December 8

December 8 is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 23 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

Pre-1600

• 395 – Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope.
• 757 – Du Fu returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuanzong's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion.
• 877 – Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne.
• 1432 – The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the Lithuanian Civil War.
• 1504 – Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah writes his Oran fatwa, arguing for the relaxation of Islamic law requirements for the forcibly converted Muslims in Spain.

1601–1900

• 1660 – A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.
• 1851 – Conservative Santiago-based government troops defeat rebels at the Battle of Loncomilla, signaling the end of the 1851 Chilean Revolution.
• 1854 – In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived free of Original Sin.
• 1864 – Pope Pius IX promulgates the encyclical Quanta cura and its appendix, the Syllabus of Errors, outlining the authority of the Catholic Church and condemning various liberal ideas.

1901–present

• 1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.
• 1912 – Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out.
• 1914 – World War I: A squadron of Britain's Royal Navy defeats the Imperial German East Asia Squadron in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
• 1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "a date which will live in infamy", after which the U.S. declares war on Japan.
• 1941 – World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. (See December 7 for the concurrent attack on Pearl Harbor in the Western Hemisphere.)
• 1943 – World War II: The German 117th Jäger Division destroys the monastery of Mega Spilaio in Greece and executes 22 monks and visitors as part of reprisals that culminated a few days later with the Massacre of Kalavryta.
• 1953 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
• 1955 – The Flag of Europe is adopted by Council of Europe.
• 1962 – Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.
• 1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board.
• 1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.
• 1969 – Olympic Airways Flight 954 strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90 people in the worst crash of a Douglas DC-6 in history.
• 1971 – Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi.
• 1972 – United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45. This is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737.
• 1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.
• 1980 – John Lennon is murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota in New York City.
• 1985 – The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia, is established.
• 1987 – Cold War: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the White House.
• 1987 – An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the First Intifada.
• 1988 – A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing 5 people and injuring 50 others.
• 1990 – The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the first time.
• 1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
• 1992 – The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the second time.
• 1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.
• 2001 – A raid conducted by the Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore foils a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot to bomb foreign embassies in Singapore.
• 2004 – The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
• 2004 – Columbus nightclub shooting: Nathan Gale opens fire at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, killing former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell and three others before being shot dead by a police officer.
• 2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 127 people and injure 448 others.
• 2010 – With the second launch of the Falcon 9 and the first launch of the Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.
• 2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km.
• 2013 – Riots break out in Singapore after a fatal accident in Little India.
• 2013 – Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first band to perform on all seven continents.
• 2019 – First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.

Births

Pre-1600

• 65 BC – Horace, Roman poet (d. 8 BC)
• 1021 – Wang Anshi, Chinese economist and chancellor (d. 1086)
• 1412 – Astorre II Manfredi, Italian lord (d. 1468)
• 1418 – Queen Jeonghui, Queen consort of Korea (d. 1483)
• 1424 – Anselm Adornes, Belgian merchant, politician and diplomat (d. 1483)
• 1538 – Miklós Istvánffy, Hungarian politician (d. 1615)
• 1542 – Mary, Queen of Scots, daughter of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise (d. 1587)
• 1558 – François de La Rochefoucauld, Catholic cardinal (d. 1645)

1601–1900

• 1678 – Antonio de Benavides, colonial governor of Florida (d. 1762)
• 1678 – Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole, English politician and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (d. 1757)
• 1699 – Maria Josepha of Austria (d. 1757)
• 1708 – Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1765)
• 1724 – Claude Balbastre, French organist and composer (d. 1799)
• 1730 – Jan Ingenhousz, Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist (d. 1799)
• 1731 – František Xaver Dušek, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1799)
• 1756 – Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (d. 1801)
• 1765 – Eli Whitney, American engineer, invented the cotton gin (d. 1825)
• 1795 – Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1874)
• 1807 – Friedrich Traugott Kützing, German pharmacist, botanist and phycologist (d. 1893)
• 1813 – August Belmont, Prussian-American financier and diplomat, 16th United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (d. 1890)
• 1815 – Adolph Menzel, German painter and illustrator (d. 1905)
• 1817 – Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1896)
• 1818 – Charles III, Prince of Monaco (d. 1889)
• 1822 – Jakov Ignjatović, Hungarian-Serbian author (d. 1889)
• 1832 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
• 1860 – Amanda McKittrick Ros, Irish author and poet (d. 1939)
• 1861 – William C. Durant, American businessman, founded General Motors and Chevrolet (d. 1947)
• 1861 – Aristide Maillol, French sculptor and painter (d. 1944)
• 1861 – Georges Méliès, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1938)
• 1862 – Georges Feydeau, French playwright (d. 1921)
• 1863 – Charles Lincoln Edwards, American zoologist (d. 1937)
• 1864 – Camille Claudel, French illustrator and sculptor (d. 1943)
• 1865 – Rüdiger von der Goltz, German general (d. 1946)
• 1865 – Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician and academic (d. 1963)
• 1865 – Jean Sibelius, Finnish violinist and composer (d. 1957)
• 1874 – Ernst Moro, Austrian physician and pediatrician (d. 1951)
• 1875 – Frederik Buch, Danish actor and screenwriter (d. 1925)
• 1877 – Paul Ladmirault, French pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 1944)
• 1880 – Johannes Aavik, Estonian linguist and philologist (d. 1973)
• 1881 – Albert Gleizes, French painter (d. 1953)
• 1884 – Francis Balfour, English colonel and politician (d. 1965)
• 1886 – Diego Rivera, Mexican painter and educator (d. 1957)
• 1890 – Bohuslav Martinů, Czech-American pianist and composer (d. 1959)
• 1892 – Marcus Lee Hansen, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1938)
• 1894 – E. C. Segar, American cartoonist, created Popeye (d. 1938)
• 1894 – James Thurber, American humorist and cartoonist (d. 1961)
• 1899 – Arthur Leslie, English-Welsh actor and playwright (d. 1970)
• 1899 – John Qualen, Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)
• 1900 – Sun Li-jen, Chinese general and politician (d. 1990)
• 1900 – Ants Oras, Estonian-American author and academic (d. 1982)

1901–present

• 1902 – Wifredo Lam, Cuban-French painter (d. 1982)
• 1903 – Zelma Watson George, Black American opera singer (d. 1994)
• 1908 – Concha Piquer, Spanish singer and actress (d. 1990)
• 1908 – John A. Volpe, American soldier and politician, 61st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1994)
• 1911 – Lee J. Cobb, American actor (d. 1976)
• 1911 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (d. 1992)
• 1913 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet and short story writer (d. 1966)
• 1914 – Floyd Tillman, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
• 1914 – Ernie Toshack, Australian cricketer (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Ernest Lehman, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
• 1916 – Richard Fleischer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1917 – Ian Johnson, Australian cricketer and administrator (d. 1998)
• 1919 – Peter Tali Coleman, Samoan-American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of American Samoa (d. 1997)
• 1919 – Julia Bowman, American mathematician and theorist (d. 1985)
• 1919 – Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (d. 2001)
• 1920 – McDonald Bailey, Trinidadian-English sprinter and rugby player (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Lucian Freud, German-English painter and illustrator (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Jean Ritchie, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
• 1923 – Dewey Martin, American actor (d. 2018)
• 1923 – Rudolph Pariser, Chinese-American soldier and chemist
• 1924 – Lionel Gilbert, Australian historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Sammy Davis, Jr., American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1990)
• 1925 – Nasir Kazmi, Pakistani Urdu poet (d. 1972)
• 1925 – Carmen Martín Gaite, Spanish author and poet (d. 2000)
• 1925 – Jimmy Smith, American organist (d. 2005)
• 1927 – Vladimir Shatalov, Kazakhstani general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2021)
• 1927 – Niklas Luhmann, German thinker and social theorist (d. 1998)
• 1928 – Bill Hewitt, Canadian journalist and sportscaster (d. 1996)
• 1928 – Ulric Neisser, German-American psychologist, neuroscientist, and academic (d. 2012)
• 1930 – Julian Critchley, English journalist and politician (d. 2000)
• 1930 – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
• 1931 – Bob Arum, American boxing promoter, founded Top Rank
• 1933 – Flip Wilson, American actor and comedian (d. 1998)
• 1935 – Dharmendra, Indian actor, producer, and politician
• 1935 – Tatiana Zatulovskaya, Russian-Israeli chess player (d. 2017)
• 1936 – David Carradine, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2009)
• 1936 – Michael Hobson, American publisher
• 1936 – Peter Parfitt, English cricketer
• 1937 – James MacArthur, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1937 – Arne Næss, Jr., German-Norwegian mountaineer and businessman (d. 2004)
• 1939 – Red Berenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1939 – Jerry Butler, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1939 – James Galway, Irish flute player
• 1939 – Felipe Gozon, Filipino lawyer and businessman
• 1939 – Dariush Mehrjui, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1939 – Soko Richardson, American drummer (d. 2004)
• 1940 – Brant Alyea, American baseball player
• 1941 – Ed Brinkman, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
• 1941 – Bob Brown, American football player
• 1941 – Duke Cunningham, American commander and politician
• 1941 – Bobby Elliott, English drummer
• 1941 – Geoff Hurst, English footballer and manager
• 1943 – Larry Martin, American paleontologist and ornithologist (d. 2013)
• 1943 – Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 1971)
• 1943 – James Tate, American poet (d. 2015)
• 1943 – Bodo Tümmler, German runner
• 1943 – Mary Woronov, American actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1944 – George Baker, Dutch singer-songwriter
• 1944 – Bertie Higgins, American singer-songwriter
• 1944 – Ted Irvine, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1944 – Vince MacLean, Canadian educator and politician
• 1945 – John Banville, Irish novelist and screenwriter
• 1945 – Julie Heldman, American tennis player
• 1946 – John Rubinstein, American actor, director, and composer
• 1946 – Chava Alberstein, Polish-Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1947 – Gregg Allman, American musician (d. 2017)
• 1947 – Gérard Blanc, French singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 2009)
• 1947 – Thomas Cech, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1947 – Kati-Claudia Fofonoff, Finnish author and poet (d. 2011)
• 1947 – Margaret Geller, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
• 1948 – Luis Caffarelli, Argentinian-American mathematician and academic
• 1948 – John Waters, English-Australian actor, singer-songwriter, and guitarist
• 1949 – Mary Gordon, American author, critic, and academic
• 1949 – Nancy Meyers, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1949 – Robert Sternberg, American psychologist and academic
• 1950 – Rick Baker, American actor and makeup artist
• 1950 – Tim Foli, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1950 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1994)
• 1951 – Bill Bryson, American essayist, travel and science writer
• 1951 – Richard Desmond, English publisher and businessman, founded Northern & Shell
• 1951 – Jan Eggum, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1952 – Khaw Boon Wan, Malayan-Singaporean politician, Singaporean Minister of Health
• 1952 – Steve Atkinson, English-Hong Kong cricketer
• 1953 – Kim Basinger, American actress
• 1953 – Roy Firestone, American sportscaster and journalist
• 1953 – Norman Finkelstein, American author, academic, and activist
• 1953 – Sam Kinison, American comedian (d. 1992)
• 1953 – Władysław Kozakiewicz, Lithuanian-Polish pole vaulter and coach
• 1953 – Steve Yates, English footballer
• 1954 – Harold Hongju Koh, American lawyer, academic, and politician
• 1954 – Frits Pirard, Dutch cyclist
• 1955 – Milenko Zablaćanski, Serbian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1956 – Warren Cuccurullo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1956 – Andrius Kubilius, Lithuanian academic and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Lithuania
• 1956 – Slick, American wrestler and manager
• 1957 – Mike Buchanan, British men's rights advocate
• 1957 – James Cama, American martial artist and educator (d. 2014)
• 1957 – Phil Collen, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1958 – Rob Byrnes, American author and blogger
• 1958 – Rob Curling, Malayan-English journalist
• 1958 – Michel Ferté, French race car driver
• 1958 – Bob Greene, American physiologist and author
• 1958 – Mirosław Okoński, Polish footballer
• 1959 – Stephen Jefferies, South African cricketer and coach
• 1959 – Mark Steyn, Canadian-American author and critic
• 1960 – Aaron Allston, American game designer and author (d. 2014)
• 1960 – Lim Guan Eng, Malaysian accountant and politician
• 1961 – Conceição Lima, São Toméan poet
• 1961 – Mikey Robins, Australian comedian and television host
• 1962 – Steve Elkington, Australian-American golfer
• 1962 – Marty Friedman, American-Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and television host
• 1962 – Nikos Karageorgiou, Greek footballer and manager
• 1962 – Berry van Aerle, Dutch footballer
• 1963 – Greg Howe, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1963 – Toshiaki Kawada, Japanese wrestler
• 1963 – Ricky Walford, Australian rugby league player
• 1964 – James Blundell, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1964 – Teri Hatcher, American actress
• 1964 – Chigusa Nagayo, Japanese wrestler
• 1964 – Óscar Ramírez, Costa Rican footballer and coach
• 1965 – David Harewood, English actor
• 1965 – Theo Maassen, Dutch actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1966 – Bushwick Bill, Jamaican-American rapper (d. 2019)
• 1966 – Les Ferdinand, English footballer and coach
• 1966 – Tyler Mane, Canadian wrestler and actor
• 1966 – Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer-songwriter
• 1967 – Jeff George, American football player
• 1967 – Andy Kapp, German curler
• 1967 – Kotono Mitsuishi, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1967 – Darren Sheridan, English footballer and manager
• 1968 – Mike Mussina, American baseball player and coach
• 1968 – Doriano Romboni, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2013)
• 1969 – Kristin Lauter, American mathematician and cryptographer
• 1971 – Abdullah Ercan, Turkish footballer and manager
• 1972 – Indrek Allmann, Estonian architect
• 1972 – Janae Marie Kroczaleski, American powerlifter
• 1972 – Édson Ribeiro, Brazilian sprinter
• 1973 – Corey Taylor, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
• 1974 – Cristian Castro, Mexican singer
• 1974 – Tony Simmons, American football player and coach
• 1974 – Nick Zinner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1975 – Kevin Harvick, American race car driver
• 1976 – Brettina, Bahamian-American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1976 – Reed Johnson, American baseball player
• 1976 – Dominic Monaghan, German-born English actor
• 1976 – Zoe Konstantopoulou, Greek lawyer and politician
• 1977 – Ryan Newman, American race car driver
• 1977 – Aleksandra Olsza, Polish tennis player
• 1977 – Anita Weyermann, Swiss runner and journalist
• 1978 – John Oster, English-Welsh footballer
• 1978 – Frédéric Piquionne, French footballer
• 1978 – Anwar Siraj, Ethiopian footballer
• 1978 – Ian Somerhalder, American actor
• 1978 – Vernon Wells, American baseball player
• 1979 – Daniel Fitzhenry, Australian rugby player
• 1979 – Johan Forssell, Swedish lawyer and politician
• 1979 – Raymond Lam, Chinese actor and singer
• 1979 – Ingrid Michaelson, American singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1979 – Christian Wilhelmsson, Swedish footballer
• 1980 – Yuliya Krevsun, Ukrainian runner
• 1981 – Jeremy Accardo, American baseball player
• 1981 – Simon Finnigan, English rugby league player
• 1981 – Philip Rivers, American football player
• 1982 – Alfredo Aceves, American baseball player
• 1982 – Serena Ryder, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1982 – Chrisette Michele, American singer-songwriter
• 1982 – Nicki Minaj, Trinidadian-American rapper and actress
• 1983 – Neel Jani, Swiss race car driver
• 1983 – Valéry Mézague, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2014)
• 1984 – Emma Green Tregaro, Swedish high jumper
• 1984 – Greg Halford, English footballer
• 1984 – Sam Hunt, American singer-songwriter
• 1985 – Meagan Duhamel, Canadian figure skater
• 1985 – Dwight Howard, American basketball player
• 1985 – Oleksiy Pecherov, Ukrainian basketball player
• 1986 – Enzo Amore, American wrestler and rapper
• 1986 – Amir Khan, English boxer
• 1986 – Sam Tagataese, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
• 1986 – Kate Voegele, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
• 1989 – Drew Doughty, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Jesse Sene-Lefao, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1992 – Yui Yokoyama, Japanese idol, model, and actress
• 1993 – Janari Jõesaar, Estonian basketball player
• 1993 – Jordan Obita, English footballer
• 1993 – AnnaSophia Robb, American actress
• 1993 – Cara Mund, Miss America 2018
• 1994 – Conseslus Kipruto, Kenyan runner
• 1994 – Raheem Sterling, English footballer
• 1996 – Scott McTominay, Scottish footballer

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 855 – Drogo of Metz, illegitimate son of Charlemagne (b. 801)
• 899 – Arnulf of Carinthia (b. 850)
• 964 – Zhou the Elder, Chinese queen consort
• 1186 – Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen (b.c 1125)
• 1292 – John Peckham, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1365 – Nicholas II, Duke of Opava (b. 1288)
• 1431 – Hedwig Jagiellon, Polish and Lithuanian princess (b. 1408)
• 1550 – Gian Giorgio Trissino, Italian humanist, poet, dramatist and diplomat (b. 1478)

1601–1900

• 1626 – John Davies, English poet, lawyer, and politician (b. 1569)
• 1632 – Philippe van Lansberge, Dutch astronomer and mathematician (b. 1561)
• 1638 – Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet (b. 1589)
• 1643 – John Pym, English politician (b. 1583)
• 1649 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (b. 1613)
• 1680 – Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, English lawyer and politician (b. 1606)
• 1691 – Richard Baxter, English minister, poet, and hymn-writer (b. 1615)
• 1695 – Barthélemy d'Herbelot, French orientalist and academic (b. 1625)
• 1709 – Thomas Corneille, French playwright and philologist (b. 1625)
• 1722 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (b. 1652)
• 1734 – James Figg, English prizefighter
• 1744 – Marie Anne de Mailly, French mistress of Louis XV of France (b. 1717)
• 1745 – Étienne Fourmont, French orientalist and academic (b. 1683)
• 1746 – Charles Radclyffe, English courtier and soldier (b. 1693)
• 1756 – William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, English politician and diplomat, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690)
• 1768 – Jean Denis Attiret, French painter and missionary (b. 1702)
• 1779 – Nathan Alcock, English physician (b. 1707)
• 1815 – Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Methodist preacher and philanthropist (b. 1739)
• 1830 – Benjamin Constant, Swiss-French philosopher and author (b. 1767)
• 1856 – Theobald Mathew, Irish social reformer and temperance movement leader (b. 1790)
• 1859 – Thomas De Quincey, English journalist and author (b. 1785)
• 1864 – George Boole, English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1815)
• 1869 – Narcisa de Jesús, Ecuadorian saint (b. 1832)
• 1885 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1821)
• 1886 – Isaac Lea, American conchologist, geologist, and publisher (b. 1792)
• 1894 – Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1821)

1901–present

• 1903 – Herbert Spencer, English biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and philosopher (b. 1820)
• 1907 – King Oscar II of Sweden (b. 1829)
• 1913 – Camille Jenatzy, Belgian race car driver (b. 1868)
• 1914 – Melchior Anderegg, Swiss mountain guide (b. 1828)
• 1914 – Maximilian von Spee, Danish-German admiral (b. 1861)
• 1917 – Mendele Mocher Sforim, Russian author (b. 1836)
• 1918 – Josip Stadler, Bosnian Catholic archbishop (b. 1843)
• 1919 – J. Alden Weir, American painter (b. 1852)
• 1922 – Joe McKelvey, Irish Republican Army officer executed during the Irish Civil War
• 1929 – José Vicente Concha, Colombian politician and 8th President of Colombia (b. 1867)
• 1932 – Gertrude Jekyll, British horticulturist and writer (b. 1843)
• 1937 – Hans Molisch, Czech-Austrian botanist and academic (b. 1856)
• 1938 – Friedrich Glauser, Swiss author (b. 1896)
• 1940 – George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (b. 1861)
• 1941 – Izidor Kürschner, Hungarian football player and coach (b. 1885)
• 1942 – Albert Kahn, American architect, Fisher Building, Packard Automotive Plant, Ford River Rouge Complex (b. 1869)
• 1952 – Charles Lightoller, English sailor (b. 1874)
• 1954 – Claude Cahun, French artist, photographer, and writer (b. 1894)
• 1954 – Gladys George, American actress (b. 1904)
• 1954 – Joseph B. Keenan, American lawyer and politician (b. 1888)
• 1958 – Tris Speaker, American baseball player and manager (b. 1888)
• 1963 – Sarit Thanarat, Thai field marshal and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1908)
• 1966 – Ward Morehouse, American playwright, author, and critic (b. 1899)
• 1971 – Ernst Krenkel, Russian geographer and explorer (b. 1903)
• 1971 – Eleni Ourani, Greek poet and critic (b. 1896)
• 1975 – Gary Thain, New Zealand bass player (b. 1948)
• 1978 – Golda Meir, Ukrainian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898)
• 1980 – John Lennon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
• 1982 – Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist and politician (b. 1951)
• 1982 – André Kamperveen, Surinamese footballer and manager (b. 1924)
• 1982 – Marty Robbins, American singer-songwriter and race car driver (b. 1925)
• 1982 – Haim Laskov, Israel Defense Forces fifth Chief of Staff (b. 1919)
• 1983 – Keith Holyoake, New Zealand farmer and politician, 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1904)
• 1983 – Slim Pickens, American actor (b. 1919)
• 1984 – Luther Adler, American actor (b. 1903)
• 1984 – Robert Jay Mathews, American militant leader, founded The Order (b. 1953)
• 1984 – Razzle, English drummer (b. 1960)
• 1984 – Semih Sancar, Turkish general (b. 1911)
• 1991 – Buck Clayton, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1911)
• 1992 – William Shawn, American journalist (b. 1917)
• 1993 – Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (b. 1933)
• 1994 – Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927)
• 1996 – Howard Rollins, American actor (b. 1950)
• 1996 – Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 47th Yokozuna (b. 1938)
• 1997 – Bob Bell, American clown and actor (b. 1922)
• 1999 – Péter Kuczka, Hungarian poet and author (b. 1923)
• 2001 – Mirza Delibašić, Bosnian basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
• 2001 – Betty Holberton, American computer scientist and programmer (b. 1917)
• 2003 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (b. 1919)
• 2004 – Dimebag Darrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)
• 2005 – Rose Heilbron, British barrister and judge (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Martha Tilton, American singer (b. 1915)
• 2006 – José Uribe, Dominican baseball player (b. 1959)
• 2007 – Gerardo García Pimentel, Mexican journalist (b. 1983)
• 2008 – Oliver Postgate, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
• 2008 – Robert Prosky, American actor (b. 1930)
• 2009 – Luis Días, Dominican singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
• 2012 – Jerry Brown, American football player (b. 1987)
• 2012 – John Gowans, Scottish-English 16th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Johnny Lira, American boxer (b. 1951)
• 2013 – John Cornforth, Australian-English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
• 2013 – Sándor Szokolay, Hungarian composer and academic (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Richard S. Williamson, American lawyer and diplomat (b. 1949)
• 2014 – Tom Gosnell, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1951)
• 2014 – Russ Kemmerer, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Knut Nystedt, Norwegian organist and composer (b. 1915)
• 2015 – Mattiwilda Dobbs, American soprano and actress (b. 1925)
• 2015 – Alan Hodgkinson, English footballer and coach (b. 1936)
• 2015 – Douglas Tompkins, American businessman, co-founded The North Face and Esprit Holdings (b. 1943)
• 2015 – John Trudell, American author, poet, and actor (b. 1946)
• 2015 – Elsie Tu, English-Hong Kong educator and politician (b. 1913)
• 2016 – John Glenn, American astronaut and senator, first American to go into orbit (b. 1921)
• 2018 – David Weatherall, English physician, geneticist, and academic (b. 1933)
• 2019 – René Auberjonois, American actor (b. 1940)
• 2019 – Juice Wrld, American rapper, singer and songwriter (b. 1998)
• 2019 – Caroll Spinney, American puppeteer and actor (b. 1933)
• 2021 – Robbie Shakespeare, Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer (b. 1953)

Holidays and observances

• Battle Day (Falkland Islands)
• Bodhi Day (Japan)
• CARICOM–Cuba Day (Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba)
• Christian feast day:
  • Budoc (Beuzec) of Dol
  • Clement of Ohrid (Julian Calendar), and its related observances:
    • Student's Day (Bulgaria)
  • Eucharius
  • Feast of the Immaculate Conception (public holiday in several countries, a holy day of obligation in others), and its related observances:
    • Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican Communion), lesser commemoration
    • Festa da Conceição da Praia, celebrating Yemanjá, Queen of the Ocean in Umbanda (Salvador, Bahia)
    • Festival of Lights (Lyon)
    • Mother's Day (Panama)
    • Lady of Camarin Day (Guam)
  • Patapios of Thebes
  • Pope Eutychian
  • Richard Baxter (US Episcopal Church)
  • Romaric
  • December 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (Romania)
• Constitution Day (Uzbekistan)
• Day of Finnish Music (Finland)
• Earliest day on which National Tree Planting Day can fall, while December 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in December. (Malawi)
• Hari-Kuyō (Kansai region, Japan)
• National Youth Day (Albania)
• Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Day (Ethiopia)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Historical Events on December 8
• Today in Canadian History