December 29
Events
Pre-1600
- 1170 - Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.
- 1503 - The Battle of Garigliano was fought between a Spanish army under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba and a French army commanded by Ludovico II, Marquess of Saluzzo.
1601–1900
- 1607 - According to John Smith, Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan leader Wahunsenacawh, successfully pleads for his life after tribal leaders attempt to execute him.
- 1778 - American Revolutionary War: British forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell defeat American forces under Major General Robert Howe and capture the port city of Savannah, Georgia.
- 1812 -, under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, captures off the coast of Brazil after a three-hour battle.
- 1835 - The Treaty of New Echota is signed, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States.
- 1845 - The United States annexes the Republic of Texas and admits it as the 28th state.
- 1860 - The launch of, with her combination of screw propeller, iron hull and iron armour, renders all previous warships obsolete.
- 1862 - American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou ends in a Union defeat as forces under General William T. Sherman are repulsed with heavy losses by Confederate troops under General John C. Pemberton.
- 1874 - The military coup of Gen. Martinez Campos in Sagunto ends the failed First Spanish Republic and the monarchy is restored as Prince Alfonso is proclaimed King of Spain.
- 1876 - The Ashtabula River railroad disaster occurs, leaving 64 injured and 92 dead at Ashtabula, Ohio.
- 1890 - Wounded Knee Massacre: On Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, 300 Lakota are killed by the United States 7th Cavalry Regiment.
1901–present
- 1911 - Mongolia gains independence from the Qing dynasty, enthroning 8th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu as Khagan of Mongolia.
- 1913 - Cecil B. DeMille starts filming Hollywood's first feature film, The Squaw Man.
- 1930 - Sir Muhammad Iqbal's presidential address in Allahabad introduces the two-nation theory and outlines a vision for the creation of Pakistan.
- 1934 - Japan renounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
- 1937 - The Irish Free State is replaced by a new state called Ireland with the adoption of a new constitution.
- 1940 - World War II: in the Second Great Fire of London, the Luftwaffe fire-bombs London, England, killing almost 200 civilians.
- 1972 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashes in the Florida Everglades on approach to Miami International Airport, Florida, killing 101 of the 176 people on board.
- 1975 - A bomb explodes at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 people and injuring more than 75.
- 1989 - Czech writer, philosopher and dissident Václav Havel is elected the first post-communist President of Czechoslovakia.
- 1989 - The Nikkei 225 for the Tokyo Stock Exchange hits its all-time intra-day high of 38,957.44 and closing high at 38,915.87, serving as the apex of the Japanese asset price bubble.
- 1992 - Fernando Collor de Mello, president of Brazil, tries to resign amidst corruption charges, but is then impeached.
- 1994 - Turkish Airlines Flight 278 crashes on approach to Van Ferit Melen Airport in Van, Turkey, killing 57 of the 76 people on board.
- 1996 - Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity sign a peace accord ending a 36-year civil war.
- 1998 - Leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologize for the Cambodian genocide that claimed over one million lives.
- 2003 - The last known speaker of Akkala Sami dies, rendering the language extinct.
- 2006 - The UK settles its Anglo-American loan, post-WWII loan debt.
- 2012 - A Tupolev Tu-204 airliner crashes in a ditch between the airport fence and the M3 highway after overshooting a runway at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, killing five people and leaving three others critically injured.
- 2013 - A suicide bomb attack at the Volgograd-1 railway station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd kills at least 18 people and wounds 40 others.
- 2013 - Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher suffers a massive head injury while skiing in the French Alps.
- 2020 - A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits near the town of Petrinja in Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia, killing seven people.
- 2023 - South Africa files a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over Israeli conducts in the Gaza Strip.
- 2024 - Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashes into a wall in Muan, South Korea, killing 179 of the 181 occupants. It is the worst aircraft accident on South Korean soil in history.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1536 - Henry VI, German nobleman
- 1550 - García de Silva Figueroa, Spanish diplomat and traveller
1601–1900
- 1633 - Johannes Zollikofer, Swiss vicar
- 1709 - Elizabeth Petrovna, Russian empress
- 1721 - Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV
- 1746 - Saverio Cassar, Maltese priest and rebel leader
- 1766 - Charles Macintosh, Scottish chemist and the inventor of waterproof fabric
- 1788 - Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, Danish antiquarian
- 1796 - Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist and journalist
- 1800 - Charles Goodyear, American chemist and engineer
- 1804 - John Langdon Sibley, American librarian
- 1808 - Andrew Johnson, American general and politician, 17th President of the United States
- 1809 - George Washington Baines, American politician, journalist and educator
- 1809 - William Ewart Gladstone, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1809 - Albert Pike, American author, poet, orator, editor, lawyer, jurist, and general
- 1811 - Francisco Palau, Catalan Discalced Carmelite friar and priest
- 1816 - Carl Ludwig, German physician and physiologist
- 1843 - Elisabeth of Wied
- 1844 - Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee, Indian barrister and first president of Indian National Congress
- 1855 - August Kitzberg, Estonian author and poet
- 1856 - Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, Dutch-French mathematician and academic
- 1857 - Sydney Young, English chemist
- 1859 - Venustiano Carranza, Mexican soldier and politician, 37th President of Mexico
- 1870 - Earl Gregg Swem, American historian, bibliographer and librarian
- 1874 - François Brandt, Dutch rower and bishop
- 1876 - Pablo Casals, Catalan cellist and conductor
- 1876 - Lionel Tertis, English violist
- 1879 - Billy Mitchell, American general and pilot
- 1881 - Scott Leary, American swimmer
- 1881 - Jess Willard, American boxer
- 1885 - Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, Austrian-Russian general
- 1886 - Norman Hallows, English runner and captain
- 1886 - Georg Hermann Struve, German astronomer
- 1892 - Aku Korhonen, Finnish actor
- 1894 - J. Lister Hill, American politician
- 1895 - Oswald Freisler, German lawyer and author
- 1896 - David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican painter
- 1899 - Nie Rongzhen, Chinese general and politician, Mayor of Beijing
1901–present
- 1902 - Nels Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1903 - Candido Portinari, Brazilian painter
- 1904 - Kuvempu, Indian author and poet
- 1908 - Helmut Gollwitzer, German theologian and author
- 1908 - Magnus Pyke, English scientist and author
- 1910 - Ronald Coase, English-American economist, author, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1911 - Klaus Fuchs, German physicist and spy
- 1914 - Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi painter and academic
- 1914 - Billy Tipton, American pianist and saxophonist
- 1914 - Albert Tucker, Australian painter and illustrator
- 1915 - Bill Osmanski, American football player and coach
- 1915 - Robert Ruark, American hunter and author
- 1915 - Jo Van Fleet, American actress
- 1917 - Tom Bradley, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 38th Mayor of Los Angeles
- 1917 - Ramanand Sagar, Indian director and producer
- 1919 - Alfred de Grazia, American political scientist and author
- 1919 - Roman Vlad, Italian pianist and composer
- 1920 - Viveca Lindfors, Swedish-American actress, singer and poet
- 1921 - Robert C. Baker, American inventor and professor
- 1921 - Dobrica Ćosić, Serbian politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- 1921 - Michael Horne, English structural engineer, scientist and academic
- 1922 - Little Joe Cook, American singer-songwriter
- 1922 - William Gaddis, American author and academic
- 1923 - Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat, French mathematician and physicist
- 1923 - Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian, anthropologist, and physicist
- 1923 - Lily Ebert, Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor
- 1923 - Morton Estrin, American pianist and educator
- 1923 - Dina Merrill, American actress, game show panelist, socialite, heiress, and businesswoman
- 1923 - Shlomo Venezia, Greek-Italian author and Holocaust survivor
- 1924 - Joe Allbritton, American businessman and publisher, founded the Allbritton Communications Company
- 1924 - Kim Song-ae, Korean politician
- 1925 - Pete Dye, American golfer and architect
- 1927 - Andy Stanfield, American sprinter
- 1928 - Bernard Cribbins, British actor
- 1929 - Matt Murphy, American guitarist
- 1931 - Yi Ku, Korean prince
- 1931 - Stasys Stonkus, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
- 1932 - Inga Swenson, American actress and singer
- 1933 - Samuel Brittan, English journalist and author
- 1934 - Ed Flanders, American actor
- 1936 - Mary Tyler Moore, American actress and producer
- 1936 - Ray Nitschke, American football player
- 1937 - Wayne Huizenga, American businessman, founded AutoNation
- 1937 - Barbara Steele, English actress
- 1938 - Harvey Smith, English horse rider and sportscaster
- 1938 - Jon Voight, American actor and producer
- 1939 - Ed Bruce, American country music singer-songwriter
- 1940 - Fred Hansen, American pole vaulter
- 1941 - Ray Thomas, English singer-songwriter and flute player
- 1942 - Dinah Christie, English-Canadian actress and singer
- 1942 - Rajesh Khanna, Indian actor
- 1942 - Dorothy Morkis, American equestrian
- 1942 - Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, Honduran cardinal
- 1943 - Bill Aucoin, American talent manager
- 1943 - Molly Bang, American author and illustrator
- 1943 - Rick Danko, Canadian singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
- 1944 - Andrew Foster, British public servant
- 1944 - Rodney Redmond, New Zealand cricketer
- 1944 - Gerard Windsor, Australian author and literary critic
- 1945 - Birendra of Nepal, King of Nepal from 1972 to 2001
- 1945 - Keith Milow, British artist
- 1946 - Marianne Faithfull, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1946 - Laffit Pincay, Jr., Panamanian jockey
- 1946 - Paul Trible, American attorney, politician and academic administrator
- 1946 - Jackie Bezos, American philanthropist
- 1947 - Richard Crandall, American physicist and computer scientist
- 1947 - Ted Danson, American actor and producer
- 1947 - Leonhard Lapin, Estonian architect and poet
- 1947 - Cozy Powell, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
- 1947 - David Tanner, English rower and coach
- 1947 - Vincent Winter, Scottish actor, director, and production manager
- 1948 - Jacky Clark Chisholm, American gospel singer
- 1948 - Peter Robinson, Northern Irish politician, 3rd First Minister of Northern Ireland
- 1949 - Syed Kirmani, Indian cricketer and actor
- 1949 - Ian Livingstone, English fantasy author and entrepreneur
- 1949 - David Topliss, English rugby league player and coach
- 1950 - Jon Polito, American actor
- 1951 - Willem de Blécourt, Dutch historical anthropologist
- 1951 - Yvonne Elliman, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1951 - Mike deGruy, American documentary filmmaker
- 1951 - Georges Thurston, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1952 - Gelsey Kirkland, American ballerina and choreographer
- 1953 - Gali Atari, Israeli singer and actress
- 1953 - Thomas Bach, German fencer, lawyer and sports administrator; 9th President of the International Olympic Committee
- 1953 - Alan Rusbridger, Zambian-English journalist and academic
- 1953 - Kate Schmidt, American javelin thrower and coach
- 1953 - Stanley Williams, American gang leader, co-founded the Crips
- 1953 - Charlayne Woodard, American actress and playwright
- 1954 - Albrecht Böttcher, German mathematician
- 1954 - Norihito, Prince Takamado of Japan
- 1954 - Mike Parry, English broadcaster and former journalist
- 1954 - Roger Voudouris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 - Chris Goodall, English businessman and author
- 1955 - Donald D. Hoffman, American quantitative psychologist and author
- 1956 - Zaki Chehab, Lebanese-British journalist
- 1956 - Fred MacAulay, Scottish comedian and radio host
- 1956 - Katy Munger, American writer
- 1957 - Brad Grey, American screenwriter and producer
- 1957 - Oliver Hirschbiegel, German actor, director, and producer
- 1957 - Paul Rudnick, American author, playwright, and screenwriter
- 1958 - Tyrone Benskin, English-Canadian actor, theatre director and politician
- 1958 - Nancy J. Currie-Gregg, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut
- 1959 - Patricia Clarkson, American actress
- 1959 - Keith Crossan, Irish rugby player
- 1959 - Ann Demeulemeester, Belgian fashion designer
- 1959 - Martin Moran, American actor and author
- 1959 - Milton Ottey, Jamaican-Canadian high jumper and coach
- 1959 - Paula Poundstone, American comedian and author
- 1960 - Katerina Didaskalou, Greek actress
- 1960 - Brian A. Hopkins, American author
- 1960 - David Boon, Australian cricketer
- 1960 - Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Congolese militia leader, founded the Union of Congolese Patriots
- 1960 - David Gilbert, Australian cricketer
- 1960 - Michael James Pappas, American politician
- 1961 - Kevin Granata, American engineer and academic
- 1961 - Richard Horton, English physician and journalist
- 1961 - Jim Reid, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1961 - Iliya Valov, Bulgarian football player
- 1962 - Leza Lowitz, American author
- 1962 - Carles Puigdemont, Catalan politician and journalist, former president
- 1962 - Wynton Rufer, New Zealand footballer
- 1962 - Devon White, Jamaican-American baseball player
- 1963 - Francisco Bustamante, Filipino billiards player
- 1963 - Des Foy, English rugby player
- 1963 - Ulf Kristersson, Swedish politician, Leader of the Swedish Moderate Party and 35th Prime Minister of Sweden
- 1963 - Dave McKean, English illustrator, photographer, director, and pianist
- 1963 - Sean Payton, American football player and coach
- 1963 - Liisa Savijarvi, Canadian skier
- 1964 - Michael Cudlitz, American actor
- 1964 - Josh Harris, American investor and sports team owner
- 1964 - Shingo Tsurumi, Japanese actor
- 1965 - Dexter Holland, American musician, singer, songwriter, and biologist
- 1965 - John Newton, American actor
- 1965 - Martin Offiah, English rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1966 - Laurent Boudouani, French boxer
- 1966 - Stefano Eranio, Italian footballer and coach
- 1966 - Jason Gould, American actor and singer
- 1966 - Christian Kracht, Swiss author
- 1966 - Jeff Luhnow, American businessman
- 1966 - Danilo Pérez, Panamanian pianist and composer
- 1967 - Ashleigh Banfield, Canadian-American journalist
- 1967 - Chris Barnes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 - Lilly Wachowski, American director, screenwriter and producer
- 1968 - Li Bun-hui, North Korean table tennis player
- 1968 - James Mouton, American baseball player
- 1969 - Jason Cook, English footballer
- 1969 - Jennifer Ehle, American actress
- 1969 - Allan McNish, Scottish race car driver and journalist
- 1969 - José Antonio Noriega, Mexican footballer
- 1969 - Scott Patterson, American financial journalist and author
- 1970 - Enrico Chiesa, Italian footballer and manager
- 1970 - Aled Jones, Welsh singer and television host
- 1970 - Hidetoshi Mitsusada, Japanese race car driver
- 1970 - Glen Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1970 - Kevin Weisman, American actor
- 1971 - Besnik Hasi, Kosovo Albanian football manager and former player
- 1971 - Mike Pesca, American radio journalist and podcaster
- 1971 - Um Sang-hyun, South Korean voice actor
- 1971 - Margot Thien, American swimmer
- 1972 - Andreas Dackell, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1972 - Jason Kreis, American soccer player and manager
- 1972 - Jude Law, English actor
- 1972 - Leonor Varela, Chilean-American model and actress
- 1973 - Pimp C, American rapper and producer
- 1973 - Theo Epstein, American businessman
- 1973 - Jenny Lawson, American journalist and author
- 1974 - Asheru, American rapper and producer
- 1974 - O'Neil Bell, Jamaican boxer
- 1974 - Maria Dizzia, American actress
- 1974 - Twinkle Khanna, Indian actress and writer
- 1974 - Mahal, Filipino actress, comedian and vlogger
- 1974 - Mekhi Phifer, American actor
- 1974 - Richie Sexson, American baseball player and coach
- 1974 - Ryan Shore, Canadian composer and producer
- 1975 - Shawn Hatosy, American actor
- 1975 - Jaret Wright, American baseball player
- 1976 - Kate Ford, English actress
- 1976 - Filip Kuba, Czech ice hockey player
- 1976 - Danny McBride, American actor, producer and screenwriter
- 1977 - Jimmy Journell, American baseball player
- 1977 - Katherine Moennig, American actress
- 1978 - Alexis Amore, Peruvian-American porn actress and director
- 1978 - Jake Berry, English lawyer and politician
- 1978 - Matthew Carr, Australian footballer
- 1978 - Kieron Dyer, English footballer and coach
- 1978 - Danny Higginbotham, English footballer and journalist
- 1978 - Mitsuhiro Ishida, Japanese mixed martial artist
- 1978 - LaToya London, American singer and actress
- 1978 - Angelo Taylor, American hurdler and sprinter
- 1979 - Diego Luna, Mexican actor, director and producer
- 1979 - Yuki Morisaki, Japanese chef and television host
- 1979 - Moe Oshikiri, Japanese model and actress
- 1979 - George Parros, American ice hockey player
- 1979 - Reihan Salam, American political commentator, columnist and author
- 1979 - Ariel Schrag, American cartoonist and screenwriter
- 1981 - Shizuka Arakawa, Japanese figure skater and sportscaster
- 1981 - Janice Lynn Mather, Bahamian-Canadian author
- 1981 - Shaun Suisham, American football player
- 1981 - Anna Woltz, Dutch author
- 1981 - Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko, Estonian footballer
- 1982 - Alison Brie, American actress
- 1982 - Gabrielle Destroismaisons, Canadian singer
- 1982 - Brian Hill, Canadian swimmer
- 1982 - Dale Morris, Australian footballer
- 1982 - Norbert Siedler, Austrian race car driver
- 1982 - Julia Wertz, American cartoonist, writer and urban explorer
- 1983 - Jessica Andrews, American singer and songwriter
- 1983 - James Kelly, Australian footballer
- 1983 - Gonzalo Olave, Chilean actor
- 1983 - Angela Scanlon, Irish television presenter and general television personality
- 1984 - Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, American playwright
- 1984 - Brenton Lawrence, Australian rugby league player
- 1984 - Reimo Tamm, Estonian basketball player
- 1985 - Wang Ji-hye, South Korean actress
- 1985 - Alexa Ray Joel, American singer-songwriter
- 1986 - Joe Anyon, former English footballer
- 1986 - Derek Ryan, American ice hockey player
- 1987 - Iain De Caestecker, Scottish actor
- 1987 - Juliana Huxtable, American artist
- 1987 - Yuhi Sekiguchi, Japanese race car driver
- 1988 - Eric Berry, American football player
- 1988 - Christen Press, American footballer
- 1988 - Ágnes Szávay, Hungarian tennis player
- 1989 - Jane Levy, American actress
- 1989 - Kei Nishikori, Japanese tennis player
- 1989 - Harri Säteri, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1990 - Allen Kim, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor
- 1991 - Steven Caulker, English footballer
- 1991 - Patrick Feeney, American sprinter
- 1992 - Mislav Oršić, Croatian footballer
- 1992 - Katsuhiro Suzuki, Japanese actor and model
- 1993 - Travis Head, Australian cricketer
- 1993 - Gabby May, Canadian artistic gymnast
- 1994 - Kristel Fulgar, Filipino actress
- 1994 - Princess Kako of Akishino, Japanese princess
- 1995 - Myles Garrett, American football player
- 1995 - Rina Ikoma, Japanese singer and actress
- 1995 - Ross Lynch, American singer and actor
- 1996 - Sana Minatozaki, Japanese singer
- 1996 - Dylan Minnette, American actor, musician and singer
- 1997 - Felix Keisinger, German skeleton racer
- 1998 - Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, American actor
- 1998 - Victor Osimhen, Nigerian footballer
- 1998 - Brandon Thomas-Asante, Ghanaian footballer
- 1999 - Andreas Skov Olsen, Danish footballer
- 1999 - Francisco Trincão, Portuguese footballer
- 2000 - Orkun Kökçü, Dutch-Turkish footballer
- 2000 - Julio Rodríguez, Dominican baseball player
- 2000 - Eliot Vassamillet, Belgian singer
- 2005 - Davide Bartesaghi, Italian footballer
- 2006 - Ethan Mbappé, French footballer