December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 12 days remaining until the end of the year. [edit] Events - 324 – Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor.
- 1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey.
- 1490 – Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy.
- 1606 – The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery depart England carrying settlers who found, at Jamestown, Virginia, the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States.
- 1776 – Thomas Paine publishes one of a series of pamphlets in the Pennsylvania Journal titled The American Crisis.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
- 1828 – Nullification Crisis: Vice President of the United States John C. Calhoun pens the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, protesting the Tariff of 1828.
- 1835 – The first issue of The Blade newspaper is published in Toledo, Ohio.
- 1907 – A group of 239 coal miners die during a mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania.
- 1912 – William H. Van Schaick, captain of the steamship General Slocum which caught fire and killed over 1,000 people, is pardoned by U.S. President William Howard Taft after three-and-a-half-years in Sing Sing prison.
- 1916 – World War I: Battle of Verdun – On the Western Front, the French Army successfully holds off the German Army and drives it back to its starting position.
- 1920 – King Constantine I is restored as King of the Hellenes after the death of his son Alexander I of Greece and a plebiscite.
- 1924 – The last Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is sold in London, England.
- 1932 – BBC World Service begins broadcasting as the BBC Empire Service
- 1941 – World War II: Adolf Hitler becomes Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the German Army.
- 1946 – Start of the First Indochina War.
- 1961 – India annexes Daman and Diu, part of Portuguese India.
- 1967 – Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt is officially presumed dead.
- 1972 – Apollo program: The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt, returns to Earth.
- 1975 – John Paul Stevens is appointed a justice of The United States Supreme Court.
- 1981 – Sixteen lives are lost when the Penlee lifeboat goes to the aid of the stricken coaster Union Star in heavy seas.
- 1983 – The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro.
- 1984 – The Sino-British Joint Declaration, stating that the People's Republic of China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and the United Kingdom would restore Hong Kong to China with effect from July 1, 1997 is signed in Beijing by Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher.
- 1986 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from internal exile in Gorky.
- 1995 – The United States Government restores federal recognition to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indian tribe.
- 1997 – SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River, near Palembang in Indonesia, killing 104.
- 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: The United States House of Representatives forwards articles I and III of impeachment against President Bill Clinton to the Senate.
- 2000 – The Leninist Guerrilla Units wing of the Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist attack a Nationalist Movement Party office in Istanbul, killing one person and injuring three.
- 2001 – A record high barometric pressure of 1085.6 hPa (32.06 inHg) is recorded at Tosontsengel, Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia.
- 2001 – Argentine economic crisis: December 2001 riots – Riots erupt in Buenos Aires.
[edit] Births - 1554 – Philip William, Prince of Orange (d. 1618)
- 1587 – Dorothea Sophia, Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg (d. 1645)
- 1683 – Philip V of Spain (d. 1746)
- 1699 – William Bowyer, English printer (d. 1777)
- 1714 – John Winthrop, American astronomer (d. 1779)
- 1778 – Princess Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, eldest child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI (d. 1851)
- 1784 – Marcus Morton, 16th and 18th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1864)
- 1796 – Breton de los Herreros, Spanish playwright (d. 1873)
- 1813 – Thomas Andrews, Irish chemist (d. 1885)
- 1817 – James J. Archer, Confederate general (d. 1904)
- 1820 – Mary Livermore, American journalist and women's rights advocate (d. 1905)
- 1831 – Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Hawaiian philanthropist (d. 1884)
- 1852 – Albert Abraham Michelson, Prussian-born American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1931)
- 1853 – Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian politician, lieutenant-governor of Quebec (d. 1942)
- 1861 – Italo Svevo, Italian author (d. 1928)
- 1865 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress (d. 1932)
- 1875 – Carter Woodson, American historian and author, founder of Black History Month (d. 1950)
- 1885 – Joe "King" Oliver, American jazz musician (d. 1938)
- 1888 – Fritz Reiner, Hungarian-born American conductor (d. 1963)
- 1894 – Ford Frick, American baseball commissioner (d. 1978)
- 1895 – Werner Dankwort, German diplomat (d. 1986)
- 1895 – Ingeborg Refling Hagen, Norwegian author and teacher (d. 1989)
- 1899 – Martin Luther King, Sr., American baptist minister and father of Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr (d. 1984)
- 1901 – Rudolf Hell, German inventor (d. 2002)
- 1902 – Sir Ralph Richardson, English actor (d. 1983)
- 1903 – George Davis Snell, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (d. 1996)
- 1906 – Leonid Brezhnev, leader of the Soviet Union (d. 1982)
- 1907 – Jimmy McLarnin, former Welterweight Champion (d. 2004)
- 1909 – W.A. Criswell, American (Baptist) preacher (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Jean Genet, French writer (d. 1986)
- 1915 – Édith Piaf, French singer and actress (d. 1963)
- 1918 – Professor Longhair, American blues musician (d. 1980)
- 1920 – Little Jimmy Dickens, American country singer
- 1920 – David Susskind, American TV talk show host (d. 1987)
- 1922 – Eamonn Andrews, Irish-born television presenter (d. 1987)
- 1923 – Gordon Jackson, Scottish actor (d. 1990)
- 1924 – Carlo Chiti, Italian race car engineer (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1989)
- 1924 – Gary Morton, American comic; widower of Lucille Ball (d. 1999)
- 1924 – Edmund Purdom, English actor
- 1925 – Tankred Dorst, German dramatist
- 1925 – Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter
- 1925 – William Schutz, American psychologist (d. 2002)
- 1926 – Bobby Layne, American football player (d. 1986)
- 1926 – Herb Stempel, American game show contestant
- 1927 – James Booth, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2005)
- 1928 – Nathan Oliveira, American artist
- 1929 – Bob Brookmeyer, American jazz musician
- 1929 – Howard Sackler, American screenwriter (d. 1982)
- 1932 – Salvador Elizondo, Mexican writer
- 1933 – Kevan Gosper, Australian athlete
- 1933 – Cicely Tyson, American actress
- 1934 – Rudi Carrell, Dutch singer (d. 2006)
- 1934 – Al Kaline, American baseball player
- 1934 – Casper R. Taylor, Jr., American politician
- 1934 – Pratibha Patil, President of India
- 1935 – Barbara Bostock, American actress
- 1935 – Bobby Timmons, American jazz pianist (d. 1974)
- 1936 – Marian McKnight, Miss America 1957
- 1940 – Phil Ochs, American folk singer (d. 1976)
- 1941 – Maurice White, American singer and songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire)
- 1941 – Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea
- 1942 – Rufus, French actor
- 1943 – Ross M. Lence, American political scientist (d. 2006)
- 1943 – General James L. Jones, Nominee for National Security Advisor
- 1944 – William Christie, American-born director of Les Arts Florissants
- 1944 – Mitchell Feigenbaum, American mathematical physicist
- 1944 – Richard Leakey, Kenyan paleontologist, conservationist and politician
- 1944 – Alvin Lee, English singer/guitarist (Ten Years After)
- 1944 – Tim Reid, American actor
- 1944 – Zal Yanovsky, Canadian guitarist (The Lovin' Spoonful) (d. 2002)
- 1945 – Elaine Joyce, American actress
- 1946 – Rosemary Conley, English businesswoman, author and broadcaster
- 1946 – Robert Urich, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1947 – Jimmy Bain Scottish musician
- 1948 – Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1949 – Nancy Kyes, American actress
- 1949 – Sebastian, Danish musician
- 1951 – Alan Rouse, British mountaineer (d. 1986)
- 1952 – Walter Murphy, American composer, pianist and arranger
- 1955 – Lincoln Hall (climber), Australian mountaineer
- 1956 – Tom Lawless, American baseball player
- 1957 – Cyril Collard, French film director (d. 1993)
- 1957 – John Gulager, American film director
- 1957 – Kevin McHale, American basketball player
- 1958 – Limahl, English singer (Kajagoogoo)
- 1959 – Ivan Vallejo, Ecuadorian mountaineer
- 1960 – Mike Lookinland, American actor
- 1960 – Michelangelo Signorile, American writer
- 1960 – Derrick Jensen, American author and activist
- 1961 – Eric Allin Cornell, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1961 – Matthew Waterhouse, English actor
- 1961 – Reggie White, American football player (d. 2004)
- 1962 – Gary Fleder, American film director
- 1962 – Jill Talley, American actress
- 1963 – Jennifer Beals, American actress
- 1963 – Til Schweiger, German actor
- 1964 – Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1964 – Béatrice Dalle, French actress
- 1965 – Chito Martínez, Belizean baseball player
- 1965 – Jessica Steen, American actress
- 1966 – Chuckii Booker, American singer, musician and producer
- 1966 – Robert MacNaughton, American stage and screen actor
- 1966 – Alberto Tomba, Italian alpine skier
- 1966 – Eric Weinrich, American ice hockey player
- 1967 – Criss Angel, American illusionist, actor, and musician
- 1967 – Frankie Lam, Hong Kong actor
- 1969 – Richard Hammond, English television presenter
- 1969 – Tom Gugliotta, American basketball player
- 1969 – Kristy Swanson, American actress
- 1969 – Villano IV, Mexican professional wrestler
- 1971 – Tyson Beckford, American model
- 1971 – Liz Cho, American television reporter
- 1971 – Amy Locane, American actress
- 1971 – Tiffany Towers, Canadian adult film actress
- 1972 – Alyssa Milano, American actress
- 1972 – Rosa Blasi, American actress
- 1972 – Warren Sapp, American football player
- 1973 – Takashi Sorimachi, Japanese actor
- 1973 – Zulfiya Zabirova, Russian cyclist
- 1974 – Mikko Paananen, Finnish bassist (HIM)
- 1974 – Joe Jurevicius, American football player
- 1974 – Jake Plummer, American football player
- 1974 – Ricky Ponting, Australian cricketer
- 1975 – Russell Branyan, American baseball player
- 1975 – Jon Smith, British writer
- 1975 – Olivier Tebily, Ivorian footballer
- 1977 – Jorge Garbajosa, Spanish basketball player
- 1978 – Patrick Casey, American screenwriter and actor
- 1979 – Kevin Devine, American musician
- 1979 – Paola Rey, Colombian actress
- 1980 – Iman Ali, Pakistan-based model and actress
- 1980 – Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor
- 1980 – Chris Haslam, Canadian Skateboarder and Bass Player (Kobra Triangle)
- 1980 – Marla Sokoloff, American actress
- 1982 – Maurice Williams, American basketball player
- 1982 – Tero Pitkamaki, Finnish javelin thrower
- 1983 – Matt Stajan, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Ian Kennedy, Major League Baseball pitcher
- 1985 – Gary Cahill, English footballer
- 1985 – Neil Kilkenny, English-born Australian footballer
- 1985 – Lady Sovereign, English musician
- 1986 – Ryan Babel, Dutch Footballer
- 1987 – Karim Benzema, French footballer
- 1988 – Peter Winn, English footballer
- 1988 – Alexis Sánchez, Chilean footballer
- 1989 – Valdimar Bergstað, Icelandic horse rider
- 1991 – Declan Galbraith, English singer
[edit] Deaths - 401 – Pope Anastasius I
- 1075 – Edith of Wessex, wife of Edward the Confessor of England
- 1327 – Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy
- 1370 – Pope Urban V (b. 1310)
- 1737 – James Sobieski, Crown Prince of Poland (b. 1667)
- 1741 – Vitus Bering, Danish-born explorer (b. 1681)
- 1745 – Jean-Baptiste van Loo, French painter (b. 1684)
- 1749 – Francesco Antonio Bonporti, Italian priest and composer (b. 1672)
- 1751 – Louise of Great Britain, wife of Frederick V of Denmark (b. 1724)
- 1807 – Friedrich Melchior, baron von Grimm, German writer (b. 1723)
- 1813 – James McGill, Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1744)
- 1814 – Joseph Bramah, Inventor and Locksmith, notably invented the beer pump (b. 1748)
- 1819 – Sir Thomas Fremantle, British naval officer and politician (b. 1765)
- 1848 – Emily Brontë, English author (b. 1818)
- 1878 – Bayard Taylor, American author and poet (b. 1825)
- 1915 – Alois Alzheimer, German neuroscientist (b. 1864)
- 1932 – Yoon Bong-Gil, Korean activist (b. 1908)
- 1933 – George Jackson Churchward, GWR Chief mechanical engineer. (b. 1857)
- 1938 – Stephen Warfield Gambrill, U.S. Congressman (b. 1873)
- 1939 – Hans Langsdorff, German naval officer (b. 1894)
- 1944 – Khedive Abbas II of Egypt (b. 1874)
- 1944 – Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (b. 1856)
- 1946 – Paul Langevin, French physicist (b. 1872)
- 1953 – Robert Millikan, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1868)
- 1968 – Norman Thomas, American socialist (b. 1884)
- 1982 – Dwight Macdonald, American social critic (b. 1906)
- 1984 – Joy Ridderhof, American missionary (b. 1903)
- 1986 – V. C. Andrews, American author (b. 1923)
- 1989 – Stella Gibbons, English author (b. 1902)
- 1991 – Joe Cole, American rock music roadie (b. 1961)
- 1993 – Michael Clarke, American drummer (The Byrds) (b. 1946)
- 1996 – Marcello Mastroianni, Italian actor (b. 1924)
- 1997 – Masaru Ibuka, Japanese industrialist (Sony) (b. 1908)
- 1997 – Jimmy Rogers, American blues guitarist (b. 1924)
- 1998 – Mel Fisher, American treasure hunter (b. 1922)
- 1998 – Antonio Ordóñez, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1932)
- 1999 – Desmond Llewelyn, Welsh actor (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Rob Buck, American guitarist (10,000 Maniacs) (b. 1958)
- 2000 – Milt Hinton, American jazz double bassist (b. 1910)
- 2000 – John Lindsay, American politician (b. 1921)
- 2000 – Pops Staples, American singer (The Staple Singers) (b. 1915)
- 2001 – Marcel Mule, French saxophonist. (b. 1901)
- 2002 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer. (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Peter Carter-Ruck, English lawyer (b. 1914)
- 2003 – Hope Lange, American actress (b. 1933)
- 2003 – Les Tremayne, English-born American actor (b. 1913)
- 2004 – Herbert C. Brown, English-born American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Keith Duckworth, English mechanical engineer (Cosworth (b. 1933)
- 2005 – Vincent Gigante, American mafioso (b. 1927)
- 2008 – James Bevel, 1960s Civil rights movement leader (b. 1936)
- 2008 – Kenny Cox, American jazz musician (b. 1940)
- 2008 – Dock Ellis, American baseball pitcher (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Carol Chomsky, American linguist and education specialist (b. 1930)
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