December 30

December 30 in recent years

2023 (Saturday)

2022 (Friday)

2021 (Thursday)

2020 (Wednesday)

2019 (Monday)

2018 (Sunday)

2017 (Saturday)

2016 (Friday)

2015 (Wednesday)

2014 (Tuesday)

December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; one day remains until the end of the year.

Events

• 999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushing defeat on the allied armies of Leinster and Dublin near Lyons Hill in Ireland.
• 1066 – Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city.
• 1419 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of La Rochelle
• 1460 – Wars of the Roses: Lancastrians kill the 3rd Duke of York and win the Battle of Wakefield.
• 1702 – Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine.
• 1813 – War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York.
• 1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed.
• 1825 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed.
• 1853 – Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
• 1896 – Filipino patriot and reform advocate José Rizal is executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila.
• 1896 – Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scores the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, and the Cup-winning goal as the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5.
• 1897 – The British Colony of Natal annexes Zululand.
• 1903 – A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605.
• 1905 – Former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated at the front gate of his home in Caldwell.
• 1906 – The All-India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India (later Dhaka, Bangladesh).
• 1916 – Russian mystic and advisor to the Tsar Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was murdered by a loyalist group led by Prince Felix Yusupov. His frozen, partially-trussed body was discovered in a Moscow river three days later.
• 1916 – The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita.
• 1919 – Lincoln's Inn in London, England, UK admits its first female bar student.
• 1922 – The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed.
• 1927 – The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opens in Tokyo, Japan.
• 1936 – The United Auto Workers union stages its first sitdown strike.
• 1943 – Subhas Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair.
• 1944 – King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving the throne vacant.
• 1947 – Cold War: King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania.
• 1958 – The Guatemalan Air Force sinks several Mexican fishing boats alleged to have breached maritime borders, killing three and sparking international tension.
• 1965 – Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of the Philippines.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: The United States halts heavy bombing of North Vietnam.
• 1993 – Israel establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgrades to full diplomatic relations with Ireland.
• 1996 – Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.
• 1997 – In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people from four villages are killed.
• 2000 – Rizal Day bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a period of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.
• 2004 – A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina kills 194.
• 2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin.
• 2006 – Madrid–Barajas Airport is bombed.
• 2006 – The Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks in a storm, resulting in at least 400 deaths.
• 2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed.
• 2009 – A segment of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptures in Shaanxi, China, and approximately 150,000 L (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flows down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River.
• 2009 – A suicide bomber kills nine people at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan.
• 2013 – More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Births

• AD 39 – Titus, Roman emperor (d. 81)
• 159 – Empress Dowager Bian, second wife of Cao Cao, mother of Cao Wei's first emperor, Cao Pi (d. 230)
• 1204 – Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, ruler of Minorca (d. 1282)
• 1371 – Vasily I of Moscow (d. 1425)
• 1490 – Ebussuud Efendi, Ottoman lawyer and jurist (d. 1574)
• 1548 – David Pareus, German theologian (d. 1622)
• 1578 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1624)
• 1642 – Vincenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet (d. 1707)
• 1673 – Ahmed III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1736)
• 1678 – William Croft, English organist and composer (d. 1727)
• 1722 – Charles Yorke, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1770)
• 1724 – Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French painter and educator (d. 1805)
• 1760 – Charles Sapinaud de La Rairie, French general (d. 1829)
• 1792 – Sylvester Jordan, German lawyer and politician (d. 1861)
• 1819 – Theodor Fontane, German author and poet (d. 1898)
• 1819 – John W. Geary, American lawyer and politician, 16th Governor of Pennsylvania (d. 1873)
• 1825 – Samuel Newitt Wood, American lawyer and politician (d. 1891)
• 1842 – Osman Hamdi Bey, Ottoman administrator, intellectual, art expert and painter (d. 1910)
• 1849 – John Milne, English seismologist and geologist (d. 1913)
• 1851 – Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician, 44th Mayor of Atlanta (d. 1929)
• 1853 – André Messager, French pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1929)
• 1857 – Sylvio Lazzari, French-Austrian composer (d. 1944)
• 1865 – Rudyard Kipling, Indian-English author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
• 1869 – Stephen Leacock, English-Canadian political scientist and author (d. 1944)
• 1869 – Ōzutsu Man'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (d. 1918)
• 1873 – Al Smith, American lawyer and politician, 42nd Governor of New York (d. 1944)
• 1878 – William Aberhart, Canadian evangelist and politician, 7th Premier of Alberta (d. 1943)
• 1879 – Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (d. 1950)
• 1883 – Archer Baldwin, American-English farmer and politician (d. 1966)
• 1883 – Lester Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1960)
• 1884 – Hideki Tōjō, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)
• 1887 – William Kolehmainen, Finnish-American runner and coach (d. 1967)
• 1890 – Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, Mexican soldier and politician, 47th President of Mexico (d. 1973)
• 1897 – Alfredo Bracchi, Italian songwriter and screenwriter (d. 1976)
• 1899 – Helge Ingstad, Norwegian explorer, lawyer, and politician, 2nd Governor of Svalbard (d. 2001)
• 1904 – Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian composer and academic (d. 1987)
• 1905 – Daniil Kharms, Russian poet, author, and playwright (d. 1942)
• 1906 – Alziro Bergonzo, Italian architect and painter (d. 1997)
• 1906 – Carol Reed, English director and producer (d. 1976)
• 1910 – Paul Bowles, American composer and author (d. 1999)
• 1911 – Jeanette Nolan, American actress (d. 1998)
• 1913 – Lucio Agostini, Italian-Canadian conductor and composer (d. 1996)
• 1913 – Elyne Mitchell, Australian author (d. 2002)
• 1914 – Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality, and beauty pageant host (d. 1992)
• 1917 – Seymour Melman, American engineer and author (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Dick Spooner, English cricketer (d. 1997)
• 1919 – David Willcocks, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 2015)
• 1921 – Rashid Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Lebanon (d. 1987)
• 1922 – Jane Langton, American author and illustrator
• 1923 – Prakash Vir Shastri, Indian academic and politician (d. 1977)
• 1924 – Yvonne Brill, Canadian-American propulsion engineer (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Ian MacNaughton, Scottish actor, producer, and director (d. 2002)
• 1926 – Stan Tracey, English pianist and composer (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Jan Kubíček, Czech painter and sculptor (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Bo Diddley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
• 1929 – Rosalinde Hurley, English physician, microbiologist, and academic (d. 2004)
• 1930 – Roy Yorke Calne, English surgeon and academic
• 1930 – Red Rhodes, American guitarist (d. 1995)
• 1930 – Tu Youyou, Chinese chemist and pharmacist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1931 – Skeeter Davis, American singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
• 1931 – John T. Houghton, Welsh physicist and author
• 1931 – Frank Torre, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
• 1934 – John N. Bahcall, American astrophysicist and astronomer, co-developed the Hubble Space Telescope (d. 2005)
• 1934 – Joseph Bologna, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
• 1934 – Barry Briggs, New Zealand motorcycle racer and sportscaster
• 1934 – Joseph P. Hoar, American general
• 1934 – Del Shannon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1990)
• 1934 – Russ Tamblyn, American actor
• 1935 – Omar Bongo, Gabonese lieutenant and politician, President of Gabon (d. 2009)
• 1935 – Sandy Koufax, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1935 – Jack Riley, American actor (d. 2016)
• 1937 – Gordon Banks, English footballer and manager
• 1937 – John Hartford, American singer-songwriter and fiddler (d. 2001)
• 1937 – Jim Marshall, American football player
• 1937 – Paul Stookey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1938 – Ron Wolf, American Football Hall of Fame General Manager
• 1939 – Glenda Adams, Australian author and academic (d. 2007)
• 1939 – Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (d. 1983)
• 1940 – James Burrows, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1941 – Mel Renfro, American football player and coach
• 1942 – Vladimir Bukovsky, Russian author and activist
• 1942 – Guy Edwards, English race car driver
• 1942 – Michael Nesmith, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1942 – Janko Prunk, Slovenian historian, academic, and politician
• 1942 – Robert Quine, American guitarist (d. 2004)
• 1942 – Toomas Savi, Estonian physician and politician
• 1942 – Fred Ward, American actor
• 1944 – William J. Fallon, American admiral
• 1944 – Joseph Hilbe, American mathematician and philosopher
• 1945 – Davy Jones, English singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2012)
• 1945 – Lloyd Kaufman, American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded Troma Entertainment
• 1945 – Paola Pigni, Italian runner
• 1945 – Concetta Tomei, American actress
• 1946 – Clive Bunker, English drummer and songwriter
• 1946 – Patti Smith, American singer-songwriter and poet
• 1946 – Berti Vogts, German footballer and coach
• 1947 – James Kahn, American author, screenwriter, and producer
• 1947 – Jeff Lynne, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1947 – Steve Mix, American basketball player and coach
• 1948 – Jed Johnson, American interior designer and director (d. 1996)
• 1949 – David Bedford, English runner
• 1949 – Jim Flaherty, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Canadian Minister of Finance (d. 2014)
• 1950 – Timothy Mo, Chinese-English author
• 1950 – Lewis Shiner, American journalist and author
• 1950 – Bjarne Stroustrup, Danish computer scientist, created the C++ programming language
• 1950 – Martti Vainio, Finnish runner
• 1951 – Doug Allder, English footballer and coach
• 1951 – Chris Jasper, American musician, singer-songwriter, and producer
• 1951 – Nick Rose, English runner
• 1952 – June Anderson, American soprano and actress
• 1953 – Daniel T. Barry, American engineer and astronaut
• 1953 – Dana Key, American singer, guitarist, and producer (d. 2010)
• 1953 – Graham Vick, English director and producer
• 1953 – Meredith Vieira, American journalist and game show host
• 1954 – Barry Greenstein, American poker player and philanthropist
• 1956 – Ingus Baušķenieks, Latvian singer-songwriter and producer
• 1956 – Suzy Bogguss, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1956 – Patricia Kalember, American actress
• 1956 – Sheryl Lee Ralph, American actress and singer
• 1957 – Matt Lauer, American television journalist and anchor
• 1957 – Glenn Robbins, Australian comedian and actor
• 1958 – Pedro Costa, Portuguese director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
• 1958 – Steven Smith, American engineer and astronaut
• 1959 – Antonio Pappano, English pianist and conductor
• 1959 – Kåre Thomsen, Norwegian guitarist and graphic designer
• 1959 – Tracey Ullman, English-American actress, singer, director, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Josée Verner, Canadian politician, 8th Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
• 1960 – Richard M. Durbin, English biologist and academic
• 1961 – Douglas Coupland, German-Canadian author and playwright
• 1961 – Bill English, New Zealand farmer and politician, 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 1961 – Sean Hannity, American radio and television host
• 1961 – Ben Johnson, Jamaican-Canadian sprinter
• 1961 – Charlie Nicholas, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
• 1963 – Chandler Burr, American journalist and author
• 1963 – Milan Šrejber, Czech tennis player
• 1964 – Almir Kayumov, Russian footballer and referee (d. 2013)
• 1964 – Sylvie Moreau, Canadian actress and screenwriter
• 1964 – George Newbern, American actor
• 1965 – Heidi Fleiss, American procurer
• 1966 – Gary Chartier, American philosopher, scholar, and academic
• 1966 – Bennett Miller, American director and producer
• 1967 – Carl Ouellet, Canadian wrestler and sportscaster
• 1968 – Bryan Burk, American screenwriter and producer
• 1968 – Adam Dale, Australian cricketer
• 1968 – Sandra Glover, American hurdler
• 1968 – Albano Mucci, Australian champion
• 1969 – Emmanuel Clérico, French race car driver
• 1969 – Dave England, American snowboarder and stuntman
• 1969 – Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia
• 1969 – Michelle McGann, American golfer
• 1969 – Meredith Monroe, American actress
• 1971 – Sister Bliss, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
• 1971 – C. S. Lee, Korean-American actor
• 1971 – Ricardo, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1972 – Daniel Amokachi, Nigerian footballer and manager
• 1972 – Paul Keegan, Irish footballer
• 1972 – Dita Indah Sari, Indonesian trade union leader and activist
• 1972 – Steven Wiig, American actor and drummer
• 1973 – Jason Behr, American actor
• 1973 – Ato Boldon, Trinidadian runner, sportscaster, and politician
• 1974 – Alexandro Alves do Nascimento, Brazilian footballer (d. 2012)
• 1975 – Scott Chipperfield, Australian footballer
• 1975 – Tiger Woods, American golfer
• 1976 – Kastro, American rapper
• 1976 – Patrick Kerney, American football player
• 1976 – A. J. Pierzynski, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1977 – Laila Ali, American boxer and actress
• 1977 – Glory Alozie, Nigerian-Spanish sprinter and hurdler
• 1977 – Grant Balfour, Australian baseball player
• 1977 – Saša Ilić, Serbian footballer
• 1977 – Scott Lucas, Australian footballer and coach
• 1977 – Kenyon Martin, American basketball player
• 1977 – Lucy Punch, English actress
• 1977 – Kazuyuki Toda, Japanese footballer
• 1978 – Devin Brown, American basketball player
• 1978 – Tyrese Gibson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1978 – Phillips Idowu, English triple jumper
• 1978 – Zbigniew Robert Promiński, Polish drummer
• 1978 – Rob Scuderi, American ice hockey player
• 1979 – Michael Grimm, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Eliza Dushku, American actress and producer
• 1980 – D. J. Mbenga, Congolese-Belgian basketball player
• 1980 – Alison McGovern, English politician
• 1981 – Cédric Carrasso, French footballer
• 1981 – Ali Al-Habsi, Omani footballer
• 1981 – Michael Rodríguez, Costa Rican footballer
• 1981 – Matt Ulrich, American football player
• 1982 – Kristin Kreuk, Canadian actress
• 1982 – Tobias Kurbjuweit, German footballer
• 1982 – Dawan Landry, American football player
• 1982 – Dathan Ritzenhein, American runner
• 1983 – Davide Mandorlini, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Eddie Edwards, American professional wrestler
• 1983 – Nick Symmonds, American runner
• 1983 – Kevin Systrom, American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Instagram
• 1984 – Randall Azofeifa, Costa Rican footballer
• 1984 – LeBron James, American basketball player, producer and businessman
• 1985 – Lars Boom, Dutch cyclist
• 1985 – Bryson Goodwin, Australian rugby league player
• 1986 – Domenico Criscito, Italian footballer
• 1986 – Ellie Goulding, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1986 – Gianni Zuiverloon, Dutch footballer
• 1986 – Caity Lotz, American actress
• 1989 – Ryan Sheckler, American skateboarder and entrepreneur
• 1989 – Kateřina Vaňková, Czech tennis player
• 1990 – Joe Root, English cricketer
• 1990 – Bruno Henrique Pinto, Brazilian footballer
• 1991 – Camila Giorgi, Italian tennis player
• 1992 – Ryan Tunnicliffe, English footballer
• 1992 – Carson Wentz, American football player
• 1995 – V, South Korean singer and actor
• 1996 – Brad Abbey, New Zealand rugby league player

Deaths

• 274 – Pope Felix I
• 717 – Egwin of Evesham, bishop of Worcester
• 903 – Tian Jun, Chinese warlord (b. 858)
• 925 – Wang Shenzhi, founder of Min (b. 862)
• 1115 – Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine
• 1331 – Bernard Gui, inquisitor (b. 1261 or 1262)
• 1435 – Bonne of Berry, Regent of Savoy (b. 1362)
• 1436 – Louis III, Elector Palatine (b. 1378)
• 1460 – Edmund, Earl of Rutland, Irish politician, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (b. 1443)
• 1460 – Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (b. 1411)
• 1525 – Jakob Fugger, German banker and businessman (b. 1459)
• 1572 – Galeazzo Alessi, Italian architect, designed the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (b. 1512)
• 1573 – Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Italian author and poet (b. 1504)
• 1591 – Pope Innocent IX (b. 1519)
• 1621 – Job of Manyava, Ukrainian monk and saint (b. 1550)
• 1640 – John Francis Regis, French priest and saint (b. 1597)
• 1643 – Giovanni Baglione, Italian painter and historian of art (b. 1566)
• 1644 – Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist, physiologist, and physician (b. 1577)
• 1662 – Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria (b. 1628)
• 1769 – Nicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, Irish-Austrian soldier and courtier (b. 1685)
• 1777 – Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1727)
• 1788 – Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian painter and academic (b. 1702)
• 1803 – Francis Lewis, Welsh-American merchant and politician (b. 1713)
• 1879 – Manuel de Araújo Porto-Alegre, Baron of Santo Ângelo, Brazilian poet and painter (b. 1806)
• 1896 – José Rizal, Filipino ophthalmologist, journalist, and author (b. 1861)
• 1906 – Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (b. 1828)
• 1908 – Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1844)
• 1916 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic (b. 1869)
• 1928 – Jean Collas, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (b. 1874)
• 1937 – Hans Niels Andersen, Danish businessman, founded the East Asiatic Company (b. 1852)
• 1940 – Childe Wills, American engineer (b. 1878)
• 1941 – El Lissitzky, Russian photographer and architect (b. 1890)
• 1944 – Romain Rolland, French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
• 1945 – Song Jin-woo, South Korean journalist and politician (b. 1889)
• 1947 – Han van Meegeren, Dutch painter (b. 1889)
• 1947 – Alfred North Whitehead, English-American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1861)
• 1954 – Archduke Eugen of Austria (b. 1863)
• 1955 – Rex Ingamells, Australian poet and author (b. 1913)
• 1967 – Vincent Massey, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor General of Canada (b. 1887)
• 1968 – Trygve Lie, Norwegian journalist and politician, 1st Secretary-General of the United Nations (b. 1896)
• 1970 – Sonny Liston, American boxer (b. 1932)
• 1971 – Jo Cals, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1914)
• 1971 – Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1919)
• 1979 – Richard Rodgers, American playwright and composer (b. 1902)
• 1982 – Alberto Vargas, Peruvian-American painter and illustrator (b. 1896)
• 1983 – Violette Cordery, English race car driver (b. 1900)
• 1986 – Era Bell Thompson, American journalist (b. 1905)
• 1988 – Yuli Daniel, Russian author and poet (b. 1925)
• 1988 – Isamu Noguchi, American sculptor and landscaper (b. 1904)
• 1990 – Raghuvir Sahay, Indian author, poet, and critic (b. 1929)
• 1993 – İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil, Turkish lawyer and politician, 20th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1908)
• 1993 – Irving "Swifty" Lazar, American talent agent (b. 1907)
• 1993 – Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian-French physicist and academic (b. 1907)
• 1994 – Dmitri Ivanenko, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (b. 1904)
• 1995 – Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1914)
• 1995 – Doris Grau, American voice actor and script supervisor (b. 1924)
• 1996 – Lew Ayres, American actor (b. 1908)
• 1997 – Shinichi Hoshi, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1926)
• 1998 – Sam Muchnick, American wrestling promoter, co-founded the National Wrestling Alliance (b. 1905)
• 1999 – Joff Ellen, Australian comedian and actor (b. 1915)
• 1999 – Fritz Leonhardt, German engineer, co-designed the Cologne Rodenkirchen Bridge and Fernsehturm Stuttgart (b. 1909)
• 1999 – Des Renford, Australian swimmer (b. 1927)
• 1999 – Sarah Knauss, American supercentenarian (b. 1880)
• 2000 – Julius J. Epstein, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1909)
• 2002 – Mary Brian, American actress (b. 1906)
• 2002 – Eleanor J. Gibson, American psychologist and academic (b. 1910)
• 2002 – Mary Wesley, English author (b. 1912)
• 2003 – John Gregory Dunne, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1932)
• 2004 – Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1910)
• 2005 – Eddie Barlow, South African cricketer and coach (b. 1940)
• 2005 – Rona Jaffe, American novelist (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Saddam Hussein, Iraqi general and politician, 5th President of Iraq (b. 1937)
• 2006 – Terry Peck, Falkland Islander police officer and spy (b. 1938)
• 2006 – Michel Plasse, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1948)
• 2009 – Rowland S. Howard, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1959)
• 2009 – Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesian journalist and politician, 4th President of Indonesia (b. 1940)
• 2010 – Bobby Farrell, Dutch dancer and performer from Aruba (b. 1949)
• 2011 – Ronald Searle, English-French cartoonist (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Philip Coppens, Belgian-American journalist and author (b. 1971)
• 2012 – Beate Sirota Gordon, Austrian-American director and producer (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1909)
• 2012 – Carl Woese, American microbiologist and biophysicist (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Dennis Ferguson, Australian sex offender (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Kinnaird R. McKee, American admiral (b. 1929)
• 2013 – José María Maguregui, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1934)
• 2013 – Eiichi Ohtaki, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Johnny Orr, American basketball player and coach (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Paul Sally, American mathematician and academic (b. 1933)
• 2014 – Terry Becker, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Jim Galloway, Scottish-Canadian clarinet player and saxophonist (b. 1936)
• 2014 – Luise Rainer, German-born American-British actress (b. 1910)
• 2015 – Doug Atkins, American football player (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Howard Davis, Jr., American boxer and trainer (b. 1956)
• 2015 – Mangesh Padgaonkar, Indian poet, playwright, and translator (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Howard Pawley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1934)
• 2017 – Erica Garner, American civil rights activist (b. 1990)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Abraham the Writer
  • Anysia of Salonika
  • Egwin of Evesham
  • Frances Joseph-Gaudet (Episcopal Church)
  • Liberius of Ravenna
  • Pope Felix I
  • Ralph of Vaucelles
  • Roger of Cannae
  • December 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Day of the Declaration of Slovakia as an Independent Ecclesiastic Province (Slovakia)
• Rizal Day (Philippines)
• The fifth day of Kwanzaa. (United States)
• The sixth of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity)

External links

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