Events in History
- Dec 2 New climate-controlled vault to conserve and display the Sarajevo Haggadah illuminated manuscript (c. 1350) dedicated in Sarajevo’s National Museum
- Dec 8 The Caribbean Community Heads of Government meet with the Government of Cuba and declare the date to be "CARICOM-Cuba Day" - To celebrate diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.
- Dec 13 The European Union announces that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will become members from May 1, 2004
- Dec 17 Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
Event of Interest
Dec 18 Fashion designer Calvin Klein announces he is selling his company to shirt-maker Phillips-Van Heusen for $430 million
- Dec 18 Governor of California Gray Davis announces the state faces a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier
- Dec 20 US Senator Trent Lott resigns as majority leader.
- Dec 23 A MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25, making it the first time in history that an aircraft and a modern unmanned drone had engaged in combat
- Dec 27 Kenyan General Election: National Rainbow Coalition headed by Mwai Kibaki wins, overthrowing 39 year rule by the Kenya African National Union
- Dec 27 Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya.
Event of Interest
Dec 28 LinkedIn is founded by Reid Hoffman and others in Mountain View, California
Deaths in History
- Dec 2 Arno Peters, German historian (b. 1916)
- Dec 2 Ivan Illich, Austrian priest and philosopher (b. 1926)
- Dec 5 Ne Win, Burmese leader (b. 1911)
- Dec 6 Philip Berrigan, American peace activist and Roman Catholic priest, dies at 79
- Dec 9 Ian Hornak, American Painter, Draughtsman and Sculptor (b. 1944)
- Dec 9 Stan Rice, American painter, educator, and poet (b. 1942)
- Dec 10 Andres Küng, Swedish-Estonian politician and journalist, dies at 57
- Dec 12 Dee Brown, American author (b. 1908)
- Dec 12 Jay Wesley Neill, American convicted mass murderer, dies at 37
- Dec 18 Ray Hnatyshyn, Governor-General of Canada (b. 1934)
- Dec 18 Wayne Owens, former U.S. Congressman (D-Utah) (b. 1937)
- Dec 22 Hugh Desmond Hoyte, Guyanese politician and President of Guyana (1985-92), dies at 73
- Dec 23 Tatamkhulu Afrika, South African poet & writer, dies at 82
- Dec 24 James Ferman, American director and secretary (British Board of Film Classification), dies at 72
- Dec 24 Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author (b. 1920)
- Dec 24 Laci Peterson, American murder victim, dies at 27
- Dec 26 Armand Zildjian, American cymbal manufacturer (b. 1921)
- Dec 26 Herb Ritts, American fashion photographer, dies at 50
- Dec 27 Richard Mitchell, American professor and author (The Underground Grammarian), dies at 73
- Dec 30 Mary Wesley, English novelist (b. 1912)
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
Revolutionaries
Scientists