Births
1563 - Francesco Maria Guaitoli, composer
1586 - Francisco de Moncada, Spanish earl of Osuna/marquis of Aytona
1678 - Gotthard Wagner, composer
1709 - Elisabeth Petrovna, tsarina of Russia/daughter of Peter the Great
1721 - Madame De Pompadour, mistress of French King Louis the 15th
1743 - Alexander van Bylandt, Dutch military officer
1767 - Aime Ambroise Simon Leborne, composer
1776 - Charles Macintosh, Scotland, patented waterproof fabric
1792 - Archibald Alison, Scottish historian (History of Europe)
1800 - Charles Goodyear, inventor (vulcanization process for rubber)
1800 - Charles Goodyear
1808 - Andrew Johnson
1808 - Andrew Johnson, Raleigh NC, (Unionist), 17th pres (1865-69)
1808 - Gy”rgy Apponyi, Hungarian Parliament member
1809 - Albert Pike, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1891
1809 - William Ewart Gladstone, (Lib) British PM (1868-74, '80-86, '92-94)
1813 - Etienne-Joseph Soubre, composer
1831 - Adam Badeau, Bvt Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1895
1833 - John James Ingalls, (Rep-Ks)
1843 - Elisabeth OL, queen of Romania/poet (Rum„nische Dichtungen)
1850 - Tomas Breton y Hernandez, composer
1856 - Thomas J Stieltjes, mathematician (Stieltjes integral)
1859 - Venustiano Carranza, pres of M‚xico (1915-20)
1866 - Joseph Limburg, liberal Second-Member of parliament (1905-19)
1869 - Bill Howell, cricketer (Australian bowler at turn of century)
1876 - Pablo Casals, Vendrell Catalonia Spain, violinist/conductor/composer
1878 - Felix M Abel, French bible scholar (J‚rusalem Nouvelle)
1879 - Billy Mitchell, aviation hero Gen (WW I)
1880 - Jean-Fernand Vaubourgoin, composer
1887 - Kiyoshi Nobutoki, composer
1888 - Joseph Beran, Czech archbishop of Prague/cardinal
1890 - Jozef Cantr‚, Flemish sculptor/wood carver
1892 - Emory Parnell, St Paul MN, actress (Rocket Man, County Fair)
1896 - David Alfaro Siqueiros, M‚xico, painter/muralist (Lib of Chile)
1897 - Hermann Heiss, composer
1898 - Jeanne Leleu, composer
1900 - Willie Humphrey, jazz Clarinetist
1903 - Clyde McCoy, jazz trumpeter/bandleader
1907 - James Gardner, designer
1908 - Claire Dodd, AR, actress (Ex-Lady, In the Navy)
1908 - Gerben Sonderman, Dutch test pilot (Fokker)
1912 - Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Melbourne Australia, composer (Triad)
1913 - Laurence Gower, academic
1915 - Charles L[eonard] Harness, US, sci-fi author (Paradox Men, Wolfhead)
1915 - John P W Meefout, Dutch sculptor (Laying Woman)
1915 - Robert Ruark, US writer (Something of Value)
1917 - Tom Bradley, (Mayor-D-LA) (1973- )
1919 - Pieter Terpstra, Dutch journalist/writer (De dei is forroun/Havank-T)
1919 - Roman Vlad, composer
1920 - Syd Dernley, hangman
1920 - Viveca Lindfors, Uppsala Sweden, actress (Way We Were, Welcome to LA)
1921 - Dobrica Cosic, writer
1921 - Mala Powers, SF Calif, actress (Cyrano de Bergerac) [or 12/20/31]
1927 - Jim Simpson, Wash DC, sportscaster (Monday Night Baseball)
1928 - Bernard Cribbins, Oldham England, actor (Val Doonican Show)
1930 - Willy Giefer, composer
1931 - Barbara Steele, England, actress (Castle of Blood, Dark Shadows)
1932 - Inga Swenson, Omaha Nebraska, actress (Gretchen-Benson)
1933 - Prez "Kidd" Kenneth, blues singer/guitarist
1934 - Ed Flanders, Minneapolis Mn, actor (Dr Westphall-St Elsewhere)
1934 - Tom Jarriel, LaGrange Ga, newscaster (ABC Weekend News, 20/20)
1935 - Tony Bramall, England, auto dealer/multi-millionaire (Harrogate)
1936 - Ray Nitschke, NFL linebacker (Green Bay Packers)
1936 - Vitaly Alexeyevich Godzyatsky, composer
1936 - Mary Tyler Moore
1937 - Mary Tyler Moore, Bkln, actress (Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People)
1938 - Jon Voight, Yonkers, NY, actor (Deliverance, Midnight Cowboy)
1938 - Wayne Huizenga, CEO (Waste Management, Blockbuster, Miami Dolphins)
1938 - Jon Voight
1939 - Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, president of Maldives (1978- )
1940 - Brigitte Kronauer, writer
1940 - Ed Buce, Keiser Ar, country singer (Texas)
1940 - Peter Koelewijn, Dutch writer/vocalist (Come off that Roof)
1941 - Ray Thomas, England, rock vocalist (Moody Blues-Nights in White Satin
1942 - Jerry Summers, rocker
1943 - JHR Maij-Wegge, Dutch traffic minister (19..-94)
1944 - Rodney Redmond, NZ cricket (opener scored century in Test v Pak 1973)
1945 - Adje Roland, Dutch disc-jockey
1946 - Laffit Pincay Jr, jockey (Ky Derby 1984, Belmont 1982-84, Swale)
1946 - Marianne Faithfull, Hampstead England, vocalist (Money)
1946 - Paul Trible, (Sen-R-Va)
1946 - Marianne Faithfull
1947 - Ted Danson
1947 - Cozy Powell, England, rock drummer (Jeff Beck Group, Whitesnake, ELP)
1947 - Ted Danson, SD Calif, actor (Sam Malone-Cheers, 3 Men & a Baby)
1949 - Syed Kirmani, cricketer (Indian keeper after Engineer)
1950 - Jon Polito, Phila, actor (Fire With Fire, Homicide)
1951 - Laurel Masse, Holland Mich, jazz singer (Manhattan Transfer-Operator)
1951 - Yvonne Elliman, US actress/singer (I Don't Know How to Love Him)
1952 - Gelsey Kirkland, Bethlehem Pa, ballerina/druggie (Nutcracker)
1952 - Nikolai Andrianov, USSR, gymnist (Olympic-gold-1972, 76, 80)
1953 - Kate Schmidt, US javelin thrower (Olympic-bronze-1972)
1954 - Glenn Myernick, Trenton NJ, US soccer coach (Olympics-gold-96)
1954 - Roger Voudouris, Sacramento Ca, rock vocalist
1954 - Ed Autry
1955 - Jan Pijnenburg, Dutch rock drummer (Doe Maar-Bomb)
1955 - Neil Giraldo, rocker (Pat Benatar Band)
1956 - Dolf de Vries, Dutch musical/director/arranger (Josephine)
1958 - Curt Allen Byrum, Onida SD, PGA golfer (1989 Hardee's Golf Classic)
1959 - Leslie Graves, Silver City NM, actress (Brenda-Capitol)
1959 - Paula Poundstone, comedienne (Emmy Awards)
1960 - Dave Gilbert, cricketer (Aussie pace bowler in 9 Tests 1985-86)
1960 - David Boon, cricketer (short backward square from Tasmania)
1961 - Robert Louis Tewdwr Moss, journalist/travel writer
1962 - Devon White, Kingston Jamacia, outfielder (Florida Marlins)
1964 - Craig Grebeck, Cerritos CA, infielder (Florida Marlins)
1964 - Kimberly Russell, actress (Sarah-Head of the Class)
1965 - David Delfino, hockey goaltender (Team Italy 1998)
1966 - Bruce Bulina, Vancouver BC, Canadian Tour golfer (1990 Alberta Open)
1966 - Drew Hartt, Calgary Alta, Canadian Tour golfer (1995 Desert Tour)
1967 - Henry Jones, NFL safety (Buffalo Bills)
1967 - Jason Gould, son of Elliot Gould/Barbra Streisand, (Prince of Tides)
1967 - Kevin Toth, Cleveland Ohio, shot putter
1967 - Tony Tolbert, NFL defensive end (Dallas Cowboys)
1968 - Carlo H L Ponti Jr, son of Carlo Ponti & Sophia Loren
1968 - Darren Perry, NFL free safety (Pitts Steelers)
1968 - James Mouton, Denver CO, outfielder (Houston Astros)
1968 - James Mouton, outfielder (Houston Astros)
1970 - Yaroslav Ihorovych Pustovyi, Kostroma Ukraine, cosmonaut
1971 - Jay Fiedler, NFL quarterback (Phila Eagles)
1971 - Jay Fiedler, WLAF QB (Amsterdam Admirals)
1971 - Margot Thien, SD Calif, synchronized swimmer (Olympics-gold-96)
1971 - Mark Montreuil, NFL cornerback (SD Chargers)
1971 - Toby Mills, WLAF corner (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1972 - Jessica Lee McMinn, Miss North Carolina USA (1996)
1972 - Malcolm Seabron, NFL wide receiver (Houston Oilers)
1972 - Melissa Hall, Miss USA-Minnesota (1997)
1972 - Randy Neal, NFL linebacker (Cin Bengals)
1972 - Jude Law
1973 - Tomas Perez, Barquisimeto Venezuela, infielder (Toronto Blue Jays)
1974 - Brad Hodge, cricketer (promising Victorian middle-order batsman)
1974 - James Darling, linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles)
1974 - Tom Knight, cornerback (Arizona Cardinals)
1975 - Kalin Olson, Hot Springs Ark, playmate (Aug 1997)
1979 - Laura Larson, Miss Maine Teen USA (1996)
1985 - Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of Billy Joel & Christie Brinkley
Events
1503 - Battle at Carigliano: Spanish army beats France
1539 - St Jacobs Church burns after being hit by lightning
1541 - Isabella of Poland & King Ferdinand of Austria sign Treaty of Gyalu
1558 - Charles V, German emperor, buried
1705 - Prosper Jolyot's "Idomenée," premieres in Paris
1708 - Great Alliance occupies Gent
1778 - English troops occupy Savannah, Georgia
1782 - 1st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston
1813 - British burn Buffalo, NY during War of 1812
1837 - Canadian militia destroy Caroline, a US steamboat docked at Buffalo
1837 - Steam-powered threshing machine patented, Winthrop, Maine
1841 - King/grand duke Willem II installs Order of Eikenkroon
1845 - Texas admitted as 28th state
1848 - Gas lights 1st installed at White House (Polk's administration)
1851 - 1st Young Men's Christian Association chapter opened (Boston)
1852 - Emma Snodgrass arrested in Boston for wearing pants
1857 - Franz Liszt's "Die Hunnenschlacht," premieres in Weimar
1862 - Battle of Chichasaw Bayou: confederate armies defeat Gen Sherman
1862 - Bowling ball invented
1864 - Fire Dept celebrates 1st annual ball
1867 - 1st telegraph ticker used by a brokerage house, Groesbeck & Co, NY
1876 - 11 passenger cars crash in a ravine near Ashtabula Ohio, 92 die
1876 - Frédéric A Bartholdi (Statue of Liberty sculptor) weds Jeanne-Emilie
1885 - Gottlieb Daimler patents 1st bike (Germany)
1890 - US 7th Cavalry massacre 200+ captive Sioux at Wounded Knee, SD
1891 - Edison patents "transmission of signals electrically" (radio)
1895 - Dr L S Jameson begins failed raid on Johannesburg
1899 - English fleet brings German postschip Bundesrath up
1900 - General Viljoen surprise attack British garrison to Helvetia
1903 - French Equatorial Africa separates into Gabon, Chad & Ubangi-Shari
1906 - Montreal Wanderers beat New Glasgow (NS) for Stanley Cup (2nd of 1906)
1908 - Patent granted for a 4-wheel automobile brake, Clintonville, Wisc
1911 - Proclamation restores "Dei Gratia" from Canada's coins
1911 - SF Symphony formed
1913 - 1st movie serial, "Adventures of Kathlyn," premieres in Chicago
1920 - The netherlands/Venezuela recover diplomatic relations
1920 - Yugoslav govt bans communist party
1921 - William Lyon Mackenzie King succeeded Arthur Meighen as Canadian PM
1922 - Dutch Constitution proclaimed
1922 - Revised Netherlands Law proclaims suffrage
1926 - Vatican puts French fascist Charles Maurras' work on the index
1926 - Victoria (1107) beat NSW (221 & 230) by an innings 656 runs
1929 - Police arrest Sukarno & 100s PNI-leaders
1930 - Fred P Newton completes longest swim ever (1826 miles), when he swam in the Mississippi River
1931 - Identification of heavy water publicly announced, HC Urey
1931 - Victoria score 7 for 435 in second innings to beat NSW
1933 - Yank refuses to release Babe Ruth so he can manage the Cin Reds
1934 - 1st collegiate basketball doubleheader (MSG)
1934 - Federico García Lorca's "Yerma," premieres in Madrid
1934 - Japan renounces Wash Naval Treaty of 1922 & London Treaty of 1930
1937 - 2nd Irish constitution goes into effect; Irish Free State renamed Erie
1937 - Ireland adopts constitution (Irish Free State becomes Eire)
1937 - Lou Thesz beats E Marshall in St Louis, to become wrestling champ
1937 - Pan Am starts San Francisco-to-Auckland, New Zealand service
1938 - Construction on Lake Washington Floating Bridge, Seattle, begins
1940 - Germany begins dropping incendiary bombs on London (WW II)
1940 - NFL Pro Bowl: Chi Bears beats NFL All-Stars 28-14
1944 - Belgian nazi Léon Degrelle at default to the death sentenced
1944 - Gen Eisenhowers train returns to Versailles
1947 - Ship carrying Jewish immigrants driven away from Palestine
1948 - "Rape of Lucretia" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 23 performances
1948 - Canada recognizes Israel
1948 - US State Dept announces work on placing objects into Earth orbit
1949 - 1st UHF television station operating regular basis (Bridgeport Ct)
1949 - Hungary nationalized its industries
1951 - Flying Enterprise in difficulty in Canal
1952 - 1st transistorized hearing aid offered for sale (Elmsford NY)
1954 - Kingdom of Netherlands, with Netherlands & Netherlands Antilles as autonomous parts, comes int
1955 - Barbra Streisand's 1st recording "You'll Never Know" at age 13
1957 - Detroit Lions beat Cleve Browns 50-14 in NFL championship game
1957 - Singers Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme wed in Las Vegas
1958 - Balt Colts beat NY Giants 23-17 in NFL championship game
1958 - TV soap "Young Dr Malone" debuts
1959 - Saul Levitt's "Andersonville Trial," premieres in NYC
1962 - Doug Walters makes 1st-class debut for NSW 17 yrs 8 days
1963 - 52nd Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Adelaide (3-2)
1965 - "Thunderball" premieres in US
1965 - CBS purchases NFL TV rights for 1966-68 at $18.8 million per year
1965 - Supremes release "My World is Empty Without You"
1966 - Pirate Radio Phoenix, 1st transmission (Worcester, Mass)
1967 - Star Trek's "Trouble With Tribbles" 1st airs
1967 - Turkish-Cypriot government forms in Cyprus
1968 - Balt Colts beat Cleveland Browns 34-0 in NFL championship game
1968 - Israeli commandos destroy 13 Lebanese airplanes
1968 - NY Jets beat Oakland Raiders 27-23 in AFL championship game
1969 - NY Times reports Curt Flood will sue baseball & challenge the reserve clause
1972 - Eastern Tristar Jumbo Jet crashes near Everglades killing 101
1972 - Life magazine ceases publication
1972 - Test Cricket debut of Jeff Thomson & Max Walker v Pakistan at MCG
1974 - Murray Schisgal's "All Over Town," premieres in NYC
1975 - 11 killed, 75 hurt by terrorist bomb at LaGuardia Airport in NYC
1977 - Ronald Ribman's "Cold Storage," premieres in NYC
1978 - Shah of Iran, asks Shapour Bahktiar to form a civilian govt
1978 - Spain constitution goes into effect
1978 - Test Cricket debut of Allan Robert Border, v England at the MCG
1979 - Red Army beats NY Islanders 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum
1980 - Shuttle STS-1 moves from Vandenberg AFB to Launch Complex 39A
1982 - Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica
1982 - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant ends his career with Alabama (323 wins)
1983 - Gavaskar makes the highest Test Cricket score by an Indian, 236* v WI
1983 - Graeme Yallop completes 268 v Pakistan at cricket MCG
1983 - US announced withdrawal from UNESCO
1984 - 5th United Negro College Fund
1984 - Blues took 27 shots against Islanders in 1 period
1984 - Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi claims victory in parlimetary elections
1988 - Soviet Red Army Team edges NY Islanders, 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum
1988 - Victorian Post Office Museum in Australia closes
1989 - Jane Pauley says goodbye to NBC's "Today" show
1989 - Vaclav Havel becomes president of Czechoslovakia
1989 - Wayne Gretzky & Martina Navratilova, named athletes of decade by AP
1990 - Olympic gymnist Mary Lou Retton weds Shannon Kelley
1991 - "Christmas Carol" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 14 perfs
1991 - 12th United Negro College Fund
1991 - Boeing 747-200F of China Airlines crash into mountain at Taipei
1992 - Gov Cuomo grants Jean Harris (Scarsdale Diet Dr killer) clemency
1993 - Courtney Love sues doctors for leaking news of her methadone treatment
1993 - Todd Bridges arrested for transporting methamphetamine (speed)
1994 - B737-400 flies into a mountain at Edremit East Turkey, 54 killed
1994 - Bangladesh govt of Zia resigns
1994 - Billionaire J Paul Getty Jr marries Victoria Holdsworth on Barbados
1994 - Last Dutch electro-magnetic telephone exchange shuts down
1994 - Shane Warne takes a hat-trick v England at cricket MCG
1996 - "Dreams & Nightmares" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC
1996 - "Skylight" closes at Royale Theater NYC after
1996 - "Taking Sides" closes at Atkinson Theater NYC
1997 - Carquest Bowl 8: Georgia Tech beats West Virginia, 35-30
1997 - Hong Kong begins slaughtering all its chickens to prevent bird flu
1997 - Orville Lynn Majors, 36, arrested for many deaths under his care
1997 - Russia signs agreement to build a $3B nuclear power plant in China
Deaths
1141 - Yue Fei, Chinese general, executed
1170 - Thomas Beckett, archbishop, assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry I
1558 - Hermann Finck, composer, dies at 31
1619 - Antoine Arnauld, French lawyer (Philippica), dies
1630 - Jan Baptist Stalpart van der Wiele, RC pastor/lyricist, dies at 51
1689 - Olfert Dapper, Amsterdam historian/geographer, buried
1703 - Mustapha II, sultan (Turkey), dies at 39
1731 - J Brook Taylor, English mathematician, dies at 46
1785 - Johann Heinrich Rolle, composer, dies at 69
1815 - Saartjie Baartman, Hottentot Venus, dies in Paris
1821 - Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendael, S Neth general, dies at 61
1822 - Albert Christoph Dies, composer, dies at 67
1825 - Giuseppe Maria Gioacchino Cambini, composer, dies
1825 - Jacques-Louis David, French painter (Death of Marat), dies at 77
1835 - Charles-Joseph Tolbecque, composer, dies at 29
1836 - Johann Baptist Schenk, composer, dies at 83
1847 - William Crotch, composer, dies at 72
1871 - Ferdinand Marcucci, composer, dies at 71
1877 - Willem Sassen, Dutch attorney general on Cura‡ao (Affair-S), dies
1890 - Big Foot, Sioux indian chief, dies at Wounded Knee
1891 - Leopold Kronecker, German mathematician, dies at 68
1894 - Chris Rossetti, writer, dies at 64
1898 - Georg Goltermann, composer, dies at 74
1915 - Charles Beach Hawley, composer, dies at 57
1916 - Grigori J Rasputin, Russian faith healer/intriguer, murdered at 45
1925 - F‚lix E Vallotton, Swiss painter/writer (Chaste Susanne), dies at 60
1926 - Rainer M Rilke, Austrias songwriter/writer (Wise Queen), dies at 51
1933 - Joh Georghe Duca, premier of Romania, murdered
1942 - Frank D Adams, Canadian geologist, dies at 83
1943 - William H Singer, US painter/collector (Singer Museum), dies at 75
1947 - Joseph Cuvelier, Belgian historian/general, dies at 78
1952 - Beryl Rubinstein, composer, dies at 54
1956 - Martin Albertz, German theologist (Jesus Christ's Church), dies at 73
1957 - Tom Richmond, cricketer (Notts leg-spinner took 2-86 in Eng Test), di
1958 - Doris Humphrey, US dancer/choreographer (Dances of Women), dies at 63
1959 - Robin Humphrey Milford, composer, dies at 56
1964 - Bernard von Brentano, German writer (Big Cats), dies at 63
1964 - Miroslav Krejci, composer, dies at 73
1965 - Kusaku Yamada, composer, dies at 79
1967 - Paul Whiteman, US orchestra leader (Fabulous Dorseys), dies at 77
1970 - John de Mol, Dutch accordionist, dies at 58
1971 - Stuart Holmes, dies of stomach ailment at 87
1972 - Fritz Behrend, composer, dies at 83
1976 - Ivo van Damme, Belgian 800/1500 m sprinter (Oly-silver-76), dies at 2
1980 - Roy Engle, actor (Police Chief-My Favorite Martian), dies at 67
1980 - Tim Hardin, US singer (Bird on a Wire), dies of a drug overdose at 39
1981 - Guido Provoost, Belgian historian, dies at 41
1982 - Sol C Siegel, US film producer (High Society), dies at 79
1984 - Leo Robin, lyricist, dies of heart failure at 84
1986 - Andrei Tarkovski, Russian director (Stalker), dies at 54
1986 - John Antill, composer, dies at 82
1986 - [Maurice] Harold MacMillan, PM of Great-Britain (1957-63), dies at 92
1991 - Julia McCarthy, dies of cancer at 64
1992 - LH Ruitenberg, vicar/editor in chief (Reform Netherlands), dies at 87
1992 - Vivienne Segal, US actress (Broadway, Pal Joey), dies at 95
1994 - Eugene Tanner Jr, singer, dies at 58
1994 - Frank Thring, Australian actor (El Cid, Ben-Hur), dies at 68
1995 - Hope Clara Chenhalls, food inspector, dies at 85
1995 - Louise Chaplin, actress, dies at 87
1995 - Madeleine Barot, resistance heroine, dies at 86
1995 - Nello Celio, president of Switz (1972), dies at 81
1996 - Alma Birk, journalist/politician, dies at 77
1996 - Daniel Raphaeautl Mayer, journalist/resistance leader, dies at 86
1996 - Mireille Hartuch, singer/songwriter, dies at 90
1996 - Oswald Szemerenyi, philologist, dies at 83
1996 - Peggy (Margaret McCrorie) Herbison, politician, dies at 89
1996 - Robert Morris, lawyer, dies at 81
1996 - Willaim Brown, British TV executive, dies at 67
1996 - William Thomas Pennar Davies, poet author/theologian, dies at 85
1997 - (Hanlon) Pat Clarke, cyclist, dies at 82
1997 - Robert Steel, academic, dies at 82
336 Events for 29th December