Historical Events Dec 3 First recorded successful separation of conjoined twins Elisabet and Catherina Meijerin, completed by Swiss surgeon Johannes Fatio in Basel [1] Dec 16 English Parliament passes Bill of Rights establishing limits on crown powers and requirement for regular elections Dec 22 Heavy earthquake strikes Innsbruck, Austria Dec 30 Henry Purcell & Tates opera "Dido & Aeneas" premieres in Chesea Famous Birthdays Dec 23 Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French Baroque composer, one of the 1st to work without patrons, born in Thionville, France (d. 1755) Dec 24 Frans van Mieris the Younger, Dutch painter & historian, born in Leiden, Netherlands (d. 1763) Famous Deaths Dec 29 Olfert Dapper, Amsterdam historian/geographer, buried Dec 29 Thomas Sydenham, English physician and author of "Observationes Medicae", dies at 65 1688 History by Year 1690