- 1377 Jianwen, 2nd Emperor of the Ming Empire (1398-1402), born in China (d. 1402)
- 1495 Nicolas Cleynaerts, Flemish grammarian, born in Diest, Belgium (d. 1542)
- 1537 Ashikaga Yoshiaki, 15th Japanese shōgun, born in Japan (d. 1597)
- 1539 Fausto Paolo Sozzini, Italian theologian and founder of Socinianism, born in Siena, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1604)
- 1545 Janus Dousa [Johan van de Does], Dutch politician and poet, born in Noordwijk, Netherlands (d. 1604)
- 1547 Ubbo Emmius [van Embden], Dutch-Frisian humanist and historian, born in Greetsiel, East Frisia (d. 1625)
- 1661 Robert Haley, Earl of Oxford and English premier (Whig, 1710-14) (d. 1725)
Martin Van Buren
1782 Martin Van Buren, 8th US President (Democrat: 1837-41), born in Kinderhook, New York (d. 1862)
Martin Van Buren
- 1786 Henry Drummond, English banker and religious leader, born in The Grange, Hampshire (d. 1860)
- 1803 Fyodor Tyutchev, Russian poet and statesman, born in Bryansk, Oryol Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1873)
- 1820 Afanasy Fet, Russian poet, born in Mtsensk, Russia (d. 1892)
- 1822 Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, American educator and the co-founder and first president of Radcliffe College, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1907)
- 1824 Titian James Coffey, Atty Gen (Union), (d. 1867)
- 1826 John Benjamin Sanborn, American lawyer, politician, and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Epsom, New Hampshire (d. 1904)
- 1829 Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, French-Canadian politician (7th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia), born in Épernay, France (d. 1908)
- 1830 Christina Rossetti, English poet (Winter Rain, Passing Away), born in London, England (d. 1894)
George Armstrong Custer
1839 George Armstrong Custer, United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars, born in New Rumley, Ohio (d. 1876)
George Armstrong Custer
John Rushworth Jellicoe
1859 John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, British Admiral of the Fleet, born in Southampton (d. 1935)
John Rushworth Jellicoe
- 1861 Armando Diaz, Italian marshal and minister of War (1922-24), born in Naples, Kingdom of Italy (d. 1928)
- 1863 Paul Painlevé, French Prime Minister (1917, 1925), born in Paris (d. 1933)
- 1867 Józef Piłsudski, Polish revolutionary and statesman, born in Zułów, Russian Empire (d. 1935)
- 1867 Antti Aarne, Finnish folklorist, born in Pori, Finland (d. 1925)
- 1868 Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist, born in Königsberg, Prussia (d. 1951)
- 1869 Ellis Parker Butler, American author (Pigs is Pigs), born in Muscatine, Iowa (d. 1937)
- 1871 Bill Pickett, American cowboy and rodeo performer who invented bulldogging, born in Jenks-Branch, Texas (d. 1932)
- 1875 Arthur Currie, Canadian soldier (fought in WWI), born in Napperton, Ontario (d. 1933)
- 1879 Clyde Cessna, American aviator and airplane manufacturer, born in Hawthorne, Louisiana (d. 1954)
- 1886 Pieter Oud, Dutch lawyer and politician (Mayor of Rotterdam (1945-52)), born in Purmerend, Netherlands (d. 1968)
- 1890 David Bomberg, English painter, born in Birmingham, England (d. 1957)
- 1891 Alexander Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer, born in St Petersburg (d. 1956)
- 1894 C. R. Swart, South African politician (1st State President of South Africa 1961-67), born in Winburg, Orange Free State (d. 1982)
- 1895 Elbert Frank Cox, African-American mathematician (first African-American to receive PhD in Mathematics), born in Evansville, Indiana (d. 1969)
- 1896 Lady Huxley [Marie Juliette Baillot], Swiss sculptor and author, born in Auvernier, Switzerland (d. 1994)
- 1896 Willem Frederik Meinhardt Lampe, Dutch ambassador of the Dutch Antilles, born in Netherlands Antilles (d. 1973)
- 1898 Josh Malihabadi, Urdu poet of India and Pakistan, born in Malihabad, North-Western Provinces, British India (d. 1982)
- 1901 Werner Heisenberg, German physicist who discovered the uncertainty principle (Nobel 1932), born in Würzburg, Germany (d. 1976)
- 1901 Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist and psychologist, born in Aurum, Nevada (d. 1980)
- 1902 Strom Thurmond, U.S. Senator (Sen-D/R-SC), born in Edgefield, South Carolina (d. 2003)
Cecil Frank Powell
1903 Cecil Frank Powell, English physicist who discovered pion (pi-meson), a subatomic particle (Nobel 1950), born in Tonbridge, England (d. 1969)
Cecil Frank Powell
- 1907 Lin Biao, Chinese Communist Marshal during the Civil War and party leader, born in Huanggang, Hubei, Qing Empire (d. 1971)
- 1907 Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian physicist (Contribution to the discovery of the pion or pi-meson decay), born in Fossombrone, Pesaro, Italy (d. 1993)
- 1911 Alfred Manessier, French painter (leaded windows), born in Saint-Ouen, Somme, France (d. 1993)
- 1912 Maisie Fitter, editor and conservationist (d. 1996)
- 1914 Hans Hellmut Kirst, German author (The Lieutenant Must Be Mad), born in Osterode, Germany (d. 1989)
- 1917 Simone Gallimard, French editor and publisher (d. 1995)
- 1919 Victor Collin Matthews, British businessman, born in Islington, London (d. 1995)
- 1921 George Henderson, Scottish priest (Bishop of Argyll and the Isles from 1977-92), born in Oban, Scotland (d. 1996)
- 1923 Vladimir Tendryakov, Russian writer (Three, Seven, Ace), born in Makarovskaya, Vologda Oblast (d. 1984)
- 1925 Anastasio Somoza Debayle [Tachito], President of Nicaragua (1967-72 and 1974-79), born in León, Nicaragua (d. 1980)
Bhumibol Adulyadej
1927 Bhumibol Adulyadej [Rama IX], King of Thailand (1946-2016), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2016)
Bhumibol Adulyadej
- 1932 Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet, novelist and journalist who helped develop Dagestani in Russian literature, born in Khunzakhsky District, Soviet Union (d. 2016)
- 1932 Sheldon Lee Glashow, American theoretical physicist (Electroweak theory, Georgi–Glashow model), born in NYC, New York
- 1933 Edward Daly, Irish Bishop "Bloody Sunday" priest, born in Belleek, County Fermanagh (d. 2016)
- 1934 Joan Didion, American author and journalist (The year of Magical Thinking), born in Sacramento, California
- 1935 Calvin Trillin, American author (New Yorker), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- 1936 James Lee Burke, American writer (Dave Robicheaux series), born in Houston, Texas
- 1939 Jack Whitten, American abstract painter, born in Bessemer, Alabama (d. 2018)
- 1940 Peter Pohl, Swedish writer, born in Hamburg, Germany
- 1943 Eva Joly, Norwegian-French magistrate and politician (Europe Écologie–The Greens), born in Grünerløkka, Oslo, Norway
- 1945 J W "Corkey" Fornof, American stunt coordinator (Octopussy), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1946 Andy Kim [Andrew Joachim], Canadian rocker (Baby, I Love You), born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- 1947 Jim Messina, American rocker (Loggins & Messina-Your Mamma Don't Dance), born in Maywood, California
- 1947 Jugderdemidjin Gurragcha, Mongolian cosmonaut (Soyuz 39), born in Gurvanbulag, Bulgan, Mongolia
- 1947 Bruce Golding, Jamaican politician (8th Prime Minister of Jamaica 2007-11), born in Chapelton, Jamaica
- 1947 Tony Gregory, Irish politician, born in Dublin
- 1949 Bruce E Melnick, American Cmdr USCG/astronaut (STS 41, STS 49), born in NYC, New York
- 1949 Ray Comfort, New Zealand evangelist, born in Christchurch, New Zealand
- 1951 Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven, Belgian artist, born in Antwerp
- 1959 Nikki Gianulias, American ten-pin bowler (LPBT Rookie of Year 1979), born in Vallejo, California
- 1967 Konstantin-Assen, Prince of Vidin (fourth son of Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria and his wife Doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela), born in Madrid
- 1969 Sajid Javid, British politician, Home Secretary (2018-), born in Littleborough, England
- 1973 Luboš Motl, Czech physicist
- 1973 Sorin Grindeanu, Romanian Prime Minister (2017), born in Caransebeș, Romania
- 1994 Emily Marie Estefan, daughter of Gloria & Emilio
December in History
How the First Sherlock Holmes Story was Sold for a Song
How did an English publisher most famous for giving the world Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management come to publish the first Sherlock Holmes story?
December 1, 1887
Fish Dish Finishes Off a King
Doctors warned King Henry I against eating lampreys. But he enjoyed the slippery fish and happily devoured a plateful of them leading to his death on this day.
December 1, 1135
Mozart, the Incomparable Musical Genius
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a musical genius who composed over 600 works in his short lifetime, died mysteriously on this day and was buried unceremoniously.
December 5, 1791
Real-life Tragedy for Theatrical Family
On this day a tragedy engulfed one of Britain’s noted theatrical families of the early 20th century.
December 8, 1926