World History of December 23

1861 Birth

"Edgar P. Rucker, American lawyer, politician, and businessman (died 1908)"

🌍 Historical Events

484
The Arian Vandal Kingdom ceases its persecution of Nicene Christianity.
558
Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks.
583
Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque.
962
The Sack of Aleppo as part of the Arab-Byzantine wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo.
1299
The Ilkhanate ruler Ghazan defeats a Mamluk army that opposes his invasion into Syria in the Battle of Wadi al-Khaznadar near Homs.
1598
Arauco War: Governor of Chile Martín García Óñez de Loyola is killed in the Battle of Curalaba by Mapuches led by Pelantaru.
1688
As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England flees from England to Paris after being deposed in favor of his son-in-law and nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary.
1773
Moscow State Academy of Choreography is founded under the reign of Catherine II. It is the second ballet school in Russia after Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.
1783
George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
1793
The Battle of Savenay: A decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in War in the Vendée during the French Revolution.
1815
The novel Emma by Jane Austen is first published.
1823
The poem "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," also known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," is published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel.
1876
First day of the Constantinople Conference which resulted in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.
1893
The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.
1905
The Tampere conference, where Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin meet for the first time, is held in Tampere, Finland.
1913
The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System.
1914
World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops arrive in Cairo, Egypt.
1914
World War I: During the Battle of Sarikamish, Ottoman forces mistook one another for Russian troops. The following friendly fire incident leaves 2,000 Ottomans dead and many more wounded.
1916
World War I: Battle of Magdhaba: Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in the Sinai Peninsula.
1919
Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 becomes law in the United Kingdom, allowing women to serve as lawyers, civil servants, and in other professions, as well as to serve on juries.
1936
Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
1936
Spanish Civil War: The Spanish Republic legalizes the Regional Defence Council of Aragon.
1941
World War II: After 15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army occupies Wake Island.
1947
The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
1948
Seven Japanese military and political leaders convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed by Allied occupation authorities at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, Japan.
1950
Korean War: General Walton Walker dies in a jeep accident and is replaced by General Matthew Ridgway in the Eighth United States Army.
1954
First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
1955
The first film adaptation of Väinö Linna's novel The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine, premieres.
1960
Hilkka Saarinen née Pylkkänen is murdered in the so-called "oven homicide" case in Krootila, Kokemäki, Finland.
1968
The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.
1970
The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York is topped out at 417 metres (1,368 ft), making it the tallest building in the world.
1970
The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a one-party state.
1972
The Immaculate Reception is caught by Franco Harris to win the Pittsburgh Steelers their first ever playoff victory, after defeating the Oakland Raiders.
1972
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes the Nicaraguan capital of Managua killing more than 10,000.
1972
The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, surviving by cannibalism.
1978
Alitalia Flight 4128 crashes into the Tyrrhenian Sea while on approach to Falcone Borsellino Airport in Palermo, Italy, killing 108.
1979
Soviet-Afghan War: Soviet Union forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
1984
After experiencing an engine fire, Aeroflot Flight 3519 attempts to make an emergency landing at Krasnoyarsk International Airport but crashes, killing 110 of the 111 people on board.
1986
Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.
1990
History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88.5% of Slovenia's overall electorate vote for independence from Yugoslavia.
2002
A U.S. MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25 in the first combat engagement between a drone and conventional aircraft.
2003
An explosion at the PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field in Kai County, Chongqing, China, kills at least 234.
2005
An Antonov An-140, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Aktau, Kazakhstan, heading across the Caspian Sea, crashes, killing 23 people.
2007
An agreement is made for the Kingdom of Nepal to be abolished and the country to become a federal republic with the Prime Minister becoming head of state.
2008
A coup d'état occurs in Guinea hours after the death of President Lansana Conté.
2015
A bomb explodes at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport, killing one airport cleaner. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks claim responsibility for the attack four days later.
2023
A series of massacres targeting Berom civilians unfold in the Plateau State in Nigeria, killing over 200 people and further injuring over 500. No group claims responsibility.
2025
The crash of Harmony Jets Flight 185 killed all eight people on board, including the Libyan Army chief Mohammed al-Haddad in Ankara, Turkey.

🐣 Notable Births

968
Emperor Zhenzong of Song, emperor of the Song dynasty (died 1022)
1173
Louis I, duke of Bavaria (died 1231)
1513
Thomas Smith, English scholar and diplomat (died 1577)
1525
John Albert I, duke of Mecklenburg (died 1576)
1544
Anna of Saxony, only child and heiress of Maurice, Elector of Saxony (died 1577)
1573
Giovanni Battista Crespi, Italian painter, sculptor and architect (died 1632)
1582
Severo Bonini, Italian organist and composer (died 1663)
1597
Martin Opitz, German poet and composer (died 1639)
1605
Tianqi Emperor, Chinese emperor (died 1627)
1613
Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish field marshal and politician, Lord High Constable of Sweden (died 1676)
1621
Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (died 1682)
1621
Edmund Berry Godfrey, English lawyer and judge (died 1678)
1689
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (died 1755)
1690
Pamheiba, Indian emperor (died 1751)
1713
Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3rd Yokozuna (died 1749)
1732
Richard Arkwright, English businessman and inventor, invented the Water frame and Spinning frame (died 1792)
1750
Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (died 1827)
1758
Nathan Wilson, American soldier and politician (died 1834)
1766
Wilhelm Hisinger, Swedish physicist and chemist (died 1852)
1777
Alexander I of Russia (died 1825)
1782
William Armstrong, American lawyer, civil servant, politician, and businessperson (died 1865)
1790
Jean-François Champollion, French philologist, orientalist, and scholar (died 1832)
1793
Dost Mohammad Khan, emir of Afghanistan (died 1863)
1804
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French author, critic, and academic (died 1869)
1805
Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement (died 1844)
1807
Anthony Mary Claret, Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop and missionary (died 1870)
1810
Edward Blyth, English zoologist (died 1873)
1810
Karl Richard Lepsius, German Egyptologist (died 1884)
1812
Samuel Smiles, Scottish-English author (died 1904)
1812
Henri-Alexandre Wallon, French historian and statesman (died 1904)
1819
Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch pastor and poet (died 1889)
1822
Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (died 1875)
1828
Mathilde Wesendonck, German poet and author (died 1902)
1839
János Murkovics, Slovene-Hungarian author and educator (died 1917)
1843
Richard Conner, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1924)
1854
Henry B. Guppy, English botanist and author (died 1926)
1861
Edgar P. Rucker, American lawyer, politician, and businessman (died 1908)
1865
James M. Canty, American educator, school administrator, and businessperson (died 1964)
1867
Madam C. J. Walker, American businesswoman and philanthropist (died 1919)
1870
John Marin, American painter (died 1953)
1878
Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (died 1972)
1885
Pierre Brissaud, French illustrator, painter, and engraver (died 1964)
1894
Arthur Gilligan, English cricketer (died 1976)
1895
Nola Luxford, New Zealand-American actress and broadcaster (died 1994)
1896
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian lieutenant and author (died 1957)
1900
Merle Barwis, American-Canadian supercentenarian (died 2014)
1900
Marie Bell, French actress and stage director (died 1985)
1900
Otto Soglow, American cartoonist (died 1975)
1901
Viktor Gutić, Croatian fascist official (died 1947)
1902
Norman Maclean, American author and academic (died 1990)
1902
Charan Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (died 1987)
1907
Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean author and poet (died 2005)
1907
James Roosevelt, American general and politician (died 1991)
1907
Avraham Stern, Polish Zionist leader (died 1942)
1908
Gertrude Bancroft, American economist (died 1985)
1908
Yousuf Karsh, Armenian-Canadian photographer (died 2002)
1910
Kurt Meyer, German SS general and convicted war criminal (died 1961)
1911
James Gregory, American actor (died 2002)
1911
Niels Kaj Jerne, English-Danish physician and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1994)
1912
Anna J. Harrison, American organic chemist and academic (died 1998)
1916
Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (died 2008)
1918
José Greco, Italian-American dancer and choreographer (died 2000)
1918
Helmut Schmidt, German soldier, economist, and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (died 2015)
1919
Kenneth M. Taylor, American general and pilot (died 2006)
1921
Guy Beaulne, Canadian actor and director (died 2001)
1922
Micheline Ostermeyer, French discus thrower, shot putter, and pianist (died 2001)
1923
Onofre Marimón, Argentinian race car driver (died 1954)
1923
Günther Schifter, Austrian journalist and radio host (died 2008)
1923
James Stockdale, American admiral and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 2005)
1924
Bob Kurland, American basketball player and politician (died 2013)
1925
Duncan Hallas, English author and politician (died 2002)
1925
Rayner Unwin, English publisher (died 2000)
1926
Robert Bly, American poet and essayist (died 2021)
1926
Harold Dorman, American singer-songwriter (died 1988)
1929
Chet Baker, American jazz trumpet player, flugelhorn player, and singer (died 1988)
1929
Dick Weber, American professional bowler (died 2005)
1931
Ronnie Schell, American comedian and actor
1932
Richard Clark Barkley, American soldier, academic, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to East Germany (died 2015)
1933
Akihito, Emperor of Japan
1933
Noella Leduc, American baseball player (died 2014)
1935
Paul Hornung, American football player and sportscaster (died 2020)
1935
Johnny Kidd, English singer-songwriter (died 1966)
1935
Abdul Ghani Minhat, Malaysian footballer and manager (died 2012)
1935
Esther Phillips, American R&B singer (died 1984)
1936
Frederic Forrest, American actor (died 2023)
1936
Bobby Ross, American football player and coach
1936
Willie Wood, American football player (died 2020)
1937
Barney Rosenzweig, American screenwriter and producer
1937
Nelson Shanks, American painter, historian, and educator (died 2015)
1938
Bob Kahn, American computer scientist and engineer, co-developed the Transmission Control Protocol
1939
Nancy Graves, American sculptor and painter (died 1995)
1940
Mamnoon Hussain, Pakistani businessman and politician, 12th President of Pakistan (died 2021)
1940
Jorma Kaukonen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1940
Robert Labine, Canadian politician (died 2021)
1940
Jeanie Lambe, Scottish jazz singer (died 2020)
1940
Kevin Longbottom, Australian rugby league player (died 1986)
1940
Eugene Record, American soul singer-songwriter (died 2005)
1941
Peter Davis, English businessman
1941
Tim Hardin, American folk singer-songwriter and musician (died 1980)
1942
Quentin Bryce, Australian lawyer and politician, 25th Governor-General of Australia
1943
Ron Allen, American baseball player
1943
Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov, Russian-French mathematician and academic
1943
Terry Peder Rasmussen, American serial killer (died 2010)
1943
Harry Shearer, American actor, voice artist, and comedian
1943
Queen Silvia of Sweden
1944
Wesley Clark, American general
1945
Adly Mansour, Egyptian lawyer, judge, and politician, President of Egypt
1945
Geoffrey Wheatcroft, English journalist and author
1946
Robbie Dupree, American singer-songwriter
1946
Edita Gruberová, Slovak soprano and actress (died 2021)
1946
Susan Lucci, American actress
1946
John Sullivan, English screenwriter, producer, and composer (died 2011)
1947
Bill Rodgers, American runner
1948
David Davis, English politician, Minister of State for Europe
1948
Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, and journalist
1948
Jack Ham, American football player and sportscaster
1948
Rick Wohlhuter, American runner
1949
Adrian Belew, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1949
Reinhold Weege, American screenwriter and producer (died 2012)
1950
Michael C. Burgess, American obstetrician and politician
1950
Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, English general
1950
Vicente del Bosque, Spanish footballer and manager
1950
Ilchi Lee, South Korean author and educator
1951
Anthony Phillips, English guitarist and songwriter
1952
William Kristol, American journalist, publisher, activist, and pundit
1953
Andres Alver, Estonian architect and academic
1953
Gerrit W. Gong, American religious leader and academic
1954
Raivo Järvi, Estonian radio host and politician (died 2012)
1954
Brian Teacher, American tennis player
1955
Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright
1955
Grace Knight, English-Australian singer-songwriter
1956
Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver (died 2001)
1956
Dave Murray, English guitarist and songwriter
1957
Dan Bigras, Canadian singer-songwriter
1957
Peter Wynn, Australian rugby league player and businessman
1958
Joan Severance, American actress
1958
Victoria Williams, American singer-songwriter
1961
Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian journalist and author
1961
Ketan J. Patel, Kenyan-English biologist and academic
1961
Carol Smillie, Scottish model and actress
1961
Lorna Tolentino, Filipino actress and producer
1962
Bertrand Gachot, Belgian race car driver
1962
Stefan Hell, Romanian-German physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
1962
Kang Je-gyu, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter
1962
Keiji Mutoh, Japanese wrestler and actor
1963
Jim Harbaugh, American football player and coach
1963
Jess Harnell, American singer-songwriter and voice actor
1963
Donna Tartt, American author
1963
Ante Zelck, German businessman
1964
Eddie Vedder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1966
Badi Assad, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1967
Carla Bruni, Italian-French singer-songwriter and model
1967
Otis Grant, Jamaican-Canadian boxer, coach, and manager
1968
Karyn Bryant, American journalist, actress, producer, and screenwriter
1968
Barry Kooser, American painter and animator
1968
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, Puerto Rican-American photographer
1968
René Tretschok, German footballer and manager
1970
Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater and sportscaster
1970
Karine Polwart, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1971
Corey Haim, Canadian actor (died 2010)
1971
Jo Johnson, English banker, journalist, and politician
1971
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, English model, actress, and author (died 2017)
1972
Morgan, Italian singer-songwriter and composer
1972
Christian Potenza, Canadian actor, voice actor and singer
1974
Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer and politician
1974
Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2004)
1975
Lady Starlight, American singer-songwriter
1976
Joanna Hayes, American hurdler and coach
1976
Brad Lidge, American baseball player
1976
Jamie Noble, American wrestler and producer
1976
Mikael Samuelsson, Swedish ice hockey player
1977
Matt Baker, English television presenter
1977
Alge Crumpler, American football player
1977
Tore Johansen, Norwegian trumpeter and composer
1977
Jari Mäenpää, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1978
Esthero, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and producer
1978
Aleš Kotalík, Czech ice hockey player
1978
Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
1979
Johan Franzén, Swedish ice hockey player
1979
Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player
1979
Holly Madison, American model, television personality, and actress
1979
Megan Mayhew Bergman, American author and educator
1979
Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer
1979
Yukifumi Murakami, Japanese javelin thrower
1980
Cody Ross, American baseball player
1981
Maritza Correia, Puerto Rican-American swimmer
1981
Yuriorkis Gamboa, Cuban boxer
1981
Hiro Fujiwara, Japanese manga artist
1981
Agnes Milowka, Polish-Australian diver, explorer, photographer, and author (died 2011)
1981
Mario Santana, Argentine footballer
1982
Zbyněk Michálek, Czech ice hockey player
1982
Shaone Morrisonn, Canadian-Croatian ice hockey player
1982
Thomas Rohregger, Austrian cyclist
1983
Michael Chopra, English footballer
1983
Lisa Dobriskey, English runner
1983
Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
1984
Dudu Aharon, Israeli singer-songwriter
1984
Bernard Pollard, American football player
1984
Josh Satin, American baseball player
1984
Sebastian Werle, German rugby player
1985
Dev Hynes (also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion), English singer, songwriter, producer, and composer
1985
Harry Judd, English drummer and songwriter
1985
Alison Sudol, American actress and singer-songwriter
1986
Thomas Bourgin, French motorcycle racer (died 2013)
1986
Beau Champion, Australian rugby league player
1986
Balázs Dzsudzsák, Hungarian footballer
1986
T. J. Oshie, American ice hockey player
1987
Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer
1987
Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player
1987
Jori Lehterä, Finnish ice hockey player
1988
Mallory Hagan, American beauty queen, Miss America 2013
1990
Brice Dja Djédjé, Ivorian footballer
1990
Mitch Haniger, American baseball player
1990
Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American actress and singer
1991
Kyren Wilson, English snooker player
1992
Spencer Daniels, American actor
1992
Mbwana Samatta, Tanzanian footballer
1992
Jeff Schlupp, German footballer
1994
Reed Alexander, American actor
1996
Bartosz Kapustka, Polish footballer
1999
Samuel Lino, Brazilian footballer
2000
Victor Boniface, Nigerian footballer
2002
Finn Wolfhard, Canadian actor and musician

🕯️ Notable Deaths

423
Ming Yuan Di, ruler of Northern Wei (born 392)
484
Huneric, Vandal king
668
Gabriel of Beth Qustan, bishop and saint (born 594)
679
Dagobert II, Frankish king (probable; b. 650)
761
Gaubald, Frankish bishop (born 700)
889
Solomon II, bishop of Constance
910
Naum of Preslav, Bulgarian missionary and scholar
918
Conrad I, king of East Francia (born 890)
940
Ar-Radi, Abbasid caliph (born 909)
1172
Ugo Ventimiglia, Italian cardinal
1193
Thorlak, patron saint of Iceland (born 1133)
1230
Berengaria of Navarre, queen of England (born 1165)
1304
Matilda of Habsburg, duchess regent of Bavaria (born 1253)
1383
Beatrice of Bourbon, Queen of Bohemia (born 1320)
1384
Thomas Preljubović, ruler of Epirus
1392
Isabella of Castile, duchess of York (born 1355)
1556
Nicholas Udall, English cleric, playwright, and educator (born 1504)
1572
Johann Sylvan, German theologian (executed; date of birth unknown)
1575
Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese samurai (born 1531)
1588
Henry I, duke of Guise (born 1550)
1631
Michael Drayton, English poet and playwright (born 1563)
1638
Barbara Longhi, Italian painter (born 1552)
1646
François Maynard, French poet and academic (born 1582)
1652
John Cotton, English minister and theologian (born 1585)
1675
Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French general and diplomat (born 1602)
1722
Pierre Varignon, French mathematician and academic (born 1654)
1761
Alastair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish spy (born 1725)
1771
Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian nun and saint, founded Grey Nuns (born 1701)
1779
Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (born 1724)
1789
Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French priest and educator (born 1712)
1795
Henry Clinton, English general and politician (born 1730)
1805
Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and author (born 1723)
1834
Thomas Robert Malthus, English economist and demographer (born 1766)
1884
John Chisum, American businessman and poker player (born 1824)
1889
Constance Naden, English poet and philosopher (born 1858)
1892
Frederick Tracy Dent, Brigadier General in the Regular United States Army, brother in law to President Ulysses S. Grant.
1902
Frederick Temple, English archbishop and academic (born 1821)
1906
Mdungazwe Ngungunyane Nxumalo, last emperor of the Gaza Empire (born c.1850)
1912
Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist and academic (born 1850)
1926
Swami Shraddhanand, Indian monk, missionary, and educator (born 1856)
1930
Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay, Turkish lieutenant and educator (born 1906)
1931
Wilson Bentley, American meteorologist and photographer (born 1865)
1939
Anthony Fokker, Indonesia-born Dutch pilot and engineer, designed the Fokker Dr.I and Fokker D.VII (born 1890)
1946
John A. Sampson, American gynecologist and academic (born 1873)
1948
Executions resulting from convictions at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal Kenji Doihara, Japanese general (born 1883) Kōki Hirota, Japanese diplomat and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1878) Seishirō Itagaki, Japanese general (born 1885) Heitarō Kimura, Japanese general (born 1888) Iwane Matsui, Japanese general (born 1878) Akira Mutō, Japanese general (born 1883) Hideki Tojo, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1884)
1950
Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (born 1878)
1953
Lavrentiy Beria, Soviet general and politician, head of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (born 1899)
1954
René Iché, French soldier and sculptor (born 1897)
1961
Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, American author (born 1875)
1961
Kurt Meyer, German SS general and convicted war criminal (born 1910)
1970
Charles Ruggles, American actor (born 1886)
1970
Aleksander Warma, Estonian lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (born 1890)
1972
Andrei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-95 and Tupolev Tu-104 (born 1888)
1973
Irna Phillips, American screenwriter, created Guiding Light and As the World Turns (born 1901)
1979
Peggy Guggenheim, American-Italian art collector (born 1898)
1982
Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1920)
1983
Colin Middleton, Irish painter and illustrator (born 1910)
1984
Joan Lindsay, Australian author and playwright (born 1896)
1992
Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (born 1934)
1994
Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (born 1905)
1995
Patric Knowles, English actor (born 1911)
1998
Joe Orlando, Italian-American author and illustrator (born 1927)
2000
Billy Barty, American actor (born 1924)
2000
Victor Borge, Danish-American comedian, pianist, and conductor (born 1909)
2001
Bola Ige, Nigerian lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Oyo State (born 1930)
2004
P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (born 1921)
2005
Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer and manager (born 1914)
2005
Yao Wenyuan, Chinese writer and politician, member of the Gang of Four (born 1931)
2006
Charlie Drake, English actor (born 1925)
2006
Timothy J. Tobias, American pianist and composer (born 1952)
2006
Johnny Vincent, English footballer (born 1947)
2007
William Francis Ganong, Jr., American physiologist and academic (born 1924)
2007
Michael Kidd, American dancer and choreographer (born 1915)
2007
Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (born 1925)
2009
Robert L. Howard, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1939)
2009
Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan general and politician (born 1910)
2009
Edward Schillebeeckx, Belgian theologian and academic (born 1914)
2010
Fred Hargesheimer, American soldier and pilot (born 1916)
2010
K. Karunakaran, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Kerala (born 1918)
2011
Aydın Menderes, Turkish economist and politician (born 1946)
2012
Jean Harris, American educator and murderer (born 1923)
2012
Eduardo Maiorino, Brazilian mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (born 1979)
2013
Chryssa, Greek-American sculptor (born 1933)
2013
Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian general and weapons designer, designed the AK-47 rifle (born 1919)
2013
Yusef Lateef, American saxophonist, composer, and educator (born 1920)
2013
Ricky Lawson, American drummer and composer (born 1954)
2013
G. S. Shivarudrappa, Indian poet and educator (born 1926)
2013
Robert W. Wilson, American philanthropist and art collector (born 1928)
2014
Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (born 1944)
2014
Robert V. Hogg, American statistician and academic (born 1924)
2015
Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1941)
2015
Don Howe, English footballer and manager (born 1935)
2015
Jean-Marie Pelt, French biologist, pharmacist, and academic (born 1933)
2015
Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1923)
2017
Maurice Hayes, Irish educator and politician (born 1927)
2020
Leslie West, American singer and guitarist (born 1945)
2021
Joan Didion, American writer (born 1934)
2022
Brandon Montrell, American TikTok personality and stand-up comedian (born 1979)
2023
William Pope.L, American performance artist (born 1955)
2024
Shyam Benegal, Indian director and screenwriter (born 1934)
2024
Dési Bouterse, Surinamese general and politician, 9th President of Suriname (born 1945)
2024
Sophie Hediger, Swiss snowboarder (born 1998)