December 30

December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There is one day remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1066 – Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city.
• 1419 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of La Rochelle
• 1460 – Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield.
• 1702 – Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine.
• 1813 – War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York.
• 1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis (1816) between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed.
• 1825 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed.
• 1853 – Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
• 1896 – Filipino patriot and reform advocate José Rizal is executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila, Philippines.
• 1896 – Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scores the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, and the Cup-winning goal as the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5.
• 1897 – The British Colony of Natal annexes Zululand.
• 1903 – A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605.
• 1905 – Former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated at the front gate of his home in Caldwell.
• 1906 – The All-India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India. It went on to lay the foundations of Pakistan.
• 1916 – The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita.
• 1919 – Lincoln's Inn in London, England, UK admits its first female bar student.
• 1922 – The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed.
• 1927 – The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opens in Tokyo, Japan.
• 1936 – The United Auto Workers union stages its first sitdown strike.
• 1943 – Subhas Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair.
• 1944 – King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving the throne vacant.
• 1947 – King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania.
• 1948 – The Cole Porter Broadway musical, Kiss Me, Kate (1,077 performances), opens at Broadway's New Century Theatre in midtown Manhattan, New York, and becomes the first show to win the Best Musical Tony Award.
• 1958 – The Guatemalan Air Force sinks several Mexican fishing boats alleged to have breached maritime borders, killing three and sparking international tension.
• 1965 – Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of the Philippines.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: The United States halts heavy bombing of North Vietnam.
• 1977 – For the second time, Ted Bundy escapes from his cell in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
• 1981 – In the 39th game of his third NHL season, Wayne Gretzky scores five goals, giving him 50 on the year and setting a new NHL record previously held by Maurice Richard and Mike Bossy, who earlier had each scored 50 goals in 50 games.
• 1993 – Israel and Vatican City establish diplomatic relations.
• 1996 – In the Indian state of Assam, a passenger train is bombed by Bodo separatists, killing 26.
• 1996 – Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.
• 1997 – In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people from four villages are killed.
• 1999 – Former Beatle George Harrison is attacked by Michael Abram in his Friar Park home.
• 2000 – Rizal Day bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a period of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.
• 2004 – A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina kills 194.
• 2004 – French Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discrimination Commission is created.
• 2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin.
• 2006 – Madrid–Barajas Airport is bombed.
• 2006 – The Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks in a storm, resulting in at least 400 deaths.
• 2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed.
• 2009 – A segment of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptures in Shaanxi, China, and approximately 150,000 L (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flows down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River.
• 2009 – A suicide bomber kills nine people at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan.
• 2011 – Owing to a change of time zone the day is skipped in Samoa and Tokelau.
• 2013 – More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Births

• 39 – Titus, Roman emperor (d. 81)
• 1204 – Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, Portuguese ruler (d. 1282)
• 1371 – Vasily I of Moscow (d. 1425)
• 1490 – Ebussuud Efendi, Ottoman lawyer and jurist (d. 1574)
• 1642 – Vincenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet (d. 1707)
• 1673 – Ahmed III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1736)
• 1678 – William Croft, English organist and composer (d. 1727)
• 1722 – Charles Yorke, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1770)
• 1724 – Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French painter and educator (d. 1805)
• 1760 – Charles Sapinaud de La Rairie, French general (d. 1829)
• 1792 – Sylvester Jordan, German lawyer and politician (d. 1861)
• 1819 – Theodor Fontane, German author and poet (d. 1898)
• 1819 – John W. Geary, American lawyer and politician, 16th Governor of Pennsylvania (d. 1873)
• 1825 – Samuel Newitt Wood, American lawyer and politician (d. 1891)
• 1849 – John Milne, English seismologist and geologist (d. 1913)
• 1851 – Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician, 44th Mayor of Atlanta (d. 1929)
• 1853 – André Messager, French pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1929)
• 1857 – Sylvio Lazzari, French-Austrian composer (d. 1944)
• 1865 – Rudyard Kipling, English author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
• 1869 – Stephen Leacock, English-Canadian political scientist and author (d. 1944)
• 1869 – Ōzutsu Man'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (d. 1918)
• 1873 – Al Smith, American lawyer and politician, 42nd Governor of New York (d. 1944)
• 1878 – William Aberhart, Canadian evangelist and politician, 7th Premier of Alberta (d. 1943)
• 1879 – Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (d. 1950)
• 1883 – Archer Baldwin, American-English farmer and politician (d. 1966)
• 1883 – Lester Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1960)
• 1884 – Hideki Tōjō, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)
• 1887 – William Kolehmainen, Finnish-American runner and coach (d. 1967)
• 1890 – Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, Mexican soldier and politician, 47th President of Mexico (d. 1973)
• 1897 – Alfredo Bracchi, Italian songwriter and screenwriter (d. 1976)
• 1899 – Helge Ingstad, Norwegian explorer, lawyer, and politician, 2nd Governor of Svalbard (d. 2001)
• 1901 – Beauford Delaney, American-French painter (d. 1979)
• 1902 – Dennie Moore, American actress and activist (d. 1978)
• 1904 – Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian composer and academic (d. 1987)
• 1905 – Daniil Kharms, Russian poet, author, and playwright (d. 1942)
• 1906 – Carol Reed, English director and producer (d. 1976)
• 1910 – Paul Bowles, American composer and author (d. 1999)
• 1911 – Jeanette Nolan, American actress (d. 1998)
• 1913 – Lucio Agostini, Italian-Canadian conductor and composer (d. 1996)
• 1913 – Elyne Mitchell, Australian author (d. 2002)
• 1914 – Bert Parks, American actor and singer (d. 1992)
• 1914 – Jo Van Fleet, American actress (d. 1996)
• 1917 – Seymour Melman, American engineer and author (d. 2004)
• 1919 – David Willcocks, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 2015)
• 1920 – Jack Lord, American actor and director (d. 1998)
• 1921 – Rashid Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Lebanon (d. 1987)
• 1922 – Jane Langton, American author and illustrator
• 1922 – Boes Boestami, Indonesian actor and journalist (d. 1970)
• 1923 – Prakash Vir Shastri, Indian academic and politician (d. 1977)
• 1925 – Ian MacNaughton, Scottish actor, producer, and director (d. 2002)
• 1926 – Stan Tracey, English pianist and composer (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Bernard Barrow, American actor and educator (d. 1993)
• 1927 – Robert Hossein, French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1928 – Bo Diddley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
• 1929 – Rosalinde Hurley, English physician, microbiologist, and academic (d. 2004)
• 1929 – Barbara Nichols, American actress and singer (d. 1976)
• 1930 – Roy Yorke Calne, English surgeon and academic
• 1930 – Red Rhodes, American guitarist (First National Band) (d. 1995)
• 1930 – Tu Youyou, Chinese chemist and pharmacist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1931 – Skeeter Davis, American singer-songwriter (The Davis Sisters) (d. 2004)
• 1931 – John T. Houghton, Welsh physicist and author
• 1931 – Frank Torre, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
• 1934 – John N. Bahcall, American astrophysicist and astronomer, co-developed the Hubble Space Telescope (d. 2005)
• 1934 – Joseph Bologna, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1934 – Barry Briggs, New Zealand motorcycle racer and sportscaster
• 1934 – Joseph P. Hoar, American general
• 1934 – Del Shannon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1990)
• 1934 – Russ Tamblyn, American actor, singer, and dancer
• 1935 – Omar Bongo, Gabonese lieutenant and politician, President of Gabon (d. 2009)
• 1935 – Sandy Koufax, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1935 – Jack Riley, American actor and singer
• 1937 – Gordon Banks, English footballer and manager
• 1937 – John Hartford, American singer-songwriter and fiddler (d. 2001)
• 1937 – Jim Marshall, American football player
• 1937 – Paul Stookey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Peter, Paul and Mary)
• 1938 – Mike Auldridge, American guitarist (The Seldom Scene and Chesapeake) (d. 2012)
• 1938 – Gennaro Langella, American mob boss (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Glenda Adams, Australian author and academic (d. 2007)
• 1939 – Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (Mountain) (d. 1983)
• 1940 – James Burrows, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1941 – Mel Renfro, American football player and coach
• 1942 – Betty Aberlin, American actress and poet
• 1942 – Vladimir Bukovsky, Russian author and activist
• 1942 – Guy Edwards, English race car driver
• 1942 – Michael Nesmith, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (The Monkees and First National Band)
• 1942 – Janko Prunk, Slovenian historian, academic, and politician
• 1942 – Toomas Savi, Estonian physician and politician
• 1942 – Fred Ward, American actor and singer
• 1943 – Gösta Winbergh, Swedish tenor and actor (d. 2002)
• 1944 – William J. Fallon, American admiral
• 1944 – Jean Fergusson, English actress
• 1944 – Joseph Hilbe, American mathematician and philosopher
• 1945 – Davy Jones, English singer-songwriter and actor (The Monkees) (d. 2012)
• 1945 – Lloyd Kaufman, American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded Troma Entertainment
• 1945 – Paola Pigni, Italian runner
• 1945 – Concetta Tomei, American actress
• 1945 – Vernon Wells, Australian actor and producer
• 1946 – Clive Bunker, English drummer and songwriter (Jethro Tull, Electric Sun, Solstice, and Aviator)
• 1946 – Patti Smith, American singer-songwriter and poet
• 1947 – Michael Burns, American actor and historian
• 1947 – James Kahn, American author, screenwriter, and producer
• 1947 – Jeff Lynne, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Electric Light Orchestra, Traveling Wilburys, The Move, and The Idle Race)
• 1947 – Steve Mix, American basketball player and coach
• 1948 – Jed Johnson, American interior designer and director (d. 1996)
• 1949 – David Bedford, English runner
• 1949 – Jim Flaherty, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Canadian Minister of Finance (d. 2014)
• 1950 – Timothy Mo, Chinese-English author
• 1950 – Lewis Shiner, American journalist and author
• 1950 – Bjarne Stroustrup, Danish computer scientist, created the C++ programming language
• 1950 – Martti Vainio, Finnish runner
• 1951 – Doug Allder, English footballer and coach
• 1951 – Nick Rose, English runner
• 1952 – June Anderson, American soprano and actress
• 1952 – Melissa Fay Greene, American author
• 1953 – Daniel T. Barry, American engineer and astronaut
• 1953 – Bill Kazmaier, American strongman and wrestler
• 1953 – Dana Key, American singer, guitarist, and producer (DeGarmo and Key) (d. 2010)
• 1953 – Graham Vick, English director and producer
• 1953 – Meredith Vieira, American journalist and game show host
• 1954 – Barry Greenstein, American poker player and philanthropist
• 1955 – Dindo Yogo, Congolese singer (Viva La Musica, Langa Langa Stars, and Zaiko Langa Langa) (d. 2000)
• 1956 – Ingus Baušķenieks, Latvian singer-songwriter and producer (Dzeltenie Pastnieki)
• 1956 – Suzy Bogguss, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1956 – Claudia di Girolamo, Chilean actress
• 1956 – Kozo Inoue, Japanese journalist and radio host
• 1956 – Patricia Kalember, American actress
• 1956 – Sheryl Lee Ralph, American actress and singer
• 1956 – Jacek Wszoła, Polish high jumper
• 1957 – Matt Lauer, American journalist and actor
• 1957 – Glenn Robbins, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1957 – Rod Harrington, English darts player and sportscaster
• 1957 – Nick Skelton, English horse rider
• 1958 – Steven Smith, American engineer and astronaut
• 1959 – Antonio Pappano, English pianist and conductor
• 1959 – Kåre Thomsen, Norwegian guitarist and graphic designer
• 1959 – Tracey Ullman, English-American actress, singer, director, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Josée Verner, Canadian politician, 8th Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
• 1960 – Richard M. Durbin, English biologist and academic
• 1961 – Douglas Coupland, German-Canadian author and playwright
• 1961 – Sean Hannity, American radio and television host
• 1961 – Ben Johnson, Jamaican-Canadian sprinter
• 1961 – Charlie Nicholas, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
• 1961 – Seda Sayan, Turkish singer and actress
• 1962 – Henry Cho, American comedian and actor
• 1962 – Joshua Clover, American author, poet, and critic
• 1962 – Heike Hartwig, German shot putter
• 1962 – Paavo Järvi, Estonian-American conductor
• 1962 – Natsumi Ogawa, Japanese actress
• 1963 – Chandler Burr, American journalist and author
• 1963 – Milan Šrejber, Czech tennis player
• 1963 – John van 't Schip, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager
• 1964 – Almir Kayumov, Russian footballer and referee (d. 2013)
• 1964 – Sylvie Moreau, Canadian actress and screenwriter
• 1964 – George Newbern, American actor
• 1964 – Duglas T. Stewart, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer (BMX Bandits)
• 1964 – Sophie Ward, English actress
• 1965 – Heidi Fleiss, American madam, actress, and journalist
• 1966 – Gary Chartier, American philosopher, scholar, and academic
• 1966 – Bennett Miller, American director and producer
• 1967 – Carl Ouellet, Canadian wrestler and sportscaster
• 1968 – Bryan Burk, American screenwriter and producer
• 1968 – Sandra Glover, American hurdler
• 1969 – Emmanuel Clérico, French race car driver
• 1969 – Dave England, American snowboarder and stuntman
• 1969 – Anthuan Maybank, American sprinter ad coach
• 1969 – Shane McConkey, American skier and base-jumper
• 1969 – Jay Kay, English singer-songwriter (Jamiroquai)
• 1970 – Sister Bliss, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Faithless)
• 1971 – Ricardo, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1971 – Daniel Sunjata, American actor
• 1972 – Kerry Collins, American football player
• 1972 – Paul Keegan, Irish footballer
• 1972 – Dita Indah Sari, Indonesian union leader and activist
• 1972 – Steven Wiig, American actor and drummer (Papa Wheelie)
• 1973 – Frans Bauer, Dutch singer
• 1973 – Jason Behr, American actor
• 1973 – Ato Boldon, Trinidadian runner, sportscaster, and politician
• 1973 – Nacho Vidal, Spanish porn actor, director, and producer
• 1974 – G-Enka, Estonian rapper and producer (Toe Tag)
• 1974 – Alexandro Alves do Nascimento, Brazilian footballer (d. 2012)
• 1974 – S. Jithesh, Indian cartoonist, poet, and critic
• 1974 – Johanna Sällström, Swedish actress (d. 2007)
• 1975 – Scott Chipperfield, Australian footballer
• 1975 – Tiger Woods, American golfer
• 1976 – Kastro, American rapper (Outlawz)
• 1976 – Hadi Soua'an Al-Somaily, Saudi Arabian hurdler
• 1976 – Ashley Callie, South African actress (d. 2008)
• 1976 – Patrick Kerney, American football player
• 1976 – A. J. Pierzynski, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1977 – Laila Ali, American boxer and actress
• 1977 – Glory Alozie, Nigerian-Spanish sprinter and hurdler
• 1977 – Grant Balfour, Australian baseball player
• 1977 – Saša Ilić, Serbian footballer
• 1977 – Scott Lucas, Australian footballer and coach
• 1977 – Kenyon Martin, American basketball player
• 1977 – Kemal Muslubaş, Turkish sailor
• 1977 – Kazuyuki Toda, Japanese footballer
• 1977 – Lucy Punch, English actress and singer
• 1978 – Devin Brown, American basketball player
• 1978 – Tyrese Gibson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1978 – Phillips Idowu, English triple jumper
• 1978 – Zbigniew Robert Promiński, Polish drummer (Behemoth, Azarath, and Witchmaster)
• 1978 – Rob Scuderi, American ice hockey player
• 1979 – Yelawolf, American rapper
• 1979 – Flávio Amado, Angolan footballer and coach
• 1979 – Tommy Clufetos, American drummer
• 1979 – Michael Grimm, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Eliza Dushku, American actress and producer
• 1980 – Kenny Kwan, Filipino-Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor (Boy'z)
• 1980 – D. J. Mbenga, Congolese-Belgian basketball player
• 1980 – Alison McGovern, English politician
• 1981 – K.Will, South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
• 1981 – Ali Al-Habsi, Omani footballer
• 1981 – Haley Paige, Mexican-American porn actress and director (d. 2007)
• 1981 – Michael Rodríguez, Costa Rican footballer
• 1981 – Reef the Lost Cauze, American rapper (JuJu Mob and Army of the Pharaohs)
• 1981 – Matt Ulrich, American football player
• 1982 – Cherry Lou, Filipino actress
• 1982 – Kristin Kreuk, Canadian actress and producer
• 1982 – Tobias Kurbjuweit, German footballer
• 1982 – Dawan Landry, American football player
• 1982 – Dathan Ritzenhein, American runner
• 1983 – Davide Mandorlini, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Josh Sussman, American actor
• 1983 – Nick Symmonds, American runner
• 1983 – Kevin Systrom, American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Instagram
• 1984 – Randall Azofeifa, Costa Rican footballer
• 1984 – LeBron James, American basketball player and actor
• 1985 – Lars Boom, Dutch cyclist
• 1985 – Bryson Goodwin, Australian rugby player
• 1986 – Domenico Criscito, Italian footballer
• 1986 – Ellie Goulding, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1986 – Caity Lotz, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1986 – Faye Marsay, English actress
• 1986 – Gianni Zuiverloon, Dutch footballer
• 1987 – Jake Cuenca, American-Filipino actor and footballer
• 1988 – Leon Jackson, Scottish singer
• 1988 – Kirsty-Leigh Porter, English actress
• 1989 – Natalie Korneitsik, Estonian model and actress, Miss Estonia 2012
• 1989 – Ryan Sheckler, American skateboarder and actor
• 1989 – Kateřina Vaňková, Czech tennis player
• 1990 – Joe Root, English cricketer
• 1992 – Seo Yuna, South Korean singer and actress (AOA)
• 1992 – Ryan Tunnicliffe, English footballer
• 1993 – Peter Brant II, American model

Deaths

• 274 – Pope Felix I
• 1460 – Edmund, Earl of Rutland, Irish politician, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (b. 1443)
• 1460 – Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (b. 1411)
• 1525 – Jakob Fugger, German banker and businessman (b. 1459)
• 1572 – Galeazzo Alessi, Italian architect, designed the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (b. 1512)
• 1573 – Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Italian author and poet (b. 1504)
• 1591 – Pope Innocent IX (b. 1519)
• 1621 – Job of Manyava, Ukrainian monk and saint (b. 1550)
• 1640 – John Francis Regis, French priest and saint (b. 1597)
• 1644 – Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist, physiologist, and physician (b. 1577)
• 1662 – Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria (b. 1628)
• 1768 – Ruth Blay, American criminal (b. 1737)
• 1769 – Nicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, Irish-Austrian soldier and courtier (b. 1685)
• 1777 – Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1727)
• 1788 – Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian painter and academic (b. 1702)
• 1803 – Francis Lewis, Welsh-American merchant and politician (b. 1713)
• 1867 – Sarah Booth, English actress (b. 1793)
• 1879 – Manuel de Araújo Porto-Alegre, Baron of Santo Ângelo, Brazilian poet and painter (b. 1806)
• 1896 – José Rizal, Filipino ophthalmologist, journalist, and author (b. 1861)
• 1908 – Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1844)
• 1916 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic (b. 1869)
• 1928 – Jean Collas, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (b. 1874)
• 1937 – Hans Niels Andersen, Danish businessman, founded the East Asiatic Company (b. 1852)
• 1940 – Childe Wills, American engineer (b. 1878)
• 1941 – El Lissitzky, Russian photographer and architect (b. 1890)
• 1944 – Romain Rolland, French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
• 1945 – Song Jin-woo, South Korean journalist and politician (b. 1889)
• 1947 – Han van Meegeren, Dutch painter (b. 1889)
• 1947 – Alfred North Whitehead, English-American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1861)
• 1954 – Archduke Eugen of Austria (b. 1863)
• 1955 – Rex Ingamells, Australian poet and author (b. 1913)
• 1967 – Vincent Massey, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor General of Canada (b. 1887)
• 1968 – Trygve Lie, Norwegian journalist and politician, 1st Secretary-General of the United Nations (b. 1896)
• 1970 – Angelos Evert, Greek police officer (b. 1894)
• 1970 – Sonny Liston, American boxer (b. 1932)
• 1971 – Jo Cals, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1914)
• 1971 – Melba Rae, American actress (b. 1922)
• 1971 – Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1919)
• 1979 – Richard Rodgers, American playwright and composer (b. 1902)
• 1981 – Alfie Anido, Filipino actor (b. 1959)
• 1982 – Alberto Vargas, Peruvian-American painter and illustrator (b. 1896)
• 1983 – Violette Cordery, English race car driver (b. 1900)
• 1984 – Massa, Ghanaian-American gorilla (b. 1930)
• 1986 – Era Bell Thompson, American journalist (b. 1905)
• 1988 – Yuli Daniel, Russian author and poet (b. 1925)
• 1988 – Isamu Noguchi, American sculptor and landscaper (b. 1904)
• 1989 – Leonore Lemmon, American girlfriend of George Reeves (b. 1923)
• 1990 – Raghuvir Sahay, Indian author, poet, and critic (b. 1929)
• 1992 – Romeo Muller, American screenwriter and actor (b. 1928)
• 1993 – İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil, Turkish lawyer and politician, 20th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1908)
• 1993 – Mack David, American songwriter (b. 1912)
• 1993 – Irving Paul Lazar, American talent agent (b. 1907)
• 1993 – Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian-French physicist and academic (b. 1907)
• 1994 – Dmitri Ivanenko, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (b. 1904)
• 1994 – Maureen Starkey Tigrett, English-American hairdresser (b. 1946)
• 1995 – Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1914)
• 1995 – Doris Grau, American actress and script supervisor (b. 1924)
• 1996 – Lew Ayres, American actor and singer (b. 1908)
• 1996 – Jack Nance, American actor (b. 1943)
• 1997 – Shinichi Hoshi, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1926)
• 1998 – Johnny Moore, American singer (The Drifters) (b. 1934)
• 1998 – Sam Muchnick, American wrestling promoter, co-founded the National Wrestling Alliance (b. 1905)
• 1998 – George Webb, English actor (b. 1911)
• 1999 – Sarah Knauss, American super-centenarian (b. 1880)
• 1999 – Fritz Leonhardt, German engineer, co-designed the Cologne Rodenkirchen Bridge and Fernsehturm Stuttgart (b. 1909)
• 2000 – Julius J. Epstein, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1909)
• 2002 – Mary Brian, American actress (b. 1906)
• 2002 – Eleanor J. Gibson, American psychologist and academic (b. 1910)
• 2002 – Mary Wesley, American-English author (b. 1912)
• 2003 – David Bale, South African–American businessman and activist (b. 1941)
• 2003 – John Gregory Dunne, American author and screenwriter (b. 1932)
• 2003 – Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer and actress (b. 1963)
• 2004 – Rıza Maksut İşman, Turkish runner (b. 1915)
• 2004 – Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1910)
• 2005 – Eddie Barlow, South African cricketer and coach (b. 1940)
• 2005 – Rona Jaffe, American-English author (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Saddam Hussein, Iraqi general and politician, 5th President of Iraq (b. 1937)
• 2006 – Terry Peck, Falkland Islander police officer and spy (b. 1938)
• 2006 – Michel Plasse, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1948)
• 2009 – Vishnuvardhan, Indian actor (b. 1950)
• 2009 – Rowland S. Howard, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Birthday Party and These Immortal Souls) (b. 1959)
• 2009 – Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesian journalist and politician, 4th President of Indonesia (b. 1940)
• 2010 – Bobby Farrell, Aruban-Dutch singer and dancer (Boney M.) (b. 1949)
• 2011 – Ronald Searle, English-French cartoonist (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Philip Coppens, Belgian-American journalist and author (b. 1971)
• 2012 – Beate Sirota Gordon, Austrian-American director and producer (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1909)
• 2012 – Gloria Pall, American model and actress (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Carl Woese, American microbiologist and biophysicist (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Martin Berkofsky, American pianist (b. 1943)
• 2013 – Kinnaird R. McKee, American admiral (b. 1929)
• 2013 – José María Maguregui, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1934)
• 2013 – Eiichi Ohtaki, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer (Happy End) (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Johnny Orr, American basketball player and coach (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Terry Becker, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Yolande Donlan, American-English actress (b. 1920)
• 2014 – Jim Galloway, Scottish-Canadian clarinet player and saxophonist (b. 1936)
• 2014 – Luise Rainer, German-English actress (b. 1910)
• 2014 – B. G. Verghese, Burmese-Indian journalist and author (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Doug Atkins, American football player (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Howard Davis, Jr., American boxer and trainer (b. 1956)
• 2015 – Mangesh Padgaonkar, Indian poet, playwright, and translator (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Howard Pawley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Anysia of Salonika
  • Egwin of Evesham
  • Liberius of Ravenna
  • Pope Felix I
  • Ralph of Vaucelles
  • Roger of Cannae
  • Frances Joseph-Gaudet (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • December 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Day of the Declaration of Slovakia as an Independent Ecclesiastic Province (Slovakia)
• Freedom Day (Church of Scientology)
• Rizal Day (Philippines)
• The sixth of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity)
• The fifth day of Kwanzaa (United States)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada