December 23

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It is the first day of the Winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, in the Southern Hemisphere, the first day of the summer season.

Events

1493 - Georg Alt's German translation of Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle is published.
1783 - George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
1793 - The Battle of Savenay, decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in Revolt in the Vendée during the French Revolution.
1913 - The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve.
1914 - World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops arrive in Cairo, Egypt.
1916 - World War I: Battle of Magdhaba - Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in Egypt's Sinai peninsula.
1921 - Visva-Bharati University is inaugurated.
1936 - Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
1937 - First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
1938 - Discovery of the first modern coelacanth in South Africa.
1940 - World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis (Υ-2) sinks the Italian motor ship Antonietta.
1941 - World War II: Japanese Imperial Army occupies Wake Island.
1947 - The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
1948 - Seven Japanese convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo.
1954 - The first human kidney transplant is performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
1958 - Dedication of Tokyo Tower, world's highest self-supporting iron tower.
1968 - The United States won the release of 82 sailors by issuing a writing apology to North Korea for spying on the Communist country.
1972 - The Nicaraguan capital of Managua is struck by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake, killing more than 10,000.
1972 - The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.
1979 - Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
1982 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces it has identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
1986 - Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world.
1990 - History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88% of Slovenia's population vote for independence from Yugoslavia.
2002 - A MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25, making it the first time in history that an aircraft and an unmanned drone had engaged in combat.
2003 - PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai, Chongqing, China, killing at least 234.
2004 - Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean is hit by an 8.1 magnitude earthquake.
2005 - Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Aktau, Kazakhstan crashes shortly after takeoff killing 23 people.
2005 - Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18th attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.

Births

245- Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra
1173 - Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
1513 - Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (d. 1577)
1537 - King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
1582 - Severo Bonini, Italian composer (d. 1663)
1597 - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
1613 - Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
1621 - Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (d. 1678)
1621 - Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)
1689 - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
1732 - Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)
1743 - Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet (d. 1803)
1750 - King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
1777 - Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
1790 - Jean François Champollion, French Egyptologist (d. 1832)
1804 - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
1805 - Joseph Smith, Jr., American founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1844)
1819 - Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
1822 - Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
1843 - Richard Conner, American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient (d. 1924)
1854 - Henry B. Guppy, British botanist (d. 1926)
1864 - Zorka of Montenegro, Princess of Serbia (d. 1890)
1867 - Madam C.J. Walker, American philanthropist and tycoon (d. 1919)
1878 - Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (d. 1972)
1885 - Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
1891 - Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
1900 - Otto Soglow, American comics artist (d. 1975)
1902 - Norman Maclean, American author (d. 1990)
1907 - Avraham Stern, Polish-born Zionist leader (d. 1942)
1908 - Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born, Canadian portrait photographer (d. 2002)
1911 - Niels Kaj Jerne, English-born immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)
1911 - James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
1916 - Dino Risi, Italian film director and screenwriter
1918 - Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany
1918 - José Greco, Italian-born flamenco dancer (d. 2001)
1921 - Guy Beaulne, French Canadian actor and theatre director (d. 2001)
1922 - Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician (d. 2001)
1923 - Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist
1923 - Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
1923 - James Stockdale, U.S. Navy admiral (d. 2005)
1923 - Onofre Marimón, Argentine racing driver (d. 1954)
1926 - Robert Bly, American poet
1928 - Chronis Aidonidis, Greek singer
1929 - Chet Baker, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1988)
1929 - Dick Weber, American professional tenpin bowler (d. 2005)
1931 - Ronnie Schell, American actor
1933 - Akihito, Emperor of Japan
1935 - Paul Hornung, American football player
1935 - Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
1936 - Frederic Forrest, American actor
1937 - Barney Rosenzweig, American television producer
1938 - Bob Kahn, American Internet pioneer
1940 - Jorma Kaukonen, American musician (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
1940 - Robert Labine, former mayor of old city of Gatineau, Quebec
1940 - Eugene Record, American singer (The Chi-Lites) (d. 2005)
1941 - Ron Bushy, Rock Band Drummer
1941 - Tim Hardin, American musician (d. 1980)
1942 - John Peterman, American fashion designer
1943 - Mikhail Gromov, Russian-born mathematician
1943 - Harry Shearer, American actor
1943 - Ron Allen, baseball player
1943 - Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
1943 - Silvia Sommerlath, Queen of Sweden
1944 - Wesley Clark, U.S. general, NATO Supreme Allied Commander, and former US Presidential candidate
1945 - Ron Bushy, American drummer (Iron Butterfly)
1946 - Edita Gruberova, Slovak operatic soprano
1946 - Susan Lucci, American actress
1947 - Heikki Lahtinen, Finnish race walker
1948 - Jack Ham, American football player
1948 - Leslie Moonves, American television executive
1949 - Adrian Belew, American musician
1950 - Michael C. Burgess, American politician
1950 - Ilchi Lee, Korean educator and author

1951 - Anthony Phillips, British guitarist (Genesis)
1952 - William Kristol, American political commentator
1956 - Dave Murray, English guitarist (Iron Maiden)
1956 - Michele Alboreto, Italian Formula one driver (d. 2001)
1957 - Dan Bigras, Canadian singer
1957 - Trisha Goddard, English television presenter
1958 - Victoria Williams, American singer
1958 - Joan Severance, American actress
1959 - Geoff Willis, British engineer
1961 - Carol Smillie, British television personality
1962 - Bertrand Gachot, Belgian racing driver
1962 - Kang Je-gyu, South Korean film director
1962 - Keiji Muto, Japanese professional wrestler
1963 - Jim Harbaugh, American football player
1963 - Donna Tartt, American author
1964 - Eddie Vedder, American musician (Pearl Jam)
1967 - Carla Bruni, Italian-French model, songwriter and singer
1968 - Quincy Jones III, Swedish-American musician
1969 - Greg Biffle, American racecar driver
1969 - Martha Byrne, American actress
1970 - Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
1970 - Raymont Harris, American football player
1971 - Corey Haim, Canadian actor
1971 - Masayoshi Yamazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter
1971 - Michalis Klokidis, Greek footballer
1971 - Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite
1974 - Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer
1975 - Sky Lopez, American actress
1975 - Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player
1976 - Brad Lidge, American baseball player
1976 - Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Greek footballer
1976 - Jamie Noble, American professional wrestler
1977 - Alge Crumpler, American football player
1977 - Jari Mäenpää, Finnish guitarist and singer
1977 - Paul Shirley, American basketball player
1978 - Andra Davis, American football player
1978 - Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
1978 - Jodie Marsh, British glamour model
1978 - Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
1978 - Estella Warren, Canadian model and actress
1979 - Summer Altice, American model and actress
1979 - Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player
1979 - Holly Madison, American model
1981 - Beth, Spanish singer
1983 - Michael Chopra, English footballer
1983 - Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
1985 - Harry Judd, British drummer (McFly)
1985 - Luke O'Loughlin, Australian actor
1988 - Eri Kamei, Japanese singer
1990 - Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American actress, model, and singer

Deaths

679 - Dagobert II, King of Austrasia (b. c 650).(murdered)
910 - Naum of Preslav, Bulgarian scholar
913 - Conrad of Franconia
918 - Conrad I of Germany
1230 - Berengaria of Navarre, queen of Richard I of England
1556 - Nicholas Udall, English playwright (b. 1504)
1568 - Roger Ascham, tutor of Elizabeth I of England
1575 - Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese warrior (hanged) (b. 1531)
1588 - Henry I, Duke of Guise, French Catholic leader (b. 1550)
1631 - Michael Drayton, English poet (b. 1563)
1646 - François Maynard, French poet (b. 1582)
1652 - John Cotton, founder of Boston, Massachusetts (b. 1585)
1675 - Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French marshal and diplomat (b. 1602)
1722 - Pierre Varignon, French mathematician (b. 1654)
1771 - Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian saint (b. 1701)
1761 - Alestair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish Jacobite spy
1779 - Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, British admiral and politician (b. 1724)
1789 - Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French philanthropist (b. 1712)
1793 - Johann Adolph Hasse, German composer (b. 1699)
1793 - Antoine François Prévost, French author and novelist (b. 1697)
1795 - Henry Clinton, British general (b. 1730)
1805 - Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and naturalist (b. 1723)
1834 - Thomas Malthus, English demographer and economist (b. 1766)
1846 - Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent, French naturalist (b. 1780)
1902 - Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1821)
1912 - Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist (b. 1850)
1931 - Wilson Bentley, American scientist (b. 1865)
1939 - Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
1946 - John A. Sampson, American gynecologist (b. 1873)
1948 - Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan (hanged) (b. 1884)
1948 - Akira Muto, Japanese army commander (hanged) (b. 1883)
1953 - Lavrenty Beria, Soviet Communist leader (b. 1899)
1954 - René Iché, French sculptor (b. 1897)
1970 - Charles Ruggles, American actor (b. 1886)
1972 - Andrei Tupolev, Soviet aircraft designer (b. 1888)
1973 - Charles Atlas, Italian-born bodybuilder (b. 1892)
1973 - Irna Phillips, American television writer, director, and producer (b. 1901)
1979 - Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (b. 1898)
1982 - Jack Webb, American actor, producer, and director (b. 1920)
1983 - Colin Middleton, Northern Irish artist (b. 1910)
1992 - Vincent Fourcade, French American interior designer and socialite (b. 1934)
1992 - Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (Funkadelic) (b. 1950)
1994 - Sebastian Shaw, English actor (b. 1905)
1997 - Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer (b. 1908)
2000 - Noor Jehan, Indian singer and actress (b. 1926)
2000 - Billy Barty, American actor (b. 1924)
2000 - Victor Borge, Danish-born comedian and pianist (b. 1909)
2004 - P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
2005 - Norman D. Vaughan, polar explorer and dogsled driver (b. 1905)
2005 - Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer and coach (b. 1914)
2006 - Charlie Drake, English comedian (b. 1925)
2006 - Marilyn Waltz, American actress and Playboy Playmate (b. 1931)
2006 - Timothy J. Tobias, American composer and musician (b. 1952)
2006 - Johnny Vincent, English footballer for Birmingham City and Middlesbrough (b. 1947)
2007 - Michael Kidd, American film and stage choreographer (b. 1915)
2007 - Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist and composer (b. 1925)
2007 - William Francis Ganong, American physiologist (b. 1924)

Holidays and observances

Roman festivals - Larentalia, a festival in honour of Larenta
R.C. Saints - O Emmanuel, John Cantius ; Thorlac Thorhallsson, patron saint of Iceland
Japan - The Emperor's Birthday - Birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan
Ancient Latvia - Ziemassvētki held
Sweden - Birthday of Queen Silvia, an official flag day
Oaxaca - Night of the Radishes
Secular humanism (American) - HumanLight observed
Saint Abassad, in the Coptic Church
Saint Psote, in the Coptic Church
Festivus, a holiday made popular by the sitcom Seinfeld.

External links

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Last updated on Wednesday March 12, 2008 at 14:21:07 PDT (GMT -0700)
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