December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 11 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 69 – Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of emperor.
- 1192 – Richard the Lion-Heart is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after signing a treaty with Saladin ending the Third crusade.
- 1522 – Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.
- 1606 – The Virginia Company loads three ships with settlers and sets sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
- 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.
- 1835 – First signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at Goliad, Texas.
- 1860 – South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.
- 1915 – World War I: Last Australian troops evacuated from Gallipoli.
- 1917 – Cheka, the first Soviet secret police, is founded.
- 1924 – Hitler: was released from Landsberg Prison
- 1941 – World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers" in Kunming, China.
- 1942 – World War II: Bombing of Calcutta by the Japanese.
- 1951 – The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho becomes the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. The electricity powered four light bulbs.
- 1952 – United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington killing 87.
- 1955 – Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.
- 1960 – National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam is formed.
- 1968 – The Zodiac Killer kills Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Vallejo, California.
- 1973 – The Spanish Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, is assassinated by a car bomb attack in Madrid.
- 1977 – Djibouti and Vietnam join the United Nations.
- 1984 – The Summit tunnel fire is the largest underground fire in history, as a freight train carrying over 1 million litres of petrol derails near the town of Todmorden in the Pennines.
- 1987 – History's worst peacetime sea disaster, when the passenger ferry Doña Paz sinks after colliding with the oil tanker Vector 1 in the Tablas Strait in the Philippines, killing an estimated 4,000 people (1,749 official).
- 1988 – The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is signed in Vienna.
- 1989 – United States invasion of Panama: The United States sends troops into Panama to overthrow government of Manuel Noriega.
- 1991 – A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.
- 1995 – NATO begins peacekeeping in Bosnia.
- 1995 – American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia killing 160.
- 1995 – The Democratic Social Movement is founded in Greece.
- 1996 – NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.
- 1999 – Macau is handed over to the People's Republic of China by Portugal.
- 2002 – US Senator Trent Lott resigns as majority leader.
- 2005 – US District Court Judge John E. Jones III rules against mandating the teaching of "intelligent design" in his ruling of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.
- 2005 – The first same sex civil partnerships in Scotland are celebrated.
- 2006 – A judge rules against the death penalty in the case of Naveed Haq, a man convicted in the shooting death and injuries at the Jewish Federation in Seattle.
- 2007 – Queen Elizabeth II becomes the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.
- 2007 – The painting Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, is stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art, along with O Lavrador de Café, by the major Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari.
Births
- 1494 – Oronce Finé, French mathematician (d. 1555)
- 1537 – King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1566 – Edward Wightman, English Baptist preacher (d. 1612)
- 1579 – (baptized) John Fletcher, English playwright (d. 1625)
- 1626 – Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff, German statesman (d. 1692)
- 1629 – Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (d. 1684)
- 1717 – Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French statesman and diplomat (d. 1787)
- 1740 – Arthur Lee, American diplomat (d. 1792)
- 1786 – Pietro Raimondi, Italian composer (d. 1853)
- 1792 – Nicolas Charlet, French painter (d. 1845)
- 1833 – Samuel Mudd, American physician (d. 1883)
- 1838 – Edwin Abbott Abbott, English schoolmaster, theologian, and author (d. 1926)
- 1841 – Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1932)
- 1860 – Dan Leno, English entertainer (d. 1904)
- 1861 – Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (d. 1926)
- 1865 – Elsie De Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (d. 1950)
- 1868 – Harvey Firestone, American automobile pioneer (d. 1938)
- 1873 – Kwan-Ichi Asakawa, Japanese historian (d. 1948)
- 1881 – Branch Rickey, baseball executive (d. 1965)
- 1886 – Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, American tennis player (d. 1974)
- 1888 – Yitzhak Baer, German-born Israeli historian (d. 1980)
- 1888 – Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (d. 1958)
- 1890 – Yvonne Arnaud, French-born actress (d. 1958)
- 1890 – Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
- 1894 – Sir Robert Menzies, twelfth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1978)
- 1898 – Irene Dunne, American actress (d. 1990)
- 1901 – Robert Van de Graaff, American physicist and inventor (d. 1967)
- 1902 – Sidney Hook, American philosopher (d. 1989)
- 1902 – George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent (d. 1942)
- 1904 – Spud Davis, baseball player (d. 1984)
- 1905 – Bill O'Reilly, Australian cricket player (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Paul Francis Webster, songwriter (d. 1984)
- 1908 – Dennis Morgan, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1909 – Vakkom Majeed, Indian politician (d. 2000)
- 1911 – Hortense Calisher, American author (d. 2009)
- 1914 – Harry F. Byrd Jr, American politician
- 1916 – Michel Chartrand, Quebec union leader
- 1917 – David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (d. 1992)
- 1918 – Jean Marchand, French Canadian trade unionist and politician (d. 1988)
- 1918 – Audrey Totter, American actress
- 1922 – George Roy Hill, American film director (d. 2002)
- 1922 – Beverly Pepper, American sculptor and painter
- 1924 – Charlie Callas, American comedian
- 1924 – Judy LaMarsh, Canadian politician and broadcaster (d. 1980)
- 1925 – Benito Lorenzi, Italian footballer (d. 2007)
- 1925 – Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia
- 1926 – Sir Geoffrey Howe, British politician
- 1926 – Otto Graf Lambsdorff, German politician
- 1927 – Kim Young-sam, President of South Korea
- 1931 – Mala Powers, American film actress (d. 2007)
- 1931 – Terry Sanders, American filmmaker
- 1932 – John Hillerman, American actor (Magnum, P.I.)
- 1933 – Jean Carnahan, U.S. Senator
- 1933 – Rik van Looy, Belgian cyclist
- 1935 – Khalid Ibadulla, Pakistani cricket player
- 1938 – John Harbison, American composer
- 1940 – Pat Chapman, English Author, Founder The Curry Club
- 1941 – Tommy Cole, American makeup artist, actor and singer
- 1942 – Rana Bhagwandas, Former Pakistani Chief Justice
- 1942 – Jean-Claude Trichet, French banker and economist
- 1944 – Bobby Colomby, American musician (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
- 1944 – Jean Fergusson, English actress
- 1945 – Peter Criss, American drummer and singer (Kiss)
- 1946 – Lloyd Mumphord, NFL football player
- 1946 – John Spencer, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1946 – Sonny Perdue, American politician, governor of Georgia
- 1946 – Dick Wolf, American television series creator
- 1946 – Lesley Judd, English TV presenter and dancer
- 1947 – Gigliola Cinquetti, Italian singer
- 1948 – Alan Parsons, British music producer and artist
- 1948 – Stevie Wright, English-born Australian musician and songwriter
- 1949 – Soumaïla Cissé, Malian politician
- 1949 – Cecil Cooper, American baseball player
- 1950 – Arturo Marquez, Mexican composer
- 1951 – Gilbert Montagné, French musician
- 1951 – Peter May, Scottish novelist and scriptwriter
- 1952 – Jenny Agutter, English actress
- 1952 – Sky Gilbert, Canadian writer
- 1954 – Michael Badalucco, American actor
- 1954 – Sandra Cisneros, American writer
- 1955 – David Breashears, American mountaineer
- 1955 – Ed Kuepper, German-born Australian musician (The Saints, Laughing Clowns)
- 1955 – Rory Markas, American sportscaster (d. 2010)
- 1956 – Blanche Baker, American actress
- 1956 – Junji Hirata, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1957 – Billy Bragg, English singer and songwriter
- 1957 – Mike Watt, American bassist
- 1957 – Stephen Bicknell, British organ builder and scholar (d. 2007)
- 1957 – Joyce Hyser, American actress
- 1957 – Anna Vissi, Greek-Cypriot singer
- 1958 – Steve Sailer, American political commentator
- 1959 – Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Polish politician
- 1959 – Trent Tucker, American basketball player
- 1960 – Nalo Hopkinson, Canadian writer
- 1960 – Kim Ki-duk, Korean filmmaker
- 1961 – Mohammad Fouad, Arab singer and actor
- 1961 – Mike Keneally, American musician
- 1963 – Infanta Elena of Spain
- 1963 – Joel Gretsch, American actor
- 1964 – Mark Coleman, American Mixed Martial Artist, UFC Hall of Famer
- 1965 – Robert Cavanah, Scottish actor
- 1965 – Jim Carr (US), Digital Strategist
- 1965 – Rich Gannon, American football player
- 1966 – Matt Neal , British Race Driver
- 1966 – Chris Robinson, American singer (Black Crowes)
- 1966 – Myrra Malmberg, Swedish singer
- 1968 – Karl Wendlinger, Austrian racing driver
- 1968 – Joe Cornish, British comedian
- 1969 – Bobby Phills, American basketball player (d. 2000)
- 1970 – Nicole DeBoer, Canadian actress
- 1970 – Grant Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1971 – Roger J. Beaujard, American musician
- 1972 – Anders Odden, Norwegian musician
- 1973 – Cory Stillman, National Hockey League forward
- 1974 – Die, Japanese musician (Dir en grey)
- 1975 – Bartosz Bosacki, Polish footballer
- 1975 – Jaydy Michel, Mexican model
- 1976 – Jang Hyuk, Korean actor
- 1976 – Aubrey Huff, American baseball player
- 1976 – Adam Powell, Neopets creator
- 1976 – Ramon Stoppelenburg, world traveler and Dutch author
- 1977 – Saukrates, Canadian rapper
- 1978 – Geremi Njitap, Cameroon footballer
- 1978 – Andrei Markov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Tony Moore (artist), American comic book artist
- 1979 – David DeJesus, American baseball player
- 1979 – Michael Rogers, Australian cyclist
- 1980 – Ashley Cole, English footballer
- 1980 – Fitz Hall, English footballer
- 1980 – Tony, French-born Portuguese footballer
- 1981 – Roy Williams, American football player
- 1981 – James Shields, American baseball player
- 1981 – Royal Ivey, American basketball player
- 1982 – David Cook, American singer, winner of American Idol.
- 1982 – David Wright, American baseball player
- 1982 – David Tavaré, Spanish singer
- 1982 – Keny Arkana, French rapper & singer
- 1982 – Mohammed Asif, Pakistani cricket player
- 1982 – Kasper Klausen, Danish footballer
- 1983 – Jonah Hill, American actor
- 1983 – Lucy Pinder, British model
- 1983 – Darren Sammy, St. Lucian West Indies cricketer
- 1983 – Adrián Varela, Mexican singer
- 1986 – Anoop Desai, American singer and former American Idol contestant
- 1987 – Tariel Zintiridis, Greek judoka
- 1990 – JoJo, American singer
- 1991 – Hunter Gomez, American actor
Deaths
- 217 – Pope Zephyrinus
- 860 – King Ethelbald of Wessex (b. 834)
- 910 – Alfonso III of Leon (b. 848)
- 1022 – Elvira Mendes, wife of Alfonso V of Castile (b. 996)
- 1355 – Stefan Dušan, Serb king and tsar (b. 1308)
- 1494 – Matteo Maria Boiardo, Italian poet (b. 1434)
- 1524 – Thomas Linacre, English scholar and physician (b. 1460)
- 1539 – Johannes Lupi, Flemish composer (b. 1506)
- 1590 – Ambroise Paré, French physician (b. 1510)
- 1722 – Kangxi Emperor of China (b. 1654)
- 1723 – Augustus Quirinus Rivinus (b. 1652)
- 1740 – Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, English military officer and statesman (b. 1675)
- 1768 – Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet (b. 1692)
- 1783 – Antonio Soler, Spanish composer (b. 1729)
- 1786 – Hannah Ocuish, Youngest person ever executed in the U.S. (b. 1774)
- 1812 – Sacagawea, American Shoshone explorer (b. 1788)
- 1856 – Francesco Bentivegna, Italian revolutionary (b. 1820)
- 1862 – Robert Knox, Scottish surgeon, anatomist and zoologist (b. 1791)
- 1915 – Upendrakishore Ray, Indian writer, painter and composer (b. 1863)
- 1917 – Lucien Petit-Breton, Argentine-French cyclist (b. 1882)
- 1921 – Hans Hartwig von Beseler, German general (b. 1850)
- 1929 – Émile Loubet, French statesman (b. 1838)
- 1935 – Martin O'Meara, Australian soldier (b. 1882)
- 1937 – Erich Ludendorff, German general (b. 1865)
- 1938 – Annie Armstrong, American missionary leader (b. 1850)
- 1941 – Igor Severyanin, Russian poet (b. 1887)
- 1954 – James Hilton, British author (b. 1900)
- 1956 – Ramon Carrillo, Argentine neuroscientist (b. 1906)
- 1961 – Moss Hart, American dramatist (b. 1904)
- 1961 – Earle Page, Australian politician (b. 1880)
- 1968 – John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
- 1971 – Roy O. Disney, American entertainment industry executive (b. 1893)
- 1973 – Luis Carrero Blanco, Spanish statesman (b. 1903)
- 1973 – Bobby Darin, American singer (b. 1936)
- 1974 – André Jolivet, French composer (b. 1905)
- 1976 – Richard J. Daley, American politician (b. 1902)
- 1981 – Dimitris Rontiris, Greek actor and director (b. 1899)
- 1982 – Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-born American pianist (b. 1887)
- 1984 – Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan baseball player (b. 1946)
- 1986 – Joe DeSa, American baseball player (b. 1959)
- 1988 – Alphonse Ouimet, Canadian broadcast television executive (b. 1908)
- 1989 – Kurt Böhme, German bass (b. 1908)
- 1991 – Simone Beck, French chef (b. 1904)
- 1991 – Albert Van Vlierberghe, Belgian cyclist (b. 1942)
- 1994 – Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Carl Sagan, American astronomer and writer (b. 1934)
- 1997 – Denise Levertov, English-born American poet (b. 1923)
- 1997 – Juzo Itami, Japanese actor and director (b. 1933)
- 1997 – Dawn Steel, American film producer (b. 1946)
- 1998 – Irene Hervey, American actress (b. 1910)
- 1998 – Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, British scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1916)
- 1998 – Chester P. Lyons, Canadian naturalist and author (b. 1915)
- 1999 – Hank Snow, Canadian singer (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Riccardo Freda, Italian film director (b. 1909)
- 2000 – Mirza Ghulam Hafiz, Bangladeshi statesman and philanthropist (b. 1920)
- 2001 – Foster Brooks, American actor and comedian (b. 1912)
- 2001 – Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegalese politician (b. 1906)
- 2002 – Bernard King, Australian chef and television personality (b. 1934)
- 2005 – Maniam Moorthy, Malaysian climber
- 2006 – Shi Yuejun, Chinese serial killer (b. 1970)
- 2006 – Anne Rogers Clark, American dog breeder and trainer (b. 1929)
- 2006 – Piergiorgio Welby, Italian poet and activist (b.1945)
- 2007 – Nataline Sarkisyan, American medical patient (b. 1990)
- 2009 – Jack Hixon, English football talent scout (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Brittany Murphy, American actress (b. 1977)
- 2009 – Arnold Stang, American comic actor (b. 1918)
- 2009 – Mairoon Ali, Trinidadian comedienne and actress (b. 1954)
Holidays and observances
External links
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