December 15
Appearance
December 15is the 349th day of the year (350th inleap years) in theGregorian calendar.There are 16 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
[change|change source]Up to 1900
[change|change source]- 533– TheBattle of Ticameronbegins.
- 687–St. Sergius IbecomesPope.
- 1161-China:Militaryofficers conspire againstEmperor Hailingwang of Jin,of theJin Dynasty,and kill him in amilitarycoupnear theYangtze Riverfront.
- 1167-SicilianChancellorStephen du Perchemoves the royal court toMessinato prevent rebellion.
- 1256–Hulagu Khancaptures and destroys theHashshashinstronghold atAlamutin present-dayIran.
- 1467-Stephen III of MoldaviadefeatsMatthias CorvinusofHungary,with the latter being injured, at theBattle of Baia.
- 1640-John IV of PortugalbecomesKing.
- 1778-American Revolutionary War:BritishandFrenchfleets clash in theBattle of St. Lucia.
- 1791– TheUnited States Bill of Rightsis passed.
- 1864-American Civil War:Battle of Nashville- Union forces underGeorge Thomasalmost completely destroy theArmyofTennesseeunderJohn Hood.
- 1881- The El HabradaminAlgeriabreaks, resulting in afloodthat kills around 250 people.
- 1890–Native AmericanchiefSitting Bullis shot dead by Reservation police.
- 1891–James Naismithintroducesbasketball.
1901 – 2000
[change|change source]- 1905- The Pushkin House is founded inSt. Petersburg,Russia,to preserve the culturalheritageofAlexander Pushkin.
- 1913–Nicaraguabecomes a signatory to theBuenos Aires Convention.
- 1914– Agasexplosion at theMitsubishiHojyocoalmine,Kyushu,kills 687 people.
- 1914–World War I:TheBattle of Łódźends;Russiansretreat towardMoscow.
- 1914-World War I:TheSerbianarmyrecapturesBelgradefrom the invadingHungarianarmy.
- 1916–World War I:FrancedefeatsGermanyin theBattle of Verdun.
- 1917-World War I:Anarmisticeis reached betweenRussia's newBolshevikgovernmentand theCentral Powers.
- 1933- The 21st Amendment to theUnited StatesConstitutionbecomes effective, reversing the 18th Amendment, which had banned the sale, manufacture and transportation ofalcohol.
- 1939–Gone with the Windpremiers inAtlanta, Georgia.
- 1941–Holocaust:Nazitroops murder 15,000Jewsat Drobitsky Yar, nearKharkiv.
- 1943-World War II:TheBattle of Arawebegins during theNew Britaincampaign.
- 1945– GeneralDouglas MacArthurorders end ofShintoas state religion ofJapan.
- 1946- US-backedIraniantroops evict the leadership of the breakawayRepublic of Mahabad,putting an end to theIrancrisis of 1946.
- 1954– The Charter for theNetherlandsenters effect.
- 1957- The population ofMunichreaches one million.
- 1960–MahendraofNepalimposes direct rule.
- 1960-Richard Pavlikis arrested for plotting to kill US President-electJohn F. Kennedy.
- 1961– AnIsraeliwar crimestribunal sentencesAdolf Eichmannto die for his part in the JewishHolocaust
- 1965–Gemini program:Gemini 6Ais launched.
- 1967– The Silver Bridge over theOhioRiver collapses, killing 46 people.
- 1970–SovietspacecraftVenera 7successfully lands onVenus.
- 1970–South KoreanferryNamyong Ho capsizes inKorea Strait,killing 308 people.
- 1973–John Paul Getty IIIis found alive after being kidnapped inNaples,Italy,a few months earlier.
- 1973- TheAmerican Psychiatric Associationvotes 13-0 to removeHomosexualityfrom its list of psychiatricdisorders.
- 1976–Samoabecomes a member of theUN.
- 1976- Theoiltanker MVArgo Merchantruns aground offNantucket,Massachusetts,causing anoilspill.
- 1978- US PresidentJimmy Carterannounces that theUSis to start diplomatic relations with thePeople's Republic of Chinaand would therefore sever relations with theRepublic of China,exiledon the island ofTaiwan.
- 1979- The board gameTrivial Pursuitis created by Canadians Chris Haney and Scott Abbott.
- 1993-The Troubles:TheDowning StreetDeclaration is issued by British Prime MinisterJohn Majorand IrishTaoiseachAlbert Reynolds.
- 1994–Netscape Navigator1.0 is first released.
- 1994–Palaubecomes a member of theUN.
- 1995– TheEuropean Communities Court of Justicepasses theBosman ruling
- 1997– A charteredTupolevTU-154 fromTajikistancrashes in the desert near Sharja,United Arab Emiratesairport killing 85.
- 1997- TheTreaty of Bangkokis signed, makingSoutheast Asiaa nuclear weapon-free zone.
- 1999- After weeks of heavyrain,severallandslidesoccur in NorthernVenezuela,killing hundreds of people.
- 2000- The Third Reactor at theChernobylNuclear Pant in present-dayUkraineis shut down.
From 2001
[change|change source]- 2001– TheLeaning Tower of Pisais reopened to the public almost 12 years after it was closed for restoration.
- 2002–BBC 7,digital radio station,is launched inUK.
- 2004–David Blunkett,Home Secretary in the British Government, resigns over aVISAscandal.
- 2009– First flight of aBoeing 787
- 2010– A boat carrying about 90asylumseekers crashes on rocks offChristmas Island,killing around 30 people.
- 2011– American troops withdraw fromIraq.
- 2013- Thefuneraland burial ofNelson Mandelatake place in his home village ofQunu,Eastern Cape,South Africa.He had died onDecember 5at the age of 95 - SeeDeath and state funeral of Nelson Mandela.
- 2013-Michelle BacheletwinsChile'sPresidentialelection.She had previously served as president from2006until2010.
- 2014-2014 Sydney hostage crisis:Iranian refugee and known criminalMan Haron Monistakes several people hostage in a café inSydney,Australia.Thesiegeis ended early the next day in a gun battle in which the attacker and two hostages are killed.
- 2017-Star Wars: The Last Jediis released in theaters in theU.S.A.
Births
[change|change source]Up to 1900
[change|change source]- 37–Nero,Roman Emperor (d.68)
- 130-Lucius Verus,Roman Emperor {d.169}
- 1447–Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria(d.1508)
- 1567-Christoph Demantius,German composer (d.1643)
- 1588-Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg(d.1658)
- 1657-Michel Richard Delalande,Frenchcomposerandorganist(d.1726)
- 1686-Jean-Joseph Fiocco,Flemishcomposer(d.1746)
- 1719-Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt(d.1790)
- 1760-David Heinrich Hoppe,Germanpharmacist,entomologistandphysician(d.1846)
- 1789-Carlos Soublette,11thPresidentofVenezuela(d.1870)
- 1796-Hiram Runnels,GovernorofMississippi(d.1857)
- 1810-Peter Andreas Munch,Norwegianhistorian(d.1863)
- 1832–Gustave Eiffel,Frencharchitect(d.1923)
- 1834-Charles Augustus Young,Americanastronomer(d.1908)
- 1852–Henri Becquerel,Frenchphysicist(d.1908)
- 1853-Francisco Silvela,Spanishhistorianandpolitician(d.1905)
- 1859–L. L. Zamenhof,creator ofEsperanto(d.1917)
- 1860–Niels Ryberg Finsen,Danishdoctor,won the 1903Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine(d.1904)
- 1861–Pehr Evind Svinhufvud,PresidentofFinland(d.1944)
- 1861-Charles Duryea,Americanengineer(d.1938)
- 1875-Emilio Jacinto,Filipinojournalistandrevolutionary(d.1899)
- 1878–Hans Carossa,German writer (d.1956)
- 1881–Eugen Bolz,German politician and Resistance activist (d.1945)
- 1885-Leonid Pitamic,Yugoslavianlegalphilosopheranddiplomat(d.1974)
- 1888-Maxwell Anderson,Americanjournalistandplaywright(d.1959)
- 1890-Harry Babcock,American pole vaulter (d.1965)
- 1892–J. Paul Getty,Americanoiltycoon (d.1976)
- 1894-Josef Imbach,Swiss sprinter (d.1964)
- 1896–Betty Smith,American writer (d.1972)
- 1899–Harold Abrahams,British sprinter (d.1978)
1901 – 1950
[change|change source]- 1902-Robert F. Bradford,57thGovernor of Massachusetts(d.1983)
- 1903-Tamanishiki San'emon,Japanesesumowrestler (d.1938)
- 1906-Edmond Debeaumarché,French resistance activist (d.1959)
- 1907–Oscar Niemeyer,Brazilian architect (d.2012)
- 1907-Gordon Douglas,American film director (d.1993)
- 1909-Sattar Bahlulzade,Azerbaijani painter (d.1974)
- 1910–John H. Hammond,American musician and record producer (d.1987)
- 1911–Stan Kenton,American musician (d.1979)
- 1916–Maurice Wilkins,New Zealand-bornphysicist(d.2004)
- 1916-Buddy Cole,Americanpianist(d.1964)
- 1917-Hilde Zadek,German operatic soprano (d.2019)
- 1918-Jeff Chandler,American actor, film producer and singer (d.1961)
- 1919-Max Yasgur,American farmer, owner of the site of the Woodstock festival (d.1973)
- 1920-Albert Memmi,Tunisian-French writer and essayist
- 1923–Freeman Dyson,English-American physicist
- 1923-Uziel Gal,German-Israeli firearms designer (d.2001)
- 1923-Inge Keller,German actress (d.2017)
- 1923-Valentin Varennikov,Sovietgeneralandpolitician(d.2009)
- 1928–Friedensreich Hundertwasser,Austrianartist(d.2000)
- 1928-Ida Haendel,Polish-Englishviolinist
- 1930-Edna O'Brien,Irish author
- 1931–Klaus Rifbjerg,Danish writer (d.2015)
- 1932-John Meurig Thomas,Welsh chemist
- 1933-Bapu,Indianmovie director(d.2014)
- 1933-Tim Conway,American comedian and actor (d.2019)
- 1933-Donald Woods,South Africanjournalistand Anti-Apartheidactivist(d.2001)
- 1934-Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed,PresidentofSomalia(d.2012)
- 1934-Mohamed Farrah Aidid,Somali leader (d.1996)
- 1934-Curtis Fuller,Americanjazzmusician
- 1936–Joe D'Amato,Italian movie maker (d.1999)
- 1938–Juan Carlos Wasmosy,formerPresidentofParaguay
- 1938-Bob Foster,American boxer (d.2015)
- 1939–Cindy Birdsong,American singer
- 1942–Kathleen Blanco,American politician, 54thGovernorofLouisiana(d.2019)
- 1942-Dave Clark,Englishdrummer,songwriterandproducer
- 1943-Lorenzo Piretto,Italianarchbishop
- 1944–Chico Mendes,Brazilian activist (d.1988)
- 1946-Carmine Appice,Americanrock musician
- 1948–Cassandra Harris,Australian actress (d.1991)
- 1949-Don Johnson,Americanactor,singerandproducer
- 1950-Melanie Chartoff,American actress and comedienne
1951 – 1975
[change|change source]- 1951-Joe Jordan,Scottishfootballerand manager
- 1952–Allan Simonsen,Danishfootballer
- 1952-Julie Taymor,Americandirector,producerandscreenwriter
- 1953-Robert Charles Wilson,American-Canadianscience fictionauthor
- 1954–Mark Warner,American politician
- 1955–Paul Simonon,English musician (The Clash)
- 1955–Renate Künast,German politician
- 1957-Laura Molina,Americansinger,guitarist,actressand painter
- 1957-Tim Reynolds,German-Americansinger-songwriterandmusician
- 1958-Alfredo Ormando,Italian writer (d.1998)
- 1958-Stephan Weil,German politician, Minister-President ofLower Saxonysince2013
- 1960-Irma Boom,Dutch graphic designer
- 1962–Gary Mason,British boxer (d.2011)
- 1963-Ellie Cornell,Americanactressandmovie producer
- 1963–Helen Slater,American actress
- 1964-Michael Le Vell,English actor
- 1964-Paul Kaye,Englishcomedian,actorandscreenwriter
- 1966-Carl Hooper,Guyanesecricketer
- 1966-Molly Price,American actress
- 1969–Chantal Petitclerc,Canadianwheelchairathlete
- 1970–Frankie Dettori,Italian jockey
- 1970-Lawrence Funderburke,Americanbasketballplayer
- 1970-Michael Shanks,Canadian actor
- 1971-Clint Lowery,Americansinger-songwriter,guitaristandproducer
- 1971-Arne Quinze,Belgian conceptualartist
- 1972-Kaye Wragg,English actress
- 1973-Ryoo Seung-wan,South Koreandirector,screenwriterandactor
From 1976
[change|change source]- 1976-Bhaichung Bhutia,Indianfootballer
- 1977–Dave Mackintosh,Scottish musician
- 1977-Mehmet Aurélio,Brazilian-Turkishfootballer
- 1978-Mark Jansen,Dutchguitarist
- 1979–Adam Brody,American actor
- 1980–Serge Pizzorno,English musician (Kasabian)
- 1981-Michelle Dockery,English actress
- 1981–Roman Pavlyuchenko,Russianfootballer
- 1981–Hossam Ghaly,Egyptianfootballer
- 1982-Charlie Cox,English actor
- 1983-Wang Hao,Chinesetable tennisplayer
- 1983–Delon Armitage,Englishrugbyplayer
- 1983–Ronnie Radke,American singer
- 1984-Kirsty Lee Allan,Australianactress
- 1984–Martin Skrtel,Slovakianfootballer
- 1986-Keylor Navas,Costa Ricanfootballer
- 1986-Kim Junsu,South Koreansinger-songwriterandactor
- 1986-Snejana Onopka,Ukrainianmodel
- 1988-Emily Head,English actress
- 1988-Steven Nzonzi,Frenchfootballer
- 1992-Jesse Lingard,Englishfootballer
- 1992-Sean Solia,Samoan cricketer
- 1993-Kyle Waddell,Scottishcurler
- 1994-Emma Lockhart,American actress
- 1998-Chandler Canterbury,American actor
Deaths
[change|change source]Up to 1950
[change|change source]- 1025–Basil II,Byzantine Emperor(b.958)
- 1072–Alp Arslan,Turkish sultan in Persia (b.1029)
- 1161-Emperor Hailingwang of JinofChina
- 1230-Ottokar I of Bohemia(b.1155)
- 1263– KingHaakon IV of Norway(b.1204)
- 1598–Philips van Marnix, lord of Sint-Aldegonde,Dutch writer and statesman (b.1538)
- 1621–Charles de Luynes,Constable of France (b.1578)
- 1673–Margaret Cavendish,English writer (b.1623)
- 1675–Johannes Vermeer,Dutch painter (b.1632)
- 1683–Izaak Walton,English writer (b.1593)
- 1715–George Hickes,English minister and scholar (b.1642)
- 1753–Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington,English architect (b.1694)
- 1792–Joseph Martin Kraus,Swedish composer (b.1756)
- 1855-Joseph Charles François Sturm,Frenchmathematician(b.1803)
- 1878-Alfred Bird,Englishchemistand manufacturer (b.1811)
- 1885-Ferdinand II of Portugal(b.1816)
- 1890–Sitting Bull,Sioux nation leader (b. c.1831)
- 1943–Fats Waller,American musician (b.1904)
- 1944–Glenn Miller,American musician (b.1904)
- 1950-Vallabhbhai Patel,Indian politician (b.1875)
From 1951
[change|change source]- 1953-Robert Stangland,American jumper (b.1881)
- 1958–Wolfgang Pauli,Austrian-born physicist,Nobel Prizelaureate (b.1900)
- 1962-Charles Laughton,English-Americanactor,directorandproducer(b.1899)
- 1966–Walt Disney,American animator (b.1901)
- 1968–Jess Willard,American boxer (b.1881)
- 1968-Antonio Barrette,18thPremierofQuebec(b.1899)
- 1974–Anatole Litvak,Ukrainian-born writer (b.1902)
- 1977-Wilfred Kitching,7thGeneralof theSalvation Army(b.1893)
- 1984–Jan Peerce,American tenor (b.1904)
- 1985–Seewoosagur Ramgoolam,Mauritianpolitician (b.1900)
- 1989–Arnold Moss,American character actor (b.1910)
- 1991–Vasily Zaytsev,Soviet World War II hero (b.1915)
- 2001–Rufus Thomas,American musician (b.1917)
- 2001 –Russ Haas,Pro Wrestler (b.1974)
- 2003–George Fisher,American political cartoonist (b.1923)
- 2006–Clay Regazzoni,Swiss racing driver (b.1939)
- 2007–Julia Carson,American politician (b.1938)
- 2008-León Febres Cordero,46thPresident of Ecuador(b.1931)
- 2009–Oral Roberts,Americantelevisionevangelist (b.1918)
- 2010–Blake Edwards,American movie director (b.1922)
- 2010 –Bob Feller,Americanbaseballplayer (b.1918)
- 2010 –Jean Rollin,French movie director and producer (b.1938)
- 2011–Christopher Hitchens,British-American writer, journalist and critic (b.1949)
- 2013-Joan Fontaine,British-American actress (b.1917)
- 2013 -Harold Camping,American evangelist andDoomsdaypredictor (b.1921)
- 2014-Chakri,Indianmoviecomposerandsinger(b.1974)
- 2014 -Mustapha Maarof,Malaysianactor(b.1935)
- 2015-Licio Gelli,Italian financier (b.1919)
- 2015 -Harry Zvi Tabor,British-Israeliphysicist(b.1917)
- 2016-Craig Sager,American sportscaster (b.1951)
- 2017-A. B. M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury,Bangladeshi politician (b.1944)
- 2017 -Reinhart Fuchs,Germanchessplayer (b.1934)
- 2017 -Ana María Vela Rubio,Spanishsupercentenarian(b.1901)
- 2017 -Heinz Wolff,German-British scientist and broadcaster (b.1928)
- 2018-Girma Wolde-Giorgis,President of Ethiopia(b.1924)
- 2018 -Philippe Moureaux,Belgian politician (b.1939)
- 2019-Nicky Henson,English actor (b.1945)
- 2019 -Chuck Peddle,American electrical engineer (b.1937)
Observances
[change|change source]- Homecoming Day (Alderney)
- Kingdom Day (Netherlands)
- Zamenhof Day (Esperanto)