December 6

Events

Pre-1600

*1060 – Béla I is crowned king of Hungary.
*1240 – Mongol invasion of Rus': Kyiv, defended by Voivode Dmytro, falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan.
*1492 – After exploring the island of Cuba for gold (which he had mistaken for Japan), Christopher Columbus lands on an island he names Hispaniola.
*1534 – The city of Quito in Ecuador is founded by Spanish settlers led by Sebastián de Belalcázar.

1601–1900

*1648 – Colonel Thomas Pride of the New Model Army purges the Long Parliament of MPs sympathetic to King Charles I of England, in order for the King's trial to go ahead; came to be known as "Pride's Purge".
*1704 – Battle of Chamkaur: During the Mughal-Sikh Wars, an outnumbered Sikh Khalsa defeats a Mughal army.
*1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army begins retreat during the second Jacobite Rising.
*1790 – The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia.
*1803 – Five French warships attempting to escape the Royal Naval blockade of Saint-Domingue are all seized by British warships, signifying the end of the Haitian Revolution.
*1865 – Georgia ratifies the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
*1882 – Transit of Venus, second and last of the 19th century.
*1884 – The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., is completed.
*1897 – London becomes the world's first city to host licensed taxicabs.

1901–present

*1904 – Theodore Roosevelt articulated his "Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the U.S. would intervene in the Western Hemisphere should Latin American governments prove incapable or unstable.
*1907 – A coal mine explosion at Monongah, West Virginia, kills 362 workers.
*1912 – The Nefertiti Bust is discovered.
*1916 – World War I: The Central Powers capture Bucharest.
*1917 – Finland declares independence from the Russian Empire.
* 1917 – Halifax Explosion: A munitions explosion near Halifax, Nova Scotia kills more than 1,900 people in the largest artificial explosion up to that time.
* 1917 – World War I: is the first American destroyer to be sunk by enemy action when it is torpedoed by German submarine .
*1921 – The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed in London by British and Irish representatives.
*1922 – One year to the day after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Irish Free State comes into existence.
*1928 – The government of Colombia sends military forces to suppress a month-long strike by United Fruit Company workers, resulting in an unknown number of deaths.
*1933 – U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey rules that James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' is not obscene.
*1941 – World War II: Camp X opens in Canada to begin training Allied secret agents for the war.
*1956 – A violent water polo match between Hungary and the USSR takes place during the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, against the backdrop of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
*1957 – Project Vanguard: A launchpad explosion of Vanguard TV3 thwarts the first United States attempt to launch a satellite into Earth orbit.
*1967 – Adrian Kantrowitz performs the first human heart transplant in the United States.
*1969 – Altamont Free Concert: At a free concert performed by the Rolling Stones, eighteen-year old Meredith Hunter is stabbed to death by Hells Angels security guards.
*1971 – Pakistan severs diplomatic relations with India, initiating the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
*1973 – Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, The Twenty-fifth Amendment: The United States House of Representatives votes 387–35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States. (On November 27, the United States Senate, Senate confirmed him 92–3.)
*1975 – The Troubles: Fleeing from the police, a Provisional Irish Republican Army, Provisional IRA unit takes a British couple hostage in their flat on Balcombe Street, London, beginning a Balcombe Street siege, six-day siege.
*1977 – South Africa grants independence to Bophuthatswana, although it is not recognized by any other country.
*1978 – Spain ratifies the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in a referendum.
*1982 – The Troubles: The Irish National Liberation Army Droppin Well bombing, bombs a pub frequented by British soldiers in Ballykelly, County Londonderry, Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, killing eleven soldiers and six civilians.
*1989 – The École Polytechnique massacre (or Montreal Massacre): Marc Lépine, an anti-feminist gunman, murders 14 young women at the École Polytechnique de Montréal, École Polytechnique in Montreal.
*1990 – A military jet of the Italian Air Force, abandoned by its pilot after an on-board fire, 1990 Italian Air Force MB-326 crash, crashed into a high school near Bologna, Italy, killing 12 students and injuring 88 other people.
*1991 – Yugoslav Wars: In Croatia, forces of the Serb-dominated Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) heaviest bombardment of Dubrovnik during a siege of seven months.
*1992 – The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India, is Demolition of the Babri Masjid, demolished, leading to widespread riots causing the death of over 1,500 people.
*1997 – A Russian Antonov An-124 Ruslan cargo plane 1997 Irkutsk Antonov An-124 crash, crashes into an apartment complex near Irkutsk, Siberia, killing 67.
*1998 – in Venezuela, Hugo Chávez is victorious in presidential elections.
*1999 – ''A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc. (2000), A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc.'': The Recording Industry Association of America sues the peer-to-peer file sharing, file-sharing service Napster, alleging copyright infringement.
*2005 – An Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, Iranian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules, C-130 military transport aircraft 2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash, crashes into a ten-floor apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, killing all 94 on board and 12 more on the ground.
*2006 – NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.
*2015 – 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election, Venezuelan parliamentary election: For the first time in 17 years, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela loses its majority in parliament.
*2017 – Donald Trump's administration officially announces United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Births

Pre-1600

* 846 – Hasan al-Askari, Arabian 11th of the Twelve Imams (d. 874)
*1285 – Ferdinand IV of Castile (d. 1312)
*1421 – Henry VI of England (d. 1471)
*1478 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian courtier, diplomat, and author (d. 1529)
*1520 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (d. 1551)
*1545 – Janus Dousa, Dutch historian and noble (d. 1604)
*1586 – Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist (d. 1670)
*1592 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (d. 1676)

1601–1900

*1608 – George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1670)
*1637 – Edmund Andros, English courtier and politician, 4th Colonial Governor of New York (d. 1714)
*1640 – Claude Fleury, French historian and author (d. 1723)
*1645 – Maria de Dominici, Maltese sculptor and painter (d. 1703)
*1685 – Marie Adélaïde of Savoy (d. 1712)
*1721 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French minister and politician (d. 1794)
* 1721 – James Elphinston, Scottish philologist and linguist (d. 1809)
*1732 – Warren Hastings, British colonial administrator of India (d. 1818)
*1752 – Gabriel Duvall, American jurist and politician (d. 1844)
*1778 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French physicist and chemist (d. 1850)
*1792 – William II of the Netherlands (d. 1849)
*1803 – Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (d. 1829)
*1805 – Richard Hanson (Australian politician), Richard Hanson, English-Australian politician, 4th Premier of South Australia (d. 1876)
*1812 – Robert Spear Hudson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1884)
*1823 – Max Müller, German-English philologist and orientalist (d. 1900)
*1827 – William Arnott (biscuit manufacturer), William Arnott, Australian biscuit manufacturer and founder of Arnott's Biscuits (d. 1901)
*1833 – John S. Mosby, American colonel (d. 1916)
*1835 – Wilhelm Rudolph Fittig, German chemist (d. 1910)
*1841 – Frédéric Bazille, French painter and soldier (d. 1870)
*1848 – Johann Palisa, Austrian astronomer (d. 1925)
*1849 – August von Mackensen, German field marshal (d. 1945)
*1853 – Hans Molisch, Czech-Austrian botanist and academic (d. 1937)
* 1853 – Haraprasad Shastri, Indian historian and scholar (d. 1931)
*1863 – Charles Martin Hall, American chemist and engineer (d. 1914)
*1864 – William S. Hart, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1946)
*1872 – Arthur Henry Adams, Australian journalist and author (d. 1936)
*1875 – Albert Bond Lambert, American golfer and pilot (d. 1946)
* 1875 – Evelyn Underhill, English mystic and author (d. 1941)
*1876 – Fred Duesenberg, German-American businessman, co-founded the Duesenberg, Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company (d. 1932)
*1878 – Elvia Carrillo Puerto, Mexican politician (d. 1968)
*1882 – Warren Bardsley, Australian cricketer (d. 1954)
*1884 – Cornelia Meigs, American author, playwright, and academic (d. 1973)
*1886 – Joyce Kilmer, American soldier, author, and poet (d. 1918)
*1887 – Lynn Fontanne, British actress (d. 1983)
* 1887 – Joseph Lamb (composer), Joseph Lamb, American pianist and composer (d. 1960)
*1888 – Will Hay, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1949)
*1890 – Dion Fortune, Welsh occultist, psychologist, and author (d. 1946)
* 1890 – Yoshio Nishina, Japanese physicist and academic (d. 1951)
* 1890 – Rudolf Schlichter, German painter and illustrator (d. 1955)
*1892 – Osbert Sitwell, English-Italian captain, poet, and author (d. 1969)
*1893 – Homer N. Wallin, American admiral (d. 1984)
* 1893 – Sylvia Townsend Warner, English author and poet (d. 1978)
*1896 – Ira Gershwin, American songwriter (d. 1983)
*1898 – Alfred Eisenstaedt, German-American photographer and journalist (d. 1995)
* 1898 – John McDonald (Victorian politician), John McDonald, Scottish-Australian politician, 37th Premier of Victoria (d. 1977)
* 1898 – Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
* 1898 – Winifred Lenihan, American actress, writer, and director (d. 1964)
*1900 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (d. 1974)

1901–present

*1901 – Eliot Porter, American photographer and academic (d. 1990)
*1903 – Tony Lazzeri, American baseball player and manager (d. 1946)
*1904 – Ève Curie, French-American journalist and pianist (d. 2007)
*1905 – Elizabeth Yates (author), Elizabeth Yates, American journalist and author (d. 2001)
*1907 – John Barkley Rosser Sr., American logician (d. 1989)
*1908 – Pierre Graber, Swiss lawyer and politician, 69th List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation, President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 2003)
* 1908 – Baby Face Nelson, American gangster (d. 1934)
* 1908 – Miklós Szabó (middle-distance runner), Miklós Szabó, Hungarian runner (d. 2000)
* 1908 – Herta Freitag, Austrian-American mathematician (d. 2000)
*1909 – Rulon Jeffs, American religious leader (d. 2002)
* 1909 – Alan McGilvray, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1996)
*1910 – David M. Potter, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1971)
*1913 – Karl Haas, German-American pianist, conductor, and radio host (d. 2005)
* 1913 – Eleanor Holm, American swimmer and actress (d. 2004)
*1914 – Cyril Washbrook, English cricketer (d. 1999)
*1916 – Yekaterina Budanova, Russian captain and pilot (d. 1943)
* 1916 – Kristján Eldjárn, Icelandic educator and politician, 3rd President of Iceland (d. 1982)
* 1916 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and producer (d. 1986)
*1917 – Dean Hess, American minister and colonel (d. 2015)
* 1917 – Kamal Jumblatt, Lebanese lawyer and politician (d. 1977)
* 1917 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (d. 2008)
*1918 – Tauba Biterman, Polish Holocaust survivor (d. 2019)
*1919 – Skippy Baxter, Canadian-American figure skater and coach (d. 2012)
* 1919 – Paul de Man, Belgian-born philosopher, literary critic and theorist (d. 1983)
*1920 – Dave Brubeck, American pianist and composer (d. 2012)
* 1920 – Peter Dimmock, English sportscaster and producer (d. 2015)
* 1920 – George Porter, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
*1921 – Otto Graham, American football player and coach (d. 2003)
* 1921 – Piero Piccioni, Italian lawyer, pianist, and composer (d. 2004)
*1922 – John Brunt, English captain, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1944)
* 1922 – Benjamin A. Gilman, American soldier and politician (d. 2016)
*1924 – Wally Cox, American actor (d. 1973)
*1927 – Jim Fuchs, American shot putter and discus thrower (d. 2010)
*1928 – Bobby Van, American actor, dancer, and singer (d. 1980)
*1929 – Philippe Bouvard, French journalist and radio host
* 1929 – Nikolaus Harnoncourt, German-Austrian cellist and conductor (d. 2016)
* 1929 – Frank Springer, American comic book illustrator (d. 2009)
* 1929 – Alain Tanner, Swiss director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2022)
*1930 – Daniel Lisulo, Zambian banker and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Zambia (d. 2000)
*1931 – Zeki Müren, Turkish singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1996)
*1932 – Kamleshwar (writer), Kamleshwar, Indian author, screenwriter, and critic (d. 2007)
*1933 – Henryk Górecki, Polish composer and academic (d. 2010)
* 1933 – Donald J. Kutyna, American general
*1934 – Nick Bockwinkel, American wrestler, sportscaster, and actor (d. 2015)
*1935 – Jean Lapointe, Canadian actor, singer, and politician (d. 2022)
*1936 – Bill Ashton (jazz musician), Bill Ashton, English saxophonist and composer
* 1936 – David Ossman, American writer and comedian
* 1936 – Kenneth Copeland, American evangelist and author
*1937 – Alberto Spencer, Ecuadorian-American soccer player (d. 2006)
*1938 – Patrick Bauchau, Belgian-American actor
*1939 – Franco Carraro, Italian politician and sports administrator
*1940 – Lawrence Bergman, Canadian lawyer and politician
* 1940 – Richard Edlund, American visual effects designer and cinematographer
*1941 – Helen Cornelius, American country singer-songwriter and actress
* 1941 – Richard Speck, American murderer (d. 1991)
* 1941 – Bruce Nauman, American sculptor and illustrator
* 1941 – Bill Thomas, American academic and politician
*1942 – Peter Handke, Austrian author and playwright, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate
* 1942 – Robb Royer, American guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter
*1943 – Mike Smith (Dave Clark Five), Mike Smith, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2008)
* 1943 – Keith West, English rock singer-songwriter and music producer
*1944 – Jonathan King, English singer-songwriter, record producer, music entrepreneur, television/radio presenter, and convicted sex offender
*1945 – Shekhar Kapur, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
*1946 – Frankie Beverly, American soul/funk singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
* 1946 – Willy van der Kuijlen, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2021)
*1947 – Lawrence Cannon, Canadian businessman and politician, 9th Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada), Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
* 1947 – Henk van Woerden, Dutch-South African painter and author (d. 2005)
* 1947 – Miroslav Vitouš, Czech-American bassist and songwriter
*1948 – Jean-Paul Ngoupandé, Central African politician, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (d. 2014)
* 1948 – Don Nickles, American businessman and politician
* 1948 – Keke Rosberg, Finnish racing driver
* 1948 – JoBeth Williams, American actress
*1949 – Linda Barnes (writer), Linda Barnes, American author, playwright, and educator
* 1949 – Linda Creed, American singer-songwriter (d. 1986)
* 1949 – Doug Marlette, American author and cartoonist (d. 2007)
* 1949 – Peter Willey, English cricketer and umpire
*1950 – Guy Drut, French hurdler and politician
* 1950 – Joe Hisaishi, Japanese pianist, composer, and conductor
* 1950 – Helen Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke, Scottish journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
*1951 – Wendy Ellis Somes, English ballerina and producer
* 1951 – Maurice Hope, Caribbean-English boxer
*1952 – Nicolas Bréhal, French author and critic (d. 1999)
* 1952 – Craig Newmark, American computer programmer and entrepreneur; founded Craigslist
* 1952 – Shio Satō, Japanese illustrator (d. 2010)
*1953 – Sue Carroll, English journalist (d. 2011)
* 1953 – Gary Goodman, Australian cricketer and coach
* 1953 – Geoff Hoon, English academic and politician, Minister of State for Europe
* 1953 – Tom Hulce, American actor
* 1953 – Masami Kurumada, Japanese author and illustrator
*1954 – Nicola De Maria, Italian painter
* 1954 – Chris Stamey, American singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer
*1955 – Anne Begg, Scottish educator and politician
* 1955 – Rick Buckler, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
* 1955 – Graeme Hughes, Australian cricketer, rugby league player, and sportscaster
* 1955 – Tony Woodcock (footballer), Tony Woodcock, English footballer
* 1955 – Steven Wright, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
*1956 – Peter Buck, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
* 1956 – Hans Kammerlander, Italian mountaineer and guide
* 1956 – Randy Rhoads, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1982)
*1957 – Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1999)
*1958 – Nick Park, English animator, director, producer, and screenwriter
*1959 – Stephen Hepburn, English politician
* 1959 – Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman (d. 2015)
* 1959 – Stephen Muggleton, English computer scientist and engineer
* 1959 – Deborah Estrin, American computer scientist and academic
*1960 – Masahiko Katsuya, Japanese journalist and photographer (d. 2018)
*1961 – David Lovering, American drummer
* 1961 – Jonathan Melvoin, American musician (d. 1996)
* 1961 – Manuel Reuter, German race car driver
*1962 – Ben Watt, English singer-songwriter, musician, author, DJ, and radio presenter
*1963 – Ulrich Thomsen, Danish actor and producer
*1964 – Mall Nukke, Estonian painter
*1965 – Gordon Durie, Scottish footballer and manager
*1966 – Natascha Badmann, Swiss triathlete
* 1966 – Per-Ulrik Johansson, Swedish golfer
*1967 – Judd Apatow, American director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1967 – Arnaldo Mesa, Cuban boxer (d. 2012)
* 1967 – Helen Greiner, American businesswoman and engineer
*1968 – Akihiro Yano, Japanese baseball player
*1968 - Ali Latifiyan, An Iranian writer and political theorist.
*1969 – Torri Higginson, Canadian actress
*1970 – Ulf Ekberg, Swedish singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
* 1970 – Adrian Fenty, American lawyer and politician, 6th Mayor of the District of Columbia
* 1970 – Mark Reckless, English politician
* 1970 – Jeff Rouse, American swimmer
*1971 – Craig Brewer, American director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1971 – Richard Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
* 1971 – Naozumi Takahashi, Japanese singer and voice actor
* 1971 – Carole Thate, Dutch field hockey player
*1972 – Ewan Birney, English scientist
* 1972 – Heather Mizeur, American lawyer and politician
* 1972 – Rick Short, American baseball player
*1974 – Jens Pulver, American mixed martial artist and boxer
* 1974 – Nick Stajduhar, Canadian ice hockey player
*1975 – Noel Clarke, English actor, director, and screenwriter
* 1975 – Adrian García Arias, Mexican footballer
*1977 – Kevin Cash, American baseball player and coach
* 1977 – Andrew Flintoff, English cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
* 1977 – Paul McVeigh, Irish footballer
*1978 – Chris Başak, American baseball player
* 1978 – Darrell Jackson, American football player
* 1978 – Ramiro Pez, Argentine rugby player
*1979 – Tim Cahill, Australian footballer
*1980 – Danielle Downey, American golfer and coach (d. 2014)
* 1980 – Steve Lovell, English footballer
* 1980 – Carlos Takam, Cameroonian-French boxer
*1981 – Federico Balzaretti, Italian footballer
* 1982 – Robbie Gould, American football player
*1982 – Ryan Carnes, American actor and producer
* 1982 – Alberto Contador, Spanish cyclist
* 1982 – Sean Ervine, Zimbabwean cricketer
* 1982 – Aaron Sandilands, Australian footballer
* 1982 – Susie Wolff, Scottish race car driver
*1984 – Syndric Steptoe, American football player
* 1984 – Nora Kirkpatrick, American actress and musician
* 1984 – Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland
*1985 – Shannon Bobbitt, American basketball player
* 1985 – Aristeidis Grigoriadis, Greek swimmer
* 1985 – R. P. Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Indian cricketer
*1986 – Sean Edwards (racing driver), Sean Edwards, English race car driver (d. 2013)
* 1986 – Matt Niskanen, American ice hockey player
*1988 – Adam Eaton (outfielder), Adam Eaton, American baseball player
* 1988 – Sandra Nurmsalu, Estonian singer and violinist
* 1988 – Nils Petersen, German footballer
* 1988 – Nobunaga Shimazaki, Japanese voice actor
* 1988 – Ravindra Jadeja, Indian cricketer
*1989 – Felix Schiller, German footballer
*1990 – Tamira Paszek, Austrian tennis player
*1991 – Milica Mandić, Serbian taekwondo athlete, two-time Olympic champion
* 1991 – Coco Vandeweghe, American tennis player
*1992 – Britt Assombalonga, Congolese footballer
* 1992 – Johnny Manziel, American football player
*1993 – Jasprit Bumrah, Indian cricketer
* 1993 – Elián González, Cuban technician, known for a child custody and immigration case held in 2000
* 1993 – Pedro Rafael Amado Mendes, Portuguese footballer
* 1993 – Tautau Moga, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
*1994 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greek basketball player
* 1994 – Shreyas Iyer, Indian cricketer
* 1994 – Wakatakakage Atsushi, Japanese sumo wrestler
*1996 – Davide Calabria, Italian football player
*1998 – Angelīna Kučvaļska, Latvian figure skater

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 343 – Saint Nicholas, Greek bishop and saint (b. 270)
* 735 – Prince Toneri of Japan (b. 676)
* 762 – Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, Arab rebel leader (b. 710)
*1185 – Afonso I of Portugal (b. 1109)
*1305 – Maximus, Metropolitan of all Rus, Maximus, Metropolitan of Kyiv
*1306 – Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk (b. 1270)
*1352 – Pope Clement VI (b. 1291)
*1562 – Jan van Scorel, Dutch painter (b. 1495)

1601–1900

*1616 – Ahmad Ibn al-Qadi, Moroccan writer, judge and mathematician (b. 1552)
*1618 – Jacques Davy Duperron, French cardinal (b. 1556)
*1658 – Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author (b. 1601)
*1675 – John Lightfoot, English priest, scholar, and academic (b. 1602)
*1686 – Eleonora Gonzaga (1630–1686), Eleonora Gonzaga, Queen consort of Ferdinand III (b. 1630)
*1716 – Benedictus Buns, Dutch priest and composer (b. 1642)
*1718 – Nicholas Rowe (writer), Nicholas Rowe, English poet and playwright (b. 1674)
*1746 – Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish poet and songwriter (b. 1665)
*1771 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist (b. 1682)
*1779 – Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter (b. 1699)
*1788 – Jonathan Shipley, English bishop (b. 1714)
*1855 – William John Swainson, English ornithologist and entomologist (b. 1789)
*1867 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (b. 1794)
*1868 – August Schleicher, German linguist and academic (b. 1821)
*1878 – Theodoros Vryzakis, Greek painter and educator (b. 1814)
*1879 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American businessman (b. 1814)
*1882 – Alfred Escher, Swiss businessman and politician, founded Credit Suisse (b. 1819)
* 1882 – Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (b. 1815)
*1889 – Jefferson Davis, American general and politician, President of the Confederate States of America (b. 1808)
*1892 – Werner von Siemens, German engineer and businessman, founded the Siemens, Siemens Company (b. 1816)

1901–present

*1918 – Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist (b. 1851)
*1921 – Said Halim Pasha, Ottoman politician, 280th List of Ottoman Grand Viziers, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1865)
*1924 – Gene Stratton-Porter, American author and screenwriter (b. 1863)
*1945 – Edmund Dwyer-Gray, Irish-Australian politician, 29th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1870)
*1951 – Harold Ross, American journalist and publisher, founded ''The New Yorker'' (b. 1892)
*1955 – Honus Wagner, American baseball player and manager (b. 1874)
*1956 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist and politician, 1st Ministry of Law and Justice (India), Indian Minister of Justice (b. 1891)
*1961 – Frantz Fanon, Martinique-French psychiatrist and author (b. 1925)
*1964 – Evert van Linge, Dutch footballer and architect (b. 1895)
*1972 – Janet Munro, English actress and singer (b. 1934)
*1974 – Nikolay Kuznetsov (officer), Nikolay Kuznetsov, Soviet naval officer (b. 1904)
*1976 – João Goulart, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 24th President of Brazil (b. 1918)
*1980 – Charles Deutsch, French engineer and businessman, co-founded DB (car), DB (b. 1911)
*1982 – Jean-Marie Seroney, Kenyan activist and politician (b. 1927)
*1983 – Lucienne Boyer, French singer and actress (b. 1903)
* 1983 – Gul Khan Nasir, Pakistani poet, historian, and politician (b. 1914)
*1985 – Burr Tillstrom, American actor and puppeteer (b. 1917)
* 1985 – Burleigh Grimes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1893)
*1988 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
*1989 – Frances Bavier, American actress (b. 1902)
* 1989 – Sammy Fain, American pianist and composer (b. 1902)
* 1989 – John Payne (actor), John Payne, American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1912)
*1990 – Pavlos Sidiropoulos, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1948)
* 1990 – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia (b. 1903)
*1991 – Mimi Smith, English nurse (b. 1906)
* 1991 – Richard Stone, English economist and statistician, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
*1993 – Don Ameche, American actor (b. 1908)
*1994 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (b. 1922)
* 1994 – Gian Maria Volonté, Italian actor and director (b. 1933)
*1996 – Pete Rozelle, American businessman (b. 1926)
*1997 – Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (b. 1918)
*1998 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor and educator (b. 1921)
*2000 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (b. 1920)
* 2000 – Aziz Mian, Pakistani singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1942)
*2001 – Charles McClendon, American football player and coach (b. 1923)
*2002 – Philip Berrigan, American priest and activist (b. 1923)
*2003 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan general and politician, President of Guatemala (b. 1918)
*2005 – Charly Gaul, Luxembourger cyclist (b. 1932)
* 2005 – Devan Nair, Malaysian-Singaporean union leader and politician, 3rd President of Singapore (b. 1923)
* 2005 – Danny Williams (singer), Danny Williams, South African singer (b. 1942)
* 2005 – William P. Yarborough, American general (b. 1912)
*2006 – John Feeney (filmmaker), John Feeney, New Zealand director and producer (b. 1922)
*2010 – Mark Dailey, American-Canadian journalist and actor (b. 1953)
*2011 – Dobie Gray, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1940)
*2012 – Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó, Equatoguinean engineer and politician, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (b. 1961)
* 2012 – Jan Carew, Guyanese author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
* 2012 – Jeffrey Koo Sr., Taiwanese banker and businessman (b. 1933)
* 2012 – Huw Lloyd-Langton, English guitarist (b. 1951)
* 2012 – Pedro Vaz (diplomat), Pedro Vaz, Uruguayan lawyer and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Uruguay), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay (b. 1963)
*2013 – Jean-Pierre Desthuilliers, French poet and critic (b. 1939)
* 2013 – Stan Tracey, English pianist and composer (b. 1926)
* 2013 – M. K. Turk, American basketball player and coach (b. 1942)
*2014 – Ralph H. Baer, German-American video game designer, created the Magnavox Odyssey (b. 1922)
* 2014 – Jimmy Del Ray, American wrestler and manager (b. 1962)
* 2014 – Fred Hawkins, American golfer (b. 1923)
* 2014 – Luke Somers, English-American photographer and journalist (b. 1981)
*2015 – Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (b. 1945)
* 2015 – Liu Juying, Chinese general and politician (b. 1917)
* 2015 – Nicholas Smith (actor), Nicholas Smith, British actor (b. 1934)
*2016 – Peter Vaughan, British actor (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances

* Anniversary of the Founding of Quito (Ecuador)
* Armed Forces Day#Ukraine, Armed Forces Day (Ukraine)
* Christian feast day:
** Abraham of Kratia
** Saint Aemilianus, Aemilianus (Roman Catholic Church)
** Denise, Dativa, Leontia, Tertius, Emilianus, Boniface, Majoricus, and Servus, Denise and companions
**Beatification, Blessed János Scheffler
** María del Monte Carmelo Sallés y Barangueras
** Saint Nicholas, Nicholas of Myra, and its related observances:
*** St Nicholas Day, where St. Nicholas/Santa Claus leaves little presents in children's shoes. (International observance, International)
** December 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
* Constitution Day (Spain)
* Azerbaijan, Day of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of Azerbaijan
* Independence Day (Finland), Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Finland from Russia in 1917.
* National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Canada)

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
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Historical Events on December 6

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Days of the year
December