Births
1484 - Joachim Vadianus, [von Watt], Swiss physician/mayor of Sankt Gallen
1631 - Ludolf Backhuysen, Dutch seascape painter/cartoonist
1694 - Ceslav Vanura, composer
1731 - Christian Cannabich, German composer/royal chaplain master
1738 - Thaddaus Ferdinand Lipowsky, composer
1751 - Josef Blazej Smrcek, composer
1753 - Johan Wikmanson, composer
1763 - John Molson, founded Montr‚al brewery (Molsons)
1783 - Robert Gallenberg, composer
1787 - Hermanus J Abbring, Dutch writer/engineer on Cura‡ao
1801 - James Barnes, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1869
1805 - Tomas Genoves y Lapetra, composer
1812 - Julius Reitz, composer
1822 - William Booth Taliaferro, Brig Gen (Confederate Army), died in 1898
1823 - Thomas Alexander Scott, Asst Secy War (Union), died in 1881
1826 - Conrad Busken Huet, Dutch vicar/literary (Country of Rubens)
1827 - Robert Latimer McCook, volunteers Brig General (Union), died in 1862
1828 - Karl L Kahlbaum, German psychiatrist (katatonie)
1833 - Charles Miller Shelley, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1907
1835 - Archibald Geikie, British geologist
1837 - Benjamin Johnson Lang, composer
1842 - Calixa Lavallee, composer
1845 - Homer Newton Bartlett, composer
1849 - Herbert von Bismarck, German politician/son of Otto of Bismarck
1855 - Juan Zorrilla de San Martin, Uruguay's diplomat/poet (Tabar‚)
1856 - [Thomas] Woodrow Wilson, Staunton Va, (28 pres-D-1912-21, Nobel 1919)
1856 - Woodrow Wilson
1859 - John W Fortescue, military historian
1859 - Gerard Brucken Fock, composer
1860 - Alexander von Fielitz, composer
1865 - F‚lix E Vallotton, Switz/French painter/writer (Chaste Suzanna)
1868 - Marie van Regteren Altena, Dutch painter (Amsterdam's Joffers)
1872 - Pio Baroja Y Nessa, San Sebastion Spain, writer (Caminode Parfecci¢n)
1880 - Christian DFL Leipoldt, South african physician/writer/poet
1882 - Arthur Eddington, England, astrophysicist/cosmologist/mathematician
1883 - A Wolfenstein, writer
1884 - Joseph Pholien, Belgian premier (1950-52)/communist hunter
1887 - Charles Dingle
1888 - Gabriel von Wayditch, composer
1889 - Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
1890 - Frank Butler, Oxford England, actor/sreenwriter (Road to Bali, China)
1894 - Andr‚ de Meulemeester, Belgian WW I pilot (Eagle of Flanders)
1894 - Ed Healey, NFL tackle (Rock Island Independents, Chicago Bears)
1895 - Auguste Lumiere, twin brothers who opened 1st commercial cinema
1895 - Louis Lumiere, twin brothers who opened 1st commercial cinema
1896 - Roger Huntington Sessions, Brooklyn NY, composer (Black Masks)
1902 - Shen Congwen, writer
1902 - Mortimer J Adler, NYC, author (Encyclopedia Brittanica)
1903 - John von Neumann, mathematician/astronomer (Bocher Award 1938)
1904 - Clabon W Allen, Australian/British astronomer
1904 - Sergei Yutkevich, St Petersburg Russia, director (Otello, Banya)
1905 - Cliff Arquette, Toledo Oh, comedian (Charlie Weaver)
1905 - Earl "Fatha" Hines, Duquesne Pa, jazz pianist (Deep Forest)
1905 - Gajapatairaj Vijaya Ananda the Rajkumar of Vizianagram (Ind)
1905 - Earl "Fatha" Hines
1905 - Cliff Arquette
1907 - Roman Palester, Polish composer: The Weichsel
1908 - Lew Ayres, Minn, actor (All Quiet on Western Front, Dr Kildare)
1908 - Lew Ayres
1909 - Billy Williams, Waco Tx, singer (Your Show of Shows)
1909 - Nikola J Vaptsarov, Bulgaria poet (Subrani Sutsjinenija)
1910 - John Kerr, NZ, cricketer (opening batsman in 1930's)
1911 - Sam Levenson, NYC, humorist (Sam Levenson Show, Masquerade Party)
1911 - Phani Majumdar, film maker
1911 - Sam Levenson
1913 - Lou Jacobi, Toronto Ontario, comedian (Dean Martin Show, Melba)
1914 - Bernard Youens, British actor (Coronation Street)
1914 - Lee Bowman, Cincinnati Ohio, actor (Ellery Queen, Miami Undercover)
1915 - Roebuck "Pops" Staples, US gospel/singer (Staple Singers)
1916 - Noel Johnson, British actor (Frenzy, Frightmare, Royal Flash)
1917 - Ellis Clarke, president Trinidad & Tobago (1976-87)
1919 - Inocenti Carreno, composer
1920 - Steve Van Buren, NFL halfback (Philadelphia Eagles)
1921 - Eddy Doorenbos, Dutch vocalist/pianist/guitarist
1921 - Johnny Otis, R&B singer
1922 - Stan Lee, comics artist/creator (Spiderman, Incredible Hulk)
1922 - Nyron Sultan Asgarali, cricketer (West Indian opening bat 1957)
1923 - Andrew Duggan, actor (Secret War of Harry Frigg, Winds of War)
1924 - Johnny Otis
1924 - Rod Serling, Syracuse NY, writer/host (Twilight Zone, Night Gallery)
1924 - Johnny Otis, [Veliotes], composer (Every Beat of My Heart)
1925 - Hildegarde Neff, Ulm Germany, actress (Touch of Class, Mozambique)
1925 - Bill [William] Westwood, British bishop of Peterborough
1926 - Donald Carr, cricketer (England player in 50's, later MCC honcho)
1927 - Anne Legendre Armstrong, ambassador (to UK)
1927 - Martin Milner, Detroit Mich, actor (Route 66, Adam 12, Life of Riley)
1927 - Simon Raven, English playwright/critic (Alms for Oblivion)
1928 - Kamillo Lendvay, composer
1929 - Maarten Schmidt, Neth/US astronomer (quasars)
1929 - Terry Sawchuk, NHL goaltender (Redwings, Bruins, Maple Leaf, Rangers)
1929 - Owen Bieber, United Auto Workers president
1931 - Georg "Org" Marais, South African economist/underminister of Finance
1931 - Guy Debord, situationist
1931 - John de Mol, Dutch vocalist/composer/producer
1932 - Clem Schouwenaars, Flemish poet/writer
1932 - Dorsey Burnette, Memphis, rocker (Tall Oak Tree, Hey Little One)
1932 - Manuel Puig, Argentina, writer (Blood of Requited Love)
1932 - Roy Hattersley, British journalist/Labour-parliament leader
1933 - Jack Perkins, Cleve Ohio, newscaster (Prime Time Sunday, NBC Magazine
1934 - Maggie Smith
1934 - David Warrilow, actor (Simon, Radio Days, Dakota Road, Barton Fink)
1934 - John Akers, business executive
1934 - Maggie Smith, Ilford Eng, actress (Death on Nile, Clash of Titans)
1934 - Peggy Wilson, golfer
1935 - Fernando Lopes, Portugal, director (Encoberto, Matar Saudades)
1936 - Nichelle Nichols, Robbins Ill, actress (Uhura-Star Trek)
1938 - Charles Neville, US rock vocalist/saxophonist (Neville Brothers)
1938 - Janet Hough Bryant, author/performing artist/educator
1938 - Richard Sudhalter, British(?) writer/jazz musician
1938 - Bruce Yarnell, LA Calif, actor (Outlaws)
1940 - Alvin Elliot Singleton, composer
1940 - Lonnie Liston Smith, US jazz performer (Cosmic Echoes, Magic Lady)
1941 - Don Francisco, Spanish variety show host (Sabado Gigante)
1941 - Intikhab Alam, Pakistan cricket leg-spinner (1959-77)
1942 - Paul Horowitz, NYC, physicist, META project (Sloan Award 1971-3)
1943 - Bobby Comstock, rocker
1943 - David Peterson, Toronto, premier of Ontario Canada (L) (1982- )
1943 - Oscar D Dhlomo, South African sect-gen of Inkatha (1978-90)
1945 - Max Hastings, British editor-in-chief (Daily Telegraph)
1945 - Dwight Bement, rocker (Gary Puckett & Union Gap-Young Girl)
1945 - Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva, King of Nepal (1972- )
1946 - Edgar Winter, Beaumont Tx, rocker (They Only Come Out at Night)
1946 - Edgar Winter
1946 - Jorge Velasquez, sportsman
1946 - Hubie Green, golfer (US Open-1977, PGA-1985)
1947 - Aurelio Rodriguez, baseball player
1947 - Dick Diamonde, [Van Der Sluys], Hilversum, rock bassist (Easybeats)
1947 - Andrew Olle, broadcaster
1947 - Robert Gilliot, father of Gerda Havertongs daughter ZulŠma
1948 - Jorge Velasquez, jockey (Kentucky Derby-1981, Preakness-1981)
1950 - Alex Chilton, Memphis Tenn, rock guitarist/vocalist (Box Tops)
1951 - Kenneth Pope, NFLer
1952 - S Epatha Merkerson, Saginaw MI, actress (Lt Van Buren-Law and Order)
1952 - Ray Knight, 3rd baseman (NY Mets, Balt Orioles)
1953 - Richard Clayderman, pianist (Amour, Romantic America)
1953 - Robert Pittman, TV executive/developer (MTV)
1954 - Denzel Washington, Mount Vernon NY, actor (Dr Chandler-St Elsewhere)
1954 - Denzel Washington
1954 - Rosie Vela, British singer (Zazu, Fools Paradise)
1954 - Tony Rosato, Naples Italy, comedian (SCTV, SNL, Amanda's)
1956 - Nigel Kennedy, English violinist
1956 - Kenneth Grant, bass/vocalist (Midnight Star-No Parking, Operator)
1956 - Michael Gibbons, rocker (Bo Donaldson & Heywoods-Billy Dont be a Hero
1958 - Carlos Carson, football player
1958 - Mike McGuire, Haleyville Ala, singer (Shenandoah-Sunday in the South)
1958 - Terry Butcher, British soccer player
1958 - Carl Marsden, bodyguard
1958 - Joe Diffie, Tulsa Ok, country singer/guitarist (Home)
1959 - Everson Walls, NFL cornerback (Dallas Cowboys, NY Giants)
1960 - Marty Roe, Lebanon Ohio, singer (Diamond Rio-Meet in the Middle)
1960 - Chad McQueen, actor (Nightforce)
1960 - John Fitzgerald, Australia, tennis star
1960 - Raymond Bourque, Montreal, NHL defenseman (Team Canada, Boston)
1960 - Terri Garber, Miami FL, actress (Leslie Carrington-Dynasty)
1960 - Zane Smith, Madison WI, pitcher (Pitts Pirates)
1961 - Heather Hafner, Santa Barbara Ca, WPVA volleyballer (National-7th-90)
1962 - Keith Lee, basketball player (Memphis State)
1963 - Willow Bay, TV host (Good Morning America)
1963 - Malcolm Gets, actor (Richard Karinsky-Caroline In the City)
1963 - Mel Stottlemyre Jr, pitcher (Toronto Blues Jays)
1964 - Charles Sinek, dance skater (& Beata Handra-1997 Pac Coast Sr 3rd)
1965 - Mary Waddell Gainey, Hartsville SC, Miss SC-America (1991-2nd)
1965 - Martine Robine, newspaper writer/Miss Junior Miss-France (1984)
1965 - Colleen Dion, actress (Brett Gardner-Another World)
1966 - Joe Wolf, NFL guard (Arizona Cardinals)
1967 - Paul Lynch, Sydney NSW Australia, canoeist (Olympics-96)
1968 - Kurt Schulz, NFL safety (Buffalo Bills)
1968 - Darrick Brownlow, NFL linebacker (Washington Redskins)
1968 - Jozef Dano, Skalica CZE, hockey forward (Team Slovakia 1998)
1968 - Jennifer Palmquest, Wilmot SD, Miss SD-America (1991)
1969 - James Trapp, NFL cornerback (Oakland Raiders)
1970 - Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Haarlem Neth, tennis star (95, 96 Okla City)
1970 - Elizabeth McIntyre, Dunbar WV, Miss America-WV (1996)
1970 - James Jett, NFL wide receiver (Oakland Raiders)
1971 - Steve Morrison, NFL linebacker (Indianapolis Colts)
1971 - Melvin Nieves, San Juan Puerto Rico, outfielder (Detroit Tigers)
1971 - Michael Watkins, NFL wide receiver (SD Chargers)
1972 - Adam Clawson, Salt Lake City UT, slalom single canoe (Olympic-19th-96
1972 - Jim Kitts, WLAF running back (Frankfurt Galaxy, Miami Dolphins)
1972 - Patrick Rafter, Queensland Aust, tennis star (1993 USTA/Aptos Calif)
1972 - Jean-Francois Jomphe, Havre St-pierre Ca, NHL right wing (Anaheim)
1972 - Adam Vinatieri, WLAF punter/kicker (Amsterdam Admirals, NE Patriots)
1973 - Bobby Taylor, NFL cornerback (Phila Eagles)
1973 - Garth John Da Silva, Auckland NZ, heavyweight boxer (Olympics-96)
1974 - Rob Niedermayer, Cassiar, NHL center (Florida Panthers)
1975 - Kesley Perrin, CFL defensive back (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
1975 - Tannis Vallely, NYC, actress (Janice Lazorotto-Head of the Class)
1981 - Elizabeth Jordan Carr, 1st American test tube baby
Events
418 - St Boniface I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
801 - Louis the Vrome occupies Barcelona
1065 - Westminister Abbey opens in London
1614 - Sperm whale beached at Noordwijk
1732 - 1st known ad for "Poor Richard's Almanack" (Pennsylvania Gazette)
1816 - American Colonization Society organizes
1821 - Naples: Gioacchini Rossini moves to Bologna
1828 - 6.8 earthquake strikes Echigo Japan, 30,000 killed
1832 - John Calhoun becomes 1st VP to resign (differences with Pres Jackson)
1836 - Spain recognizes independence of Mexico
1846 - Iowa becomes 29th state
1849 - M Jolly-Bellin discovers dry-cleaning, he accidentally upset lamp containing turpentine & oil
1850 - Rangoon Burma, destroyed by fire
1864 - Battle of Egypt Station, MS
1869 - William Finley Semple of Mount Vernon, Ohio, patents chewing gum
1877 - John Stevens, applies for a patent for his flour rolling mill
1878 - Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Quod apostolici muneris (socialism)
1879 - North British Railway's train falls as Firth bridge collapses (Scot)
1887 - Sir John Layton Jarvis, 1st British race horse trainer knighted
1893 - French lieutenant Boiteux annexes Tumbuktu
1895 - World's 1st movie theater opens in Paris
1897 - Edmond Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac," premieres in Paris
1902 - Trans-Pacific cable links Hawaii to US
1902 - 1st indoor pro football game, Syracuse beats Phila 6-0 (MSG, NYC)
1903 - Electric lamp sets fire to Iroquois theater in Chicago; 602 die
1903 - Clyde Fitch's "Glad of It," premieres in NYC
1904 - 1st daily wireless weather forecasts published (London)
1905 - NSW all out for 805 vs Victoria, win by innings & 253
1905 - Intercollegiate Athletic Assn of US founded (becomes NCAA in 1910)
1906 - Ecuador adopts its constitution
1908 - Earthquake strikes Messina, Italy; 80,000 die
1908 - Messina, Italy struck by an earthquake (nearly 80,000 died)
1910 - Opera "Königskinder" is produced (NYC)
1912 - National Council of Young Israel convenes
1912 - SF Municipal Railway starts operation at Geary St (MUNI)
1915 - SF City Hall dedicated by Mayor James Rolph
1923 - George Bernard Shaw's "St Joan," premieres in NYC
1925 - George/Ira Gershwin's musical "Tip-Toes," premieres in NYC
1926 - Victoria all out for 1107 against NSW at the MCG Crowd 22,348
1926 - Ponsford scores 352 & Ryder 295 against NSW
1926 - Arthur Mailey takes 4-362 off 64 overs (no maidens) NSW v Vic
1926 - Imperial Airways begins England-India mail & passenger service
1927 - George Kaufman & Moss Hart's "Royal Family," premieres in NYC
1928 - Louis Armstrong makes 78 recording of "West End blues"
1928 - Last recording of Ma Rainey, "Mother of the Blues," made
1931 - Lin-Sen succeeds Chiang Kai-shek as president of Nanjing-China
1935 - W P A Federal Art Project Gallery opens in NYC
1937 - Fascist Octavian Goga becomes PM of Romania/begins spread of Judaism
1938 - Paul Gibb scores 106 on Test Cricket debut v South Africa
1940 - Arthur Morris scores 111 in 2nd innings of 1st game after 148
1941 - State of siege goes into effect in Bohemia/Moravia
1942 - Oberkommando Wehrmacht orders strategist flight out of Kaukasus
1942 - Robert Sullivan becomes 1st pilot to fly Atlantic 100 times
1943 - All inhabitants of Kalmukkie deported, about 70,000 killed
1944 - Leonard Bernstein's musical "On the Town," premieres in NYC
1944 - Eisenhower & Montgomery meet in Hasselt Belgium
1944 - Former Wash 3rd baseman Buddy Lewis wins Distinguished Flying Cross
1945 - Congress officially recognizes "Pledge of Allegiance"
1947 - Chic Cards beat Phila Eagles 28-21 in NFL championship game
1948 - IDF crosses Egyptian border
1948 - Middel-Java as a whole in Dutch hands
1948 - US announced a study to launch an Earth satellite
1949 - 20th Century Fox announces it would produce TV programs
1950 - Chinese troops cross 38th Parallel, into South Korea
1952 - Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 17-7 in NFL championship game
1953 - WLBT TV channel 3 in Jackson, MS (NBC) begins broadcasting
1954 - 43rd Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Sydney (3-2)
1954 - KEPR TV channel 19 in Pasco-Kennewick-Richl, WA (CBS) 1st broadcast
1955 - 44th Davis Cup: Australia beats USA in New York (5-0)
1956 - Miss Frances [Horwich], last Ding Dong School on NBC-TV
1957 - CBS states it won't broadcast baseball where minor league games are on
1957 - USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
1958 - What might be called greatest NFL game, Colts beat Giants 23-17
1958 - Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon & Theodore with David Seville) hit #1
1961 - Tennessee Williams' "Night of the Iguana," premieres in NYC
1962 - UN troops occupies Elizabethstad Katanga
1963 - "Jennie" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 82 performances
1963 - Merle Haggard 1st appearance on country chart with "Sing a Sad Song"
1963 - "Double Dublin" closes at Little Theater NYC after 4 performances
1964 - Principal filming of "Dr Zhivago," begins
1964 - Premier of Dmitri Sjostakovitch' Stefan Rasin
1966 - China PR performs nuclear test at Lop Nor PRC
1966 - 13 die in a train crash in Everett Mass
1967 - Muriel Siebert is 1st women to own a seat on NY Stock Exchange
1967 - KTSB (now KSNT) TV channel 27 in Topeka, KS (NBC) begins broadcasting
1968 - Israeli assault on Beirut Airport
1968 - Beatles' "Beatles-White Album," goes #1 & stays #1 for 9 weeks
1968 - 57th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Adelaide (4-1)
1968 - 100,000 attend Miami Pop Festival
1968 - KVOF (KUDO, now KWBB) TV channel 38 in SF, CA (IND) 1st broadcast
1969 - Neil Simon's "Last of the Red Hot Lovers," premieres in NYC
1969 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1969 - Dallas Cowboy kicker Mike Clark, attempting an on-side kick against Cleveland, missed the ball
1970 - Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) adopts constitution
1970 - "Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen" opens at Majestic NYC for 19 perfs
1971 - Hasj falls from now on under(neath) the Opiumwet
1972 - Martin Bormanns skeleton found in Berlin (Hitlers deputy)
1972 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1972 - Kim Il-song, becomes president of North Korea
1973 - Comet Kohoutek at perihelion
1973 - Alexander Solzhenitsyn publishes "Gulag Archipelag"
1973 - Akron Ohio's Chamber of Commerce terminates itself from Soap Box Derby
1974 - 6.3 earthquake strikes Pakistan: 5200 killed
1975 - Gary Cosier scores 109 v West Indies at MCG on Test Cricket debut
1975 - Earthquake in Pakistan, 4,000 die
1975 - 1st broadcast of radio Hilversum IV (classic music)
1975 - "Hail Mary Pass"-Cowboys beat Vikings 17-14 on last second pass
1975 - Red Army beats NY Rangers 7-3 at MSG
1976 - Genie Francis joind "General Hospital" as Laura Vining
1976 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1976 - "Fiddler on the Roof" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 167 perfs
1976 - Winnie Mandela banished in South Africa
1978 - 30th hat trick in Islander history (Mike Bossy)
1980 - Mexico terminated fishing agreements with US
1981 - Cleveland Metroparks Administrative offices move from downtown to Zoo
1981 - Warner-Elektra-Atlantic raises price of 45 records from $1.68 to $1.98
1983 - 72nd Davis Cup: Australia beats Sweden in Melbourne (3-2)
1983 - Gavaskar achieves his 30th century, beating Bradman's 29
1983 - US say they will leave UNESCO on Dec 31, 1984
1983 - Warren Cromartie signs 3 year $2.5M contract with Yomiuri Giants
1984 - TV soap "Edge of Night" ends 28 year run
1984 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1984 - Rajiv Gandhi's Congress party wins election in India
1984 - Creosote bush determined to be 11,700 years old
1985 - Warring Lebanese Moslem & Christian leaders sign peace agreement
1985 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1986 - Pat Davis, ranked 412th among world tennis competitors wins Davis Cup
1987 - In Arkansas R Gene Simmons kills 2, later bodies of 14 of his relatives are found at his home
1988 - John Tarrant, 1st Aust born Zen teacher, receives Dharma Transmission
1988 - US 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirms Yonkers is guilty of racism
1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1989 - Alexander Dubcek elected parliament chairman of Czech
1989 - Earthquake at Newcastle Australia, 11 die
1990 - 2 die in a NYC subway accident
1990 - Blockbuster Bowl 1: Florida State beats Penn State, 24-17
1991 - Ninibeth Beatriz Leal Jiminez, 20, of Venez, crowned 41st Miss World
1991 - Ted Turner is named Time Magazine Man of Year
1991 - Irene the Icon of Greek Orthodox church returns after being stolen
1991 - Blockbuster Bowl 2: Alabama beats Colorado, 30-25
1991 - 8 are crushed to death at a RAP basketball game at City College, NYC
1993 - Dutch Antilles govt of Yandi Paula forms
1993 - John Maclean passes Kirk Muller as all-time NJ Devils scorer (521 pts)
1993 - Dow-Jones hits record 3793.49
1994 - Tammy Wynette admitted to the hospital with bile duct infection
1994 - Billy Ray Cyrus (Achy Breaky Heart) weds Leticia Finley
1994 - Boon completes his 20th Test Cricket century (131 v Eng, MCG)
1996 - India all out for 66 at Durban after making 100 in cricket 1st inning
1997 - Sting beats Hollywood Hogan for WCW Championship
Deaths
1446 - Clemens VIII, [Aegyd Mu¤oz], Spanish anti-pope (1423-29), dies
1542 - Albert Pigge, [Pighius], Dutch theologist/astronomer, dies at about 5
1622 - Fran‡ois de Sales, French bishop of GenŠva/writer/saint, dies at 55
1673 - Joan Blaeu, Dutch cartographer/publisher (Atlas Major), dies at 77
1694 - Mary II, Queen of England, dies after 5 years of rule at 32 [NS=Jan 7
1706 - Pierre Bayle, French theologist (History of Criticism), dies at 59
1772 - Ernst J earl van/of Biron, Russian duke of Courland, dies at 82
1775 - Peter A van de Parra, gov-gen of (Neth Indies), dies at 61
1779 - Gennaro Manna, composer, dies at 64
1793 - Louis earl of Bylandt, Dutch admiral, dies at about 75
1830 - Adrien-Joseph van Helmont, composer, dies at 83
1859 - Thomas Babington Macaulay, English essayist/historian, dies
1860 - Cornelius Broere, Dutch RC clergyman/poet, dies at 57
1862 - Joaquim Casimiro Junior, composer, dies at 54
1870 - Alexey Fyodorovich L'vov, composer, dies at 72
1870 - Peter van Schendel, Dutch painter, dies at 64
1876 - Frederik Paludan-Mller, Danish poet (Abels díd), dies at 67
1878 - Jose Bernardo Alcedo, composer, dies at 90
1884 - Gerben Colmjon, Frisian linguist/publisher, dies at 56
1891 - Alfred Cellier, composer, dies at 47
1903 - George [Robert] Gissing, English novelist, dies at 46
1915 - Gerrit Jan van Heek, Dutch textile manufacturer/politician, dies at 7
1916 - Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer (318 dances), dies at 81
1918 - George H White, last post Reconstruction congressman (Penn), dies
1923 - Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, engineer (Eiffel Tower), dies at 91
1932 - John Blackham, cricketer (35 Tests as Aust WK, caught 37), dies
1935 - Clarence Day, writer (Life with Father), dies
1937 - Maurice J Ravel, Swiss/French composer (Bolero), dies in Paris at 62
1938 - Florence Lawrence, silent screen actress (Confidence), dies at 48
1945 - Theodore Dreiser, novelist (An American Tragedy), dies at 74
1946 - Carrie Jacobs Bond, American composer (I Love You Truly), dies at 85
1947 - Victor Emmanuel III, king of Italy (1900-46)/Ethiopia, dies at 78
1948 - Mahmud Nokrashy Pasha, PM of Egypt (19..-48), assassinated
1949 - W Hervey Allen, US writer/poet (Anthony Adverse), dies at 60
1949 - Jack Lovelock, NZ/US surgeon/athlete (Olympic-gold-1936), dies at 39
1956 - Roelof Kranenburg, Dutch social democratic party-chairman, dies at 76
1961 - Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, 1st lady (1915-21), dies at 89
1963 - Paul Hindemith, German composer (Composer's World), dies at 68
1963 - Abbott Joseph Liebling, American journalist/writer, dies
1967 - B‚la Schick, Hung/US children's physician (Scarlet Fever), dies at 90
1969 - Henry Oscar, actor (Saint in London), dies at 78
1970 - L Mendel Rivers, (Rep-D-SC), dies at 65
1970 - Charles "Sonny" Liston, heavyweight boxer champ (1962-64), dies
1971 - Maximilian Raoul Walter Steiner, composer, dies at 83
1976 - Freddie King, rocker, dies at 42
1978 - Harry Winston, US jeweler for the "rich & famous", dies at 82
1980 - Amir Elahi, cricketer, 1st Pakistani Test cricketer to die
1980 - Jersey calf, lived 222 days with an artificial heart
1982 - Frederick Douglass Hall, composer, dies at 84
1983 - Dennis Wilson, drummer/singer (Beach Boys), drowns at 39
1983 - William Demarest, actor (My 3 Sons), dies in Palm Springs at 91
1984 - Sam Peckinpah, director, dies of cardiac arrest at 59
1986 - Andrei Tarkovsky, dies
1986 - Louis van Lint, Belgian painter, dies at 77
1987 - Charles Malik, Lebanon's 1st delegate to UN, dies at 81
1988 - Hal Ashby, academy-award winning director, dies of cancer at 59
1989 - Robert Wickler, dies
1990 - Ed van der Elsken, Dutch photographer (Sweet Life), dies at 65
1990 - Kiel Martin, actor (Det LaRue-Hill Street Blues), dies of cancer at 4
1990 - Lucas Polhaupessy, Moluccan leader, dies
1991 - Cassandra Harris, actress (For Your Eyes Only), dies of cancer at 39
1991 - Jacques Aubuchon, actor (Hoax, Thunder Road), dies of heart failure
1992 - Mort Greene, US songwriter (My Grandfather's Clock), dies at 80
1993 - Howard Caine, dies
1993 - Joop Vervoort, Dutch soccer referee, dies at 61
1993 - William L Shirer, writer (Rise & Fall of 3rd Reich), dies at 89
1994 - Julian Belfrage, theatre agent, dies at 60
1995 - Harold Francis Collison, trade unionist, dies at 84
1997 - George Fleming, cyclist, dies at 80
1997 - James Lees-Milne, architecural historian, dies at 89
1997 - Ronald Clive Williams, actor/comedian, dies at 68
407 Events for 28th December