December 4
Events
Pre-1600
1601–1900
- 1619 - Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia. The group's charter proclaims that the day "be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."
- 1623 - 50 Christians are executed in Edo, Japan, during the Great Martyrdom of Edo.
- 1676 - The Battle of Lund occurs, and is the bloodiest battle in Scandinavian history.
- 1745 - Charles Edward Stuart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the Second Jacobite Rising.
- 1783 - At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
- 1786 - Mission Santa Barbara is dedicated.
- 1791 - The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published.
- 1804 - The United States House of Representatives adopts articles of impeachment against Associate [Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court Justice] Samuel Chase.
- 1808 - Napoleonic Wars: Under the orders by commander Tomás de Morla, the city of Madrid surrenders to French Emperor Napoleon I after a 4 day long siege.
- 1829 - In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets sati in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide.
- 1861 - American Civil War: The 109 electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice [President of the Confederate States of America|Vice President].
- 1863 - American Civil War: Confederate General James Longstreet lifts his unsuccessful siege of Knoxville, Tennessee after failing to capture the city.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Union cavalry forces defeat Confederate cavalry in the Battle of Waynesboro, Georgia, opening the way for General William T. Sherman's army to approach the coast.
- 1865 - North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed two days later by Georgia, and U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.
- 1867 - Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry.
- 1872 - The American brigantine is discovered drifting in the Atlantic. Her crew is never found.
- 1875 - Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison; he is later recaptured in Spain.
- 1881 - The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
- 1893 - Matabele War">Northern Ndebele people">Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.
1901–present
- 1906 - Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
- 1909 - In Canadian football, the First Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26–6.
- 1909 - The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.
- 1917 - The Finnish Senate submits to the Parliament of Finland a proposal for the form of government of the Republic of Finland and issues a communication to Parliament declaring the independence of Finland.
- 1918 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.
- 1919 - Ukrainian War of Independence: The Polonsky conspiracy is initiated, with an attempt to assassinate the high command of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.
- 1928 - Cosmo Gordon Lang was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the first bachelor to be appointed in 150 years.
- 1939 - World War II: is struck by a mine off the Scottish coast and is laid up for repairs until August 1940.
- 1942 - World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal campaign ends.
- 1943 - World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.
- 1943 - World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment in the United States.
- 1945 - By a vote of 65–7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations.
- 1948 - Chinese Civil War: The SS Kiangya, carrying Nationalist refugees from Shanghai, explodes in the Huangpu River.
- 1949 - Sir Duncan George Stewart, governor of the Crown Colony of Sarawak, was fatally stabbed by a member of the Rukun 13.
- 1950 - Korean War: Jesse L. Brown is killed in action during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
- 1950 - Korean War: Associated Press photographer Max Desfor photographs hundreds of Korean refugees crossing a downed bridge in the Taedong River: 1951 Pulitzer Prize winner Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea.
- 1956 - The Million Dollar Quartet get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time.
- 1964 - Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of [California, Berkeley], following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents' decision to forbid protests on UC property.
- 1965 - Launch of Gemini 7 with crew members Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. The Gemini 7 spacecraft was the passive target for the first crewed space rendezvous performed by the crew of Gemini 6A.
- 1969 - Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
- 1971 - The PNS Ghazi, a Pakistan Navy submarine, sinks during the course of the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971.
- 1971 - During a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the Montreux Casino, an audience member fires a flare gun into the ceiling, causing a fire that destroys the venue. The incident served as the inspiration for Deep Purple's 1973 song Smoke on the Water.
- 1974 - Martinair Flight 138 crashes into the Saptha Kanya mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka, killing 191.
- 1977 - Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire.
- 1977 - Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjong Kupang, Johor, killing 100.
- 1978 - Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor.
- 1979 - The Hastie fire in Hull kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee.
- 1981 - South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland".
- 1982 - The People's Republic of China adopts its current constitution of the [People's Republic of China|constitution].
- 1983 - US Navy aircraft from USS John F. Kennedy and USS Independence attack Syrian missile sites in Lebanon in response to an F-14 Tomcat|F-14] being fired on by an SA-7. One A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II|A-7 Corsair] are shot down. One American pilot is killed, one is rescued, and one is captured.
- 1984 - Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers Mannar massacre|kill] 107–150 civilians in Mannar.
- 1986 - The MV Amazon Venture oil tanker begins leaking oil while at the port of Savannah in the United States, resulting in an oil spill of approximately.
- 1991 - Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut; he is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.
- 1991 - Pan American World Airways ceases its operations after 64 years.
- 1992 - Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.
- 1998 - The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, is launched.
- 2005 - Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong December [2005 protest for democracy in Hong Kong|protest for democracy] and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
- 2006 - Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana.
- 2014 - Islamic insurgents 2014 [Grozny clashes|kill] three state police at a traffic circle before taking an empty school and a "press house" in Grozny. Ten state forces die with 28 injured in gun battles ending with ten insurgents killed.
- 2015 - A 2015 [Cairo restaurant fire|firebomb] is thrown into a restaurant in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing 17 people.
- 2017 - The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually became the largest wildfire in modern California history to date after burning in Ventura and Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara] Counties.
- 2021 - Semeru on the Indonesian island of Java 2021 [Semeru eruption|erupts], killing at least 68 people.
- 2024 - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is shot and killed in Manhattan, New York City near the entrance of the New York Hilton Midtown.
Births
Pre-1600
1601–1900
- 1647 - Daniel Eberlin, German composer
- 1660 - André Campra, French composer and conductor
- 1667 - Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, French composer and educator
- 1670 - John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1713 - Gasparo Gozzi, Italian playwright and critic
- 1727 - Johann Gottfried Zinn, German anatomist and botanist
- 1777 - Juliette Récamier, French businesswoman
- 1795 - Thomas Carlyle, Scottish-English historian, philosopher, and academic
- 1798 - Jules Armand Dufaure, French lawyer and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France
- 1817 - Nikoloz Baratashvili, Georgian poet and author
- 1835 - Samuel Butler, English author and critic
- 1844 - Franz Xavier Wernz, German religious leader, 25th Superior General of the Society of Jesus
- 1861 - Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic poet and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland
- 1865 - Edith Cavell, English nurse, humanitarian, and saint
- 1867 - Stanley Argyle, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Victoria
- 1868 - Jesse Burkett, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1875 - Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor
- 1875 - Joe Corbett, American baseball player and coach
- 1875 - Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian-Swiss poet and author
- 1877 - Morris Alexander, South African politician
- 1881 - Erwin von Witzleben, Polish-German field marshal
- 1882 - Constance Davey, Australian psychologist
- 1883 - Katharine Susannah Prichard, Australian author and playwright
- 1884 - R. C. Majumdar, Indian historian
- 1887 - Winifred Carney, Irish suffragist, trade unionist, and Irish republican
- 1892 - Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator, Prime Minister of Spain
- 1892 - Liu Bocheng, Chinese commander and politician
- 1893 - Herbert Read, English poet and critic
- 1895 - Feng Youlan, Chinese philosopher and academic
- 1897 - Robert Redfield, American anthropologist of Mexico
- 1899 - Karl-Günther Heimsoth, German physician and politician
- 1899 - Charlie Spencer, English footballer and manager
1901–present
- 1903 - Cornell Woolrich, American author
- 1904 - Albert Norden, German journalist and politician
- 1908 - Alfred Hershey, American bacteriologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1910 - Alex North, American composer and conductor
- 1910 - R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India
- 1912 - Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient
- 1913 - Mark Robson, Canadian-American director and producer
- 1914 - Rudolf Hausner, Austrian painter and sculptor
- 1914 - Claude Renoir, French cinematographer
- 1915 - Eddie Heywood, American pianist and composer
- 1916 - Ely Jacques Kahn Jr., American journalist and author
- 1919 - I. K. Gujral, Indian poet and politician, 12th Prime Minister of India
- 1920 - Nadir Afonso, Portuguese painter and architect
- 1920 - Michael Bates, English actor
- 1920 - Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG
- 1921 - Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress and singer
- 1923 - Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier
- 1923 - Eagle Keys, American-Canadian football player and coach
- 1923 - John Krish, English director and screenwriter
- 1924 - John C. Portman Jr., American architect, designed the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square
- 1925 - Albert Bandura, Canadian-American psychologist and academic
- 1926 - Ned Romero, American actor and opera singer
- 1929 - Şakir Eczacıbaşı, Turkish pharmacist, photographer, and businessman
- 1930 - Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor and comedian
- 1930 - Jim Hall, American guitarist and composer
- 1931 - Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1931 - Wally George, American radio and television host
- 1932 - Roh Tae-woo, South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea
- 1933 - Horst Buchholz, German actor
- 1933 - Wink Martindale, American game show host and producer
- 1933 - Dick Ricketts, American baseball and basketball player
- 1934 - Bill Collins, Australian film critic and author
- 1934 - Victor French, American actor and director
- 1935 - Paul O'Neill, American businessman and politician, 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury
- 1936 - Freddy Cannon, American singer and guitarist
- 1936 - John Giorno, American poet and performance artist
- 1937 - Max Baer Jr., American actor, director, and producer
- 1938 - Andre Marrou, American lawyer and politician
- 1938 - Yvonne Minton, Australian-English soprano and actress
- 1939 - Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea
- 1939 - Joan Brady, American-British author
- 1940 - Gerd Achterberg, German footballer and manager
- 1940 - Gary Gilmore, American murderer
- 1941 - Marty Riessen, American tennis player and coach
- 1942 - Bob Mosley, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1944 - Chris Hillman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1944 - Anna McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter
- 1944 - François Migault, French race car driver
- 1944 - Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer
- 1945 - Roberta Bondar, Canadian neurologist, academic, and astronaut
- 1946 - Karina, Spanish singer/actress
- 1947 - Jane Lubchenco, American ecologist, academic, and diplomat
- 1948 - Southside Johnny, American singer-songwriter
- 1949 - Jeff Bridges, American actor
- 1949 - Jock Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, English air marshal and politician
- 1950 - Bjørn Kjellemyr, Norwegian bassist and composer
- 1951 - Gary Rossington, American guitarist
- 1951 - Patricia Wettig, American actress and playwright
- 1953 - Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1953 - Jean-Marie Pfaff, Belgian footballer and manager
- 1954 - Tony Todd, American actor
- 1955 - Philip Hammond, English businessman and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1955 - Dave Taylor, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
- 1955 - Cassandra Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1956 - Nia Griffith, Welsh educator and politician, former Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
- 1956 - Bernard King, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1957 - Raul Boesel, Brazilian race car driver and radio host
- 1957 - Eric S. Raymond, American computer programmer and author
- 1957 - Lee Smith, American baseball player
- 1958 - Sergei Starikov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1960 - David Green, Nicaraguan-American baseball player
- 1960 - Glynis Nunn, Australian heptathlete and hurler
- 1961 - Frank Reich, American football player and coach
- 1961 - Naomi Robson, American-Australian television host
- 1962 - Vinnie Dombroski, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1962 - Gary Freeman, New Zealand rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1962 - Nixon Kiprotich, Kenyan runner
- 1962 - Kevin Richardson, English footballer and manager
- 1963 - Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter
- 1963 - Nigel Heslop, English rugby player
- 1964 - Scott Hastings, Scottish rugby player and sportscaster
- 1964 - Chelsea Noble, American actress
- 1964 - Marisa Tomei, American actress
- 1965 - Álex de la Iglesia, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 - Shaun Hollamby, English race car driver and businessman
- 1965 - Ulf Kirsten, German footballer and manager
- 1966 - Fred Armisen, American actor and musician
- 1966 - Andy Hess, American bass player
- 1966 - Suzanne Malveaux, American journalist
- 1966 - Suzette M. Malveaux, American lawyer and academic
- 1967 - Guillermo Amor, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1968 - Tahir Dawar, Pakistani police officer and Pashto poet
- 1969 - Dionne Farris, American singer-songwriter, producer and actress
- 1969 - Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, actor, and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records
- 1969 - Plum Sykes, English journalist and author
- 1970 - Kevin Sussman, American actor and comedian
- 1971 - Shannon Briggs, American boxer and actor
- 1972 - Jassen Cullimore, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Yūko Miyamura, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1973 - Tyra Banks, American model, actress, and producer
- 1973 - Mina Caputo, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1973 - Michael Jackson, English footballer and manager
- 1973 - Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league player
- 1973 - Kate Rusby, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1973 - Corliss Williamson, American basketball player and coach
- 1974 - Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player
- 1976 - Kristina Groves, Canadian speed skater
- 1976 - Betty Lennox, American basketball player
- 1977 - Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricketer
- 1977 - Darvis Patton, American sprinter
- 1977 - Morten Veland, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
- 1978 - Jaclyn Victor, Malaysian singer and actress
- 1979 - Ysabella Brave, American singer-songwriter
- 1979 - Jay DeMerit, American soccer player
- 1980 - Brian Cook, American basketball player
- 1980 - Viktor, Canadian wrestler and manager
- 1981 - Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist
- 1982 - Nathan Douglas, English triple jumper
- 1982 - Waldo Ponce, Chilean footballer
- 1982 - Ho-Pin Tung, Dutch-Chinese race car driver
- 1982 - Nick Vujicic, Australian evangelist
- 1983 - Jimmy Bartel, Australian footballer
- 1983 - Chinx, American rapper
- 1984 - Lindsay Felton, American actress
- 1984 - Anna Petrakova, Russian basketball player
- 1984 - Jelly Roll, American singer and rapper
- 1984 - Joe Thomas, American football player
- 1985 - Andrew Brackman, American baseball player
- 1985 - Carlos Gómez, Dominican baseball player
- 1986 - Kaija Udras, Estonian skier
- 1986 - Martell Webster, American basketball player
- 1987 - Orlando Brown, American actor and rapper
- 1988 - Yeng Constantino, Filipina singer and songwriter
- 1990 - Lukman Haruna, Nigerian footballer
- 1990 - Blake Leary, Australian rugby league player
- 1991 - Duje Dukan, Croatian basketball player
- 1991 - André Roberson, American basketball player
- 1991 - Max Holloway, American mixed martial artist
- 1991 - Reality Winner, American intelligence specialist convicted of espionage
- 1992 - Robin Bruyère, Belgian politician
- 1992 - Peta Hiku, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1992 - Jean-Claude Iranzi, Rwandan footballer
- 1992 - Jin, South Korean singer, songwriter and actor
- 1992 - Joe Musgrove, American baseball player
- 1992 - Blake Snell, American baseball player
- 1994 - Gabriel Lundberg, Danish basketball player
- 1996 - Diogo Jota, Portuguese footballer
- 1996 - Sebastián Vegas, Chilean footballer
- 1999 - Kim Do-yeon, South Korean singer and actress
- 1999 - Kang Mi-na, South Korean actress and singer
- 2002 - María Dueñas, Spanish violinist and composer
- 2003 - Jackson Holliday, American baseball player
- 2003 - Kim Do-ah, South Korean singer and actress
Deaths
Pre-1600
- 749 - John of Damascus, Syrian priest and saint
- 771 - Carloman I, Frankish king
- 870 - Suairlech ind Eidnén mac Ciaráin, Irish bishop
- 1075 - Anno II, German archbishop and saint
- 1131 - Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher
- 1214 - William the Lion, Scottish king
- 1260 - Aymer de Valence, Bishop of Winchester
- 1270 - Theobald II of Navarre
- 1334 - Pope John XXII
- 1340 - Henry Burghersh, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of England
- 1341 - Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno
- 1408 - Valentina Visconti, wife of Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans
- 1456 - Charles I, Duke of Bourbon
- 1459 - Adolphus VIII, Count of Holstein
- 1576 - Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian-Slovak mathematician and cartographer
- 1585 - John Willock, Scottish minister and reformer
1601–1900
- 1603 - Maerten de Vos, Flemish painter and draughtsman
- 1609 - Alexander Hume, Scottish poet
- 1637 - Nicholas Ferrar, English trader
- 1642 - Cardinal Richelieu, French cardinal and politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch
- 1649 - William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet
- 1679 - Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and theorist
- 1680 - Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian
- 1696 - Empress Meishō of Japan
- 1732 - John Gay, English poet and playwright
- 1798 - Luigi Galvani, Italian physician, physicist, and philosopher
- 1828 - Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1839 - John Leamy, Irish–American merchant
- 1841 - David Daniel Davis, Welsh-English physician and academic
- 1845 - Gregor MacGregor, Scottish soldier and explorer
- 1850 - William Sturgeon, English physicist, invented the electric motor
- 1893 - John Tyndall, Irish-English physicist and chemist
- 1897 - Griffith Rhys Jones, Welsh conductor
1901–present
- 1902 - Charles Dow, American journalist and publisher, co-founded the Dow Jones & Company
- 1926 - Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter
- 1933 - Stefan George, German-Swiss poet and translator
- 1935 - Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor
- 1935 - Charles Richet, French physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1938 - Borghild Holmsen, Norwegian pianist, composer and music critic
- 1938 - Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna
- 1942 - Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, 3rd Head of State of Estonia
- 1942 - Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer
- 1944 - Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player and manager
- 1945 - Thomas Hunt Morgan, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1945 - Richárd Weisz, Hungarian Olympic champion wrestler
- 1948 - Frank Benford, American physicist and engineer
- 1950 - Jesse L. Brown, 1st African-American Naval aviator
- 1954 - George Shepherd, 1st Baron Shepherd
- 1955 - József Galamb, Hungarian-American engineer
- 1963 - Constance Davey, Australian psychologist
- 1967 - Bert Lahr, American actor
- 1969 - Fred Hampton, American Black Panthers activist
- 1971 - Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator, founded the San Francisco Zen Center
- 1975 - Hannah Arendt, German-American historian, theorist, and academic
- 1976 - Tommy Bolin, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1976 - Benjamin Britten, English pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1976 - W. F. McCoy, Irish soldier, lawyer, and politician
- 1980 - Francisco de Sá Carneiro, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Portugal
- 1980 - Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-American runner
- 1980 - Don Warrington, Canadian football player
- 1981 - Jeanne Block, American psychologist
- 1984 - Jack Mercer, American animator, screenwriter, voice actor, and singer
- 1987 - Arnold Lobel, American author and illustrator
- 1987 - Rouben Mamoulian, Armenian-American director and screenwriter
- 1988 - Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic
- 1992 - Henry Clausen, American lawyer and author
- 1993 - Margaret Landon, American missionary and author
- 1993 - Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1999 - Rose Bird, American academic and judge, 25th Chief Justice of California
- 2000 - Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname
- 2003 - Iggy Katona, American race car driver
- 2004 - Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano and actress
- 2005 - Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand soldier and author
- 2005 - Gregg Hoffman, American film producer
- 2006 - K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo
- 2006 - Ross A. McGinnis, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient
- 2007 - Pimp C, American rapper
- 2009 - Liam Clancy, Irish singer, actor, and guitarist
- 2010 - King Curtis Iaukea, American wrestler
- 2011 - Sonia Pierre, Haitian-Dominican activist
- 2011 - Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 2011 - Hubert Sumlin, American singer and guitarist
- 2012 - Vasily Belov, Russian author, poet, and playwright
- 2012 - Jack Brooks, American colonel, lawyer, and politician
- 2012 - Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager
- 2012 - Anthony Deane-Drummond, English general
- 2013 - Joana Raspall i Juanola, Spanish author and poet
- 2014 - Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic
- 2014 - V. R. Krishna Iyer, Indian lawyer and judge
- 2014 - Vincent L. McKusick, American lawyer and judge
- 2014 - Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician
- 2015 - Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia
- 2015 - Robert Loggia, American actor and director
- 2015 - Yossi Sarid, Israeli journalist and politician, 15th Israeli Minister of Education
- 2016 - Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer
- 2017 - Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor
- 2022 - Bob McGrath, American singer and actor
- 2022 - Patrick Tambay, French race car driver
- 2024 - Princess Birgitta of Sweden, Swedish royal
Holidays and observances