslea, Northern Ireland. Two British soldiers are killed and one badly wounded.
• 2000 – The "Texas Seven" escape from the John B. Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas, and go on a robbery spree, during which police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot and killed.
• 2001 – Sansad Bhavan, the building housing the Indian Parliament, is attacked by terrorists. Twelve people are killed, including the terrorists.
• 2002 – European Union enlargement: The EU announces that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia will become members from May 1, 2004.
• 2003 – Iraq War: Operation Red Dawn – Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured near his home town of Tikrit.
• 2006 – Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is adopted.
• 2011 – A murder–suicide in Liège, Belgium, kills six and wounds 125 people at a Christmas market.
• 2014 – Landslides caused by heavy rain in Java, Indonesia, kill at least 56 people.

Births

• 1521 – Pope Sixtus V (d. 1590)
• 1533 – Eric XIV of Sweden (d. 1577)
• 1553 – Henry IV of France (d. 1610)
• 1585 – William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet (d. 1649)
• 1640 – Robert Plot, English chemist and academic (d. 1696)
• 1662 – Francesco Bianchini, Italian astronomer and philosopher (d. 1729)
• 1678 – Yongzheng Emperor of China (d. 1735)
• 1684 – Ludvig Holberg, Norwegian historian, philosopher, and author (d. 1754)
• 1720 – Carlo Gozzi, Italian playwright (d. 1804)
• 1724 – Franz Aepinus, German astronomer and philosopher (d. 1802)
• 1780 – Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner, German chemist, invented the Döbereiner's lamp (d. 1849)
• 1784 – Archduke Louis of Austria (d. 1864)
• 1797 – Heinrich Heine, German journalist, poet, and critic (d. 1856)
• 1804 – Joseph Howe, Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 1873)
• 1814 – Ana Néri, Brazilian nurse (d. 1880)
• 1816 – Werner von Siemens, German engineer and inventor (d. 1892)
• 1818 – Mary Todd Lincoln, American wife of Abraham Lincoln, 17th First Lady of the United States (d. 1882)
• 1836 – Franz von Lenbach, German painter and academic (d. 1904)
• 1854 – Herman Bavinck, Dutch theologian and churchman (d. 1921)
• 1856 – Svetozar Boroević, Croatian-Austrian field marshal (d. 1920)
• 1860 – Lucien Guitry, French actor (d. 1925)
• 1864 – Emil Seidel, American politician, 36th Mayor of Milwaukee (d. 1947)
• 1867 – Kristian Birkeland, Norwegian physicist and author (d. 1917)
• 1870 – Edward LeSaint, American actor and director (d. 1940)
• 1871 – Emily Carr, Canadian painter and author (d. 1945)
• 1874 – Josef Lhévinne, Russian pianist and educator (d. 1944)
• 1883 – Belle da Costa Greene, American librarian (d. 1950)
• 1884 – Aimilios Veakis, Greek actor (d. 1951)
• 1887 – George Pólya, Hungarian-American mathematician (d. 1985)
• 1887 – Alvin C. York, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1964)
• 1897 – Albert Aalbers, Dutch architect, designed the Savoy Homann Bidakara Hotel (d. 1961)
• 1897 – István Donogán, Hungarian discus thrower (d. 1966)
• 1897 – Drew Pearson, American journalist and author (d. 1969)
• 1900 – Jonel Perlea, Romanian-American conductor (d. 1970)
• 1901 – Olev Roomet, Estonian singer, violinist, and bagpipe player (d. 1987)
• 1902 – Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, Greek philosopher and politician, 138th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1986)
• 1902 – Talcott Parsons, American sociologist and academic (d. 1979)
• 1903 – Ella Baker, American activist (d. 1986)
• 1903 – Carlos Montoya, Spanish guitarist and composer (d. 1993)
• 1906 – Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark (d. 1968)
• 1906 – Laurens van der Post, South African-English soldier and author (d. 1996)
• 1908 – Elizabeth Alexander, British meteorologist and radio astronomer (d. 1958)
• 1908 – Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, Brazilian historian and activist (d. 1995)
• 1910 – Van Heflin, American actor and singer (d. 1971)
• 1910 – Sol Saks, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2011)
• 1911 – Trygve Haavelmo, Norwegian economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
• 1911 – Kenneth Patchen, American poet and painter (d. 1972)
• 1912 – Luiz Gonzaga, Brazilian singer, songwriter and musician (d. 1989)
• 1913 – Arnold Brown, English-Canadian missionary, 11th General of The Salvation Army (d. 2002)
• 1913 – Gerda Christian, German private secretary of Adolf Hitler (d. 1997)
• 1913 – Archie Moore, American boxer and actor (d. 1998)
• 1914 – Alan Bullock, English historian and author (d. 2004)
• 1914 – Larry Noble, English comedian and actor (d. 1993)
• 1915 – Curd Jürgens, German-Austrian actor and director (d. 1982)
• 1915 – Ross Macdonald, American-Canadian author (d. 1983)
• 1915 – B. J. Vorster, South African politician,4th State President of South Africa (d. 1983)
• 1916 – Leonard Weisgard, American author and illustrator (d. 2000)
• 1917 – John Hart, American actor and producer (d. 2009)
• 1918 – Rosalia Lombardo, Italian pneumonia victim (d. 1920)
• 1918 – Kim Won-kwon, South Korean jumper
• 1919 – Hans-Joachim Marseille, German captain and pilot (d. 1942)
• 1920 – George P. Shultz, American economist and politician, 60th United States Secretary of State
• 1921 – Timofei Dokschitzer, Russian trumpeter (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Philip Warren Anderson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1923 – Terence Beckett, English businessman (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Edward Bede Clancy, Australian cardinal (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Larry Doby, American baseball player and manager (d. 2003)
• 1923 – Frankie Fraser, English gangster (d. 2014)
• 1924 – Robert Coogan, American actor (d. 1978)
• 1924 – George Shuba, American baseball player (d. 2014)
• 1925 – Dick Van Dyke, American actor, singer, and dancer
• 1926 – George Rhoden, Jamaican runner
• 1927 – James Wright, American poet and academic (d. 1980)
• 1928 – Eve Meyer, American model, actress, and producer (d. 1977)
• 1929 – Christopher Plummer, Canadian actor, singer, and producer
• 1930 – Robert Prosky, American actor (d. 2008)
• 1933 – Doug Mohns, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2014)
• 1934 – Richard D. Zanuck, American film producer (d. 2012)
• 1935 – Joe Christopher, Virgin Islander baseball player
• 1935 – Kenneth Hall, American football player
• 1935 – Lindy McDaniel, American baseball player
• 1936 – Aga Khan IV, Swiss-English businessman
• 1936 – J. C. Martin, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1937 – Rob Houwer, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1937 – Ulf G. Lindén, Swedish businessman (d. 2009)
• 1937 – Ron Taylor, Canadian baseball player and physician
• 1938 – Heino, German singer
• 1938 – Alvin Curran, American horn player and composer (Musica Elettronica Viva)
• 1939 – Eric Flynn, Chinese-Welsh actor and singer (d. 2002)
• 1940 – Sanjaya Lall, Indian economist and academic (d. 2005)
• 1941 – John Davidson, American actor and game show host
• 1941 – Anouska Hempel, New Zealand-English actress and fashion designer
• 1941 – Bessel Kok, Dutch chess player and businessman
• 1942 – Howard Brenton, English playwright and screenwriter
• 1942 – Anna Eshoo, American politician
• 1943 – Ferguson Jenkins, Canadian baseball and basketball player
• 1944 – Hwang Jang-lee, Japanese-South Korean martial artist and actor
• 1944 – Marti Webb, English actress and singer
• 1945 – Herman Cain, American businessman, journalist, and politician
• 1945 – Kathy Garver, American actress and producer
• 1945 – Brian McGuire, Australian race car driver (d. 1977)
• 1947 – Darlene Cates, American actress
• 1947 – Rex Hagon, Canadian actor
• 1947 – Dave Hamilton, American baseball player and coach
• 1948 – Lester Bangs, American journalist and author (d. 1982)
• 1948 – Jeff Baxter, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers)
• 1948 – Lillian Board, South African-English sprinter (d. 1970)
• 1948 – Ted Nugent, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (The Amboy Dukes, Damn Yankees, and Damnocracy)
• 1948 – Brian Wilson, Scottish journalist and politician
• 1949 – Tarık Akan, Turkish actor and producer
• 1949 – Robert Lindsay, English actor and singer
• 1949 – R. A. MacAvoy, American author
• 1949 – Randy Owen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Alabama)
• 1949 – Luc Sala, Dutch businessman and author
• 1949 – Tom Verlaine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Television and Neon Boys)
• 1949 – Paula Wilcox, English actress
• 1950 – Linda Bellos, English businesswoman and politician
• 1950 – Wendie Malick, American model and actress
• 1950 – Heather North, American actress
• 1950 – Afemo Omilami, American actor
• 1950 – Julia Slingo, English meteorologist and academic
• 1950 – Tom Vilsack, American lawyer and politician, 30th United States Secretary of Agriculture
• 1952 – Junkyard Dog, American football player and wrestler (d. 1998)
• 1952 – John Francome, English jockey and sportscaster
• 1952 – Larry Kenon, American basketball player
• 1952 – Jean Rouaud, French author
• 1953 – Ben Bernanke, American economist and academic
• 1953 – Bill Castro, Dominican baseball player and coach
• 1953 – Jim Davidson, English comedian, actor, and television host
• 1953 – Bob Gainey, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
• 1953 – Thomas Kurzhals, German keyboard player and songwriter (Karat and Stern-Combo Meißen) (d. 2014)
• 1954 – John Anderson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1954 – Emma Bull, American blogger and author
• 1954 – Steve Forbert, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1954 – Tamora Pierce, American author
• 1954 – Harsh Vardhan, Indian otolaryngologist and politician, Indian Minister of Science and Technology
• 1955 – Joseph Mahmoud, Moroccan-French runner
• 1956 – Dale Berra, American baseball player
• 1956 – Majida El Roumi, Lebanese soprano and actress
• 1956 – Phil Hubbard, American basketball player and coach
• 1957 – Steve Buscemi, American actor and director
• 1957 – Morris Day, American singer-songwriter and actor (The Time and Flyte Tyme)
• 1957 – Eric Marienthal, American saxophonist (Chick Corea Elektric Band and Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)
• 1957 – Jean-Marie Messier, French businessman
• 1958 – Kanako Higuchi, Japanese actress
• 1958 – Lynn-Holly Johnson, American figure skater and actress
• 1959 – Heino Enden, Estonian basketball player and coach
• 1959 – Johnny Whitaker, American actor and singer
• 1959 – Staffan William-Olsson, Swedish guitarist (The Real Thing)
• 1959 – Boris Zhukov, American wrestler
• 1960 – Rusty Cundieff, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1960 – Daggubati Venkatesh, Indian actor
• 1961 – Harry Gregson-Williams, English composer, conductor, and producer
• 1961 – Irene Sáez, Venezuelan model and politician, Governor of Nueva Esparta
• 1961 – Gary Zimmerman, American football player
• 1962 – Roger Ilegems, Belgian cyclist
• 1962 – Jamie Raskin, American lawyer, academic, and politician
• 1962 – Rex Ryan, American football player and coach
• 1962 – Rob Ryan, American football player and coach
• 1964 – Hideto Matsumoto, Japanese musician, singer and songwriter (X Japan and Zilch) (d. 1998)
• 1965 – Jackie Clune, English actress and singer
• 1965 – Marko Mäetamm, Estonian illustrator
• 1966 – Ross Burden, New Zealand-English chef and author
• 1966 – Toby Dammit, American drummer, composer, and producer
• 1966 – Don Roff, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1966 – Mike Tirico, American sportscaster
• 1967 – Jamie Foxx, American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter
• 1967 – NeNe Leakes, American actress
• 1967 – Bo Pelini, American football player and coach
• 1969 – Tony Curran, Scottish-American actor
• 1969 – Sergei Fedorov, Russian ice hockey player and manager
• 1969 – Murat Nasyrov, Russian singer-songwriter (d. 2007)
• 1970 – Tonja Buford-Bailey, American hurdler and coach
• 1970 – Eoin Jess, Scottish footballer
• 1970 – Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Austrian mountaineer
• 1971 – Gloria Casarez, American activist (d. 2014)
• 1971 – Naomi Long, Northern Irish engineer and politician, 54th Lord Mayor of Belfast
• 1971 – Leanne Wood, Welsh academic and politician
• 1972 – Niki Evans, English singer
• 1972 – Chris Grant, Australian footballer
• 1973 – Emre Aşık, Turkish footballer
• 1973 – Christie Clark, American actress
• 1974 – Sara Cox, English radio and television host
• 1974 – Debbie Matenopoulos, American actress and television host
• 1974 – Nicholas McCarthy, English singer and guitarist (Franz Ferdinand and Box Codax)
• 1975 – Bates Battaglia, American ice hockey player
• 1975 – Tom DeLonge, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Blink-182, Angels & Airwaves, and Box Car Racer)
• 1975 – Kostas Kiassos, Greek footballer
• 1975 – Matthew LeCroy, American baseball player and coach
• 1975 – Bahar Mert, Turkish volleyball player
• 1976 – Josh Fogg, American baseball player
• 1976 – Søren Friis, Danish footballer
• 1976 – Radosław Sobolewski, Polish footballer
• 1976 – Rama Yade, Senegalese-French politician
• 1977 – Tupele Dorgu, English actress
• 1977 – Sascha Kindred, German-English swimmer
• 1977 – Charlotte Milchard, English actress
• 1977 – Peter Stringer, Irish rugby player
• 1978 – Olav Bjortomt, English quiz player
• 1978 – Kaspars Kambala, Latvian basketball player
• 1978 – Ryo Kawakita, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist (Maximum the Hormone)
• 1978 – B.J. Penn, American mixed martial artist
• 1979 – Matjaž Smodiš, Slovenian basketball player
• 1980 – Patrik Antonius, Finnish poker player
• 1980 – Ryan France, English footballer
• 1980 – Danil Haustov, Estonian swimmer
• 1980 – Swastika Mukherjee, Indian actress and singer
• 1980 – Tülin Şahin, Turkish-Danish model, actress, and fashion designer
• 1980 – Satoshi Tsumabuki, Japanese actor and singer
• 1980 – Bosco Wong, Hong Kong singer and actor
• 1981 – Amy Lee, American singer-songwriter and pianist (Evanescence)
• 1982 – Anthony Callea, Australian singer-songwriter and actor
• 1982 – Eita, Japanese actor
• 1982 – Dan Hamhuis, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Ayumi Kinoshita, Japanese actress and model
• 1982 – Ricky Nolasco, American baseball player
• 1982 – Tuka Rocha, Brazilian race car driver
• 1982 – Koutaro Tanaka, Japanese actor
• 1982 – Dominik Werling, German footballer
• 1983 – Matt Deis, American bass player and songwriter (CKY and All That Remains)
• 1983 – Otylia Jędrzejczak, Polish swimmer
• 1983 – Janeth Jepkosgei, Kenyan middle-distance runner
• 1984 – Santi Cazorla, Spanish footballer
• 1984 – Hanna-Maria Seppälä, Finnish swimmer
• 1985 – Michael Bumpus, American football player
• 1985 – Laurence Leboeuf, Canadian actress
• 1985 – Alby Mathewson, New Zealand rugby player
• 1986 – Dennis Bermudez, American mixed martial artist
• 1986 – Mathieu Gnanligo, Beninese sprinter
• 1987 – James Eagan Holmes, American murderer
• 1988 – Rickie Fowler, American golfer
• 1988 – Oliver Lancashire, English footballer
• 1989 – Dasha Kapustina, Russian model
• 1989 – Hellen Onsando Obiri, Kenyan runner
• 1989 – Ben Ridge, Australian rugby player
• 1989 – Taylor Swift, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
• 1991 – Sénah Mango, Togolese footballer
• 1993 – Jurian Beat Crisis, Japanese singer
• 1994 – Leo Ieiri, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 2005 – Prince Aymeric of Belgium
• 2005 – Prince Nicolas of Belgium

Deaths

• 558 – Childebert I, Frankish king (b. 496)
• 769 – Du Hongjian, Chinese politician (b. 709)
• 838 – Pepin I of Aquitaine (b. 797)
• 1048 – Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī, Persian scholar and polymath (b. 973)
• 1124 – Pope Callixtus II (b. 1065)
• 1126 – Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1075)
• 1204 – Maimonides, Spanish rabbi and philosopher (b. 1135)
• 1250 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1194)
• 1404 – Albert I, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1336)
• 1466 – Donatello, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1386)
• 1516 – Johannes Trithemius, German cryptographer and historian (b. 1462)
• 1521 – Manuel I of Portugal (b. 1469)
• 1557 – Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia, Italian mathematician and engineer (b. 1499)
• 1565 – Conrad Gessner, Swiss botanist and physician (b. 1516)
• 1621 – Catherine Stenbock, Swedish wife of Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1535)
• 1716 – Charles de La Fosse, French painter (b. 1640)
• 1721 – Alexander Selkirk, Scottish sailor (b. 1676)
• 1729 – Anthony Collins, English philosopher and author (b. 1676)
• 1754 – Mahmud I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1696)
• 1758 – Noël Doiron, Canadian Acadia leader (b. 1684)
• 1769 – Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet and hymn-writer (b. 1715)
• 1783 – Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin, Swedish astronomer and demographer (b. 1717)
• 1784 – Samuel Johnson, English poet and lexicographer (b. 1709)
• 1814 – Charles-Joseph, 7th Prince of Ligne, Belgian-Austrian field marshal (b. 1735)
• 1835 – John Storm, American soldier (b. 1760)
• 1837 – Herman of Alaska, Russian missionary and saint (b. 1756)
• 1862 – Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb, American general, lawyer, and politician (b. 1823)
• 1863 – Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German poet and playwright (b. 1813)
• 1868 – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer (b. 1794)
• 1881 – August Šenoa, Croatian author and poet (b. 1838)
• 1883 – Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (b. 1812)
• 1893 – Georg August Rudolph, German politician, 3rd Mayor of Marburg (b. 1816)
• 1895 – Ányos Jedlik, Hungarian physicist and engineer (b. 1800)
• 1908 – Augustus Le Plongeon, French photographer and historian (b. 1825)
• 1919 – Woldemar Voigt, German physicist and academic (b. 1850)
• 1922 – Arthur Wesley Dow, American artist (b. 1857)
• 1922 – Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic poet and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1861)
• 1924 – Samuel Gompers, English-American labor leader, founded the American Federation of Labor (b. 1850)
• 1930 – Fritz Pregl, Slovenian-Austrian chemist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869)
• 1931 – Gustave Le Bon, French psychologist, sociologist, and anthropologist (b. 1840)
• 1932 – Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter and sculptor (b. 1853)
• 1934 – Thomas A. Watson, American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell (b. 1854)
• 1935 – Victor Grignard, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1871)
• 1940 – Manuel de Escandón, Mexican polo player (b. 1857)
• 1940 – George Regas, Greek-American actor (b. 1890)
• 1942 – Wlodimir Ledóchowski, Austrian-Polish religious leader, 26th Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1866)
• 1944 – Wassily Kandinsky, Russian-French painter and theorist (b. 1866)
• 1944 – Lupe Vélez, Mexican-American actress and singer (b. 1908)
• 1945 – Irma Grese, German concentration camp guard (b. 1923)
• 1945 – Josef Kramer, German concentration camp commandant (b. 1906)
• 1945 – Elisabeth Volkenrath, Polish-German concentration camp supervisor (b. 1919)
• 1947 – Henry James, American lawyer and author (b. 1879)
• 1947 – Nicholas Roerich, Russian archaeologist, painter, and philosopher (b. 1874)
• 1950 – Abraham Wald, Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1902)
• 1954 – John Raymond Hubbell, American director and composer (b. 1879)
• 1955 – Egas Moniz, Portuguese psychiatrist and neurosurgeon, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
• 1958 – Tim Moore, American actor (b. 1887)
• 1960 – Dora Marsden, English author and activist (b. 1882)
• 1961 – Grandma Moses, American painter (b. 1860)
• 1962 – Harry Barris, American singer-songwriter and pianist (The Rhythm Boys) (b. 1905)
• 1969 – Raymond A. Spruance, American admiral and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Philippines (b. 1886)
• 1969 – Spencer Williams, American actor and director (b. 1893)
• 1972 – Gustav Schwarzenegger, Austrian police officer (b. 1907)
• 1973 – Henry Green, English author (b. 1905)
• 1974 – Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu, Egyptian-Turkish journalist, author, and politician (b. 1889)
• 1975 – Cyril Delevanti, English-American actor (b. 1889)
• 1977 – Oğuz Atay, Turkish engineer and author (b. 1934)
• 1979 – Jon Hall, American actor and director (b. 1915)
• 1979 – Behçet Necatigil, Turkish author, poet and translator (b. 1916)
• 1981 – Pigmeat Markham, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904)
• 1983 – Alexander Schmemann, Estonian-American priest and theologian (b. 1921)
• 1983 – Nichita Stănescu, Romanian poet and critic (b. 1933)
• 1986 – Heather Angel, English-American actress (b. 1909)
• 1986 – Ella Baker, American activist (b, 1903)
• 1986 – Smita Patil, Indian actress and journalist (b. 1955)
• 1992 – K. C. Irving, Canadian businessman (b. 1899)
• 1992 – Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1899)
• 1993 – Vanessa Duriès, French author (b. 1972)
• 1994 – Norman Beaton, Guyanese-English actor (b. 1934)
• 1995 – Ann Nolan Clark, American author and educator (b. 1896)
• 1996 – Edward Blishen, English author (b. 1920)
• 1997 – Don E. Fehrenbacher, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1920)
• 2001 – Chuck Schuldiner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Death, Control Denied, and Voodoocult) (b. 1967)
• 2002 – Zal Yanovsky, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Lovin' Spoonful) (b. 1944)
• 2003 – William V. Roth, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Bernarda Bryson Shahn, American painter and illustrator (b. 1903)
• 2004 – Andre Rodgers, Bahamian baseball player (b. 1934)
• 2004 – David Wheeler, English computer scientist and academic (b. 1927)
• 2005 – Timothy Jordan II, American guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter (Jonezetta) (b. 1981)
• 2005 – Stanley Williams, American gang leader, co-founded the Crips (b. 1953)
• 2006 – Lamar Hunt, American businessman, co-founded the American Football League and World Championship Tennis (b. 1932)
• 2007 – Mark Partridge, Zimbabwean politician (b. 1922)
• 2007 – Floyd Red Crow Westerman, American actor, singer, and activist (b. 1936)
• 2007 – Alain Payet, French porn actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1947)
• 2008 – John Drake, New Zealand rugby player and journalist (b. 1959)
• 2008 – Kathy Staff, English actress (b. 1928)
• 2010 – James Dibble, Australian journalist (b. 1923)
• 2010 – Takeshi Watabe, Japanese voice actor (b. 1936)
• 2010 – Richard Holbrooke, American journalist and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (b. 1941)
• 2010 – Enrique Morente, Spanish singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
• 2010 – Woolly Wolstenholme, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Barclay James Harvest) (b. 1947)
• 2011 – T. J. Bass, American physician and author (b. 1932)
• 2011 – Kabir Chowdhury, Bangladeshi author and academic (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Russell Hoban, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Ian Black, Scottish footballer (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Jack Hanlon, American actor (b. 1916)
• 2012 – Natalya Kustinskaya, Russian actress (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Rob Talbot, New Zealand politician (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Abdesslam Yassine, Moroccan educator, founded the Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Marcel Cellier, Swiss organist and producer (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Daniel Escobar, American actor (b. 1964)
• 2013 – Vivian Kellogg, American baseball player and manager (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Kim Kuk-tae, North Korean politician (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Harvey Littleton, American glass artist and educator (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Ernst Albrecht, German economist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Lower Saxony (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Bill Bonds, American journalist (b. 1932)
• 2014 – William E. May, American theologian and academic (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Taitetsu Unno, Japanese scholar and author (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances

• Acadian Remembrance Day (Acadians)
• Christian feast day:
  • December 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Lucy
  • Odile of Alsace
• Republic Day (Malta)
• St Lucy's Day (mainly Scandinavia, some regions of Italy (for example, Sicily, Veneto and Trentino), and Malta), and its related observances:
  • National Day, celebrates the independence of Saint Lucia from United Kingdom in 1979.
• Tellus was worshipped in the district Carinae at the Esquiline Hill, and a lectisternium or table was spread for Ceres. (Roman Empire)

External links

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