December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 10 days remaining until the end of the year.
In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21st is usually the shortest day of the year and is sometimes regarded as the first day of winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, December 21st is usually the longest day of the year and occurs during the southern summer.
69 – The Roman Senate declares Vespasian as Roman emperor , the last in the Year of the Four Emperors .1124 – Pope Honorius II is elected.1140 – Conrad III of Germany besieged Weinsberg .1237 – The city of Ryazan is sacked by the Mongol army of Batu Khan .1361 – The Battle of Linuesa is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the forces of the Emirate of Granada and the combined army of the Kingdom of Castile and of Jaén resulting in a Castilian victory.1598 – Battle of Curalaba : The revolting Mapuche , led by cacique Pelentaru , inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile .1620 – Plymouth Colony : William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts .1826 – American settlers in Nacogdoches , Mexican Texas , declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion .1832 – Egyptian–Ottoman War : Egyptian forces decisively defeat Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya .1844 – The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers commences business at its cooperative in Rochdale, England , United Kingdom starting the Cooperative movement .1861 – Medal of Honor : Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln .1872 – Challenger expedition : HMS Challenger , commanded by Captain George Nares , sails from Portsmouth, England .1879 – World première of Henrik Ibsen 's A Doll's House Royal Theatre in Copenhagen , Denmark .1883 – The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment , the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army , are formed: .1907 – The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique , Chile .1910 – An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton , Westhoughton , England, kills 344 miners.1913 – Arthur Wynne 's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World 1919 – American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia .1923 – United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, called the Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923 , which superseded the Sugauli Treaty signed in 1816.1936 – First flight of the Junkers Ju 88 multi-role combat aircraft.1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre .1941 – World War II : A formal treaty of alliance between Thailand and Japan is signed in the presence of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew , Thailand.1946 – An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō , Japan , kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.1951 – Libya became an independent country.1962 – Rondane National Park is established as Norway 's first national park .1967 – Louis Washkansky , the first man to undergo a heart transplant , dies in Cape Town , South Africa , having lived for 18 days after the transplant.1968 – Apollo program : Apollo 8 Kennedy Space Center , placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.1969 – The United Nations adopts the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination .1973 – The Geneva Conference on the Arab–Israeli conflict opens.1979 – Lancaster House Agreement : An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London, England, United Kingdom by Lord Peter Carrington , Sir Ian Gilmour , Robert Mugabe , Joshua Nkomo , Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.1988 – A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie , Dumfries and Galloway , Scotland , killing 270.1992 – A Dutch DC-10 , flight Martinair MP 495 , crashes at Faro Airport , killing 56.1994 – Mexican volcano Popocatépetl , dormant for 47 years, erupts gases and ash.1995 – The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control.1999 – The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid , Spain .2004 – Iraq War : A suicide bomber killed 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul , Iraq , the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers.2012 – The world was predicted to end on December 21, 2012 according to some calendars.2012 – The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of Lucasfilm and of the Star Wars franchise.
1118 – Thomas Becket , English saint and Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1170)1401 – Masaccio , Italian painter (d. 1428)1596 – Peter Mogila , Romanian-Ukrainian metropolitan (d. 1646)1603 – Roger Williams , English-American minister, theologian, and politician, 9th President of the Colony of Rhode Island (d. 1684)1672 – Benjamin Schmolck , German deacon and composer (d. 1737)1714 – John Bradstreet , Canadian-English general (d. 1774)1728 – Hermann Raupach , German composer (d. 1778)1778 – Anders Sandøe Ørsted , Danish jurist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1860)1795 – John Russell , English hunter and dog breeder (d. 1883)1795 – Leopold von Ranke , German historian, author, and academic (d. 1886)
1803 – Achille Vianelli , Italian painter (d. 1894)1804 – Benjamin Disraeli , English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1881)1805 – Thomas Graham , Scottish chemist and academic (d. 1869)1811 – Archibald Tait , Scottish-English archbishop (d. 1882)1815 – Thomas Couture , French painter and educator (d. 1879)1818 – Amalia of Oldenburg (d. 1875)1820 – William H. Osborn , American businessman (d. 1894)1830 – Bartolomé Masó , Cuban soldier and politician (d. 1907)1832 – John H. Ketcham , American general and politician (d. 1906)1840 – Namık Kemal , Turkish journalist, playwright, and activist (d. 1888)1843 – Thomas Bracken , Irish-New Zealand journalist, poet, and politician (d. 1898)1850 – Zdeněk Fibich , Czech composer and poet (d. 1900)1850 – William Wallace Lincoln , American son of Abraham Lincoln (d. 1862)
1851 – Thomas Chipman McRae , American lawyer and politician, 26th Governor of Arkansas (d. 1929)1859 – Gustave Kahn , French poet and critic (d. 1936)1866 – Maud Gonne , English-Irish actress and activist (d. 1953)1868 – George W. Fuller , American engineer (d. 1934)1872 – Sidney Ainsworth , English-American actor (d. 1922)1872 – Lorenzo Perosi , Italian priest and composer (d. 1956)
1872 – Albert Payson Terhune , American journalist and author (d. 1942)
1873 – Blagoje Bersa , Croatian composer (d. 1934)1876 – Jack Lang , Australian politician, 23rd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1975)1877 – Jaan Sarv , Estonian mathematician and scholar (d. 1954)1878 – Jan Łukasiewicz , Polish-Irish mathematician and philosopher (d. 1956)1885 – Frank Patrick , Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1960)1889 – Sewall Wright , American geneticist and biologist (d. 1988)1890 – Hermann Joseph Muller , American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)1891 – John William McCormack , American lawyer and politician, 53rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1980)1892 – Amy Clarke , English poet, author, and academic (d. 1980)1892 – Walter Hagen , American golfer (d. 1969)
1892 – Rebecca West , English journalist and author (d. 1983)
1896 – Leroy Robertson , American composer and educator (d. 1971)1903 – Maria Balcerkiewiczówna , Polish-English actress (d. 1975)1905 – Anthony Powell , English author (d. 2000)1908 – Herbert Hutner , American banker and lawyer (d. 2008)1909 – Seichō Matsumoto , Japanese journalist and author (d. 1992)1911 – Josh Gibson , American baseball player (d. 1947)1913 – Arnold Friberg , American illustrator and painter (d. 2010)1914 – Frank Fenner , Australian microbiologist and virologist (d. 2010)1914 – Ivan Generalić , Hungarian-Croatian painter (d. 1992)
1915 – Joe Mantell , American actor (d. 2010)1915 – Werner von Trapp , Austrian-American singer (d. 2007)
1917 – Diana Athill , English author1917 – Heinrich Böll , German soldier and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
1918 – Donald Regan , American colonel and politician, 11th White House Chief of Staff (d. 2003)1918 – Kurt Waldheim , Austrian colonel and politician, 9th President of Austria (d. 2007)
1920 – Bob Bindig , American illustrator and historian (d. 2007)1920 – Jean Gascon , Canadian actor and director (d. 1988)
1921 – Alicia Alonso , Cuban ballerina and choreographer, founded the Cuban National Ballet 1921 – Robert Lipshutz , American lawyer and politician, 17th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
1921 – John Severin , American illustrator (d. 2012)
1922 – Itubwa Amram , Nauruan pastor and politician (d. 1989)1922 – Paul Winchell , American ventriloquist and voice actor (d. 2005)
1924 – Rita Reys , Dutch singer (d. 2013)1925 – Olga Aroseva , Russian actress (d. 2013)1926 – Arnošt Lustig , Czech author and playwright (d. 2011)1926 – Joe Paterno , American football player and coach (d. 2012)
1928 – Michalis Kounelis , Greek musician (d. 1999)1928 – Ed Nelson , American actor (d. 2014)
1931 – David Baker , American composer and educator1932 – U. R. Ananthamurthy , Indian writer (d. 2014)1932 – Edward Hoagland , American author and critic
1933 – Denis E. Dillon , American politician (d. 2010)1933 – Robert Worcester , American businessman, founder of MORI
1934 – Claudio Scimone , Italian conductor1935 – John G. Avildsen , American director, producer, and cinematographer1935 – Lorenzo Bandini , Italian race car driver (d. 1967)
1935 – Yusuf Bey , American activist (d. 2003)
1935 – Phil Donahue , American talk show host and producer
1935 – Edward Schreyer , Canadian politician, 22nd Governor General of Canada
1937 – Jane Fonda , American actress and activist1937 – Donald F. Munson , American politician
1938 – Larry Bryggman , American actor1938 – Frank Moorhouse , Australian journalist, author, and screenwriter
1938 – John Quayle , English actor
1939 – Lloyd Axworthy , Canadian academic and politician, 2nd Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs 1940 – Arvi Lind , Finnish journalist1940 – Ray Hildebrand , American singer-songwriter (Paul & Paula )
1940 – Frank Zappa , American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Mothers of Invention ) (d. 1993)
1942 – Hu Jintao , Chinese engineer and politician, former General Secretary of the Communist Party , 6th President of China 1942 – Reinhard Mey , German singer-songwriter and guitarist
1942 – Anthony Summers , Irish author
1942 – Carla Thomas , American singer
1943 – André Arthur , Canadian journalist and politician1943 – Lena Bergman , Swedish actress
1943 – Albert Lee , English guitarist and songwriter (Heads Hands & Feet and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings )
1943 – Jack Nance , American actor (d. 1996)
1943 – Wafic Saïd , Syrian-Saudi Arabian businessman
1943 – Walter Spanghero , French rugby player
1944 – Bill Atkinson , English footballer and referee (d. 2013)1944 – Michael Tilson Thomas , American pianist, composer, and conductor
1944 – Zheng Xiaoyu , Chinese diplomat (d. 2007)
1946 – Christopher Keene , American conductor (d. 1995)1946 – Kevin Peek , Australian guitarist and songwriter (Sky ) (d. 2013)
1946 – Carl Wilson , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Beach Boys ) (d. 1998)
1946 – Roy Karch , American director of pornographic films
1947 – Paco de Lucía , Spanish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 2014)1947 – Bryan Hamilton , Irish footballer and manager
1948 – Samuel L. Jackson , American actor and producer1948 – Dave Kingman , American baseball player
1948 – Willi Resetarits , Austrian singer-songwriter, actor, and activist
1949 – Nicholas Penny , English historian and academic1949 – Thomas Sankara , Burkinabé captain and politician, 5th President of Burkina Faso (d. 1987)
1949 – Nikolaos Sifounakis , Greek politician
1950 – Jeffrey Katzenberg , American screenwriter and producer, co-founded DreamWorks Animation 1950 – Lillebjørn Nilsen , Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Gitarkameratene )
1950 – David Thacker , English director and screenwriter
1951 – Nick Gilder , English-Canadian singer-songwriter (Sweeney Todd )1951 – Steve Perryman , English footballer and manager
1952 – Joaquín Andújar , Dominican baseball player1953 – András Schiff , Hungarian-English pianist and conductor1953 – Betty Wright , American singer-songwriter
1954 – Chris Evert , American tennis player and coach1955 – Jane Kaczmarek , American actress1955 – Kazuyuki Sekiguchi , Japanese singer-songwriter and bass player (Southern All Stars )
1956 – Anna Erlandsson , Swedish filmmaker and animator1956 – Phil Harris , American captain and fisherman (d. 2010)
1957 – Tom Henke , American baseball player1957 – Rolf Kanies , German actor
1957 – Ray Romano , American actor, producer, and screenwriter
1959 – Florence Griffith Joyner , American sprinter (d. 1998)1960 – Roger McDowell , American baseball player and coach1960 – Sherry Rehman , Pakistani journalist, politician, and diplomat, 25th Pakistan Ambassador to the United States
1960 – Andy Van Slyke , American baseball player and coach
1961 – Henry Ford Kamel , Ghanaian banker and politician (d. 2012)1961 – Francis Ng , Hong Kong actor and director
1961 – The Patriot , American wrestler
1961 – Rein Raud , Estonian scholar and author
1961 – Ryuji Sasai , Japanese bass player and composer
1963 – Govinda , Indian actor, singer, and politician1964 – Rob Kelly , English footballer and manager1964 – Joe Kocur , Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1964 – Daniel Suarez (author) , American author
1964 – Fabiana Udenio , Argentinian-Italian actress
1965 – Andy Dick , American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter1965 – Anke Engelke , Canadian-German actress, director, and screenwriter
1965 – Stuart Mitchell , Scottish pianist and composer
1966 – Martin Bayfield , English rugby player, actor, and stuntman1966 – Adam Schefter , American journalist and sportscaster
1966 – Kiefer Sutherland , English-Canadian actor, director, and producer
1966 – Karri Turner , American actress
1967 – Ervin Johnson , American basketball player1967 – Fritz Karl , Austrian actor
1967 – Terry Mills , American basketball player and coach
1967 – Mikheil Saakashvili , Georgian politician, 3rd President of Georgia
1969 – Julie Delpy , French-American model, actress, director, and screenwriter1969 – Jack Noseworthy , American actor
1969 – Mihails Zemļinskis , Latvian footballer, coach, and manager
1971 – Matthieu Chedid , French singer-songwriter and guitarist1971 – Margarita Drobiazko , Lithuanian ice dancer
1971 – Fenton Keogh , Australian chef
1971 – Brett Scallions , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Fuel , Manzarek–Krieger , and Circus Diablo )
1971 – Jamie Theakston , English actor and television host
1972 – Gloria De Piero , English journalist and politician1972 – LaTroy Hawkins , American baseball player
1972 – Dustin Hermanson , American baseball player
1972 – Claudia Poll , Costa Rican swimmer
1972 – Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy , Indian journalist and politician
1972 – Erwin Schrott , Uruguayan opera singer
1973 – Irakli Alasania , Georgian colonel and politician, Georgian Minister of Defense 1973 – Mike Alstott , American football player
1973 – Karmen Stavec , German-Slovenian singer
1974 – Karrie Webb , Australian golfer1975 – Paloma Herrera , Argentinian ballet dancer1976 – Mirela Maniani , Albanian-Greek javelin thrower1976 – Lukas Rossi , Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Rock Star Supernova and Daylight Division )
1977 – A. J. Bowen , American actor1977 – Toby Rand , Australian singer-songwriter (Juke Kartel )
1978 – Emiliano Brembilla , Italian swimmer1978 – Mike Vitar , American actor
1979 – Tuva Novotny , Swedish actress, singer, and director1979 – Kristjan Sarv , Estonian actor
1980 – Michele Di Piedi , Italian footballer1980 – Royce Ring , American baseball player
1981 – Frankie Abernathy , American purse designer, cast member on The Real World: San Diego 1981 – Mohammed Jabarah , Kuwaiti terrorist
1981 – Sajid Mahmood , English cricketer
1981 – Sanita Pušpure , Latvian-Irish rower
1981 – Lynda Thomas , Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
1981 – Cristian Zaccardo , Italian footballer
1982 – Primo , Puerto Rican-American wrestler1982 – Mike Gansey , American basketball player
1982 – Philip Humber , American baseball player
1982 – Iljo Keisse , Belgian cyclist
1982 – Tom Payne , English actor
1983 – Steven Yeun , South Korean-American actor1984 – Darren Potter , Irish footballer1984 – Sarah Mutch , Canadian model
1985 – James Stewart, Jr. , American motorcycle racer1985 – Tom Sturridge , English actor
1985 – Andrea Jeremiah , Indian film actress, playback singer and voice actress
1986 – Rachel Shenton , English actress1987 – Ryza Cenon , Filipino actress and dancer1987 – Valerie Concepcion , Filipino actress
1987 – Brad Howard , Australian footballer
1988 – Yasmin , English-Scottish singer-songwriter and DJ1988 – Alexa Goddard , English singer
1989 – Tamannaah , Indian model and actress1989 – Mark Ingram, Jr. , American football player
1990 – Ioannis Fetfatzidis , Greek footballer1994 – Eva Paalma , Estonian tennis player
72 – Thomas the Apostle , Israeli martyr and saint (b. 1 AD)882 – Hincmar , French archbishop (b. 806)1308 – Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (b. 1244)1375 – Giovanni Boccaccio , Italian author and poet (b. 1313)1504 – Bertold von Henneberg-Römhild , German archbishop (b. 1442)1549 – Marguerite de Navarre , French wife of Henry II of Navarre (b. 1492)1597 – Peter Canisius , Dutch priest and saint (b. 1521)1799 – Philip Affleck , English admiral (b. 1726)1807 – John Newton , English soldier and minister (b. 1725)1824 – James Parkinson , English physician and paleontologist (b. 1755)1869 – Friedrich Ernst Scheller , German jurist and politician (b. 1791)1873 – Francis Garnier , French explorer (b. 1839)1889 – Friedrich August von Quenstedt , German geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1809)1900 – Roger Wolcott , American lawyer and politician, 39th Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1847)1907 – Klara Hitler , mother of Austrian-born German dictator Adolf Hitler (b. 1860)1920 – Mohammed Abdullah Hassan , Somalian general, founded the Dervish state (b. 1856)1933 – Knud Rasmussen , Greenlandic anthropologist and explorer (b. 1879)1935 – Kurt Tucholsky , German-Swedish journalist and author (b. 1890)1937 – Frank B. Kellogg , American lawyer and politician, 45th United States Secretary of State , Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856)1940 – F. Scott Fitzgerald , American author and poet (b. 1896)1945 – George S. Patton , American general (b. 1885)1952 – Kenneth Edwards , American golfer (b. 1886)1953 – Kaarlo Koskelo , Finnish wrestler (b. 1888)1957 – Eric Coates , English-American viola player and composer (b. 1886)1958 – Lion Feuchtwanger , German-American author and playwright (b. 1884)1959 – Rosanjin , Japanese calligrapher, engraver, and painter (b. 1883)1962 – Gary Hocking , Welsh-Rhodesian motorcycle racer (b. 1937)1963 – Jack Hobbs , English cricketer (b. 1882)1964 – Carl Van Vechten , American author and photographer (b. 1880)1965 – Claude Champagne , Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (b. 1891)1967 – Stuart Erwin , American actor (b. 1903)1968 – Vittorio Pozzo , Italian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1886)1974 – James Henry Govier , English painter and illustrator (b. 1910)1974 – Richard Long , American actor and director (b. 1927)
1982 – Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jullundhri , Pakistani poet and composer (b. 1900)1982 – Ants Oras , Estonian-American author and academic (b. 1900)
1983 – Paul de Man , Belgian-American philosopher, critic, and academic (b. 1919)1986 – Bill Simpson , Scottish actor (b. 1931)1987 – John Spence , American singer (No Doubt ) (b. 1969)1988 – Paul Jeffreys , English bass player (Be-Bop Deluxe ) (b. 1952)1988 – Nikolaas Tinbergen , Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
1989 – Rotimi Fani-Kayode , Nigerian-English photographer, co-founded Autograph ABP (b. 1955)1990 – Clarence Johnson , American engineer, designed the Lockheed U-2 and Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (b. 1910)1991 – Sheldon Mayer , American author and illustrator (b. 1917)1992 – Stella Adler , American actress (b. 1901)1992 – Albert King , American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1924)
1992 – Nathan Milstein , Russian-American violinist (b. 1903)
1995 – Charlie Tumahai , New Zealand singer-songwriter and bass player (Be-Bop Deluxe , Mississippi , and Herbs ) (b. 1949)1997 – Amie Comeaux , American singer and actress (b. 1976)1998 – Roger Avon , English actor (b. 1914)1998 – Karl Denver , Scottish-English singer (b. 1931)
1998 – Ernst-Günther Schenck , German colonel and physician (b. 1904)
2001 – Dick Schaap , American journalist and author (b. 1934)2003 – Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 1924)2004 – Autar Singh Paintal , Indian physiologist and neurologist (b. 1925)2005 – Elrod Hendricks , American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)2006 – Scobie Breasley , Australian jockey (b. 1914)2006 – Saparmurat Niyazov , Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (b. 1940)
2007 – Ken Hendricks , American businessman, founded ABC Supply (b. 1941)2009 – Edwin G. Krebs , American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)2009 – Christos Lambrakis , Greek journalist and businessman (b. 1934)
2010 – Enzo Bearzot , Italian footballer and manager (b. 1927)2012 – Vivian Anderson , American baseball player (b. 1921)2012 – Boyd Bartley , American baseball player (b. 1920)
2012 – Curtis Crider , American race car driver (b. 1930)
2012 – Jishu Dasgupta , Indian actor and director (b. 1956)
2012 – Lee Dorman , American bass player (Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond ) (b. 1942)
2012 – David Lomon , English soldier (b. 1918)
2012 – Shane McEntee , Irish politician (b. 1956)
2012 – Thomas W. McGee , American politician (b. 1924)
2012 – Daphne Oxenford , English actress (b. 1919)
2013 – Trigger Alpert , American bassist (Glenn Miller Orchestra ) (b. 1926)2013 – Eli Beeding , American captain and pilot (b. 1928)
2013 – Edgar Bronfman, Sr. , Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1929)
2013 – David Coleman , English sportscaster and game show host (b. 1926)
2013 – John Eisenhower , American historian, general, and diplomat, 45th United States Ambassador to Belgium (b. 1922)
2013 – Richard Hart , Jamaican-English historian, lawyer, and politician (b. 1917)
2013 – Rodolfo P. Hernandez , American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1931)
2013 – Bronzell Miller , American football player and actor (b. 1971)
2013 – Geoff Stirling , Canadian publisher and businessman (b. 1921)
2013 – Kobus Van Rensburg , South African evangelist and author (b. 1952)
Holidays and observances [ edit ] External links [ edit ]
Months and days of the year
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
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