December 12

December 12 is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 19 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
• 1098 – First Crusade: Massacre of Ma'arrat al-Numan – Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they resort to cannibalism.
• 1408 – The Order of the Dragon a monarchical chivalric order is created by Sigismund of Luxembourg, then King of Hungary.
• 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant – A British fleet led by HMS Victory defeats a French fleet.
• 1787 – Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United States Constitution five days after Delaware became the first.
• 1862 – USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.
• 1870 – Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman, the first being Hiram Revels.
• 1897 – Belo Horizonte, the first planned city in Brazil, is founded.
• 1901 – Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [***] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
• 1911 – Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India.
• 1911 – King George V and Mary of Teck are enthroned as Emperor and Empress of India.
• 1915 – President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai, announces his intention to reinstate the monarchy and proclaim himself Emperor of China.
• 1917 – In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
• 1918 – The Flag of Estonia is raised atop the Pikk Hermann for the first time.
• 1925 – The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Khan as the new Shah of Persia.
• 1935 – Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.
• 1936 – Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, is kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang.
• 1937 – USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink US gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze River in China.
• 1939 – Winter War: Battle of Tolvajärvi – Finnish forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict.
• 1939 – HMS Duchess sinks after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.
• 1940 – World War II: Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield, as a result of a German air raid.
• 1941 – World War II: Fifty-four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed.
• 1941 – World War II: USMC F4F "Wildcats" sink the first 4 major Japanese ships off Wake Island.
• 1941 – World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan.
• 1941 – Adolf Hitler announces extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery
• 1942 – World War II: German troops begin Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad.
• 1942 – A fire in a hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland, kills 100 people.
• 1946 – A fire at a New York City ice plant spreads to a nearby tenement killing 37 people.
• 1948 – Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali Massacre – 14 members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaysia allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village.
• 1950 – Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
• 1956 – Beginning of the Irish Republican Army's "Border Campaign".
• 1958 – Guinea joins the United Nations.
• 1963 – Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1964 – Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta becomes the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
• 1969 – Strategy of tension: Piazza Fontana bombing – The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed.
• 1979 – Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Jeong Seung-hwa without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung Hee.
• 1979 – President of Pakistan, Zia-ul-Haq, confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
• 1979 – The unrecognised state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia returns to British control and resumes using the name Southern Rhodesia.
• 1983 – the Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating floats the Australian dollar.
• 1984 – Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya becomes the third president of Mauritania after a coup d'état against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla while the latter is attending a summit.
• 1985 – Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing 256, including 236 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
• 1988 – The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains – one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom.
• 1991 – The Russian Federation gains independence from the USSR.
• 2000 – The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.
• 2012 – North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, using a Unha-3 carrier rocket.

Births

• 1298 – Albert II, Duke of Austria (d. 1358)
• 1526 – Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (d. 1588)
• 1574 – Anne of Denmark (d. 1619)
• 1610 – Basil of Ostrog, Serbian saint (d. 1671)
• 1612 – Nicholas Francis, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1670)
• 1685 – Lodovico Giustini, Italian composer and pianist (d. 1743)
• 1712 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (d. 1780)
• 1715 – Gennaro Manna, Italian composer (d. 1779)
• 1724 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral (d. 1816)
• 1731 – Erasmus Darwin, English physician and poet (d. 1802)
• 1745 – John Jay, American jusrist and politician, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1829)
• 1766 – Nikolay Karamzin, Russian poet and historian (d. 1826)
• 1779 – Madeleine Sophie Barat, French saint, founded the Society of the Sacred Heart (d. 1865)
• 1783 – Ner Middleswarth, American politician (d. 1865)
• 1786 – William L. Marcy, American politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (d. 1857)
• 1791 – Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (d. 1847)
• 1792 – Alexander Ypsilantis, Greek prince (d. 1828)
• 1799 – Karl Briullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
• 1805 – William Lloyd Garrison, American journalist and activist (d. 1879)
• 1805 – Henry Wells, American businessman, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1878)
• 1806 – Stand Watie, American general (d. 1871)
• 1812 – John Sandfield Macdonald, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Ontario (d. 1872)
• 1814 – Don Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1870)
• 1821 – Gustave Flaubert, French author (d. 1880)
• 1842 – Adolf Bötticher, German historian (d. 1901)
• 1845 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the American Surety Building and Bank of the Metropolis (d. 1903)
• 1849 – William Kissam Vanderbilt, American businessman and horse breeder (d. 1920)
• 1862 – André Fauquet-Lemaître, French polo player (d. 1943)
• 1862 – J. Bruce Ismay, English businessman (d. 1937)
• 1863 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (d. 1944)
• 1864 – Paul Elmer More, American journalist (d. 1937)
• 1866 – Alfred Werner, Swiss chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)
• 1870 – Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman, co-founded Hughes Tool Company (d. 1912)
• 1875 – Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (d. 1953)
• 1876 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and runner (d. 1928)
• 1881 – Harry Warner, Polish-American businessman, co-founded Warner Bros. (d. 1958)
• 1887 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer (d. 1974)
• 1892 – Milko Kos, Slovenian historian (d. 1972)
• 1893 – Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor (d. 1973)
• 1900 – Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer (d. 1988)
• 1902 – Koloman Sokol, Slovak painter (d. 2003)
• 1903 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer (d. 1976)
• 1903 – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese director (d. 1963)
• 1904 – Nicolas de Gunzburg, French-American banker, magazine editor, and actor (d. 1981)
• 1905 – Manès Sperber, Austrian-French author and psychologist (d. 1984)
• 1905 – Vasily Grossman, Russian journalist and author (d. 1964)
• 1907 – Roy Douglas, English composer
• 1908 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian composer and conductor (d. 1993)
• 1909 – Karen Morley, American actress (d. 2003)
• 1909 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch author, poet, and psychologist (d. 2011)
• 1910 – Richard Sagrits, Estonian painter (d. 1968)
• 1914 – Patrick O'Brian, English author (d. 2000)
• 1915 – Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (d. 1998)
• 1917 – James Wall, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1918 – Joe Williams, American singer (d. 1999)
• 1919 – Olivia Barclay, English astrologer (d. 2001)
• 1919 – Dan DeCarlo, American illustrator (d. 2001)
• 1919 – B. B. Nimbalkar, Indian cricketer (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Fred Kida, American illustrator
• 1921 – Toni Blankenheim, German opera singer (d. 2012)
• 1922 – Christian Dotremont, Belgian painter and poet (d. 1979)
• 1923 – Bob Barker, American game show host
• 1923 – Bob Dorough, American singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1923 – Ken Kavanagh, Australian motorcycle racer
• 1924 – Robert Coogan, American actor (d. 1978)
• 1924 – Ray Cordeiro, Hong Kong radio host
• 1924 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Vladimir Shainsky, Russian composer
• 1925 – Ahmad Shamlou, Iranian poet (d. 2000)
• 1927 – Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, invented the microchip and co-founded the Intel Corporation (d. 1990)
• 1928 – Chinghiz Aitmatov, Soviet-Kyrgyzstani author (d. 2008)
• 1928 – Helen Frankenthaler, American painter (d. 2011)
• 1929 – Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer (Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band)
• 1929 – John Osborne, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1994)
• 1930 – Bill Beutel, American journalist (d. 2006)
• 1930 – Silvio Santos, Brazilian television host, founded Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão
• 1931 – Lionel Blair, English actor, dancer, and choreographer
• 1932 – Bob Pettit, American basketball player
• 1934 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican politician, 52nd President of Mexico (d. 2012)
• 1935 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician (d. 2013)
• 1936 – Jefferson Kaye, American radio announcer (d. 2012)
• 1937 – Philip Ledger, English organist and composer (d. 2012)
• 1937 – Buford Pusser, American police officer (d. 1974)
• 1937 – Michael Jeffery, Australian politician and army officer, 24th Governor-General of Australia
• 1938 – Connie Francis, American singer
• 1940 – Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Maharashtra
• 1940 – Dionne Warwick, American singer and actress
• 1940 – Frances Willard, American magician
• 1942 – Morris Sadek, Egyptian-American lawyer and activist
• 1943 – Vassilis Alexakis, Greek-French author
• 1943 – Dickey Betts, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Allman Brothers Band)
• 1943 – Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (d. 1999)
• 1944 – Kenneth Cranham, Scottish actor
• 1944 – Jean Doré, Canadian politician, 39th Mayor of Montreal
• 1944 – Zoe Laskari, Greek actress
• 1944 – Rob Tyner, American singer-songwriter and bass player (MC5) (d. 1991)
• 1945 – Tony Williams, American drummer (The Tony Williams Lifetime) (d. 1997)
• 1945 – Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaican politician, 7th Prime Minister of Jamaica
• 1946 – Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver
• 1946 – Paula Wagner, American film producer
• 1947 – Wings Hauser, American actor
• 1949 – Bill Nighy, English actor
• 1949 – Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy politician, President of Madagascar
• 1950 – Rajinikanth, Indian actor, screenwriter, and producer
• 1950 – Pedro Ferriz de Con, Mexican journalist
• 1950 – Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1951 – Rehman Malik, Pakistani politician
• 1952 – Herb Dhaliwal, Indian-Canadian politician
• 1952 – Sarah Douglas, English actress
• 1952 – Cathy Rigby, American gymnast and actress
• 1953 – Martin Ferguson, Australian politician
• 1953 – Bruce Kulick, American guitarist (Kiss, Grand Funk Railroad, Blackjack, Union, and Eric Singer Project)
• 1953 – Dave Meniketti, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Y&T)
• 1953 – Rafael Septien, Mexican-American football player
• 1954 – Hemant Karkare, Indian police officer (d. 2008)
• 1955 – Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek businesswoman
• 1955 – Eddy Schepers, Belgian cyclist
• 1955 – Stephen Smith, Australian politician, 53rd Minister of Defence for Australia
• 1956 – Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
• 1957 – Sheila E., American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actress
• 1957 – Robert Lepage, Canadian actor, scriptwriter, and director
• 1958 – Monica Attard, Australian journalist
• 1958 – Lucie Guay, Canadian canoe racer
• 1958 – Dag Ingebrigtsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Kids and TNT)
• 1958 – Sheree J. Wilson, American actress
• 1962 – Tracy Austin, American tennis player
• 1962 – Peter Bergen, American-English journalist and author
• 1962 – Mike Golic, American football player
• 1963 – Liz Claman, American journalist
• 1963 – Eduardo Castro Luque, Mexican politician (d. 2012)
• 1963 – Ai Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1964 – Sabu, American wrestler
• 1964 – Haywood Jeffries, American football player
• 1965 – Will Carling, English rugby player
• 1966 – Último Dragón, Japanese wrestler and actor
• 1966 – Royce Gracie, Brazilian mixed martial artist
• 1966 – Kōichi Nagano, Japanese voice actor
• 1967 – Yuzo Koshiro, Japanese composer and producer
• 1967 – Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Japanese composer and voice actor
• 1967 – John Randle, American football player
• 1967 – Deke Sharon, American singer-songwriter and producer (The House Jacks and Beelzebubs)
• 1968 – Kate Humble, English television host
• 1968 – Rory Kennedy, American director and producer
• 1968 – Laurie Williams, Jamaican cricketer (d. 2002)
• 1969 – Carrie Westcott, American model and actress
• 1970 – Mädchen Amick, American actress
• 1970 – Jennifer Connelly, American actress
• 1970 – Regina Hall, American actress
• 1972 – Nicky Eaden, English footballer
• 1972 – Wilson Kipketer, Danish runner
• 1972 – Kevin Parent, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1972 – Brandon Teena, American murder victim (d. 1993)
• 1972 – Georgios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter
• 1972 – Hank Williams III, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Assjack, Superjoint Ritual, and Arson Anthem)
• 1973 – Gary Breen, English footballer
• 1973 – Walter Otta, Argentine footballer
• 1973 – Tony Hsieh, American businessman, founded LinkExchange
• 1974 – Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer
• 1975 – Mayim Bialik, American actress
• 1975 – Wesley Charles, Vincentian footballer
• 1975 – Craig Moore, Australian footballer
• 1975 – Houko Kuwashima, Japanese voice actress
• 1976 – Dan Hawkins, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Darkness and Stone Gods)
• 1976 – Lloyd Owusu, Ghanaian footballer
• 1977 – Erica Dahm, American model and actress
• 1977 – Jaclyn Dahm, American model and actress
• 1977 – Nicole Dahm, American model and actress
• 1977 – Bridget Hall, American model
• 1977 – Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
• 1977 – Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978 – Monica Bîrlădeanu, Romanian actress
• 1978 – Jennifer Rovero, American model
• 1979 – Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
• 1979 – Nate Clements, American football player
• 1979 – John Salmons, American basketball player
• 1980 – Gus G, Greek guitarist and songwriter (Firewind, Mystic Prophecy, and Dream Evil)
• 1980 – Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer
• 1981 – Ronnie Brown, American football player
• 1981 – Shane Costa, American baseball player
• 1981 – Jeret Peterson, American skier (d. 2011)
• 1981 – Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer
• 1981 – Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer
• 1981 – Stephen Warnock, English footballer
• 1982 – Lim Jae-Duk, South Korean gamer
• 1982 – Ai Kato, Japanese actress
• 1982 – Jeremiah Riggs, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
• 1982 – Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player
• 1983 – Katrina Elam, American singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
• 1984 – Daniel Merrett, Australian footballer
• 1984 – Sohail Tanvir,Pakistani cricketer
• 1985 – Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player
• 1985 – Chris Jennings, American football player
• 1985 – Erika Van Pelt, American singer
• 1985 – David Veikune, American football player
• 1985 – Giannis Zaradoukas, Greek footballer
• 1986 – Qri, South Korean singer, dancer and actress (T-ara)
• 1986 – Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer
• 1986 – Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper
• 1986 – Thomas Wansey, English actor
• 1986 – T. J. Ward, American football player
• 1988 – Ham Eun-jung, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (T-ara)
• 1989 – Janelle Arthur, American singer
• 1990 – Seungri, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor (Big Bang)
• 1990 – Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer
• 1991 – Daniel Magder, Canadian actor

Deaths

• 884 – Carloman II, Frankish king (b. 866)
• 1212 – Geoffrey, English archbishop (b. 1152)
• 1569 – Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow (b. 1507)
• 1574 – Selim II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1524)
• 1586 – Stephen Báthory, Polish king (b. 1533)
• 1685 – John Pell, English mathematician (b. 1610)
• 1751 – Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English politician and philosopher (b. 1678)
• 1766 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author (b. 1700)
• 1789 – John Ponsonby, Irish politician (b. 1713)
• 1790 – Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian philosopher (b. 1733)
• 1817 – Tekle Giyorgis I, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1751)
• 1843 – William I of the Netherlands, (b. 1772)
• 1858 – Jacques Viger, Canadian politician and archeologist, 1st Mayor of Montreal (b. 1787)
• 1889 – Robert Browning, English poet (b. 1812)
• 1889 – Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician (b. 1804)
• 1894 – John Sparrow David Thompson, Canadian politician and judge, 4th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1845)
• 1913 – Menelik II, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1844)
• 1923 – Raymond Radiguet, French author (b. 1903)
• 1926 – Jean Richepin, French poet (b. 1849)
• 1929 – Charles Goodnight, American cattle rancher (b. 1836)
• 1934 – Oscar Goerke, American cyclist (b. 1883)
• 1934 – Thorleif Haug, Norwegian skier (b. 1894)
• 1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (b. 1883)
• 1941 – César Basa, Filipino pilot (b. 1915)
• 1951 – Mildred Bailey, American singer (b. 1907)
• 1952 – Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist (b. 1879)
• 1958 – Albert Walsh, Canadian politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1900)
• 1963 – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese director (b. 1903)
• 1964 – Maithili Sharan Gupt Indian poet (b. 1866)
• 1966 – Karl Ruberl, Austrian swimmer (b. 1880)
• 1967 – Mac Raboy, American cartoonist (b. 1914)
• 1968 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902)
• 1970 – Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (b. 1889)
• 1971 – Yechezkel Kutscher, Israeli philologist and linguist (b. 1909)
• 1971 – David Sarnoff, Russian-American businessman, founded NBC (b. 1891)
• 1976 – Jack Cassidy, American actor (b. 1927)
• 1976 – Vinko Žganec, Croatian musicologist (b. 1890)
• 1977 – Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, English wife of Winston Churchill (b. 1885)
• 1978 – Fay Compton, English actress (b. 1894)
• 1980 – Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Quebec (b. 1912)
• 1983 – Amza Pellea, Romanian actor (b. 1931)
• 1985 – Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923)
• 1985 – Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboard player (The Rolling Stones) (b. 1938)
• 1987 – Enrique Jorrín, Cuban violinist and composer (b. 1926)
• 1988 – Anthony Provenzano, American mobster (b. 1917)
• 1992 – Suzanne Lilar, Belgian author and playwright (b. 1901)
• 1993 – József Antall, Hungarian politician, 35th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1932)
• 1994 – Stuart Roosa, American astronaut (b. 1933)
• 1994 – Donna J. Stone, American poet (b. 1933)
• 1996 – Vance Packard, American author (b. 1914)
• 1997 – Yevgeniy Landis, Russian mathematician (b. 1921)
• 1998 – Lawton Chiles, American politician, 41st Governor of Florida (b. 1930)
• 1998 – Marco Denevi, Argentine author (b. 1922)
• 1998 – Mo Udall, American politician (b. 1922)
• 1999 – Paul Cadmus, American painter (b. 1904)
• 1999 – Joseph Heller, American author (b. 1923)
• 2000 – George Montgomery, American actor (b. 1916)
• 2000 – Ndabaningi Sithole, Zimbabwean militant leader, founded Zimbabwe African National Union (b. 1920)
• 2001 – Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and explorer (b. 1897)
• 2001 – Jean Richard, French actor (b. 1921)
• 2002 – Dee Brown, American author (b. 1908)
• 2002 – Brad Dexter, American actor (b. 1917)
• 2002 – Jay Wesley Neill, American murderer (b. 1965)
• 2003 – Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani politician, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
• 2003 – Joseph Anthony Ferrario, American bishop (b. 1926)
• 2003 – Gangodawila Soma Thero, Sri Lankan monk (b. 1948)
• 2005 – Robert Newmyer, American film producer (b. 1956)
• 2005 – Ramanand Sagar, Indian director (b. 1917)
• 2005 – Gebran Tueni, Lebanese journalist and politician (b. 1957)
• 2005 – Annette Vadim, Danish actress (b. 1936)
• 2006 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (b. 1928)
• 2006 – Peter Boyle, American actor (b. 1935)
• 2006 – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player (b. 1935)
• 2006 – Raymond P. Shafer, American politician, 38th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1917)
• 2006 – Alan Shugart, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Seagate Technology (b. 1930)
• 2007 – François al-Hajj, Lebanese general (b. 1953)
• 2007 – Ike Turner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Kings of Rhythm and Ike & Tina Turner) (b. 1931)
• 2008 – Avery Dulles, American cardinal and theologian (b. 1918)
• 2008 – Van Johnson, American actor (b. 1916)
• 2008 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot politician, 5th President of Cyprus (b. 1934)
• 2010 – Peter Pagel, German footballer (b. 1956)
• 2010 – Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish racing driver, 1984 European Touring Car Champion (b. 1946)
• 2012 – Joe Allbritton, American businessman and publisher, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Ray Briem, American radio host (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Eddie "Guitar" Burns, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Richard Eyre, English priest (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Else Marie Jakobsen, Norwegian designer (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Walt Kirk, American basketball player (b. 1924)
• 2012 – N.M. Mohan, Indian writer and illustrator (b. 1949)
• 2012 – Augustin Sagna, Senegalese bishop (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Nityanand Swami, Indian politician (b. 1927)
• 2012 – David Tait, English rugby player (b. 1987)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
  • Feast of the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico)
  • Vicelinus
• Constitution Day (Russia)
• Feast of Masá'il ("Questions"), the first day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith)
• Jamhuri Day, celebrates the independence of Kenya from Britain in 1963.
• Neutrality Day (Türkmenistan)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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