- 1103 Erik I Ejegod, the good hearted, King of Denmark (1095-1103), dies
- 1290 King Ladislaus IV of Hungary (b. 1262)
- 1460 Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, English military leader (b. 1402)
- 1480 King René I of Naples (b. 1410) last heir of house of Anjou
- 1535 Jacob Van Campen, Reconstruction bishop, beheaded
- 1573 Willem van Bronkhorst, Brattenburg/Stein/army leader, dies
- 1584 William I "the Silent" [William of Orange], Earl of Nassau, assassinated at 51 in his home in Delft, Holland, by Balthasar Gérard
- 1590 Archduke Charles II of Austria (b. 1540)
- 1621 Karel Bonaventura Buquoy, French soldier (b. 1571)
- 1653 Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (b. 1600)
- 1680 Louis Moréri, French encyclopedist (b. 1643)
- 1683 François-Eudes de Mézeray, French historian (b. 1610)
- 1686 Ercole Ferrata, Italian sculptor/restauranteur, dies at 76
- 1686 John Fell, English churchman (b. 1625)
- 1690 Jan van Brakel, Dutch vice admiral (Chatham), dies in battle at 48
- 1692 Bridget Bishop, 1st person to be hanged in Salem witch trials Massachusetts USA
- 1762 Johann F Gronovius, physician/botany, dies at 76
- 1776 Richard Peters, English-born clergyman (b. 1704)
- 1806 George Stubbs, British animal painter (Horse Frightened by Lion), dies at 81
- 1838 Willem earl van Hogendorp, Dutch colonial governor, dies at about 43
Louis-Jacques Daguerre
1851 Louis-Jacques Daguerre, French inventor and photographer (daguerreotype), dies at 63
Louis-Jacques Daguerre
- 1863 Clement Clarke Moore, American Professor and writer ('Twas the Night Before Xmas), dies at 83
- 1863 Paul Jones Semmes, American businessman and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 48
- 1875 Henry L. Benning, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 61
- 1881 Georg Hermann Nicolai, German architect (b. 1812)
- 1889 Julia Gardiner Tyler, 2nd wife of President John Tyler (1841-45), dies at 69
- 1902 Albert, King of Saxony (1873-1902), dies at 74
- 1908 Eliza Laurillard, Dutch vicar, poet and writer, dies at 78
- 1910 Johann G Galle, German discoverer of Neptune by telescope, dies
- 1915 Hendrik W Mesdag, painter (Panorama Mesdag), dies
- 1920 Eugénie de Montijo, Emperor of France (1853-71), dies at 94
- 1920 John A "Jacky" Kilverston, adm/designer (dreadnought), dies at 79
- 1920 Jackie Fisher, British admiral (b. 1841)
- 1924 Johannes B van Heutsz, gov-gen of Dutch Indies (1904-09), dies at 73
- 1927 Kevin O'Higgins, Irish Free State VP, assassinated
- 1937 Johan[nes] B Schepers, Fries writer (Braga), dies at 71
- 1954 Calogero Vizzini, Sicilian Mafia boss, dies at 76
- 1955 Henry W Methorst, Dutch director (Central Bureau of Statistic), dies
- 1957 Sholem Asch, Polish-Jewish novelist and playwright (East River, Three Cities), dies at 77
- 1965 Jacques Audiberti, French poet (Le cavalier seul), dies at 66
- 1971 Harry M O'Connor, dies of pneumonia at 98
- 1971 Mohamed Madbouh, Moroccan general/putschist, shot to death
- 1975 Achiel H van Acker, Belgian premier (1945-46, 1954-58), dies at 77
- 1981 Ken Rex McElroy, American resident of Skidmore, Missouri known as "the town bully", murdered at 47 in an unsolved killing in front of a crowd of 30-46 in Skidmore's main street
- 1982 Gustav MR von Koenigswald, German/Dutch paleontologist, dies at 79
- 1985 Fernando Pereira, military activist, murdered
- 1990 Hans Faverey, Dutch poet, dies at 55
- 1990 Irene Champlin, dies after long illness at 59
- 1991 Gerome Ragal, author (Hair), dies of cancer at 48
- 1992 Albert Pierrepoint, last and longest serving British executioner (est. 433-608 executed), dies at 87
- 1993 Masugi Ibuse, Japanese author (Kuroi ame (Black rain)), dies at 95
- 1993 Ruth Krauss, author (Carrot Seed), dies at 91
- 1994 Earl Strum, referee (NBA), dies of brain cancer at 66
- 1995 Hugh Dundas, fighter pilot/businessman, dies at 74
- 1996 Eladio Rusconi, writer/publisher/businessman, dies at 79
- 2000 Vakkom Majeed, Indian Freedom fighter, Travancore-Cochin Legislative member (b. 1909)
- 2002 Jean-Pierre Côté, French Canadian politician and Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1926)
- 2003 Winston Graham, English writer (b. 1908)
- 2003 Hartley Shawcross, British prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials (b. 1902)
- 2003 Bishnu Maden, Nepalese politician
- 2005 A. J. Quinnell [Philip Nicholson], English writer (Man on Fire), dies at 65
- 2005 Freda Wright-Sorce, American radio performer (b. 1955)
- 2005 Jimmy Franklin and Bobby Younkin, airshow performers
- 2006 Shamil Basayev, Chechen rebel (b. 1965)
- 2007 Abdul Rashid Ghazi, radical Pakistani cleric (b. 1951)
- 2007 Doug Marlette, American cartoonist (b. 1949)
- 2007 Zheng Xiaoyu, director of the State Food and Drug Administration of the People's Republic of China (b. 1944)
- 2008 Hiroaki Aoki, founder of Benihana (b. 1938)
- 2017 Betty Dukes, American Walmart employee who fought against gender discrimination (2001 Betty Dukes v. Walmart lawsuit) dies at 67
- 2018 Cliff Downey, Canadian politician (MP, 1968–1972), dies at 89