December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are nine days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Sunday or Monday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Wednesday or Friday (56).
Events
69 – Emperor Vitellius is captured and murdered at the Gemonian stairs in Rome .401 – Pope Innocent I is elected.856 – Damghan earthquake : An earthquake near the Persian city of Damghan kills an estimated 200,000 people, the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.880 – Luoyang , eastern capital of the Tang dynasty , is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong .1135 – Stephen of Blois becomes King of England1216 – Pope Honorius III approves the Dominican Order through the papal bull of confirmation Religiosam vitam .1622 – Bucaramanga , Colombia is founded.1769 – Sino-Burmese War : The war ends with an uneasy truce.1788 – Nguyễn Huệ proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing on his own the Lê dynasty .1790 – The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Alexander Suvorov and his Russian armies.1807 – The Embargo Act , forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress , at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson .1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien , Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony , Sixth Symphony , Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy 1851 – India's first freight train is operated in Roorkee , India.1864 – Savannah, Georgia falls to the forces of General Sherman .1885 – Itō Hirobumi , a samurai , became the first Prime Minister of Japan .1890 – Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kentville and Kingsport, Nova Scotia .1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.1894 – The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason .1920 – The GOELRO economic development plan is adopted by the 8th Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR .1921 – Opening of Visva-Bharati College , also known as Santiniketan College, now Visva Bharati University , India.1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City.1939 – Indian Muslims observe a "Day of Deliverance " to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World War II with the United Kingdom.1940 – World War II: Himara is captured by the Greek army.1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon.1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge – German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne , Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe : "Nuts!"1944 – World War II: The Vietnam People's Army is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina , now Vietnam .
1948 – Sjafruddin Prawiranegara established the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (Pemerintah Darurat Republik Indonesia , PDRI) in West Sumatra .1951 – The Selangor Labour Party is founded in Selangor , Malaya .1963 – The cruise ship Lakonia Madeira , Portugal with the loss of 128 lives.1964 – The first test flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird) took place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California .1965 – In the United Kingdom, a 70 mph speed limit is applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time.1968 – Cultural Revolution : People's Daily posted the instructions of Mao Zedong that it is "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."1974 – Grande Comore , Anjouan and Mohéli vote to become the independent nation of Comoros . Mayotte remains under French administration.1974 – The house of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is attacked by members of the Provisional IRA .
1978 – The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao -era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform .1984 – Bernhard Goetz shoots four would-be muggers on an express train in Manhattan section of New York, New York.1987 – In Zimbabwe , the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi .1989 – Communist President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu is overthrown by Ion Iliescu after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife flee Bucharest in a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.1989 – Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
1990 – Lech Wałęsa is elected President of Poland .1990 – Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship .
1997 – Acteal massacre : Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.1997 – Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo , Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
2001 – Burhanuddin Rabbani , political leader of the Northern Alliance , hands over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai .2001 – Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63 .
2008 – An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee , releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3 ) of coal fly ash slurry .2010 – The repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Barack Obama .2015 – SpaceX lands a first stage Falcon 9 rocket on ground, after reaching Low Earth orbit at 1:40 UTC for the first time in history.
Births
244 – Diocletian , Roman emperor (d. 311)1095 – Roger II of Sicily (d. 1154)1178 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (d. 1185)1183 – Chagatai Khan , Mongol ruler (d. 1242)1459 – Sultan Cem , Ottoman politician (d. 1495)1546 – Kuroda Yoshitaka , Japanese daimyo (d. 1604)1550 – Cesare Cremonini , Italian philosopher and author (d. 1631)1591 – Tommaso Dingli , Maltese architect and sculptor (d. 1666)1639 – Jean Racine , French poet and playwright (d. 1699)1666 – Guru Gobind Singh , Indian guru and poet (d. 1708)1694 – Hermann Samuel Reimarus , German philosopher and academic (d. 1768)1696 – James Oglethorpe , English general and politician, 1st Colonial Governor of Georgia (d. 1785)1723 – Carl Friedrich Abel , German viol player and composer (d. 1787)1765 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff , German mathematician and academic (d. 1825)1799 – Nicholas Callan , Irish priest and physicist (d. 1864)1805 – John Obadiah Westwood , English entomologist and archaeologist (d. 1893)1807 – Johan Sebastian Welhaven , Norwegian author, poet, and critic (d. 1873)1819 – Franz Abt , German composer and conductor (d. 1870)1819 – Pierre Ossian Bonnet , French mathematician and academic (d. 1892)
1839 – John Nevil Maskelyne , English magician (d. 1917)1850 – Victoriano Huerta , Mexican general and politician, 35ht President of Mexico (d. 1916)1853 – Teresa Carreño , Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1917)1853 – Evgraf Fedorov , Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (d. 1919)
1853 – Sarada Devi , Indian mystic and philosopher (d. 1920)1856 – Frank B. Kellogg , American lawyer and politician, 45th United States Secretary of State , Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)1858 – Giacomo Puccini , Italian composer and educator (d. 1924)1862 – Connie Mack , American baseball player and manager (d. 1956)1865 – Charles Sands , American golfer and tennis player (d. 1945)1868 – Jaan Tõnisson , Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1941?)1869 – Dmitri Egorov , Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1931)1869 – Edwin Arlington Robinson , American poet and playwright (d. 1935)
1872 – Camille Guérin , French veterinarian and bacteriologist (d. 1961)1874 – Franz Schmidt , Austrian cellist, pianist, and composer (d. 1939)1876 – Filippo Tommaso Marinetti , Egyptian-Italian poet and composer (d. 1944)1878 – Myer Prinstein , Polish-American jumper (d. 1925)1883 – Marcus Hurley , American cyclist (d. 1941)1883 – Edgard Varèse , French-American composer (d. 1965)
1885 – Deems Taylor , American conductor and critic (d. 1966)1887 – Srinivasa Ramanujan , Indian mathematician and theorist (d. 1920)1888 – J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank , English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (d. 1972)1889 – George Hutson , English runner and soldier (d. 1914)1892 – Herman Potočnik , Croatian-Austrian engineer (d. 1929)1898 – Vladimir Fock , Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1974)1899 – Gustaf Gründgens , German actor and director (d. 1963)1900 – Marc Allégret , French director and screenwriter (d. 1973)1901 – Andre Kostelanetz , Russian-American conductor and composer (d. 1980)1903 – Haldan Keffer Hartline , American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)1905 – Pierre Brasseur , French-Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)1905 – Pierre Levegh , French ice hockey player and race car driver (d. 1955)
1905 – Kenneth Rexroth , American poet, translator, and academic (d. 1982)
1907 – Peggy Ashcroft , English actress (d. 1991)1908 – Giacomo Manzù , Italian sculptor and academic (d. 1991)1909 – Patricia Hayes , English actress (d. 1998)1911 – Danny O'Dea , English actor (d. 2003)1912 – Elias Degiannis , Greek commander (d. 1943)1912 – Lady Bird Johnson , American beautification activist; 38th First Lady of the United States (d. 2007)
1913 – Giorgio Oberweger , Italian discus thrower and hurdler (d. 1998)1915 – Barbara Billingsley , American actress (d. 2010)1915 – Phillip Glasier , English author and academic (d. 2000)
1917 – Gene Rayburn , American game show host and actor (d. 1999)1921 – Dimitri Fampas , Greek guitarist and composer (d. 1996)1921 – Hawkshaw Hawkins , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
1922 – Ruth Roman , American actress (d. 1999)1922 – Jim Wright , American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 2015)
1923 – Peregrine Worsthorne , English journalist and author1924 – Frank Corsaro , American actor and director1925 – Lewis Glucksman , American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2006)1925 – Lefter Küçükandonyadis , Turkish footballer and manager (d. 2012)
1928 – Fredrik Barth , German-Norwegian anthropologist and academic (d. 2016)1930 – Ardalion Ignatyev , Russian sprinter and educator (d. 1998)1931 – Gisela Birkemeyer , German hurdler and coach1931 – Carlos Graça , São Toméan lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (d. 2013)
1932 – Phil Woosnam , Welsh soccer player and manager (d. 2013)1933 – John Hartle , English motorcycle racer (d. 1968)1934 – David Pearson , American race car driver1935 – Paulo Rocha , Portuguese director and screenwriter (d. 2012)1936 – James Burke , Irish historian and author1936 – Héctor Elizondo , American actor and director
1936 – Wojciech Frykowski , Polish-American actor and author (d. 1969)
1937 – Charlotte Lamb , English author (d. 2000)1937 – Eduard Uspensky , Russian author, poet, and playwright
1937 – Ken Whitmore , English author and playwright
1938 – Matty Alou , Dominican-American baseball player and scout (d. 2011)1938 – Lucien Bouchard , Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of Quebec
1940 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar , Colombian rancher and politician (d. 2009)1940 – Mike Molloy , English journalist, author, and illustrator
1942 – Jerry Koosman , American baseball player1942 – Dick Parry , English saxophonist
1943 – Stefan Janos , Slovak-Swiss physicist and academic1943 – Paul Wolfowitz , American banker and politician, 25th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
1944 – Mary Archer , English chemist and academic1944 – Steve Carlton , American baseball player
1944 – Barry Jenkins , English drummer
1945 – Frances Lannon , English historian and academic1945 – Diane Sawyer , American journalist
1946 – Roger Carr , English businessman1946 – C. Eugene Steuerle , American economist and author
1947 – Brian Daley , American author and screenwriter (d. 1996)1948 – Steve Garvey , American baseball player and sportscaster1948 – Don Kardong , American runner, journalist, and author
1948 – Rick Nielsen , American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1948 – Chris Old , English cricketer and coach
1948 – Lynne Thigpen , American actress and singer (d. 2003)
1949 – Maurice Gibb , Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2003)1949 – Robin Gibb , Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2012)
1949 – Ray Guy , American football player
1951 – Charles de Lint , Dutch-Canadian author and critic1951 – Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster , Irish general and businessman
1951 – Lasse Bengtsson , Swedish journalist
1952 – Sandra Kalniete , Russian-Latvian politician and diplomat, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs 1953 – Ian Turnbull , Canadian ice hockey player1953 – Tom Underwood , American baseball player (d. 2010)
1954 – Hideshi Matsuda , Japanese race car driver1955 – Galina Murašova , Lithuanian discus thrower1955 – Lonnie Smith , American baseball player
1955 – Thomas C. Südhof , German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1956 – Jane Lighting , English businesswoman1957 – Stephen Conway , English bishop1957 – Carole James , English-Canadian educator and politician
1958 – Frank Gambale , Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer1958 – David Heavener , American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
1959 – Bernd Schuster , German footballer and manager1960 – Jean-Michel Basquiat , American painter and poet (d. 1988)1960 – Mark Brydon , English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1960 – Luther Campbell , American rapper and actor
1961 – Andrew Fastow , American businessman1961 – Yuri Malenchenko , Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
1962 – Ralph Fiennes , English actor1963 – Giuseppe Bergomi , Italian footballer and coach1963 – Russell Lewis , British television writer and former child actor
1963 – Brian McMillan , South African cricketer and educator
1963 – Luna H. Mitani , Japanese-American painter and illustrator
1964 – Simon Kirby , English businessman and politician1964 – Mike Jackson , American baseball player
1965 – David S. Goyer , American screenwriter
1965 – Urszula Włodarczyk , Polish heptathlete and triple jumper1966 – Dmitry Bilozerchev , Russian gymnast and coach1966 – Marcel Schirmer , German singer-songwriter and bass player
1966 – David Wright , English lawyer and politician
1967 – Richey Edwards , Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)1967 – Stéphane Gendron , Canadian lawyer and politician
1967 – Rebecca Harris , English businesswoman and politician
1967 – Paul Morris , Australian race car driver and businessman
1967 – Dan Petrescu , Romanian footballer and manager
1968 – Emre Aracı , Turkish composer, conductor, and historian1968 – Luis Hernández , Mexican footballer
1969 – Myriam Bédard , Canadian biathlete1969 – Mark Robins , English footballer and manager
1970 – Gary Anderson , Scottish darts player1970 – Ted Cruz , American lawyer and politician
1971 – Ajeenkya Patil , Indian economist and academic1972 – Kirk Maltby , Canadian ice hockey player and scout1972 – Vanessa Paradis , French singer-songwriter and actress
1974 – Michael Barron , English footballer, coach, and manager1975 – Sergei Aschwanden , Swiss martial artist1975 – Dmitri Khokhlov , Russian footballer and manager
1975 – Marcin Mięciel , Polish footballer
1975 – Stanislav Neckář , Czech ice hockey player
1976 – Katleen De Caluwé , Belgian sprinter1976 – Jason Lane , American baseball player and coach
1976 – Aya Takano , Japanese author and illustrator
1977 – Steve Kariya , Canadian ice hockey player and coach1978 – Joy Ali , Fijian boxer (d. 2015)1978 – Anthony Jeselnik , American comedian, actor, and television host
1978 – Emmanuel Olisadebe , Nigerian-Polish footballer
1979 – Jamie Langfield , Scottish footballer and coach1981 – Marina Kuptsova , Russian high jumper1982 – Rodney Martin , American sprinter1983 – Drew Hankinson , American wrestler1983 – Viola Kibiwot , Kenyan runner
1984 – Basshunter , Swedish singer-songwriter and producer1986 – Dennis Armfield , Australian footballer1986 – Fatih Öztürk , Turkish footballer
1987 – Éder , Bissau-Portuguese footballer1987 – Johannes Ahun , Estonian windsurfer
1987 – Garfield Darien , French hurdler
1988 – Leigh Halfpenny , Welsh rugby player1989 – Jordin Sparks , American singer-songwriter and actress1989 – Jharal Yow Yeh , Australian rugby player
1990 – Jean-Baptiste Maunier , French actor and singer1990 – Josef Newgarden , American race car driver
1991 – Paul Alo-Emile , New Zealand-Australian rugby player1992 – Michaela Hončová , Slovak tennis player1993 – Meghan Trainor , American singer-songwriter and producer1994 – Rúben Lameiras , Portuguese footballer
Deaths
69 – Vitellius , Roman emperor (b. 15)1100 – Bretislaus II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1060)1530 – Willibald Pirckheimer , German lawyer and author (b. 1470)1603 – Mehmed III , Ottoman sultan (b. 1566)1646 – Peter Mogila , Moldavian metropolitan and saint (b. 1596)1660 – André Tacquet , Flemish priest and mathematician (b. 1612)1666 – Guercino , Italian painter (b. 1591)1681 – Richard Alleine , English minister and author (b. 1611)1767 – John Newbery , English publisher (b. 1713)1788 – Percivall Pott , English physician and surgeon (b. 1714)1806 – William Vernon , English-American merchant (b. 1719)1828 – William Hyde Wollaston , English chemist and physicist (b. 1766)1867 – Jean-Victor Poncelet , French mathematician and engineer (b. 1788)1870 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer , Spanish journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1836)1880 – George Eliot , English journalist, author, and poet (b. 1819)1899 – Dwight L. Moody , American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Publishers (b. 1837)1902 – Richard von Krafft-Ebing , German-Austrian psychiatrist and author (b. 1840)1917 – Frances Xavier Cabrini , Italian-American nun and saint (b. 1850)1918 – Aristeidis Moraitinis , Greek lieutenant and pilot (b. 1891)1919 – Hermann Weingärtner , German gymnast (b. 1864)1925 – Amelie Beese , German pilot and engineer (b. 1886)1939 – Ma Rainey , American singer (b. 1886)1940 – Nathanael West , American author and screenwriter (b. 1903)1941 – Karel Hašler , Czech actor, director, composer, and screenwriter (b. 1879)1942 – Franz Boas , German-American anthropologist and linguist (b. 1858)1943 – Beatrix Potter , English children's book writer and illustrator (b. 1866)1944 – Harry Langdon , American actor, comedian, and vaudevillian (b. 1884)1950 – Frederick Freake , English polo player (b. 1876)1957 – Frank George Woollard , English engineer (b. 1883)1959 – Gilda Gray , Polish-American actress and dancer (b. 1901)1960 – Ninian Comper , Scottish-English architect (b. 1864)1965 – Richard Dimbleby , English journalist (b. 1913)1968 – Raymond Gram Swing , American journalist (b. 1887)1971 – Godfried Bomans , Dutch journalist and author (b. 1913)1974 – Sterling North , American author and critic (b. 1906)1979 – Darryl F. Zanuck , American director and producer (b. 1902)1985 – D. Boon , American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1958)1986 – Mary Burchell , English author and activist (b. 1904)1987 – Luca Prodan , Italian-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1953)1988 – Chico Mendes , Brazilian trade union leader and activist (b. 1944)1989 – Samuel Beckett , Irish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)1992 – Harry Bluestone , English violinist and composer (b. 1907)1992 – Frederick William Franz , American religious leader (b. 1893)
1993 – Don DeFore , American actor (b. 1913)1995 – Osvald Käpp , Estonian wrestler (b. 1905)1995 – Butterfly McQueen , American actress and dancer (b. 1911)
1995 – James Meade , English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
1996 – Jack Hamm , American cartoonist and television host (b. 1916)1997 – Sebastian Arcos Bergnes , Cuban-American dentist and activist (b. 1931)2001 – Ovidiu Iacov , Romanian footballer (b. 1981)2001 – Walter Newton Read , American lawyer and second chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission (b. 1918)
2002 – Desmond Hoyte , Guyanese lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Guyana (b. 1929)2002 – Joe Strummer , English singer-songwriter (b. 1952)
2004 – Doug Ault , American baseball player and manager (b. 1950)2006 – Elena Mukhina , Russian gymnast (b. 1960)2006 – Galina Ustvolskaya , Russian composer (b. 1919)
2007 – Adrian Cristobal , Filipino journalist and playwright (b. 1932)2009 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar , Colombian rancher and politician (b. 1940)2009 – Albert Scanlon , English footballer (b. 1935)
2010 – Fred Foy , American soldier and announcer (b. 1921)2012 – Chuck Cherundolo , American football player and coach (b. 1916)2012 – Ryan Freel , American baseball player (b. 1976)
2012 – Cliff Osmond , American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
2012 – Lim Keng Yaik , Malaysian physician and politician (b. 1939)
2013 – Diomedes Díaz , Colombian singer-songwriter (b. 1956)2013 – Hans Hækkerup , Danish lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
2013 – Ed Herrmann , American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
2013 – Keith McGowan , Australian radio host (b. 1943)
2013 – Oscar Peer , Swiss author, playwright, and philologist (b. 1928)
2014 – John Robert Beyster , American physicist and academic (b. 1924)2014 – Christine Cavanaugh , American actress (b. 1963)
2014 – Joe Cocker , English singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
2014 – Joseph Sargent , American actor, director, and producer (b. 1925)
2014 – Bernard Stone , American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
2015 – Peter Lundblad , Swedish singer-songwriter (b. 1950)2015 – Freda Meissner-Blau , Australian activist and politician (b. 1927)
Holidays and observances External links
Months and days of the year
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
