December 20

Events

 * 69 - Vespasian, a former general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of emperor.
 * 1192 - Richard the Lion-Heart was captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after signing a treaty with Saladin ending the crusade.
 * 1522 - Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually re-settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.
 * 1606 - The Virginia Company loaded three ships with settlers and set sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas
 * 1803 - Louisiana Purchase completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.
 * 1835 - First signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at Goliad, Texas.
 * 1860 - South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.
 * 1915 - World War I: Last Australian troops evacuated from Gallipoli.
 * 1917 - Cheka, first Soviet secret police, founded.
 * 1941 - World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers" in Kunming, China.
 * 1942 - World War II: Bombing of Calcutta by the Japanese.
 * 1951 - Nuclear power first harvested when EBR-1 powers four light bulbs.
 * 1952 - United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington killing 87.
 * 1955 - Cardiff was proclaimed as the capital city of Wales,United Kingdom
 * 1960 - National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam is formed.
 * 1968 - The Zodiac Killer kills Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Vallejo, CA.
 * 1973 - The Spanish Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, is assassinated by a car bomb attack in Madrid
 * 1981 - The first ever on-stage performance of the award-winning Broadway musical Dreamgirls at Imperial Theatre on Broadway.
 * 1984 - The Summit tunnel fire is the largest underground fire in history, as a freight train carrying over 1 million litres of petrol derails near the town of Todmorden in the Pennines.
 * 1988 - The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.
 * 1989 - United States invasion of Panama: United States sends troops into Panama to overthrow government of Manuel Noriega.
 * 1991 - Paul Keating becomes the 24th Prime Minister of Australia.
 * 1991  - A Missouri court passes the death sentence on Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.
 * 1995 - NATO begins peacekeeping in Bosnia.
 * 1995  - American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia killing 160.
 * 1995  - The Democratic Social Movement is founded in Greece.
 * 1996 - NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.
 * 1999  - Macau is handed over to the People's Republic of China by Portugal.
 * 1999  - Operation Just Cause, the U.S. Invasion of Panama to restore democracy and arrest Manuel Noriega, starts at 45 minutes after midnight (0045 hrs local)
 * 2001 - Argentine economic crisis (1999-2002): President of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa is forced out of office.
 * 2002 - US Senator Trent Lott resigns as majority leader.
 * 2005 - 2005 New York City transit strike: New York City's Transport Workers Union Local 100 goes on strike, shutting down all New York City Subway and Bus services.
 * 2005  - US District Court Judge John E. Jones III ruled against mandating teaching "intelligent design" in his ruling of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.
 * 2006 - A judge rules against the death penalty in the case of Naveed Haq, a man convicted in the shooting death and injuries at the Jewish Federation in Seattle.

Births

 * 1494 - Oronce Finé, French mathematician (d. 1555)
 * 1537 - King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
 * 1566 - Edward Wightman, English Baptist preacher (d. 1612)
 * 1579 - (baptized) John Fletcher, English playwright (d. 1625)
 * 1626 - Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff, German statesman (d. 1692)
 * 1629 - Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (d. 1684)
 * 1717 - Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French statesman and diplomat (d. 1787)
 * 1786 - Pietro Raimondi, Italian composer (d. 1853)
 * 1792 - Nicolas Charlet, French painter (d. 1845)
 * 1833 - Samuel Mudd, American physician (d. 1883)
 * 1838 - Edwin Abbott Abbott, English schoolmaster, theologian, and author (d. 1926)
 * 1841 - Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1932)
 * 1860 - Dan Leno, English entertainer (d. 1904)
 * 1861 - Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (d. 1926)
 * 1865 - Elsie De Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (d. 1950)
 * 1868 - Harvey Firestone, American automobile pioneer (d. 1938)
 * 1881 - Branch Rickey, baseball executive (d. 1965)
 * 1886 - Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, American tennis player (d. 1974)
 * 1888 - Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (d. 1958)
 * 1890 - Yvonne Arnaud, French-born actress (d. 1958)
 * 1890  - Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
 * 1894 - Sir Robert Menzies, twelfth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1978)
 * 1898 - Irene Dunne, American actress (d. 1990)
 * 1901 - Robert Van de Graaff, American physicist and inventor (d. 1967)
 * 1902 - Sidney Hook, American philosopher (d. 1989)
 * 1902  - George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent (d. 1942)
 * 1904 - Spud Davis, baseball player (d. 1984)
 * 1907 - Paul Francis Webster, songwriter (d. 1984)
 * 1908 - Dennis Morgan, American actor (d. 1994)
 * 1909 - Vakkom Majeed, Indian politician (d. 2000)
 * 1911 - Hortense Calisher, American author
 * 1916 - Michel Chartrand, Quebec union leader
 * 1917 - David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (d. 1992)
 * 1918 - Jean Marchand, French Canadian trade unionist and politician (d. 1988)
 * 1918  - Audrey Totter, American actress
 * 1922 - George Roy Hill, American film director (d. 2002)
 * 1922  - Beverly Pepper, American sculptor and painter
 * 1924 - Judy LaMarsh, Canadian politician and broadcaster (d. 1980)
 * 1925 - Benito Lorenzi, Italian footballer (d. 2007)
 * 1925  - Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia
 * 1926 - Sir Geoffrey Howe, British politician
 * 1926  - Otto Graf Lambsdorff, German politician
 * 1927 - Kim Young-sam, President of South Korea
 * 1931 - Mala Powers, American film actress (d. 2007)
 * 1933 - Jean Carnahan, U.S. Senator
 * 1933  - Rik Van Looy, Belgian cyclist
 * 1938 - John Harbison, American composer
 * 1944 - Bobby Colomby, American musician (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
 * 1944  - Jean Fergusson, English actress
 * 1945 - Peter Criss, American drummer and singer (Kiss)
 * 1946 - Uri Geller, Israeli psychic
 * 1946  - John Spencer, American actor (d. 2005)
 * 1946  - Dick Wolf, American television series creator
 * 1947 - Gigliola Cinquetti, Italian singer
 * 1948 - Alan Parsons, British music producer and artist
 * 1949 - Soumaïla Cissé, Malian politician
 * 1949  - Cecil Cooper, Major League baseball player
 * 1951 - Gilbert Montagné, French musician
 * 1951  - Peter May, Scottish novelist and scriptwriter
 * 1952 - Jenny Agutter, English actress
 * 1954 - Michael Badalucco, American actor
 * 1954  - Sandra Cisneros, American writer
 * 1955 - Ed Kuepper, German-born Australian musician (The Saints, Laughing Clowns)
 * 1956 - Junji Hirata, Japanese professional wrestler
 * 1957 - Billy Bragg, English singer and songwriter
 * 1957  - Mike Watt, American bassist
 * 1957  - Stephen Bicknell, British organ builder and scholar (d. 2007)
 * 1957  - Joyce Hyser, American actress
 * 1957  - Anna Vissi, Greek-Cypriot singer
 * 1958 - Steve Sailer, American political commentator
 * 1960 - Nalo Hopkinson, Canadian writer
 * 1963 - Infanta Elena of Spain, Duchess of Lugo
 * 1965 - Rich Gannon, American football player
 * 1966 - Matt Neal, British Race Driver
 * 1966  - Chris Robinson, American singer (Black Crowes)
 * 1966  - Myrra Malmberg, Swedish singer
 * 1968 - Karl Wendlinger, Austrian racing driver
 * 1968  - Joe Cornish, British comedian
 * 1968  - Phil Andrews, British racing driver
 * 1970 - Nicole DeBoer, Canadian actress


 * 1973 - Cory Stillman, National Hockey League forward
 * 1974 - Die, Japanese musician (Dir en grey)
 * 1975 - Bartosz Bosacki, Polish footballer
 * 1975  - Christian Filippella, Italian film director
 * 1975  - Jaydy Michel, Mexican model
 * 1976 - Jang Hyuk, Korean actor
 * 1976  - Aubrey Huff, American baseball player
 * 1976  - Adam Powell, Neopets creator
 * 1976  - Ramon Stoppelenburg, world traveler and Dutch author
 * 1977  - Saukrates, Canadian rapper
 * 1978 - Geremi Njitap, Cameroon footballer
 * 1978  - Andrei Markov, Russian hockey player
 * 1979 - Michael Rogers, Australian cyclist
 * 1980 - Ashley Cole, English footballer
 * 1980  - Anthony da Silva (Tony), French-Portuguese footballer
 * 1981 - Roy Williams, American football player
 * 1981  - James Shields, American baseball player
 * 1982 - David Wright, baseball player


 * 1983 - Jonah Hill, American actor
 * 1983  - Lara Stone, Dutch model
 * 1983  - Lucy Pinder, British model
 * 1987 - Tariel Zintiridis, Greek judoka
 * 1990 - Joanna "JoJo" Levesque American pop/R&B Singer

Deaths

 * 217 - Pope Zephyrinus
 * 860 - King Ethelbald of Wessex
 * 910 - Alfonso III of Leon
 * 1022 - Elvira Mendes, wife of Alfonso V of Castile (b. 996)
 * 1355 - Stefan Dušan, Serb king and tsar (b. circa 1308)
 * 1494 - Matteo Maria Boiardo, Italian poet
 * 1524 - Thomas Linacre, English scholar and physician
 * 1539 - Johannes Lupi, Flemish composer
 * 1590 - Ambroise Paré, French physician (b. 1510)
 * 1722 - Kangxi Emperor of China (b. 1654)
 * 1723 - Augustus Quirinus Rivinus (b. 1652)
 * 1740 - Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, English military officer and statesman (b. 1675)
 * 1768 - Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet (b. 1692)
 * 1783 - Antonio Soler, Spanish composer (b. 1729)
 * 1812 - Sacagawea, Shoshone guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition
 * 1917 - Lucien Petit-Breton, Argentine-French cyclist (b. 1882)
 * 1921 - Hans Hartwig von Beseler, German general (b. 1850)
 * 1929 - Émile Loubet, 7th President of France (b.1838)
 * 1935 - Martin O'Meara, Australian soldier (b. 1882)
 * 1937 - Erich Ludendorff, German general (b. 1865)
 * 1941 - Igor Severyanin, Russian poet (b. 1887)
 * 1954 - James Hilton, British author (b. 1900)
 * 1956 - Ramon Carrillo, Argentine neuroscientist and Public Health minister (b. 1906)
 * 1961 - Moss Hart, American dramatist (b. 1904)
 * 1961  - Earle Page, eleventh Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1880)
 * 1968 - John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
 * 1973 - Luis Carrero Blanco, Prime Minister of Spain (assassinated) (b. 1903)
 * 1973  - Bobby Darin, American singer (b. 1936)
 * 1974 - André Jolivet, French composer (b. 1905)
 * 1976 - Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1902)
 * 1981 - Dimitris Rontiris, Greek actor and director (b. 1899)
 * 1982 - Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-born pianist (b. 1887)
 * 1984 - Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (b. 1946)
 * 1986 - Joe DeSa, baseball player (b. 1959)
 * 1988 - Alphonse Ouimet, Canadian television pioneer, president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (b. 1908)
 * 1989 - Kurt Böhme, German bass (b. 1908)
 * 1991 - Simone Beck, French chef (b. 1904)
 * 1994 - Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State (b. 1909)
 * 1996 - Carl Sagan, American astronomer and writer (b. 1934)
 * 1997 - Denise Levertov, English-born poet (b. 1923)
 * 1997  - Juzo Itami, Japanese actor and director (b. 1933)
 * 1997  - Dawn Steel, American film producer (b. 1946)
 * 1998 - Irene Hervey, American actress (b. 1910)
 * 1998  - Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, British scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1916)
 * 1999 - Hank Snow, Canadian singer (b. 1914)
 * 1999  - Riccardo Freda, Italian film director (b. 1909)
 * 2000 - Mirza Ghulam Hafiz, Bangladesh statesman, politician, and philanthropist (b. 1920)
 * 2001 - Foster Brooks, American actor and comedian (b. 1912)
 * 2001  - Léopold Sédar Senghor, first President of Senegal (b. 1906)
 * 2005 - Maniam Moorthy, member of the first Malaysian team to summit Mount Everest
 * 2006 - Shi Yuejun, Chinese serial killer. Executed.

Holidays and observances

 * R.C. Saints - Saint Dominic of Silos, O Clavis, Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne