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| December 15 in recent years |
| 2013 (Sunday) |
| 2012 (Saturday) |
| 2011 (Thursday) |
| 2010 (Wednesday) |
| 2009 (Tuesday) |
| 2008 (Monday) |
| 2007 (Saturday) |
| 2006 (Friday) |
| 2005 (Thursday) |
| 2004 (Wednesday) |
December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 16 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Tricamarum.
- 687 – Pope Sergius I is elected.
- 1161 – Jin–Song wars: Military officers conspire against Emperor Hailing of the Jin Dynasty after a military defeat at the Battle of Caishi, and assassinate the emperor at his camp.
- 1167 – Sicilian Chancellor Stephen du Perche moves the royal court to Messina to prevent a rebellion.
- 1256 – Hulagu Khan captures and destroys the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut Castle (in present-day Iran) as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia.
- 1467 – Stephen III of Moldavia defeats Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, with the latter being injured thrice, at the Battle of Baia.
- 1778 – American Revolutionary War: British and French fleets clash in the Battle of St. Lucia.
- 1791 – The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Nashville – Union forces under George Thomas almost completely destroy the Army of Tennessee under John Hood.
- 1890 – Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull is killed on Standing Rock Indian Reservation, leading to the Wounded Knee Massacre.
- 1905 – The Pushkin House is established in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to preserve the cultural heritage of Alexander Pushkin
- 1906 – The London Underground's Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opens.
- 1913 – Nicaragua becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires Convention.
- 1914 – World War I: The Serbian Army recaptures Belgrade from the invading Austro-Hungarian Army.
- 1914 – A gas explosion at Mitsubishi Hōjō coal mine, in Kyushu, Japan, kills 687.
- 1917 – World War I: An armistice is reached between the new Bolshevik government and the Central Powers.
- 1933 – The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution officially becomes effective, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment that prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol.
- 1939 – Gone with the Wind receives its premiere at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
- 1941 – The Holocaust: German troops murder over 15,000 Jews at Drobytsky Yar, a ravine southeast of the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign.
- 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Arawe begins during the New Britain Campaign.
- 1945 – Occupation of Japan: General Douglas MacArthur orders that Shinto be abolished as the state religion of Japan.
- 1946 – U.S.-backed Iranian troops evict the leadership of the breakaway Republic of Mahabad, putting an end to the Iran crisis of 1946.
- 1946 – The first election to the Representative Assembly of French India was held.
- 1954 – The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands is signed.
- 1960 – Richard Pavlick is arrested for plotting to assassinate U.S. President-Elect John F. Kennedy.
- 1960 – King Mahendra of Nepal suspends the country's constitution, dissolves parliament, dismisses the cabinet, and imposes direct rule.
- 1961 – Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty by an Israeli court of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people, and membership of an outlawed organization.
- 1965 – Project Gemini: Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7.
- 1967 – The Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapses, killing 46 people.
- 1970 – Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully land on Venus. It is the first successful soft landing on another planet
- 1970 – The South Korean ferry Namyong Ho capsizes in the Korea Strait, killing over 300 people.
- 1973 – John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy, after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10.
- 1973 – The American Psychiatric Association votes 13–0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the DSM-II.
- 1976 – Western Samoa becomes a member of the United Nations.
- 1976 – The oil tanker MV Argo Merchant runs aground near Nantucket, Massachusetts, causing one of the worst marine oil spills in history.
- 1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan
- 1981 – A suicide car bombing targeting the Iraqi embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, levels the embassy and kills 61 people, including Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon. The attack is considered the first modern suicide bombing.
- 1993 – The Troubles: The Downing Street Declaration is issued by British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds.
- 1994 – Palau becomes a member of the United Nations.
- 1997 – Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 crashes in the desert near Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, killing 85.
- 2000 – The third reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down.
- 2001 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 spent to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean.
- 2005 – Introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor into USAF active service.
- 2006 – First flight of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
- 2009 – Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner makes its maiden flight from Seattle, Washington.
- 2010 – A boat carrying 90 asylum seekers crashes into rocks off the coast of Christmas Island, Australia, killing 48 people.
Births
- 37 – Nero, Roman emperor (d. 68)
- 130 – Lucius Verus, Roman emperor (d. 169)
- 1567 – Christoph Demantius, German composer, poet, and theorist (d. 1643)
- 1657 – Michel Richard Delalande, French organist and composer (d. 1726)
- 1686 – Jean-Joseph Fiocco, Flemish composer (d. 1746)
- 1789 – Carlos Soublette, Venezuelan general and politician, 11th President of Venezuela (d. 1870)
- 1832 – Gustave Eiffel, French engineer and architect, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (d. 1923)
- 1852 – Henri Becquerel, French physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1908)
- 1859 – L. L. Zamenhof, Polish linguist and ophthalmologist, created Esperanto (d. 1917)
- 1860 – Niels Ryberg Finsen, Faroese-Danish physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1904)
- 1860 – Abner Powell, American baseball player (d. 1953)
- 1861 – Charles Duryea, American engineer and businessman, co-founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (d. 1938)
- 1861 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish lawyer, judge, and politician, 3rd President of Finland (d. 1944)
- 1863 – Arthur Dehon Little, American chemist and engineer (d. 1935)
- 1869 – Leon Marchlewski, Polish chemist (d. 1946)
- 1875 – Emilio Jacinto, Filipino journalist and activist (d. 1899)
- 1878 – Hans Carossa, German author and poet (d. 1956)
- 1885 – Leonid Pitamic, Slovenia lawyer, philosopher and academic (d. 1971)
- 1888 – Maxwell Anderson, American journalist and playwright (d. 1959)
- 1892 – J. Paul Getty, American-English businessman and art collector, founded Getty Oil (d. 1976)
- 1896 – Betty Smith, American author and playwright (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Harold Abrahams, English sprinter, lawyer, and journalist (d. 1978)
- 1902 – Robert F. Bradford, American lawyer and politician, 57th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (d. 1938)
- 1907 – Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect, designed the United Nations Headquarters and the Cathedral of Brasília (d. 2012)
- 1908 – Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk (d. 2005)
- 1909 – Sattar Bahlulzade, Azerbaijani painter (d. 1974)
- 1910 – John Hammond, American record producer, critic, and activist (d. 1987)
- 1911 – Nicholas P. Dallis, American psychiatrist and illustrator (d. 1991)
- 1911 – Stan Kenton, American pianist and composer (d. 1979)
- 1912 – Ray Eames, American designer (d. 1988)
- 1913 – Roger Gaudry, Canadian chemist and businessman (d. 2001)
- 1913 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet, academic, and activist (d. 1980)
- 1916 – Buddy Cole, American pianist and conductor (d. 1964)
- 1916 – Maurice Wilkins, New Zealand-English physicist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Indian-Pakistani linguist and lexicographer (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Jeff Chandler, American actor and singer (d. 1961)
- 1919 – Max Yasgur, American farmer, owner of the Woodstock festival site (d. 1973)
- 1920 – Gamal al-Banna, Egyptian author and scholar (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Kurt Schaffenberger, German-American illustrator (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Alan Freed, American radio host (d. 1965)
- 1921 – Bob Todd, English actor (d. 1992)
- 1923 – Freeman Dyson, English-American physicist and mathematician
- 1923 – Uziel Gal, German-Israeli firearm designer, designed the Uzi gun (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Valentin Varennikov, Russian general and politician (d. 2009)
- 1924 – Frank W. J. Olver, English-American mathematician and educator (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Kasey Rogers, American actress (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Ben Overton, American judge (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Ernest Ashworth, American singer (d. 2009)
- 1928 – Ida Haendel Polish-English violinist
- 1928 – Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand painter and architect, designed the Kuchlbauer Tower and Waldspirale (d. 2000)
- 1928 – Jerry Wallace, American singer (d. 2008)
- 1929 – Barry Harris, American pianist and educator
- 1930 – Edna O'Brien, Irish author, poet, and playwright
- 1932 – Jesse Belvin, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1960)
- 1932 – John Meurig Thomas, Welsh chemist and academic
- 1933 – Bapu, Indian cartoonist and director
- 1933 – Tim Conway, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1933 – Donald Woods, South African journalist and activist (d. 2001)
- 1934 – Clive Brittain, English horse trainer
- 1936 – Joe D'Amato, Italian director and producer (d. 1999)
- 1938 – Michael Bogdanov, Welsh director and screenwriter
- 1938 – Billy Shaw, American football player
- 1939 – Alan Armstrong, American author
- 1939 – Cindy Birdsong, American singer-songwriter (The Supremes and Labelle)
- 1940 – Nick Buoniconti, American football player and sportscaster
- 1942 – Kathleen Blanco, American educator and politician, 54th Governor of Louisiana
- 1942 – Dave Clark, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (The Dave Clark Five)
- 1942 – Geoffrey Davies, English actor
- 1943 – Lucien den Arend, Dutch sculptor
- 1944 – Jim Leyland, American baseball player and manager
- 1944 – Chico Mendes, Brazilian union leader and activist (d. 1988)
- 1945 – Ivor Crewe, English political scientist and academic
- 1945 – Thaao Penghlis, Australian actor
- 1946 – Carmine Appice, American drummer and songwriter (Vanilla Fudge, Beck, Bogert & Appice, and Cactus)
- 1946 – Art Howe, American baseball player and manager
- 1946 – Henrietta Knight, English horse trainer
- 1947 – Rodney Bingenheimer, American radio host
- 1948 – Melanie Chartoff, American actress
- 1948 – Cassandra Harris, Australian-American actress (d. 1991)
- 1949 – Don Johnson, American actor, singer, and producer
- 1949 – Brian Roper, English economist and academic
- 1951 – Joe Jordan, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1952 – Marta DuBois, Panamanian-American actress
- 1952 – Rudi Protrudi, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Fuzztones)
- 1952 – Allan Simonsen, Danish footballer and manager
- 1952 – Julie Taymor, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1953 – John R. Allen, American general
- 1953 – J. M. DeMatteis, American author
- 1953 – Robert Charles Wilson, American-Canadian author
- 1954 – Oliver Heald, English lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales
- 1954 – Mark Warner, American businessman and politician, 69th Governor of Virginia
- 1955 – Hector Sants, English banker
- 1955 – Paul Simonon, English singer-songwriter and bass player (The Clash and Havana 3am)
- 1956 – Tony Leon, South African politician
- 1956 – William Orbit, English keyboard player and producer (Torch Song and Bassomatic)
- 1957 – Chō, Japanese voice actor
- 1957 – Mario Marois, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1957 – Mike McAlary, American journalist (d. 1998)
- 1957 – Laura Molina, American singer, guitarist, actress, and painter
- 1957 – Tim Reynolds, German-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Dave Matthews Band, TR3, and Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds)
- 1958 – Eddy Annys, Belgian high jumper
- 1958 – Carlo J. Caparas, Filipino director and producer
- 1960 – Walter Werzowa, Austrian composer and producer
- 1961 – Karin Resetarits, Austrian journalist and politician
- 1962 – Tim Gaines, Austrian bass player (Stryper and SinDizzy)
- 1962 – Simon Hodgkinson, English rugby player
- 1963 – Ellie Cornell, American actress
- 1963 – Norman J. Grossfeld, American screenwriter and producer
- 1963 – Andrew Luster, American rapist
- 1963 – Helen Slater, American actress and singer
- 1963 – David Wingate, American basketball player
- 1964 – Michael Le Vell, English actor
- 1964 – Paul Kaye, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Carl Hooper, Guyanese cricketer and coach
- 1966 – Manos Papayiannis, Greek model and actor
- 1966 – Molly Price, American actress
- 1967 – David Howells, English footballer
- 1967 – Ami Kawai, Japanese actress
- 1967 – Elix Skipper, American wrestler
- 1967 – Mo Vaughn, American baseball player
- 1968 – Osama Ali Maher, Egyptian-Swedish politician
- 1968 – Garrett Wang, American actor
- 1969 – Chantal Petitclerc, Canadian wheelchair racer
- 1970 – Frankie Dettori, Italian jockey
- 1970 – Lawrence Funderburke, American basketball player
- 1970 – Michael Shanks, Canadian actor and screenwriter
- 1971 – Clint Lowery, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Sevendust, Dark New Day, and Call Me No One)
- 1971 – Arne Quinze, Belgian painter and sculptor
- 1972 – Rodney Harrison, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Stuart Townsend, Irish actor and director
- 1973 – Surya Bonaly, French-American figure skater
- 1973 – Ryoo Seung-wan, South Korean actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1976 – Baichung Bhutia, Indian footballer and manager
- 1976 – Maria Kekkonen, Finnish porn actress
- 1976 – Aaron Miles, American baseball player
- 1976 – Todd Tichenor, American baseball player and umpire
- 1977 – Geoff Stults, American actor and producer
- 1978 – Ned Brower, American drummer and actor (Rooney)
- 1978 – Mark Jansen, Dutch guitarist and songwriter (Epica, After Forever, and Mayan)
- 1978 – Jerome McDougle, American football player
- 1979 – Adam Brody, American actor
- 1979 – Alex Solowitz, American actor, singer, and dancer (2Ge+Her)
- 1979 – Eric Young, Canadian wrestler
- 1980 – Sergio Pizzorno, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Kasabian and Loose Tapestries)
- 1980 – Manuel Wilhelm, German rugby player
- 1981 – Najoua Belyzel, French singer
- 1981 – Michelle Dockery, English actress and singer
- 1981 – Brendan Fletcher, Canadian actor
- 1981 – Andy González, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1981 – Thomas Herrion, American football player (d. 2005)
- 1981 – Creighton Lovelace, American minister
- 1981 – Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russian footballer
- 1981 – Firman Utina, Indonesian footballer
- 1982 – Charlie Cox, English actor
- 1982 – Borja García, Spanish race car driver
- 1982 – George O. Gore II, American actor
- 1982 – Tatiana Perebiynis, Ukrainian tennis player
- 1983 – Delon Armitage, Trinidadian-English rugby player
- 1983 – René Duprée, Canadian wrestler
- 1983 – Wang Hao, Chinese table tennis player
- 1983 – Ronnie Radke, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Falling in Reverse and Escape the Fate)
- 1984 – Kirsty Lee Allan, Australian actress
- 1984 – Martin Škrtel, Slovak footballer
- 1985 – Diogo Fernandes, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Junsu, South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (TVXQ and JYJ)
- 1986 – Iveta Mazáčová, Czech sprinter
- 1986 – Snejana Onopka, Ukrainian model
- 1988 – Emily Head, English actress
- 1994 – Emma Lockhart, American actress
- 1997 – Magdalena Fręch, Polish tennis player
- 1998 – Chandler Canterbury, American actor
Deaths
- 1025 – Basil II, Byzantine emperor (b. 958)
- 1072 – Alp Arslan, Turkish sultan (b. 1029)
- 1230 – Ottokar I of Bohemia (b. 1155)
- 1598 – Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde (b. 1540)
- 1621 – Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes, French courtier, Constable of France (b. 1578)
- 1673 – Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (b. 1623)
- 1675 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter (b. 1632)
- 1683 – Izaak Walton, English author (b. 1593)
- 1688 – Gaspar Fagel, Dutch politician (b. 1634)
- 1715 – George Hickes, English minister and scholar (b. 1642)
- 1753 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect, designed Chiswick House (b. 1694)
- 1792 – Joseph Martin Kraus, Swedish pianist, violinist, and composer (b. 1756)
- 1855 – Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician (b. 1803)
- 1878 – Alfred Bird, English chemist and businessman, invented baking powder (b. 1811)
- 1890 – Sitting Bull, American tribal chief (b. 1831)
- 1943 – Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1904)
- 1944 – Glenn Miller, American bandleader and composer (b. 1904)
- 1947 – Arthur Machen, Welsh journalist and author (b. 1863)
- 1950 – Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (b. 1875)
- 1953 – Robert Stangland, American jumper (b. 1881)
- 1958 – Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
- 1962 – Charles Laughton, English-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1899)
- 1965 – M. Balasundaram, Ceylonese journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1903)
- 1966 – Walt Disney, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (b. 1901)
- 1968 – Antonio Barrette, Canadian politician, 18th Premier of Quebec (b. 1899)
- 1968 – Jess Willard, American boxer (b. 1881)
- 1969 – Karl Theodor Bleek, German politician, 12th Mayor of Marburg (b. 1898)
- 1971 – Paul Lévy, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1886)
- 1974 – Anatole Litvak, Russian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1902)
- 1977 – Wilfred Kitching, English evangelist, 7th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1893)
- 1978 – Chill Wills, American actor and singer (b. 1903)
- 1984 – Lennard Pearce, English actor (b. 1915)
- 1984 – Jan Peerce, American tenor and actor (b. 1904)
- 1985 – Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, Mauritian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Mauritius (b. 1900)
- 1989 – Arnold Moss, American actor (b. 1910)
- 1989 – Edward Underdown, English actor (b. 1908)
- 1991 – Vasily Zaytsev, Russian captain (b. 1915)
- 1993 – William Dale Phillips, American chemist and engineer (b. 1925)
- 2000 – Haris Brkić, Bosnian-Serbian basketball player (b. 1974)
- 2001 – Russ Haas, American wrestler (b. 1974)
- 2001 – Rufus Thomas, American singer and comedian (b. 1917)
- 2003 – George Fisher, American cartoonist (b. 1923)
- 2003 – Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1947)
- 2004 – Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan politician, Speaker of the Nuru Parliament (b. 1943)
- 2004 – Pauline LaFon Gore, American lawyer (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Heinrich Gross, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (b. 1914)
- 2005 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, Iranian Bahá'í (b. 1946)
- 2005 – William Proxmire, American soldier, journalist, and politician (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Darrell Russell, American football player (b. 1976)
- 2006 – Clay Regazzoni, Swiss race car driver (b. 1939)
- 2006 – Mary Stolz, American author (b. 1920)
- 2007 – John Berg, American actor (b. 1949)
- 2007 – Julia Carson, American politician (b. 1938)
- 2008 – León Febres Cordero, Ecuadorian politician, 46th President of Ecuador (b. 1931)
- 2009 – Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Blake Edwards, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Bob Feller, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Eugene Victor Wolfenstein, American psychoanalyst and theorist (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Bob Brookmeyer, American trombone player and composer (The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra) (b. 1929)
- 2011 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American journalist and author (b. 1949)
- 2011 – Frank X. McDermott, American lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
- 2011 – Jason Richards, New Zealand race car driver (b. 1976)
- 2012 – Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (b. 1952)
- 2012 – Dick Hafer, American saxophonist (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Páidí Ó Sé, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1955)
- 2012 – Ralph Pampena, American police officer (b. 1934)
- 2012 – John Anderson Strong, Scottish physician and academic (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Nigerian politician, 18th Governor of Kaduna State (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Olga Zubarry, Argentinian actress (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Sandeep Acharya, Indian singer (b. 1984)
- 2013 – Harold Camping, American evangelist, author, radio host (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Joan Fontaine, British-American actress and singer (b. 1917)
- 2013 – Helmar Frank, German mathematician and pedagogist (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Gennaro Langella, American mob boss (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Dyron Nix, American basketball player (b. 1967)
Holidays and observances
External links
