From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 11 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
- 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of emperor.
- 1192 - Richard the Lion-Heart is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after signing a treaty with Saladin ending the crusade.
- 1522 - Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.
- 1606 - The Virginia Company loads three ships with settlers and sets sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
- 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.
- 1835 - First signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at Goliad, Texas.
- 1860 - South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.
- 1915 - World War I: Last Australian troops evacuated from Gallipoli.
- 1917 - Cheka, the first Soviet secret police, is founded.
- 1941 - World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers" in Kunming, China.
- 1942 - World War II: Bombing of Calcutta by the Japanese.
- 1951 - The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho becomes the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity for the first time. The electricity powered four light bulbs.
- 1952 - United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington killing 87.
- 1955 - Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.
- 1960 - National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam is formed.
- 1968 - The Zodiac Killer kills Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Vallejo, California.
- 1973 - The Spanish Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, is assassinated by a car bomb attack in Madrid.
- 1984 - The Summit tunnel fire is the largest underground fire in history, as a freight train carrying over 1 million litres of petrol derails near the town of Todmorden in the Pennines.
- 1988 - The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is signed in Vienna.
- 1989 - United States invasion of Panama: The United States sends troops into Panama to overthrow government of Manuel Noriega.
- 1991 - A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.
- 1995 - NATO begins peacekeeping in Bosnia.
- 1995 - American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia killing 160.
- 1995 - The Democratic Social Movement is founded in Greece.
- 1996 - NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.
- 1999 - Macau is handed over to the People's Republic of China by Portugal.
- 2001 - Argentine economic crisis: President of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa is forced out of office.
- 2002 - US Senator Trent Lott resigns as majority leader.
- 2005 - 2005 New York City transit strike: New York City's Transport Workers Union Local 100 goes on strike, shutting down all New York City Subway and Bus services.
- 2005 - US District Court Judge John E. Jones III rules against mandating the teaching of "intelligent design" in his ruling of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.
- 2006 - A judge rules against the death penalty in the case of Naveed Haq, a man convicted in the shooting death and injuries at the Jewish Federation in Seattle.
- 2007 - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becomes the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.
- 2007 - The Lakota Indians send a letter to the United States State Department declaring their secession from the union.
- 2007 - The painting Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, was stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art, along with O Lavrador de Café, by the major Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari.
[edit] Births
- 1494 - Oronce Finé, French mathematician (d. 1555)
- 1537 - King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1566 - Edward Wightman, English Baptist preacher (d. 1612)
- 1579 - (baptized) John Fletcher, English playwright (d. 1625)
- 1626 - Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff, German statesman (d. 1692)
- 1629 - Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (d. 1684)
- 1717 - Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French statesman and diplomat (d. 1787)
- 1786 - Pietro Raimondi, Italian composer (d. 1853)
- 1792 - Nicolas Charlet, French painter (d. 1845)
- 1833 - Samuel Mudd, American physician (d. 1883)
- 1838 - Edwin Abbott Abbott, English schoolmaster, theologian, and author (d. 1926)
- 1841 - Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1932)
- 1860 - Dan Leno, English entertainer (d. 1904)
- 1861 - Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (d. 1926)
- 1865 - Elsie De Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (d. 1950)
- 1868 - Harvey Firestone, American automobile pioneer (d. 1938)
- 1873 - Kwan-Ichi Asakawa, Japanese historian(d. 1948)
- 1881 - Branch Rickey, baseball executive (d. 1965)
- 1886 - Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, American tennis player (d. 1974)
- 1888 - Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (d. 1958)
- 1890 - Yvonne Arnaud, French-born actress (d. 1958)
- 1890 - Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
- 1894 - Sir Robert Menzies, twelfth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1978)
- 1898 - Irene Dunne, American actress (d. 1990)
- 1901 - Robert Van de Graaff, American physicist and inventor (d. 1967)
- 1902 - Sidney Hook, American philosopher (d. 1989)
- 1902 - George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent (d. 1942)
- 1904 - Spud Davis, baseball player (d. 1984)
- 1907 - Paul Francis Webster, songwriter (d. 1984)
- 1908 - Dennis Morgan, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1909 - Vakkom Majeed, Indian politician (d. 2000)
- 1911 - Hortense Calisher, American author
- 1916 - Michel Chartrand, Quebec union leader
- 1917 - David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (d. 1992)
- 1918 - Jean Marchand, French Canadian trade unionist and politician (d. 1988)
- 1918 - Audrey Totter, American actress
- 1922 - George Roy Hill, American film director (d. 2002)
- 1922 - Beverly Pepper, American sculptor and painter
- 1924 - Charlie Callas, American comedian
- 1924 - Judy LaMarsh, Canadian politician and broadcaster (d. 1980)
- 1925 - Benito Lorenzi, Italian footballer (d. 2007)
- 1925 - Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia
- 1926 - Sir Geoffrey Howe, British politician
- 1926 - Otto Graf Lambsdorff, German politician
- 1927 - Kim Young-sam, President of South Korea
- 1931 - Mala Powers, American film actress (d. 2007)
- 1932 - John Hillerman, American actor, Magnum P.I.
- 1933 - Jean Carnahan, U.S. Senator
- 1933 - Rik van Looy, Belgian cyclist
- 1938 - John Harbison, American composer
- 1944 - Bobby Colomby, American musician (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
- 1944 - Jean Fergusson, English actress
- 1945 - Peter Criss, American drummer and singer (Kiss)
- 1946 - Uri Geller, Israeli psychic
- 1946 - John Spencer, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1946 - Dick Wolf, American television series creator
- 1947 - Gigliola Cinquetti, Italian singer
- 1948 - Alan Parsons, British music producer and artist
- 1949 - Soumaïla Cissé, Malian politician
- 1949 - Cecil Cooper, Major League baseball player
- 1951 - Gilbert Montagné, French musician
- 1951 - Peter May, Scottish novelist and scriptwriter
- 1952 - Jenny Agutter, English actress
- 1954 - Michael Badalucco, American actor
- 1954 - Sandra Cisneros, American writer
- 1955 - Ed Kuepper, German-born Australian musician (The Saints, Laughing Clowns)
- 1956 - Blanche Baker, American actress
- 1956 - Junji Hirata, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1957 - Billy Bragg, English singer and songwriter
- 1957 - Mike Watt, American bassist
- 1957 - Stephen Bicknell, British organ builder and scholar (d. 2007)
- 1957 - Joyce Hyser, American actress
- 1957 - Anna Vissi, Greek-Cypriot singer
- 1958 - Steve Sailer, American political commentator
- 1960 - Nalo Hopkinson, Canadian writer
- 1961 - Mohammad Fouad, Arab singer and actor
- 1963 - Infanta Elena of Spain
- 1963 - Joel Gretsch, American actor
- 1965 - Robert Cavanah, Scottish actor
- 1965 - Rich Gannon, American football player
- 1966 - Matt Neal , British Race Driver
- 1966 - Chris Robinson, American singer (Black Crowes)
- 1966 - Myrra Malmberg, Swedish singer
- 1968 - Karl Wendlinger, Austrian racing driver
- 1968 - Joe Cornish, British comedian
- 1968 - Phil Andrews, British racing driver
- 1970 - Nicole DeBoer, Canadian actress
- 1973 - Cory Stillman, National Hockey League forward
- 1974 - Die, Japanese musician (Dir en grey)
- 1975 - Bartosz Bosacki, Polish footballer
- 1975 - Jaydy Michel, Mexican model
- 1976 - Jang Hyuk, Korean actor
- 1976 - Aubrey Huff, American baseball player
- 1976 - Adam Powell, Neopets creator
- 1976 - Ramon Stoppelenburg, world traveler and Dutch author
- 1977 - Saukrates, Canadian rapper
- 1978 - Geremi Njitap, Cameroon footballer
- 1978 - Andrei Markov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1979 - David DeJesus, American baseball player
- 1979 - Michael Rogers, Australian cyclist
- 1980 - Ashley Cole, English footballer
- 1980 - Fitz Hall, English footballer
- 1980 - Tony, French-born Portuguese footballer
- 1981 - Roy Williams, American football player
- 1981 - James Shields, American baseball player
- 1981 - Chris Edwards, British musician (Kasabian)
- 1982 - David Cook, American singer, Winner of American Idol Season 7
- 1982 - Kasper Klausen, Danish footballer
- 1982 - David Wright, American baseball player
- 1983 - Jonah Hill, American actor
- 1983 - Lucy Pinder, British model
- 1983 - Darren Sammy, St. Lucian West Indies cricketer
- 1983 - Lara Stone, Dutch model
- 1983 - Adrián Varela, Mexican singer
- 1987 - Tariel Zintiridis, Greek judoka
- 1989 - Virgilio Falco, Italian politician
- 1990 - JoJo, American singer
[edit] Deaths
- 217 - Pope Zephyrinus
- 860 - King Ethelbald of Wessex
- 910 - Alfonso III of Leon
- 1022 - Elvira Mendes, wife of Alfonso V of Castile (b. 996)
- 1355 - Stefan Dušan, Serb king and tsar (b. circa 1308)
- 1494 - Matteo Maria Boiardo, Italian poet
- 1524 - Thomas Linacre, English scholar and physician
- 1539 - Johannes Lupi, Flemish composer
- 1590 - Ambroise Paré, French physician (b. 1510)
- 1722 - Kangxi Emperor of China (b. 1654)
- 1723 - Augustus Quirinus Rivinus (b. 1652)
- 1740 - Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, English military officer and statesman (b. 1675)
- 1768 - Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet (b. 1692)
- 1783 - Antonio Soler, Spanish composer (b. 1729)
- 1812 - Sacagawea, Shoshone guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition
- 1856 - Francesco Bentivegna, Italian revolutionary (b. 1820)
- 1862 - Robert Knox
- 1917 - Lucien Petit-Breton, Argentine-French cyclist (b. 1882)
- 1921 - Hans Hartwig von Beseler, German general (b. 1850)
- 1929 - Émile Loubet, 7th President of France (b.1838)
- 1935 - Martin O'Meara, Australian soldier (b. 1882)
- 1937 - Erich Ludendorff, German general (b. 1865)
- 1938 - Annie Armstrong, US missionary leader (b. 1850)
- 1941 - Igor Severyanin, Russian poet (b. 1887)
- 1954 - James Hilton, British author (b. 1900)
- 1956 - Ramon Carrillo, Argentine neuroscientist and Public Health minister (b. 1906)
- 1961 - Moss Hart, American dramatist (b. 1904)
- 1961 - Earle Page, eleventh Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1880)
- 1968 - John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
- 1973 - Luis Carrero Blanco, Prime Minister of Spain (assassinated) (b. 1903)
- 1973 - Bobby Darin, American singer (b. 1936)
- 1974 - André Jolivet, French composer (b. 1905)
- 1976 - Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1902)
- 1981 - Dimitris Rontiris, Greek actor and director (b. 1899)
- 1982 - Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-born pianist (b. 1887)
- 1984 - Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (b. 1946)
- 1986 - Joe DeSa, baseball player (b. 1959)
- 1988 - Alphonse Ouimet, Canadian television pioneer, president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (b. 1908)
- 1989 - Kurt Böhme, German bass (b. 1908)
- 1991 - Simone Beck, French chef (b. 1904)
- 1994 - Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State (b. 1909)
- 1996 - Carl Sagan, American astronomer and writer (b. 1934)
- 1997 - Denise Levertov, English-born poet (b. 1923)
- 1997 - Juzo Itami, Japanese actor and director (b. 1933)
- 1997 - Dawn Steel, American film producer (b. 1946)
- 1998 - Irene Hervey, American actress (b. 1910)
- 1998 - Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, British scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1916)
- 1999 - Hank Snow, Canadian singer (b. 1914)
- 1999 - Riccardo Freda, Italian film director (b. 1909)
- 2000 - Mirza Ghulam Hafiz, Bangladesh statesman, politician, and philanthropist (b. 1920)
- 2001 - Foster Brooks, American actor and comedian (b. 1912)
- 2001 - Léopold Sédar Senghor, first President of Senegal (b. 1906)
- 2005 - Maniam Moorthy, member of the first Malaysian team to summit Mount Everest
- 2006 - Shi Yuejun, Chinese serial killer. Executed.
- 2007 - Nataline Sarkisyan, a seventeen-year-old leukemia patient whose insurer, Cigna HealthCare, refused to pay for treatment.
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links
