Historical Events
- Dec 1 4 sets of brothers play in one NHL game when Chicago Blackhawks beat NY Rangers, 4-1; Lynn & Muzz Patrick and Neil & Mac Colville (Rangers); Max & Doug Bentley and Bob & Bill Carse (Chicago)
- Dec 6 Gestapo arrest German resistance fighter/poster artist Helen Ernst
- Dec 6 Pietro Badoglio resigns as viceroy of Ethiopia
- Dec 7 CFL Grey Cup (Game 2), Lansdowne Park, Ottawa: Ottawa beats Toronto Balmy Beach, 12-5
- Dec 7 North Africa: British counter offensive under general O'Connor
- Dec 7 The first prototype Fairey Barracuda flew
- Dec 8 National Football League Championship, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Chicago Bears beat Washington Redskins, 73-0; most one-sided victory in NFL history; first NFL title game broadcast on national radio
- Dec 9 British assault on Benghazi, Libya: first major allied offensive in North Africa
- Dec 9 Illegal Jewish immigrants to Haifa are deported to Mauritius
- Dec 9 South Australia all out for 47 v NSW, O'Reilly 5-11
- Dec 10 British anti-offensive in Libya (Sidi Barrani)
- Dec 10 1941 NFL Draft: Tom Harmon from University of Michigan first pick by Chicago Bears
Event of Interest
Dec 11 Russian general Georgy Zhukov warns of German assault
Georgy Zhukov
- Dec 17 British troops occupy Sollum, Egypt
Event of Interest
Dec 20 Connie Mack acquires controlling interest in the Athletics for $42,000
Connie Mack
Donald Bradman
Film Release
Dec 26 "The Philadelphia Story" film directed by George Cukor, based on the Broadway play of the same name and starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, is released (Academy Awards Best Actor 1941)
- Dec 28 Cricketer Arthur Morris scores 111 in 2nd innings of 1st game after 148
- Dec 29 3rd NFL All Star Game: Chicago Bears beats NFL All-Stars, 28-14
- Dec 29 Worst German air raid on London as over 10,000 bombs including the 1st incendiary bombs are dropped on the city as part of the Blitz
- Dec 30 California's 1st freeway, (Arroyo Seco Parkway), opens
Famous Birthdays
Richard Pryor
Dec 1 Richard Pryor, American comedian and actor (Lady Sings the Blues, Stir Crazy), born in Peoria, Illinois (d. 2005)
Richard Pryor
- Dec 1 Ron Finn, Canadian NHL linesman (2,373 regular season games, 2 x All-Star games, Rendez-vous '87 and 4 x Canada Cups), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Dec 2 Gerry Cheevers, NHL goalie (Bruin, longest undefeated streak-32 games)
- Dec 2 Willie Brown, NFL defensive back (Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders)
- Dec 2 Constance "Connie" Booth, American writer, actress, comedienne and psychotherapist (Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and the Holy Grail), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Dec 3 Jeffrey R. Holland, American religious leader
- Dec 4 Gary Gilmore, American murderer, born in McCamey, Texas (d. 1977)
- Dec 5 Boris Ignatyev, Russian footballer and manager, born in Moscow
- Dec 5 Peter Pohl, Swedish writer, born in Hamburg, Germany
- Dec 5 Adrian Street, Welsh professional wrestler, born in Brynmawr, Brecknockshire, Wales
- Dec 6 Steve Alaimo, rocker (Mashed Potatoes), born in Rochester, New York
- Dec 6 Lawrence Bergman, Quebec politician
- Dec 7 Kumar Shahani, Indian writer and director (Kasbam Tarang, Maya Darpan), born in Larkana, Sindh
- Dec 7 Stan Boardman, English comedian, born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England
- Dec 8 Jenny Linden, English actress (Hedda, Dr Who & the Daleks)
- Dec 8 Brant Alyea, American baseball player
- Dec 9 Sammy Strain, American singer (Imperials-Hurt So Bad)
- Dec 10 William Fred Dempster, crew member (Biosphere 2), born in Berkeley, California
- Dec 11 Donna Mills, American actress (Knots Landing, Incident), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Dec 12 Dionne Warwick, American singer (Solid Gold, Way to San Jose), born in East Orange, New Jersey
- Dec 12 Shirley Englehorn, American golfer (Women's PGA C'ship 1970), born in Caldwell, Idaho
- Dec 12 Sharad Pawar, Indian politician (founded Nationalist Congress Party in 1999), born in Baramati, Bombay Presidency, British India
- Dec 13 Edith Clever, German actress (Parsifal, L'Adolescente), born in Wuppertal, Germany
- Dec 13 Steve Harmon, American actor (Ens Pulver-Mr Roberts), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Dec 14 Lex Gold, Scottish football , born in Lanark, Scotland
- Dec 15 Nick Buoniconti, NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins)/sportscaster (NBC)
- Dec 16 Dimitri van Toren, Dutch vocalist/composer
- Dec 17 Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist
- Dec 18 Arnold Long, cricketer (prolific wicketkeeper for Surrey & Sussex)
- Dec 18 Bramwell Morrison, member of Sharon, Lois & Bram
- Dec 19 Phil Ochs, American anti-war folk singer (Joe Hill, War is Over), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 1976)
- Dec 20 Larry Willis, American jazz pianist & composer, born in NYC, New York
- Dec 21 Frank Zappa, American rocker, composer, activist and filmmaker (Mothers of Invention, Catholic Girls), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1993)
- Dec 21 Paul [Ray Hildebrand], American singer (Paul & Paula), born in Joshua, Texas
- Dec 23 Eugene Record, American musician (Chi Lites-Give it Away), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2005)
- Dec 23 Jorma Kaukonen, American rock guitarist (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna), born in Washington, D.C.
- Dec 23 Robert Labine, French-Canadian politician, born in Québec, Canada
- Dec 24 Anthony S. Fauci, American immunologist, born in Brooklyn, New York City
- Dec 24 Paul Tagliabue, NFL commissioner (1989- ), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Dec 24 Sharon Farrell, American actress (Lori-Hawaii 5-0, Young & Restless), born in Sioux City, Iowa
- Dec 25 Frans Moor, Dutch politician (PvdA)
- Dec 25 Peter Brown, rocker, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Dec 25 Pete Brown, English musician and songwriter (Cream), born in Ashtead, Surrey
- Dec 26 Harmen Siezen, Dutch TV-journal host
- Dec 26 Edward C. Prescott, American economist, Nobel laureate
- Dec 26 Ray Sadecki, American MLB player (St. Louis Cardinals), born in Kansas City, KS, (d. 2014)
- Dec 27 Jerry Lambert, jockey (rode Native Diver)
- Dec 28 Alvin Singleton, American composer, born in New York City
- Dec 28 Lonnie Liston Smith, US jazz performer (Cosmic Echoes, Magic Lady)
- Dec 29 Brigitte Kronauer, German author (The Scheik of Aachen), born in Essen, Germany
- Dec 29 Peter Koelewijn, Dutch musician & songwriter (Come off that Roof), born in Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Dec 30 Fred Hansen, American pole vaulter (Olympic gold 1964), born in Cuero, Texas
- Dec 30 James Burrows, TV producer and director (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers)
- Dec 31 Tim Considine, American actor (Mike-My 3 Sons), born in Los Angeles, California
- Dec 31 Oleg Anatolyevich Yakovlev, Russian cosmonaut, born in Leningrad
- Dec 31 Mani Neumeier, German musician (Guru Guru), born in Munich, Germany
Famous Weddings
Wedding of Interest
Dec 3 Nobel Prize winning author Albert Camus (27) weds pianist and mathematician Francine Faure (25) in Lyon, France
Albert Camus
Wedding of Interest
Dec 7 Mexican painters Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo remarry in San Francisco (divorced 1939)
Diego Rivera
Frida Kahlo
Wedding of Interest
Dec 31 Actress Bette Davis (32) weds New England innkeeper Arthur Farnsworth at 15,000-acre ranch in Lake Montezuma, Arizona
Bette Davis
Famous Deaths
- Dec 5 Jan Kubelik, Czech composer, dies at 60
- Dec 5 Mordechai Frizis, Jewish Greek military officer (b. 1893)
- Dec 5 Wilfred Lucas, Canadian actor (Pardon Us, Chump at Oxford), dies at 69
- Dec 6 Charlie Hime, cricketer (one Test for South Africa 1895), dies
- Dec 8 George Exton Lloyd, Anglican Bishop and theologian (b. 1861)
- Dec 9 Maletti, Italian general, dies in battle
- Dec 13 Dusty Tapscott, cricket (bro of Doodles, 4&1 in only S Af Test), dies
- Dec 13 George Macaulay, cricketer (took 24 wkts in 8 Tests, Eng 22-33), dies
- Dec 13 Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval, French physicist and inventor of the moving-coil D'Arsonval galvanometer, dies at 89
- Dec 13 George Regas, Greek actor (The Mark of Zorro), dies at 50
- Dec 16 M Eugene F T Dubois, geologist/paleontologist (Wadjakmens), dies
- Dec 16 William Wallace, Scottish composer, dies at 80
- Dec 16 Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (b. 1866)
- Dec 17 Alicia Boole Stott, Irish mathematician, dies at 80
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dec 21 F. Scott Fitzgerald, American author (Great Gatsby, Zelda), dies of a heart attack at 44
F. Scott Fitzgerald