Birthdays:
1981 ~ Britney Spears (née Britney Jean Spears), American singer-songwriter. She is known as the Princess of Pop. She was born in McComb, Mississippi.
1973 ~ Grant Wahl (d. Dec. 10, 2022), American sportswriter who championed soccer. He was born in Mission, Kansas. He died just 8 days before his 50th birthday of an aortic aneurysm while covering the soccer World Cup in Lusail, Qatar.
1973 ~ Monica Seles, Serbian-American tennis player. In 1993, a fan of her rival, Steffi Graf, stabbed her in the back. Her wounds healed, but it was 2 years before she could compete in the sport. She was born in Novi Sad, Serbia. She became a naturalized American citizen in 1994.
1968 ~ Lucy Liu, American actress. She was born in New York, New York.
1963 ~ Ann Patchett, American novelist. She was born in Los Angeles, California.
1960 ~ Deb Haaland (née Debra Ann Haaland), Native American politician and 54th United States Secretary of the Interior. She began her tenure in that post in March 2021 during the Biden administration. She is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe. She was born in Winslow, Arizona.
1958 ~ George Saunders, American author. He was born in Amarillo, Texas.
1948 ~ Elizabeth Berg, American author. She was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.
1946 ~ Gianni Versace (né Giovanni Maria Versace; d. July 15, 1997), Italian fashion designer who founded the House of Versace. He was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy. He was murdered outside his home in Miami, Florida by Andrew Cunanan. He was 50 years old.
1939 ~ Ray Hill (né Raymond Hill; d. May 14, 2022), British ex-neo-Nazi who exposed Britain’s far right. He was a repentant white supremacist. He died at age 82.
1939 ~ Harry Reid (né Harry Mason Reid, Jr.; d. Dec. 28, 2021), American politician and Nevada Democrat who rose from childhood poverty in a desert mining town to become a pugnacious power broker in Washington, D.C. As United States Senate majority leader, he steered the Affordable Care Act into existence. He was born in Searchlight, Nevada. He died of pancreatic cancer in Henderson, Nevada just 26 days after his 82nd birthday.
1931 ~ Edwin Meese (né Edwin Meese, III), 75th United States Attorney General. He served in that position from February 1985 until July 1988 during the Reagan administration. He was the 2nd Attorney General to work in the Reagan administration. He replaced William French Smith and was succeeded by Richard Thornburg as Attorney General. He was born in Oakland, California.
1930 ~ Gary Becker (né Gary Stanley Becker; d. May 3, 2014), American economist and recipient of the 1992 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He died at age 83 in Chicago, Illinois.
1928 ~ Dan Jenkins (né Daniel Thomas Jenkins; d. Mar. 7, 2019), American journalist who cracked up sports fans. His articles often appeared in Sports Illustrated. He is best known for his novel Semi-Tough. He was born and died in Fort Worth, Texas. He died at age 90.
1925 ~ Julie Harris (née Julia Ann Harris; d. Aug. 24, 2013), Tony Award-winning theater and film actress who ruled Broadway for decades. She was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. She died of congestive heart failure at age 87 in Wet Chatham, Massachusetts.
1924 ~ Alexander Haig (né Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr.; d. Feb. 20, 2010), American brash general who became the 59thUnited States Secretary of State. He served as Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan from January 1981 until July 1982. He was replaced by George Schultz (1920 ~ 2021). He previously served as the 5th White House Chief of Staff from May 1973 until September 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He was born in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. He died at age 85 in Baltimore, Maryland.
1923 ~ Maria Callas (d. Sept. 16, 1977), Greek-American opera singer. She was born in New York, New York. She died at age 53 of a heart attack in Paris, France.
1910 ~Russell Lynes (né Joseph Russell Lynes, Jr.; d. Sept. 14, 1991), American journalist, photographer, and art historian. He was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He died at age 80 in New York, New York.
1885 ~ George Minot (né George Richards Minot; d. Feb. 25, 1950), American physician and recipient of the 1934 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work with pernicious anemia. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Brookline, Massachusetts at age 64.
1863 ~ Charles Ringling (né Charles Edward Ringling; d. Dec. 3, 1926), American circus owner and co-founder of the Ringling Brothers Circus. He was born in McGregor, Iowa. He died the day after his 63rd birthday in Sarasota, Florida.
1860 ~ Oliver Herford (d. July 5, 1935), British writer, artist, and illustrator. He was born in Sheffield, United Kingdom. He died at age 74 in New York, New York.
1859 ~ Georges-Pierre Seurat (d. Mar. 29, 1891) French post-impressionist painter. He was born and died in Paris, France. He died at age 31.
1810 ~ Henry Yesler (d. Dec. 16, 1892), American businessman and politician. He served as the 7th Mayor of Seattle from 1874 until 1875. He was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. He died 2 weeks after his 82nd birthday in Seattle, Washington.
1760 ~ John Breckinridge (d. Dec. 14, 1806), 5th United States Attorney General. He served under President Thomas Jefferson from August 1805 until his death in December 1806. He died in Office. He replaced Levi Lincoln, Sr., and was succeeded by Caesar A. Rodney as Attorney General. He had previously served as a United States Senator from Kentucky. He was born in Augusta County, Virginia, British America. He died of tuberculosis 12 days after his 46thbirthday in Fayette County, Kentucky.
1754 ~ William Cooper (d. Dec. 22, 1809), American politician and founder of Cooperstown, New York. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York State. He was the father of author James Fenimore Cooper. He was born in Smithfield, Pennsylvania. He died 20 days after his 55th birthday in Albany, New York.
1729 ~ Josiah Bartlett (d. May 19, 1795), Governor of New Hampshire. He served in Office from June 1790 until June 1794. He was born before the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, so his birthday is sometimes given as November 21, 1729, under the Julian calendar, or December 2 under the Gregorian calendar. He was born in Amesbury, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America. He died at age 65 in Kingston, New Hampshire.
1694 ~ William Shirley (d. Mar. 24, 1771), British lawyer and politician. He served as the Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was born in Sussex, England. He died at age 76 in Roxbury, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America.
885 ~ Zhuang Zong (d. May 15, 926), Chinese emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty. He died at age 40.
503 ~ Emperor Jianwen of Liang (d. 551), Emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty. The date of his death is not known, but he is believed to have been about 47 at the time of his death.
Events that Changed the World:
2020 ~ The United Kingdom licensed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
2020 ~ Cannabis was removed from the list of most dangerous drugs by the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
2018 ~ Chanukah began as sunset.
2015 ~ At the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, a husband-and-wife Islamic terrorist team, killed 14 people and wounded 22 others. The two shot their victims, who were celebrating an office Christmas party. The shooters were eventually shot and killed by police.
2013 ~ China launched its Jade Rabbit, its first lunar rover, as part of its lunar exploration mission. The rover landed on December 14, 2013. According to Chinese folklore, a rabbit lives on the moon, hence the name, Jade Rabbit.
2001 ~ Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
1991 ~ Canada and Poland became the first countries to recognize the independence of the Ukraine from the Soviet Union.
1988 ~ Benazir Bhutto (1953 ~ 2007) was sworn was in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to lead an Islamic country.
1982 ~ Barney Clark (1921 ~ 1983) became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart, the Jarvek 7. He survived for 112 days following the heart surgery. The surgery was performed at the University of Utah Medical Center.
1976 ~ Fidel Castro (1926 ~ 2016) became President of Cuba. Prior to this date, he had served as Prime Minister of Cuba.
1971 ~ The United Arab Emirates was formed by Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai and Umm Al Quwain.
1970 ~ The United States Environmental Protection Agency first began operations.
1961 ~ Cuban leader Fidel Castro (1926 ~ 2016) announced in a nationally broadcast speech that Cuba would adopt Communism.
1954 ~ The United States Senate voted to condemn Senator Joseph McCarthy (1908 ~ 1957) for conduct that brought the Senate into dishonor and disrepute because of his targeting American citizens and accusing them of communism.
1947 ~ The Jerusalem Riots of 1947 erupted in response to the approval of the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan.
1942 ~ Enrico Fermi (1901 ~ 1954) and his team initiated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in what was referred to as the Manhattan Project.
1939 ~ La Guardia Airport officially opened in New York City when a TWA-DC-3 from Chicago landed minutes after midnight. The airport quickly became one of the busiest airports in the world.
1927 ~ The Ford Motor Company unveiled the Model A.
1908 ~ Puyi (1906 ~ 1967) became last Emperor of China. He was 2 years old. He was the 12th Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled until February 1912 when he was forced to abdicate following the successful Xinhai revolution.
1867 ~ Charles Dickens (1812 ~ 1870) gave his first public reading in the United States when he spoke at Tremont Temple in Boston, Massachusetts.
1865 ~ Alabama ratified the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.
1859 ~ Abolitionist leader John Brown (1800 ~ 1859) was hanged for his October 16 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The raid was made before West Virginia separated from Virginia.
1848 ~ Archduke Franz Joseph I (1830 ~ 1916) became the Emperor of Austria.
1845 ~ President James Polk (1795 ~ 1849) announced in his State of the Union address that the United States should aggressively expand into the American West, in what has become known as Manifest Destiny.
1823 ~ President James Monroe (1758 ~ 1831) delivered a speech establishing the policy known as the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine stated that efforts by European countries to colonize in North or South America would be regarded as acts of aggression and would lead to United States intervention.
1804 ~ Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 ~ 1821) crowned himself Emperor of France, the first French Emperor in 1000 years, in a ceremony held at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
1763 ~ The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island was dedicated. It was the first synagogue build in what would become the United States.
1697 ~ St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, rebuilt to Sir Christopher Wren’s design following the Great Fire of London, was consecrated.
Good-Byes:
2021 ~ Phil Harvey (b. Apr. 25, 1938), American sex mogul who helped the world’s poor. He was the president of a company called Adam & Eve that specialized in sex toys. He later founded the charity DKT International that subsidized the sale of contraceptives in developing countries. He was born in Evanston, Illinois. He died at age 83 in Bethesda, Maryland.
2020 ~ Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (né Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d’Estaing; b. Feb. 2, 1926), French president. He served as President from May 1974 until May 1981. He died at age 94.
2016 ~ Sammy Lee (b. Aug. 1, 1920), Asian-American diver who battled racism to win Olympic gold. He was the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States. In 1948, he won a gold medal for diving during the Summer Olympics that were held in London, England. He was born in Fresno, California. He died in Newport Beach California at age 96.
2015 ~ Sandy Berger (né Samuel Richard Berger; b. Oct. 28, 1945), American 18th United States National Security Advisor. He served from March 1997 until January 2001 during the Bill Clinton administration. He was born in Millerton, New York. He died of cancer at age 70 in Washington, D.C.
2014 ~ Bobby Keys (né Robert Henry Keys, b. Dec. 18, 1943), American saxophone player who rolled with the Rolling Stones. He was born in Slaton, Texas. He died of liver cancer 2 weeks before his 71st birthday in Franklin, Tennessee.
2013 ~ Jean-Claude Beton (b. Jan. 14, 1925), French businessman and founder of Orangina. He was born in Boufarik, French Algeria. He died at age 87 in Marseille, France.
2011 ~ Bill Tapia (né William Tapia; b. Jan. 1, 1908), American musician dubbed the Duke of Uke. By age 8, he was already a professional musician and played for troops in Hawaii during World War I. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He died in Los Angeles, California a month before his 104th birthday.
2008 ~ Odetta Holmes (b. Dec. 31, 1930), African-American singer who gave voice to Black America. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She died of heart disease 29 days before her 78th birthday in New York, New York.
2007 ~ Robert Orville Anderson (b. Apr. 13, 1917), American businessman and founder of Atlantic Richfield Oil, Co. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He died at age 90 in Roswell, New Mexico.
2007 ~ Elizabeth Hardwick (b. July 27, 1916), American literary critic and novelist. She was born in Lexington, Kentucky. She died at age 91 in New York, New York.
2002 ~ Ivan Dominic Illich (b Sept. 4, 1926), Austrian theologian, Catholic priest, and philosopher. He was born in Vienna, Austria. He died at age 76 in Bremen, Germany.
1999 ~ Joey Adams (né Joseph Abramowitz; b. Jan. 6, 1911), American comedian and vaudevillian. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died about a month before his 89th birthday in Manhattan, New York.
1993 ~ Pablo Escobar (né Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria; b. Dec. 1, 1949), Columbian drug lord. He was killed in a shootout one day after his 44th birthday.
1990 ~ Aaron Copland (d. Nov. 14, 1900), American composer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died 18 days after his 90th birthday in North Tarrytown, New York.
1987 ~ Luis Federico Leloir (b. Sept. 6, 1906), Argentine chemist and recipient of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was born in Paris, France. He died at age 81 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1986 ~ Desi Arnaz (né Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III; b. Mar. 2, 1917), Cuban-born actor and bandleader. He was married to Lucille Ball. He was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. He died of lung cancer at age 69 in Del Mar, California.
1982 ~ Marty Feldman (né Martin Alan Feldman; b. July 8, 1934), English comedian and actor. He was born in London, England. He died of a heart attack at age 48 while filming a movie in Mexico City, Mexico.
1967 ~ Francis Spellman (né Francis Joseph Spellman; b. May. 4, 1889), American cardinal in the Catholic Church. He served as the 6th Archbishop of New York. He was born in Whitman, Massachusetts. He died at age 78 in New York, New York.
1966 ~ L. E. J. Brouwer (né Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer; b. Feb. 27, 1881), Dutch mathematician. He is known for his work in topology, set theory, and complex analysis. He died at age 85.
1963 ~ Sabu Dastagir (né Selar Sabu; b. Jan. 27, 1924), Indian actor. He is best known for his role in the 1937 film Elephant Boy. He died at age 39 of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California.
1936 ~ John Ringling (né John Nicholas Ringling; b. May 31, 1866), American circus owner and brother of Charles Ringling. He died on what would have been his brother, Charles’ 73rd birthday. He was born in McGregor, Iowa. John died at age 70 in New York, New York.
1918 ~ Edmond Rostand (né Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand; b. Apr. 1, 1868), French dramatist best known for his play, Cyrano de Bergerac. He was born in Marseille, France. He died at age 50 during the flu epidemic in Paris, France.
1892 ~ Jay Gould (né Jason Gould, b. May 27, 1836), American railroad developer and financier. He was born in Roxbury, New York. He died of tuberculosis at age 56 in New York, New York.
1863 ~ Jane Pierce (née Jane Means Appleton; b. Mar. 12, 1806), First Lady of the United States and wife of President Franklin Pierce. She was born in Hampton, New Hampshire and died in Andover, Massachusetts. She was died of tuberculosis at age 57.
1859 ~ John Brown (b. May 9, 1800), American abolitionist. He was born in Torrington, Connecticut. He was hanged in Charles Town, Virginia (current day West Virginia) for leading the October 16 raid on Harper’s Ferry. He was 59 years old at the time of his execution.
1849 ~ Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (b. Aug. 13, 1792), Queen consort of the United Kingdom. She was the wife of William II, King of the United Kingdom. They married in 1818. She was of the House of Saxe-Meiningen. She was the daughter of Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Princess Louise Eleanore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She died at age 57. The capital of South Australia is named in her honor.
1814 ~ Marquis de Sade (né Donatien Alphonse François de Sade; b. June 2, 1740), French author, politician, and philosopher. He was born in Paris, France. He died at age 74.
1594 ~ Gerardus Mercator (né Geert de Kremer; b. Mar. 5, 1512), Flemish mapmaker and mathematician. He developed the Mercator projection, a way of showing the earth on a flat sheet. He died at age 82.
1547 ~ Hernán Cortés (b. 1485), Spanish explorer and conqueror. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been about 61 or 62 at the time of his death.
1469 ~ Piero di Cosimo de’Medici (b. Sept. 19, 1416), Italian banker and politician. He was the de facto ruler of Florence. He was in perpetual poor health and was known as Piero the Gouty. Because of his health, he turned his bedroom into his office, where he conducted political meetings. He was married to Lucrezia Tornabuoni. He was of the noble family of Medici. He was the son of Cosimo de’Medici and Constessina de’Bardi. He died at age 53 of gout and lung disease.
1464 ~ Blanche II, Queen of Navarre (b. June 9, 1424). She was the Princess consort of Asturias through her marriage to Henry, Prince of Asturias (1425 ~ 1474). He later became Henry IV, King of Castile. They married in 1440. The marriage was annulled in 1453 on grounds that the marriage was never consummated. She was of the House of Trastámara. She was the daughter of John II, King of Aragon and Blanche I, Queen of Navarre. She was Roman Catholic. She was poisoned at age 40.
1463 ~ Albert VI, Archduke of Austria (b. Dec. 18, 1418). He ruled over Austria from 1457 until his death in December 1463. He is credited with founding the University of Frieburg. He was married to Mechthild of the Palatinate. They married in 1452. There were no children of the marriage. He was of the House of Habsburg. He was the son of Ernst, Duke of Austria and Cumburgis of Masovia. He was Roman Catholic. He was born and died in Vienna, Austria. He died 16 days before his 45th birthday.
1445 ~ Infanta Isabella of Coimbra (b. Mar. 1, 1432), Queen consort of Portugal and first wife of Afonso V, King of Portugal (1432 ~ 1481). They married in 1447. They were the parents of John II, King of Portugal. She was of the House of Aviz. She was the daughter of Peter, Duke of Coimbra and Isabella of Urgell. She was Roman Catholic. She died at age 23, possibly of poisoning.
1447 ~ Vlad II Dracul (b. Aug. 30, 1400). He was the father of Vlad the Impaler. His name in English means Vlad the Dragon. He was assassinated. The exact dates of his birth and death are not known. He is believed to have been about 51 or 52 at the time of his death.
1022 ~ Elvira Menéndez (b. 996), Queen consort of Castile. She was the first wife of Alfonzo V, King of Castile and León (994 ~ 1028). Little is known of her life. She was the daughter of Menendo González, Count of Portucale and Tutadonna. The exact date of her birth is not known.
537 ~ Pope Silverius. Little is known of this Pope other than he ruled from June 536 until he was deposed in March 537.
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