December 23

December 23 is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are eight days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 484 – Huneric dies and is succeeded by his nephew Gunthamund, who becomes king of the Vandals. During his reign Christians are protected from persecution.
• 558 – Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks.
• 562 – Hagia Sophia in Constantinople reopened with a rebuilt dome after a series of earthquakes caused the original to collapse.
• 583 – Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque.
• 679 – King Dagobert II is murdered while hunting.
• 962 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo.
• 1572 – Theologian Johann Sylvan is executed in Heidelberg for his heretical Antitrinitarian beliefs.
• 1688 – As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England flees from England to Paris, France after being deposed in favor of his nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary.
• 1783 – George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
• 1793 – The Battle of Savenay: a decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in War in the Vendée 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 resulted in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.
• 1893 – The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.
• 1913 – The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System.
• 1914 – World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops arrive in Cairo, Egypt.
• 1916 – World War I: Battle of Magdhaba – Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
• 1919 – Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 becomes law in the United Kingdom.
• 1921 – Visva-Bharati University is inaugurated.
• 1936 – Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
• 1938 – Discovery of the first modern coelacanth in South Africa.
• 1940 – World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis (Y-2) sinks the Italian motor ship Antonietta.
• 1941 – World War II: After 15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army occupies Wake Island.
• 1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
• 1948 – Seven Japanese convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, Japan.
• 1954 – First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
• 1958 – Dedication of Tokyo Tower, the world's highest self-supporting iron tower.
• 1968 – The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.
• 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
• 1970 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a one-party state.
• 1972 – A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes the Nicaraguan capital of Managua killing more than 10,000.
• 1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.
• 1979 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet Union forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
• 1982 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces it has identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
• 1986 – Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.
• 1990 – History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88.5% of Slovenia's overall electorate vote for independence from Yugoslavia.
• 2002 – An MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25.
• 2003 – PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai County, Chongqing, China, killing at least 234.
• 2007 – An agreement is made for the Kingdom of Nepal to be abolished and the country to become a federal republic with the Prime Minister becoming head of state.
• 2010 – A monsoonal trough crosses the northeastern coast of Australia from the Coral Sea, bringing mass flooding across Queensland.

Births

• 1173 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
• 1513 – Thomas Smith, English scholar and diplomat (d. 1577)
• 1582 – Severo Bonini, Italian organist and composer (d. 1663)
• 1597 – Martin Opitz, German poet and composer (d. 1639)
• 1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish field marshal and politician, Lord High Constable of Sweden (d. 1676)
• 1621 – Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)
• 1621 – Edmund Berry Godfrey, English lawyer and judge (d. 1678)
• 1689 – Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
• 1690 – Pamheiba, Indian emperor (d. 1751)
• 1713 – Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3rd Yokozuna (d. 1749)
• 1732 – Richard Arkwright, English businessman and inventor, invented the Water frame and Spinning frame (d. 1792)
• 1750 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
• 1758 – Nathan Wilson, American soldier and politician (d. 1834)
• 1777 – Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
• 1790 – Jean-François Champollion, French philologist, orientalist, and scholar (d. 1832)
• 1804 – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French author, critic, and academic (d. 1869)
• 1805 – Joseph Smith, American religious leader, 1st President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1844)
• 1812 – Samuel Smiles, Scottish-English author (d. 1904)
• 1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch pastor and poet (d. 1889)
• 1822 – Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
• 1839 – János Murkovics, Slovene-Hungarian author and educator (d. 1917)
• 1843 – Richard Conner, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1924)
• 1854 – Henry B. Guppy, English botanist and author (d. 1926)
• 1864 – Princess Zorka of Montenegro (d. 1890)
• 1867 – Madam C. J. Walker, American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company (d. 1919)
• 1870 – John Marin, American architect and painter (d. 1953)
• 1874 – Viggo Wiehe, Danish actor (d. 1956)
• 1878 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (d. 1972)
• 1885 – Pierre Brissaud, French illustrator, painter, and engraver (d. 1964)
• 1896 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian lieutenant and author (d. 1957)
• 1900 – Merle Barwis, American-Canadian super-centenarian (d. 2014)
• 1900 – Otto Soglow, American cartoonist (d. 1975)
• 1902– Norman Maclean, American author and academic (d. 1990)
• 1902 – Charan Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (d. 1987)
• 1907 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean author and poet (d. 2005)
• 1907 – James Roosevelt, American general and politician (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Avraham Stern, Polish Zionist leader (d. 1942)
• 1908 – Yousuf Karsh, Armenian-Canadian photographer (d. 2002)
• 1910 – Kurt Meyer, German general (d. 1961)
• 1911 – James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
• 1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, English-Danish physician and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
• 1911 – Marie Orav, Estonian chess player (d. 1994)
• 1916 – Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1918 – José Greco, Italian-American dancer and choreographer (d. 2000)
• 1918 – Kumar Pallana, Indian-American actor (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, German soldier, economist, and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (d. 2015)
• 1919 – Kenneth M. Taylor, American general and pilot (d. 2006)
• 1920 – Birger Malmsten, Swedish actor (d. 1991)
• 1921 – Guy Beaulne, Canadian actor and director (d. 2001)
• 1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French discus thrower, shot putter, and pianist (d. 2001)
• 1923 – Onofre Marimón, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1954)
• 1923 – Günther Schifter, Austrian journalist and radio host (d. 2008)
• 1923 – James Stockdale, American admiral and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
• 1924 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player and politician (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Duncan Hallas, English author and politician (d. 2002)
• 1925 – Rayner Unwin, English publisher (d. 2000)
• 1926 – Robert Bly, American poet and author
• 1928 – Chronis Aidonidis, Greek singer and educator
• 1929 – Chet Baker, American trumpet player and singer (d. 1988)
• 1929 – Ike Jones, American actor and producer (d. 2014)
• 1929 – Dick Weber, American bowler (d. 2005)
• 1931 – Patricia Hardy, American actress (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Ronnie Schell, American actor
• 1932 – Richard Clark Barkley, American soldier, academic, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to East Germany (d. 2015)
• 1933 – Akihito, Japanese emperor
• 1933 – Noella Leduc, American baseball player (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Paul Hornung, American football player and sportscaster
• 1935 – Abdul Ghani Minhat, Malaysian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
• 1935 – Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
• 1936 – Frederic Forrest, American actor
• 1937 – Avi, American author
• 1937 – Barney Rosenzweig, American screenwriter and producer
• 1937 – Nelson Shanks, American painter, historian, and educator (d. 2015)
• 1938 – Bob Kahn, American computer scientist and engineer, co-developed the Transmission Control Protocol
• 1939 – Nancy Graves, American sculptor and painter (d. 1995)
• 1939 – La Lupe, Cuban-American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
• 1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna)
• 1940 – Robert Labine, Canadian politician
• 1940 – Eugene Record, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2005)
• 1941 – Peter Davis, English businessman
• 1941 – Tim Hardin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1980)
• 1941 – Serge Reding, Belgian weightlifter (d. 1975)
• 1942 – Quentin Bryce, Australian lawyer and politician, 25th Governor-General of Australia
• 1943 – Ron Allen, American baseball player
• 1943 – Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov, Russian-French mathematician and academic
• 1943 – Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
• 1943 – Harry Shearer, American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter
• 1943 – Queen Silvia of Sweden
• 1944 – Wesley Clark, American general
• 1945 – Adly Mansour, Egyptian lawyer, judge, and politician, President of Egypt
• 1945 – Geoffrey Wheatcroft, English journalist and author
• 1946 – Edita Gruberová, Slovak soprano and actress
• 1946 – Susan Lucci, American actress
• 1946 – John Sullivan, English screenwriter, producer, and composer (d. 2011)
• 1946 – Ray Tabano, American guitarist (Aerosmith)
• 1947 – Graham Bonnet, English singer-songwriter (The Marbles, Rainbow, Anthem, and Michael Schenker Group)
• 1947 – Bill Rodgers, American runner
• 1947 – Lawrence Tanter, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1948 – David Davis, English politician, Minister of State for Europe
• 1948 – Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, and journalist
• 1948 – Jack Ham, American football player and sportscaster
• 1948 – Charles Herbert, American actor (d. 2015)
• 1948 – Rick Wohlhuter, American runner
• 1949 – Adrian Belew, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (King Crimson, Tom Tom Club, and The Bears)
• 1949 – Reinhold Weege, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2012)
• 1950 – Michael C. Burgess, American obstetrician and politician
• 1950 – Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, English general
• 1950 – Vicente del Bosque, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1950 – Ilchi Lee, South Korean author and educator
• 1951 – Anthony Phillips, English guitarist and songwriter (Genesis)
• 1951 – Shōfukutei Tsurube II, Japanese actor
• 1952 – William Kristol, American journalist and publisher, founded The Weekly Standard
• 1953 – Andres Alver, Estonian architect and academic
• 1953 – Gerrit W. Gong, American religious leader and academic
• 1953 – Belinda Lang, English actress
• 1953 – Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia
• 1954 – Raivo Järvi, Estonian radio host and politician (d. 2012)
• 1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright
• 1955 – Grace Knight, English-Australian singer-songwriter (Eurogliders)
• 1956 – Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver (d. 2001)
• 1956 – Dave Murray, English guitarist and songwriter (Iron Maiden and Urchin)
• 1957 – Dan Bigras, Canadian singer-songwriter and actor
• 1957 – Trisha Goddard, English television host and actress
• 1958 – Joan Severance, American model, actress, and producer
• 1958 – Victoria Williams, American singer-songwriter (Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers)
• 1959 – Demet Akbağ, Turkish actress
• 1961 – Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian journalist and author
• 1961 – Ketan J. Patel, Kenyan-English biologist and academic
• 1961 – Carol Smillie, Scottish model and actress
• 1961 – Lorna Tolentino, Filipino actress and producer
• 1962 – Bertrand Gachot, Belgian race car driver
• 1962 – Stefan Hell, Romanian-German physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1962 – Kang Je-gyu, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1962 – Keiji Mutoh, Japanese wrestler and actor
• 1963 – Jim Harbaugh, American football player and coach
• 1963 – Jess Harnell, American singer-songwriter and voice actor (Rock Sugar)
• 1963 – Donna Tartt, American author
• 1963 – Ante Zelck, German businessman
• 1964 – Eddie Vedder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1966 – Badi Assad, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1967 – Carla Bruni, Italian-French singer-songwriter and model
• 1967 – Tim Fountain, English author and playwright
• 1967 – Otis Grant, Jamaican-Canadian boxer, coach, and manager
• 1968 – Lucy Bell, English-Australian actress
• 1968 – Karyn Bryant, American journalist, actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1968 – Quincy Jones III, English-Swedish songwriter and producer
• 1968 – Barry Kooser, American painter and animator
• 1968 – Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, Puerto Rican-American photographer
• 1968 – Olga Shishigina, Kazakhstani hurdler
• 1968 – René Tretschok, German footballer and manager
• 1969 – Greg Biffle, American race car driver
• 1969 – Mary Boquitas, Mexican singer and actress
• 1969 – Martha Byrne, American actress, singer, and screenwriter
• 1969 – Rodney Culver, American football player (d. 1996)
• 1969 – Rob Pelinka, American basketball player, agent, and lawyer
• 1970 – Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater and sportscaster
• 1970 – Raymont Harris, American football player
• 1970 – Karine Polwart, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Burns Unit, Malinky, and The Fruit Tree Foundation)
• 1970 – Holly Samos, English radio host
• 1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian-American actor and producer (d. 2010)
• 1971 – Jo Johnson, English banker, journalist, and politician
• 1971 – Michalis Klokidis, Greek footballer
• 1971 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, English model, actress, and author
• 1971 – Wim Vansevenant, Belgian cyclist
• 1971 – Masayoshi Yamazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1972 – Christian Potenza, Canadian actor and producer
• 1974 – Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer and politician
• 1974 – Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Nasum and Genocide Superstars) (d. 2004)
• 1975 – Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1975 – Lady Starlight, American singer-songwriter
• 1976 – Joanna Hayes, American hurdler and coach
• 1976 – Brad Lidge, American baseball player
• 1976 – Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Uzbek-Greek footballer and manager
• 1976 – Jamie Noble, American wrestler and producer
• 1977 – Matt Baker, English television host and actor
• 1977 – Alge Crumpler, American football player
• 1977 – Tore Johansen, Norwegian trumpeter and composer (Inner Ear)
• 1977 – Jari Mäenpää, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Wintersun, Ensiferum, and Arthemesia)
• 1977 – Paul Shirley, American basketball player and blogger
• 1978 – Esthero, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1978 – Andra Davis, American football player
• 1978 – Jodie Marsh, English model and actress
• 1978 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1978 – Estella Warren, Canadian swimmer, model, and actress
• 1978 – Akiko Yada, Japanese actress
• 1979 – Summer Altice, American model and actress
• 1979 – Abraham Chebii, Kenyan runner
• 1979 – Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player
• 1979 – Holly Madison, American model and actress
• 1979 – Megan Mayhew Bergman American author and educator
• 1979 – Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer
• 1979 – Yukifumi Murakami, Japanese javelin thrower
• 1980 – Intira Jaroenpura, Thai actress and singer
• 1980 – Lexi Love, American porn actress
• 1980 – Elvin Ng, Singaporean model and actor
• 1980 – Cody Ross, American baseball player
• 1980 – Kohei Yamamoto, Japanese actor
• 1981 – Beth, Spanish singer and actress
• 1981 – Maritza Correia, Puerto Rican-American swimmer
• 1981 – Yuriorkis Gamboa, Cuban boxer
• 1981 – Agnes Milowka, Polish-Australian diver, explorer, photographer, and author (d. 2011)
• 1981 – Mario Santana, Argentinian footballer
• 1982 – Brad Nelson, American baseball player
• 1982 – Thomas Rohregger, Austrian cyclist
• 1983 – Michael Chopra, English footballer
• 1983 – Lisa Dobriskey, English runner
• 1983 – Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
• 1984 – Dudu Aharon, Israeli singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Josh Satin, American baseball player
• 1984 – Sebastian Werle, German rugby player
• 1985 – Harry Judd, English drummer and songwriter
• 1985 – Luke O'Loughlin, Australian actor and singer
• 1986 – Beau Champion, Australian rugby player
• 1986 – T. J. Oshie, American ice hockey player
• 1986 – Noël Wells, American actress
• 1987 – Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Thomas Bourgin, French motorcycle racer (d. 2013)
• 1987 – Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player
• 1987 – Kana Kurashina, Japanese actress
• 1988 – Thomai Apergi, Greek singer
• 1988 – Eri Kamei, Japanese singer and actress (Morning Musume, Morning Musume Sakuragumi, and Tanpopo)
• 1988 – Yuka Kashino, Japanese singer and dancer
• 1988 – Eliana Ramos, Uruguayan model (d. 2007)
• 1989 – Liis Koger, Estonian painter and poet
• 1990 – Anna María Pérez de Tagle, American actress and singer
• 1992 – Jeff Schlupp, German footballer
• 1993 – Ruriko Kojima, Japanese model and sportscaster

Deaths

• 484 – Huneric, Vandal king
• 668 – Mor Gabriel, Turkish bishop and saint (b. 594)
• 679 – Dagobert II, Frankish king (b. 650)
• 761 – Gaubald, Frankish bishop (b. 700)
• 910 – Saint Naum, Bulgarian missionary and scholar (b. 830)
• 918 – Conrad I of Germany (b. 890)
• 1230 – Berengaria of Navarre (b. 1165)
• 1556 – Nicholas Udall, English cleric, playwright, and educator (b. 1504)
• 1568 – Roger Ascham, English scholar and academic (b. 1515)
• 1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese samurai (b. 1531)
• 1588 – Henry I, Duke of Guise (b. 1550)
• 1631 – Michael Drayton, English poet and playwright (b. 1563)
• 1646 – François Maynard, French poet and academic (b. 1582)
• 1652 – John Cotton, English-American minister and theologian (b. 1585)
• 1675 – Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French general and diplomat (b. 1602)
• 1722 – Pierre Varignon, French mathematician and academic (b. 1654)
• 1754 – Queen Alliquippa, Seneca leader (b. 1670?-1700s?)
• 1761 – Alastair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish spy (b. 1725)
• 1763 – Antoine François Prévost, French author (b. 1697)
• 1771 – Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian nun and saint, founded Grey Nuns (b. 1701)
• 1779 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1724)
• 1789 – Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French priest and educator (b. 1712)
• 1795 – Henry Clinton, English general and politician (b. 1730)
• 1805 – Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and author (b. 1723)
• 1834 – Thomas Robert Malthus, English economist and demographer (b. 1766)
• 1884 – John Chisum, American businessman and poker player (b. 1824)
• 1902 – Frederick Temple, English archbishop and academic (b. 1821)
• 1912 – Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist and academic (b. 1850)
• 1926 – Swami Shraddhanand, Indian monk, missionary, and educator (b. 1856)
• 1930 – Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay, Turkish lieutenant and educator (b. 1906)
• 1931 – Wilson Bentley, American meteorologist and photographer (b. 1865)
• 1939 – Anthony Fokker, Indonesian-Dutch pilot and engineer, designed the Fokker Dr.I and Fokker D.VII (b. 1890)
• 1946 – Kiki Preston, American heiress (b. 1898)
• 1946 – John A. Sampson, American gynecologist and academic (b. 1873)
• 1948 – Akira Mutō, Japanese general (b. 1883)
• 1948 – Hideki Tojo, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1884)
• 1950 – Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (b. 1878)
• 1953 – Lavrentiy Beria, Georgian-Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Internal Affairs (b. 1899)
• 1954 – René Iché, French soldier and sculptor (b. 1897)
• 1961 – Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, American author (b. 1875)
• 1961 – Kurt Meyer, German general (b. 1910)
• 1963 – Vida Hope, English actress and director (b. 1918)
• 1970 – Charles Ruggles, American actor and singer (b. 1886)
• 1970 – Aleksander Warma, Estonian lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (b. 1890)
• 1972 – Andrei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-95 and Tupolev Tu-104 (b. 1888)
• 1973 – Charles Atlas, Italian-American bodybuilder and model (b. 1892)
• 1973 – Irna Phillips, American actress and screenwriter, created Guiding Light and As the World Turns (b. 1901)
• 1979 – Peggy Guggenheim, American-Italian art collector (b. 1898)
• 1982 – Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
• 1983 – Colin Middleton, Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Joan Lindsay, Australian author and playwright (b. 1896)
• 1992 – Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (b. 1934)
• 1992 – Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (Parliament-Funkadelic and The Parliaments) (b. 1950)
• 1994 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (b. 1905)
• 1995 – Patric Knowles, English-American actor (b. 1911)
• 1997 – Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer (b. 1908)
• 1998 – Joe Orlando, Italian-American author and illustrator (b. 1927)
• 2000 – Billy Barty, American actor and singer (b. 1924)
• 2000 – Victor Borge, Danish-American actor, conductor, and pianist (b. 1909)
• 2000 – Noor Jehan, Pakistani actress and singer (b. 1926)
• 2001 – Bola Ige, Nigerian lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Oyo State (b. 1930)
• 2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1914)
• 2005 – Norman D. Vaughan, American dog sled racer and explorer (b. 1905)
• 2006 – Charlie Drake, English actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Timothy J. Tobias, American pianist and composer (b. 1952)
• 2006 – Johnny Vincent, English footballer (b. 1947)
• 2007 – William Francis Ganong, Jr., American physiologist and academic (b. 1924)
• 2007 – Michael Kidd, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1915)
• 2007 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1925)
• 2009 – Robert L. Howard, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1939)
• 2009 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan general and politician (b. 1910)
• 2009 – Edward Schillebeeckx, Belgian theologian and academic (b. 1914)
• 2010 – Fred Hargesheimer, American soldier and pilot (b. 1916)
• 2010 – K. Karunakaran, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Kerala (b. 1918)
• 2011 – Aydın Menderes, Turkish economist and politician (b. 1946)
• 2012 – Anand Abhyankar, Indian actor (b. 1963)
• 2012 – Jean Harris, American educator and murderer (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Eduardo Maiorino, Brazilian mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (b. 1979)
• 2012 – Mike Scaccia, American guitarist (Ministry, Rigor Mortis, League of Blind Women, and Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters) (b. 1965)
• 2012 – Pedro Toledo, Puerto Rican police officer (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Evelyn Ward, American actress (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Chryssa, Greek-American sculptor (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian general and weapons designer, designed the AK-47 rifle (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Yusef Lateef, American saxophonist, composer, and educator (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Ricky Lawson, American drummer and composer (Yellowjackets) (b. 1954)
• 2013 – José Ortiz, Spanish illustrator (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Vito Rizzuto, Italian-Canadian mob boss (b. 1945)
• 2013 – G. S. Shivarudrappa, Indian poet and educator (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Robert W. Wilson, American philanthropist and art collector (b. 1928)
• 2014 – K. Balachander, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Jo Jo Benson, American singer (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Mike Elliott, English comedian and actor (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Robert V. Hogg, American statistician and academic (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Jeremy Lloyd, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Michael Earl, American actor, singer, and puppeteer (b. 1959)
• 2015 – Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Don Howe, English footballer and manager (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Jean-Marie Pelt, French biologist, pharmacist, and academic (b. 1933)
• 2015 – Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Ministers of Turkey (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances

• Birthday of the Queen Silvia, an official flag day (Sweden)
• Children's Day (South Sudan and Sudan)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Abassad (Coptic Church)
  • John Cantius
  • O Emmanuel
  • Psote (Coptic Church)
  • Thorlac Thorhallsson, patron saint of Iceland; The last day of preparations before Christmas.
  • December 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Festivus, a holiday made popular by the sitcom Seinfeld
• HumanLight (Secular humanism in United States)
• Night of the Radishes (Oaxaca City, Mexico)
• The Emperor's Birthday, birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan. (Japan)
• Tibb's Eve (Newfoundland and Labrador)
• Tom Bawcock's Eve (Mousehole, Cornwall)
• Victory Day (Egypt) commemorates the end of the Suez Crisis on that date in 1956

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to December 23.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History