John Brown
Dec 2 John Brown, American abolitionist and revolutionary (Harpers Ferry), hanged at 59

John Brown
- Dec 5 Louis Poinsot, French mathematician and instrument maker, dies at 82
- Dec 8 Thomas De Quincey, English writer (Confessions of English Opium Eater), dies at 74
Wilhelm Grimm
Dec 16 Wilhelm Grimm, German writer (Grimm's Fairy Tales), dies at 73

Wilhelm Grimm