December 3

December 3 is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 28 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 915 – Pope John X crowned Berengar I of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Wiesloch: Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Anton Sztáray defeats the French at Wiesloch.
• 1800 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden: French General Moreau decisively defeats the Archduke John of Austria near Munich. Coupled with First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte's earlier victory at Marengo, this will force the Austrians to sign an armistice and end the war.
• 1818 – Illinois becomes the 21st U.S. state.
• 1834 – The Zollverein (German Customs Union) begins the first regular census in Germany.
• 1854 – Battle of the Eureka Stockade: More than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences.
• 1898 – The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeated an all-star collection of early football players 16-0, in what is considered to be the very first all-star game for professional American football.
• 1901 – In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt asks Congress to curb the power of trusts "within reasonable limits".
• 1904 – The Jovian moon Himalia is discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at California's Lick Observatory.
• 1910 – Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
• 1912 – Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia (the Balkan League) sign an armistice with the Ottoman Empire, temporarily halting the First Balkan War. (The armistice will expire on February 3, 1913, and hostilities will resume.)
• 1919 – After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, including two collapses causing 89 deaths, the Quebec Bridge opens to traffic.
• 1925 – World War I aftermath: The final Locarno Treaty is signed in London, establishing post-war territorial settlements.
• 1927 – Putting Pants on Philip, the first Laurel and Hardy film, is released.
• 1944 – Greek Civil War: Fighting breaks out in Athens between the ELAS and government forces supported by the British Army.
• 1953 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 102 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 103 relating to ICJ is adopted.
• 1959 – The current flag of Singapore is adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire.
• 1960 – The musical Camelot debuts at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. It will become associated with the Kennedy administration.
• 1964 – Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents' decision to forbid protests on UC property.
• 1967 – At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a transplant team headed by Christiaan Barnard carries out the first heart transplant on a human (53-year-old Louis Washkansky).
• 1971 – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Pakistan launches a pre-emptive strike against India and a full-scale war begins claiming hundreds of lives.
• 1973 – Pioneer program: Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter.
• 1976 – An assassination attempt is made on Bob Marley. He is shot twice, and plays a concert two days later.
• 1979 – In Cincinnati, 11 fans are suffocated in a crush for seats on the concourse outside Riverfront Coliseum before a Who concert.
• 1979 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini becomes the first Supreme Leader of Iran.
• 1982 – A soil sample is taken from Times Beach, Missouri, that will be found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin.
• 1984 – Bhopal disaster: A methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, kills more than 3,800 people outright and injures 150,000–600,000 others (some 6,000 of whom would later die from their injuries) in one of the worst industrial disasters in history.
• 1989 – Cold War: In a meeting off the coast of Malta, U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev release statements indicating that the Cold War between NATO and the Soviet Union may be coming to an end.
• 1990 – The 1990 Wayne County Airport runway collision kills seven passengers and one crew member.
• 1992 – The Greek oil tanker Aegean Sea, carrying 80,000 tonnes of crude oil, runs aground in a storm while approaching A Coruña, Spain, and spills much of its cargo.
• 1992 – A test engineer for Sema Group uses a personal computer to send the world's first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague.
• 1992 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 794 is adopted.
• 1994 – The PlayStation was released in Japan
• 1997 – In Ottawa, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign the Ottawa Treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines. The United States, People's Republic of China, and Russia do not sign the treaty, however.
• 1999 – NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere.
• 1999 – Six firefighters are killed in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire in Worcester, Massachusetts.
• 2005 – XCOR Aerospace makes the first manned rocket aircraft delivery of U.S. Mail in Kern County, California.
• 2007 – Winter storms cause the Chehalis River to flood many cities in Lewis County, Washington, and close a 20-mile portion of Interstate 5 for several days. At least eight deaths and billions of dollars in damages are blamed on the floods.
• 2009 – A suicide bombing at a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, kills 25 people, including three ministers of the Transitional Federal Government.
• 2012 – At least 475 people are killed after Typhoon Bopha makes landfall in the Philippines.
• 2012 – In Northern Ireland, 15 police officers are injured during rioting at Belfast City Hall following a vote to change Belfast City Council's policy on flying the union flag.
• 2014 – The Japanese space agency, JAXA, launches the space explorer Hayabusa 2 from the Tanegashima Space Center on a six-year round trip mission to an asteroid to collect rock samples.

Births

• 1368 – Charles VI of France (d. 1422)
• 1447 – Bayezid II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1512)
• 1560 – Jan Gruter, Dutch scholar and critic (d. 1627)
• 1596 – Nicola Amati, Italian instrument maker (d. 1684)
• 1722 – Hryhorii Skovoroda, Ukrainian poet, composer, and philosopher (d. 1794)
• 1729 – Antonio Soler, Spanish composer and theorist (d. 1783)
• 1755 – Gilbert Stuart, American painter (d. 1828)
• 1793 – Clarkson Frederick Stanfield, English painter and academic (d. 1867)
• 1800 – France Prešeren, Slovenian poet and lawyer (d. 1849)
• 1826 – George B. McClellan, American general and politician, 24th Governor of New Jersey (d. 1885)
• 1833 – Carlos Finlay, Cuban epidemiologist and physician (d. 1915)
• 1838 – Cleveland Abbe, American meteorologist and academic (d. 1916)
• 1838 – Octavia Hill, English activist and author (d. 1912)
• 1842 – Phoebe Hearst, American philanthropist and activist (d. 1919)
• 1842 – Charles Alfred Pillsbury, American businessman, founded the Pillsbury Company (d. 1899)
• 1842 – Ellen Swallow Richards, American chemist, ecologist, and educator (d. 1911)
• 1857 – Joseph Conrad, Polish-English soldier and author (d. 1924)
• 1857 – Mathilde Kralik, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1944)
• 1864 – Herman Heijermans, Dutch author and playwright (d. 1924)
• 1867 – William John Bowser, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of British Columbia (d. 1933)
• 1872 – Arthur Charles Hardy, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (d. 1962)
• 1872 – William Haselden, English cartoonist (d. 1953)
• 1875 – Max Meldrum, Scottish-Australian painter and educator (d. 1955)
• 1878 – Francis A. Nixon, American businessman (d. 1956)
• 1879 – Albert Asher, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1965)
• 1879 – Charles Hutchison, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1949)
• 1879 – Kafū Nagai, Japanese author and playwright (d. 1959)
• 1879 – Donald Matheson Sutherland, Canadian physician and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 1970)
• 1880 – Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (d. 1945)
• 1883 – Anton Webern, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1945)
• 1884 – Rajendra Prasad, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st President of India (d. 1963)
• 1884 – Walther Stampfli, Swiss lawyer and politician, 50th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1965)
• 1886 – Manne Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
• 1887 – Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, Japanese general and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1990)
• 1888 – Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Polish-Irish rabbi (d. 1959)
• 1889 – Khudiram Bose, Indian activist (d. 1908)
• 1889 – Cyrillus Kreek, Estonian trombonist and composer (d. 1962)
• 1891 – Thomas Farrell, American general (d. 1967)
• 1894 – Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian lawyer and politician (d. 1975)
• 1895 – Te Ata Fisher, American actress (d. 1995)
• 1895 – Anna Freud, Austrian-English psychologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1982)
• 1895 – Tadeusz Olsza, Polish actor and singer (d. 1975)
• 1897 – William Gropper, American cartoonist and painter (d. 1977)
• 1899 – Hayato Ikeda, Japanese politician, 58th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1965)
• 1900 – Ulrich Inderbinen, Swiss mountaineer (d. 2004)
• 1900 – Richard Kuhn, Austrian-German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
• 1901 – Glenn Hartranft, American shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1970)
• 1901 – Mildred Wiley, American high jumper (d. 2000)
• 1902 – Mitsuo Fuchida, Japanese captain and pilot (d. 1976)
• 1902 – Feliks Kibbermann, Estonian chess player and philologist (d. 1993)
• 1908 – Edward Underdown, English actor and jockey (d. 1989)
• 1911 – Nino Rota, Italian pianist, composer, conductor, and academic (d. 1979)
• 1914 – Irving Fine, American composer and academic (d. 1962)
• 1918 – Abdul Haris Nasution, Indonesian general and politician, 12th Indonesian Minister of Defence (d. 2000)
• 1919 – Charles Lynch, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1994)
• 1921 – Phyllis Curtin, American soprano, actress, and academic
• 1921 – John Doar, American lawyer and activist (d. 2014)
• 1922 – Len Lesser, American actor (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Eli Mandel, Canadian poet, critic, and academic (d. 1992)
• 1922 – Sven Nykvist, Swedish director and cinematographer (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Trevor Bailey, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2011)
• 1923 – Stjepan Bobek, Croatian-Serbian footballer and manager (d. 2010)
• 1923 – Moyra Fraser, Australian-English actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Wiel Coerver, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2011)
• 1924 – F. Sionil José, Filipino journalist and author
• 1924 – Roberto Mieres, Argentinian race car driver and sailor (d. 2012)
• 1924 – John Winter, Australian high jumper (d. 2007)
• 1925 – Kim Dae-jung, South Korean lieutenant and politician, 8th President of South Korea, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
• 1925 – Ferlin Husky, American singer and guitarist (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Andy Williams, American singer and actor (The Williams Brothers) (d. 2012)
• 1928 – Thomas M. Foglietta, American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (d. 2004)
• 1928 – Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Indian-Bangladeshi jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (d. 2014)
• 1929 – John S. Dunne, American priest and theologian (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Jean-Luc Godard, French-Swiss director and screenwriter
• 1930 – Raul M. Gonzalez, Filipino lawyer and politician, 42nd Filipino Secretary of Justice (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Yves Trudeau, Canadian sculptor
• 1931 – Franz Josef Degenhardt, German author and poet (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Jaye P. Morgan, American singer and actress
• 1932 – Corry Brokken, Dutch singer, lawyer, and judge
• 1932 – Takao Fujinami, Japanese lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
• 1933 – Paul J. Crutzen, Dutch chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1934 – Nicolas Coster, American actor and producer
• 1934 – Viktor Gorbatko, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut
• 1934 – Abimael Guzmán, Peruvian philosopher and academic
• 1935 – Eddie Bernice Johnson, American nurse and politician
• 1937 – Bobby Allison, American race car driver and businessman
• 1937 – Morgan Llywelyn, American-Irish model and author
• 1937 – Binod Bihari Verma, Indian physician and author (d. 2003)
• 1938 – Jean-Claude Malépart, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
• 1938 – Sally Shlaer, American mathematician and engineer (d. 1998)
• 1939 – Don Calfa, American actor
• 1939 – John Paul, Sr., Dutch-American race car driver
• 1939 – David Phillips, English chemist and academic
• 1940 – Jeffrey R. Holland, American academic and religious leader
• 1942 – Pedro Rocha, Uruguayan footballer and manager (d. 2013)
• 1942 – Alice Schwarzer, German journalist and publisher, founded EMMA Magazine
• 1942 – David K. Shipler, American journalist and author
• 1943 – J. Philippe Rushton, English-Canadian psychologist and academic (d. 2012)
• 1943 – Joseph Franklin Ada, Guamanian lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Guam
• 1944 – Ralph McTell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1944 – Craig Raine, English poet, author, and playwright
• 1945 – Paul Nicholas, English actor and singer
• 1946 – Joop Zoetemelk, Dutch cyclist
• 1947 – Patricia Krenwinkel, American murderer
• 1948 – Jan Hrubý, Czech violinist and songwriter (Framus Five and Etc...)
• 1948 – Maxwell Hutchinson, English architect and television host
• 1948 – Ozzy Osbourne, English-American singer-songwriter and actor (Black Sabbath)
• 1949 – John Akii-Bua, Ugandan hurdler (d. 1997)
• 1949 – Heather Menzies, Canadian-American actress and singer
• 1949 – Mickey Thomas, American singer-songwriter (Jefferson Starship and Starship)
• 1950 – Alberto Juantorena, Cuban runner
• 1951 – Mike Bantom, American basketball player and manager
• 1951 – Ray Candy, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1994)
• 1951 – Riki Choshu, South Korean-Japanese wrestler
• 1951 – Rick Mears, American race car driver
• 1951 – Nicky Stevens, Welsh singer and pianist (Brotherhood of Man)
• 1952 – Don Barnes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (38 Special)
• 1952 – Benny Hinn, American evangelist and author
• 1952 – Mel Smith, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2013)
• 1953 – Franz Klammer, Austrian skier and race car driver
• 1953 – Rob Waring, American-Norwegian vibraphonist and contemporary composer (Søyr)
• 1954 – Grace Andreacchi, American-English author, poet, and playwright
• 1955 – Steven Culp, American actor
• 1955 – Warren Jeffs, American religious leader
• 1956 – Ewa Kopacz, Polish physician and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland
• 1957 – Maxim Korobov, Russian businessman and politician
• 1957 – Valérie Quennessen, French actress (d. 1989)
• 1959 – Eamonn Holmes, Irish-English journalist and game show host
• 1960 – Daryl Hannah, American actress and producer
• 1960 – Igor Larionov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1960 – Julianne Moore, American actress and author
• 1960 – Mike Ramsey, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1961 – Adal Ramones, Mexican comedian, actor, and producer
• 1962 – Richard Bacon, English banker, journalist, and politician
• 1962 – Nataliya Grygoryeva, Ukrainian hurdler
• 1963 – Joe Lally, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Fugazi and Ataxia)
• 1963 – Terri Schiavo, American medical patient (d. 2005)
• 1964 – Darryl Hamilton, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
• 1965 – Steve Harris, American actor
• 1965 – Andrew Stanton, American voice actor, director, producer, screenwriter
• 1965 – Katarina Witt, German figure skater and actress
• 1966 – Monic Hendrickx, Dutch actress
• 1966 – Flemming Povlsen, Danish footballer and manager
• 1966 – Irina Zhuk, Russian figure skater and coach
• 1968 – Brendan Fraser, American actor and producer
• 1968 – Montell Jordan, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1969 – Bill Steer, English guitarist and songwriter (Carcass, Firebird, Angel Witch, and Gentlemans Pistols)
• 1970 – Paul Byrd, American baseball player
• 1970 – Lindsey Hunter, American basketball player and coach
• 1970 – Christian Karembeu, French footballer
• 1970 – Lu Parker, American journalist and actress, Miss USA 1994
• 1970 – Laura Schuler, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1971 – Ola Rapace, Swedish actor
• 1971 – Frank Sinclair, English-Jamaican footballer and manager
• 1971 – Henk Timmer, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1971 – Keegan Connor Tracy, Canadian actress
• 1971 – Vernon White, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
• 1972 – Danilo Goffi, Italian runner
• 1972 – Bucky Lasek, American skateboarder and race car driver
• 1972 – Saki Takaoka, Japanese actress
• 1973 – Holly Marie Combs, American actress and producer
• 1973 – Super Crazy, Mexican-American wrestler
• 1973 – MC Frontalot, American rapper
• 1973 – Sammy Leung, Hong Kong singer and actor
• 1974 – Lucette Rådström, Swedish journalist
• 1975 – Mickey Avalon, American rapper
• 1975 – Malinda Williams, American actress
• 1976 – Mark Boucher, South African cricketer
• 1976 – Silvia Fontana, American-Italian figure skater and coach
• 1976 – Gary Glover, American baseball player
• 1976 – Cornelius Griffin, American football player
• 1976 – Byron Kelleher, New Zealand rugby player
• 1976 – Tomotaka Okamoto, Japanese soprano
• 1976 – Todd Smith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Dog Fashion Disco, Polkadot Cadaver, The Alter Boys, and Knives Out!)
• 1977 – Chad Durbin, American baseball player
• 1977 – Troy Evans, American football player
• 1977 – Adam Małysz, Polish ski jumper and race car driver
• 1977 – Yelena Zadorozhnaya, Russian runner
• 1978 – Trina, American rapper and producer
• 1978 – Daniel Alexandersson, Swedish footballer
• 1978 – Jiří Bicek, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1978 – Dan Snow, English-Canadian radio and television host
• 1978 – Bram Tankink, Dutch cyclist
• 1979 – Daniel Bedingfield, New Zealand-English singer-songwriter
• 1979 – Rock Cartwright, American football player
• 1979 – Rainbow Sun Francks, Canadian actor and rapper (The Oddities)
• 1979 – Tiffany Haddish, American actress and dancer
• 1980 – Anna Chlumsky, American actress
• 1980 – Jenna Dewan, American actress and dancer
• 1980 – Zlata Filipović, Bosnian author
• 1980 – Jim Sorgi, American football player and sportscaster
• 1981 – Ioannis Amanatidis, Greek footballer
• 1981 – Brian Bonsall, American actor, singer, and guitarist
• 1981 – Tyjuan Hagler, American football player
• 1981 – Liza Lapira, American actress
• 1981 – Louise Roe, English model and journalist
• 1981 – Edwin Valero, Venezuelan boxer (d. 2010)
• 1981 – David Villa, Spanish footballer
• 1982 – Alexander, Japanese-Peruvian actor and model
• 1982 – Jaycee Chan, American-Hong Kong actor and singer
• 1982 – Manny Corpas, Panamanian baseball player
• 1982 – Michael Essien, Ghanaian footballer
• 1982 – Lewis Marnell, Australian skateboarder (d. 2013)
• 1982 – Franco Sbaraglini, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
• 1983 – Stephen Donald, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Sherri DuPree, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Eisley)
• 1983 – Andy Grammer, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1983 – James Ihedigbo, American football player
• 1983 – Kati Tolmoff, Estonian badminton player
• 1983 – Aleksey Drozdov, Russian decathlete
• 1984 – Hind Laroussi, Dutch singer
• 1984 – Avraam Papadopoulos, Greek footballer
• 1985 – László Cseh, Hungarian swimmer
• 1985 – Mike Randolph, American soccer player
• 1985 – Sıla Şahin, German model and actress
• 1985 – Amanda Seyfried, American actress and singer
• 1985 – Robert Swift, American basketball player
• 1985 – Marcus Williams, American basketball player
• 1986 – Frank Elegar, American basketball player
• 1986 – James Laurinaitis, American football player
• 1986 – Radek Smoleňák, Czech ice hockey player
• 1986 – Josh Vaughan, American football player
• 1987 – Michael Angarano, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1987 – Erik Grönwall, Swedish singer-songwriter (H.E.A.T)
• 1987 – Brian Robiskie, American football player
• 1987 – Alicia Sacramone, American gymnast
• 1989 – Selçuk Alibaz, Turkish footballer
• 1990 – Sharon Fichman, Canadian-Israeli tennis player
• 1991 – Ekaterine Gorgodze, Georgian tennis player
• 1991 – Masahiro Usui, Japanese actor
• 1992 – Cristian Ceballos, Spanish footballer
• 1992 – Joseph McManners, English singer-songwriter and actor
• 1993 – Kyle Jean-Baptiste, American actor and singer (d. 2015)
• 1994 – Jake T. Austin, American actor
• 1995 – Anna Iriyama, Japanese singer (AKB48)
• 1997 – Hayley Okines, English activist (d. 2015)
• 2005 – Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway

Deaths

• 311 – Diocletian, Roman emperor (b. 244)
• 649 – Birinus, French-English bishop and saint (b. 600)
• 1154 – Pope Anastasius IV (b. 1073)
• 1265 – Odofredus, Italian lawyer and jurist
• 1533 – Vasili III of Russia (b. 1479)
• 1542 – Jean Tixier de Ravisi, French scholar and academic (b. 1470)
• 1552 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1506)
• 1610 – Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general and daimyo (b. 1548)
• 1706 – Countess Emilie Juliane of Barby-Mühlingen (b. 1637)
• 1765 – Lord John Sackville, English cricketer and politician (b. 1713)
• 1789 – Claude Joseph Vernet, French painter (b. 1714)
• 1815 – John Carroll, American archbishop (b. 1735)
• 1845 – Gregor MacGregor, Scottish soldier and explorer (b. 1786)
• 1882 – Archibald Tait, Scottish-English archbishop (b. 1811)
• 1888 – Carl Zeiss, German physicist and lens maker, created the optical instrument (b. 1816)
• 1890 – Billy Midwinter, English-Australian cricketer (b. 1851)
• 1892 – Afanasy Fet, Russian author and poet (b. 1820)
• 1894 – Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author and poet (b. 1850)
• 1902 – Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys' High School and Knox Church (b. 1833)
• 1904 – David Bratton, American water polo player (b. 1869)
• 1910 – Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader and author, founded Christian Science (b. 1821)
• 1912 – Prudente de Morais, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Brazil (b. 1841)
• 1917 – Harold Garnett, English-French cricketer (b. 1879)
• 1919 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (b. 1841)
• 1928 – Ezra Meeker, American farmer and politician (b. 1830)
• 1928 – Johan Olin, Finnish wrestler (b. 1883)
• 1934 – Charles James O'Donnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1849)
• 1935 – Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1868)
• 1939 – Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (b. 1848)
• 1941 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter and poet (b. 1883)
• 1949 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-American actress and educator (b. 1876)
• 1952 – Rudolf Margolius, Czech lawyer and politician (b. 1913)
• 1955 – Cow Cow Davenport, American singer and pianist (b. 1894)
• 1956 – Manik Bandopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1908)
• 1956 – Alexander Rodchenko, Russian sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer (b. 1891)
• 1967 – Harry Wismer, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1913)
• 1969 – Mathias Wieman, German-Swiss actor (b. 1902)
• 1972 – William Manuel Johnson, American bassist (b. 1872)
• 1973 – Emile Christian, American trombonist, cornet player, and composer (b. 1895)
• 1979 – Dhyan Chand, Indian field hockey player and coach (b. 1905)
• 1980 – Oswald Mosley, English lieutenant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1896)
• 1981 – Walter Knott, American farmer, founded Knott's Berry Farm (b. 1889)
• 1984 – Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin, Azerbaijani-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1919)
• 1984 – Muharrem Ertaş, Turkish singer-songwriter (b. 1913)
• 1988 – Panos Gavalas, Greek singer (b. 1926)
• 1989 – Fernando Martín Espina, Spanish basketball player (b. 1962)
• 1989 – Connie B. Gay, American businessman, founded the Country Music Association (b. 1914)
• 1993 – Lewis Thomas, American physician, etymologist, and academic (b. 1913)
• 1994 – Michael Dacher, German mountaineer (b. 1933)
• 1994 – Elizabeth Glaser, American activist (b. 1947)
• 1995 – Jimmy Jewel, English actor and singer (b. 1909)
• 1995 – Gerard John Schaefer, American serial killer (b. 1946)
• 1996 – Georges Duby, French historian and author (b. 1919)
• 1998 – Pierre Hétu, Canadian pianist and conductor (b. 1936)
• 1999 – John Archer, American actor (b. 1915)
• 1999 – Scatman John, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1942)
• 1999 – Madeline Kahn, American actress and singer (b. 1942)
• 1999 – Horst Mahseli, Polish footballer (b. 1934)
• 1999 – Jarl Wahlström, Finnish 12th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1918)
• 2000 – Gwendolyn Brooks, American poet and educator (b. 1917)
• 2000 – Hoyt Curtin, American composer and producer (b. 1922)
• 2002 – Adrienne Adams, American illustrator (b. 1906)
• 2002 – Glenn Quinn, Irish-American actor (b. 1970)
• 2003 – David Hemmings, English actor, director, and producer (b. 1941)
• 2004 – Shiing-Shen Chern, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1911)
• 2005 – Frederick Ashworth, American admiral (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Herb Moford, American baseball player (b. 1928)
• 2006 – Logan Whitehurst, American drummer (The Velvet Teen) (b. 1977)
• 2007 – James Kemsley, Australian cartoonist and actor (b. 1948)
• 2008 – Robert Zajonc, Polish-American psychologist and author (b. 1923)
• 2009 – Leila Lopes, Brazilian actress and journalist (b. 1959)
• 2009 – Richard Todd, Irish-English soldier and actor (b. 1919)
• 2010 – Abdumalik Bahori, Azerbaijani poet and author (b. 1927)
• 2011 – Dev Anand, Indian actor, director, and producer (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, Iraqi-Lebanese archbishop (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Kuntal Chandra, Bangladeshi cricketer (b. 1984)
• 2012 – Fyodor Khitruk, Russian animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1917)
• 2012 – Diego Mendieta, Paraguayan footballer (b. 1980)
• 2012 – Janet Shaw, Australian cyclist and author (b. 1966)
• 2012 – Jeroen Willems, Dutch actor and singer (b. 1962)
• 2013 – Paul Aussaresses, French general (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Ronald Hunter, American actor (b. 1943)
• 2013 – Reda Mahmoud Hafez Mohamed, Egyptian air marshal (b. 1952)
• 2013 – Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian poet and educator (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Sefi Rivlin, Israeli actor (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Herman Badillo, Puerto Rican-American lawyer and politician (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Jacques Barrot, French politician, French European Commissioner (b. 1937)
• 2014 – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian–American psychotherapist and author (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Ian McLagan, English-American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Small Faces, Faces, and The New Barbarians) (b. 1945)
• 2014 – James Stewart, Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Gladstone Anderson, Jamaican singer and pianist (b. 1934)
• 2015 – Shared Belief, American race horse (b. 2011)
• 2015 – Eevi Huttunen, Finnish speed skater (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Scott Weiland, American singer-songwriter (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, The Wondergirls, and Camp Freddy) (b. 1967)
• 2015 – Melvin Williams, American drug trafficker and actor (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances

• Advocate's Day (India)
• Christian feast day:
  • Birinus
  • Francis Xavier
  • December 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Doctors' Day (Cuba)
• United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities (international)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to December 3.

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