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Today December 15th in history click read more below to view detail events, deaths, births, Holidays and observances, and video clips in hisotry. Please comments, last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
533 – Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Ticameron.
1167 – Sicilian chancellor Stephen du Perche moves the royal court to Messina to prevent a rebellion.
1256 – Hulagu Khan captures and destroys the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut in present-day Iran as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia.
1467 – Stephen III of Moldavia defeats Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, with the latter being injured thrice, at the Battle of Baia.
1791 – The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia legislature.
1863 – In Romania the mountain railway from Anina to Oravita is used for the first time.
1864 – In the Battle of Nashville, Union forces under George H. Thomas almost completely destroy the Army of Tennessee under John B. Hood.
1868 – Shogunate rebels found Ezo Republic in Hokkaido.
1891 – James Naismith introduces the first version of basketball, with thirteen rules, a peach basket nailed to either end of his school s gymnasium, and two teams of nine players.
1905 – The Pushkin House is established in St. Petersburg to preserve the cultural heritage of Alexander Pushkin
1913 – Nicaragua becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
1914 – World War I: The Serbian Army recaptures Belgrade from the invading Austro-Hungarian Army.
1914 – A gas explosion at Mitsubishi Hojyo coal mine, Kyushu, Japan, kills 687. This accident is the worst coal mine disaster in Japanese history.
1915 – World War I: Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig replaces John French, 1st Earl of Ypres as Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force.
1917 – World War I: An armistice is reached between the new Bolshevik government and the Central Powers.
1939 – Gone with the Wind received its première at Loew s Grand Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
1941 – Holocaust: In a -15 degrees Celsius temperature, German troops execute over 15,000 Jews at Drobitsky Yar, a ravine southeast of the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.
1941 – The American Federation of Labor adopts a no-strike policy in war industries.
1942 – The Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse begins during the Guadalcanal campaign.
1945 – Occupation of Japan: General Douglas MacArthur orders that Shinto be abolished as state religion of Japan.
1960 – King Baudouin of Belgium marries Fabiola Fernanda María de las Victorias Antonia Adelaida de Mora y Aragón in Brussels.
1960 – Richard Paul Pavlick is arrested for attempting to blow up and assassinate the U.S. President-Elect, John F. Kennedy only four days earlier.
1961 – In Jerusalem, Adolph Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and membership of an outlawed organization.
1965 – Gemini program: Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Four orbits later, it achieved the first space rendezvous with Gemini 7.
1967 – The Silver Bridge collapses, killing 46 people.
1970 – The Illinois State Constitution is adopted at a special election.
1970 – South Korean ferry Namyong Ho capsizes off Korean Strait and 308 killed.
1973 – John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy, after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10, 1973.
1976 – Samoa becomes a member of the UN.
1978 – President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People s Republic of China and cut off all relations with Taiwan
1993 – History of Northern Ireland: The Downing Street Declaration is issued by British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds.
1994 – Palau becomes a member of the UN.
1997 – A chartered Tupolev TU-154 from Tajikistan crashes in the desert near Sharja, United Arab Emirates airport killing 85.
1997 – The Treaty of Bangkok is signed allowing the transformation of Southeast Asia into a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone.
2001 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean.
2002 – The Capital Center (formerly US Airways Arena) is demolished.
2005 – Latvia amends its constitution to eliminate possibility of same-sex couples being entitled to marry.
2005 – Argentina s president Néstor Kirchner announces the early repayment of its external debt to the IMF.
2005 – Introduction of the F-22 Raptor into USAF active service.
2005 – The 2005 Atlantic Power Outage began.
2006 – First flight of the F-35 Lightning II.
Births
37 – Nero, Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (d. 68)
1832 – Gustave Eiffel, French engineer and architect (Eiffel tower) (d. 1923)
1852 – Henri Becquerel, French physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1908)
1859 – L. L. Zamenhof, Polish initiator of Esperanto (d. 1917)
1860 – Niels Ryberg Finsen, Danish physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1904)
1860 – Abner Powell, American baseball player (d. 1953)
1861 – Charles Duryea, American automobile pioneer (d. 1938)
1875 – Emilio Jacinto, Filipino poet and revolutionary (d. 1899)
1878 – Hans Carossa, German writer (d. 1956)
1888 – Maxwell Anderson, American writer (d. 1959)
1892 – J. Paul Getty, American oil tycoon (d. 1976)
1896 – Betty Smith, American author (d. 1972)
1899 – Harold Abrahams, English sprinter (d. 1978)
1902 – Robert F. Bradford, 57th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1983)
1907 – Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect
1910 – John H. Hammond, American musician (d. 1987)
1911 – Nicholas P. Dallis, American psychiatrist and comic strip writer (d. 1991)
1911 – Stan Kenton, American musician (d. 1979)
1912 – Ray Eames, American designer (d. 1988)
1913 – Roger Gaudry, French Canadian chemist, businessman and corporate director (d. 2001)
1913 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet (d. 1980)
1916 – Buddy Cole, American pianist (d. 1964)
1916 – Maurice Wilkins, New Zealand-born physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2004)
1917 – Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, linguist and writer of Pakistan (d. 2005)
1918 – Jeff Chandler, American actor (d. 1961)
1919 – Max Yasgur, owner of the Woodstock Festival site (d. 1973)
1920 – Kurt Schaffenberger, American comics artist (d. 2002)
1921 – Alan Freed, American disc jockey (d. 1965)
1921 – Bob Todd, British comedian (d. 1992)
1923 – Freeman Dyson, English-born American physicist
1923 – Uziel Gal, Israeli firearm designer (d. 2002)
1923 – Valentin Varennikov, Russian general and statesman
1925 – Sam Pollock, Canadian ice hockey general manager
1925 – Kasey Rogers, American actress (d. 2006)
1928 – Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian artist (d. 2000)
1928 – Jerry Wallace, American singer (d. 2008)
1929 – Barry Harris, American bebop jazz pianist
1930 – Edna O Brien, Irish novelist and short story writer
1932 – Jesse Belvin, American musician (d. 1960)
1933 – Bapu, Indian cartoonist, designer and film director
1933 – Tim Conway, American actor and comedian
1933 – Donald Woods, South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist (d. 2001)
1938 – Billy Shaw, American football player
1939 – Cindy Birdsong, American singer (The Supremes)
1940 – Nick Buoniconti, American football player
1942 – Dave Clark, English musician (The Dave Clark Five)
1943 – Kathleen Blanco, American politician
1943 – Lucien den Arend, Dutch artist
1944 – Jim Leyland, American baseball manager
1944 – Chico Mendes, Brazilian campaigner (d. 1988)
1945 – Thaao Penghlis, Australian actor
1946 – Art Howe, American baseball player and manager
1946 – Carmine Appice, American musician (Vanilla Fudge)
1947 – Rodney Bingenheimer, Pioneering American radio personality
1948 – Melanie Chartoff, American actress
1948 – Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (d. 1991)
1949 – Don Johnson, American actor
1952 – Allan Simonsen, Danish footballer
1952 – Rudi Protrudi, American musician (The Fuzztones)
1952 – Julie Taymor, American director
1953 – J. M. DeMatteis, American comic book writer
1954 – Mark Warner, American politician
1955 – Paul Simonon, English bassist (The Clash)
1957 – Mario Marois, Canadian ice hockey player
1957 – Mike McAlary, American journalist (d. 1998)
1957 – Yuuichi Nagashima, Japanese voice actor
1957 – Laura Molina, American artist, musician and actress
1958 – Eddy Annys, Belgian high jumper
1960 – Walter Werzowa, Austrian composer
1961 – Karin Resetarits, Austrian journalist
1963 – Andrew Luster, Max Factor heir
1963 – Helen Slater, American actress
1966 – Manos Papayiannis, Greek fashion model and actor
1966 – Molly Price, American actress
1967 – David Howells, English footballer
1967 – Mo Vaughn, American baseball player
1968 – Javid Hussain, Indian film producer
1968 – Osama Ali Maher, Swedish politician
1968 – Garrett Wang, American actor
1969 – Chantal Petitclerc, Canadian wheelchair athlete
1970 – Frankie Dettori, Italian jockey
1970 – Michael Shanks, Canadian actor
1970 – Roy Christopher, American writer
1972 – Rodney Harrison, American football player
1972 – Stuart Townsend, Irish actor
1973 – Surya Bonaly, French-born American figure skater
1973 – Ryu Seung-wan, South Korean actor and director
1976 – Baichung Bhutia, Indian footballer
1976 – Aaron Miles, American baseball player
1976 – Elix Skipper, American professional wrestler
1977 – Dave Mackintosh, Scottish Drummer (Dragonforce)
1977 – Geoff Stults, American actor
1978 – Mark Jansen, Dutch guitarist (Epica)
1978 – Jerome McDougle, American football player
1979 – Adam Brody, American actor
1979 – Eric Young, Canadian professional wrestler
1980 – Sergio Pizzorno, English guitarist (Kasabian)
1981 – Najoua Belyzel, French singer
1981 – Brendan Fletcher, Canadian actor
1981 – Andy González, Puerto Rican baseball player
1981 – Thomas Herrion, American football player (d. 2005)
1981 – Creighton Lovelace, American Baptist minister
1981 – Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russian football player
1982 – Charlie Cox, English actor
1982 – Borja García, Spanish racing driver
1982 – George O. Gore II, American actor
1983 – René Goguen (René Duprée), Canadian professional wrestler
1983 – Wang Hao, Chinese table tennis player
1984 – Joshua Third, British Guitarist in The Horrors.
1984 – Martin Skrtel Slovakian Footballer
1986 – Snejana Onopka, Ukrainian supermodel
1991 – Eunice Cho, American actress
Deaths
1025 – Basil II, Byzantine Emperor (b. 958)
1072 – Alp Arslan, Turkish sultan in Persia (b. 1029)
1230 – King Otakar I of Bohemia
1263 – King Haakon IV of Norway (b. 1204)
1598 – Philips van Marnix, lord of Sint-Aldegonde, Dutch writer and statesman (b. 1538)
1621 – Charles de Luynes, Constable of France (b. 1578)
1673 – Margaret Cavendish, English writer (b. 1623)
1675 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter (b. 1632)
1683 – Izaak Walton, English writer (b. 1593)
1688 – Gaspar Fagel, Dutch statesman (b. 1634)
1715 – George Hickes, English minister and scholar (b. 1642)
1753 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect (b. 1694)
1792 – Joseph Martin Kraus, Swedish composer (b. 1756)
1855 – Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician (b. 1803)
1890 – Sitting Bull, Sioux nation leader (b. c. 1831)
1943 – Fats Waller, American musician (b. 1904)
1944 – Glenn Miller, American musician (legal date of death, exact date unknown) (b. 1904)
1947 – Arthur Machen, Welsh author (b. 1863)
1950 – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian political leader, Iron Man of India (b. 1875)
1958 – Wolfgang Ernst Pauli, Austrian-born American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1900)
1962 – Charles Laughton, English actor (b. 1899)
1966 – Walt Disney, American animator (b. 1901)
1968 – Antonio Barrette, Canadian politician, premier of Quebec (b. 1899)
1968 – Jess Willard, American boxer (b. 1881)
1971 – Paul Pierre Lévy, French mathematician (b. 1886)
1974 – Anatole Litvak, Ukrainian-born screenwriter and film producer (b. 1902)
1977 – Wilfred Kitching, the 7th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1893)
1978 – Chill Wills, American actor (b. 1903)
1984 – Lennard Pearce, English actor (b. 1915)
1984 – Jan Peerce, American tenor (b. 1904)
1989 – Arnold Moss, American actor (b. 1910)
1989 – Edward Underdown, English actor (b. 1908)
1991 – Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev, Soviet sniper (b. 1915)
2001 – Russ Haas, American professional wrestler (b. 1974)
2001 – Rufus Thomas, American musician (b. 1917)
2003 – George Fisher, American political cartoonist (b. 1923)
2003 – Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1947)
2004 – Pauline Gore, mother of Al Gore (b. 1912)
2004 – Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan politician (b. 1943)
2005 – Heinrich Gross, Austrian physician (b. 1914)
2005 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (b. 1915)
2005 – William Proxmire, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (b. 1915)
2005 – Darrell Russell, American football player (b. 1976)
2006 – Clay Regazzoni, Swiss Formula One driver (b. 1939)
2007 – John Berg, American actor (b. 1949)
2007 – Julia Carson, U.S. Congresswoman from Indiana (b. 1938)
2008 – León Febres Cordero, Ecuador s former President (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances
Roman festivals – Consualia in honor of Consus is held.
Roman Catholic Saints – St. Valerian; Saint Nino; Saint Drostan; Saint Virginia Centurione, Saint Mesmin; Saint Maria Crocifissa di Rosa
Bill of Rights Day – honors the Bill of Rights of the United States.
Homecoming Day – celebrates the return of evacuated citizens to Alderney after World War II.
Kingdom Day – commemorates the signing of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1954.
Zamenhof Day – celebrated in the Esperanto movement in honor of L. L. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto.
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