Isaac Newton
1642 Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician and astronomer (Gravity, Laws of Motion), born in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, England (d. 1727)
Isaac Newton
- 1652 Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician (d. 1713)
- 1667 Ehrengard von der Schulenburg, English royal mistress (d. 1743)
- 1674 Thomas Halyburton, Scottish theologian (d. 1712)
- 1698 Jacobus Houbraken, Dutch engraver/illustrator
- 1700 Leopold II of Anhalt-Dessau, Prussian general (d. 1758)
- 1716 Johann Jakob Reiske, German scholar and physician (d. 1774)
- 1717 Pius VI, [Giovanni A Braschi], Italian Pope (1775-99)
- 1721 William Collins, Chichester England, (Mayor-Chichester)/poet
- 1730 Philip Mazzei, Italian physician and friend of Thomas Jefferson (d. 1816)
- 1742 Charlotte von Stein, German friend of Goethe (d. 1827)
- 1757 Benjamin Pierce, U.S. politician (d 1839)
- 1763 Claude Chappe, French engineer (optical telegraph)
- 1771 Dorothy Wordsworth, English poet and diarist, brother of William Wordsworth, born in Cockermouth, Cumberland (d. 1855)
- 1808 Stephen Cleeg Rowan, Commander (Union Navy), (d. 1890)
- 1810 Alexandros Rhizos Rhankaves, Greek poet and statesman (d. 1892)
- 1811 Wilhelm E Freiherr von Ketteler, German politician/bishop of Mainz
- 1813 Milledge Luke Bonham, (Confederacy) (d. 1890)
- 1814 Jan de Liefde II, Dutch vicar/founder (Coop of Welfare of the People)
Clara Barton
1821 Clara Barton, American nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, born in North Oxford, Massachusetts (d. 1912)
Clara Barton
- 1823 Preston Smith, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1863)
- 1832 Thomas Alfred Smyth, Irish-American Major General (Union Army), born in County Cork, Republic of Ireland (d. 1865)
- 1856 Hans von Bartels, German painter (d. 1913)
- 1860 Manuel Dimech, Maltese philosopher and social reformer (d. 1921)
- 1861 Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian founder of Banaras Hindu University (d. 1946)
- 1865 Evangeline Cory Booth, Salvation Army general (1904-34)
- 1867 Alfred Kerr [Kempner], German-British writer, born in Breslau, Silesia (d. 1948)
- 1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist (d. 1965)
- 1873 Otto Frederick Hunziker, Swiss-born American dairy educator (d. 1959)
- 1875 Theodor Innitzer, cardinal/archbishop Vienna
Mohammed Ali Jinnah
1876 Muhammad Ali Jinnah [Mahomedali Jinnahbhai], Founder of Pakistan who led the All-India Muslim League (1913-47) until he achieved his dream of Pakistan and became its 1st Governor-General (1947-48), born in Karachi, Bombay Presidency, British India (d. 1948)
Mohammed Ali Jinnah
- 1876 Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, Nobel laureate (d. 1959)
- 1883 Maurice Utrillo, French painter (Port St Martin, Montmartre)
- 1887 Conrad Hilton, hotel mogul (Hilton Hotels)
- 1890 Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts (Believe it or Not), born in Santa Rosa, California (d. 1949)
- 1891 Kenneth A N Anderson, British general (Dunkerk, North Africa)
- 1892 Rebecca West, [Cicely Isabel Fairfield], English author (Meaning of Treason), born in London
- 1898 Theo Swagemakers, Dutch portrait painter
- 1899 Raphael Soyer, Russian-born american artist (Depression Scenes in NYC), born in Borisoglebsk, Tambov (d. 1987)
- 1901 Alice C, English duchess of Gloucester/aunt of Elizabeth II
- 1904 Gerhard Herzberg, Can, physicist (molecular structure-Nobel 1971)
- 1906 Clark M Clifford, US Secretary of Defense (1968-69)
- 1906 Herman J Scheltema, [NEM Pareau], Dutch jurist/poet
- 1906 William McChesney Martin, Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank (1951-70)
- 1906 Ernst Ruska, Nobel laureate (d. 1988)
- 1907 Glenn McCarthy, American oil tycoon and businessman (d. 1988)
- 1908 Quentin Crisp, English author (d. 1999)
- 1908 Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American automotive engineer (d. 1996)
- 1909 Louis van Lint, Belgian painter
- 1911 Louise Bourgeois, sculptor
- 1912 Herman W Filarski, Dutch bridge journalist
- 1912 Willian Noel Moffet, architect
- 1913 Henri Nannen, journalist
- 1914 James Fletcher Jr, New Zealand industrialist (Fletcher Construction), born in Dunedin, New Zealand (d. 2007)
Anwar Sadat
1918 Anwar Sadat, 3rd President of Egypt (1970-81, Nobel 1978), born in Monufia, Egypt (d. 1981)
Anwar Sadat
- 1918 Ahmed Ben Bella, Maghnia, Algeria, politician, first President of Algeria, (d. 2012)
- 1919 Paul David, French Canadian cardiologist, founder of the Montreal Heart Institute (d. 1999)
- 1920 Henry Charnock, oceanographer
- 1921 Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, Pakistani journalist (d. 2000)
- 1924 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian politician, 10th Prime Minister of India (1996, 1998-2004), born in Gwalior, India (d. 2018)
- 1924 Rod Serling, writer and host (Twilight Zone, Night Gallery), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 1975)
- 1924 Henry Sy Sr., Chinese Malay businessman 'Philippines Retail King', born in Amoy, China
- 1925 Christmas F Tinto, South African ANC'er/UDF-leader
- 1925 Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-born American author and mystic (Eagle's Gift, Fire From Within), born in Cajamarca (d. 1998)
- 1930 Salah Jaheen, Egyptian poet and cartoonist, born in Cairo, Egypt (d. 1986)
- 1931 Uzo Egonu, painter/print maker
- 1932 Jose Maria Capricorne, Curacaos graphically designer/painter
- 1934 Bob Martinez, (Gov-Fl)
- 1936 Alexandra HEOC, English princess/daughter of Sir Angus Ogilvy
- 1936 Ismail Merchant, producer (Householder), born in Mumbai, India
- 1938 Duane Armstrong, American painter (Fields of Grass), born in Fresno, California
- 1939 Christopher Wates, English real estate developer/multi-millionaire
- 1940 Frans Moor, Dutch politician (PvdA)
- 1941 Lex Hixon, religious teacher/author
- 1942 Mani Kaul, director (Idiot, Nazar, Dhrupad, Duvidha)
- 1943 Ravish Malhotra, India cosmonaut (Soyuz T-11 backup)
- 1945 Mike Pringle, Scottish politician
- 1948 Alia al Hussein, of Jordan (d. 1977)
- 1949 Nawaz Sharif, Pakistani politician, Prime Minister (1990-93, 1997-99, 2013-17), born in Lahore, Pakistan
- 1950 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán
1954 Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, Mexican drug lord and escape artist, born in La Tuna, Sinaloa, Mexico (or April 4th, 1957)
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán
Justin Trudeau
1971 Justin Trudeau, 23rd Prime Minister of Canada, born in Ottawa, Ontario
Justin Trudeau
- 1973 Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist, born in Ottawa, Canada
- 1975 Rob Mariano, American reality show contestant, born in Boston, Massachusetts
- 1975 Pardis Sabeti, Iranian-American biologist and geneticist, born in Tehran, Iran
- 1976 Armin van Buuren, Dutch DJ & producer, born in Leiden, Netherlands
December in History
!['Good Sport' in The Trenches]()
'Good Sport' in The Trenches
Prime Minister's son, Raymond Asquith tells his wife of life and death on the battlefront in World War I on this day in 1915.
December 21, 1915![Business a Rocky Road for Hansom Cab Pioneer]()
Business a Rocky Road for Hansom Cab Pioneer
Architect and inventor Joseph Hansom was a man of vision who somehow found it impossible to turn his great ideas into money-making ventures.
December 23, 1834![The Day Murdoch Spoilt the Queen's Christmas]()
The Day Murdoch Spoilt the Queen's Christmas
Queen Elizabeth II made the first live Christmas Day broadcast of her reign on December 25, 1952. Forty years later a pre-recorded message would be leaked.
December 25, 1952!['Hitler Will Have to Break Us or Lose the War']()
'Hitler Will Have to Break Us or Lose the War'
The German Luftwaffe were hammering the British RAF until a furious and frustrated Hitler changed the plan and possibly the outcome of the war.
December 29, 1940
