December 23
| Template:DecemberCalendar |
| Template:ThisDateInRecentYears2006Rev |
Template:Linked-title is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). There are 8 days remaining. It is the last day of the Autumn season in the Northern Hemisphere, in the Southern Hemisphere, the last day of the spring season.
Events
- 619 - Boniface V becomes Pope.
- 1493 - Georg Alt's German translation of Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle is published.
- 1783 - George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
- 1823 - The poem A Visit From St. Nicholas (AKA The Night Before Christmas) is published in the Sentinel.
- 1888 - Vincent van Gogh cuts off the lower part of his left ear, takes it to a brothel, and gives it to a prostitute named Rachel.
- 1913 - The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve.
- 1916 - World War I: Battle of Magdhaba - Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in Egypt's Sinai peninsula.
- 1921 - Visva-Bharati University inaugurated.
- 1936 - Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1937 - First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
- 1941 - World War II: Japanese Imperial Army occupied Wake Island.
- 1947 - The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
- 1948 - Seven former Japanese leaders sentenced to death by hanging at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East were executed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo.
- 1954 - The first human kidney transplant is performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1958 - Dedication of Tokyo Tower, world's highest self-supporting iron tower.
- 1970 - The North Tower of the World Trade Center is topped out at 1,368 feet, making it the tallest building in the world.
- 1972 - Pro Football Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris makes the Immaculate Reception, perhaps the most famous play in American football history.
- 1972 - The Nicaraguan capital of Managua is struck by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake, killing more than 10,000.
- 1972 - The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannabalism.
- 1979 - Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
- 1982 - The Environmental Protection Agency announces it has identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
- 1986 - Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California and becomes the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world.
- 1990 - History of Slovenia: 88% of Slovenia's population vote for independence from Yugoslavia in a referendum.
- 2004 - Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean is hit by an 8.1 magnitude earthquake.
- 2005 - Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 from Baku, Azerbaijan to Aktau, Kazakhstan crashed shortly after takeoff killing 23 people.
- 2005 - Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18th attack on Adre, which left about 100 people dead.
- 2006 - Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath announces that he will retire from cricket after the 2007 Cricket World Cup, two days after his team mate Shane Warne announced his own retirement.
Births
- c.245- Zenobia, the queen of Palmyra (d. ?)
- 1513 - Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (d. 1577)
- 1537 - King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1582 - Severo Bonini, Italian composer (d. 1663)
- 1597 - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
- 1613 - Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
- 1621 - Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (d. 1678)
- 1621 - Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)
- 1689 - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
- 1732 - Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)
- 1743 - Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet (d. 1803)
- 1750 - King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
- 1777 - Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
- 1790 - Jean François Champollion, French Egyptologist (d. 1832)
- 1804 - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
- 1805 - Joseph Smith, Jr., American founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1844)
- 1819 - Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
- 1822 - Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
- 1843 - Richard Conner, American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient (d. 1924)
- 1864 - Zorka of Montenegro, Princess of Serbia (d. 1890)
- 1867 - Madam C.J. Walker, American millionaire (d. 1919)
- 1878 - Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (d. 1972)
- 1885 - Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
- 1891 - Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
- 1907 - Avraham Stern, Polish-born Zionist leader (d. 1942)
- 1908 - Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born, Canadian portrait photographer (d. 2002)
- 1911 - Niels Kaj Jerne, English-born immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)
- 1911 - James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany
- 1918 - José Greco, Italian-born flamenco dancer (d. 2001)
- 1921 - Guy Beaulne, French Canadian actor and theatre director (d. 2001)
- 1922 - Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician (d. 2001)
- 1923 - Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist
- 1923 - Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
- 1923 - James Stockdale, U.S. Navy admiral (d. 2005)
- 1926 - Robert Bly, American poet
- 1929 - Chet Baker, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1988)
- 1931 - Ronnie Schell, American actor
- 1933 - Akihito, Emperor of Japan
- 1935 - Paul Hornung, American football player
- 1935 - Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
- 1936 - Frederic Forrest, American actor
- 1938 - Bob Kahn, American Internet pioneer
- 1940 - Jorma Kaukonen, American musician
- 1940 - Eugene Record, American singer (The Chi-Lites) (d. 2005)
- 1941 - Tim Hardin, American musician (d. 1980)
- 1942 - John Peterman, American fashion designer
- 1943 - Mikhail Gromov, Russian-born mathematician
- 1943 - Harry Shearer, American actor
- 1943 - Silvia Sommerlath, Queen of Sweden
- 1943 - Ron Allen, Baseball player
- 1943 - Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (A Patch of Blue) (d. 1987)
- 1944 - Wesley Clark, U.S. general and NATO Supreme Allied Commander
- 1945 - Ron Bushy, American drummer (Iron Butterfly)
- 1946 - Susan Lucci, American actress
- 1948 - Jack Ham, American football player
- 1949 - Adrian Belew, American musician
- 1950 - Michael C. Burgess, American politician
- 1951 - Anthony Phillips, British guitarist (Genesis)
- 1952 - William Kristol, American political commentator
- 1956 - Dave Murray, English guitarist (Iron Maiden)
- 1956 - Michele Alboreto, Italian Formula one driver (d. 2001)
- 1957 - Dan Bigras, Quebec rock singer
- 1958 - Victoria Williams, American singer
- 1961 - Carol Smillie, British television personality
- 1962 - Keiji Muto, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1963 - Jim Harbaugh, American football player
- 1964 - Eddie Vedder, American musician (Pearl Jam)
- 1968 - Carla Bruni, Italian-French model, songwriter and singer
- 1969 - Martha Byrne, American actress
- 1970 - Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
- 1970 - Raymont Harris, American football player
- 1971 - Corey Haim, Canadian actor
- 1971 - Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite
- 1974 - Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1975 - Sky Lopez, American actress
- 1976 - Jamie Noble, American professional wrestler
- 1977 - Alge Crumpler, American football player
- 1978 - Andra Davis, American football player
- 1978 - Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
- 1978 - Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
- 1978 - Estella Warren, Canadian model and actress
- 1978 - Jodie Marsh, British adult model
- 1979 - Summer Altice, American model and actress
- 1981 - Beth, Spanish singer
- 1983 - Michael Chopra, English footballer
- 1985 - Harry Judd, British drummer (McFly)
- 1990 - Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American actress, model, and singer
Deaths
- 910 - Naum of Preslav, Bulgarian scholar
- 913 - Conrad of Franconia
- 1230 - Berengaria of Navarre, queen of Richard I of England
- 1556 - Nicholas Udall, English playwright (b. 1504)
- 1568 - Roger Ascham, tutor of Elizabeth I of England
- 1575 - Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese warrior (b. 1531)
- 1588 - Henry I, Duke of Guise, French Catholic leader (b. 1550)
- 1631 - Michael Drayton, English poet (b. 1563)
- 1646 - François Maynard, French poet (b. 1582)
- 1652 - John Cotton, founder of Boston, Massachusetts (b. 1585)
- 1675 - Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French marshal and diplomat (b. 1602)
- 1722 - Pierre Varignon, French mathematician (b. 1654)
- 1771 - Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian saint (b. 1701)
- 1761 - Alestair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish Jacobite spy
- 1779 - Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, British admiral and politician (b. 1724)
- 1789 - Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French philanthropist and developer of signed French (b. 1712)
- 1793 - Johann Adolph Hasse, German composer (b. 1699)
- 1795 - Henry Clinton, British general (b. 1730)
- 1805 - Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and naturalist (b. 1723)
- 1834 - Thomas Malthus, English demographer and economist (b. 1766)
- 1846 - Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent, French naturalist (b. 1780)
- 1902 - Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1821)
- 1912 - Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist (b. 1850)
- 1931 - Wilson Bentley, Discovered that no two snowflake are the same
- 1939 - Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
- 1948 - Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan (hanged) (b. 1884)
- 1948 - Akira Muto, Japanese army commander (hanged) (b. 1883)
- 1953 - Lavrenty Beria, Soviet Communist leader (b. 1899)
- 1954 - René Iché, French sculptor (b. 1897)
- 1970 - Charles Ruggles, American actor (b. 1886)
- 1972 - Andrei Tupolev, Soviet aircraft designer (b. 1888)
- 1973 - Charles Atlas, Italian-born bodybuilder (b. 1892)
- 1973 - Irna Phillips, American television writer, director, and producer (b. 1901)
- 1979 - Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (b. 1898)
- 1982 - Jack Webb, American actor, producer, and director (b. 1920)
- 1983 - Colin Middleton, Northern Irish artist (b. 1910)
- 1992 - Vincent Fourcade, French American interior designer and socialite (b. 1934)
- 1992 - Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (Funkadelic) (b. 1950)
- 1994 - Sebastian Shaw, English actor (b. 1905)
- 2000 - Noor Jehan, Mallika-e-Tarranum (Queen of Melody) (b. 1926)
- 2000 - Billy Barty, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2000 - Victor Borge, Danish-born comedian and pianist (b. 1909)
- 2004 - P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
- 2005 - Norman D. Vaughan, polar explorer and dogsled driver (b. 1905)
- 2005 - Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer and coach (b. 1914)
Holidays and observances
- Roman festivals - Larentalia, a festival in honor of Larenta
- R.C. Saints - O Emmanuel, John Cantius ; Thorlac Thorhallsson, patron saint of Iceland
- Japan - The Emperor's Birthday - Birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan
- Jämtland – Sjursmäss ("Sigurd's Mass"), a local holiday
- Ancient Latvia - Ziemassvetki held
- Sweden - Birthday of Queen Silvia, an official flag day
- Oaxaca - Night of the Radishes
- Secular humanism (American) - HumanLight observed
- Festivus
External links
December 22 - December 24 - November 23 - January 23 -- listing of all days