Events

• 800 – Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican.

• 1420 – Henry V of England enters Paris.

• 1640 – End of the Iberian Union: Portugal acclaims as King João IV of Portugal, thus ending a 60 year period of personal union of the crowns of Portugal and Spain and the end of the rule of the House of Habsburg (also called the Philippine Dynasty).

• 1768 – The slave ship Fredensborg sinks off Tromøy in Norway.

• 1821 – The first constitution of Costa Rica is issued.

• 1822 – Peter I is crowned Emperor of Brazil.

• 1824 – U.S. presidential election, 1824: Since no candidate had received a majority of the total electoral college votes in the election, the United States House of Representatives is given the task of deciding the winner in accordance with the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

• 1826 – French philhellene Charles Nicolas Fabvier forces his way through the Turkish cordon and ascends the Acropolis of Athens, which had been under siege.

• 1864 – In his State of the Union Address President Abraham Lincoln reaffirms the necessity of ending slavery as ordered ten weeks earlier in the Emancipation Proclamation.

• 1913 – The Ford Motor Company introduces the first moving assembly line.

• 1913 – Crete, having obtained self rule from Turkey after the first Balkan war, is annexed by Greece.

• 1918 – Transylvania unites with Romania, following the incorporation of Bessarabia (March 27) and Bukovina (November 28).

• 1918 – Iceland becomes a sovereign state, yet remains a part of the Danish kingdom.

• 1918 – The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) is proclaimed.

• 1919 – Lady Astor becomes first female member of the British Parliament to take her seat (she had been elected to that position on November 28).

• 1925 – World War I aftermath: The final Locarno Treaty is signed in London, establishing post-war territorial settlements.

• 1934 – In the Soviet Union, Politburo member Sergei Kirov is shot dead by Leonid Nikolayev at the Communist Party headquarters in Leningrad.

• 1941 – World War II: Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City and Director of the Office of Civilian Defense, signs Administrative Order 9, creating the Civil Air Patrol.

• 1952 – The New York Daily News reports the news of Christine Jorgenson, the first notable case of a sexual reassignment operation.

• 1955 – American Civil Rights Movement: In Montgomery, Alabama, seamstress Rosa Parks refuses to give her bus seat to a white man and is arrested for violating the city's racial segregation laws, an incident which leads to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

• 1958 – The Central African Republic becomes independent from France.

• 1958 – The Our Lady of the Angels School Fire in Chicago, Illinois kills 92 children and three nuns.

• 1959 – Cold War: Opening date for signature of the Antarctic Treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent.

• 1960 – Paul McCartney and Pete Best are arrested then deported from Hamburg, Germany after accusations of attempted arson.

• 1961 – The independent Republic of West Papua is proclaimed in modern-day Western New Guinea.

• 1963 – Nagaland becomes the 16th state of India.

• 1964 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his top-ranking advisers meet to discuss plans to bomb North Vietnam.

• 1965 – The Border Security Force is formed in India as a special force to guard the borders.

• 1969 – Vietnam War: The first draft lottery in the United States is held since World War II.

• 1971 – Cambodian Civil War: Khmer Rouge rebels intensify assaults on Cambodian government positions, forcing their retreat from Kompong Thmar and nearby Ba Ray.

• 1971 – The Indian Army occupies part of Kashmir.

• 1973 – Papua New Guinea gains self government from Australia.

• 1974 – TWA Flight 514, a Boeing 727, crashes northwest of Dulles International Airport killing all 92 people on-board.

• 1974 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231, crashes northwest of John F. Kennedy International Airport.

• 1981 – A Yugoslavian Inex Adria Aviopromet DC-9 crashes in Corsica killing all 180 people on-board.

• 1981 – The AIDS virus is officially recognized.

• 1982 – At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.

• 1988 – Benazir Bhutto is appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan.

• 1989 – Right-wing military rebel Reform the Armed forces Movement (RAM) attempts to oust Philippine President Corazon Aquino in a failed bloody coup d' etat.

• 1989 – Cold War: East Germany's parliament abolishes the constitutional provision granting the communist party the leading role in the state.

• 1990 – Channel Tunnel sections started from the United Kingdom and France meet 40 meters beneath the seabed.

• 1991 – Cold War: Ukrainian voters overwhelmingly approve a referendum for independence from the Soviet Union.

• 1998 – Exxon announces a $73.7 billion USD deal to buy Mobil, thus creating Exxon-Mobil, the world's largest company.

• 2001 – Captain Bill Compton brings Trans World Airlines Flight 220, an MD-83, into St. Louis International Airport bringing to an end 76 years of TWA operations following TWA’s purchase by American Airlines.

• 2006 – Mexican President Felipe Calderon declares war on Drug traffickers in the ongoing Mexican Drug War.

Births

• 1081 – Louis VI of France (d. 1137)

• 1083 – Anna Comnena, Byzantine historian (d. 1153)

• 1521 – Takeda Shingen, Japanese warlord (d. 1573)

• 1525 – Tadeáš Hájek, Czech physician and astronomer (d. 1600)

• 1580 – Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, French astronomer (d. 1637)

• 1690 – Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1764)

• 1716 – Etienne-Maurice Falconet, French sculptor (d. 1791)

• 1743 – Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist (d. 1817)

• 1761 – Marie Tussaud, French creator of wax sculptures (Madame Tussauds) (d. 1850)

• 1766 – Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, Russian writer (d. 1826)

• 1792 – Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky, Russian mathematician (d. 1856)

• 1844 – Alexandra of Denmark, Danish Queen Consort of Edward VII of the United Kingdom (d. 1925)

• 1847 – Julia Ann Moore, American poet (d. 1920)

• 1869 – Eligiusz Niewiadomski, Polish assassin of Gabriel Narutowicz (d. 1923)

• 1873 – Valery Bryusov, Russian poet (d. 1924)

• 1884 – Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, German painter (d. 1976)

• 1886 – Rex Stout, American author (d. 1975)

• 1895 – Henry Williamson, English author (d. 1977)

• 1896 – Georgy Zhukov, Russian general & Marshal of the Soviet Union (d. 1974)

• 1898 – Stuart Sinclair Garson, Canadian Premier of Manitoba (d. 1977)

• 1901 – Ilona Feher, Hungarian-Jewish violinist (d. 1988)

• 1905 – Alexander Wilson, Canadian and Notre Dame athlete (d. 1994)

• 1908 – Georgios Kasassoglou, Greek musician (d. 1984)

• 1910 – Alicia Markova, English ballerina (d. 2004)

• 1911 – Walter Alston, American baseball manager (d. 1984)

• 1911 – Calvin Griffith, Canadian-born baseball executive (d. 1999)

• 1912 – Minoru Yamasaki, American architect (d. 1986)

• 1913 – Mary Martin, American actor and singer (d. 1990)

• 1916 – Wan Li, Chinese government official

• 1917 – Marty Marion, American baseball player and manager

• 1917 – Thomas Hayward, American tenor (d.1995)

• 1922 – Vsevolod Bobrov, Soviet ice hockey player (d. 1979)

• 1922 – Paul Picerni, American actor

• 1923 – Stansfield Turner, American admiral and CIA director

• 1923 – Morris, Belgian cartoonist (Lucky Luke) (d. 2001)

• 1925 – Martin Rodbell, American scientist, Nobel laureate (d. 1998)

• 1926 – Robert Symonds, American actor (d. 2007)

• 1928 – Emily McLaughlin, American actress (d. 1991)

• 1930 – Joachim Hoffmann, German historian (d. 2002)

• 1931 – Jimmy Lyons, American musician (d. 1986)

• 1931 – Jim Nesbitt, singer (d. 2007)

• 1932 – Matt Monro, English singer (d. 1985)

• 1933 – Fujiko F. Fujio, Japanese cartoon artist (d. 1996)

• 1933 – Lou Rawls, American singer (d. 2006)

• 1934 – Billy Paul, American singer

• 1935 – Woody Allen, American film director, actor, and comedian

• 1937 – Muriel Costa-Greenspon, American mezzo-soprano (d. 2005)

• 1937 – Chuck Low, American actor

• 1937 – Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, 6th President of Latvia

• 1938 – Sandy Nelson, American drummer

• 1939 – Lee Trevino, American golfer

• 1940 – Richard Pryor, American actor, comedian (d. 2005)

• 1942 – John Crowley, American author

• 1944 – Pierre Arditi, French film and stage actor

• 1944 – Eric Bloom, American musician (Blue Öyster Cult)

• 1944 – John Densmore, American drummer (The Doors)

• 1944 – Tahar Ben Jelloun, French writer of Moroccan origin

• 1944 – Daniel Pennac, French writer born in Morocco

• 1944 – Michael W. Hagee, 33rd Commandant of the United States Marine Corps

• 1945 – Bette Midler, American actress and singer

• 1946 – Gilbert O'Sullivan, Irish singer

• 1947 – Alain Bashung, French singer

• 1947 – Bob Fulton, English-born Australian rugby league footballer

• 1948 – George Foster, American baseball player

• 1948 – Tom Wright, English bishop and theologian

• 1949 – Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord (d. 1993)

• 1949 – Sebastián Piñera, Chilean businessman and presidential candidate

• 1950 – Keith Thibodeaux, American actor and drummer

• 1951 – Jaco Pastorius, American bassist (d. 1987)

• 1951 – Obba Babatundé, American actor

• 1951 – Treat Williams, American actor

• 1954 – Bob Goen, American television host

• 1954 – Annette Haven, American pornographic actress

• 1955 – Mark Thompson, American disc jockey and actor

• 1955 – Verónica Forqué, Spanish actress

• 1956 – Julee Cruise, American singer and actress

• 1958 – Javier Aguirre, Mexican footballer and coach

• 1958 – Charlene Tilton, American actress

• 1959 – Billy Childish, English painter, writer and musician

• 1959 – Wally Lewis, Australian rugby league footballer

• 1960 – Carol Alt, American supermodel

• 1960 – Jane Turner, Australian actress/comedian

• 1961 – Jeremy Northam, English actor

• 1961 – Armin Meiwes, German cannibal

• 1962 – Sylvie Daigle, Canadian speed skater

• 1962 – Joe Quesada, American comic book writer

• 1963 – Marco Greco, Brazilian racing driver

• 1963 – Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lankan cricketer

• 1963 – Nathalie Lambert, Canadian short track speed skater

• 1964 – Salvatore Schillaci, Italian footballer

• 1966 – Katherine LaNasa, American actress

• 1966 – Larry Walker, Canadian baseball player

• 1967 – Nestor Carbonell, American actor

• 1968 – Justin Chadwick, British actor and director

• 1970 – Jouko Ahola, Finnish strongman

• 1970 – Kirk Rueter, American baseball player

• 1970 – Sarah Silverman, American actress and comedian

• 1971 – Melanie Peres, Israeli singer , actress and model

• 1971 – Emily Mortimer, English actress

• 1971 – Stephanie Finochio, American professional wrestler

• 1971 – Mika Pohjola, Finnish jazz pianist and composer

• 1971 – Dolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee, Mongolian professional wrestler

• 1971 – Peter Van de Veire, Belgian radio-presenter

• 1971 – John Schlimm, American author

• 1972 – Norbert Wójtowicz, Polish historian and theologian

• 1973 – Jon Theodore, American musician

• 1974 – Costinha, Portuguese footballer

• 1974 – David Ludwig, American composer

• 1975 – Sophia Skou, Danish swimmer

• 1975 – Matt Fraction, American comic book writer

• 1976 – Laura Ling, American journalist

• 1977 – Brad Delson, American guitarist (Linkin Park)

• 1977 – Jared Fogle, American Subway spokesperson

• 1978 – Mat Kearney, American singer and songwriter

• 1979 – Ryan Malone, American hockey player

• 1979 – Angelique Bates, American actress

• 1980 – Mohammad Kaif, Indian cricketer

• 1981 – Luke McPharlin, Australian football player

• 1988 – Zoe Kravitz, daughter of Lenny Kravitz

• 1986 – DeSean Jackson, American football player

• 1990 – Tomáš Tatar, Slovak ice hockey player

• 2001 – Aiko, Princess Toshi of Japan

Deaths

• 1135 – Henry I of England

• 1241 – Isabella of England, wife of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1214)

• 1377 – King Magnus II of Sweden (b. 1316)

• 1433 – Emperor Go-Komatsu of Japan (b. 1377)

• 1455 – Lorenzo Ghiberti, Italian artist and metal smith (b. 1378)

• 1521 – Pope Leo X (b. 1475)

• 1530 – Margaret of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands (b. 1480)

• 1580 – Giovanni Morone, Italian cardinal (b. 1509)

• 1581 – Edmund Campion, English Jesuit (martyred) (b. 1540)

• 1581 – Ralph Sherwin, English Catholic saint (b. 1550)

• 1581 – Alexander Briant, English sain

• 1602 – Kobayakawa Hideaki, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1582)

• 1633 – Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (b. 1566)

• 1660 – Pierre d'Hozier, French historian (b. 1592)

• 1707 – Jeremiah Clarke, English composer (b. 1674)

• 1709 – Abraham a Sancta Clara, Austrian preacher (b. 1644)

• 1723 – Susanna Centlivre, English dramatist and actress (b. 1667)

• 1729 – Giacomo F. Maraldi, French-Italian astronomer (b. 1665)

• 1750 – Johan Gabriel Doppelmayr, German mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer (b. 1671)

• 1755 – Maurice Greene, English composer (b. 1696)

• 1767 – Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, British Freemason (b. 1710)

• 1825 – Tsar Alexander I of Russia (b. 1777)

• 1830 – Pope Pius VIII (b. 1761)

• 1865 – Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss poet (b. 1796)

• 1866 – George Everest, Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest (b. 1790)

• 1884 – William Swainson (lawyer), second, and last, Attorney-General (New Zealand) of the Crown Colony of New Zealand (b. 1809)

• 1916 – Charles de Foucauld, French religious leader (b. 1858)

• 1923 – Virginie Loveling, Belgian writer and poet (b. 1836)

• 1928 – José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian writer (b. 1888)

• 1934 – Sergei Kirov, Russian revolutionary (b. 1886)

• 1943 – Damrong Rajanubhab, Thai prince and historian (b. 1862)

• 1947 – Aleister Crowley, English occultist (b. 1875)

• 1947 – G. H. Hardy, English mathematician (b. 1877)

• 1950 – E. J. Moeran, English composer (b. 1894)

• 1954 – Fred Rose, American songwriter and music publishing executive (b. 1897)

• 1964 – J. B. S. Haldane, Scottish geneticist (b. 1892)

• 1968 – Nicolae Bretan, Romanian opera singer (baryton) and composer born in Transylvania (b. 1887)

• 1968 – Dario Moreno, Turkish-Jewish singer (b. 1921)

• 1969 – Magic Sam, American blues guitarist and singer (b. 1937)

• 1973 – David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1886)

• 1975 – Nellie Fox, American baseball player (b. 1927)

• 1975 – Anna E. Roosevelt, American radio personality (b. 1906)

• 1984 – Roelof Frankot, Dutch painter (b. 1911)

• 1986 – Lee Dorsey, American R&B singer (b. 1924)

• 1986 – Frank McCarthy, American producer (b. 1912)

• 1987 – James Baldwin, American writer (b. 1924)

• 1987 – Punch Imlach, Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager (b. 1918)

• 1989 – Alvin Ailey, American dancer, choreographer (b. 1931)

• 1991 – George Joseph Stigler, American economist, Bank of Sweden Prize winner (b. 1911)

• 1996 – Peter Bronfman, Canadian businessman (b. 1928)

• 1997 – Stéphane Grappelli, French jazz violinist (b. 1908)

• 1997 – Michel Bélanger, French Canadian businessman and banker (b. 1929)

• 1997 – Endicott Peabody, 62^nd Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1920)

• 1998 – Freddie Young, British cinematographer (b. 1902)

• 2001 – Ellis R Dungan, American born Indian film director (b. 1909)

• 2001 – George Harrison, Lead guitarist of The Beatles (b. 1943)

• 2002 – Dave McNally, American baseball player (b. 1942)

• 2003 – Clark Kerr, first Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley (b. 1911)

• 2003 – Eugenio Monti, Italian bobsledder (b. 1928)

• 2004 – Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (b. 1911)

• 2005 – Gust Avrakotos, American intelligence case officer (b. 1938)

• 2005 – Mary Hayley Bell, English dramatist, wife of Sir John Mills (b. 1911)

• 2006 – Claude Jade, French actress (b. 1948)

• 2006 – Bruce Trigger, Canadian archaeologist (McGill University) (b. 1937)

• 2007 – Anton Rodgers, British actor (b. 1933)

• 2008 – Mikel Laboa, Basque singer and songwriter (b. 1934)

• 2008 – Joseph B. Wirthlin, religious leader, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, businessman (b. 1917)

• 2008 – Paul Benedict, American actor (b. 1938)

Holidays and observances

• World AIDS Day

• Costa Rica – Military Abolition Day

• Romania – National Day of Romania (Union Day)

• Ancient Latvia – Barbes Diena observed

• Feast day of St Castritian

• Feast day of St Eligius

• Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia

• Portugal – Restoration of Independence (1640)