December 23

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MMXI

December 23 in recent years

2010 (Thursday)

2009 (Wednesday)

2008 (Tuesday)

2007 (Sunday)

2006 (Saturday)

2005 (Friday)

2004 (Thursday)

2003 (Tuesday)

2002 (Monday)

2001 (Sunday)

December 23 is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are eight days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 962 – Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city of Aleppo
• 1493 – Georg Alt's German translation of Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle is published.
• 1572 – Theologian Johann Sylvan executed in Heidelberg for his heretical Antitrinitarian beliefs
• 1688 – As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England flees England to Paris after being deposed in favour of his nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary.
• 1783 – George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
• 1793 – The Battle of Savenay, decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in Revolt in the Vendée during the French Revolution.
• 1823 – A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, is published anonymously.
• 1893 – The opera Hänsel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.
• 1913 – The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve.
• 1914 – World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops arrive in Cairo, Egypt.
• 1916 – World War I: Battle of Magdhaba – Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in Egypt's Sinai peninsula.
• 1919 – Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 becomes law in the UK.
• 1921 – Visva-Bharati University is inaugurated.
• 1936 – Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
• 1937 – First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
• 1938 – Discovery of the first modern coelacanth in South Africa.
• 1940 – World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis (Υ-2) sinks the Italian motor ship Antonietta.
• 1941 – World War II: After 15 days of fighting, the Japanese Imperial Army occupies Wake Island.
• 1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
• 1948 – Seven Japanese convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo.
• 1958 – Dedication of Tokyo Tower, the world's highest self-supporting iron tower.
• 1968 – The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.
• 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
• 1972 – A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes the Nicaraguan capital of Managua killing more than 10,000.
• 1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.
• 1979 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
• 1982 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces it has identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
• 1986 – Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.
• 1990 – History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88% of Slovenia's population vote for independence from Yugoslavia.
• 2002 – A MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25, making it the first time in history that an aircraft and an unmanned drone had engaged in combat.
• 2003 – PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai County, Chongqing, China, killing at least 234.
• 2005 – Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.

Births

• 245 – Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra
• 1173 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
• 1513 – Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (d. 1577)
• 1582 – Severo Bonini, Italian composer (d. 1663)
• 1597 – Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
• 1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
• 1621 – Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (d. 1678)
• 1621 – Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)
• 1689 – Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
• 1713 – Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3rd Yokozuna (d. 1749)
• 1732 – Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)
• 1743 – Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet (d. 1803)
• 1750 – King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
• 1758 – Nathan Wilson U.S. Representative from New York (d. 1834)
• 1777 – Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
• 1790 – Jean-François Champollion, French Egyptologist (d. 1832)
• 1804 – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
• 1805 – Joseph Smith, Jr., American religious leader (d. 1844)
• 1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
• 1822 – Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
• 1839 – János Murkovics, Slovene writer and teacher in Hungary (d. 1917)
• 1843 – Richard Conner, American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient (d. 1924)
• 1854 – Henry B. Guppy, British botanist (d. 1926)
• 1864 – Zorka of Montenegro, Princess of Serbia (d. 1890)
• 1867 – Madam C.J. Walker, American philanthropist and tycoon (d. 1919)
• 1874 – Viggo Wiehe, Danish actor (d. 1956)
• 1878 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (d. 1972)
• 1885 – Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
• 1891 – Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
• 1896 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Sicilian writer (d. 1957)
• 1900 – Otto Soglow, American comics artist (d. 1975)
• 1902 – Norman Maclean, American author (d. 1990)
• 1907 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean writer and poet (d. 2005)
• 1907 – Avraham Stern, Polish-born Zionist leader (d. 1942)
• 1908 – Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born, Canadian portrait photographer (d. 2002)
• 1910 – Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (d. 1961)
• 1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, English-born immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)
• 1911 – James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
• 1916 – Dino Risi, Italian film director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany
• 1918 – José Greco, Italian-born flamenco dancer (d. 2001)
• 1918 – Kumar Pallana, Indian-born American actor
• 1919 – Kenneth M. Taylor, American pilot (d. 2006)
• 1921 – Guy Beaulne, French Canadian actor and theatre director (d. 2001)
• 1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician (d. 2001)
• 1923 – Onofre Marimón, Argentine racing driver (d. 1954)
• 1923 – Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
• 1923 – James Stockdale, American admiral and Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
• 1924 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player
• 1925 – Duncan Hallas, British political figure (d. 2002)
• 1925 – Rayner Unwin, British book publisher (d. 2000)
• 1926 – Robert Bly, American poet
• 1928 – Chronis Aidonidis, Greek singer
• 1929 – Chet Baker, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1988)
• 1929 – Dick Weber, American professional tenpin bowler (d. 2005)
• 1931 – Ronnie Schell, American actor
• 1933 – Akihito, Emperor of Japan
• 1935 – Paul Hornung, American football player
• 1935 – Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
• 1936 – Frederic Forrest, American actor
• 1937 – Barney Rosenzweig, American television producer
• 1937 – Edward Irving Wortis, American author
• 1938 – Bob Kahn, American Internet pioneer
• 1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, American musician (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
• 1940 – Robert Labine, French-Canadian politician
• 1940 – Eugene Record, American singer (The Chi-Lites) (d. 2005)
• 1941 – Tim Hardin, American musician (d. 1980)
• 1941 – Serge Reding, Belgian weightlifter (d. 1975)
• 1942 – Quentin Bryce, Governor-General of Australia
• 1942 – John Peterman, American fashion designer
• 1943 – Mikhail Gromov, Russian-born mathematician
• 1943 – Harry Shearer, American actor
• 1943 – Ron Allen, American baseball player
• 1943 – Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
• 1943 – Silvia Sommerlath, Queen of Sweden
• 1944 – Wesley Clark, American military officer
• 1945 – Ron Bushy, American drummer (Iron Butterfly)
• 1946 – Edita Gruberová, Slovak operatic soprano
• 1946 – Susan Lucci, American actress
• 1946 – John Sullivan, British screenwriter (d. 2011)
• 1947 – Graham Bonnet, English musician
• 1948 – Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, educator, author, and music journalist
• 1948 – Jack Ham, American football player
• 1948 – Leslie Moonves, American television executive
• 1949 – Adrian Belew, American musician
• 1950 – Michael C. Burgess, American politician
• 1950 – Vicente del Bosque, Spanish football manager
• 1950 – Ilchi Lee, Korean educator and author
• 1951 – Anthony Phillips, British musician (Genesis)
• 1952 – William Kristol, American political commentator
• 1953 – Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
• 1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright; Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
• 1956 – Michele Alboreto, Italian Formula one driver (d. 2001)
• 1956 – Dale Berra, American baseball player
• 1956 – Dave Murray, English musician (Iron Maiden)
• 1957 – Dan Bigras, Canadian singer
• 1957 – Trisha Goddard, English television presenter
• 1958 – Victoria Williams, American singer
• 1958 – Joan Severance, American actress
• 1959 – Geoff Willis, British engineer
• 1961 – Carol Smillie, British television personality
• 1961 – Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian novelist.
• 1962 – Bertrand Gachot, Belgian racing driver
• 1962 – Kang Je-gyu, South Korean film director
• 1962 – Great Muta, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1963 – Jim Harbaugh, American football player
• 1963 – Donna Tartt, American author
• 1963 – Ante Zelck, German entrepreneur and hostel pioneer.
• 1964 – Eddie Vedder, American musician (Pearl Jam)
• 1967 – Carla Bruni, Italian-French model and singer
• 1967 – Tim Fountain, British playwright
• 1967 – Otis Grant, Jamaican-Canadian Professional Boxer
• 1968 – Quincy Jones III, Swedish-American musician
• 1968 – Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, American photographer
• 1969 – Martha Byrne, American actress
• 1969 – Rob Pelinka, American sports agent
• 1970 – Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
• 1970 – Raymont Harris, American football player
• 1970 – Holly Samos, British radio presenter
• 1970 – Karine Polwart, Scottish folk singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
• 1971 – Masayoshi Yamazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Michalis Klokidis, Greek footballer
• 1971 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite
• 1971 – Wim Vansevenant, Belgian cyclist
• 1974 – Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1975 – Sky Lopez, American actress
• 1975 – Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Brad Lidge, American baseball player
• 1976 – Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Greek footballer
• 1976 – Jamie Noble, American professional wrestler
• 1977 – Matt Baker, British television presenter
• 1977 – Alge Crumpler, American football player
• 1977 – Jari Mäenpää, Finnish guitarist and singer
• 1977 – Paul Shirley, American basketball player
• 1978 – Andra Davis, American football player
• 1978 – Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
• 1978 – Jodie Marsh, British glamour model
• 1978 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1978 – Estella Warren, Canadian model and actress
• 1979 – Summer Altice, American model and actress
• 1979 – Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player
• 1979 – Holly Madison, American model
• 1979 – Kenny Miller, Scottish football player
• 1980 – Cody Ross, American baseball player
• 1980 – Elvin Ng, Singaporean actor
• 1981 – Beth, Spanish singer
• 1981 – Yuriorkis Gamboa, Cuban boxer
• 1981 – Mario Santana, Argentine footballer
• 1981 – Maritza Correia, American swimmer
• 1982 – Brad Nelson, American baseball player
• 1982 – Thomas Rohregger, Austrian cyclist (Leopard Trek)
• 1983 – Michael Chopra, English footballer
• 1983 – Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
• 1983 – Carlos Jimenez, Spanish basketball player
• 1984 – Sebastian Werle, German rugby player
• 1984 – Joseph Stacey, British actor
• 1985 – Harry Judd, British drummer (McFly)
• 1985 – Luke O'Loughlin, Australian actor
• 1986 – TJ Oshie, American ice hockey player
• 1986 – Beau Champion, Australian Rugby League Player
• 1987 – Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Owen Franks, New Zealand All Black rugby player
• 1988 – Eri Kamei, Japanese singer
• 1990 – Anna Maria Perez de Taglé, American actress, model, and singer
• 1992 – Jeffrey Schlupp, German footballer

Deaths

• 668 – Mor Gabriel, Syriac Orthodox Saint (b. 594)
• 679 – King Dagobert II of Austrasia (b. c. 650)
• 910 – Naum of Preslav, Bulgarian scholar
• 918 – Conrad I of Germany
• 1230 – Berengaria of Navarre, queen of Richard I of England
• 1556 – Nicholas Udall, English playwright (b. 1504)
• 1568 – Roger Ascham, tutor of Elizabeth I of England
• 1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese military commander (b. 1531)
• 1588 – Henry I, Duke of Guise, French Catholic leader (b. 1550)
• 1631 – Michael Drayton, English poet (b. 1563)
• 1646 – François Maynard, French poet (b. 1582)
• 1652 – John Cotton, English-born American minister (b. 1585)
• 1675 – Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French marshal and diplomat (b. 1602)
• 1722 – Pierre Varignon, French mathematician (b. 1654)
• 1771 – Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian saint (b. 1701)
• 1761 – Alestair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish Jacobite spy
• 1779 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, British admiral and politician (b. 1724)
• 1789 – Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French philanthropist (b. 1712)
• 1793 – Antoine François Prévost, French author and novelist (b. 1697)
• 1795 – Henry Clinton, British general (b. 1730)
• 1805 – Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and naturalist (b. 1723)
• 1834 – Thomas Malthus, English demographer and economist (b. 1766)
• 1846 – Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent, French naturalist (b. 1780)
• 1902 – Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1821)
• 1912 – Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist (b. 1850)
• 1931 – Wilson Bentley, American scientist (b. 1865)
• 1939 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
• 1946 – John A. Sampson, American gynecologist (b. 1873)
• 1946 – Kiki Preston, American socialite (b. 1898)
• 1948 – Akira Muto, Japanese army commander (b. 1883)
• 1948 – Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1884)
• 1950 – Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (b. 1878)
• 1953 – Lavrenty Beria, Soviet politician (b. 1899)
• 1954 – René Iché, French sculptor (b. 1897)
• 1961 – Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (b. 1910)
• 1970 – Charles Ruggles, American actor (b. 1886)
• 1971 – Pasha Hristova, Bulgarian singer (b. 1946)
• 1972 – Andrei Tupolev, Soviet aircraft designer (b. 1888)
• 1973 – Charles Atlas, Italian-born American bodybuilder (b. 1892)
• 1973 – Irna Phillips, American television writer, director, and producer (b. 1901)
• 1979 – Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (b. 1898)
• 1982 – Jack Webb, American actor, producer, and director (b. 1920)
• 1983 – Colin Middleton, Northern Irish artist (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Joan Lindsay, Australian author (b. 1896)
• 1992 – Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (b. 1934)
• 1992 – Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (Funkadelic) (b. 1950)
• 1994 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor (b. 1905)
• 1997 – Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer (b. 1908)
• 1998 – Michelle Thomas, American actress (b. 1968)
• 2000 – Billy Barty, American actor (b. 1924)
• 2000 – Victor Borge, Danish-born comedian and pianist (b. 1909)
• 2000 – Noor Jehan, Pakistani singer and actress (b. 1926)
• 2001 – Bola Ige, Nigerian politician (b. 1930)
• 2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer and coach (b. 1914)
• 2005 – Norman D. Vaughan, American polar explorer and musher (b. 1905)
• 2006 – Charlie Drake, English comedian (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Timothy J. Tobias, American composer and musician (b. 1952)
• 2006 – Marilyn Waltz, American actress and model (b. 1931)
• 2006 – Johnny Vincent, English footballer (b. 1947)
• 2007 – William Francis Ganong, American physiologist (b. 1924)
• 2007 – Michael Kidd, American film and stage choreographer (b. 1915)
• 2007 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist and composer (b. 1925)
• 2009 – Robert L. Howard, American Vietnam War soldier; Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1939)
• 2009 – Edward Schillebeeckx, Belgian Roman Catholic theologian (b. 1914)
• 2009 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan official (b. 1910)
• 2010 – K. Karunakaran, Indian politician (b. 1918)
• 2010 – Fred Hargesheimer, American World War II pilot (b. 1916)

Holidays and observances

• Birthday of the Queen Silvia, an official flag day (Sweden)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Abassad (Coptic Church)
  • John Cantius
  • O Emmanuel
  • Psote (Coptic Church)
  • Thorlac Thorhallsson, patron saint of Iceland; The last day of preparations before Christmas.
• Festivus, a holiday made popular by the sitcom Seinfeld
• HumanLight (Secular humanism in United States)
• Larentalia, in honor of Larenta. (Roman empire)
• Night of the Radishes (Oaxaca, Mexico)
• The Emperor's Birthday, birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan. (Japan)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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