Christmas Day
Birthdays:
1985 ~ Yulia Anatoliivna Svyrydenko, Ukranian politician and First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine. She assumed that office in November 2021.
1978 ~ Jeremy Strong, American actor. He is best known for his role as Kendall Roy on the television drama Succession. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1976 ~ Sheila Heti, Canadian writer. She was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1973 ~ Alexandre Trudeau (né Alexandre Emmanuel Trudeau), Canadian journalist and brother of Canadian Prime Minister of Justin Trudeau. He is the son of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Trudeau. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
1971 ~ Justin Trudeau (né Justin Pierre James Trudeau), Canadian Prime Minister and son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Trudeau. He assumed the Office of Prime Minister in November 2015. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
1959 ~ Michael P. Anderson (né Michael Phillip Anderson; d. Feb. 1, 2003), African-American astronaut who perished in the Columbia shuttle explosion. He was born in Plattsburgh, New York. He was 43 at the time of his death.
1954 ~ Annie Lennox (née Ann Lennox), Scottish singer. She was born in Aberdeen, Scotland.
1952 ~ CCH Pounder (née Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder), Guyanese-American actress. She portrayed medical examiner Loretta Wade on CSI: New Orleans. She was born in Georgetown, British Guyana.
1950 ~ Karl Rove (né Karl Christian Rove), American presidential advisor to President George W. Bush. He was born in Denver, Colorado.
1949 ~ Sissy Spacek (née Mary Elizabeth Spacek), American actress. She was born in Quitman, Texas.
1947 ~ Bruce Wasserstein (né Bruce Jay Wasserstein; d. Oct. 14, 2009), American investment banker whose deals made for high drama. He was born and died in New York, New York. He died at age 61.
1946 ~ Jimmy Buffett (né James William Buffett; d. Sept. 1, 2023), American singer and songwriter who took us to Margaritaville. He was best known for his tropical rock music, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapism”. Margaritaville. He was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He died at age 76 of cancer.
1945 ~ Ken Stabler (né Kenneth Michael Stabler, d. July 8, 2015), American professional football player and one of the National Football League’s most successful quarterback. He partied as hard as he threw. Following his career as a football player, he became a sportscaster. He was born in Foley, Alabama and died in Gulfport, Mississippi. He died of colon cancer at 69 years old.
1936 ~ Ismail Merchant (d. May 25, 2005), Indian-born film producer who helped create stylish period dramas. He was born in Mumbai, India. He died following surgery at age 68 in London, England.
1936 ~ Princess Alexandra of Kent. After her marriage to Angus Ogilvy, she became known as the Honorable Lady Ogilvy. In 1963, she married Sir Angus Ogilvy (1928 ~ 2004). She is of the House of Windsor. She is the daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She is a first cousin to Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain and a first cousin once removed to Prince Philip. She was born in London, England.
1935 ~ Michael McKinnell (né Noel Michael McKinnell; d. Mar. 27, 2020), British-born American architect. He co-designed Boston City Hall, which helped spur the City’s urban revival in the late 1960s. He was born in Salford, England. He died of Covid-19 at age 84 in Beverly, Massachusetts.
1935 ~ Anne Roiphe, American author, and feminist. She is best known for her novel Up the Sandbox. She was born in New York, New York.
1928 ~ Barbara Costikyan (née Barbara Virginia Fatt; d. June 18, 2020), American food critic for New York magazine. She wrote about the city’s low-budget, high-quality restaurants and offered advice on how to troubleshoot kitchen problems, such as if your oven breaks on the day of a party. She was born and died in New York, New York. She died of Covid-19 at age 91.
1924 ~ Rod Serling (né Rodman Edward Serling, d. June 28, 1975), American television producer and author. He is best known for hosting The Twilight Zone. He was born in Syracuse, New York. He died at age 50 following heart surgery in Rochester, New York.
1918 ~ Anwar el-Sadat (né Mohamed Anwar el-Sadat; d. Oct. 6, 1981), President of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination. He was the recipient of the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated at age 62 by Islamic extremist in Cairo, Egypt.
1911 ~ Louise Bourgeois (née Louise Joséphine Bourgeois; d. May 31, 2010), French artist, sculptor and painter. She was born in Paris, France. She died at age 98 in New York, New York.
1908 ~ Quentin Crisp (né Denis Charles Pratt; d. Nov. 21, 1999), English author. He died about a month before his 91stbirthday in Manchester, England.
1907 ~ Cab Calloway (né Cabell Calloway, III; d. Nov. 18, 1994), African-American Jazz singer and bandleader. He was born in Rochester, New York. He died at age 86 in in Hockessin, Delaware.
1906 ~ Ernst Ruska (né Ernst August Friedrich Ruska; d. May 27, 1988), German physicist and recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in electron optics. He died at age 81 in West Berlin, Germany.
1906 ~ Clark Clifford (né Clark McAdams Clifford; d. Oct. 10, 1998), 9th United States Secretary of Defense. He served in the Lyndon Johnson administration from February 1968 until January 1969. He had previously served as White House Counsel during the Truman administration from February 1946 until January 1950. He was born in Fort Scott, Kansas. He died at age 91 in Bethesda, Maryland.
1904 ~ Gerhard Herzberg (né Gerhard Heinrich Friedrich Otto Julius Herzberg; d. Mar. 3, 1999), German-born Canadian physicist and chemist. He was the recipient of the 1971 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to the knowledge of electron structure and geometry of molecules, especially free radicals. He died at age 94 in Ottawa, Ontario Canada.
1901 ~ Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (née Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott; d. Oct. 29, 2004), British wife of Prince Henry (1900 ~ 1974), third son of George V, King of the United Kingdom and Mary, Queen consort. She was an aunt by marriage to Elizabeth II, Queen of England. She was of the House of Montagu Douglas Scott. She was the daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Margaret Bridgeman. She was born and died in London, England. She died at age 102.
1899 ~ Humphrey Bogart (né Humphrey DeForest Bogart; d. Jan. 14, 1957), American actor. His fourth wife was actress Lauren Bacall. He was born in New York, New York. He died of esophageal cancer 20 days after his 57th birthday in Los Angeles, California.
1889 ~ Lila Bell Wallace (née Lila Bell Acheson; d. May 8, 1984), Canadian-born American magazine publisher. She co-founded Reader’s Digest with her husband, DeWitt Wallace. She was born in Virden, Manitoba, Canada. She died at age 94 of heart failure in Mount Kisco, New York.
1887 ~ Conrad Hilton, Sr. (né Conrad Nicholson Hilton; d. Jan. 3, 1979), American hotelier and founder of the Hilton Hotels. His second wife was Zsa Zsa Gabor. They married in 1942 and divorced 5 years later. He was born in San Antonio, New Mexico Territory. He died 9 days after his 91st birthday in Santa Monica, California.
1884 ~ Evelyn Nesbit (née Florence Evelyn Nesbit; d. Jan. 17, 1967), American actress. She is best known for her relationship with the much older architect, Stanford White. In 1906, her jealous husband, Harry Kendall Thaw, murdered White. She was born in Natrona, Pennsylvania. She died in Santa Monica, California 23 days after her 82nd birthday.
1878 ~ Louis Chevrolet (né Louis-Joseph Chevrolet; b. June 6, 1941), Swiss-born American racecar driver and co-founder of the Chevrolet Car Company. He was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. He died at age 62 due to of complications of leg surgery in Detroit, Michigan.
1876 ~ Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus (d. June 9, 1959), German chemist and recipient of the 1928 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on sterols and their relation to vitamins. He was born in Berlin, Germany. He died at age 82 in Göttingen, Germany.
1870 ~ Helena Rubinstein (née Chaja Rubinstein; d. Apr. 1, 1965), Polish-American businesswoman and cosmetics manufacturer. She founded the Helena Rubinstein Cosmetics, Inc. She was born in Kraków, Poland. She died at age 94 in Manhattan, New York.
1863 ~ Regina Margareten (née Hannah Rivka Horowitz; d. Jan. 15, 1959), Hungarian-American businesswoman. She immigrated to the United States in 1883. She and her family opened a kosher grocery store, then soon began making matzoh. She became known as the Matzah Queen of New York City. As a child, she was known as both Hannah and Rebush, so there is some uncertainty as to her given name. Also, her birthday is sometimes listed as being on December 20. She was born in Miskoic, Hungary. She died at age 95 in New York, New York.
1821 ~ Clara Barton (née Clarissa Harlowe Barton; d. Apr. 12, 1912), American nurse and founder of the American Red Cross. She was known as the “Angel of the Battlefield”. She was born in North Oxford, Massachusetts. She died at age 90 in Glen Echo, Maryland.
1757 ~ Benjamin Pierce (d. Apr. 1, 1839), 11th Governor of New Hampshire. He was Governor for 1 year, from June 1827 through June 1828. He was the father of President Franklin Pierce. He was born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts Bay Province. He died at age 81 in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.
1717 ~ Pope Pius VI (né Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi; d. Aug. 29, 1799). He reigned as Pope from February 15, 1775 until his death on this date 24 years later. He succeeded Pope Clement XIV and was followed by Pope Pius VII. He was 81 years old at the time of his death.
1584 ~ Margaret of Austria (d. Oct. 3, 1611), Queen consort of Spain and wife of Philip III, King of Spain // Philip II, King of Portugal (1578 ~ 1621). They married in 1599. They were the parents of Philip IV, King of Spain. She was very active in government and politics. She was of the House of Habsburg. She was the daughter of Charles II, Archduke of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. She was Roman Catholic. She died in childbirth at age 26. Her husband never remarried.
1461 ~ Christina of Saxony (d. Dec. 8, 1521), Queen consort of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and wife of John, King of Denmark (1455 ~ 1513). They were the parents of Christian II, King of Denmark. She was of the House of Witten. She was the daughter of Ernst, Elector of Saxony and Elisabeth of Bavaria. She was Roman Catholic. She died 17 days before her 60th birthday.
1424 ~ Princess Margaret Stewart (d. Aug. 16, 1445), Dauphine of France and first wife of Louis, Dauphin of France. They married in 1436 when she was 11 years old. He later became Louis XI, King of France (1423 ~ 1483), but Margaret died before he became king, thus was never the queen consort. She was of the House of Stewart. She was the daughter of James I, King of Scotland and Joan Beaufort. She died at age 20 of an apparent fever.
Events that Changed the World:
2020 ~ A bomb exploded in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. A lone individual detonated a bomb in his vehicle, killing himself and injuring several others. He was the only fatality.
1991 ~ The Soviet Union was dissolved after Mikhail Gorbachev (1931 ~ 2022) resigned as President of the Soviet Union. The Ukraine’s referendum was finalized, and the Ukraine officially left the Soviet Union.
1989 ~ Former Romanian President Nicolae Ceauşescu (1918 ~ 1989) and his wife, Elena (1916 ~ 1989), the former First-Deputy Prime Minister, were executed after a summary trial for crimes against humanity.
1977 ~ Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Began (1913 ~ 1992) met with Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat (1918 ~ 1981), in Egypt to discuss peace negotiations.
1962 ~ The movie To Kill a Mockingbird opened in theaters.
1950 ~ The Stone of Scone, the traditional coronation stone of British monarchs was stolen from Westminster Abbey. The Stone had come from Scotland and had initially be used during the coronation ceremony for Scottish kings. For this reason, four Scottish students attempted to return it to Scotland. In the process of taking it from England, the Stone broke in two. The Stone was recovered and returned to England in 1951. In November 1996, the Stone was formally returned to Scotland.
1941 ~ Admiral Chester Nimitz (1885 ~ 1966) took command of the United States Pacific Fleet after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1932 ~ A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Gansu, China, killing 275 people.
1926 ~ Prince Hirohito (1901 ~ 1989) succeeded his father, Taishō (1879 ~ 1926), as emperor of Japan.
1914 ~ A series of unofficial truces began on the Western Front during World War I so the soldiers on both sides celebrated Christmas together.
1868 ~ President Andrew Johnson (1808 ~ 1875) granted unconditional pardons to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.
1809 ~ Dr. Ephraim McDowell (1777 ~ 1820) performed the first known successful ovariotomy when he removed a 22-pound tumor from his patient. He is considered the Father of Abdominal Surgery.
1776 ~ George Washington (1732 ~ 1799) and his men crossed the Delaware River to Trenton, New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War to attack the Hessian mercenaries.
1643 ~ William Mynors, captain of the East India Company ship, the Royal Mary, found and named Christmas Island. A few years later, in 1777, James Cook would visit the island on Christmas Eve.
1130 ~ Count Roger II of Sicily (1095 ~ 1154) was crowned the first king of Sicily. He became king in September but was formally crowned in Palermo on Christmas day.
1066 ~ William the Conqueror (1028 ~ 1087) was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey in London.
1046 ~ Pope Clement II (d. 1047) crowned Henry III (1016 ~ 1056) as the Holy Roman Emperor.
1000 ~ Stephen I, King of Hungary (975 ~ 1038) established Hungary as a Christian kingdom.
800 ~ Charlemagne (c. 742 ~ 814) was crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor.
508 ~ Clovis I (466 ~ 511), King of the Franks, was baptized as a Catholic at Rheims.
336 ~ The first documented evidence of a Christmas celebration in Rome, Italy.
Good-Byes:
2020 ~ Klara Kasparova (née Klara Shagenovna Kasparova; b. Mar. 19, 1937), Soviet engineer who gave up her successful career to become a full-time mentor and de facto manager to her chess prodigy son, Garry Kasparov. She was born in Baku, Azerbaijan. She died in Moscow, Russia at age 83 of complications of Covid-19.
2020 ~ K.C. Jones (n. May 25, 1932), African-American professional basketball player and coach. He had a long career coaching the Boston Celtics. He was born in Taylor, Texas. He died of Alzheimer’s disease at age 88 in Connecticut.
2016 ~ George Michael (né Georgio Kyraicos Panayiotou; b. June 25, 1963), British singer-songwriter. He died at age 53.
2016 ~ Vera Rubin (née Vera Florence Cooper; b. July 23, 1928), American astronomer. She was a pioneer in galaxy rotation. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She died at age 88 in Princeton, New Jersey.
2014 ~ Mary F. Lyon (née Mary Frances Lyon; b. May 15, 1925), British geneticist best known for her discovery of X-chromosome inactivation. She was born in Norwich, England. She died at age 89.
2009 ~ Knut Haugland (né Knut Magne Haugland; b. Sept. 23, 1917), Norwegian commando and resistance fighter during World War II who sailed on Kon-Tiki. He was born in Rjukan, Norway. He died at age 92 in Oslo, Norway.
2008 ~ Eartha Kitt (née Eartha Mae Keith; b. Jan. 17, 1927), African-American singer and actress. She was born in North, South Carolina. She died 23 days before her 82nd birthday in Westport, Connecticut.
2006 ~ James Brown (né James Joseph Brown; b. May 3, 1933), American singer-songwriter. He was known as the Godfather of Soul. He was born in Barnwell, South Carolina. He died of congestive heart failure at age 73 in Atlanta, Georgia.
1996 ~ JonBenét Ramsey (b. Aug. 6, 1990), American child beauty queen and murder victim. She was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She died in Boulder, Colorado. She was 6 years old.
1995 ~ Dean Martin (né Dino Paul Crocetti; b. June 7, 1917), American singer and actor. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio. He died at age 78 in Beverly Hills, California.
1995 ~ Emmanuel Levinas (b. Jan. 12, 1906), French philosopher. He was born in Kovno, Russian Empire (currently Kaunas, Lithuania). He died 19 days after his 89th birthday in Paris France.
1989 ~ Billy Martin (né Alfred Manuel Pesano, Jr.; b. May 16, 1928), American baseball player and manager of the New York Yankees. He was born in Berkeley, California. He was killed on Christmas day in a single car accident in Johnson City, New York. He was 61 years old.
1989 ~ Nicolae Ceauşescu (b. Jan. 26, 1918), 11th Romanian president and husband of Elena Ceauşescu. He was executed for crimes against humanity after a brief summary trial. He was executed a month before his 72nd birthday.
1989 ~ Elena Ceauşescu (née Lenuţa Petrescu; b. Jan. 7, 1916), Romanian politician and wife of former Romanian president, Nicolae Ceauşescu, who was executed for her crimes against humanity. She died 13 days before her 74thbirthday.
1983 ~ Joan Miró (b. Apr. 20, 1893), Spanish painter. He was born in Barcelona, Spain. He died at age 90 in Palma, Spain.
1977 ~ Sir Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin (b. Apr. 16, 1889), English film star. He was born in London, England. He died at age 88 in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
1975 ~ Gunnar Kangro (b. Nov. 21, 1913), Estonian mathematician. He died just over a month after his 62nd birthday.
1966 ~ St. Elmo Brady (b. Dec. 22, 1884), African-American chemist. He was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He died 3 days after his 82nd birthday in Washington, D.C.
1961 ~ Reinhold Rudenberg (b. Feb. 4, 1883), German inventor and pioneer of electron microscopy. He was born in Hanover, Germany. He died at age 78 in Boston, Massachusetts.
1961 ~ Otto Loewi (b. June 3, 1873), German pharmacologist and recipient of the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of how acetylcholine helped enhance medical therapy. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany, but immigrated to the United States. He died at age 88 in New York, New York.
1961 ~ Owen Brewster (né Ralph Owen Brewster; b. Feb. 22, 1888), 54th Governor of Maine. He served as governor from 1925 to 1929. He subsequently served as a United States Senator from January 1941 through December 1952. He was born in Dexter, Maine. He died of cancer at age 73 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
1954 ~ Liberty Hyde Bailey (b. Mar. 15, 1858), American botanist and horticulturist. He was the co-founder of the American Society for Horticultural Science. He is also credited as being instrumental in the formation of the 4-H club for children. He was born in South Haven, Michigan. He died in Ithaca, New York at age 96.
1952 ~ Margrethe Mather (née Emma Caroline Youngreen; b. Mar. 4, 1886), American photographer. She was one of the best known photographers of her generation. She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She died at age 66 in Los Angeles, California.
1946 ~ W.C. Fields (né William Claude Dunkenfield; b. Jan. 29, 1880), American comedian, actor and writer, best known for his comic persona as a misanthropic egotist. He was born in Darby, Pennsylvania. He died just over a month before his 67th birthday in Pasadene, California.
1938 ~ Karel Čapek (b. Jan. 9, 1890), Czech author best known for coining the term Robot. He died of pneumonia 15 days before his 49th birthday in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
1926 ~ Emperor Taishō (b. Aug. 31, 1870), Emperor of Japan. He died of a heart attack at age 47.
1868 ~ Linus Yale, Jr. (b. Apr. 4, 1821), American mechanical engineer and inventor, best known for his invention of the cylinder locks. He was the founder of the Yale Lock Company. He was born in Salisbury, New York. He died of a heart attack at age 47 in New York, New Yor.
1635 ~ Samuel de Champlain (b. 1567), French explorer. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but baptismal records show he was baptized on August 13, 1574. He died at age 61.
1553 ~ Pedro de Valdiva (b. Apr. 17, 1497), Spanish-Chilean explorer and 1st Royal Governor of Chile. He was captured and killed in a campaign against the Araucanian Indians. The city of Valdivia, Chile is named in his honor. He was 56 at the time of his death.
1406 ~ Henry III, King of Castile and León (b. Oct. 4, 1379). He reigned from October 9, 1390 until his death at age 27 in 1406. He was known as Henry the Mourner and Henry the Sufferer due to his history of ill health. He was married to Catherine of Lancaster (1373 ~ 1418). They married in 1388 and were the parents of three children, including John I, King of Castile. He was of the House of Trastámara. He was the son of John I, King of Castile and Eleanor of Aragon. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 27.
1359 ~ Beatrix of Bavaria (b. 1344), Queen consort of Sweden. She was married to Eric XII, King of Sweden (1339 ~ 1359). She was of the House of Wittelsbach. She was the daughter of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Margaret II, Countess of Hainault. The exact date of her birth is not known. She is believed to have died at age 15 of the Black Plague shortly after giving birth.
1156 ~ Sverker the Elder, King of Sweden (b. 1100). He ruled Sweden from about 1132 until his death in 24 years later.
795 ~ Pope Adrian I (b. 700). He was Pope from February 772 until his death on this date 23 years later. He was succeeded by Pope Leo III. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been 95 at the time of his death.
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