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December 16 leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 15 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang , initiating the An Shi Rebellion during the Tang Dynasty of China .1392 - Nanboku-chō - Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu .1431 - Henry VI of England is crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris .1497 - Vasco da Gama rounds the Cape of Good Hope , the point where Bartolomeu Dias had previously turned back to Portugal .1575 - The 1575 Valdivia earthquake takes place.1598 - Seven Year War : Battle of Noryang Point - The final battle of the Seven Year War is fought between the Korean and Japanese navies, resulting in a decisive Korean victory.1653 - English Interregnum : The Protectorate - Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England , Scotland and Ireland .1689 - Convention Parliament : The Declaration of Right is embodied in the Bill of Rights 1707 - Last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan .1761 - Seven Years' War : After four-month siege, the Russians under Pyotr Rumyantsev take the Prussian fortress of Kolobrzeg .1773 - American Revolution : Boston Tea Party - Members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawks dump crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the Tea Act .1811 - The first two in a series of severe earthquakes occurs, in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri .1826 - Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican controlled Nacogdoches, Texas and declares himself ruler of the Republic of Fredonia .1838 - Battle of Blood River : Voortrekkers led by Andries Pretorius combat Zulu impis , led by Dambuza (Nzobo) and Ndlela kaSompisi in what is today KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa .1850 - History of New Zealand : The Charlotte-Jane Randolph Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton .1863 - American Civil War : Joseph E. Johnston replaces Braxton Bragg as commander of the Army of Tennessee .1864 - American Civil War : Franklin-Nashville Campaign - Battle of Nashville - Major General George H. Thomas 's Union forces defeat Lieutenant General John Bell Hood 's Confederate Army of Tennessee .1893 - Antonín Dvořák 's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, "From The New World" was given its world premiere at Carnegie Hall .1907 - Great White Fleet started its circumnavigation of the world1910 - During a ground test of his Coandă-1910 plane, Henri Coandă , caught unaware by the power of the engine, finds himself briefly airborne and loses control of the machine which crashes to the ground.1914 - World War I : German battleships under Franz Von Hipper bombard the English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough .1920 - The Haiyuan earthquake , magnitude 8.5, rocks the Gansu province in China , killing an estimated 200,000.1922 - President of Poland Gabriel Narutowicz is assassinated by Eligiusz Niewiadomski at the Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw .1925 - Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity is founded at Lafayette College .1937 - Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from the American federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay ; neither is ever seen again.1938 - Adolf Hitler institutes the Cross of Honor of the German Mother 1941 - World War II : Japanese occupy Miri , Sarawak 1942 - Holocaust : Porajmos - Heinrich Himmler orders that Roma candidates for extermination be deported to Auschwitz .1944 - World War II : Battle of the Bulge - General Dwight D. Eisenhower 's allied forces and Field Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt 's German army engage in the Belgian Ardennes .1946 - Léon Blum becomes Prime Minister of France .1947 - William Shockley , John Bardeen and Walter Brattain build the first practical point-contact transistor .1949 - Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget , later knows as SAAB , is founded in Sweden.1950 - President Harry S. Truman declares a state of emergency, after Chinese troops enter the fight with communist North Korea in the Korean War .1957 - Sir Feroz Khan Noon replaces Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar as Prime Minister of Pakistan .1960 - 1960 New York air disaster : While approaching New York's Idlewild Airport , a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 collides with a TWA Lockheed Super Constellation in a blinding snowstorm over Staten Island , killing 134.1965 - Vietnam War : General William Westmoreland sends U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara a request for 243,000 more men by the end of 1966 .1971 - Bangladesh War of Independence and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 : The surrender of the Pakistan army brings an end to both conflicts.1971 - Independence Day of the State of Bahrain from British Protectorate Status
1972 - Vietnam War : Henry Kissinger announces that North Vietnam has left private peace negotiations, in Paris .1978 - Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first post-Depression era city to default on its loans, owing $14,000,000 to local banks.1979 - Libya joins four other OPEC nations in raising crude oil prices, having an immediate dramatic effect on the United States .1982 - The Federal Reserve announces that the operating capacity of factories has gone down to 67.8%.1985 - Mafia : In New York City , Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead on the orders of John Gotti , who assumes leadership of the Gambino family .1986 - Revolt in Kazakhstan against Communist party , known as Zheltoksan , which becomes the first sign of ethnic strife during Gorbachev 's tenure1989 - Protest breaks out in Timişoara in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor, László Tőkés .1989 - Walter LeRoy Moody begins his terrorist bombing streak when he sends Judge Robert Smith Vance a bomb in the mail, instantly killing him near his house in Birmingham, Alabama .1991 - United Nations General Assembly : UN General Assembly Resolution 4686 revokes UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 after Israel makes revocation of resolution 3379 a condition of its participation in the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991 .1991 - Independence of The Republic of Kazakhstan .
1998 - Iraq disarmament crisis : Operation Desert Fox - The United States and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq .
Births
1714 - George Whitefield , English-born Methodist leader (d. 1770 )1716 - Louis-Jules Mancini-Mazarini, Duc de Nivernais , French diplomat and writer (d. 1798 )1717 - Elizabeth Carter , English writer (d. 1806 )1742 - Gebhard Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt , German Field Marshal (d. 1819 )1770 - Ludwig van Beethoven , German composer (d. 1827 )1775 - Jane Austen , English writer (d. 1817 )1775 - François-Adrien Boïeldieu , French composer (d. 1834 )
1776 - Johann Wilhelm Ritter , German physicist (d. 1810 )1790 - King Léopold I of Belgium (d. 1865 )1804 - Viktor Bunyakovsky , Russian mathematician (d. 1889 )1834 - Léon Walras , French economist (d. 1910 )1861 - Antonio de La Gandara , French painter (d. 1917 )1863 - George Santayana , Spanish philosopher and writer (d. 1952 )1865 - Olavo Bilac , Brazilian poet (d. 1918 )1866 (N.S. ) - Wassily Kandinsky , Russian-born French abstract painter (d. 1944 )1867 - Amy Carmichael , missionary in Dohnavur, India (d. 1951 )1869 - Hristo Tatarchev , Bulgarian revolutionary (d. 1952 )1872 - Anton Ivanovich Denikin , Russian general (d. 1947 )1882 - Sir Jack Hobbs , English cricketer (d. 1963 )1882 - Zoltán Kodály , Hungarian composer (d. 1967 )
1882 - Walther Meissner , German physicist (d. 1974 )
1883 - Max Linder , French pioneer of silent film (d. 1925 )1888 - King Alexander I of Yugoslavia (d. 1934 )1888 - Alphonse Juin , marshall of France (d. 1967 )
1899 - Sir Noel Coward , English playwright, actor and composer (d. 1973 )1900 - V. S. Pritchett , English author and critic (d. 1997 )1901 - Margaret Mead , American anthropologist (d. 1978 )1902 - Rafael Alberti , Spanish poet (d. 1999 )1905 - Piet Hein , Danish mathematician and inventor (d. 1996 )1906 - Barbara Kent , Canadian actress1915 - Turk Murphy , American trombonist (d. 1987 )1917 - Nabi Bux Khan Baloch , Sindhi scholar1917 - Sir Arthur C. Clarke , English writer (d. 2008 )
1918 - Pierre Delanoë , French songwriter and lyricist (d. 2006 )1922 - Cy Leslie , American music and video executive (d. 2008 )1926 - James McCracken , American tenor (d. 1988 )1927 - Randall Garrett , American writer (d. 1987 )1928 - Philip K. Dick , American writer (d. 1982 )1929 - Nicholas Courtney , English actor1932 - Rodion Shchedrin , Soviet/Russian composer1934 - Elgin Gay Baylor , NBA Hall of Famer1936 - Morris Dees , founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center 1937 - Joyce Bulifant , American actress1938 - Frank Deford , American sportswriter1938 - Liv Ullmann , Norwegian actress
1941 - Lesley Stahl , American journalist1942 - Donald Carcieri , American politician, governor of Rhode Island 1943 - Steven Bochco , American television producer and writer1943 - Tony Hicks , English guitarist (The Hollies )
1945 - Patti Deutsch , American actress and Match Game 1945 - Bobby George , English professional darts player
1945 - Yukio Hattori , Japanese Iron Chef commentator
1946 - Benny Andersson , Swedish musician, singer and songwriter (ABBA )1946 - Trevor Pinnock , English conductor and harpsichordist
1947 - Ben Cross , English actor1947 - Vincent Matthews , American sprinter
1948 - Christopher Biggins , English actor1949 - Billy Gibbons , American guitarist (ZZ Top )1950 - Claudia Cohen , American gossip columnist and socialite (d. 2007 )1950 - Roy Schuiten , Dutch cyclist (d. 2006 )
1951 - Robben Ford , American guitarist1952 - Joel Garner , Barbadian West Indies cricketer1952 - Francesco Graziani , Italian footballer
1955 - Xander Berkeley , American actor1955 - Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
1960 - Pat Van Den Hauwe , Belgian footballer1961 - Bill Hicks , American comedian (d. 1994 )1961 - Jon Tenney , American actor
1962 - Maruschka Detmers , Dutch actress1962 - William "The Refrigerator" Perry , American football player
1963 - Benjamin Bratt , American actor1963 - Jeff Carson , American singer
1963 - James Mangold , American film director and screenwriter
1964 - Heike Drechsler , East German-born sprinter1964 - Georgie Parker , Australian actress
1964 - Billy Ripken , American baseball player
1965 - Chris Jones , American baseball player1965 - Melanie Sloan , American attorney
1965 - Nancy Valen , American actress
1966 - Clifford Robinson , American basketball player1966 - Dennis Wise , English footballer
1967 - Donovan Bailey , Jamaican-born Canadian sprinter1967 - Miranda Otto , Australian actress
1971 - Michael McCary , American singer (Boyz II Men )1971 - Paul van Dyk , German DJ
1972 - Angela Bloomfield , New Zealand actress1972 - Charles Gipson , American baseball player
1972 - Željko Kalac , Australian soccer player
1973 - Themba Mnguni , South African footballer1973 - Scott Storch , Canadian-American hip-hop producer
1974 - Frida Hallgren , Swedish actress1975 - Valentin Bădoi , Romanian footballer1975 - Nawo Kawakita , Japanese drummer (Maximum the Hormone )
1975 - Benjamin Kowalewicz , Canadian musician (Billy Talent )
1975 - Jonathan Scarfe , Canadian actor
1977 - Éric Bélanger , Canadian ice hockey player1977 - Sylvain Distin , French footballer
1978 - Gunter Van Handenhoven , Belgian footballer1978 - Kaine , American rapper (Ying Yang Twins )
1979 - Mihai Trăistariu , Romanian singer1979 - Jessie Ward , American professional wrestler
1979 - Trevor Immelman , South African golfer
1981 - Flo Rida , American rapper1981 - Anna Sedokova , Ukrainian singer
1981 - Took Leng How , Malaysian criminal (d. 2006 )
1981 - Gareth Williams , Scottish footballer
1982 - Garnon Davies , Welsh actor1982 - Antrel Rolle , National Football League defensive back
1983 - Kelenna Azubuike , English basketball player1983 - Danielle Lloyd , English model
1985 - Keita Tachibana , member of Japanese boy band w-inds. 1987 - Hallee Hirsh , American actress1988 - Anna Popplewell , English actress
Deaths
705 - Empress Wu of Zhou (b. 625 )714 - Pippin of Herstal , Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia867 - Eberhard of Friuli 999 - Saint Adelaide of Italy (b. 931 )1325 - Charles of Valois , son of Philip III of France (b. 1270 )1378 - Otto III of Montferrat 1379 - John Fitzalan , Marshal of England1470 - John II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1425 )1515 - Afonso de Albuquerque Portuguese naval general (b. 1453 )1598 - Yi Sun-sin , Korean admiral (b. 1545 )1669 - Nathaniel Fiennes , English politician (b. circa 1608 )1687 - William Petty , English scientist and philosopher (b. 1623 )1751 - Leopold II of Anhalt-Dessau , Prussian general (b. 1700 )1765 - Peter Frederick Haldimand , Swiss military officer and surveyor1774 - François Quesnay , French economist (b. 1694 )1783 - Johann A. Hasse , German composer (b. 1699 )1783 - Sir William James , British naval commander (b. 1720 )
1809 - Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy , French chemist (b. 1755 )1859 - Wilhelm Grimm , German writer and folklorist (b. 1786 )1897 - Alphonse Daudet , French novelist and short story writer (b. 1840 )1898 - Pavel Tretyakov , Russian businessman and art collector (b. 1832 )1914 - Ivan Zajc , Croatian composer (b. 1832 )1921 - Camille Saint-Saëns , French composer (b. 1835 )1922 - Gabriel Narutowicz , first President of Poland (b. 1865 )1928 - Elinor Wylie , American poet and writer (b. 1885 )1935 - Thelma Todd , American actress (b. 1905 )1940 - Billy Hamilton , American baseball player (b. 1866 )1945 - Giovanni Agnelli , Italian automobile manufacturer (b. 1866 )1945 - Fumimaro Konoye , Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1891 )
1949 - Sidney Olcott , Canadian film director (b. 1873 )1956 - Nina Hamnett , Welsh artist (b. 1890 )1965 - W. Somerset Maugham , English writer (b. 1874 )1976 - Réal Caouette , French Canadian politician (Social Credit Party of Canada ) (b. 1917 )1977 - Risto Jarva , Finnish filmmaker (b. 1934 )1980 - Colonel Sanders , American fast food entrepreneur (b. 1890 )1980 - Hellmuth Walter , German engineer and inventor (b. 1900 )
1982 - Colin Chapman , English engineer and automobile manufacturer, founder of Lotus Cars (b. 1928 )1984 - Debs Garms , American baseball player (b. 1907 )1985 - Thomas Bilotti , American mafioso (b. 1940 )1985 - Paul Castellano , American mafioso (b. 1915 )
1988 - Sylvester , American singer (b. 1948 )1989 - Oscar Alfredo Gálvez , Argentine racing driver (b. 1913 )1989 - Silvana Mangano , Italian actress (b. 1930 )
1989 - Aileen Pringle , American actress (b. 1895 )
1989 - Lee Van Cleef , American actor (b. 1925 )
1990 - Douglas Campbell , American pilot (b. 1896 )1993 - Moses Gunn , American actor (b. 1929 )1993 - Tanaka Kakuei , Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1918 )
1993 - Charizma , American Hip-Hop MC (b. 1973 )
1995 - Johnny Moss , American poker player (b. 1907 )1995 - Mariele Ventre , Italian choir director (b. 1939 )
1996 - Quentin Bell , English art historian (b. 1910 )1997 - Nicolette Larson , American singer (b. 1952 )1998 - William Gaddis , American writer (b. 1922 )2001 - Stuart Adamson , English-born Scottish musician (The Skids , Big Country ) (b. 1958 )2001 - Stefan Heym , German author (b. 1913 )
2003 - Robert Stanfield , Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1914 )2003 - Gary Stewart , American musician and songwriter (b. 1945 )
2004 - Ted Abernathy , American baseball player (b. 1933 )2005 - Kenneth Bulmer , English author (b. 1921 )2005 - Ed Hansen , American film director and editor (b. 1937 )
2005 - John Spencer , American actor (b. 1946 )
2006 - Don Jardine , Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1940 )2006 - Taliep Petersen , South African singer and composer (b. 1950 )
2006 - Pnina Salzman , Israeli pianist (b. 1922 )
2007 - Dan Fogelberg , American singer/songwriter (b. 1951 )
Holidays and observances
External links
