Events

• 1095 – Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont.

• 1295 – The first elected representatives from Lancashire are called to Westminster by King Edward I to attend what later became known as "The Model Parliament".

• 1703 – The first Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed in the Great Storm of 1703.

• 1807 – The Portuguese Royal Family leaves Lisbon to escape from Napoleonic troops.

• 1815 – Adoption of Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland.

• 1830 – St. Catherine Laboure experienced a vision of the Blessed Virgin standing on a globe, crushing the feet of a serpent, and eminating rays of light from her hands.

• 1839 – In Boston, Massachusetts, the American Statistical Association is founded.

• 1863 – American Civil War: Confederate cavalry leader John Hunt Morgan and several of his men escape the Ohio Penitentiary and return safely to the South.

• 1868 – Indian Wars: Battle of Washita River – United States Army Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer leads an attack on Cheyenne living on reservation land.

• 1895 – At the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, Alfred Nobel signs his last will and testament, setting aside his estate to establish the Nobel Prize after he dies.

• 1901 – The U.S. Army War College is established.

• 1912 – Spain declares a protectorate over the north shore of Morocco.

• 1919 – Haiti becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.

• 1924 – In New York City, the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held.

• 1934 – Bank robber Baby Face Nelson dies in a shoot-out with the FBI.

• 1940 – In Romania, the ruling party Iron Guard arrests and executes over 60 of exiled King Carol II of Romania's aides, including former minister Nicolae Iorga.

• 1940 – World War II: At the Battle of Cape Spartivento, the Royal Navy engages the Regia Marina in the Mediterranean Sea.

• 1942 – World War II: At Toulon, the French navy scuttles its ships and submarines to keep them out of Nazi hands.

• 1944 – World War II: An explosion at a Royal Air Force ammunition dump at Fauld, Staffordshire kills seventy people.

• 1954 – Alger Hiss is released from prison after serving 44 months for perjury.

• 1963 – The Convention on the Unification of Certain Points of Substantive Law on Patents for Invention is signed at Strasbourg.

• 1964 – Cold War: Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru appeals to the United States and the Soviet Union to end nuclear testing and to start nuclear disarmament, stating that such an action would "save humanity from the ultimate disaster".

• 1965 – Vietnam War: The Pentagon tells U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson that if planned operations are to succeed, the number of American troops in Vietnam has to be increased from 120,000 to 400,000.

• 1971 – The Soviet space program's Mars 2 orbiter releases a descent module. It malfunctions and crashes, but it is the first man-made object to reach the surface of Mars.

• 1973 – The Twenty-fifth Amendment: The United States Senate votes 92 to 3 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States (on December 6, the House confirmed him 387 to 35).

• 1975 – The Provisional IRA assassinates Ross McWhirter, after a press conference in which McWhirter had announced a reward for the capture of those responsible for multiple bombings and shootings across England.

• 1978 – In San Francisco, California, city mayor George Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former supervisor Dan White.

• 1983 – A Colombian Boeing 747 crashes near Madrid's Barajas Airport, killing 181.

• 1984 – Under the Brussels Agreement signed between the governments of the United Kingdom and Spain, the former agreed to enter into discussions with Spain over Gibraltar, including sovereignty.

• 1991 – The United Nations Security Council adopts UN Security Council Resolution 721, leading the way to the establishment of peacekeeping operations in Yugoslavia.

• 1992 – For the second time in a year, military forces try to overthrow president Carlos Andres Perez in Venezuela.

• 1992 – Two Venezuelan F-16s take part in the November Venezuelan Coup Attempt on the side of the loyalists.

• 1997 – Twenty-five are killed in the second Souhane massacre in Algeria.

• 1999 – The left-wing Labour Party takes control of the New Zealand government with leader Helen Clark becoming the first elected female Prime Minister in New Zealand's history.

• 2001 – A hydrogen atmosphere is discovered on the extrasolar planet Osiris by the Hubble Space Telescope, the first atmosphere detected on an extrasolar planet.

• 2004 – Pope John Paul II returns the relics of Saint John Chrysostom to the Eastern Orthodox Church.

• 2005 – The first partial human face transplant is completed in Amiens, France.

• 2006 – The Canadian House of Commons endorses Prime Minister Stephen Harper's motion to declare Québécois a nation within a unified Canada.

Births

• 1127 – Emperor Xiaozong of China (d. 1194)

• 1576 – Shimazu Tadatsune, Ruler of Satsuma (d. 1638)

• 1582 – Pierre Dupuy, French scholar (d. 1651)

• 1630 – Archduke Sigismund Francis of Austria (d. 1665)

• 1635 – Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon, wife of Louis XIV of France (d. 1719)

• 1701 – Anders Celsius, Swedish inventor and astronomer (d. 1744)

• 1710 – Robert Lowth, British bishop (d. 1787)

• 1746 – Robert Livingston, negotiated the Louisiana Purchase from France (d. 1813)

• 1746 – Increase Sumner, 5th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1799)

• 1754 – Georg Forster, German scientist (d. 1794)

• 1779 – Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre, French general (d. 1865)

• 1804 – Julius Benedict, German-born composer (d. 1885)

• 1809 – Fanny Kemble, British actress (d. 1893)

• 1833 – Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (d. 1897)

• 1843 – Cornelius Vanderbilt II, American businessman (d. 1899)

• 1843 – Elizabeth Stride, victim of Jack the Ripper (d. 1888)

• 1857 – Charles Scott Sherrington, British physiologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1952)

• 1865 – Janez Evangelist Krek, Slovene politician (d. 1917)

• 1867 – Charles Koechlin, French composer (d. 1950)

• 1871 – Giovanni Giorgi, Italian physicist (d. 1950)

• 1874 – Charles A. Beard, American historian (d. 1948)

• 1874 – Chaim Weizmann, 1st President of Israel (d. 1952)

• 1878 – Jatindramohan Bagchi, Indian (Bengali) poet (d. 1948)

• 1885 – Liviu Rebreanu, Romanian writer (d. 1944)

• 1894 – Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian Orthodox saint (d. 1971)

• 1894 – Konosuke Matsushita, Japanese industrialist (d. 1989)

• 1897 – Vito Genovese, American mafioso (d. 1969)

• 1898 – Fredric Warburg, publisher and author (d. 1981)

• 1901 – Ted Husing, American sportscaster (d. 1962)

• 1903 – Lars Onsager, Norwegian chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1976)

• 1907 – L. Sprague de Camp, American writer (d. 2000)

• 1909 – James Agee, American writer (d. 1955)

• 1909 – Anatoly Maltsev, Russian mathematician (d. 1967)

• 1911 – David Merrick, American stage producer (d. 2000)

• 1911 – Fe del Mundo, Filipino pediatrician and National Scientist

• 1916 – Chick Hearn, American sportscaster (d. 2002)

• 1917 – Buffalo Bob Smith, American television host (d. 1998)

• 1920 – Abe Lenstra, Dutch footballer (d. 1985)

• 1920 – Buster Merryfield, English actor (d. 1999)

• 1921 – Alexander Dubček, Slovak politician (d. 1992)

• 1925 – John Maddox, British science writer and editor

• 1925 – Marshall Thompson, American actor (d. 1992)

• 1925 – Ernie Wise, British comedian (d. 1999)

• 1927 – Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer (d. 1987)

• 1928 – Alekos Alexandrakis, Greek actor (d. 2005)

• 1928 – Ronald William "Josh" Kirby, British artist (d. 2001)

• 1930 – Joe DeNardo, Pittsburgh Meteorologist

• 1930 – Rex Shelley, Singaporean author (d. 2009)

• 1932 – Benigno Aquino, Jr., Philippine politician (d. 1983)

• 1933 – Jacques Godbout, French Canadian novelist, journalist and filmmaker

• 1934 – Ammo Baba, Iraqi-Assyrian footballer

• 1934 – Al Jackson, Jr., American drummer, producer and songwriter (d. 1975)

• 1935 – Les Blank, American documentary filmmaker

• 1937 – Gail Sheehy, American writer

• 1939 – Dave Giusti, American baseball player

• 1940 – Bruce Lee, American actor and martial artist (d. 1973)

• 1941 – Eddie Rabbitt, American singer (d. 1998)

• 1941 – Aimé Jacquet, French football manager

• 1942 – Manolo Blahnik, Spanish shoe designer

• 1942 – Henry Carr, American athlete

• 1942 – Jimi Hendrix, American guitarist (d. 1970)

• 1943 – Nicole Brossard, French Canadian poet

• 1944 – Arthur "Neddy" Smith, Australian underworld figure

• 1945 – Barbara Anderson, American actress

• 1945 – Alain de Cadenet, Speed Channel personality

• 1948 – James Avery, American actor

• 1949 – Masanori Sekiya, Japanese racing driver

• 1950 – Gran Hamada, Japanese professional wrestler

• 1951 – Jayne Kennedy, American sportscaster and actress

• 1952 – Kathryn Bigelow, American film director

• 1952 – Sheila Copps, Canadian politician

• 1952 – Daryl Stuermer, American guitarist (Genesis)

• 1952 – James D. Wetherbee, American astronaut

• 1953 – Curtis Armstrong, American actor

• 1953 – Boris Grebenshchikov, Russian singer (Aquarium)

• 1954 – Patricia McPherson, American actress

• 1954 – Kimmy Robertson, American actress

• 1955 – Bill Nye (The science guy), American engineer and broadcaster

• 1955 – Pierre Mondou, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1956 – William Fichtner, American actor

• 1957 – Kenny Acheson, Northern Irish racecar driver

• 1957 – Caroline Kennedy, American journalist and attorney

• 1957 – Kevin O'Connell, American sound re-recording mixer

• 1958 – Mike Scioscia, American baseball player and manager

• 1959 – Charlie Burchill, Scottish guitarist and keyboardist (Simple Minds)

• 1960 – Ken O'Brien, American football player

• 1960 – Kevin Henkes, American children's book writer/illustrator

• 1960 – Tim Pawlenty, American politician, 39th Governor of Minnesota

• 1960 – Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukrainian prime minister

• 1961 – Steve Oedekerk, American film director, actor and comedian

• 1962 – Charlie Benante, American drummer (Anthrax)

• 1962 – Mike Bordin, American musician (Faith No More)

• 1963 – Fisher Stevens, American actor

• 1964 – Robin Givens, American actress

• 1966 – Andy Merrill, American voice actor

• 1967 – Shane Embury, British guitarist/bassist (Napalm Death, among others)

• 1968 – Michael Vartan, French actor

• 1969 – Myles Kennedy, American musician

• 1970 – Brooke Langton, American actress

• 1970 – Patricia Zentilli, Canadian actress

• 1971 – Larry Allen, American football player

• 1971 – Nick Van Exel, American basketball player

• 1971 – Erik Menendez, American convict

• 1972 – Shane Salerno, American screenwriter

• 1973 – Samantha Harris, American model and host

• 1973 – Evan Karagias, American professional wrestler

• 1973 – Twista, American rapper

• 1974 – Kirk Acevedo, American actor

• 1975 – Martin Gramatica, Argentinian-American football player

• 1976 – Jean Grae, South African-born rapper

• 1976 – Jaleel White, American actor

• 1976 – Chad Kilger, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1977 – Mika Tan, American pornographic actress

• 1978 – Jimmy Rollins, American baseball player

• 1978 – Shy Love, adult film actress

• 1978 – Radek Štěpánek, Czech tennis player

• 1978 – Mike Skinner, English musician

• 1978 – Tim Yeung, American drummer (Vital Remains)

• 1979 – Ricky Carmichael, American motocross racer

• 1979 – Hilary Hahn, American violinist

• 1979 – Shin Hyesung, Korean singer (Shinhwa)

• 1979 – Teemu Tainio, Finnish footballer

• 1980 – Michael Yardy, English cricketer

• 1981 – Gary Lucy, English actor

• 1981 – Matthew Taylor, English footballer

• 1984 – Domata Peko, American football player

• 1985 – Alison Pill, Canadian actress

• 1985 – Klara Ósk Elíasdóttir, Icelandic singer

• 1986 – Suresh Kumar Raina, Indian cricketer

• 1991 – Nur Atikah Nabilah, Singaporean gymnast

Deaths

• 8 BC – Horace, Roman poet (b. 65 BC)

• 450 – Galla Placidia, daughter of Roman Emperor Theodosius I and his second wife Galla (b. 392)

• 511 – Clovis I, King of the Franks (b. c. 466)

• 835 – Muhammad at-Taqi, Shia Imam (b. 811)

• 1198 – Queen Constance of Sicily, wife of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1154)

• 1474 – Guillaume Dufay, Flemish composer

• 1570 – Jacopo Sansovino, Italian sculptor and architect (b. 1486)

• 1592 – Nakagawa Hidemasa, Japanese samurai commander (b. 1568)

• 1592 – King John III of Sweden (b. 1537)

• 1632 – John Eliot, English statesman (b. 1592)

• 1680 – Athanasius Kircher, German Jesuit scholar (b. 1601)

• 1754 – Abraham de Moivre, French mathematician (b. 1667)

• 1811 – Andrew Meikle, British mechanical engineer (b. 1719)

• 1852 – Ada Lovelace, British mathematician (b. 1815)

• 1884 – Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe, German chemist (b. 1818)

• 1894 – Johanna von Puttkamer, Prussian noblewoman, wife of Otto von Bismarck (b. 1824)

• 1895 – Alexandre Dumas, fils, French author (b. 1824)

• 1901 – Clement Studebaker, American automobile manufacturer (b. 1831)

• 1908 – Jean Albert Gaudry, French geologist (b. 1827)

• 1920 – Alexius Meinong, Austrian philosopher (b. 1853)

• 1921 – Douglas Colin Cameron, Canadian politician (b. 1854)

• 1931 – Lya De Putti, Hungarian actress (b. 1899)

• 1932 – Evelyn Preer, American actress and singer (b. 1896)

• 1934 – Baby Face Nelson, American gangster (b. 1908)

• 1940 – Nicolae Iorga, Romanian writer and politician (b. 1871)

• 1943 – Ivo Lola Ribar, Croatian communist and partisan (b. 1916)

• 1944 – Leonid Isaakovich Mandelshtam, Russian physicist (b. 1879)

• 1953 – Eugene O'Neill, American writer and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)

• 1955 – Arthur Honegger, French-born Swiss composer (b. 1892)

• 1958 – Artur Rodziński, Polish conductor (b. 1892)

• 1973 – Frank Christian, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1887)

• 1975 – Ross McWhirter, British co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records (b. 1925)

• 1978 – Harvey Milk, American politician (assassinated) (b. 1930)

• 1978 – George Moscone, Mayor of San Francisco (assassinated) (b. 1929)

• 1980 – F. Burrall Hoffman, American architect (b. 1882)

• 1981 – Lotte Lenya, Austrian singer and actress (b. 1898)

• 1987 – Sian Kingi, Australian murder victim

• 1988 – John Carradine, American actor (b. 1906)

• 1990 – David White, American actor (b. 1916)

• 1992 – Ivan Generalić, Croatian painter (b. 1914)

• 1994 – Fernando Lopes-Graça, Portuguese composer and musicologist (b. 1906)

• 1998 – Barbara Acklin, American singer and songwriter (b. 1943)

• 1999 – Yasuhiro Kojima, wrestler (b. 1937)

• 1999 – Alain Peyrefitte, French politician and author (b. 1925)

• 2000 – Len Shackleton, English former footballer (b. 1922)

• 2005 – Jocelyn Brando, American actress (b. 1919)

• 2005 – Joe Jones, American R&B singer (b. 1926)

• 2006 – Don Butterfield, American tuba player (b. 1923)

• 2006 – Alan Freeman, British disc jockey known by his nickname 'Fluff' (b. 1927)

• 2006 – Bebe Moore Campbell, American author (b. 1950)

• 2006 – Casey Coleman, American sportscaster (b. 1951)

• 2007 – Bill Willis, American football player (b. 1921)

• 2007 – Robert Cade, American doctor and inventor of Gatorade (b. 1927)

• 2007 – Bernie Banton, Australian asbestos campaigner (b. 1946)

• 2007 – Sean Taylor, American football player (b. 1983)

Holidays and observances

• Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Roman Catholic)

• Barlaam and Josaphat (Eastern Orthodox—Revised Julian Calendar)

• Apostle Philip, Gregory Palamas (Eastern Orthodox—Julian Calendar)

• Heroes Day in Belarus, (commemoration of Slutsk defence action)