December 26

December 26 is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are five days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1481 – Battle of Westbroek: Holland defeats troops of Utrecht.
• 1489 – The forces of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, take control of Almería from the Nasrid ruler of Granada, Muhammad XIII.
• 1559 – Pope Pius IV is elected.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: In the Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army attacks and successfully defeats a garrison of Hessian forces .
• 1790 – Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution.
• 1793 – Second Battle of Wissembourg: France defeat Austria.
• 1793 – The wedding of Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia and Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz takes place.
• 1799 – Four thousand people attend George Washington's funeral where Henry Lee III declares him as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
• 1805 – Austria and France sign the Treaty of Pressburg.
• 1806 – Battles of Pultusk and Golymin: Russian forces hold French forces under Napoleon.
• 1811 – A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable.
• 1825 – Advocates of liberalism in Russia rise up against Czar Nicholas I and are put down in the Decembrist revolt in Saint Petersburg.
• 1846 – Trapped in snow in the Sierra Nevadas and without food, members of the Donner Party resort to cannibalism.
• 1860 – The first ever inter-club association football match takes place between Hallam F.C. and Sheffield F.C. at the Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.
• 1861 – American Civil War: The Trent Affair: Confederate diplomatic envoys James M. Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and United Kingdom.
• 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou begins.
• 1862 – Four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship.
• 1862 – The largest mass-hanging in U.S. history took place in Mankato, Minnesota, 38 Native Americans died.
• 1870 – The 12.8-km long Fréjus Rail Tunnel through the Alps is completed.
• 1871 – Gilbert and Sullivan collaborate for the first time, on their lost opera, Thespis. It does modestly well, but the two would not collaborate again for four years.
• 1883 – The Harbour Grace Affray between Irish Catholics and Protestant Orangemen causes five deaths in Newfoundland.
• 1895 – New Empire Theatre, in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England was destroyed by fire
• 1898 – Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium.
• 1900 – A relief crew arrives at the lighthouse on the Flannan Isles of Scotland, UK, only to find the previous crew has disappeared without a trace.
• 1919 – Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee, allegedly establishing the Curse of the Bambino superstition.
• 1925 – Turkey adopts the Gregorian calendar.
• 1941 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
• 1943 – World War II: German warship Scharnhorst is sunk off of Norway's North Cape after a battle against major Royal Navy forces.
• 1944 – World War II: George S. Patton's Third Army breaks the encirclement of surrounded U.S. forces at Bastogne, Belgium.
• 1948 – Cardinal József Mindszenty is arrested in Hungary and accused of treason and conspiracy.
• 1963 – The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" are released in the United States, marking the beginning of Beatlemania on an international level.
• 1966 – The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: As part of Operation Linebacker II, 120 American B-52 Stratofortress bombers attacked Hanoi, including 78 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history.
• 1975 – Tu-144, the world's first commercial supersonic aircraft, surpassing Mach 2, went into service.
• 1976 – The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist) is founded.
• 1982 – Time's Man of the Year is for the first time a non-human, the personal computer.
• 1991 – The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the Soviet Union.
• 1994 – Four Armed Islamic Group hijackers seize control of Air France Flight 8969. When the plane lands at Marseille, a French Gendarmerie assault team boards the aircraft and kills the hijackers.
• 1996 – Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado.
• 1996 – Start of the largest strike in South Korean history.
• 1997 – The Soufrière Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat explodes, creating a small tsunami offshore.
• 1998 – Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones.
• 1999 – The storm Lothar sweeps across Central Europe, killing 137 and causing US$1.3 billion in damage.
• 2003 – A magnitude 6.6 earthquake devastates southeast Iranian city of Bam, killing tens of thousands and destroying the citadel of Arg-é Bam.
• 2004 – The 9.1–9.3 Mw Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). One of the largest observed tsunamis follows, affecting the coastal areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. The death toll across a number of these nations is 230,000–280,000.
• 2004 – Orange Revolution: The final run-off election in Ukraine is held under heavy international scrutiny.
• 2006 – An oil pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria explodes, killing at least 260.
• 2009 – China opens the world's longest high-speed rail route, which links Beijing and Guangzhou.

Births

• 1194 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1250)
• 1532 – Wilhelm Xylander, German scholar and academic (d. 1576)
• 1536 – Yi I, Korean philosopher and scholar (d. 1584)
• 1581 – Philip III, Landgrave of Hesse-Butzbach (d. 1643)
• 1646 – Robert Bolling, English-American merchant and planter (d. 1709)
• 1687 – Johann Georg Pisendel, German violinist and composer (d. 1755)
• 1716 – Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French soldier and philosopher (d. 1803)
• 1716 – Thomas Gray, English poet and scholar (d. 1771)
• 1723 – Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm, German-French author and playwright (d. 1807)
• 1737 – Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (d. 1815)
• 1751 – Lord George Gordon, English lieutenant and politician (d. 1793)
• 1751 – Clemens Maria Hofbauer, Austrian priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1820)
• 1771 – Julie Clary, French wife of Joseph Bonaparte (d. 1845)
• 1780 – Mary Somerville, Scottish mathematician, astronomer, and author (d. 1872)
• 1785 – Étienne Constantin de Gerlache, Belgian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1871)
• 1782 – Philaret Drozdov, Russian metropolitan and saint (d. 1867)
• 1791 – Charles Babbage, English mathematician and engineer, invented the Difference engine (d. 1871)
• 1803 – Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, Estonian physician and author (d. 1882)
• 1819 – E. D. E. N. Southworth, American author and educator (d. 1899)
• 1820 – Dion Boucicault, Irish actor and playwright (d. 1890)
• 1837 – Morgan Bulkeley, American soldier and politician, 54th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1922)
• 1837 – George Dewey, American admiral (d. 1917)
• 1852 – Johannes François Snelleman, Dutch zoologist, orientalist, and ethnographer (d. 1938)
• 1853 – René Bazin, French author and academic (d. 1932)
• 1854 – José Yves Limantour, Mexican financier and politician, Mexican Secretary of Finance (d. 1935)
• 1859 – William Stephens, American lawyer and politician, 24th Governor of California (d. 1944)
• 1863 – Charles Pathé, French record producer, co-founded Pathé Records (d. 1957)
• 1864 – Yun Chi-ho, Korean activist and politician (d. 1945)
• 1867 – Phan Bội Châu, Vietnamese activist (d. 1940)
• 1869 – Mathieu Cordang, Dutch cyclist (d. 1942)
• 1872 – Norman Angell, English journalist, academic, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
• 1873 – Thomas Wass, English cricketer (d. 1953)
• 1874 – Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah, Bangladeshi theologian and academic (d. 1965)
• 1883 – Maurice Utrillo, French painter (d. 1955)
• 1887 – Arthur Percival, English general (d. 1966)
• 1888 – Marius Canard, French orientalist and historian (d. 1982)
• 1890 – Percy Hodge, English runner (d. 1967)
• 1890 – Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (d. 1992)
• 1891 – Henry Miller, American author and painter (d. 1980)
• 1892 – Don Barclay, American actor and illustrator (d. 1975)
• 1893 – Mao Zedong, Chinese politician, 1st President of the People's Republic of China (d. 1976)
• 1894 – Jean Toomer, American author and poet (d. 1967)
• 1899 – Udham Singh, Indian martyr and activist (d. 1940)
• 1901 – Elmar Muuk, Estonian linguist and author (d. 1941)
• 1902 – Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan, Russian painter and sculptor (d. 1980)
• 1903 – Elisha Cook, Jr., American actor (d. 1995)
• 1904 – Alejo Carpentier, Swiss-Cuban musicologist and author (d. 1980)
• 1905 – William Loeb III, American publisher (d. 1981)
• 1906 – Imperio Argentina, Argentinian -Spanish actress and singer (d. 2003)
• 1907 – Albert Gore, Sr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1998)
• 1908 – Ralph Hill, American runner (d. 1994)
• 1909 – Matt Gordy, American pole vaulter (d. 1989)
• 1912 – Arsenio Lacson, Filipino journalist and politician, Mayor of Manila (d. 1962)
• 1913 – Frank Swift, English footballer and journalist (d. 1958)
• 1914 – Annemarie Wendl, German actress (d. 2006)
• 1914 – Richard Widmark, American actor and producer (d. 2008)
• 1915 – Rolf Botvid, Swedish actor and screenwriter (d. 1998)
• 1918 – Olga Lopes-Seale, Guyanese-Barbadian singer and radio host (d. 2011)
• 1918 – Georgios Rallis, Greek lieutenant and politician, 173rd Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2006)
• 1921 – John Severin, American illustrator (d. 2012)
• 1921 – Steve Allen, American actor, singer, talk show host, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
• 1922 – Richard Mayes, English actor (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Richard Artschwager, American painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Frank Broyles, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1926 – Earle Brown, American composer (d. 2002)
• 1926 – Gina Pellón, Cuban-French painter and poet (d. 2014)
• 1927 – Denis Gifford, English journalist and historian (d. 2000)
• 1927 – Alan King, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
• 1927 – Stu Miller, American baseball player (d. 2015)
• 1927 – Denis Quilley, English actor (d. 2003)
• 1929 – Kathleen Crowley, American actress
• 1929 – Régine Zylberberg, Belgian-French singer and actress
• 1930 – Jean Ferrat, French singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2010)
• 1930 – Harry Gamble, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Donald Moffat, English-American actor
• 1933 – Ugly Dave Gray, English-Australian actor and singer
• 1933 – Olavi Salsola, Finnish runner (d. 1995)
• 1933 – Caroll Spinney, American puppeteer and voice actor
• 1935 – Abdul "Duke" Fakir, American singer (Four Tops)
• 1935 – Norm Ullman, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1936 – Peep Jänes, Estonian architect
• 1936 – Trevor Taylor, English race car driver (d. 2010)
• 1937 – John Horton Conway, English-American mathematician and academic
• 1937 – Jay Heimowitz, American poker player
• 1938 – Bahram Beyzai, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1938 – Robert Hamerton-Kelly, South African-American pastor, scholar, and author (d. 2013)
• 1938 – Alamgir Kabir, Bangladeshi director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
• 1938 – Mirko Kovač, Croatian author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Fred Schepisi, Australian director and screenwriter
• 1939 – Phil Spector, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Teddy Bears)
• 1940 – Edward C. Prescott, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1940 – Ray Sadecki, American baseball player (d. 2014)
• 1941 – Daniel Schmid, Swiss actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1941 – Şener Şen, Turkish actor and producer
• 1942 – Vinicio Cerezo, Guatemalan politician, 28th President of Guatemala
• 1942 – Catherine Coulter, American author
• 1942 – Gray Davis, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of California
• 1942 – Rob de Nijs, Dutch singer and actor
• 1942 – Dan Massey, American activist and author (d. 2013)
• 1944 – William Ayers, American academic and activist
• 1944 – Jane Lapotaire, English actress and singer
• 1945 – John Walsh, American television host, producer, and activist, created America's Most Wanted
• 1946 – Alan Frumin, American lawyer and politician
• 1946 – Tiit Rosenberg, Estonian historian and academic
• 1946 – Rini Wagtmans, Dutch cyclist and businessman
• 1947 – James T. Conway, American general
• 1947 – Jean Echenoz, French author
• 1947 – Carlton Fisk, American baseball player
• 1947 – Josef Janíček, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and keyboard player (The Plastic People of the Universe)
• 1947 – Richard Levis McCormick, American historian and academic
• 1948 – Candy Crowley, American journalist
• 1949 – Mikhail Boyarsky, Russian actor and singer
• 1949 – Bob Hartman, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Petra)
• 1949 – José Ramos-Horta, East Timorese lawyer and politician, 2nd President of East Timor, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1950 – Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Pakistani businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan
• 1950 – Mario Mendoza, Mexican baseball player and manager
• 1951 – C. J. Henderson, American author and critic (d. 2014)
• 1951 – John Scofield, American guitarist and composer (Trio Beyond)
• 1951 – Richard Skinner, English radio and television host
• 1953 – Leonel Fernández, Dominican lawyer and politician, 51st President of the Dominican Republic
• 1953 – Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Swedish-Estonian journalist and politician, 4th President of Estonia
• 1953 – Makis Katsavakis, Greek footballer and manager
• 1953 – Henning Schmitz, German drummer (Kraftwerk)
• 1954 – Peter Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and philanthropist
• 1954 – Tony Rosato, Italian-Canadian actor and screenwriter
• 1954 – Ozzie Smith, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1954 – Steve Steen, English actor and screenwriter
• 1955 – Evan Bayh, American lawyer and politician, 46th Governor of Indiana
• 1956 – David Sedaris, American comedian, author, and radio host
• 1957 – Dermot Murnaghan, English-Northern Irish journalist and game show host
• 1957 – Mike South, American porn actor and director
• 1958 – Mieko Harada, Japanese actress, singer, and producer
• 1958 – Adrian Newey, English aerodynamicist and engineer
• 1959 – Wang Lijun, Chinese police officer and politician
• 1959 – Kōji Morimoto, Japanese animator and director
• 1959 – Hans Nielsen, Danish motorcycle racer
• 1960 – Keith Martin Ball, American mathematician and academic
• 1960 – Ruud Kaiser, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1960 – Temuera Morrison, New Zealand actor
• 1960 – Jim Toomey, American cartoonist
• 1960 – Cem Uzan, Turkish businessman and politician
• 1961 – Kazuhisa Kawahara, Japanese actor
• 1961 – Andrew Lock, Australian mountaineer
• 1961 – John Lynch, Northern Irish actor
• 1962 – Carina Jaarnek, Swedish singer (d. 2016)
• 1962 – Mark Starr, English wrestler (d. 2013)
• 1963 – Lars Ulrich, Danish-American drummer, songwriter, and producer (Metallica)
• 1963 – Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player and sportscaster
• 1964 – Elizabeth Kostova, American author
• 1966 – Jay Farrar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, and Gob Iron)
• 1966 – Tim Legler, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1966 – Sandra Taylor, American model and actress
• 1966 – Jay Yuenger, American guitarist and producer (White Zombie)
• 1967 – Timo Karppinen, Finnish orienteer
• 1968 – Tricia Leigh Fisher, American actress and singer
• 1968 – Dennis Knight, American wrestler and chef
• 1969 – Isaac Viciosa, Spanish runner
• 1970 – Krissada Sukosol Clapp, Thai actor and singer
• 1970 – James Mercer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Shins and Broken Bells)
• 1971 – Jared Leto, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor and director (Thirty Seconds to Mars)
• 1971 – Mika Nurmela, Finnish footballer
• 1971 – Jonathan M. Parisen, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1971 – Tatiana Sorokko, Russian-American model and journalist
• 1972 – Esteban Fuertes, Argentinian footballer
• 1972 – Shane Meadows, English actor, director, and producer
• 1972 – Robert Muchamore, English author
• 1973 – Paulo Frederico Benevenute, Brazilian footballer
• 1973 – Zach Blair, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Hagfish, Gwar, Rise Against, and Only Crime)
• 1973 – Gianluca Faliva, Italian rugby player
• 1973 – Reichen Lehmkuhl, American model and actor
• 1973 – Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Japanese baseball player
• 1973 – Steve Prescott, English rugby player (d. 2013)
• 1974 – Tiffany Brissette, American actress and nurse
• 1974 – Josie Ho, Hong Kong singer and actress
• 1974 – Joshua John Miller, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Chris Calaguio, Filipino basketball player
• 1975 – Marcelo Ríos, Chilean tennis player
• 1975 – María Vasco, Spanish race walker
• 1976 – Lea De Mae, Czech porn actress and model (d. 2004)
• 1976 – Simon Goodwin, Australian footballer and coach
• 1976 – Nadia Litz, Canadian actress and director
• 1977 – Fatih Akyel, Turkish footballer and manager
• 1977 – Sofia Bekatorou, Greek sailor
• 1977 – Adrienn Hegedűs, Hungarian tennis player
• 1978 – Karel Rüütli, Estonian lawyer and politician
• 1978 – Kaoru Sugayama, Japanese volleyball player
• 1979 – Fabián Carini, Uruguayan footballer
• 1979 – Chris Daughtry, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Daughtry)
• 1979 – Dimitry Vassiliev, Russian ski jumper
• 1979 – Craig Wing, Australian rugby player
• 1980 – Todd Dunivant, American soccer player
• 1980 – Tomoko Tabata, Japanese actress
• 1981 – Pablo Canavosio, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
• 1982 – Kenneth Darby, American football player
• 1982 – Noel Hunt, Irish footballer
• 1982 – Shun Oguri, Japanese actor and director
• 1982 – Roxanne Pallett, English actress and singer
• 1982 – Aksel Lund Svindal, Norwegian skier
• 1983 – Yu Takahashi, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Ahmed Barusso, Ghanaian footballer
• 1984 – Leonardo Ghiraldini, Italian rugby player
• 1984 – Alex Schwazer, Italian race walker
• 1985 – Beth Behrs, American actress
• 1985 – Yu Shirota, Japanese-Spanish actor and singer
• 1986 – Mew Azama, Japanese model and actress
• 1986 – Hugo Lloris, French footballer
• 1986 – Kit Harington, English actor
• 1986 – Selen Soyder, Turkish model and actress, Miss Turkey 2007
• 1987 – Adam Walker, English flute player
• 1988 – Kayo Satoh, Japanese model
• 1989 – Yohan Blake, Jamaican sprinter
• 1990 – Andy Biersack, American singer-songwriter (Black Veil Brides)
• 1990 – Denis Cheryshev, Russian footballer
• 1990 – Shota Matsushima, Japanese actor
• 1990 – Aaron Ramsey, Welsh footballer
• 1990 – James Wolpert, American singer
• 1991 – Eden Sher, American actress and producer
• 1992 – Kätlin Aas, Estonian model
• 1992 – Cecilia Costa Melgar, Chilean tennis player
• 1994 – Samantha Boscarino, American actress and singer
• 1994 – Souleymane Coulibaly, Ivorian footballer
• 1995 – Zach Mills, American actor
• 1996 – Airi Matsui, Japanese singer, model, and actress (Sakura Gakuin)
• 1996 – Kasumi Yamaya, Japanese actress and model
• 2000 – Isac Elliot, Finnish singer-songwriter and actor
• 2000 – Samuel Sevian, American chess player

Deaths

• 268 – Pope Dionysius
• 831 – Euthymius of Sardis, Byzantine bishop and saint (b. 754)
• 1194 – Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford, English husband of Agnes of Essex, Countess of Oxford (b. 1115)
• 1350 – Jean de Marigny, French archbishop
• 1352 – John, 3rd Earl of Kent, English politician (b. 1330)
• 1360 – Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, English commander (b. 1314)
• 1458 – Arthur III, Duke of Brittany (b. 1393)
• 1476 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Italian husband of Bona of Savoy (b. 1444)
• 1530 – Babur, Mongolian emperor (b. 1483)
• 1574 – Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine (b. 1524)
• 1731 – Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French author (b. 1672)
• 1771 – Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher and activist (b. 1715)
• 1780 – John Fothergill, English physician and botanist (b. 1712)
• 1784 – Seth Warner, American colonel (b. 1743)
• 1786 – Gasparo Gozzi, Italian playwright and critic (b. 1713)
• 1863 – Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (b. 1775)
• 1869 – Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille, French physician and physiologist (b. 1797)
• 1890 – Heinrich Schliemann, German-Italian archaeologist and author (b. 1822)
• 1909 – Frederic Remington, American painter and illustrator (b. 1861)
• 1923 – Dietrich Eckart, German journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1868)
• 1925 – Jan Letzel, Czech architect, designed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (b. 1880)
• 1929 – Albert Giraud, Belgian poet (b. 1860)
• 1931 – Melvil Dewey, American librarian and educator, created the Dewey Decimal Classification (b. 1851)
• 1933 – Anatoly Lunacharsky, Russian journalist and politician (b. 1875)
• 1933 – Henry Watson Fowler, English lexicographer and educator (b. 1858)
• 1933 – Eduard Vilde, Estonian author and diplomat (b. 1865)
• 1959 – Jack Tresadern, English footballer and manager (b. 1890)
• 1960 – Tetsuro Watsuji, Japanese historian and philosopher (b. 1889)
• 1963 – Gorgeous George, American wrestler (b. 1915)
• 1966 – Ina Boudier-Bakker, Dutch author (b. 1875)
• 1966 – Herbert Otto Gille, German general (b. 1897)
• 1966 – Guillermo Stábile, Argentinian footballer and manager (b. 1905)
• 1968 – Weegee, Ukrainian-American photographer and journalist (b.1898)
• 1970 – Lillian Board, South African-English runner (b. 1948)
• 1972 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (b. 1884)
• 1973 – Harold B. Lee, American religious leader, 11th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1899)
• 1974 – Farid al-Atrash, Syrian-Egyptian singer-songwriter, oud player, and actor (b. 1915)
• 1974 – Jack Benny, American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, and violinist (b. 1894)
• 1974 – Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton, Scottish admiral (b. 1890)
• 1975 – K. Saraswathi Amma, Indian author (b. 1919)
• 1975 – Karl Tarvas, Estonian architect (b. 1885)
• 1976 – Yashpal, Indian author (b. 1903)
• 1977 – Howard Hawks, American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
• 1980 – Tony Smith, American sculptor and educator (b. 1912)
• 1981 – Savitri, Indian actress, director, and producer (b. 1937)
• 1981 – Amber Reeves, New Zealand-English author and scholar (b. 1887)
• 1981 – Suat Hayri Ürgüplü, Turkish politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1903)
• 1983 – Violet Carson, English actress and singer (b. 1898)
• 1984 – Sheila Andrews, American singer-songwriter (b. 1953)
• 1985 – Margarete Schön, German actress (b. 1895)
• 1986 – Elsa Lanchester, English-American actress and singer (b. 1902)
• 1988 – Glenn McCarthy, American businessman, founded the Shamrock Hotel (b. 1907)
• 1988 – Pablo Sorozábal, German-Spanish composer and conductor (b. 1897)
• 1989 – Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1924)
• 1990 – Gene Callahan, American art director and production designer (b. 1923)
• 1992 – Nikita Magaloff, Georgian-Russian pianist (b. 1912)
• 1994 – Sylva Koscina, Croatian-Italian actress (b. 1933)
• 1994 – Parveen Shakir, Pakistani civil servant and poet (b. 1952)
• 1996 – Kostas Palios, Greek actor (b. 1926)
• 1997 – Cahit Arf, Turkish mathematician and academic (b. 1910)
• 1997 – Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek economist and philosopher (b. 1922)
• 1999 – Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Impressions) (b. 1942)
• 1999 – Shankar Dayal Sharma, Indian academic and politician, 9th President of India (b. 1918)
• 2000 – Jason Robards, American actor and singer (b. 1922)
• 2001 – Nigel Hawthorne, English actor and producer (b. 1929)
• 2002 – Herb Ritts, American photographer and director (b. 1952)
• 2002 – Armand Zildjian, American businessman, founded the Avedis Zildjian Company (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Troy Broadbridge, Australian footballer (b. 1980)
• 2004 – Jonathan Drummond-Webb, South African surgeon and academic (b. 1959)
• 2004 – Poom Jensen, American son of Ubolratana Rajakanya (b. 1983)
• 2004 – Sigurd Køhn, Norwegian saxophonist and composer (b. 1959)
• 2004 – Angus Ogilvy, English businessman (b. 1928)
• 2004 – Aki Sirkesalo, Finnish singer-songwriter (b. 1962)
• 2004 – Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Nasum and Genocide Superstars) (b. 1974)
• 2004 – Reggie White, American football player and wrestler (b. 1961)
• 2005 – Muriel Costa-Greenspon, American soprano and actress (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Ted Ditchburn, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Kerry Packer, Australian publisher and businessman (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Viacheslav Platonov, Russian volleyball player and coach (b. 1939)
• 2005 – Vincent Schiavelli, American actor (b. 1948)
• 2005 – Erich Topp, German commander (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Gerald Ford, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 38th President of the United States (b. 1913)
• 2006 – Ivar Formo, Norwegian skier and engineer (b. 1951)
• 2006 – Munir Niazi, Indian-Pakistani poet (b. 1928)
• 2007 – Joe Dolan, Irish singer (b. 1943)
• 2007 – Stu Nahan, American sportscaster and actor (b. 1926)
• 2008 – Gösta Krantz, Swedish actor (b. 1925)
• 2009 – Felix Wurman, American cellist and composer (b. 1958)
• 2010 – Edward Bhengu, South African activist (b. 1934)
• 2010 – Teena Marie, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1956)
• 2011 – Houston Antwine, American football player (b. 1939)
• 2011 – Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., Mexican-American actor and producer (b. 1940)
• 2011 – Sarekoppa Bangarappa, Indian politician, 15th Chief Minister of Karnataka (b. 1932)
• 2011 – Joe Bodolai, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1948)
• 2011 – Fred Fono, Solomon politician (b. 1962)
• 2011 – Sam Rivers, American flute player and composer (b. 1923)
• 2011 – James Rizzi, American painter and illustrator (b. 1950)
• 2012 – Gerry Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Fontella Bass, American singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
• 2012 – Gerald McDermott, American author and illustrator (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Ibrahim Tannous, Lebanese general (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Rebecca Tarbotton, Canadian-American activist (b. 1973)
• 2013 – Malena Alvarado, Venezuelan actress (b. 1954)
• 2013 – Paul Blair, American baseball player and coach (b. 1944)
• 2013 – Davide Lufrano Chaves, Italian-English guitarist (b. 1983)
• 2013 – Marta Eggerth, Hungarian-American actress and singer (b. 1912)
• 2013 – Dr. Tangalanga, Argentinian comedian and actor (b. 1916)
• 2014 – Stanisław Barańczak, Polish-American poet, critic, and scholar (b. 1946)
• 2014 – James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Rhodes Reason, American actor (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Leo Tindemans, Belgian politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Nasser al-Bahri, Saudi Arabian-Yemeni terrorist (b. 1972)
• 2015 – Sidney Mintz, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Jim O'Toole, American baseball player (b. 1937)
• 2015 – Mary Scranton, American philanthropist (b. 1918)

Holidays and observances

• Boxing Day, except when December 26 is a Sunday. If it is a Sunday, Boxing Day is transferred to December 27 by Royal Proclamation. (Commonwealth of Nations), and its related observances:
  • Day of Good Will (South Africa and Namibia)
  • Family Day (Vanuatu)
  • Thanksgiving (Solomon Islands)
• Christian feast day:
  • Abadiu of Antinoe (Coptic Church)
  • Earliest day on which Feast of the Holy Family can fall, celebrated on Sunday after Christmas or 30 if Christmas falls on a Sunday.
  • James the Just (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Stephen (Western Church)
  • Synaxis of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • December 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Independence and Unity Day (Slovenia)
• Mauro Hamza Day (Houston, Texas)
• Mummer's Day (Padstow, Cornwall)
• St. Stephen's Day (public holiday in Alsace, Austria, Catalonia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland), and its related observances:
  • Father's Day (Bulgaria)
• The first day of Kwanzaa, celebrated until January 1 (United States)
• The first day of Junkanoo street parade, the second day is on the New Year's Day (The Bahamas)
• The second day of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
  • Second day of Christmas (public holiday in the Netherlands)
• Wren Day (Ireland and the Isle of Man)
• Zartosht No-Diso (Zoroastrianism)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to December 26.

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