- 949 Herman I, Duke of Swabia
- 969 Nicephorus II Phocas, Byzantine co-Emperor (963-69), murdered
- 1198 Averroes, Arab physician and philosopher (b. 1126)
- 1490 Antoine Haneron, Bourgundy diplomat, dies at about 90
- 1508 René II, Duke of Lorraine, dies at 57
- 1524 Henry van Zutphen, Dutch Augustine/Luthern minister, burned to death
- 1572 Cornelis Musius, Dutch humanist/poet, murdered at 72
- 1595 Reynier Cant, mayor of Amsterdam, dies at about 59
- 1616 Diogo do Couto, Portuguese historian/archivist of Goa, dies at 74
- 1626 Edmund Gunter, English mathematician (b. 1581)
- 1638 Ivan [Dzivo F] Gundulic, Dalmatian writer (Osman), dies at 49
- 1736 António Manoel de Vilhena, Portuguese ruler of Malta (b. 1663)
- 1749 Gabrielle Chôtelet [La belle Emilie], French writer (Voltaire), dies at 42
- 1831 Thomas Johann Seebeck, German physicist (Seebeck effect), dies at 61
- 1850 François Sulpice Beudant, French mineralogist and geologist, dies at 63
- 1864 Henry Schoolcraft, American geographer and geologist, dies at 71
- 1865 King Léopold I of Belgium (b. 1790)
- 1877 Jared Kirtland, American physician, naturalist and reformed penitentiaries, dies at 84
- 1878 Henry Wells, American businessman and founder (American Express Co & Wells Fargo & Co), dies at 72
- 1889 Ludwig Anzengruber, Austrian playwright, dies at 50
- 1890 Ludolph Anne Jan Wilt Sloet van de Beele, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1861-66), dies at 84
Alfred Nobel
1896 Alfred Nobel, Swedish chemist and founder of the Nobel Prize ceremony on this date, dies at 63
Alfred Nobel
Mackenzie Bowell
1917 Mackenzie Bowell, 5th Prime Minister of Canada (1894-96), dies of pneumonia at 93
Mackenzie Bowell
- 1920 Horace Elgin Dodge, American automobile manufacturing pioneer (b. 1868)
- 1926 Nikola Pašić, Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes prime minister (b. 1845)
- 1928 Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scottish architect, designer, and illustrator, dies at 60
- 1931 Max Elskamp, Belgian author and poet (Six Chansons), dies at 69
- 1935 John H Aberson, 1st rector of Landbouw high school, dies at 78
- 1936 Luigi Pirandello, Italian writer (Six Characters in Search of An Author-Nobel 1934), dies at 69
- 1941 Colin Kelly, American B-17 Flying Fortress pilot and 1st US air hero during WW II, killed in action at 26 after ordering his crew to bail out shortly before his bomber exploded
- 1945 Theodor Dannecker, SS officer and an associate of Adolf Eichmann, dies at 32
Damon Runyon
1946 Damon Runyon, American journalist and writer (Guys & Dolls-based on his work), dies at 66
Damon Runyon
- 1949 Duncan Stewart, 2nd British Governor of Sarawak (1949), dies at 45 after being fatally stabbed in the streets of Sibu by pro-Indonesian Malay student Rosli Dhoby
- 1951 Algernon Blackwood, English novelist (The Willows), dies at 82
- 1953 Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-born scholar and translator (b. 1872)
- 1958 Juliane Gabriels, Flemish physician (Artus Quellin), dies at 72
- 1958 Adolfo Camarillo, American horse breeder (b.1864)
- 1968 Karl Barth, Swiss theologist/minister (Kirchliche Dogma), dies at 82
Thomas Merton
1968 Thomas Merton, French-American Catholic writer and Trappist monk (7 Story Mountain), accidentally electrocuted by an electric fan at 53
Thomas Merton
- 1968 George Forrest, Northern Irish MP (b. 1921)
- 1971 Jo [Jozef Maria Laurens Theo] Cals, Prime Minister of Netherlands (1965-66) and Minister of Education, Arts and Sciences, dies at 57
- 1972 Mark A Van Doren, US literary (Our Lady Peace), dies at 78
- 1978 Miura Isshu, Zen teacher, Hakuin Rinzai line, dies at 75
- 1979 Fulton J Sheen, bishop (Life is Worth Living), dies at 84
- 1990 Armand Hammer, CEO (Occidental Petroleum), dies at 92
- 1991 Berenice Abbott, US photographer, dies at 93
- 1991 Greta Kempton, American artist (b. 1901)
- 1992 Carlomagno Andrade, Equadorian general, dies
- 1994 Keith Joseph, British MP (C), dies
- 1994 Ruth Evelyn Mansfield, doctor, dies at 92
- 1995 Gillian Rose, philosopher/writer, dies at 48
- 1995 John Francis Boyd, journalist, dies at 85
- 1995 Mary Madge Lascelles, literary critic/poet, dies at 95
- 1995 Phillip Piratin, communist, dies at 88
- 1999 Franjo Tuđman, President of Croatia (b. 1922)
- 2002 Andres Küng, Swedish-Estonian politician and journalist, dies at 57
- 2003 John Watts, British army and Chief of Defense (Omani Armed Forces), dies at 73
Eugene McCarthy
2005 Eugene McCarthy, American politician (Sen-D-Minn) and presidential candidate, dies of parkinsons at 89
Eugene McCarthy
Augusto Pinochet
2006 Augusto Pinochet, Chilean general and dictator of Chile (1973-90), dies of congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema at 91
Augusto Pinochet
- 2007 Aqsa Parvez, Canadian victim of an honor crime (b. 1991)
- 2010 John Bennett Fenn, American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1917)
- 2010 J. Michael Hagopian, Turkish-born American documentarian (b. 1913)
- 2012 Iajuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi President, dies from heart surgery complications at 81
- 2014 Ziad Abu Ein, Palestinian government minister, killed in confrontation with Israeli troops at protest on West Bank
- 2014 Catherine Hughes [Pestell] British principal (Somerville College Oxford), dies at 81
- 2016 A. A. [Adrian Anthony] Gill, British critic (The Sunday Times), dies of cancer at 62
- 2018 Roger, the ripped kangaroo, famous for crushing a metal bucket like a paper cup, dies at 12 in Alice Springs of old age
December in History
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
Coronation Street, King of the Soaps
Thought to have no great future when launched on this day, Coronation Street still reigns supreme
December 9, 1960
Marconi's Dream: Telegraphy Without Wires
Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi's career received a big boost on this day with backing from the British Post Office.
December 11, 1896
A King Salutes Remarkable Woman Soldier
Whether she went to war out of love or duty, Phoebe Hessel, who died on this day, led a remarkable life on and off the battlefield.
December 12, 1821