text:
December 4

Pre-1600

 * 771 – Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom.
 * 963 – The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated on 6 December after ordination.
 * 1110 – An army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem and Sigurd the Crusader of Norway captures Sidon at the end of the First Crusade.
 * 1259 – Kings Louis IX of France and Henry III of England agree to the Treaty of Paris, in which Henry renounces his claims to French-controlled territory on continental Europe (including Normandy) in exchange for Louis withdrawing his support for English rebels.
 * 1563 – The final session of the Council of Trent is held nearly 18 years after the body held its first session on December 13, 1545.

1601–1900

 * 1619 – Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia. The group's charter proclaims that the day "be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."
 * 1623 – 50 Christians are executed in Edo, Japan, during the Great Martyrdom of Edo.
 * 1676 – The Battle of Lund, becomes the bloodiest battle in Scandinavian history.
 * 1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the Second Jacobite Rising.
 * 1783 – At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
 * 1786 – Mission Santa Barbara is dedicated (on the feast day of Saint Barbara).
 * 1791 – The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published.
 * 1804 – The United States House of Representatives adopts articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.
 * 1829 – In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets suttee in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide.
 * 1861 – The 109 Electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.
 * 1864 – American Civil War: In the Battle of Waynesboro, Georgia, Union cavalry forces defeated Confederate cavalry, opening the way for Sherman's army to approach the coast.
 * 1865 – North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed soon by Georgia, and U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.
 * 1867 – Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).
 * 1872 – The American brigantine Mary Celeste is discovered drifting in the Atlantic. Her crew is never found.
 * 1875 – Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison; he is later recaptured in Spain.
 * 1881 – The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
 * 1893 – First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.

1901–present

 * 1906 – Alpha Phi Alpha the first intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity for African-Americans was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
 * 1909 – In Canadian football, the First Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26–6.
 * 1909  – The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.
 * 1917 – The Finnish Senate submits to the Parliament of Finland a proposal for the form of government of the Republic of Finland and issued a communication to Parliament declaring the independence of Finland.
 * 1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.
 * 1919 – Ukrainian War of Independence: The Polonsky conspiracy is initiated, with an attempt to assassinate the high command of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.
 * 1928 – Cosmo Gordon Lang was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the first bachelor to be appointed in 150 years.
 * 1939 – World War II: HMS Nelson (28) is struck by a mine (laid by GS U-31 (1936)) off the Scottish coast and is laid up for repairs until August 1940.
 * 1942 – World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal Campaign ends.
 * 1943 – World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.
 * 1943  – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment in the United States.
 * 1945 – By a vote of 65–7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations. (The UN had been established on October 24, 1945.)
 * 1948 – Chinese Civil War: The SS Kiangya, carrying Nationalist refugees from Shanghai, explodes in the Huangpu River.
 * 1949 – Sir Duncan George Stewart, governor of the Crown Colony of Sarawak, was fatally stabbed by a member of the Rukun 13.
 * 1950 – Korean War: Jesse L. Brown (the 1st African-American Naval aviator) is killed in action during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
 * 1950 – Korean War: Associated Press photographer Max Desfor photographs hundreds of Korean refugees crossing a downed bridge in the Taedong River: 1951 Pulitzer Prize winner Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea.
 * 1956 – The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time.
 * 1964 – Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents' decision to forbid protests on UC property.
 * 1965 – Launch of Gemini 7 with crew members Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. The Gemini 7 spacecraft was the passive target for the first crewed space rendezvous performed by the crew of Gemini 6A.
 * 1969 – Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
 * 1971  – The PNS Ghazi, a Pakistan Navy submarine, sinks during the course of the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971.
 * 1971  – During a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the Montreux Casino, an audience member fires a flare gun into the ceiling, causing a fire that destroys the venue.
 * 1974 – Martinair Flight 138 crashes into the Saptha Kanya mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka, killing 191.
 * 1977 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire.
 * 1977  – Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjong Kupang, Johor, killing 100.
 * 1978 – Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor.
 * 1979 – The Hastie fire in Hull kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee.
 * 1981 – South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland" (not recognized by any government outside South Africa).
 * 1982 – The People's Republic of China adopts its current constitution.
 * 1983 – US Navy aircraft from USS John F. Kennedy and USS Independence attack Syrian missile sites in Lebanon in response to an F-14 being fired on by an SA-7. One A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair are shot down. One American pilot is killed, one is rescued, and one is captured.
 * 1984 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers kill 107–150 civilians in Mannar.
 * 1986 – The MV Amazon Venture oil tanker begins leaking oil while at the port of Savannah in the United States, resulting in an oil spill of approximately 500,000 gal.
 * 1991 – Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut; he is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.
 * 1991  – Pan American World Airways ceases its operations after 64 years.
 * 1992 – Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.
 * 1998 – The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, is launched.
 * 2005 – Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
 * 2006 – Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana.
 * 2014 – Islamic insurgents kill three state police at a traffic circle before taking an empty school and a "press house" in Grozny. Ten state forces die with 28 injured in gun battles ending with ten insurgents killed.
 * 2015 – A firebomb is thrown into a restaurant in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing 17 people.
 * 2017 – The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually became the largest wildfire in modern California history to date after burning 440 sqmi in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
 * 2021 – Semeru on the Indonesian island of Java erupts, killing at least 68 people.

Pre-1600

 * AD 34 – Persius, Roman poet (d. 62)
 * 846 – Hasan al-Askari 11th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam (d. 874)
 * 1428 – Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe (d. 1511)
 * 1506 – Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche (d. 1558)
 * 1555 – Heinrich Meibom, German poet and historian (d. 1625)
 * 1575 – Sister Virginia Maria, Italian nun (d. 1650)
 * 1580 – Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (d. 1626)
 * 1585 – John Cotton, English-American minister and theologian (d. 1652)
 * 1595 – Jean Chapelain, French poet and critic (d. 1674)

1601–1900

 * 1647 – Daniel Eberlin, German composer (d. 1715)
 * 1660 – André Campra, French composer and conductor (d. 1744)
 * 1667 – Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, French composer and educator (d. 1737)
 * 1670 – John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1742)
 * 1713 – Gasparo Gozzi, Italian playwright and critic (d. 1786)
 * 1727 – Johann Gottfried Zinn, German anatomist and botanist (d. 1759)
 * 1777 – Juliette Récamier, French businesswoman (d. 1849)
 * 1795 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish-English historian, philosopher, and academic (d. 1881)
 * 1798 – Jules Armand Dufaure, French lawyer and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France (d. 1881)
 * 1817 – Nikoloz Baratashvili, Georgian poet and author (d. 1845)
 * 1835 – Samuel Butler, English author and critic (d. 1902)
 * 1844 – Franz Xavier Wernz, German religious leader, 25th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1914)
 * 1861 – Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic poet and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1922)
 * 1865 – Edith Cavell, English nurse, humanitarian, and saint (Anglicanism) (d. 1915)
 * 1867 – Stanley Argyle, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Victoria (d. 1940)
 * 1868 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1953)
 * 1875 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (d. 1964)
 * 1875  – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and coach (d. 1945)
 * 1875  – Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian-Swiss poet and author (d. 1926)
 * 1881 – Erwin von Witzleben, Polish-German field marshal (d. 1944)
 * 1882 – Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (d. 1963)
 * 1883 – Katharine Susannah Prichard, Australian author and playwright (d. 1969)
 * 1884 – R. C. Majumdar, Indian historian (d. 1980)
 * 1887 – Winifred Carney, Irish suffragist, trade unionist, and Irish republican (d. 1943)
 * 1892 – Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1975)
 * 1892  – Liu Bocheng, Chinese commander and politician (d. 1986)
 * 1893 – Herbert Read, English poet and critic (d. 1968)
 * 1895 – Feng Youlan, Chinese philosopher and academic (d. 1990)
 * 1897 – Robert Redfield, American anthropologist of Mexico (d. 1958)
 * 1899 – Karl-Günther Heimsoth, German physician and politician (d. 1934)
 * 1899  – Charlie Spencer, English footballer and manager (d. 1953)

1901–present

 * 1903 – Cornell Woolrich, American author (d. 1968)
 * 1904 – Albert Norden, German journalist and politician (d. 1982)
 * 1908 – Alfred Hershey, American bacteriologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
 * 1910 – Alex North, American composer and conductor (d. 1991)
 * 1910  – R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (d. 2009)
 * 1912 – Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1988)
 * 1913 – Mark Robson, Canadian-American director and producer (d. 1978)
 * 1914 – Rudolf Hausner, Austrian painter and sculptor (d. 1995)
 * 1914  – Claude Renoir, French cinematographer (d. 1993)
 * 1915 – Eddie Heywood, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
 * 1916 – Ely Jacques Kahn Jr., American journalist and author (d. 1994)
 * 1919 – I. K. Gujral, Indian poet and politician, 12th Prime Minister of India (d. 2012)
 * 1920 – Nadir Afonso, Portuguese painter and architect (d. 2013)
 * 1920  – Michael Bates, English actor (d. 1978)
 * 1920  – Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (d. 2013)
 * 1921 – Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress and singer (d. 2013)
 * 1923 – Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier (d. 2014)
 * 1923  – Eagle Keys, American-Canadian football player and coach (d. 2012)
 * 1923  – John Krish, English director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
 * 1924 – John C. Portman Jr., American architect, designed the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square (d. 2017)
 * 1925 – Albert Bandura, Canadian-American psychologist and academic (d. 2021)
 * 1926 – Ned Romero, American actor and opera singer (d. 2017)
 * 1929 – Şakir Eczacıbaşı, Turkish pharmacist, photographer, and businessman (d. 2010)
 * 1930 – Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor and screenwriter (d. 2016)
 * 1930  – Jim Hall, American guitarist and composer (d. 2013)
 * 1931 – Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
 * 1931  – Wally George, American radio and television host (d. 2003)
 * 1932 – Roh Tae-woo, South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea (d. 2021)
 * 1933 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (d. 2003)
 * 1933  – Wink Martindale, American game show host and producer
 * 1933  – Dick Ricketts, American baseball and basketball player (d. 1988)
 * 1934 – Bill Collins, Australian film critic and author (d. 2019)
 * 1934  – Victor French, American actor and director (d. 1989)
 * 1935 – Paul O'Neill, American businessman and politician, 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 2020)
 * 1936 – Freddy Cannon, American singer and guitarist
 * 1936  – John Giorno, American poet and performance artist (d. 2019)
 * 1937 – Max Baer Jr., American actor, director, and producer
 * 1938 – Andre Marrou, American lawyer and politician
 * 1938  – Yvonne Minton, Australian-English soprano and actress
 * 1939 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (d. 2016)
 * 1939  – Joan Brady, American-British author (d. 2024)
 * 1940 – Gerd Achterberg, German footballer and manager
 * 1940  – Gary Gilmore, American murderer (d. 1977)
 * 1941 – Marty Riessen, American tennis player and coach
 * 1942 – Bob Mosley, American singer-songwriter and bass player
 * 1944 – Chris Hillman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1944  – Anna McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter
 * 1944  – François Migault, French race car driver (d. 2012)
 * 1944  – Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer (d. 1983)
 * 1945 – Roberta Bondar, Canadian neurologist, academic, and astronaut
 * 1946 – Karina, Spanish singer/actress
 * 1947 – Jane Lubchenco, American ecologist, academic, and diplomat
 * 1948 – Southside Johnny, American singer-songwriter
 * 1949 – Jeff Bridges, American actor
 * 1949  – Jock Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, English air marshal and politician
 * 1950 – Bjørn Kjellemyr, Norwegian bassist and composer
 * 1951 – Gary Rossington, American guitarist (d. 2023)
 * 1951  – Patricia Wettig, American actress and playwright
 * 1953 – Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
 * 1953  – Jean-Marie Pfaff, Belgian footballer and manager
 * 1954 – Tony Todd, American actor
 * 1955 – Philip Hammond, English businessman and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
 * 1955  – Dave Taylor, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
 * 1955  – Cassandra Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
 * 1956 – Nia Griffith, Welsh educator and politician, former Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
 * 1956  – Bernard King, American basketball player and sportscaster
 * 1957 – Raul Boesel, Brazilian race car driver and radio host
 * 1957  – Eric S. Raymond, American computer programmer and author
 * 1957  – Lee Smith, American baseball player
 * 1958 – Sergei Starikov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
 * 1960 – David Green, Nicaraguan-American baseball player
 * 1960  – Glynis Nunn, Australian heptathlete and hurler
 * 1961 – Frank Reich, American football player and coach
 * 1961  – Naomi Robson, American-Australian television host
 * 1962 – Vinnie Dombroski, American singer-songwriter and musician
 * 1962  – Gary Freeman, New Zealand rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
 * 1962  – Nixon Kiprotich, Kenyan runner
 * 1962  – Kevin Richardson, English footballer and manager
 * 1963 – Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter
 * 1963  – Nigel Heslop, English rugby player
 * 1964 – Scott Hastings, Scottish rugby player and sportscaster
 * 1964  – Chelsea Noble, American actress
 * 1964  – Marisa Tomei, American actress
 * 1965 – Álex de la Iglesia, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1965  – Shaun Hollamby, English race car driver and businessman
 * 1965  – Ulf Kirsten, German footballer and manager
 * 1966 – Fred Armisen, American actor and musician
 * 1966  – Andy Hess, American bass player
 * 1966  – Suzanne Malveaux, American journalist
 * 1966  – Suzette M. Malveaux, American lawyer and academic
 * 1967 – Guillermo Amor, Spanish footballer and manager
 * 1968 – Tahir Dawar, Pakistani police officer and Pashto poet (d. 2018)
 * 1969 – Dionne Farris, American singer-songwriter, producer and actress
 * 1969  – Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, and actor, co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records
 * 1969  – Plum Sykes, English journalist and author
 * 1970 – Kevin Sussman, American actor and comedian
 * 1971 – Shannon Briggs, American boxer and actor
 * 1972 – Jassen Cullimore, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1972  – Yūko Miyamura, Japanese voice actress and singer
 * 1973 – Tyra Banks, American model, actress, and producer
 * 1973  – Frank Boeijen, Dutch keyboard player
 * 1973  – Mina Caputo, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
 * 1973  – Michael Jackson, English footballer and manager
 * 1973  – Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league player
 * 1973  – Kate Rusby, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1973  – Corliss Williamson, American basketball player and coach
 * 1974 – Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player
 * 1976 – Kristina Groves, Canadian speed skater
 * 1976  – Betty Lennox, American basketball player
 * 1977 – Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricketer
 * 1977  – Darvis Patton, American sprinter
 * 1977  – Morten Veland, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
 * 1978 – Jaclyn Victor, Malaysian singer and actress
 * 1979 – Ysabella Brave, American singer-songwriter
 * 1979  – Jay DeMerit, American soccer player
 * 1980 – Brian Cook, American basketball player
 * 1980  – Viktor, Canadian wrestler and manager
 * 1981 – Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist
 * 1982 – Nathan Douglas, English triple jumper
 * 1982  – Waldo Ponce, Chilean footballer
 * 1982  – Ho-Pin Tung, Dutch-Chinese race car driver
 * 1982  – Nick Vujicic, Australian evangelist
 * 1983 – Jimmy Bartel, Australian footballer
 * 1983  – Chinx, American rapper (d. 2015)
 * 1984 – Lindsay Felton, American actress
 * 1984  – Marco Giambruno, Italian footballer
 * 1984  – Anna Petrakova, Russian basketball player
 * 1984  – Joe Thomas, American football player
 * 1985 – Andrew Brackman, American baseball player
 * 1985  – Stephen Dawson, Irish footballer
 * 1985  – Carlos Gómez, Dominican baseball player
 * 1986 – Kaija Udras, Estonian skier
 * 1986  – Martell Webster, American basketball player
 * 1987 – Orlando Brown, American actor and rapper
 * 1988 – Yeng Constantino, Filipina singer and songwriter
 * 1988  – Andriy Pylyavskyi, Ukrainian footballer
 * 1990 – Lukman Haruna, Nigerian footballer
 * 1990  – Blake Leary, Australian rugby league player
 * 1990  – Igor Sjunin, Estonian triple jumper
 * 1991 – Duje Dukan, Croatian basketball player
 * 1991  – André Roberson, American basketball player
 * 1991  – Reality Winner, American intelligence specialist convicted of espionage
 * 1992 – Peta Hiku, New Zealand rugby league player
 * 1992  – Jean-Claude Iranzi, Rwandan footballer
 * 1992  – Jin, South Korean singer, songwriter and actor
 * 1992  – Joe Musgrove, American baseball player
 * 1992  – Blake Snell, American baseball player
 * 1994 – Gabriel Lundberg, Danish basketball player
 * 1996 – Ivan Belikov, Russian footballer
 * 1996  – Diogo Jota, Portuguese footballer
 * 1996  – Sebastián Vegas, Chilean footballer
 * 1999 – Kim Do-yeon, South Korean singer and actress

Pre-1600

 * 530 BC – Cyrus the Great, king of Persia (b. 600 BC)
 * 749 – John of Damascus, Syrian priest and saint (b. 676)
 * 771 – Carloman I, Frankish king (b. 751)
 * 870 – Suairlech ind Eidnén mac Ciaráin, Irish bishop
 * 1075 – Anno II, German archbishop and saint (b. 1010)
 * 1131 – Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1048)
 * 1214 – William the Lion, Scottish king (b. 1143)
 * 1260 – Aymer de Valence, Bishop of Winchester (b. 1222)
 * 1270 – Theobald II of Navarre (b. 1238)
 * 1334 – Pope John XXII (b. 1249)
 * 1340 – Henry Burghersh, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1292)
 * 1341 – Janisław I, Archbishop of Gniezno
 * 1408 – Valentina Visconti, wife of Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans
 * 1456 – Charles I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1401)
 * 1459 – Adolphus VIII, Count of Holstein (b. 1401)
 * 1576 – Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian-Slovak mathematician and cartographer (b. 1514)
 * 1585 – John Willock, Scottish minister and reformer (b. 1515)

1601–1900

 * 1603 – Maerten de Vos, Flemish painter and draughtsman (b. 1532)
 * 1609 – Alexander Hume, Scottish poet (b. 1560)
 * 1637 – Nicholas Ferrar, English trader (b. 1592)
 * 1642 – Cardinal Richelieu, French cardinal and politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch (b. 1585)
 * 1649 – William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet (b. 1585)
 * 1679 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and theorist (b. 1588)
 * 1680 – Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (b. 1616)
 * 1696 – Empress Meishō of Japan (b. 1624)
 * 1732 – John Gay, English poet and playwright (b. 1685)
 * 1798 – Luigi Galvani, Italian physician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1737)
 * 1828 – Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1770)
 * 1839 – John Leamy, Irish–American merchant (b. 1757)
 * 1841 – David Daniel Davis, Welsh-English physician and academic (b. 1777)
 * 1845 – Gregor MacGregor, Scottish soldier and explorer (b. 1786)
 * 1850 – William Sturgeon, English physicist, invented the electric motor (b. 1783)
 * 1893 – John Tyndall, Irish-English physicist and chemist (b. 1820)
 * 1897 – Griffith Rhys Jones, Welsh conductor (b. 1834)

1901–present

 * 1902 – Charles Dow, American journalist and publisher, co-founded the Dow Jones & Company (b. 1851)
 * 1926 – Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (b. 1861)
 * 1933 – Stefan George, German-Swiss poet and translator (b. 1868)
 * 1935 – Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1864)
 * 1935  – Charles Richet, French physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)
 * 1938 – Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (b. 1903)
 * 1942 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, 3rd Head of State of Estonia (b. 1885)
 * 1942  – Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (b. 1883)
 * 1944 – Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player and manager (b. 1879)
 * 1945 – Thomas Hunt Morgan, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
 * 1945  – Richárd Weisz, Hungarian Olympic champion wrestler (b. 1879)
 * 1948 – Frank Benford, American physicist and engineer (b. 1883)
 * 1950 – Jesse L. Brown, 1st African-American Naval aviator (b. 1926)
 * 1954 – George Shepherd, 1st Baron Shepherd (b. 1881)
 * 1955 – József Galamb, Hungarian-American engineer (b. 1881)
 * 1963 – Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (b. 1882)
 * 1967 – Bert Lahr, American actor (b. 1895)
 * 1969 – Fred Hampton, American Black Panthers activist (b. 1948)
 * 1971 – Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator, founded the San Francisco Zen Center (b. 1904)
 * 1975 – Hannah Arendt, German-American historian, theorist, and academic (b. 1906)
 * 1976 – Tommy Bolin, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1951)
 * 1976  – Benjamin Britten, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1913)
 * 1976  – W. F. McCoy, Irish soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1886)
 * 1980 – Francisco de Sá Carneiro, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1934)
 * 1980  – Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-American runner (b. 1911)
 * 1980  – Don Warrington, Canadian football player (b. 1948)
 * 1981 – Jeanne Block, American psychologist (b. 1923)
 * 1984 – Jack Mercer, American animator, screenwriter, voice actor, and singer (b. 1910)
 * 1987 – Arnold Lobel, American author and illustrator (b. 1933)
 * 1987  – Rouben Mamoulian, Georgian-American director and screenwriter (b. 1897)
 * 1988 – Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic (b. 1899)
 * 1992 – Henry Clausen, American lawyer and author (b. 1905)
 * 1993 – Margaret Landon, American missionary and author (b. 1903)
 * 1993  – Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1940)
 * 1999 – Rose Bird, American academic and judge, 25th Chief Justice of California (b. 1936)
 * 2000 – Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname (b. 1936)
 * 2003 – Iggy Katona, American race car driver (b. 1916)
 * 2004 – Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano and actress (b. 1943)
 * 2005 – Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand soldier and author (b. 1924)
 * 2005  – Gregg Hoffman, American film producer (b. 1963)
 * 2006 – K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (b. 1938)
 * 2006  – Ross A. McGinnis, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1987)
 * 2007 – Pimp C, American rapper (b. 1973)
 * 2009 – Liam Clancy, Irish singer, actor, and guitarist (b. 1935)
 * 2010 – King Curtis Iaukea, American wrestler (b. 1937)
 * 2011 – Sonia Pierre, Haitian-Dominican activist (b. 1965)
 * 2011  – Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1954)
 * 2011  – Hubert Sumlin, American singer and guitarist (b. 1931)
 * 2012 – Vasily Belov, Russian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1932)
 * 2012  – Jack Brooks, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1922)
 * 2012  – Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (b. 1971)
 * 2012  – Anthony Deane-Drummond, English general (b. 1917)
 * 2013 – Joana Raspall i Juanola, Spanish author and poet (b. 1913)
 * 2014 – Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (b. 1957)
 * 2014  – V. R. Krishna Iyer, Indian lawyer and judge (b. 1914)
 * 2014  – Vincent L. McKusick, American lawyer and judge (b. 1921)
 * 2014  – Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (b. 1929)
 * 2015 – Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (b. 1932)
 * 2015  – Robert Loggia, American actor and director (b. 1930)
 * 2015  – Yossi Sarid, Israeli journalist and politician, 15th Israeli Minister of Education (b. 1940)
 * 2016 – Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer (b. 1921)
 * 2017 – Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor (b. 1938)
 * 2022 – Bob McGrath, American singer and actor (b. 1932)
 * 2022  – Patrick Tambay, French race car driver (b. 1949)

Holidays and observances

 * Christian feast day:
 * Ada
 * Anno II
 * Barbara, and its related observances:
 * Barbórka, Miners' Day in Poland
 * Eid il-Burbara, a holiday similar to Halloween in honor of Saint Barbara. (Russia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey)
 * Bernardo degli Uberti
 * Clement of Alexandria (Anglicanism, Eastern Catholicism)
 * Giovanni Calabria
 * John of Damascus
 * Maruthas
 * Nicholas Ferrar (Anglicanism)
 * Osmund
 * Sigiramnus
 * December 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Navy Day (India)
 * Thai Environment Day (Thailand)
 * Tupou I Day (Tonga)

title: December 4


text:
December 3

Pre-1600

 * 915 – Pope John X crowns Berengar I of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor (probable date).

1601–1900

 * 1775 – American Revolutionary War: USS Alfred (1774) becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones.
 * 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Wiesloch: Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Anton Sztáray defeats the French at Wiesloch.
 * 1800 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden: French General Jean Victor Marie Moreau decisively defeats the Archduke John of Austria near Munich. Coupled with First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte's earlier victory at Marengo, this will force the Austrians to sign an armistice and end the war.
 * 1800  – United States presidential election: The Electoral College casts votes for president and vice president that result in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
 * 1818 – Illinois becomes the 21st U.S. state.
 * 1834 – The Zollverein (German Customs Union) begins the first regular census in Germany.
 * 1854 – Battle of the Eureka Stockade: More than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences.
 * 1859 – Nigeria's first newspaper, missionary Henry Townsend's Iwe Irohin, was published.
 * 1881 – The first issue of Tamperean daily newspaper Aamulehti ("Morning Paper") is published.
 * 1898 – The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeats an all-star collection of early football players 16–0, in what is considered to be the first all-star game for professional American football.

1901–present

 * 1901 – In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt delivers a 20,000-word report to the House of Representatives asking Congress to curb the power of trusts "within reasonable limits". The speech was not delivered in person.
 * 1904 – The Jovian moon Himalia is discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at California's Lick Observatory.
 * 1910 – Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
 * 1912 – Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia (the Balkan League) sign an armistice with the Ottoman Empire, temporarily halting the First Balkan War. (The armistice will expire on February 3, 1913, and hostilities will resume.)
 * 1919 – After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, including two collapses causing 89 deaths, the Quebec Bridge opens to traffic.
 * 1920 – Following more than a month of Turkish–Armenian War, the Turkish-dictated Treaty of Alexandropol is concluded.
 * 1925 – Final agreement is signed between the Irish Free State, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom formalizing the Partition of Ireland.
 * 1929 – President Herbert Hoover delivers his first State of the Union message to Congress. It is presented in the form of a written message rather than a speech.
 * 1938 – Nazi Germany issues the Decree on the Utilization of Jewish Property forcing Jews to sell real property, businesses, and stocks at below market value as part of Aryanization.
 * 1944 – Greek Civil War: Fighting breaks out in Athens between the ELAS and government forces supported by the British Army.
 * 1959 – The current flag of Singapore is adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire.
 * 1960 – The musical Camelot debuts at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. It will become associated with the Kennedy administration.
 * 1965 – Soviet Union, Space probe of the Luna program, called Luna 8, is launched, but crashes on the Moon.
 * 1967 – At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a transplant team headed by Christiaan Barnard carries out the first heart transplant on a human (53-year-old Louis Washkansky).
 * 1971 – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Pakistan launches a pre-emptive strike against India and a full-scale war begins.
 * 1972 – Spantax Flight 275 crashes during takeoff from Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport, killing all 155 people on board.
 * 1973 – Pioneer program: Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter.
 * 1979 – In Cincinnati, 11 fans are suffocated in a crush for seats on the concourse outside Riverfront Coliseum before a Who concert.
 * 1979  – Iranian Revolution: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini becomes the first Supreme Leader of Iran.
 * 1982 – A soil sample is taken from Times Beach, Missouri, that will be found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin.
 * 1984 – Bhopal disaster: A methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, kills more than 3,800 people outright and injures 150,000–600,000 others (some 6,000 of whom later died from their injuries) in one of the worst industrial disasters in history.
 * 1989 – In a meeting off the coast of Malta, U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev release statements indicating that the Cold War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact may be coming to an end.
 * 1992 – The Greek oil tanker Aegean Sea, carrying 80,000 tonnes of crude oil, runs aground in a storm while approaching A Coruña, Spain, and spills much of its cargo.
 * 1992  – A test engineer for Sema Group uses a personal computer to send the world's first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague.
 * 1994 – Taiwan holds its first full local elections; James Soong elected as the first and only directly elected Governor of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian became the first directly elected Mayor of Taipei, Wu Den-yih became the first directly elected Mayor of Kaohsiung.
 * 1995 – Cameroon Airlines Flight 3701 crashes on approach to Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing 71 of the 76 people on board.
 * 1997 – In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign the Ottawa Treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines. The United States, People's Republic of China, and Russia do not sign the treaty, however.
 * 1999 – NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere.
 * 2005 – XCOR Aerospace makes the first crewed rocket aircraft delivery of U.S. Mail in Kern County, California.
 * 2007 – Winter storms cause the Chehalis River to flood many cities in Lewis County, Washington, and close a 20 mi portion of Interstate 5 for several days. At least eight deaths and billions of dollars in damages are blamed on the floods.
 * 2009 – A suicide bombing at a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, kills 25 people, including three ministers of the Transitional Federal Government.
 * 2012 – At least 475 people are killed after Typhoon Bopha makes landfall in the Philippines.
 * 2014 – The Japanese space agency, JAXA, launches the space explorer Hayabusa2 from the Tanegashima Space Center on a six-year round trip mission to an asteroid to collect rock samples.
 * 2021 – COVID-19 pandemic: New Zealand moves into COVID-19 Protection Framework (Traffic Light System), moving Auckland out of lockdown for fully vaccinated people.
 * 2022 – Massive power outage after Moore County substation attack, that leaves 45,000 people, without power, for five days, leading to a FBI probe.
 * 2023 – Mount Marapi located in West Sumatra, Indonesia begins a sporadic series of eruptions. 23 people were killed, and 12 were injured.

Pre-1600

 * 1368 – Charles VI of France (d. 1422)
 * 1447 – Bayezid II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1512)
 * 1483 – Nicolaus von Amsdorf, German theologian and Protestant reformer (d. 1565)
 * 1560 – Jan Gruter, Dutch scholar and critic (d. 1627)
 * 1590 – Daniel Seghers, Flemish Jesuit brother and painter (d. 1661)

1601–1900

 * 1616 – John Wallis, English mathematician and cryptographer (d. 1703)
 * 1684 – Ludvig Holberg, Norwegian historian and writer (d. 1754)
 * 1722 – Hryhorii Skovoroda, Ukrainian poet, composer, and philosopher (d. 1794)
 * 1729 – Antonio Soler, Spanish composer and theorist (d. 1783)
 * 1730 – Mahadaji Shinde, Maratha ruler of Gwalior (d. 1794)
 * 1755 – Gilbert Stuart, American painter (d. 1828)
 * 1793 – Clarkson Frederick Stanfield, English painter and academic (d. 1867)
 * 1800 – France Prešeren, Slovenian poet and lawyer (d. 1849)
 * 1810 – Louisa Susannah Cheves McCord, American author and political essayist (d. 1879)
 * 1826 – George B. McClellan, American general and politician, 24th Governor of New Jersey (d. 1885)
 * 1827 – Lombe Atthill, Northern Irish obstetrician and gynaecologist (d. 1910)
 * 1833 – Carlos Finlay, Cuban epidemiologist and physician (d. 1915)
 * 1838 – Cleveland Abbe, American meteorologist and academic (d. 1916)
 * 1838  – Octavia Hill, English activist and author (d. 1912)
 * 1838  – Princess Louise of Prussia (d. 1923)
 * 1842 – Phoebe Hearst, American philanthropist and activist (d. 1919)
 * 1842  – Charles Alfred Pillsbury, American businessman, founded the Pillsbury Company (d. 1899)
 * 1842  – Ellen Swallow Richards, American chemist, ecologist, and educator (d. 1911)
 * 1848 – William Shiels, Irish-Australian politician, 16th Premier of Victoria (d. 1904)
 * 1850 – Richard Butler, English-Australian politician, 23rd Premier of South Australia (d. 1925)
 * 1856 – George Leake, Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Western Australia (d. 1902)
 * 1857 – Joseph Conrad, Polish-born British novelist (d. 1924)
 * 1857  – Mathilde Kralik, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1944)
 * 1863 – Gussie Davis, African-American songwriter (d. 1899)
 * 1864 – Herman Heijermans, Dutch author and playwright (d. 1924)
 * 1867 – William John Bowser, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of British Columbia (d. 1933)
 * 1872 – Arthur Charles Hardy, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (d. 1962)
 * 1872  – William Haselden, English cartoonist (d. 1953)
 * 1875 – Max Meldrum, Scottish-Australian painter and educator (d. 1955)
 * 1878 – Francis A. Nixon, American businessman (d. 1956)
 * 1879 – Albert Asher, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1965)
 * 1879  – Charles Hutchison, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1949)
 * 1879  – Kafū Nagai, Japanese author and playwright (d. 1959)
 * 1879  – Donald Matheson Sutherland, Canadian physician and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 1970)
 * 1880 – Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (d. 1945)
 * 1883 – Anton Webern, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1945)
 * 1884 – Rajendra Prasad, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st President of India (d. 1963)
 * 1884  – Walther Stampfli, Swiss lawyer and politician, 50th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1965)
 * 1886 – Manne Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
 * 1887 – Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, Japanese general and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1990)
 * 1891 – Thomas Farrell, American general (d. 1967)
 * 1894 – Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian lawyer and politician (d. 1975)
 * 1895 – Anna Freud, Austrian-English psychologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1982)
 * 1895  – Sheng Shicai, Chinese warlord (d. 1970)
 * 1897 – William Gropper, American cartoonist and painter (d. 1977)
 * 1899 – Hayato Ikeda, Japanese politician, 58th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1965)
 * 1899  – Howard Kinsey, American tennis player (d. 1966)
 * 1900 – Bert Hawke, Australian politician, 18th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1986)
 * 1900  – Ulrich Inderbinen, Swiss mountaineer (d. 2004)
 * 1900  – Richard Kuhn, Austrian-German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)

1901–present

 * 1901 – Glenn Hartranft, American shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1970)
 * 1901  – Mildred Wiley, American high jumper (d. 2000)
 * 1902 – Mitsuo Fuchida, Japanese captain and pilot (d. 1976)
 * 1902  – Feliks Kibbermann, Estonian chess player and philologist (d. 1993)
 * 1904 – Edgar Moon, Australian tennis player (d. 1976)
 * 1905 – Les Ames, English cricketer (d. 1990)
 * 1907 – Connee Boswell, American jazz singer (d. 1976)
 * 1911 – Nino Rota, Italian pianist, composer, conductor, and academic (d. 1979)
 * 1914 – Irving Fine, American composer and academic (d. 1962)
 * 1918 – Abdul Haris Nasution, Indonesian general and politician, 12th Indonesian Minister of Defence (d. 2000)
 * 1919 – Charles Lynch, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1994)
 * 1921 – Phyllis Curtin, American soprano and academic (d. 2016)
 * 1921  – John Doar, American lawyer and activist (d. 2014)
 * 1922 – Len Lesser, American actor (d. 2011)
 * 1922  – Eli Mandel, Canadian poet, critic, and academic (d. 1992)
 * 1922  – Sven Nykvist, Swedish director and cinematographer (d. 2006)
 * 1923 – Trevor Bailey, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2011)
 * 1923  – Stjepan Bobek, Croatian-Serbian footballer and manager (d. 2010)
 * 1923  – Moyra Fraser, Australian-English actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2009)
 * 1924 – Wiel Coerver, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2011)
 * 1924  – F. Sionil José, Filipino journalist, writer and author (d. 2022)
 * 1924  – Roberto Mieres, Argentinian race car driver and sailor (d. 2012)
 * 1925 – Ferlin Husky, American country music singer (d. 2011)
 * 1927 – Andy Williams, American singer (d. 2012)
 * 1928 – Thomas M. Foglietta, American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (d. 2004)
 * 1928  – Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Indian-Bangladeshi jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (d. 2014)
 * 1929 – John S. Dunne, American priest and theologian (d. 2013)
 * 1930 – Jean-Luc Godard, French-Swiss director and screenwriter (d. 2022)
 * 1930  – Raul M. Gonzalez, Filipino lawyer and politician, 42nd Filipino Secretary of Justice (d. 2014)
 * 1930  – Yves Trudeau, Canadian sculptor (d. 2017)
 * 1931 – Franz Josef Degenhardt, German author and poet (d. 2011)
 * 1931  – Jaye P. Morgan, American singer and actress
 * 1932 – Takao Fujinami, Japanese lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
 * 1933 – Nicolas Coster, British-American actor (d. 2023)
 * 1933  – Paul J. Crutzen, Dutch chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2021)
 * 1934 – Viktor Gorbatko, Russian general, pilot and cosmonaut (d. 2017)
 * 1934  – Abimael Guzmán, Peruvian philosopher and academic (d. 2021)
 * 1935 – Eddie Bernice Johnson, American nurse and politician (d. 2023)
 * 1937 – Bobby Allison, American race car driver and businessman
 * 1937  – Morgan Llywelyn, American-Irish model and author
 * 1938 – Jean-Claude Malépart, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
 * 1938  – Sally Shlaer, American mathematician and engineer (d. 1998)
 * 1939 – John Paul Sr., Dutch-American race car driver
 * 1939  – David Phillips, English chemist and academic
 * 1940 – Jeffrey R. Holland, American academic and religious leader
 * 1942 – Mike Gibson, Northern Irish-Irish rugby player
 * 1942  – Pedro Rocha, Uruguayan footballer and manager (d. 2013)
 * 1942  – Alice Schwarzer, German journalist and publisher, founded EMMA Magazine
 * 1942  – David K. Shipler, American journalist and author
 * 1943 – Joseph Franklin Ada, American lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Guam
 * 1943  – J. Philippe Rushton, English-Canadian psychologist and academic (d. 2012)
 * 1944 – Ralph McTell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1944  – Craig Raine, English poet, author, and playwright
 * 1944  – António Variações, Portuguese musician (d. 1984)
 * 1948 – Jan Hrubý, Czech violinist and songwriter
 * 1948  – Maxwell Hutchinson, English architect and television host
 * 1948  – Ozzy Osbourne, English singer-songwriter
 * 1949 – Heather Menzies, Canadian-American actress (d. 2017)
 * 1949  – Mickey Thomas, American singer-songwriter
 * 1950 – Alberto Juantorena, Cuban runner
 * 1951 – Mike Bantom, American basketball player and coach
 * 1951  – Jim Brewer, American basketball player
 * 1951  – Ray Candy, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1994)
 * 1951  – Rick Mears, American race car driver
 * 1951  – Mike Stock, English songwriter, record producer, and musician
 * 1952 – Don Barnes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1952  – Benny Hinn, Israeli-American evangelist and author
 * 1952  – Duane Roland, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2006)
 * 1952  – Mel Smith, English comedian, actor, director, and producer (d. 2013)
 * 1953 – Franz Klammer, Austrian skier and race car driver
 * 1953  – Rob Waring, American-Norwegian vibraphonist and contemporary composer
 * 1954 – Grace Andreacchi, American-English author, poet, and playwright
 * 1955 – Steven Culp, American actor
 * 1956 – Émile Gros Raymond Nakombo, Central African politician, Mayor of Bangui
 * 1956 – Ewa Kopacz, Polish physician and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland
 * 1957 – Maxim Korobov, Russian businessman and politician
 * 1959 – Eamonn Holmes, Irish journalist and game show host
 * 1960 – Daryl Hannah, American actress and producer
 * 1960  – Igor Larionov, Russian ice hockey player
 * 1960  – Julianne Moore, American actress and author
 * 1960  – Mike Ramsey, American ice hockey player and coach
 * 1962 – Richard Bacon, English banker, journalist, and politician
 * 1962  – Nataliya Grygoryeva, Ukrainian hurdler
 * 1962  – Tammy Jackson, American basketball player
 * 1963 – Joe Lally, American singer-songwriter and bass player
 * 1963  – Terri Schiavo, American medical patient (d. 2005)
 * 1964 – Darryl Hamilton, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
 * 1965 – Andrew Stanton, American voice actor, director, producer, screenwriter
 * 1965  – Katarina Witt, German figure skater and actress
 * 1966 – Flemming Povlsen, Danish footballer and manager
 * 1966  – Irina Zhuk, Russian figure skater and coach
 * 1967 – Marie Françoise Ouedraogo, Burkinabé mathematician
 * 1968 – Brendan Fraser, American actor and producer
 * 1968  – Montell Jordan, American singer-songwriter and producer
 * 1969 – Bill Steer, English guitarist and songwriter
 * 1969  – Hal Steinbrenner, American businessman
 * 1970 – Paul Byrd, American baseball player
 * 1970  – Lindsey Hunter, American basketball player and coach
 * 1970  – Christian Karembeu, French footballer
 * 1970  – Laura Schuler, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
 * 1971 – Heiko Herrlich, German footballer and manager
 * 1971  – Frank Sinclair, English-Jamaican footballer and manager
 * 1971  – Henk Timmer, Dutch footballer and manager
 * 1971  – Vernon White, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
 * 1972 – Danilo Goffi, Italian runner
 * 1973 – Bruno Campos, Brazilian-American actor and lawyer
 * 1973  – Holly Marie Combs, American actress and producer
 * 1973  – MC Frontalot, American rapper
 * 1973  – Charl Willoughby, South African cricketer
 * 1974 – Lucette Rådström, Swedish journalist
 * 1976 – Mark Boucher, South African cricketer
 * 1976  – Gary Glover, American baseball player
 * 1976  – Cornelius Griffin, American football player
 * 1976  – Byron Kelleher, New Zealand rugby player
 * 1976  – Tomotaka Okamoto, Japanese soprano
 * 1977 – Chad Durbin, American baseball player
 * 1977  – Troy Evans, American football player
 * 1977  – Adam Małysz, Polish ski jumper and race car driver
 * 1977  – Yelena Zadorozhnaya, Russian runner
 * 1978 – Daniel Alexandersson, Swedish footballer
 * 1978  – Jiří Bicek, Slovak ice hockey player
 * 1978  – Bram Tankink, Dutch cyclist
 * 1978  – Trina, American rapper and producer
 * 1979 – Daniel Bedingfield, New Zealand-English singer-songwriter
 * 1979  – Rock Cartwright, American football player
 * 1979  – Tiffany Haddish, American comedian and actress
 * 1979  – Sean Parker, American entrepreneur and philanthropist
 * 1980 – Anna Chlumsky, American actress
 * 1980  – Jenna Dewan, American actress and dancer
 * 1980  – Zlata Filipović, Bosnian-Irish diarist
 * 1981 – Ioannis Amanatidis, Greek footballer
 * 1981  – Brian Bonsall, American actor and musician
 * 1981  – Tyjuan Hagler, American football player
 * 1981  – Edwin Valero, Venezuelan boxer (d. 2010)
 * 1981  – David Villa, Spanish footballer
 * 1982 – Manny Corpas, Panamanian baseball player
 * 1982  – Michael Essien, Ghanaian footballer
 * 1982  – Dascha Polanco, Dominican-American actress
 * 1982  – Franco Sbaraglini, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
 * 1983 – Stephen Donald, New Zealand rugby player
 * 1983  – Aleksey Drozdov, Russian decathlete
 * 1983  – Sherri DuPree, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1983  – Andy Grammer, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
 * 1983  – James Ihedigbo, American football player
 * 1984 – Manuel Arana, Spanish footballer
 * 1984  – Avraam Papadopoulos, Greek footballer
 * 1985 – Nina Ansaroff, American martial artist
 * 1985  – László Cseh, Hungarian swimmer
 * 1985  – Mike Randolph, American soccer player
 * 1985  – Brian Roberts, American basketball player
 * 1985  – Amanda Seyfried, American actress
 * 1985  – Robert Swift, American basketball player
 * 1985  – Marcus Williams, American basketball player
 * 1986 – James Laurinaitis, American football player
 * 1987 – Michael Angarano, American actor, director, and screenwriter
 * 1987  – Erik Grönwall, Swedish singer-songwriter
 * 1987  – Brian Robiskie, American football player
 * 1987  – Alicia Sacramone, American gymnast
 * 1988 – Melissa Aldana, Chilean saxophonist
 * 1989 – Selçuk Alibaz, Turkish footballer
 * 1989  – Alex McCarthy, English footballer
 * 1989  – Tomasz Narkun, Polish mixed martial artist
 * 1990 – Christian Benteke, Belgian footballer
 * 1990  – Sharon Fichman, Canadian-Israeli tennis player
 * 1990  – Matt Reynolds, American baseball player
 * 1991 – Ekaterine Gorgodze, Georgian tennis player
 * 1992 – Cristian Ceballos, Spanish footballer
 * 1992  – Joseph McManners, English singer-songwriter, musician and actor
 * 1994 – Jake T. Austin, American actor
 * 1994  – Lil Baby, American rapper
 * 1994  – Solomone Kata, New Zealand rugby league player
 * 1994  – Bernarda Pera, American tennis player
 * 1995 – Julius Honka, Finnish ice hockey player

Pre-1600

 * 311 – Diocletian, Roman emperor (b. 244)
 * 649 – Birinus, French-English bishop and saint (b. 600)
 * 860 – Abbo, bishop of Auxerre
 * 937 – Siegfried, Frankish nobleman
 * 978 – Abraham, Coptic pope of Alexandria
 * 1038 – Emma of Lesum, Saxon countess and Saint
 * 1099 – Saint Osmund (b. 1065)
 * 1154 – Pope Anastasius IV (b. 1073)
 * 1265 – Odofredus, Italian lawyer and jurist
 * 1266 – Henry III the White, Duke of Wroclaw
 * 1309 – Henry III, Duke of Głogów (b. 1251/60)
 * 1322 – Maud Chaworth, Countess of Leicester (b. 1282)
 * 1532 – Louis II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (b. 1502)
 * 1533 – Vasili III of Russia (b. 1479)
 * 1542 – Jean Tixier de Ravisi, French scholar and academic (b. 1470)
 * 1552 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1506)
 * 1592 – Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (b. 1545)

1601–1900

 * 1610 – Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general and daimyō (b. 1548)
 * 1668 – William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury (b. 1591)
 * 1691 – Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, British scientist (b. 1615)
 * 1706 – Countess Emilie Juliane of Barby-Mühlingen (b. 1637)
 * 1752 – Henri-Guillaume Hamal, Walloon musician and composer (b. 1685)
 * 1765 – Lord John Sackville, English cricketer and politician (b. 1713)
 * 1789 – Claude Joseph Vernet, French painter (b. 1714)
 * 1815 – John Carroll, American archbishop (b. 1735)
 * 1876 – Samuel Cooper, American general (b. 1798)
 * 1882 – Archibald Tait, Scottish-English archbishop (b. 1811)
 * 1888 – Carl Zeiss, German physicist and lens maker, created the optical instrument (b. 1816)
 * 1890 – Billy Midwinter, English-Australian cricketer (b. 1851)
 * 1892 – Afanasy Fet, Russian author and poet (b. 1820)
 * 1894 – Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist, poet, and essayist (b. 1850)

1901–present

 * 1902 – Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys' High School and Knox Church (b. 1833)
 * 1904 – David Bratton, American water polo player (b. 1869)
 * 1910 – Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader and author, founded Christian Science (b. 1821)
 * 1912 – Prudente de Morais, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Brazil (b. 1841)
 * 1917 – Harold Garnett, English-French cricketer (b. 1879)
 * 1919 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (b. 1841)
 * 1928 – Ezra Meeker, American farmer and politician (b. 1830)
 * 1934 – Charles James O'Donnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1849)
 * 1935 – Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1868)
 * 1937 – William Propsting, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1861)
 * 1941 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter and poet (b. 1883)
 * 1949 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-American actress and educator (b. 1876)
 * 1952 – Rudolf Margolius, Czech lawyer and politician (b. 1913)
 * 1956 – Manik Bandopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1908)
 * 1956  – Alexander Rodchenko, Russian sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer (b. 1891)
 * 1967 – Harry Wismer, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1913)
 * 1972 – William Manuel Johnson, American bassist (b. 1872)
 * 1973 – Emile Christian, American trombonist, cornet player, and composer (b. 1895)
 * 1973  – Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, President of Mexico, 1952-1958 (b. 1889)
 * 1979 – Dhyan Chand, Indian field hockey player and coach (b. 1905)
 * 1980 – Oswald Mosley, English lieutenant, fascist, and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1896)
 * 1981 – Walter Knott, American farmer, founded Knott's Berry Farm (b. 1889)
 * 1981  – Joel Rinne, Finnish actor (b. 1897)
 * 1984 – Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin, Azerbaijani-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1919)
 * 1989 – Fernando Martín Espina, Spanish basketball player (b. 1962)
 * 1989  – Connie B. Gay, American businessman, founded the Country Music Association (b. 1914)
 * 1993 – Lewis Thomas, American physician, etymologist, and academic (b. 1913)
 * 1996 – Georges Duby, French historian and author (b. 1919)
 * 1998 – Pierre Hétu, Canadian pianist and conductor (b. 1936)
 * 1999 – John Archer, American actor (b. 1915)
 * 1999  – Scatman John, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1942)
 * 1999  – Madeline Kahn, American actress, comedian, and singer (b. 1942)
 * 1999  – Horst Mahseli, Polish footballer (b. 1934)
 * 1999  – Jarl Wahlström, Finnish 12th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1918)
 * 2000 – Gwendolyn Brooks, American poet and educator (b. 1917)
 * 2000  – Hoyt Curtin, American composer and producer (b. 1922)
 * 2002 – Adrienne Adams, American illustrator (b. 1906)
 * 2002  – Glenn Quinn, Irish-American actor (b. 1970)
 * 2003 – David Hemmings, English actor (b. 1941)
 * 2003  – Sita Ram Goel, Indian historian, publisher and writer (b. 1921)
 * 2004 – Shiing-Shen Chern, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1911)
 * 2005 – Frederick Ashworth, American admiral (b. 1912)
 * 2005  – Herb Moford, American baseball player (b. 1928)
 * 2005  – Kikka Sirén, Finnish pop/schlager singer (b. 1964)
 * 2007 – James Kemsley, Australian cartoonist and actor (b. 1948)
 * 2008 – Robert Zajonc, Polish-American psychologist and author (b. 1923)
 * 2009 – Leila Lopes, Brazilian actress and journalist (b. 1959)
 * 2009  – Richard Todd, Irish-born British soldier and actor (b. 1919)
 * 2010 – Abdumalik Bahori, Azerbaijani poet and author (b. 1927)
 * 2011 – Dev Anand, Indian actor, director, and producer (b. 1923)
 * 2012 – Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, Iraqi-Lebanese archbishop (b. 1938)
 * 2012  – Kuntal Chandra, Bangladeshi cricketer (b. 1984)
 * 2012  – Fyodor Khitruk, Russian animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1917)
 * 2012  – Diego Mendieta, Paraguayan footballer (b. 1980)
 * 2012  – Janet Shaw, Australian cyclist and author (b. 1966)
 * 2013 – Paul Aussaresses, French general (b. 1918)
 * 2013  – Reda Mahmoud Hafez Mohamed, Egyptian air marshal (b. 1952)
 * 2013  – Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian poet and educator (b. 1929)
 * 2014 – Herman Badillo, Puerto Rican-American lawyer and politician (b. 1929)
 * 2014  – Jacques Barrot, French politician, French European Commissioner (b. 1937)
 * 2014  – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian–American psychotherapist and author (b. 1930)
 * 2014  – Ian McLagan, English-American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (b. 1945)
 * 2014  – James Stewart, Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1941)
 * 2015 – Gladstone Anderson, Jamaican singer and pianist (b. 1934)
 * 2015  – Eevi Huttunen, Finnish speed skater (b. 1922)
 * 2015  – Scott Weiland, American singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
 * 2019 – Ragnar Ulstein, Norwegian journalist and war historian (b. 1920)

Holidays and observances

 * Christian feast day:
 * Abbo of Auxerre
 * Pope Abraham of Alexandria (Coptic, 6 Koiak))
 * Adrian (Ethernan)
 * Birinus
 * Cassian of Tangier
 * Emma (of Lesum or of Bremen)
 * Francis Xavier
 * Blessed Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim
 * Zephaniah
 * December 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Doctors' Day (Cuba)
 * International Day of Persons with Disabilities

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: December 3


text:
December 2

Pre-1600

 * 1244 – Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.
 * 1409 – The University of Leipzig opens.

1601–1900

 * 1697 – St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London, is consecrated.
 * 1763 – Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what will become the United States.
 * 1766 – Swedish parliament approves the Swedish Freedom of the Press Act and implements it as a ground law, thus being first in the world with freedom of speech.
 * 1804 – At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French.
 * 1805 – War of the Third Coalition: Battle of Austerlitz: French troops under Napoleon decisively defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.
 * 1823 – Monroe Doctrine: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaims American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warns European powers not to interfere in the Americas.
 * 1845 – Manifest Destiny: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James K. Polk proposes that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
 * 1848 – Franz Joseph I becomes Emperor of Austria.
 * 1851 – French President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte overthrows the Second Republic.
 * 1852 – Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomes Emperor of the French as Napoleon III.
 * 1859 – Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October 16 raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
 * 1865 – Alabama ratifies the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed by North Carolina, then Georgia; U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.
 * 1867 – At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States.
 * 1899 – Philippine–American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, known as the "Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.

1901–present

 * 1908 – Puyi becomes Emperor of China at the age of two.
 * 1917 – World War I: Russia and the Central Powers sign an armistice at Brest-Litovsk, and peace talks leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk begin.
 * 1927 – Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile.
 * 1930 – Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a $150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.
 * 1939 – New York City's LaGuardia Airport opens.
 * 1942 – World War II: During the Manhattan Project, a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
 * 1943 – World War II: A Luftwaffe bombing raid on the harbour of Bari, Italy, sinks numerous cargo and transport ships, including the American SS John Harvey, which is carrying a stockpile of mustard gas.
 * 1947 – Jerusalem Riots of 1947: Arabs riot in Jerusalem in response to the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.
 * 1949 – Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others is adopted.
 * 1950 – Korean War: The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River ends with a decisive Chinese victory and UN forces are completely expelled from North Korea.
 * 1954 – Cold War: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to censure Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute".
 * 1954  – The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and Taiwan, is signed in Washington, D.C.
 * 1956 – The Granma reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente Province. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.
 * 1957 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 126 relating to the Kashmir conflict is adopted.
 * 1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba will adopt Communism.
 * 1962 – Vietnam War: After a trip to Vietnam at the request of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official to comment adversely on the war's progress.
 * 1968 – Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55 crashes into Pedro Bay, Alaska, killing all 39 people on board.
 * 1970 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
 * 1971 – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm al-Quwain form the United Arab Emirates.
 * 1975 – Laotian Civil War: The Pathet Lao seizes the Laotian capital of Vientiane, forces the abdication of King Sisavang Vatthana, and proclaims the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
 * 1976 – Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba, replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado.
 * 1977 – A Tupolev Tu-154 crashes near Benghazi, Libya, killing 59.
 * 1980 – Salvadoran Civil War: Four American missionaries are raped and murdered by a death squad.
 * 1982 – At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
 * 1988 – Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority state.
 * 1988  – Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-27, a classified mission for the United States Department of Defense.
 * 1989 – The Peace Agreement of Hat Yai is signed and ratified by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and the governments of Malaysia and Thailand, ending the over two-decade-long communist insurgency in Malaysia.
 * 1990 – Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-35, carrying the ASTRO-1 spacelab observatory.
 * 1991 – Canada and Poland become the first nations to recognize the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union.
 * 1993 – Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed by police in Medellín.
 * 1993  – Space Shuttle program: STS-61: NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
 * 1999 – The United Kingdom devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive following the Good Friday Agreement.
 * 2001 – Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
 * 2015 – San Bernardino attack: Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik kill 14 people and wound 22 at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California.
 * 2016 – Thirty-six people die in a fire at a converted Oakland, California, warehouse serving as an artist collective.
 * 2020 – Cannabis is removed from the list of most dangerous drugs of the international drug control treaty by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

Pre-1600

 * 503 – Emperor Jianwen of Liang, emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty (d. 551)
 * 1501 – Queen Munjeong, Korean queen (d. 1565)
 * 1578 – Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1641)
 * 1599 – Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin, Scottish nobleman (d. 1663)

1601–1900

 * 1629 – Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg, Catholic cardinal (d. 1704)
 * 1694 – William Shirley, English-American lawyer and politician, Governor of the province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1771)
 * 1703 – Ferdinand Konščak, Croatian missionary and explorer (d. 1759)
 * 1738 – Richard Montgomery, Irish-American general (d. 1775)
 * 1754 – William Cooper, American judge and politician, founded Cooperstown, New York (d. 1809)
 * 1759 – James Edward Smith, English botanist and mycologist, founded the Linnean Society (d. 1828)
 * 1760 – John Breckinridge, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th United States Attorney General (d. 1806)
 * 1760  – Joseph Graetz, German organist, composer, and educator (d. 1826)
 * 1798 – António Luís de Seabra, 1st Viscount of Seabra, Portuguese magistrate and politician (d. 1895)
 * 1810 – Henry Yesler, American businessman and politician, 7th Mayor of Seattle (d. 1892)
 * 1811 – Jean-Charles Chapais, Canadian farmer and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Agriculture (d. 1885)
 * 1817 – Heinrich von Sybel, German historian, academic, and politician (d. 1895)
 * 1825 – Pedro II of Brazil (d. 1891)
 * 1827 – William Burges, English architect and designer (d. 1881)
 * 1846 – Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau, French lawyer and politician, 68th Prime Minister of France (d. 1904)
 * 1847 – Deacon White, American baseball player and manager (d. 1939)
 * 1859 – Georges Seurat, French painter (d. 1891)
 * 1860 – Charles Studd, England cricketer and missionary (d. 1931)
 * 1863 – Charles Edward Ringling, American businessman, co-founded the Ringling Brothers Circus (d. 1926)
 * 1866 – Harry Burleigh, American singer-songwriter (d. 1949)
 * 1876 – Yusuf Akçura, Tatar-Turkish activist and ideologue of Turanism (d. 1935)
 * 1877 – Cahir Healy, Northern Irish Anti Partitionist, writer and politician (d. 1970)
 * 1884 – Erima Harvey Northcroft, New Zealand soldier, lawyer, and judge (d. 1953)
 * 1884  – Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, Turkish poet and author (d. 1958)
 * 1885 – George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
 * 1891 – Otto Dix, German painter and illustrator (d. 1969)
 * 1891  – Charles H. Wesley, American historian and author (d. 1987)
 * 1894 – Warren William, American actor (d. 1948)
 * 1895 – Harriet Cohen, English pianist (d. 1967)
 * 1897 – Ivan Bagramyan, Russian general (d. 1982)
 * 1897  – Rewi Alley, New Zealand writer and political activist (d. 1987)
 * 1898 – Indra Lal Roy, Indian lieutenant and first Indian fighter aircraft pilot (d. 1918)
 * 1899 – John Barbirolli, English cellist and conductor (d. 1970)
 * 1899  – John Cobb, English race car driver and pilot (d. 1952)
 * 1899  – Ray Morehart, American baseball player (d. 1989)
 * 1900 – Elisa Godínez Gómez de Batista, former First Lady of Cuba (d. 1993)
 * 1900  – Herta Hammerbacher, German landscape architect and professor (d. 1985)

1901–present

 * 1901 – Raimundo Orsi, Argentinian-Italian footballer (d. 1986)
 * 1906 – Peter Carl Goldmark, Hungarian-American engineer (d. 1977)
 * 1909 – Arvo Askola, Finnish runner (d. 1975)
 * 1909  – Walenty Kłyszejko, Estonian–Polish basketball player and coach (d. 1987)
 * 1909  – Joseph P. Lash, American activist and author (d. 1987)
 * 1910 – Russell Lynes, American photographer, historian, and author (d. 1991)
 * 1910  – Taisto Mäki, Finnish runner (d. 1979)
 * 1912 – George Emmett, English cricketer and coach (d. 1976)
 * 1913 – Marc Platt, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 2014)
 * 1914 – Bill Erwin, American actor (d. 2010)
 * 1914  – Adolph Green, American playwright and composer (d. 2002)
 * 1915 – Takahito, Prince Mikasa of Japan (d. 2016)
 * 1916 – Howard Finster, American minister and painter (d. 2001)
 * 1917 – Sylvia Syms, American singer (d. 1992)
 * 1921 – Carlo Furno, Italian cardinal (d. 2015)
 * 1922 – Iakovos Kambanelis, Greek author, poet, and screenwriter (d. 2011)
 * 1923 – Maria Callas, American-Greek soprano and actress (d. 1977)
 * 1924 – Jonathan Frid, Canadian actor (d. 2012)
 * 1924  – Alexander Haig, American general and politician, 59th United States Secretary of State (d. 2010)
 * 1924  – Else Marie Pade, Danish composer (d. 2016)
 * 1924  – Vilgot Sjöman, Swedish actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
 * 1925 – Julie Harris, American actress (d. 2013)
 * 1927 – Ralph Beard, American basketball player (d. 2007)
 * 1928 – Guy Bourdin, French photographer (d. 1991)
 * 1929 – Dan Jenkins, American journalist and author (d. 2019)
 * 1929  – Leon Litwack, American historian and author (d. 2021)
 * 1930 – Gary Becker, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
 * 1930  – David Piper, English race car driver
 * 1931 – Nigel Calder, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
 * 1931  – Masaaki Hatsumi, Japanese martial artist and educator, founded Bujinkan
 * 1931  – Wynton Kelly, American pianist and composer (d. 1971)
 * 1931  – Edwin Meese, American lawyer, 75th United States Attorney General
 * 1931  – Gareth Wigan, British film studio executive (d. 2010)
 * 1933 – Peter Robin Harding, English marshal and pilot (d. 2021)
 * 1933  – Mike Larrabee, American sprinter and educator (d. 2003)
 * 1934 – Tarcisio Bertone, Italian cardinal
 * 1935 – David Hackett Fischer, American historian, author, and academic
 * 1937 – Manohar Joshi, Indian lawyer and politician, 15th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2024)
 * 1939 – Yael Dayan, Israeli journalist, author, and politician
 * 1939  – Francis Fox, Canadian lawyer and politician, 48th Secretary of State for Canada
 * 1939  – Harry Reid, American lawyer and politician, 25th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada (d. 2021)
 * 1940 – Willie Brown, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2019)
 * 1941 – Mike England, Welsh footballer and manager
 * 1941  – Tom McGuinness, English guitarist, songwriter, author, and producer
 * 1942 – Anna G. Jónasdóttir, Icelandic political scientist and academic
 * 1943 – Wayne Allard, American veterinarian and politician
 * 1944 – Cathy Lee Crosby, American actress and tennis player
 * 1944  – Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovan journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (d. 2006)
 * 1944  – Dionysis Savvopoulos, Greek singer-songwriter
 * 1944  – Botho Strauß, German author and playwright
 * 1945 – Penelope Spheeris, American director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1945  – Alan Thomson, Australian cricketer (d. 2022)
 * 1946 – John Banks, New Zealand businessman and politician, 38th Mayor of Auckland City
 * 1946  – David Macaulay, English-American author and illustrator
 * 1946  – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founded Versace (d. 1997)
 * 1947 – Isaac Bitton, Moroccan-French drummer and songwriter
 * 1947  – Tommy Jenkins, English footballer and manager
 * 1947  – Ivan Atanassov Petrov, Bulgarian neurologist and author
 * 1948 – Elizabeth Berg, American nurse and author
 * 1948  – T. Coraghessan Boyle, American novelist and short story writer
 * 1948  – Patricia Hewitt, Australian-English educator and politician, English Secretary of State for Health
 * 1948  – Toninho Horta, Brazilian guitarist and composer
 * 1948  – Antonín Panenka, Czech footballer
 * 1950 – John Wesley Ryles, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1950  – Amin Saikal, Afghan-Australian political scientist and academic
 * 1950  – Benjamin Stora, Algerian-French historian and author
 * 1950  – Paul Watson, Canadian activist, founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
 * 1952 – Carol Shea-Porter, American social worker, academic, and politician
 * 1952  – Keith Szarabajka, American actor
 * 1954 – Dan Butler, American actor, director, and screenwriter
 * 1956 – Steven Bauer, Cuban-American actor and producer
 * 1957 – Dagfinn Høybråten, Norwegian political scientist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Health
 * 1958 – Randy Gardner, American figure skater
 * 1958  – Andrew George, English politician
 * 1958  – Vladimir Parfenovich, Belarusian canoe racer and politician
 * 1958  – George Saunders, American short story writer and essayist
 * 1959 – Kelefa Diallo, Guinean general (d. 2013)
 * 1960 – Peter Blakeley, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1960  – Deb Haaland, American politician, 54th United States Secretary of the Interior
 * 1960  – Razzle, English rock drummer (d. 1984)
 * 1960  – Rick Savage, English singer-songwriter and bass player
 * 1960  – Silk Smitha, Indian film actress
 * 1962 – John Dyegh, Nigerian businessman and politician
 * 1963 – Brendan Coyle, English actor
 * 1963  – Ann Patchett, American author
 * 1963  – Rich Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
 * 1963  – Ron Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
 * 1965 – Shane Flanagan, Australian rugby league player and coach
 * 1966 – Philippe Etchebest, French chef and television host
 * 1966  – Jinsei Shinzaki, Japanese wrestler and promoter, co-founded Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling
 * 1967 – Mary Creagh, English scholar and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
 * 1968 – David Batty, English footballer
 * 1968  – Jiří Dopita, Czech ice hockey player
 * 1968  – Darryl Kile, American baseball player (d. 2002)
 * 1968  – Lucy Liu, American actress and producer
 * 1968  – Nate Mendel, American singer-songwriter and bass player
 * 1968  – Rena Sofer, American actress
 * 1969 – Ulrika Bergquist, Swedish journalist
 * 1969  – Chris Kiwomya, English footballer
 * 1969  – Pavel Loskutov, Estonian runner
 * 1969  – Tanya Plibersek, Australian journalist and politician, 45th Australian Minister of Health
 * 1970 – Joe Lo Truglio, American actor and comedian
 * 1970  – Maksim Tarasov, Russian pole vaulter
 * 1970  – Treach, American rapper and actor
 * 1971 – Wilson Jermaine Heredia, American actor and singer
 * 1971  – Rachel McQuillan, Australian tennis player
 * 1971  – Jüri Reinvere, Estonian-German composer and poet
 * 1971  – Francesco Toldo, Italian footballer
 * 1971  – Mine Yoshizaki, Japanese illustrator
 * 1972 – Alan Henderson, American basketball player
 * 1972  – Sergei Zholtok, Latvian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
 * 1973 – Graham Kavanagh, Irish footballer and manager
 * 1973  – Monica Seles, Serbian-American tennis player
 * 1973  – Lee Steele, English footballer
 * 1973  – Jan Ullrich, German cyclist
 * 1975 – Mark Kotsay, American baseball player and manager
 * 1976  – Masafumi Gotoh, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
 * 1977 – Siyabonga Nomvethe, South African footballer
 * 1978 – Jarron Collins, American basketball player and coach
 * 1978  – Jason Collins, American basketball player
 * 1978  – Nelly Furtado, Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
 * 1978  – Luigi Malafronte, Italian footballer
 * 1978  – Peter Moylan, Australian baseball player
 * 1978  – Maëlle Ricker, Canadian snowboarder
 * 1978  – David Rivas, Spanish footballer
 * 1978  – Andrew Ryan, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
 * 1978  – Christopher Wolstenholme, English singer-songwriter and bass player
 * 1979 – Yvonne Catterfeld, German singer-songwriter and actress
 * 1979  – Michael McIndoe, Scottish footballer
 * 1979  – Abdul Razzaq, Pakistani cricketer
 * 1980 – Adam Kreek, Canadian rower
 * 1980  – Darryn Randall, South African cricketer (d. 2013)
 * 1980  – Joel Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1981 – Maria Ferekidi, Greek canoe racer
 * 1981  – Eric Jungmann, American actor
 * 1981  – Thomas Pöck, Austrian ice hockey player
 * 1981  – Danijel Pranjić, Croatian footballer
 * 1981  – Britney Spears, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
 * 1982 – Christos Karipidis, Greek footballer
 * 1982  – Matt Walsh, American basketball player
 * 1983 – Action Bronson, American rapper, songwriter, chef, and television host
 * 1983  – Chris Burke, Scottish footballer
 * 1983  – Bibiana Candelas, Mexican volleyball player
 * 1983  – Jaime Durán, Mexican footballer
 * 1983  – Eugene Jeter, American-Ukrainian basketball player, coach, and executive
 * 1983  – Jana Kramer, American actress and singer
 * 1983  – Aaron Rodgers, American football player
 * 1983  – Daniela Ruah, Portuguese-American actress
 * 1984 – Péter Máté, Hungarian footballer
 * 1985 – Amaury Leveaux, French swimmer
 * 1985  – Dorell Wright, American basketball player
 * 1986 – Song Ha-yoon, South Korean actress
 * 1986  – Claudiu Keșerü, Romanian footballer
 * 1986  – Renee Montgomery, American basketball player and executive
 * 1986  – Tal Wilkenfeld, Australian bass player and composer
 * 1988 – Alfred Enoch, English actor
 * 1988  – Stephen McGinn, Scottish footballer
 * 1989 – Etta Bond, English singer-songwriter
 * 1989  – Matteo Darmian, Italian footballer
 * 1989  – Cassie Steele, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
 * 1989  – Robert Turbin, American football player
 * 1990 – Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Ghanaian footballer
 * 1990  – Gastón Ramírez, Uruguayan footballer
 * 1991 – Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier
 * 1991  – Brandon Knight, American basketball player
 * 1991  – Charlie Puth, American singer-songwriter and pianist
 * 1992 – Sim Bhullar, Canadian basketball player
 * 1992  – Gary Sánchez, Dominican baseball player
 * 1993 – Haruka Ishida, Japanese singer and actress
 * 1993  – Kostas Stafylidis, Greek footballer
 * 1994 – Zach Cunningham, American football player
 * 1994  – Aaron Jones, American football player
 * 1994  – Elias Lindholm, Swedish ice hockey player
 * 1994  – Fumika Shimizu, Japanese actress and model
 * 1994  – Tomokaze Yūta, Japanese sumo wrestler
 * 1995 – Uladzislau Hancharou, Belarusian trampolinist
 * 1995  – Inori Minase, Japanese actress, voice actress and singer
 * 1996 – Jake Doran, Australian cricketer
 * 1997 – De'Andre Hunter, American basketball player
 * 1998 – Annalise Basso, American actress
 * 1998  – Anna Kalinskaya, Russian tennis player
 * 1998  – Juice Wrld, American rapper, singer and songwriter (d. 2019)
 * 2003 – Neil Erasmus, South African-Australian footballer
 * 2004 – Ilia Malinin, American competitive figure skater

Pre-1600

 * 537 – Pope Silverius
 * 930 – Ma Yin, Chinese warlord, king of Chu (Ten Kingdoms) (b. 853)
 * 949 – Odo of Wetterau, German nobleman
 * 1022 – Elvira Menéndez, queen of Alfonso V of Castile (b. 996)
 * 1255 – Muhammad III of Alamut, Nizari Ismaili Imam
 * 1340 – Geoffrey le Scrope, Chief Justice of King Edward III of England
 * 1348 – Emperor Hanazono of Japan (b. 1297)
 * 1381 – John of Ruusbroec, Flemish priest and mystic (b. 1293)
 * 1455 – Isabel of Coimbra, queen of Portugal (b. 1432)
 * 1463 – Albert VI, Archduke of Austria (b. 1418)
 * 1469 – Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, Italian banker and politician (b. 1416)
 * 1510 – Muhammad Shaybani, Khan of Bukhara (b. 1451)
 * 1515 – Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general (b. 1453)
 * 1547 – Hernán Cortés, Spanish general and explorer (b. 1485)
 * 1594 – Gerardus Mercator, Flemish mathematician, cartographer, and philosopher (b. 1512)

1601–1900

 * 1615 – Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, French general (b. 1541)
 * 1665 – Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet, French author (b. 1588)
 * 1694 – Pierre Puget, French painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1622)
 * 1719 – Pasquier Quesnel, French theologian and author (b. 1634)
 * 1723 – Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (b. 1674)
 * 1726 – Samuel Penhallow, English-American historian and author (b. 1665)
 * 1747 – Vincent Bourne, English poet and scholar (b. 1695)
 * 1748 – Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1662)
 * 1774 – Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer (b. 1720)
 * 1814 – Marquis de Sade, French philosopher, author, and politician (b. 1740)
 * 1844 – Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko, Polish general and politician (b. 1768)
 * 1849 – Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (b. 1792)
 * 1859 – John Brown, American abolitionist (b. 1800)
 * 1881 – Jenny von Westphalen, German author (b. 1814)
 * 1885 – Allen Wright, Principal chief of the Choctaw Nation (1866-1870); proposed the name "Oklahoma", from Choctaw words okra and umma, meaning "Territory of the Red People." (b. 1826)
 * 1888 – Namık Kemal, Turkish journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1840)
 * 1892 – Jay Gould, American businessman and financier (b. 1836)
 * 1899 – Gregorio del Pilar, Filipino general and politician, 1st Governor of Bulacan (b. 1875)

1901–present

 * 1918 – Edmond Rostand, French poet and playwright (b. 1868)
 * 1924 – Kazimieras Būga, Lithuanian linguist and philologist (b. 1879)
 * 1927 – Paul Heinrich von Groth, German scientist who systematically classified minerals and founded the journal Zeitschrift für Krystallographie und Mineralogie (b. 1843)
 * 1931 – Vincent d'Indy, French composer and educator (b. 1851)
 * 1936 – John Ringling, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Brothers Circus (b. 1866)
 * 1943 – Nordahl Grieg, Norwegian journalist and author (b. 1902)
 * 1944 – Josef Lhévinne, Russian pianist and educator (b. 1874)
 * 1944  – Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Egyptian-Italian poet and composer (b. 1876)
 * 1944  – Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player and soldier (b. 1917)
 * 1950 – Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist and composer (b. 1917)
 * 1953 – Reginald Baker, Australian rugby player (b. 1884)
 * 1953  – Trần Trọng Kim, Vietnamese historian, scholar, and politician, Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1883)
 * 1957 – Harrison Ford, American actor (b. 1884)
 * 1957  – Manfred Sakel, Ukrainian-American neurophysiologist and psychiatrist (b. 1902)
 * 1966 – L. E. J. Brouwer, Dutch mathematician and philosopher (b. 1881)
 * 1966  – Giles Cooper, Irish author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1918)
 * 1967 – Francis Spellman, American cardinal (b. 1889).
 * 1969 – José María Arguedas, Peruvian anthropologist, author, and poet (b. 1911)
 * 1969  – Kliment Voroshilov, Ukrainian-Russian marshal and politician, 3rd Head of State of The Soviet Union (b. 1881)
 * 1974 – Sylvi Kekkonen, Finnish writer and wife of President of Finland Urho Kekkonen (b. 1900)
 * 1974  – Max Weber, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1897)
 * 1976 – Danny Murtaugh, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
 * 1980 – Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Indian-Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Pakistan (b. 1905)
 * 1980  – Romain Gary, Lithuanian-French author, director, and screenwriter (b. 1914)
 * 1981 – Wallace Harrison, American architect, co-founded Harrison & Abramovitz (b. 1895)
 * 1982 – Marty Feldman, English actor and comedian (b. 1933)
 * 1982  – Giovanni Ferrari, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1907)
 * 1983 – Fifi D'Orsay, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1904)
 * 1985 – Philip Larkin, English poet, author, and librarian (b. 1922)
 * 1986 – Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor, singer, businessman, and television producer (b. 1917)
 * 1986  – John Curtis Gowan, American psychologist and academic (b. 1912)
 * 1987 – Luis Federico Leloir, French-Argentinian physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
 * 1987  – Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich, Belarusian physicist, astronomer, and cosmologist (b. 1914)
 * 1988 – Karl-Heinz Bürger, German colonel (b. 1904)
 * 1988  – Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
 * 1990 – Aaron Copland, American composer and conductor (b. 1900)
 * 1990  – Robert Cummings, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1908)
 * 1993 – Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord (b. 1949)
 * 1995 – Robertson Davies, Canadian author, playwright, and critic (b. 1913)
 * 1995  – Roxie Roker, American actress (b. 1929)
 * 1995  – Mária Telkes, Hungarian–American biophysicist and chemist (b. 1900)
 * 1997 – Shirley Crabtree, English wrestler (b. 1930)
 * 1997  – Michael Hedges, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1953)
 * 1999 – Charlie Byrd, American guitarist (b. 1925)
 * 2000 – Gail Fisher, American actress (b. 1935)
 * 2002 – Ivan Illich, Austrian priest and philosopher (b. 1926)
 * 2002  – Arno Peters, German cartographer and historian (b. 1916)
 * 2003 – Alan Davidson, British soldier, historian, and author (b. 1924)
 * 2004 – Alicia Markova, English ballerina and choreographer (b. 1910)
 * 2004  – Mona Van Duyn, American poet and academic (b. 1921)
 * 2005 – William P. Lawrence, American admiral and pilot (b. 1930)
 * 2005  – Van Tuong Nguyen, Australian convicted drug trafficker (b. 1980)
 * 2006 – Mariska Veres, Dutch singer (b. 1947)
 * 2007 – Jennifer Alexander, Canadian-American ballerina and actress (b. 1972)
 * 2007  – Elizabeth Hardwick, American literary critic, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1916)
 * 2008 – Odetta, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (b. 1930)
 * 2008  – Henry Molaison, American memory disorder patient (b. 1926)
 * 2008  – Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian lawyer and businessman (b. 1933)
 * 2008  – Renato de Grandis, Italian composer, musicologist, and writer (b. 1927)
 * 2009 – Foge Fazio, American football player and coach (b. 1938)
 * 2009  – Eric Woolfson, Scottish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1945)
 * 2012 – Tom Hendry, Canadian playwright, co-founded the Manitoba Theatre Centre (b. 1929)
 * 2012  – Ehsan Naraghi, Iranian sociologist and author (b. 1926)
 * 2013 – William Allain, American soldier and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi (b. 1928)
 * 2013  – Jean-Claude Beton, Algerian-French engineer and businessman, founded Orangina (b. 1925)
 * 2013  – Marcelo Déda, Brazilian lawyer and politician (b. 1960)
 * 2013  – Junior Murvin, Jamaican singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
 * 2014 – A. R. Antulay, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1929)
 * 2014  – Jean Béliveau, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1931)
 * 2014  – Josie Cichockyj, English basketball player and coach (b. 1964)
 * 2014  – Bobby Keys, American saxophonist (b. 1943)
 * 2014  – Don Laws, American figure skater and coach (b. 1929)
 * 2015 – Sandy Berger, American lawyer and politician, 19th United States National Security Advisor (b. 1945)
 * 2015  – Will McMillan, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1944)
 * 2015  – George T. Sakato, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1921)
 * 2020 – Pat Patterson, American wrestler (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances

 * Armed Forces Day (Cuba)
 * Christian feast day:
 * Avitus of Rouen
 * Bibiana
 * Channing Moore Williams (Anglicanism)
 * Chromatius
 * Habakkuk (Eastern Orthodox)
 * December 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (United Nations)
 * Lao National Day
 * National Day (United Arab Emirates)

title: December 2