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Today December 19th 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
324 – Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor.
1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey.
1490 – Anne of Brittany is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy.
1606 – The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery depart England carrying settlers who found, at Jamestown, Virginia, the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States.
1776 – Thomas Paine publishes one of a series of pamphlets in the Pennsylvania Journal titled The American Crisis.
1777 – American Revolutionary War: George Washington s Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
1828 – Nullification Crisis: Vice President of the United States John C. Calhoun pens the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, protesting the Tariff of 1828.
1835 – The first issue of The Blade newspaper is published in Toledo, Ohio.
1907 – A group of 239 coal miners die during a mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania.
1912 – William H. Van Schaick, captain of the steamship General Slocum which caught fire and killed over 1,000 people, is pardoned by U.S. President William Howard Taft after three-and-a-half-years in Sing Sing prison.
1916 – World War I: Battle of Verdun – On the Western Front, the French Army successfully holds off the German Army and drives it back to its starting position.
1920 – King Constantine I is restored as King of the Hellenes after the death of his son Alexander I of Greece and a plebiscite.
1924 – The last Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is sold in London, England.
1932 – BBC World Service begins broadcasting as the BBC Empire Service
1941 – World War II: Adolf Hitler becomes Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the German Army.
1961 – India annexes Daman and Diu, part of Portuguese India.
1967 – Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt is officially presumed dead.
1972 – Apollo program: The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt, returns to Earth.
1975 – John Paul Stevens is appointed a justice of The United States Supreme Court.
1981 – Sixteen lives are lost when the Penlee lifeboat goes to the aid of the stricken coaster Union Star in heavy seas.
1983 – The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro.
1984 – The Sino-British Joint Declaration, stating that the People s Republic of China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and the United Kingdom would restore Hong Kong to China with effect from July 1, 1997 is signed in Beijing by Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher.
1986 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from internal exile in Gorky.
1994 – Rolls-Royce announces its future cars will feature V12 engine which will be produced by BMW.
1995 – The United States Government restores federal recognition to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indian tribe.
1997 – SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River, near Palembang in Indonesia, killing 104.
1997 – Titanic (starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet) is released in theaters. This movie would become the most financially successful movie in history, grossing approximately $600 million domestically and $1.8 billion worldwide.
1998 – Lewinsky scandal: The United States House of Representatives forwards articles I and III of impeachment against President Bill Clinton to the Senate.
2000 – The Leninist Guerrilla Units wing of the Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist attack a Nationalist Movement Party office in Istanbul, killing one person and injuring three.
2001 – A record high barometric pressure of 1085.6 hPa (32.06 inHg) is recorded at Tosontsengel, Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia.
2001 – Argentine economic crisis: December 2001 riots – Riots erupt in Buenos Aires after Domingo Cavallo s corralito measures restrict the withdrawal of cash from bank deposits.
Births
1554 – Philip William, Prince of Orange (d. 1618)
1683 – Philip V of Spain (d. 1746)
1699 – William Bowyer, English printer (d. 1777)
1714 – John Winthrop, American astronomer (d. 1779)
1778 – Princess Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, eldest child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI (d. 1851)
1784 – Marcus Morton, 16th and 18th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1864)
1796 – Breton de los Herreros, Spanish playwright (d. 1873)
1813 – Thomas Andrews, Irish chemist (d. 1885)
1817 – James J. Archer, Confederate general (d. 1904)
1820 – Mary Livermore, American journalist and women s rights advocate (d. 1905)
1831 – Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Hawaiian philanthropist (d. 1884)
1852 – Albert Abraham Michelson, Prussian-born American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1931)
1853 – Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian politician, lieutenant-governor of Quebec (d. 1942)
1861 – Italo Svevo, Italian author (d. 1928)
1865 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress (d. 1932)
1875 – Carter Woodson, American historian and author, founder of Black History Month (d. 1950)
1885 – Joe King Oliver, American jazz musician (d. 1938)
1888 – Fritz Reiner, Hungarian-born American conductor (d. 1963)
1894 – Ford Frick, American baseball commissioner (d. 1978)
1901 – Rudolf Hell, German inventor (d. 2002)
1902 – Sir Ralph Richardson, English actor (d. 1983)
1903 – George Davis Snell, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (d. 1996)
1906 – Leonid Brezhnev, leader of the Soviet Union (d. 1982)
1907 – Jimmy McLarnin, former Welterweight Champion (d. 2004)
1909 – W.A. Criswell, American (Baptist) preacher (d. 2002)
1910 – Jean Genet, French writer (d. 1986)
1915 – Édith Piaf, French singer and actress (d. 1963)
1918 – Professor Longhair, American blues musician (d. 1980)
1920 – Little Jimmy Dickens, American country singer
1920 – David Susskind, American TV talk show host (d. 1987)
1922 – Eamonn Andrews, Irish-born television presenter (d. 1987)
1923 – Gordon Jackson, Scottish actor (d. 1990)
1924 – Carlo Chiti, Italian race car engineer (d. 1994)
1924 – Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1989)
1924 – Gary Morton, second husband of Lucille Ball (d. 1999)
1924 – Edmund Purdom, English actor
1925 – Tankred Dorst, German dramatist
1925 – Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter
1926 – Bobby Layne, American football player (d. 1986)
1926 – Herb Stempel, American game show contestant
1927 – James Booth, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2005)
1928 – Nathan Oliveira, American artist
1929 – Bob Brookmeyer, American jazz musician
1929 – Howard Sackler, American screenwriter (d. 1982)
1932 – Salvador Elizondo, Mexican writer
1933 – Kevan Gosper, Australian athlete
1933 – Cicely Tyson, American actress
1934 – Rudi Carrell, Dutch singer (d. 2006)
1934 – Al Kaline, American baseball player
1934 – Casper R. Taylor, Jr., American politician
1935 – Barbara Bostock, American actress
1935 – Bobby Timmons, American jazz pianist (d. 1974)
1936 – Marian McKnight, Miss America 1957
1940 – Phil Ochs, American folk singer (d. 1976)
1941 – Maurice White, American singer and songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1942 – Rufus, French actor
1943 – Ross M. Lence, American political scientist (d. 2006)
1943 – General James L. Jones, Nominee for National Security Advisor
1944 – William Christie, American-born director of Les Arts Florissants
1944 – Mitchell Feigenbaum, American mathematical physicist
1944 – Richard Leakey, Kenyan paleontologist, conservationist and politician
1944 – Alvin Lee, English singer/guitarist (Ten Years After)
1944 – Tim Reid, American actor
1944 – Zal Yanovsky, Canadian guitarist (The Lovin Spoonful) (d. 2002)
1945 – Elaine Joyce, American actress
1946 – Rosemary Conley, English businesswoman, author and broadcaster
1946 – Robert Urich, American actor (d. 2002)
1947 – Jimmy Bain , hard rock/heavy metal bassist
1948 – Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player
1949 – Nancy Kyes, American actress
1949 – Sebastian, Danish musician
1951 – Alan Rouse, British mountaineer (d. 1986)
1955 – Lincoln Hall (climber), Australian mountaineer
1956 – Tom Lawless, American baseball player
1957 – Cyril Collard, French film director (d. 1993)
1957 – John Gulager, American film director
1957 – Kevin McHale, American basketball player
1958 – Limahl, English singer (Kajagoogoo)
1959 – Ivan Vallejo, Ecuadorian mountaineer
1960 – Mike Lookinland, American actor
1960 – Michelangelo Signorile, American writer
1960 – Derrick Jensen, American author and activist
1961 – Eric Allin Cornell, American physicist, Nobel laureate
1961 – Matthew Waterhouse, English actor
1961 – Reggie White, American football player (d. 2004)
1962 – Jill Talley, American actress
1962 – Gary Fleder, American film director
1963 – Jennifer Beals, American actress
1963 – Til Schweiger, German actor
1964 – Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuanian basketball player
1964 – Béatrice Dalle, French actress
1965 – Chito Martínez, Belizean baseball player
1965 – Jessica Steen, American actress
1966 – Chuckii Booker, American singer, musician and producer
1966 – Robert MacNaughton, American stage and screen actor
1966 – Alberto Tomba, Italian alpine skier
1966 – Eric Weinrich, American ice hockey player
1967 – Frankie Lam, Hong Kong actor
1967 – Criss Angel, American illusionist, actor, and musician
1969 – Richard Hammond, English television presenter
1969 – Tom Gugliotta, American basketball player
1969 – Kristy Swanson, American actress
1969 – Villano IV, Mexican professional wrestler
1970 – Tyson Beckford, American model
1971 – Liz Cho, American television reporter
1971 – Amy Locane, American actress
1971 – Tiffany Towers, Canadian adult film actress
1972 – Alyssa Milano, American actress
1972 – Rosa Blasi, American actress
1972 – Warren Sapp, American football player
1973 – Takashi Sorimachi, Japanese actor
1973 – Zulfiya Zabirova, Russian cyclist
1974 – Mikko Paananen, Finnish bassist (HIM)
1974 – Joe Jurevicius, American football player
1974 – Jake Plummer, American football player
1974 – Ricky Ponting, Australian cricketer
1975 – Olivier Tebily, Ivorian footballer
1975 – Jon Smith, British writer
1977 – Jorge Garbajosa, Spanish basketball player
1978 – Patrick Casey, American screenwriter and actor
1979 – Kevin Devine, American musician
1979 – Paola Rey, Colombian actress
1980 – Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor
1980 – Chris Haslam, Canadian Skateboarder and Bass Player (Kobra Triangle)
1980 – Marla Sokoloff, American actress
1982 – Vincent Accardi, American musician (Brand New)
1982 – Maurice Williams, American basketball player
1982 – Tero Pitkamaki, Finnish javelin thrower
1983 – Matt Stajan, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Ian Kennedy, Major League Baseball pitcher
1985 – Gary Cahill, English footballer
1985 – Neil Kilkenny, English-born Australian footballer
1985 – Lady Sovereign, English musician
1986- Ryan Babel, Dutch Footballer
1987 – Karim Benzema, French footballer
1988 – Paulina Gretzky, American-born Canadian actress and model
1988 – Peter Winn, English footballer
1987 – Alexis Sánchez, Chilean footballer
1991 – Declan Galbraith, English singer
Deaths
401 – Pope Anastasius I
1075 – Edith of Wessex, wife of Edward the Confessor of England
1327 – Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy
1370 – Pope Urban V (b. 1310)
1737 – James Sobieski, Crown Prince of Poland (b. 1667)
1741 – Vitus Bering, Danish-born explorer (b. 1681)
1745 – Jean-Baptiste van Loo, French painter (b. 1684)
1749 – Francesco Antonio Bonporti, Italian priest and composer (b. 1672)
1751 – Louise of Great Britain, wife of Frederick V of Denmark (b. 1724)
1807 – Friedrich Melchior, baron von Grimm, German writer (b. 1723)
1813 – James McGill, Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1744)
1814 – Joseph Bramah, Inventor and Locksmith, notably invented the beer pump (b. 1748)
1819 – Sir Thomas Fremantle, British naval officer and politician (b. 1765)
1848 – Emily Brontë, English author (b. 1818)
1878 – Bayard Taylor, American author and poet (b. 1825)
1915 – Alois Alzheimer, German neuroscientist (b. 1864)
1932 – Yoon Bong-Gil, Korean activist (b. 1908)
1933 – George Jackson Churchward, GWR Chief mechanical engineer. (b. 1857)
1938 – Stephen Warfield Gambrill, U.S. Congressman (b. 1873)
1939 – Hans Langsdorff, German naval officer (b. 1894)
1944 – Khedive Abbas II of Egypt (b. 1874)
1944 – Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (b. 1856)
1946 – Paul Langevin, French physicist (b. 1872)
1953 – Robert Millikan, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1868)
1968 – Norman Thomas, American socialist (b. 1884)
1982 – Dwight Macdonald, American social critic (b. 1906)
1984 – Joy Ridderhof, American missionary (b. 1903)
1986 – V. C. Andrews, American author (b. 1923)
1989 – Stella Gibbons, English author (b. 1902)
1991 – Joe Cole, American rock music roadie (b. 1961)
1993 – Michael Clarke, American drummer (The Byrds) (b. 1946)
1996 – Marcello Mastroianni, Italian actor (b. 1924)
1997 – Masaru Ibuka, Japanese industrialist (Sony) (b. 1908)
1997 – Jimmy Rogers, American blues guitarist (b. 1924)
1998 – Mel Fisher, American treasure hunter (b. 1922)
1998 – Antonio Ordóñez, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1932)
1999 – Desmond Llewelyn, Welsh actor (b. 1914)
2000 – Rob Buck, American guitarist (10,000 Maniacs) (b. 1958)
2000 – Milt Hinton, American jazz double bassist (b. 1910)
2000 – John Lindsay, American politician (b. 1921)
2000 – Pops Staples, American singer (The Staple Singers) (b. 1915)
2001 – Marcel Mule, French saxophonist. (b. 1901)
2002 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer. (b. 1926)
2003 – Peter Carter-Ruck, English lawyer (b. 1914)
2003 – Hope Lange, American actress (b. 1933)
2003 – Les Tremayne, English-born American actor (b. 1913)
2004 – Herbert C. Brown, English-born American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1912)
2004 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano (b. 1922)
2005 – Keith Duckworth, English mechanical engineer (Cosworth (b. 1933)
2005 – Vincent Gigante, American mafioso (b. 1927)
2008 – James Bevel, 1960s Civil rights movement leader (b. 1936)
2008 – Kenny Cox, American jazz musician (b. 1940)
2008 – Dock Ellis, American baseball pitcher (b. 1945)
2008 – Carol Chomsky, American linguist and education specialist (b. 1930)
Holidays and observances
Liberation day – Goa
R.C. Saints – O Radix
Roman festivals – Opalia
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