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{{calendar|year={{#time:Y|-1 Day<!--Offset one day when this article is linked from the Main Page-->}}}}{{This date in recent years}}
{{Day}} It is known by a collection of names including: [[Saint Sylvester's Day]],<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.catholictradition.org/Saints/feast-days.htm#DECEMBER | title=Calendar of Feast Days}}</ref> [[New Year's Eve]] or Old Year's Day/Night, as the following day is [[New Year's Day]]. It is the last day of the year; the following day is [[January 1]], the first day of the following year.
===Pre-1600===
* [[406]] – [[Vandals]], [[Alans]] and [[Suebi]]ans [[Crossing of the Rhine|cross the Rhine]], beginning an invasion of [[Gaul]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Empires besieged : time frame--AD 200-600 |date=1988 |publisher=Alexandria, Va. : Time-Life Books |isbn=978-0-8094-6416-6 |page=38 |url=https://archive.org/details/empiresbesiegedt00time/page/38/mode/2up |access-date=5 September 2022}}</ref>
* [[535]] – [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] general [[Belisarius]] completes the conquest of [[Sicily]], defeating the [[Ostrogoths|Gothic]] garrison of [[Palermo]] (Panormos), and ending his [[consul]]ship for the year.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kruse |first1=Marion |title=The Politics of Roman Memory: From the Fall of the Western Empire to the Age of Justinian |date=4 October 2019 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-5162-3 |page=117 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[870]] – [[Battle of Englefield]]: The [[Vikings]] clash with [[ealdorman]] [[Æthelwulf of Berkshire]]. The invaders are driven back to [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] ([[Kingdom of East Anglia|East Anglia]]); many [[Danes]] are killed.<ref name="Smith1980">{{cite book|author=Albert Hugh Smith|title=The Parker Chronicle 832-900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3vMwAAAAMAAJ|year=1980|publisher=University of Exeter|isbn=978-0-85989-099-1|page=26}}</ref>
*[[1105]] – [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]] is forced to abdicate in favor of his son, [[Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry V]], in [[Ingelheim]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Robinson |first=I. S. |orig-year=1999 |year=2003 |title=Henry IV of Germany, 1056–1106 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-54590-0 |page=336}}</ref>
*[[1225]] – The [[Lý dynasty]] of Vietnam ends after 216 years by the enthronement of the boy emperor [[Trần Thái Tông]], husband of the last Lý monarch, [[Lý Chiêu Hoàng]], starting the [[Trần dynasty]].{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}<ref>Minh, Nguyen. ''The Contributions of Salient Vietnamese Zen Masters to the Development of Buddhism During Ly and Tran Dynasties.'' 2017. Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. Master of Arts.</ref>
*[[1229]] – [[James I of Aragon|James I the Conqueror]], [[King of Aragon]], enters Medina Mayurqa (now known as [[Palma de Mallorca]], Spain), thus consummating the [[Conquest of Majorca|Christian reconquest]] of the island of [[Mallorca]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Breve Historia de la guerra antigua y medieval (Brief history of the old and medieval war) |page=211 |author1=F. Xavier Hernández Cardona |author2=Xavier Rubio Campillo |date=October 2010 |publisher=Fareso |language=es|isbn=9788497639743 }}</ref>
*[[1501]] – The [[First Battle of Cannanore]] commences, seeing the first use of the naval [[line of battle]].{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}
*[[1600]] – The British [[East India Company]] is chartered.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Low |first1=C. R. |title=History of the Indian Navy: Chapter I. 1600-1622 |journal=The United Service Magazine |date=1875 |issue=3 |page=148 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L-IRAAAAYAAJ |access-date=5 September 2022 |publisher=H. Colburn |language=en}}</ref>
===1601–1900===
*[[1660]] – [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]] is named [[Duke of Normandy]] by [[Louis XIV]] of France.
*[[1670]] – The [[English expedition to Valdivia|expedition of John Narborough]] leaves [[Corral Bay]], having surveyed the coast and lost four hostages to the Spanish.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Urbina |first1=María Ximena|author-link=Ximena Urbina |title=La expedición de John Narborough a Chile, 1670: defensa de Valdivia, rumores de indios, informaciones de los prisioneros y la creencia en la ciudad de los Césares |trans-title=John Narborough Expedition to Chile, 1670: Defense of Valdivia, Indian Rumors, Information on Prisoners, and the Belief in the City of the Césares |journal=Magallania |volume=45 |issue=2 |year=2017 |pages=11–36 |doi=10.4067/S0718-22442017000200011 |doi-access=free |hdl=10533/232318 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
*[[1687]] – The first [[Huguenot]]s set sail from [[France]] to the [[Cape of Good Hope]].
*[[1757]] – Empress [[Elizabeth I of Russia]] issues her [[ukase]] incorporating [[Russian Prussia|Königsberg into Russia]].
*[[1759]] – [[Arthur Guinness]] signs a 9,000-year lease at [[Pound sterling|£]]45 per annum and starts brewing [[Guinness]].
*[[1775]] – [[American Revolutionary War]]: [[Battle of Quebec (1775)|Battle of Quebec]]: British forces under General [[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Guy Carleton]] repulse an attack by [[Continental Army]] General [[Richard Montgomery]] in a snowstorm.<ref>{{cite web|title=Quebec|url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/quebec|website=Battlefields.org|publisher=American Battlefield Trust|access-date=November 30, 2024}}</ref>
*[[1790]] – ''[[Efimeris]]'', the oldest Greek newspaper of which issues have survived till today, is published for the first time.
*[[1796]] – The incorporation of [[Baltimore]] as a city.
*[[
*[[1844]] – The [[Philippines]] skipped this date in order to align the country with the rest of Asia, as the trading interest switched to China, Dutch East Indies and neighboring territories after Mexico gained independence from Spain on 27 September 1821. In the islands, Monday, 30 December 1844 was immediately followed by Wednesday, 1 January 1845.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/in-1844-the-philippines-skipped-a-day-and-it-took-decades-for-the-rest-of-the-world-to-notice|first=Sarah|last=Laskow|title=In 1844, the Philippines Skipped a Day, And It Took Decades for the Rest of the World to Notice|publisher=Atlas Obscura|date=December 30, 2015|language=EN|access-date=2023-04-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.faroutliers.com/2007/08/27/missing-date-in-philippines-history-31-december-1844/|title=Missing date in Philippines history: 31 December 1844|website=faroutliers.com|publisher=Far Outliers|language=en-US|date=27 August 2007|access-date=7 March 2022}}</ref>
*[[1853]] – A dinner party is held inside a life-size model of an [[iguanodon]] created by [[Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins]] and Sir [[Richard Owen]] in [[south London]], England.
*[[1857]] – [[Queen Victoria]] chooses [[Ottawa]], then a small [[logging]] town, as the capital of the [[Province of Canada]].
*[[1862]] – [[American Civil War]]: The three-day [[Battle of Stones River]] begins near [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]] between the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[Army of Tennessee]] under General [[Braxton Bragg]] and the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] [[Army of the Cumberland]] under General [[William Rosecrans|William S. Rosecrans]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Battle of Stones River|url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/battle-of-stones-river/|author=McDonough, James L.|website=TennesseeEncyclopedia.net|publisher=Tennessee Historical Society|date=October 8, 2017|access-date=November 30, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Ann E. Holmes|title=Diverse Excursions in the Southeast: Paleozoic to Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iufHBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4|date=9 March 2015|publisher=Geological Society of America|isbn=978-0-8137-0039-7|pages=4}}</ref>
* 1862 – American Civil War: [[Abraham Lincoln]] signs an enabling act that would admit [[West Virginia]] to the Union, thus dividing [[Virginia]] in two.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rice |first1=Otis K. |last2=Brown |first2=Stephen Wayne |title=West Virginia: A History |place=Lexington, Ky. |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=1993 |isbn=9780813118543 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-GcC_XbfuUEC |pages=149–150 |postscript=none}}; {{cite journal |last1=Kesavan |first1=Vasan |last2=Paulsen |first2=Michael Stokes |year=2002 |title=Is West Virginia Unconstitutional? |journal=California Law Review |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=319–325 |doi=10.2307/3481282 |jstor=3481282 |url=http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/californialawreview/vol90/iss2/1/|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
*[[1878]] – [[Karl Benz]], working in [[Mannheim]], [[German Empire|Germany]], files for a [[patent]] on his first reliable [[Two-stroke engine|two-stroke gas engine]]. He was granted the patent in 1879.
*[[1879]] – [[Thomas Edison]] demonstrates [[Incandescent light bulb|incandescent lighting]] to the public for the first time, in [[Menlo Park, New Jersey]].
===1901–present===
*[[1906]] – [[Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar]] signs the [[Persian Constitution of 1906]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Great Britain. Foreign and Commonwealth Office|title=British and Foreign State Papers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GNIMAQAAIAAJ|year=1927|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|page=75}}</ref>
*[[1907]] – The first ever [[Times Square Ball|ball drop]] in [[Times Square]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Deconstructed – Times Square Ball – Lots of Sparkle for a Swift Fall|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/nyregion/27ball.html?ref=nyregion&gwh=DFA1FDC3A94D96DE864D020AB6405314|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 15, 2013|first=Alan|last=Feuer|date=December 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125103445/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/nyregion/27ball.html?ref=nyregion&gwh=DFA1FDC3A94D96DE864D020AB6405314 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[1942]] – [[USS Essex (CV-9)|USS ''Essex'']], first aircraft carrier of a 24-ship class, is [[Ship commissioning|commissioned.]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Essex IV (CV-9) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/essex-iv.html |access-date=2020-12-26 |website=NHHC |language=en-US }}</ref>
* 1942 – [[World War II]]: The [[Royal Navy]] defeats the [[Kriegsmarine]] at the [[Battle of the Barents Sea]]. This leads to the resignation of [[Grand Admiral]] [[Erich Raeder]] a month later.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kappes |first=Irwin |title=The Battle of the Barents Sea |url=https://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/articles/feature5.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006170208/https://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/articles/feature5.html |archive-date=2021-10-06 |access-date=2021-12-31 |website=www.german-navy.de}}</ref>
*[[1944]] – World War II: [[Operation Nordwind]], the last major [[Wehrmacht]] offensive on the [[Western Front (World War II)|Western Front]], begins.
*[[1946]] – President [[Harry S. Truman]] officially proclaims the [[Proclamation 2714|end of hostilities]] in World War II.
*[[1951]] – [[Cold War]]: The [[Marshall Plan]] expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild [[Western Europe]].
*[[1955]] – [[General Motors]] becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.
*[[1956]] – The [[Romanian Television]] network begins its first broadcast in [[Bucharest]].
*[[1961]] – [[RTÉ]], Ireland's state broadcaster, launches its first national television service.
*[[1963]] – [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|The Central African Federation]] officially collapses, subsequently becoming [[Zambia]], [[Malawi]] and [[Rhodesia]].
*[[1965]] – [[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]], leader of the [[Central African Republic]] army, and his military officers [[Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état|begin a coup d'état]] against the government of [[List of heads of state of the Central African Republic and Central African Empire|President]] [[David Dacko]].
*[[1968]] – The first flight of the [[Tupolev Tu-144]], the first civilian supersonic transport in the world.
* 1968 – [[MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750]] crashes near [[Port Hedland, Western Australia]], killing all 26 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident Vickers 720C Viscount VH-RMQ Port Hedland, WA|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681231-2|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-29|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=[[Aviation Safety Network]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050527210458/http://aviation-safety.net:80/database/record.php?id=19681231-2 |archive-date=2005-05-27 }}</ref>
*[[1981]] – A [[coup d'état]] in [[Ghana]] removes [[List of heads of state of Ghana|President]] [[Hilla Limann]]'s [[People's National Party (Ghana)|PNP]] [[Limann government|government]] and replaces it with the [[Provisional National Defence Council]] led by [[Flight lieutenant]] [[Jerry Rawlings]].
*[[1983]] – The [[AT&T Corporation|AT&T]] [[Bell System]] is broken up by the [[Federal government of the United States|United States Government]].
* 1983 – [[Benjamin Ward]] is appointed [[New York City Police Department]]'s first ever [[African Americans|African American]] [[New York City Police Commissioner|police commissioner]].
* 1983 – In [[Nigeria]], a [[1983 Nigerian coup d'état|coup d'état]] led by Major General [[Muhammadu Buhari]] ends the [[Second Nigerian Republic]].
*[[1991]] – All official [[Soviet Union]] institutions have ceased operations by this date, five days after the Soviet Union is [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|officially dissolved]].
*[[1992]] – [[Czechoslovakia]] is [[Dissolution of Czechoslovakia|peacefully dissolved]] in what is dubbed by media as the ''Velvet Divorce'', resulting in the creation of the [[Czech Republic]] and the [[Slovakia|Slovak Republic]].
*[[1994]] – This date is skipped altogether in [[Kiribati]] as the [[Phoenix Islands]] and [[Line Islands]] change time zones from [[UTC−11:00]] to [[UTC+13:00]] and [[UTC−10:00]] to [[UTC+14:00]], respectively.
* 1994 – The [[First Chechen War]]: The [[Russian Ground Forces]] begin a [[Battle of Grozny (1994–95)|New Year's storming]] of [[Grozny]].
* [[1995]] – The final comic of [[Calvin and Hobbes]] is published.<ref name="CC+H_final_strip">[[Calvin and Hobbes#CITEREFWatterson2005|Watterson (2005)]]. vol. 3, p. 481. Comic originally published December 31, 1995.</ref>
*[[1998]] – The [[European Exchange Rate Mechanism]] freezes the values of the legacy currencies in the [[Eurozone]], and establishes the value of the [[euro]] currency.
*[[1999]] – The first [[President of Russia]], [[Boris Yeltsin]], resigns from office, leaving [[Prime Minister of Russia|Prime Minister]] [[Vladimir Putin]] as the [[Acting President of Russia|acting President]] and successor.
* 1999 – The U.S. government hands control of the [[Panama Canal]] (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the [[Panama Canal Zone]]) to [[Panama]]. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 [[Torrijos–Carter Treaties]].
* 1999 – [[Indian Airlines Flight 814]] hijacking ends after seven days with the release of 190 survivors at [[Kandahar Airport]], [[Afghanistan]].
*[[2001]] – Rwanda adopts a new [[Flag of Rwanda|national flag]] and [[Rwanda Nziza|anthem]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Vesperini |first=Helen |title=Rwanda unveils new flag and anthem |date=31 December 2001 |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1735405.stm |access-date=24 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031105035109/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1735405.stm |archive-date=5 November 2003}}</ref>
*[[2004]] – The official opening of [[Taipei 101]], the [[List of tallest buildings and structures in the world|tallest]] [[skyscraper]] at that time in the world, standing at a height of {{convert|509|m|ft}}.
*[[2009]] – Both a [[blue moon]] and a [[December 2009 lunar eclipse|lunar eclipse]] occur.
*[[2010]] – [[2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak|Tornadoes]] touch down in [[Midwestern United States|midwestern]] and [[southern United States]], including [[Washington County, Arkansas]]; [[Greater St. Louis]], [[Sunset Hills, Missouri]], [[Illinois]], and [[Oklahoma]], with a few tornadoes in the early hours. A total of 36 tornadoes touched down, resulting in the deaths of nine people and $113 million in damages.
*[[2011]] – [[NASA]] succeeds in putting the first of two [[Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory]] [[satellite]]s in orbit around the [[Moon]].
*[[2014]] – A New Year's Eve celebration [[2014 Shanghai stampede|stampede]] in [[Shanghai]] kills at least 36 people and injures 49 others.
*[[2015]] – A fire breaks out at the Downtown Address Hotel in [[Downtown Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]], located near the [[Burj Khalifa]], two hours before the [[fireworks]] display is due to commence. Sixteen injuries were reported; one had a heart attack, another suffered a major injury, and fourteen others with minor injuries.
*[[2018]] – Thirty-nine people are killed after [[2018 Magnitogorsk building collapse|a ten-story building collapses]] in the industrial city of [[Magnitogorsk]], Russia.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/03/death-toll-rises-in-russian-apartment-block-collapse |title=Death toll rises to 39 in Russian apartment block collapse |date=2019-01-03 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2019-01-07}}</ref>
*[[2019]] – The [[World Health Organization]] is informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause, detected in [[Wuhan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pneumonia of unknown cause – China |url=https://www.who.int/csr/don/05-january-2020-pneumonia-of-unkown-cause-china/en/ |website=WHO}}</ref> This later turned out to be [[COVID-19]], the cause of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhou |first1=Peng |last2=Yang |first2=Xing-Lou |last3=Wang |first3=Xian-Guang |last4=Hu |first4=Ben |last5=Zhang |first5=Lei |last6=Zhang |first6=Wei |last7=Si |first7=Hao-Rui |last8=Zhu |first8=Yan |last9=Li |first9=Bei |last10=Huang |first10=Chao-Lin |last11=Chen |first11=Hui-Dong |last12=Chen |first12=Jing |last13=Luo |first13=Yun |last14=Guo |first14=Hua |last15=Jiang |first15=Ren-Di |last16=Liu |first16=Mei-Qin |last17=Chen |first17=Ying |last18=Shen |first18=Xu-Rui |last19=Wang |first19=Xi |last20=Zheng |first20=Xiao-Shuang |last21=Zhao |first21=Kai |last22=Chen |first22=Quan-Jiao |last23=Deng |first23=Fei |last24=Liu |first24=Lin-Lin |last25=Yan |first25=Bing |last26=Zhan |first26=Fa-Xian |last27=Wang |first27=Yan-Yi |last28=Xiao |first28=Geng-Fu |last29=Shi |first29=Zheng-Li |title=A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin |journal=Nature |date=March 2020 |volume=579 |issue=7798 |pages=270–273 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2012-7 |pmid=32015507 |pmc=7095418 |bibcode=2020Natur.579..270Z }}</ref>
*[[2020]] – The World Health Organization issues its first emergency use validation for a [[COVID-19 vaccine]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=WHO issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine and emphasizes need for equitable global access|url=https://www.who.int/news/item/31-12-2020-who-issues-its-first-emergency-use-validation-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-and-emphasizes-need-for-equitable-global-access|access-date=2021-02-16|website=www.who.int|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-31|title=WHO clears Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/who-clears-pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-for-emergency-use|access-date=2021-02-16|website=PBS NewsHour|language=en-us}}</ref>
==Births==
===Pre-1600===
* [[695]] – [[Muhammad ibn al-Qasim]], Umayyad general (died 715)
*[[1378]] – [[Pope Callixtus III]] (died 1458)
*[[1491]] – [[Jacques Cartier]], French navigator and explorer (died 1557)
*[[1493]] – [[Eleonora Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino]] (died 1570)
*[[1504]] – [[Beatrice of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy]] (died 1538)
*[[1514]] – [[Andreas Vesalius]], Belgian anatomist, physician, and author (died 1564)
*[[1539]] – [[John Radcliffe (died 1568)|John Radcliffe]], English politician (died 1568)
*[[1550]] – [[Henry I, Duke of Guise]] (died 1588)
*[[1552]] – [[Simon Forman]], English occultist and astrologer (died 1611)
*[[1572]] – [[Emperor Go-Yōzei]] of Japan, (died 1617)
*[[1585]] – [[Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1585–1645)|Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba]], Spanish general and politician, 24th Governor of the Duchy of Milan (died 1645)
===1601–1900===
*[[1668]] – [[Herman Boerhaave]], Dutch botanist and physician (died 1738)
*[[1714]] – [[Arima Yoriyuki]], Japanese mathematician and educator (died 1783)
*[[1720]] – [[Charles Edward Stuart]], Scottish claimant to the throne of England (died 1788)
*[[1738]] – [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis]], English general and politician, 3rd Governor-General of India (died 1805)
*[[1741]] – [[Gottfried August Bürger]], German poet and academic (died 1794)
*[[1763]] – [[Pierre-Charles Villeneuve]], French admiral (died 1806)
*[[1774]] – [[James Bunbury White]], American politician (died 1819)<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wilcox|first=George W.|url=|title=Profile of an Irish Lady: Bridget Day Beatty|journal=Lower Cape Fear Historical Society, Inc. Bulletin|publication-place=Wilmington, North Carolina|date=May 1993|volume=XXXVIII|issue=3}}</ref>
*[[1776]] – [[Johann Spurzheim]], German-American physician and phrenologist (died 1832)
*[[1798]] – [[Friedrich Robert Faehlmann]], Estonian physician, philologist, and academic (died 1850)
*[[1805]] – [[Marie d'Agoult]], German-French historian and author (died 1876)<ref>{{cite book|first=Marylnn J.|last=Smith|chapter=Marie (-Catherine-Sophie de Flavigne), Comtesse d'Agoult|editor-first=Katharina M.|editor-last=Wilson|title=An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers Volume 1|___location=New York|publisher=Garland|year=1991|page=7|isbn=978-0-82408-547-6}}</ref>
*[[1815]] – [[George Meade]], American general and engineer (died 1872)
*[[1830]] – [[Isma'il Pasha]], Egyptian ruler (died 1895)
* 1830 – [[Alexander Smith (poet)|Alexander Smith]], Scottish poet and critic (died 1867)
*[[1833]] – [[Hugh Nelson (Australian politician)|Hugh Nelson]] Scottish-Australian politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (died 1906)
*[[1834]] – [[Queen Kapiolani]] of Hawai{{okina}}i (died 1899)
*[[1838]] – [[Émile Loubet]], French lawyer and politician, 7th President of France (died 1929)
*[[1842]] – [[Giovanni Boldini]], Italian painter (died 1931)
*[[1851]] – [[Henry Carter Adams]], American economist and academic (died 1921)
*[[1855]] – [[Giovanni Pascoli]], Italian poet and scholar (died 1912)
*[[1857]] – [[King Kelly]], American baseball player and manager (died 1894)
*[[1860]] – [[Joseph S. Cullinan]], American businessman, co-founder of Texaco (died 1937)
*[[1864]] – [[Robert Grant Aitken]], American astronomer and academic (died 1951)
*[[1869]] – [[Henri Matisse]], French painter and sculptor (died 1954)
*[[1872]] – [[Fred Marriott]], American race car driver (died 1956)
*[[1873]] – [[Konstantin Konik]], Estonian surgeon and politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Education (died 1936)
*[[1874]] – [[Julius Meier]], American businessman and politician, 20th Governor of Oregon (died 1937)
*[[1877]] – [[Lawrence Beesley]], English journalist and author (died 1967)
*[[1878]] – [[Elizabeth Arden]], Canadian businesswoman (died 1966)
* 1878 – [[Horacio Quiroga]], Uruguayan-Argentinian author, poet, and playwright (died 1937)
*[[1880]] – [[Fred Beebe]], American baseball player and coach (died 1957)
* 1880 – [[George Marshall]], American general and politician, 50th United States Secretary of State (died 1959)
*[[1881]] – [[Max Pechstein]], German painter and academic (died 1955)
*[[1884]] – [[Bobby Byrne (baseball)|Bobby Byrne]], American baseball and soccer player (died 1964)
* 1884 – [[Mihály Fekete]], Hungarian actor, screenwriter, and film director (died 1960)
*[[1885]] – [[Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein]] (died 1970)
*[[1899]] – [[Silvestre Revueltas]], Mexican violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1940)
===1901–present===
*[[1901]] – [[Karl-August Fagerholm]], Finnish politician, 20th Prime Minister of Finland (died 1984)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blf.fi/artikel.php?id=637|title=FAGERHOLM, Karl-August (1901–1984)|first=Mikko|last=Majander|website=Biografiskt lexikon för Finland|access-date=December 31, 2021|language=sv}}</ref>
* 1901 – [[Nikos Ploumpidis]], Greek educator and politician (died 1954)
*[[1902]] – [[Lionel Daunais]], Canadian singer-songwriter (died 1982)
* 1902 – [[Roy Goodall]], English footballer (died 1982)
*[[1903]] – [[William Heynes]], English engineer (died 1989)
*[[1905]] – [[Helen Dodson Prince]], American astronomer and academic (died 2002)
*[[1908]] – [[Simon Wiesenthal]], Ukrainian-Austrian Nazi hunter and author (died 2005)
*[[1909]] – [[Jonah Jones]], American trumpet player and saxophonist (died 2000)
*[[1910]] – [[Carl Dudley]], American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1973)
* 1910 – [[Enrique Maier]], Spanish tennis player (died 1981)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Davis Cup Player Profile: Enrique Maier |url=https://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player.aspx?id=800170706 |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=www.daviscup.com}}</ref>
*[[1911]] – [[Dal Stivens]], Australian soldier and author (died 1997)
*[[1912]] – [[John Frost (British Army officer)|John Frost]], Indian-English general (died 1993)
*[[1914]] – [[Mary Logan Reddick]], American neuroembryologist (died 1966)
*[[1915]] – [[Sam Ragan]], American journalist, author, and poet (died 1996)
*[[1917]] – [[Evelyn Knight (singer)|Evelyn Knight]], American singer (died 2007)
* 1917 – [[Wilfrid Noyce]], English mountaineer and author (died 1962)
*[[1918]] – [[Ray Graves]], American football player and coach (died 2015)
*[[1919]] – [[Tommy Byrne (baseball)|Tommy Byrne]], American baseball player, coach, and politician (died 2007)
* 1919 – [[Carmen Contreras-Bozak]], Puerto Rican-American soldier (died 2017)
*[[1920]] – [[Rex Allen]], American actor and singer-songwriter (died 1999)
*[[1922]] – [[Tomás Balduino]], Brazilian bishop (died 2014)
* 1922 – [[Halina Czerny-Stefańska]], Polish pianist and educator (died 2001)
* 1922 – [[Luis Zuloaga]], Venezuelan baseball player (died 2013)
*[[1923]] – [[Giannis Dalianidis]], Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2010)
*[[1924]] – [[Taylor Mead]], American actor and poet (died 2013)
*[[1925]] – [[Irina Korschunow]], German author and screenwriter (died 2013)
* 1925 – [[Sri Lal Sukla]], Indian author (died 2011)
* 1925 – [[Daphne Oram]], British composer and electronic musician (died 2003)
*[[1926]] – [[Valerie Pearl]], English historian and academic (died 2016)
* 1926 – [[Billy Snedden]], Australian lawyer and politician, 17th Attorney-General for Australia (died 1987)
*[[1928]] – [[Ross Barbour (singer)|Ross Barbour]], American pop singer (died 2011)
* 1928 – [[Hugh McElhenny]], American football player (died 2022)<ref>{{cite web |title=UW Football Mourns Passing Of Husky Legend Hugh McElhenny |url=https://gohuskies.com/news/2022/6/23/uw-football-morns-the-passing-of-husky-legend-hugh-mcelhenny.aspx |publisher=[[University of Washington]] |access-date=28 December 2022 |date=23 June 2022}}</ref>
* 1928 – [[Veijo Meri]], Finnish author and translator (died 2015)
* 1928 – [[Tatyana Shmyga]], Russian actress and singer (died 2011)
* 1928 – [[Siné]], French cartoonist (died 2016)
*[[1929]] – [[Mies Bouwman]], Dutch television host (died 2018)
* 1929 – [[Peter May (cricketer)|Peter May]], English cricketer (died 1994)
*[[1930]] – [[Jaime Escalante]], Bolivian-American educator (died 2010)
* 1930 – [[Odetta]], American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (died 2008)
*[[1931]] – [[Bob Shaw]], Northern Irish journalist and author (died 1996)
*[[1932]] – [[Don James (American football)|Don James]], American football player and coach (died 2013)
* 1932 – [[Felix Rexhausen]], German journalist and author (died 1992)
*[[1933]] – [[Edward Bunker]], American author, screenwriter, and actor (died 2005)
*[[1934]] – [[Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan]], Indian author, poet, and scholar (died 2017)
* 1934 – [[Maria Krushelnytska]], Ukrainian pianist (died 2025)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-16 |title=Відійшла у вічність видатна піаністка Марія Крушельницька |url=https://vechirniy.kyiv.ua/news/116217/ |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=Вечірній Київ |language=uk}}</ref>
*[[1937]] – [[Avram Hershko]], Hungarian-Israeli biochemist and physician
* 1937 – [[Barry Hughes]], Welsh footballer and manager (died 2019)
* 1937 – [[Tess Jaray]], Austrian-English painter and educator
*[[1938]] – [[Rosalind Cash]], American singer and actress (died 1995)
* 1938 – [[Atje Keulen-Deelstra]], Dutch speed skater (died 2013)
*[[1939]] – [[Willye White]], American sprinter and long jumper (died 2007)
*[[1940]] – [[Mani Neumeier]], German drummer
* 1941 – Sir [[Alex Ferguson]], Scottish footballer and manager
*[[1944]] – [[Taylor Hackford]], American director, producer, and screenwriter
*[[1945]] – [[Connie Willis]], American author
*[[1946]] – [[Roy Greenslade]], English journalist and academic
* 1946 – [[Bryan Hamilton]], Northern Irish footballer and coach
* 1946 – [[Raphael Kaplinsky]], South African international development academic
* 1946 – [[Pius Ncube]], Zimbabwean archbishop
* 1946 – [[Lyudmila Pakhomova]], Russian ice dancer (died 1986)
* 1946 – [[Cliff Richey]], American tennis player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cliff Richey {{!}} Overview {{!}} ATP Tour {{!}} Tennis |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/cliff-richey/r071/overview |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=ATP Tour}}</ref>
* 1946 – [[Eric Robson]], Scottish journalist and author
* 1946 – [[Nigel Rudd]], English businessman, founder of Williams Holdings
* 1946 – [[Tim Stevens]], English bishop
*[[1948]] – [[Sandy Jardine]], Scottish footballer and manager (died 2014)
*[[1949]] – [[Ellen Datlow]], American anthologist and author
* 1949 – [[Flora Gomes]], Bissau-Guinean filmmaker
* 1949 – [[Susan Shwartz]], American author
*[[1950]] – [[Bob Gilder]], American golfer
* 1950 – [[Inge Helten]], German sprinter
* 1950 – [[Cheryl Womack]], American businesswoman
*[[1951]] – [[Kenny Roberts]], American motorcycle racer
*[[1952]] – [[Vaughan Jones]], New Zealand mathematician and academic (died 2020)
* 1952 – [[Jean-Pierre Rives]], French rugby player, painter, and sculptor
*[[1953]] – [[Jane Badler]], American actress
*[[1954]] – [[Alex Salmond]], Scottish economist and politician (died 2024)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Craig |date=12 October 2024 |title=Alex Salmond obituary: A man and a politician of contradictions |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd13102l9g5o |access-date=12 October 2024 |website=BBC News}}</ref>
* 1954 – [[Hermann Tilke]], German racing driver, architect and engineer
* [[1955]] – [[Pula Nikolao Pula]], 9th governor of American Samoa<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pula Nikolao Pula |url=https://www.nga.org/governors/american-samoa/ |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=National Governors Association}}</ref>
*[[1956]] – [[Robert Goodwill]], English farmer and politician
* 1956 – [[Helma Knorscheidt]], German shot putter
* 1956 – [[Steve Rude]], American author and illustrator
*[[1958]] – [[Geoff Marsh]], Australian cricketer and coach
*[[1959]] – [[Liveris Andritsos]], Greek basketball player
*1959 – [[Val Kilmer]], American actor (died 2025)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Bruce |date=April 2, 2025 |title=Val Kilmer, Film Star Who Played Batman and Jim Morrison, Dies at 65 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/movies/val-kilmer-dead.html |access-date=April 3, 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* 1959 – [[Phill Kline]], American lawyer and politician
* 1959 – [[Baron Waqa]], Nauruan composer and politician, 14th President of Nauru
*[[1960]] – [[Steve Bruce]], English footballer and manager
*[[1961]] – [[Rick Aguilera]], American baseball player and coach
* 1961 – [[Jeremy Heywood]], English economist and civil servant (died 2018)
* 1961 – [[Nina Li Chi]], Hong Kong actress<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://hkcinemagic.com/en/people.asp?id=217 |title = Hong Kong Cinemagic - Nina Li Chi}}</ref>
*[[1962]] – [[Tyrone Corbin]], American basketball player and coach
* 1962 – [[Chris Hallam]], English-Welsh swimmer and wheelchair racer (died 2013)
* 1962 – [[Jennifer Higdon]], American composer<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jenniferhigdon.com/biography.html|title=About Jennifer Higdon|website=jenniferhigdon.com|language=en|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref>
*[[1964]] – [[Winston Benjamin]], Antiguan cricketer
* 1964 – [[Michael McDonald (comedian)|Michael McDonald]], American comedian, actor, and director
*[[1965]] – [[Tony Dorigo]], Australian-English footballer and sportscaster
* 1965 – [[Julie Doucet]], Canadian cartoonist and author
* 1965 – [[Laxman Sivaramakrishnan]], Indian cricketer
*[[1967]] – [[Paul McGregor (rugby league)|Paul McGregor]], Australian rugby league player and coach
*[[1968]] – [[Gerry Dee]], Canadian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
* 1968 – [[Junot Diaz]], Dominican-born American novelist, short story writer, and essayist
*[[1970]] – [[Jorjão (footballer)|Jorjão]], Brazilian footballer
* 1970 – [[Danny McNamara (musician)|Danny McNamara]], English singer-songwriter
* 1970 – [[Carlos Morales Quintana]], Spanish-Danish architect and sailor
* 1970 – [[Bryon Russell]], American basketball player
*[[1971]] – [[Brent Barry]], American basketball player and sportscaster
* 1971 – [[Esteban Loaiza]], Mexican baseball player
* 1971 – [[Heath Shuler]], American football player and politician<ref>{{cite web |title=Heath Shuler |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/7665/heath-shuler |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1972]] – [[Grégory Coupet]], French footballer
* 1972 – [[Scott Manley]], Scottish YouTube personality
*[[1973]] – [[Shandon Anderson]], American basketball player
* 1973 – [[Malcolm Middleton]], Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1973 – [[Curtis Myden]], Canadian swimmer
*[[1974]] – [[Mario Aerts]], Belgian cyclist
* 1974 – [[Tony Kanaan]], Brazilian race car driver
* 1974 – [[Ryan Sakoda]], Japanese-American wrestler and trainer
*[[1975]] – [[Rami Alanko]], Finnish ice hockey player
* 1975 – [[Toni Kuivasto]], Finnish footballer and coach
* 1975 – [[Rob Penders]], Dutch footballer
* 1975 – [[Sander Schutgens]], Dutch runner
*[[1976]] – [[Luís Carreira]], Portuguese motorcycle racer (died 2012)
* 1976 – [[Matthew Hoggard]], English cricketer
*[[1977]] – [[Wardy Alfaro]], Costa Rican footballer and coach
*[[1979]] – [[Paul O'Neill (racing driver)|Paul O'Neill]], English racing driver
* 1979 – [[Jeff Waldstreicher]], American lawyer and politician
*1979 – [[Ricky Whittle]], British actor
*[[1980]] – [[Jesse Carlson]], American baseball player
* 1980 – [[Matt Cross (wrestler)|Matt Cross]], American wrestler
* 1980 – [[Richie McCaw]], New Zealand rugby player
* 1980 – [[Carsten Schlangen]], German runner
*[[1981]] – [[Jason Campbell]], American football player
* 1981 – [[Francisco García (basketball)|Francisco García]], Dominican basketball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Francisco Garcia |url=https://www.nba.com/stats/player/101128/career |publisher=[[National Basketball Association]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
* 1981 – [[Matthew Pavlich]], Australian footballer
* 1981 – [[Margaret Simpson]], Ghanaian heptathlete
*[[1982]] – [[Julio DePaula]], Dominican baseball player
* 1982 – [[Craig Gordon]], Scottish footballer
* 1982 – [[Luke Schenscher]], Australian basketball player
* 1982 – [[The Rocket Summer]], American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
*[[1983]] – [[Jana Veselá]], Czech basketball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Jana Vesela |url=https://www.wnba.com/player/202239/jana-vesela |publisher=[[WNBA]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1984]] – [[Corey Crawford]], Canadian ice hockey player<ref>{{cite web |title=Corey Crawford |url=https://www.nhl.com/player/corey-crawford-8470645 |publisher=[[National Hockey League]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
* 1984 – [[Ben Hannant]], Australian rugby league player
* 1984 – [[Gerardo Lugo (footballer, born 1984)|Édgar Lugo]], Mexican footballer
* 1984 – [[Calvin Zola]], Congolese footballer
*[[1985]] – [[Jonathan Horton]], American gymnast
* 1985 – [[Jan Smit (singer)|Jan Smit]], Dutch singer and television host
*[[1986]] – [[Nate Freiman]], American baseball player
* 1986 – [[Kade Snowden]], Australian rugby league player
*[[1987]] – [[Javaris Crittenton]], American basketball player
* 1987 – [[Seydou Doumbia]], Ivorian footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Seydou Doumbia|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/seydou-doumbia/5775/|website=Soccerway|access-date=31 December 2024 }}</ref>
* 1987 – [[Danny Holla]], Dutch footballer
* 1987 – [[Nemanja Nikolić (footballer, born 1987)|Nemanja Nikolić]], Hungarian footballer
*[[1988]] – [[Michal Řepík]], Czech ice hockey player<ref>{{cite web |title=Michal Repik |url=https://www.nhl.com/player/michal-repik-8474153 |publisher=[[National Hockey League]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1989]] – [[Ryo Aitaka]], Japanese kickboxer and professional wrestler<ref>{{cite web |title=Aitaka Ryo |date=17 March 2023 |url=https://www.k-1.co.jp/fighter/793 |publisher=[[K-1]] |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref>
* 1989 – [[Kelvin Herrera]], Dominican baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Kelvin Herrera |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/kelvin-herrera-516969 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1991]] – [[Dennis Everberg]], Swedish ice hockey player<ref>{{cite web |title=Dennis Everberg |url=https://www.nhl.com/player/dennis-everberg-8477902 |publisher=[[National Hockey League]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
* 1991 – [[Djené]], Togolese footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Dakonam Djené|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/dakonam-ortega-djene/281504/|website=Soccerway|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>
* 1991 – [[ND Stevenson]], American cartoonist
*[[1992]] – [[Amy Cure]], Australian track cyclist
* 1992 – [[Karl Kruuda]], Estonian racing driver
*[[1995]] – [[Gabby Douglas]], American gymnast<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympic.org/gabrielle-douglas|title=Gabrielle Douglas|website=IOC|access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>
* 1995 – [[Edmond Sumner]], American basketball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Edmond Sumner |url=https://www.nba.com/player/1628410/edmond-sumner |publisher=[[National Basketball Association]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1996]] – [[J. J. Arcega-Whiteside]], Spanish-American football player<ref>{{cite web |title=J.J. Arcega-Whiteside |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3931397/jj-arcega-whiteside |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[1997]] – [[Ludovic Blas]], French footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Ludovic Blas|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/ludovic-blas/367009/|website=Soccerway|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>
* 1997 – [[Cameron Carter-Vickers]], English-American soccer player<ref>{{cite web|title=Cameron Carter-Vickers|url=https://www.celticfc.com/players/cameron-carter-vickers/| access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref>
* 1997 – [[Bright Osayi-Samuel]], Nigerian footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Bright Osayi-Samuel|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/bright-osavi-samuel/397288/|website=Soccerway|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>
*[[1999]] – [[Calvin Bassey]], Italian-Nigerian footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Calvin Bassey|url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/23793/Calvin-Bassey/overview|website=[[Premier League]]|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>
* 1999 – [[Leif Davis]], English footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Leif Davis|url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/51454/Leif-Davis/overview|website=[[Premier League]]|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>
*[[2000]] – [[Alycia Parks]], American tennis player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alycia Parks {{!}} Player Stats & More – WTA Official |url=https://www.wtatennis.com/players/326007/alycia-parks |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=Women's Tennis Association |language=en}}</ref>
*[[2001]] – [[Katie Volynets]], American tennis player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Katie Volynets {{!}} Player Stats & More – WTA Official |url=https://www.wtatennis.com/players/327391/katie-volynets |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=Women's Tennis Association |language=en}}</ref>
*[[2002]] – [[Ryan Flamingo]], Dutch footballer<ref>{{cite web|title=Ryan Flamingo|url=https://eredivisie.eu/clubs/psv/players/ryan-flamingo/|website=[[Eredivisie]]|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>
* 2002 – [[Joe Scally]], American soccer player<ref>{{Cite web|title=Joseph Michael Scally|url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/player/joe-scally|publisher=[[Bundesliga]]|access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref>
==Deaths==
===Pre-1600===
*[[45 BC]] – [[Quintus Fabius Maximus (consul 45 BC)|Quintus Fabius Maximus]], consul suffectus
* [[192]] – [[Commodus]], Roman emperor (born 161)<ref>{{cite book|author=Anthony R Birley|title=Marcus Aurelius: A Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzYRFge0NnsC&pg=PT15|date=6 December 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-69569-0|pages=15}}</ref>
* [[335]] – [[Pope Sylvester I]]
* [[669]] – [[Li Shiji]], Chinese general (born 594)
* [[914]] – [[Ibn Hawshab]], founder of the [[Isma'ili]] community in Yemen<ref>{{cite book |last=Halm | first=Heinz |author-link = Heinz Halm |title=Das Reich des Mahdi: Der Aufstieg der Fatimiden | language = de | trans-title = The Empire of the Mahdi: The Rise of the Fatimids | publisher = C. H. Beck | ___location = Munich | year = 1991 | isbn = 978-3-406-35497-7 | pages=176–179 }}</ref>
*[[1032]] – [[Ahmad Maymandi]], Persian statesman, vizier of the [[Ghaznavid Empire]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | article = Aḥmad Maymandī | last = Yusofi | first = G. H. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ahmad-b-19 | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 6 | pages = 650–652 | year = 1984 }}</ref>
*[[1164]] – [[Ottokar III of Styria]] (born 1124)
*[[1194]] – [[Leopold V, Duke of Austria]] (born 1157)
*[[1298]] – [[Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford]], English politician, [[Lord High Constable of England]] (born 1249)
*[[1299]] – [[Margaret, Countess of Anjou]] (born 1273)
*[[1302]] – [[Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine]] (born 1238)
*[[1384]] – [[John Wycliffe]], English philosopher, theologian, and translator (born 1331)
*[[1386]] – [[Johanna of Bavaria, Queen of Bohemia]] (born c. 1362)
*[[1426]] – [[Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter]] (born 1377)
*[[1439]] – [[Margaret Holland]], English noblewoman (born 1385)
*[[1460]] – [[Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury]], English politician, [[Lord Chancellor|Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom]] (born 1400)
*[[1510]] – [[Bianca Maria Sforza]], Holy Roman Empress (born 1472)
*[[1535]] – [[William Skeffington]], English-Irish politician, [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]] (born 1465)
*[[1568]] – [[Shimazu Tadayoshi]], Japanese daimyō (born 1493)
*[[1575]] – [[Pierino Belli]], Italian commander and jurist (born 1502)
*[[1583]] – [[Thomas Erastus]], Swiss physician and theologian (born 1524)
===1601–1900===
*[[1610]] – [[Ludolph van Ceulen]], German-Dutch mathematician and academic (born 1540)
*[[1637]] – [[Christian, Count of Waldeck-Wildungen]], German count (born 1585)<ref>{{cite book |last=Haarmann |first=Torsten |title=Das Haus Waldeck und Pyrmont. Mehr als 900 Jahre Gesamtgeschichte mit Stammfolge |language=de |___location=Werl |publisher=Börde-Verlag |date=2014 |series=Deutsche Fürstenhäuser |volume=Heft 35 |pages=48 |isbn=978-3-981-4458-2-4 }}</ref>
*[[1650]] – [[Dorgon]], Chinese emperor (born 1612)
*[[1655]] – [[Janusz Radziwiłł (1612–1655)|Janusz Radziwiłł]], Polish–Lithuanian politician (born 1612)
* 1655 – [[Sir John Wray, 2nd Baronet]], English politicians and Roundheads supporter (born 1586) <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leighrayment.com/baronetage/baronetsW3.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501225021/http://www.leighrayment.com/baronetage/baronetsW3.htm|archive-date=1 May 2008|title=House of Commons|publisher=Leigh Rayment|url-status=usurped|access-date=9 October 2023}}</ref>
*[[1673]] – [[Oliver St John]], English judge and politician, [[Chief Justice of the Common Pleas]] (born 1598)
*[[1679]] – [[Giovanni Alfonso Borelli]], Italian physiologist and physicist (born 1608)
*[[1691]] – [[Robert Boyle]], Anglo-Irish chemist and physicist (born 1627)<ref>{{cite web |title=Robert Boyle {{!}} Biography, Contributions, Works, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Boyle |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=4 December 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
* 1691 – [[Dudley North (economist)|Dudley North]], English merchant and economist (born 1641)
*[[1705]] – [[Catherine of Braganza]] (born 1638)
*[[1719]] – [[John Flamsteed]], English astronomer and academic (born 1646)
*[[1730]] – [[Carlo Gimach]], Maltese architect, engineer and poet (born 1651)
*[[1742]] – [[Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine]] (born 1661)
*[[1775]] – [[Richard Montgomery]], American general (born 1738)
*[[1799]] – [[Jean-François Marmontel]], French historian and author (born 1723)
*[[1818]] – [[Jean-Pierre Duport]], French cellist (born 1741)
*[[1872]] – [[Aleksis Kivi]], Finnish author and playwright (born 1834)
*[[1876]] – [[Catherine Labouré]], French nun and saint (born 1806)
*[[1877]] – [[Gustave Courbet]], French-Swiss painter and sculptor (born 1819)
*[[1888]] – [[Samson Raphael Hirsch]], German rabbi and scholar (born 1808)
*[[1889]] – [[Ion Creangă]], Romanian author and educator (born 1837)
* 1889 – [[George Kerferd]], English-Australian politician, 10th [[Premier of Victoria]] (born 1831)
*[[1890]] – [[Pancha Carrasco]], Costa Rican soldier (born 1826)
*[[1891]] – [[Samuel Ajayi Crowther]], Nigerian bishop and linguist (born 1809)
*[[1894]] – [[Thomas Joannes Stieltjes]], Dutch mathematician and academic (born 1856)
===1901–present===
*[[1909]] – [[Spencer Trask]], American financier and philanthropist (born 1844)
*[[1910]] – [[Archibald Hoxsey]], American pilot (born 1884)
* 1910 – [[John Moisant]], American pilot and engineer (born 1868)
*[[1921]] – [[Boies Penrose]], American lawyer and politician (born 1860)
*[[1934]] – [[Cornelia Clapp]], American marine biologist (born 1849)<ref>{{cite book|first=Moira Davison|last=Reynolds|title=American Women Scientists: 23 Inspiring Biographies, 1900-2000|___location=Jefferson NC|publisher=McFarland|year=2004|page=8|isbn=978-0-78642-161-9}}</ref>
*[[1936]] – [[Miguel de Unamuno]], Spanish philosopher, author, and poet (born 1864)
*[[1948]] – [[Malcolm Campbell]], English racing driver and journalist (born 1885)
*[[1949]] – [[Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı]], Turkish philosopher, poet, and politician (born 1869)
* 1949 – [[Raimond Valgre]], Estonian pianist and composer (born 1913)
*[[1950]] – [[Charles Koechlin]], French composer and educator (born 1867)
*[[1951]] – [[Murtaza Hasan Chandpuri]], Indian Muslim scholar (born 1868)
*[[1953]] – [[Albert Plesman]], Dutch businessman, founded [[KLM]] (born 1889)
*[[1964]] – [[Bobby Byrne (baseball)|Bobby Byrne]], American baseball and soccer player (born 1884)
* 1964 – [[Ólafur Thors]], Icelandic lawyer and politician, 8th [[Prime Minister of Iceland]] (born 1892)
* 1964 – [[Henry Maitland Wilson]], English field marshal (born 1881)
*[[1968]] – [[George Lewis (clarinetist)|George Lewis]], American clarinet player and composer (born 1900)
*[[1970]] – [[Cyril Scott]], English composer, writer, and poet (born 1879)
*[[1972]] – [[Roberto Clemente]], Puerto Rican-American baseball player and Marine (born 1934)
* 1972 – [[Henry Gerber]], German-American activist, founded the [[Society for Human Rights]] (born 1892)
*[[1978]] – [[Basil Wolverton]], American illustrator (born 1909)
*[[1980]] – [[Marshall McLuhan]], Canadian philosopher and theorist (born 1911)
* 1980 – [[Raoul Walsh]], American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1887)
*[[1983]] – [[Sevim Burak]], Turkish author and playwright (born 1931)
*[[1985]] – [[Ricky Nelson]], American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1940)
*[[1987]] – [[Jerry Turner (anchorman)|Jerry Turner]], American journalist (born 1929)
*[[1988]] – [[Nicolas Calas]], Greek-American poet and critic (born 1907)
*[[1990]] – [[George Allen (American football coach)|George Allen]], American football player and coach (born 1918)
* 1990 – [[Vasily Lazarev]], Russian physician, colonel, and astronaut (born 1928)
* 1990 – [[Giovanni Michelucci]], Italian architect and urban planner, designed the [[Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station]] (born 1891)
*[[1993]] – [[Zviad Gamsakhurdia]], Georgian anthropologist and politician, 1st [[President of Georgia]] (born 1939)
* 1993 – [[Brandon Teena]], American murder victim (born 1972)
* 1993 – [[Big Bertha (cow)|Big Bertha]], Irish [[cattle]] and twice [[Guinness World Record]] holder (oldest cow, cow with most offspring) (born 1945)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/dec/04/ireland-bars|title=My Travels: Turtle Bunbury in Ireland|quote=A wake for a cow in a pub in rural Ireland sounds like an episode of Father Ted. We knew we'd get no further that night.|date=4 December 2010|access-date=21 June 2023|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>
*[[1994]] – [[Woody Strode]], American football player, wrestler, and actor (born 1914)
*[[1996]] – [[Wesley Addy]], American actor (born 1913)
*[[1997]] – [[Floyd Cramer]], American singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1933)
* 1997 – [[Billie Dove]], American actress (born 1903)
*[[1998]] – [[Ted Glossop]], Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1934)
*[[1999]] – [[Elliot Richardson]], American lawyer and politician, 69th [[United States Attorney General]] (born 1920)
* 1999 – [[Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi]], Indian Muslim scholar and author (born 1914)
*[[2000]] – [[Alan Cranston]], American journalist and politician (born 1914)
* 2000 – [[José Greco]], Italian-American dancer and choreographer (born 1918)
* 2000 – [[Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane]], American-Israeli rabbi and scholar (born 1966)
*[[2001]] – [[Eileen Heckart]], American actress (born 1919)
*[[2002]] – [[Kevin MacMichael]], Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (born 1951)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cjls.com/2020/01/24/remembering-the-cutting-crew-and-their-guitarist-dartmouths-kevin-macmichael/|title=Remembering the Cutting Crew and Their Guitarist, Darmouth's (Nova Scotia) Kevin MacMichael|website=cjls.com|date= 24 January 2020|access-date = 31 December 2020|language=en}}</ref>
*[[2003]] – [[Arthur R. von Hippel]] German-American physicist and author (born 1898)
*[[2004]] – [[Gérard Debreu]], French economist and mathematician, [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences|Nobel Prize]] laureate (born 1921)
*[[2005]] – [[Enrico Di Giuseppe]], American tenor and educator (born 1932)
* 2005 – [[Phillip Whitehead]], English screenwriter, producer, and politician (born 1937)
*[[2006]] – [[Ya'akov Hodorov]], Israeli footballer (born 1927)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.4945306|title=Soccer / Yaacov Hodorov, age 79, Israel's greatest 'keeper|website=Haaretz}}</ref>
* 2006 – [[Seymour Martin Lipset]], American sociologist, author, and academic (born 1922)
* 2006 – [[George Sisler, Jr.]], American businessman (born 1917)
*[[2007]] – [[Roy Amara]], American scientific researcher (born 1925)
* 2007 – [[Michael Goldberg (painter)|Michael Goldberg]], American painter and educator (born 1924)
* 2007 – [[Bill Idelson]], American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1919)
* 2007 – [[Milton L. Klein]], Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1910)
* 2007 – [[Ettore Sottsass]], Austrian-Italian architect and designer (born 1917)
*[[2008]] – [[Donald E. Westlake]], American author and screenwriter (born 1933)
*[[2009]] – [[Cahal Daly]], Irish cardinal and philosopher, [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh|Archbishop of Armagh]] (born 1917)
* 2009 – [[Justin Keating]], Irish surgeon, journalist, and politician, [[Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment|Minister for Industry and Commerce]] (born 1930)
*[[2010]] – [[Raymond Impanis]], Belgian cyclist (born 1925)
* 2010 – [[Per Oscarsson]], Swedish actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1927)
*[[2012]] – [[Tarak Mekki]], Tunisian businessman and politician (born 1958)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dami |first1=Samira |title=Le père de "Dégage" tire sa révérence |url=http://www.lapresse.tn/01012013/60391/le-pere-de-degage-tire-sa-reverence.html |access-date=October 17, 2024 |work=[[La Presse de Tunisie]] |date=January 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104083220/http://www.lapresse.tn/01012013/60391/le-pere-de-degage-tire-sa-reverence.html |archive-date=January 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |language=fr |trans-title=The father of "Dégage" bids farewell}}</ref>
* 2012 – [[Jovette Marchessault]], Canadian author and playwright (born 1938)<ref>{{cite web |title=Jovette Marchessault, écrivaine et artiste, est décédée à l'âge de 74 ans |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/theatre/367454/jovette-marchessault-ecrivaine-et-artiste-est-decedee-a-l-age-de-74-ans? |website=[[Le Devoir]] |access-date=October 17, 2024 |language=fr |date=December 31, 2012 |trans-title=Jovette Marchessault, writer and artist, passed away at age 74}}</ref>
* 2012 – [[Günter Rössler]], German photographer and journalist (born 1926)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/ddr-aktfotograf-guenter-roessler-ist-gestorben-a-875432.html |title= Aktfotograf Günter Rössler ist tot |website=[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel Online]] |date=January 2, 2013 |access-date=October 17, 2024|language=de |trans-title=Nude Photographer Günter Rössler Is Dead}}</ref>
*[[2013]] – [[James Avery (actor)|James Avery]], American actor (born 1945)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/01/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/james-avery-obit/|title=James Avery, star of ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', dies at 68|last=France|first=Lisa Respers|date=January 1, 2014|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=January 1, 2014|archive-date=June 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602205316/http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/01/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/james-avery-obit/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 2013 – [[Roberto Ciotti]], Italian guitarist and composer (born 1953)<ref>{{cite news|last=Assante |first=Ernesto |author-link=Ernesto Assante|title=Addio a Roberto Ciotti, bluesman romano. Era chiamato l'Eric Clapton italiano|url=http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2013/12/31/news/addio_a_roberto_ciotti_bluesman_italiano-74857486/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101034456/http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2013/12/31/news/addio_a_roberto_ciotti_bluesman_italiano-74857486/|archive-date=January 1, 2014|url-status=live |access-date=October 17, 2024|newspaper=[[La Repubblica]]|date=December 31, 2013 |language=it |trans-title=Goodbye to Roberto Ciotti, Roman bluesman. He was called the Italian Eric Clapton}}</ref>
* 2013 – [[Bob Grant (radio host)|Bob Grant]], American radio host (born 1929)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303870704579297041708589288|title=Outspoken Radio Host Bob Grant Dead at 84|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=January 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103155938/http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303870704579297041708589288 |url-status=live |archive-date=January 3, 2014|access-date=October 17, 2024}}</ref>
* 2013 – [[Irina Korschunow]], German author and screenwriter (born 1925)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/literatur/irina-korschunow-gestorben-a-942280.html |title= Irina Korschunow ist tot |website=[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel Online]] |date=January 7, 2014 |access-date=October 17, 2024|language=de |trans-title=Irina Korschunow Is Dead}}</ref>
*[[2014]] – [[Edward Herrmann]], American actor (born 1943)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/04f5f68366d941d597977a9ef8f6b52c|title=Stage, screen actor Edward Herrmann dies at 71|last=Elber|first=Lynn|work=[[AP News]] |publisher=[[Associated Press]]|date=December 31, 2014|access-date=October 17, 2024}}</ref>
* 2014 – [[Abdullah Hussain]], Malaysian author (born 1920)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sarabatin |first1=Mohd Azrone |title=Sasterawan Negara, Abdullah Hussain meninggal dunia |url=https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2015/01/26477/sasterawan-negara-abdullah-hussain-meninggal-dunia |access-date=17 October 2024 |work=[[BH (newspaper)|BH]] |date=31 December 2014 |language=ms |trans-title=National Laureate, Abdullah Hussain Died}}</ref>
* 2014 – [[Norm Phelps]], American author and activist (born 1939)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shapiro |first1=Paul |title=Norm Phelps – 1939-2014 |url=http://cok.net/norm-phelps |website=[[Compassion Over Killing]] |access-date=October 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106064750/http://cok.net/norm-phelps |archive-date=January 6, 2015 |date=January 2, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 2014 – [[S. Arthur Spiegel]], American captain, lawyer, and judge (born 1920)<ref>{{cite news |title=Judge who imprisoned Pete Rose dies in Ohio at 94 |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=12113001 |access-date=October 17, 2024 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=January 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Vicar |first1=Nathan |title=Federal Judge Arthur Spiegel passes away at 94 |url=https://www.fox19.com/story/27745233/federal-judge-arthur-spiegel-passes-away-at-94/ |access-date=October 17, 2024 |publisher=[[WXIX-TV|Fox 19 Now]] |date=January 2, 2015}}</ref>
* 2014 – [[Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington]], British soldier and politician (born 1915)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rayner|first1=Gordon|title=Duke of Wellington dies, aged 99|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11318923/Duke-of-Wellington-dies-aged-99.html|access-date=13 September 2015|work=The Telegraph|date=31 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=His Grace The Duke of Wellington passed away today ( 31 December 2014) |url=http://www.dwr.org.uk/news.php?id=2&nw=273 |publisher=Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) Regimental Association |access-date=October 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231142638/http://www.dwr.org.uk/news.php?id=2&nw=273 |archive-date=December 31, 2014 |date=December 31, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[2015]] – [[Natalie Cole]], American singer-songwriter and actress (born 1950)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pareles |first1=Jon |title=Natalie Cole, ''Unforgettable'' Voice and Million-Selling Hitmaker, Dies at 65 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/02/arts/music/natalie-cole-grammy-award-winning-singer-dies-at-65.html |access-date=31 December 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=1 January 2016}}</ref>
* 2015 – [[Wayne Rogers]], American actor and investor (born 1933)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.etonline.com/news/179052_mash_star_wayne_rogers_dies_at_82/ |title=''MASH'' Star Wayne Rogers Dies at 82 |work=[[Entertainment Tonight]] |access-date=January 1, 2016 |first=Antoinette |last=Bueno |date=31 December 2014 |publisher=[[CBS Television Distribution]] |agency=[[CBS Studios Inc.]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://bnonews.com/index.php/2015/12/mash-star-wayne-rogers-dead-at-82/ |title=M*A*S*H star Wayne Rogers dead at 82 |work=[[BNO News]] |access-date=January 1, 2016 |date=31 December 2015}}</ref>
*[[2016]] – [[William Christopher]], American actor (born 1932)<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dunham|first1=Will|title=Actor William Christopher, ''M*A*S*H'' chaplain, dead at 84|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-christopher-idUSKBN14L0OZ|website=[[Reuters]]|date=December 31, 2016 |access-date=October 17, 2024}}</ref>
*[[2018]] – [[Kader Khan]], Indian actor (born 1937)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/kader-khan-dead-5513822/|title=Actor-screenwriter Kader Khan passes away |date=1 January 2019|access-date=1 January 2019 |work=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref>
*[[2021]] – [[Betty White]], American actress, comedian and producer (born 1922)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/betty-white-dead-obituary-197806/|title=Beloved TV Icon Betty White Dead on Cusp of 100th Birthday |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=December 31, 2021 |first=Jon |last=Blistein |date=31 December 2021}}</ref>
*[[2022]] – [[Pope Benedict XVI]], German Roman Catholic cardinal and theologian, pope (2005–2013) and archbishop of Munich and Freising (1977–1982) (born 1927)<ref>{{cite news |title=Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64107731 |work=[[BBC]] |last=McGarvey |first=Emily |date=1 January 2023 |access-date=1 January 2023}}</ref>
* 2022 – [[Barry Lane]], English golfer (born 1960)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/news/articles/detail/barry-lane-1960-2022|title=Barry Lane: 1960 – 2022|publisher=PGA European Tour|date=1 January 2023|access-date=1 January 2023}}</ref>
* [[2023]] – [[Cale Yarborough]], American [[International Motorsports Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] racing driver and founder of [[Cale Yarborough Motorsports]], [[NASCAR Cup Series]] champion ([[1976 NASCAR Cup Series|1976]], [[1977 NASCAR Cup Series|1977]], [[1978 NASCAR Cup Series|1978]]) (born 1939)<ref>{{cite news |title=Cale Yarborough, three-time NASCAR champion in '70s, dies at 84 |url=https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/39215537/cale-yarborough-three-nascar-champion-70s-dies-84 |access-date=October 17, 2024 |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=December 31, 2023}}</ref>
* [[2024]] – [[Arnold Rüütel]], Estonian politician, 3rd [[President of Estonia]] (born 1928)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://valitsus.ee/uudised/memoriam-arnold-ruutel|title=IN MEMORIAM Arnold Rüütel|publisher=Vabariiki Valitsus|date=1 January 2025|access-date=1 January 2025|language=et}}</ref>
* 2024 – [[Johnnie Walker (DJ)|Johnnie Walker]], British radio DJ (born 1945)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldbart |first=Max |date=December 31, 2024 |title=Johnnie Walker Dies: Much-Loved BBC Radio DJ Was 79 |url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/johnnie-walker-dead-bbc-radio-dj-79-1236244181/ |access-date=January 3, 2025 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Holidays and observances==
*Christian [[Calendar of saints|feast day]]:
**[[Pope Sylvester I]] ([[Catholic Church]])
**[[December 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)]]
*[[International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis]] ([[Azerbaijan]])
*[[New Year's Eve]] ([[International observance]]), and its related observances:
**[[First Night]] ([[United States]])
**Last Day of the Year or ''[[Bisperás ng Bagong Taón]]'', special holiday between [[Rizal Day]] and [[New Year's Day]] ([[Philippines]])
**[[Novy God]] Eve ([[Russia]])
**[[Ōmisoka]] ([[Japan]])
**The first day of [[Hogmanay]] or "Auld Year's Night" ([[Scotland]])
*The seventh of the [[Twelve Days of Christmas]] ([[Western Christianity]])
*The sixth and [[penultimate]] day of [[Kwanzaa]] (United States)
== See also ==
*[[January 0]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/31 BBC: On This Day]
* {{NYT On this day|month=12|day=31}}
* [https://www.onthisday.com/events/december/31 Historical Events on December 31]
{{months}}
[[Category:Days of December]]
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