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December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 11 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of emperor.
- 1192 - Richard the Lion-Heart is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after signing a treaty with Saladin ending the crusade.
- 1522 - Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.
- 1606 - The Virginia Company loads three ships with settlers and sets sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
- 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.
- 1835 - First signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at Goliad, Texas.
- 1860 - South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.
- 1915 - World War I: Last Australian troops evacuated from Gallipoli.
- 1917 - Cheka, the first Soviet secret police, is founded.
- 1941 - World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers" in Kunming, China.
- 1942 - World War II: Bombing of Calcutta by the Japanese.
- 1951 - The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho becomes the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity for the first time. The electricity powered four light bulbs.
- 1952 - United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington killing 87.
- 1955 - Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.
- 1960 - National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam is formed.
- 1968 - The Zodiac Killer kills Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Vallejo, California.
- 1973 - The Spanish Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, is assassinated by a car bomb attack in Madrid.
- 1984 - The Summit tunnel fire is the largest underground fire in history, as a freight train carrying over 1 million litres of petrol derails near the town of Todmorden in the Pennines.
- 1988 - The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is signed in Vienna.
- 1989 - United States invasion of Panama: The United States sends troops into Panama to overthrow government of Manuel Noriega.
- 1991 - A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.
- 1995 - NATO begins peacekeeping in Bosnia.
- 1995 - American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia killing 160.
- 1995 - The Democratic Social Movement is founded in Greece.
- 1996 - NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.
- 1999 - Macau is handed over to the People's Republic of China by Portugal.
- 2001 - Argentine economic crisis: President of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa is forced out of office.
- 2002 - US Senator Trent Lott resigns as majority leader.
- 2005 - 2005 New York City transit strike: New York City's Transport Workers Union Local 100 goes on strike, shutting down all New York City Subway and Bus services.
- 2005 - US District Court Judge John E. Jones III rules against mandating the teaching of "intelligent design" in his ruling of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.
- 2006 - A judge rules against the death penalty in the case of Naveed Haq, a man convicted in the shooting death and injuries at the Jewish Federation in Seattle.
- 2007 - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becomes the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.
- 2007 - The Lakota Indians send a letter to the United States State Department declaring their secession from the union.
- 2007 - The painting Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, was stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art, along with O Lavrador de Café, by the major Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari.
Births
- 1494 - Oronce Finé, French mathematician (d. 1555)
- 1537 - King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1566 - Edward Wightman, English Baptist preacher (d. 1612)
- 1579 - (baptized) John Fletcher, English playwright (d. 1625)
- 1626 - Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff, German statesman (d. 1692)
- 1629 - Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (d. 1684)
- 1717 - Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French statesman and diplomat (d. 1787)
- 1786 - Pietro Raimondi, Italian composer (d. 1853)
- 1792 - Nicolas Charlet, French painter (d. 1845)
- 1833 - Samuel Mudd, American physician (d. 1883)
- 1838 - Edwin Abbott Abbott, English schoolmaster, theologian, and author (d. 1926)
- 1841 - Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1932)
- 1860 - Dan Leno, English entertainer (d. 1904)
- 1861 - Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (d. 1926)
- 1865 - Elsie De Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (d. 1950)
- 1868 - Harvey Firestone, American automobile pioneer (d. 1938)
- 1873 - Kwan-Ichi Asakawa, Japanese historian(d. 1948)
- 1881 - Branch Rickey, baseball executive (d. 1965)
- 1886 - Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, American tennis player (d. 1974)
- 1888 - Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (d. 1958)
- 1890 - Yvonne Arnaud, French-born actress (d. 1958)
- 1890 - Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
- 1894 - Sir Robert Menzies, twelfth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1978)
- 1898 - Irene Dunne, American actress (d. 1990)
- 1901 - Robert Van de Graaff, American physicist and inventor (d. 1967)
- 1902 - Sidney Hook, American philosopher (d. 1989)
- 1902 - George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent (d. 1942)
- 1904 - Spud Davis, baseball player (d. 1984)
- 1907 - Paul Francis Webster, songwriter (d. 1984)
- 1908 - Dennis Morgan, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1909 - Vakkom Majeed, Indian politician (d. 2000)
- 1911 - Hortense Calisher, American author
- 1916 - Michel Chartrand, Quebec union leader
- 1917 - David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (d. 1992)
- 1918 - Jean Marchand, French Canadian trade unionist and politician (d. 1988)
- 1918 - Audrey Totter, American actress
- 1922 - George Roy Hill, American film director (d. 2002)
- 1922 - Beverly Pepper, American sculptor and painter
- 1924 - Charlie Callas, American comedian
- 1924 - Judy LaMarsh, Canadian politician and broadcaster (d. 1980)
- 1925 - Benito Lorenzi, Italian footballer (d. 2007)
- 1925 - Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia
- 1926 - Sir Geoffrey Howe, British politician
- 1926 - Otto Graf Lambsdorff, German politician
- 1927 - Kim Young-sam, President of South Korea
- 1931 - Mala Powers, American film actress (d. 2007)
- 1932 - John Hillerman, American actor, Magnum P.I.
- 1933 - Jean Carnahan, U.S. Senator
- 1933 - Rik van Looy, Belgian cyclist
- 1938 - John Harbison, American composer
- 1944 - Bobby Colomby, American musician (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
- 1944 - Jean Fergusson, English actress
- 1945 - Peter Criss, American drummer and singer (Kiss)
- 1946 - Uri Geller, Israeli psychic
- 1946 - John Spencer, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1946 - Dick Wolf, American television series creator
- 1947 - Gigliola Cinquetti, Italian singer
- 1948 - Alan Parsons, British music producer and artist
- 1949 - Soumaïla Cissé, Malian politician
- 1949 - Cecil Cooper, Major League baseball player
- 1951 - Gilbert Montagné, French musician
- 1951 - Peter May, Scottish novelist and scriptwriter
- 1952 - Jenny Agutter, English actress
- 1954 - Michael Badalucco, American actor
- 1954 - Sandra Cisneros, American writer
- 1955 - Ed Kuepper, German-born Australian musician (The Saints, Laughing Clowns)
- 1956 - Blanche Baker, American actress
- 1956 - Junji Hirata, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1957 - Billy Bragg, English singer and songwriter
- 1957 - Mike Watt, American bassist
- 1957 - Stephen Bicknell, British organ builder and scholar (d. 2007)
- 1957 - Joyce Hyser, American actress
- 1957 - Anna Vissi, Greek-Cypriot singer
- 1958 - Steve Sailer, American political commentator
- 1960 - Nalo Hopkinson, Canadian writer
- 1961 - Mohammad Fouad, Arab singer and actor
- 1963 - Infanta Elena of Spain
- 1963 - Joel Gretsch, American actor
- 1965 - Robert Cavanah, Scottish actor
- 1965 - Rich Gannon, American football player
- 1966 - Matt Neal , British Race Driver
- 1966 - Chris Robinson, American singer (Black Crowes)
- 1966 - Myrra Malmberg, Swedish singer
- 1968 - Karl Wendlinger, Austrian racing driver
- 1968 - Joe Cornish, British comedian
- 1968 - Phil Andrews, British racing driver
- 1970 - Nicole DeBoer, Canadian actress
- 1973 - Cory Stillman, National Hockey League forward
- 1974 - Die, Japanese musician (Dir en grey)
- 1975 - Bartosz Bosacki, Polish footballer
- 1975 - Jaydy Michel, Mexican model
- 1976 - Jang Hyuk, Korean actor
- 1976 - Aubrey Huff, American baseball player
- 1976 - Adam Powell, Neopets creator
- 1976 - Ramon Stoppelenburg, world traveler and Dutch author
- 1977 - Saukrates, Canadian rapper
- 1978 - Geremi Njitap, Cameroon footballer
- 1978 - Andrei Markov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1979 - David DeJesus, American baseball player
- 1979 - Michael Rogers, Australian cyclist
- 1980 - Ashley Cole, English footballer
- 1980 - Fitz Hall, English footballer
- 1980 - Tony, French-born Portuguese footballer
- 1981 - Roy Williams, American football player
- 1981 - James Shields, American baseball player
- 1981 - Chris Edwards, British musician (Kasabian)
- 1982 - David Cook, American singer, Winner of American Idol Season 7
- 1982 - Kasper Klausen, Danish footballer
- 1982 - David Wright, American baseball player
- 1983 - Jonah Hill, American actor
- 1983 - Lucy Pinder, British model
- 1983 - Darren Sammy, St. Lucian West Indies cricketer
- 1983 - Lara Stone, Dutch model
- 1983 - Adrián Varela, Mexican singer
- 1987 - Tariel Zintiridis, Greek judoka
- 1989 - Virgilio Falco, Italian politician
- 1990 - JoJo, American singer
Deaths
- 217 - Pope Zephyrinus
- 860 - King Ethelbald of Wessex
- 910 - Alfonso III of Leon
- 1022 - Elvira Mendes, wife of Alfonso V of Castile (b. 996)
- 1355 - Stefan Dušan, Serb king and tsar (b. circa 1308)
- 1494 - Matteo Maria Boiardo, Italian poet
- 1524 - Thomas Linacre, English scholar and physician
- 1539 - Johannes Lupi, Flemish composer
- 1590 - Ambroise Paré, French physician (b. 1510)
- 1722 - Kangxi Emperor of China (b. 1654)
- 1723 - Augustus Quirinus Rivinus (b. 1652)
- 1740 - Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, English military officer and statesman (b. 1675)
- 1768 - Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet (b. 1692)
- 1783 - Antonio Soler, Spanish composer (b. 1729)
- 1812 - Sacagawea, Shoshone guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition
- 1856 - Francesco Bentivegna, Italian revolutionary (b. 1820)
- 1862 - Robert Knox
- 1917 - Lucien Petit-Breton, Argentine-French cyclist (b. 1882)
- 1921 - Hans Hartwig von Beseler, German general (b. 1850)
- 1929 - Émile Loubet, 7th President of France (b.1838)
- 1935 - Martin O'Meara, Australian soldier (b. 1882)
- 1937 - Erich Ludendorff, German general (b. 1865)
- 1938 - Annie Armstrong, US missionary leader (b. 1850)
- 1941 - Igor Severyanin, Russian poet (b. 1887)
- 1954 - James Hilton, British author (b. 1900)
- 1956 - Ramon Carrillo, Argentine neuroscientist and Public Health minister (b. 1906)
- 1961 - Moss Hart, American dramatist (b. 1904)
- 1961 - Earle Page, eleventh Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1880)
- 1968 - John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
- 1973 - Luis Carrero Blanco, Prime Minister of Spain (assassinated) (b. 1903)
- 1973 - Bobby Darin, American singer (b. 1936)
- 1974 - André Jolivet, French composer (b. 1905)
- 1976 - Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1902)
- 1981 - Dimitris Rontiris, Greek actor and director (b. 1899)
- 1982 - Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-born pianist (b. 1887)
- 1984 - Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (b. 1946)
- 1986 - Joe DeSa, baseball player (b. 1959)
- 1988 - Alphonse Ouimet, Canadian television pioneer, president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (b. 1908)
- 1989 - Kurt Böhme, German bass (b. 1908)
- 1991 - Simone Beck, French chef (b. 1904)
- 1994 - Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State (b. 1909)
- 1996 - Carl Sagan, American astronomer and writer (b. 1934)
- 1997 - Denise Levertov, English-born poet (b. 1923)
- 1997 - Juzo Itami, Japanese actor and director (b. 1933)
- 1997 - Dawn Steel, American film producer (b. 1946)
- 1998 - Irene Hervey, American actress (b. 1910)
- 1998 - Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, British scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1916)
- 1999 - Hank Snow, Canadian singer (b. 1914)
- 1999 - Riccardo Freda, Italian film director (b. 1909)
- 2000 - Mirza Ghulam Hafiz, Bangladesh statesman, politician, and philanthropist (b. 1920)
- 2001 - Foster Brooks, American actor and comedian (b. 1912)
- 2001 - Léopold Sédar Senghor, first President of Senegal (b. 1906)
- 2005 - Maniam Moorthy, member of the first Malaysian team to summit Mount Everest
- 2006 - Shi Yuejun, Chinese serial killer. Executed.
- 2007 - Nataline Sarkisyan, a seventeen-year-old leukemia patient whose insurer, Cigna HealthCare, refused to pay for treatment.
Holidays and observances
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