December 6
Events
Pre-1600
- 1060 - Béla I is crowned king of Hungary in the Middle Ages|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, 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 - Pride's Purge removes royalist sympathizers from Parliament so that the High Court of Justice could put the King on trial.
- 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 - Ireland is partitioned, with Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State coming into existence, one year to the day after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
- 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 - In United States v. One Book Called Ulysses Judge John M. Woolsey rules that James Joyce's novel Ulysses is not obscene despite coarse language and sexual content, a leading decision affirming free expression.
- 1939 - Winter War: The Red Army's advance on the Karelian Isthmus is stopped by Finns at the Mannerheim Line during the Battle of Taipale.
- 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 - The Twenty-fifth Amendment: The United States House of Representatives votes 387–35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States.
- 1975 - The Troubles: Fleeing from the police, a Provisional IRA unit takes a British couple hostage in their flat on Balcombe Street, London, beginning a 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 bombs a pub frequented by British soldiers in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, killing eleven soldiers and six civilians.
- 1989 - The École Polytechnique massacre : Marc Lépine, an anti-feminist gunman, murders 14 young women at the 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 heaviest bombardment of Dubrovnik during a siege of seven months.
- 1992 - The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India, is demolished, leading to widespread riots causing the death of over 1,500 people.
- 1995 - The United States Food and Drug Administration approves Saquinavir, the first protease inhibitor to treat HIV/AIDS. Within 2 years of its approval, annual deaths from AIDS in the United States fall from over 50,000 to approximately 18,000.
- 1998 - in Venezuela, Hugo Chávez is victorious in presidential elections.
- 1999 - A&M Records, Inc. v. [Napster, Inc. |A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc.]: The Recording Industry Association of America sues the peer-to-peer file-sharing service Napster, alleging copyright infringement.
- 2005 - An Iranian Air Force C-130 Hercules|C-130] military transport aircraft 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 - 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 the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Births
Pre-1600
- 846 - Hasan al-Askari, Arabian 11th of the Twelve Imams
- 1285 - Ferdinand IV of Castile
- 1421 - Henry VI of England
- 1478 - Baldassare Castiglione, Italian courtier, diplomat, and author
- 1520 - Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland
- 1545 - Janus Dousa, Dutch historian and noble
- 1586 - Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist
- 1592 - William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
1601–1900
- 1608 - George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
- 1637 - Edmund Andros, English courtier and politician, 4th Colonial Governor of New York
- 1640 - Claude Fleury, French historian and author
- 1645 - Maria de Dominici, Maltese sculptor and painter
- 1685 - Marie Adélaïde of Savoy
- 1721 - Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French minister and politician
- 1721 - James Elphinston, Scottish philologist and linguist
- 1732 - Warren Hastings, British colonial administrator of India
- 1752 - Gabriel Duvall, American jurist and politician
- 1778 - Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French physicist and chemist
- 1792 - William II of the Netherlands
- 1803 - Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony
- 1805 - Richard Hanson, English-Australian politician, 4th Premier of South Australia
- 1812 - Robert Spear Hudson, English businessman and philanthropist
- 1823 - Max Müller, German-English philologist and orientalist
- 1827 - William Arnott, Australian biscuit manufacturer and founder of Arnott's Biscuits
- 1833 - John S. Mosby, American colonel
- 1835 - Wilhelm Rudolph Fittig, German chemist
- 1841 - Frédéric Bazille, French painter and soldier
- 1848 - Johann Palisa, Austrian astronomer
- 1849 - August von Mackensen, German field marshal
- 1853 - Hans Molisch, Czech-Austrian botanist and academic
- 1853 - Haraprasad Shastri, Indian historian and scholar
- 1863 - Charles Martin Hall, American chemist and engineer
- 1864 - William S. Hart, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1875 - Albert Bond Lambert, American golfer and pilot
- 1875 - Evelyn Underhill, English mystic and author
- 1876 - Fred Duesenberg, German-American businessman, co-founded the Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company
- 1878 - Elvia Carrillo Puerto, Mexican politician
- 1882 - Warren Bardsley, Australian cricketer
- 1884 - Cornelia Meigs, American author, playwright, and academic
- 1886 - Joyce Kilmer, American soldier, author, and poet
- 1887 - Lynn Fontanne, British actress
- 1887 - Joseph Lamb, American pianist and composer
- 1888 - Will Hay, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1890 - Dion Fortune, Welsh occultist, psychologist, and author
- 1890 - Yoshio Nishina, Japanese physicist and academic
- 1890 - Rudolf Schlichter, German painter and illustrator
- 1892 - Osbert Sitwell, English-Italian captain, poet, and author
- 1893 - Homer N. Wallin, American admiral
- 1893 - Sylvia Townsend Warner, English author and poet
- 1896 - Ira Gershwin, American songwriter
- 1898 - Alfred Eisenstaedt, German-American photographer and journalist
- 1898 - John McDonald, Scottish-Australian politician, 37th Premier of Victoria
- 1898 - Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1898 - Winifred Lenihan, American actress, writer, and director
- 1900 - Agnes Moorehead, American actress
1901–present
- 1901 - Eliot Porter, American photographer and academic
- 1903 - Tony Lazzeri, American baseball player and manager
- 1904 - Ève Curie, French-American journalist and pianist
- 1905 - Elizabeth Yates, American journalist and author
- 1907 - John Barkley Rosser Sr., American logician
- 1908 - Herta Freitag, Austrian-American mathematician
- 1908 - Pierre Graber, Swiss lawyer and politician, 69th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1908 - Baby Face Nelson, American gangster
- 1908 - Miklós Szabó, Hungarian runner
- 1909 - Rulon Jeffs, American religious leader
- 1909 - Alan McGilvray, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
- 1910 - David M. Potter, American historian, author, and academic
- 1912 - Eleanor Holm, American swimmer and actress
- 1913 - Karl Haas, German-American pianist, conductor, and radio host
- 1914 - Cyril Washbrook, English cricketer
- 1916 - Yekaterina Budanova, Russian captain and pilot
- 1916 - Kristján Eldjárn, Icelandic educator and politician, 3rd President of Iceland
- 1916 - Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and producer
- 1917 - Dean Hess, American minister and colonel
- 1917 - Kamal Jumblatt, Lebanese lawyer and politician
- 1917 - Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins
- 1918 - Tauba Biterman, Polish Holocaust survivor
- 1919 - Skippy Baxter, Canadian-American figure skater and coach
- 1919 - Paul de Man, Belgian-born philosopher, literary critic and theorist
- 1920 - Dave Brubeck, American pianist and composer
- 1920 - Peter Dimmock, English sportscaster and producer
- 1920 - George Porter, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1921 - Otto Graham, American football player and coach
- 1921 - Piero Piccioni, Italian lawyer, pianist, and composer
- 1922 - John Brunt, English captain, Victoria Cross recipient
- 1922 - Benjamin A. Gilman, American soldier and politician
- 1924 - Wally Cox, American actor
- 1927 - Jim Fuchs, American shot putter and discus thrower
- 1928 - Bobby Van, American actor, dancer, and singer
- 1929 - Philippe Bouvard, French journalist and radio host
- 1929 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt, German-Austrian cellist and conductor
- 1929 - Frank Springer, American comic book illustrator
- 1929 - Alain Tanner, Swiss director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1930 - Daniel Lisulo, Zambian banker and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Zambia
- 1931 - Zeki Müren, Turkish singer-songwriter and actor
- 1932 - Kamleshwar, Indian author, screenwriter, and critic
- 1933 - Henryk Górecki, Polish composer and academic
- 1933 - Donald J. Kutyna, American general
- 1934 - Nick Bockwinkel, American wrestler, sportscaster, and actor
- 1935 - Jean Lapointe, Canadian actor, singer, and politician
- 1936 - Bill Ashton, English saxophonist and composer
- 1936 - Kenneth Copeland, American evangelist and author
- 1936 - David Ossman, American writer and comedian
- 1937 - Alberto Spencer, Ecuadorian-American soccer player
- 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 - Bruce Nauman, American sculptor and illustrator
- 1941 - Richard Speck, American murderer
- 1941 - Bill Thomas, American academic and politician
- 1942 - Peter Handke, Austrian author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1942 - Robb Royer, American guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter
- 1943 - Mike Smith, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 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
- 1947 - Lawrence Cannon, Canadian businessman and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1947 - Geoffrey Hinton, British-Canadian computer scientist, cognitive scientist, and cognitive psychologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1947 - Henk van Woerden, Dutch-South African painter and author
- 1947 - Miroslav Vitouš, Czech-American bassist and songwriter
- 1948 - Jean-Paul Ngoupandé, Central African politician, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic
- 1948 - Don Nickles, American businessman and politician
- 1948 - Keke Rosberg, Finnish racing driver
- 1948 - JoBeth Williams, American actress
- 1949 - Linda Barnes, American author, playwright, and educator
- 1949 - Linda Creed, American singer-songwriter
- 1949 - Doug Marlette, American author and cartoonist
- 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
- 1952 - Craig Newmark, American computer programmer and entrepreneur; founded Craigslist
- 1952 - Shio Satō, Japanese illustrator
- 1953 - Sue Carroll, English journalist
- 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, 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
- 1957 - Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1957 - Andrew Cuomo, American politician, 56th Governor of New York
- 1957 - Bill Hanzlik, American basketball player and coach
- 1958 - Nick Park, English animator, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1959 - Deborah Estrin, American computer scientist and academic
- 1959 - Stephen Hepburn, English politician
- 1959 - Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman
- 1959 - Stephen Muggleton, English computer scientist and engineer
- 1960 - Masahiko Katsuya, Japanese journalist and photographer
- 1961 - David Lovering, American drummer
- 1961 - Jonathan Melvoin, American musician
- 1961 - Manuel Reuter, German race car driver
- 1962 - Janine Turner, American actress
- 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 - Helen Greiner, American businesswoman and engineer
- 1967 - Arnaldo Mesa, Cuban boxer
- 1968 - Karl Ove Knausgård, Norwegian author
- 1968 - Ali Latifiyan, Iranian writer and political theorist
- 1968 - Akihiro Yano, Japanese baseball player
- 1969 - Mark Gardener, English rock musician
- 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 - José Contreras, Cuban baseball player
- 1971 - Richard Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
- 1971 - Naozumi Takahashi, Japanese singer and voice actor
- 1971 - Carole Thate, Dutch field hockey player
- 1971 - Ryan White, American activist
- 1972 - Ewan Birney, English scientist
- 1972 - Heather Mizeur, American lawyer and politician
- 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
- 1976 - Lindsay Price, American actress
- 1977 - Kevin Cash, American baseball player and manager
- 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 - Adriana Moisés Pinto, Brazilian basketball player
- 1978 - Ramiro Pez, Argentine rugby player
- 1979 - Tim Cahill, Australian footballer
- 1980 - Danielle Downey, American golfer and coach
- 1980 - Steve Lovell, English footballer
- 1980 - Carlos Takam, Cameroonian-French boxer
- 1981 - Federico Balzaretti, Italian footballer
- 1982 - Ryan Carnes, American actor and producer
- 1982 - Alberto Contador, Spanish cyclist
- 1982 - Sean Ervine, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1982 - Robbie Gould, American football player
- 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, Indian cricketer
- 1986 - Sean Edwards, English race car driver
- 1986 - Matt Niskanen, American ice hockey player
- 1988 - Adam Eaton, American baseball player
- 1988 - Ravindra Jadeja, Indian cricketer
- 1988 - Sandra Nurmsalu, Estonian singer and violinist
- 1988 - Nils Petersen, German footballer
- 1988 - Nobunaga Shimazaki, Japanese voice actor
- 1989 - Felix Schiller, German footballer
- 1990 - Tamira Paszek, Austrian tennis player
- 1991 - Rachel Jarry, Australian basketball player
- 1991 - Milica Mandić, Serbian taekwondo athlete
- 1991 - Coco Vandeweghe, American tennis player
- 1992 - Viktor Antipin, Russian ice hockey 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 - Tautau Moga, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
- 1994 - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greek-Nigerian basketball player
- 1994 - Wakatakakage Atsushi, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1994 - Shreyas Iyer, Indian cricketer
- 1995 - A Boogie wit da Hoodie, American rapper and singer-songwriter
- 1996 - Davide Calabria, Italian footballer
- 1996 - Stefanie Scott, American actress and singer
- 1997 - Sabrina Ionescu, American basketball player
- 1998 - Angelīna Kučvaļska, Latvian figure skater
Deaths
Pre-1600
- 343 - Saint Nicholas, Greek bishop and saint
- 735 - Prince Toneri of Japan
- 762 - Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, Arab rebel leader
- 1185 - Afonso I of Portugal
- 1305 - Maximus, Metropolitan of Kyiv
- 1306 - Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk
- 1352 - Pope Clement VI
- 1562 - Jan van Scorel, Dutch painter
1601–1900
- 1616 - Ahmad Ibn al-Qadi, Moroccan writer, judge and mathematician
- 1618 - Jacques Davy Duperron, French cardinal
- 1658 - Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author
- 1675 - John Lightfoot, English priest, scholar, and academic
- 1686 - Eleonora Gonzaga, Queen consort of Ferdinand III
- 1716 - Benedictus Buns, Dutch priest and composer
- 1718 - Nicholas Rowe, English poet and playwright
- 1746 - Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish poet and songwriter
- 1771 - Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist
- 1779 - Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter
- 1788 - Jonathan Shipley, English bishop
- 1855 - William Swainson, English ornithologist and entomologist
- 1867 - Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic
- 1868 - August Schleicher, German linguist and academic
- 1878 - Theodoros Vryzakis, Greek painter and educator
- 1879 - Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American businessman
- 1882 - Alfred Escher, Swiss businessman and politician, founded Credit Suisse
- 1882 - Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer
- 1889 - Jefferson Davis, American general and politician, President of the Confederate States of America
- 1892 - Werner von Siemens, German engineer and businessman, founded the Siemens Company
1901–present
- 1918 - Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist
- 1921 - Said Halim Pasha, Ottoman politician, 280th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
- 1924 - Gene Stratton-Porter, American author and screenwriter
- 1945 - Edmund Dwyer-Gray, Irish-Australian politician, 29th Premier of Tasmania
- 1951 - Harold Ross, American journalist and publisher, founded The New Yorker
- 1955 - Honus Wagner, American baseball player and manager
- 1956 - B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Justice
- 1961 - Frantz Fanon, Martinique-French psychiatrist and author
- 1964 - Evert van Linge, Dutch footballer and architect
- 1972 - Janet Munro, English actress and singer
- 1974 - Nikolay Kuznetsov, Soviet naval officer
- 1976 - João Goulart, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 24th President of Brazil
- 1980 - Charles Deutsch, French engineer and businessman, co-founded DB
- 1982 - Jean-Marie Seroney, Kenyan activist and politician
- 1983 - Lucienne Boyer, French singer and actress
- 1983 - Gul Khan Nasir, Pakistani poet, historian, and politician
- 1985 - Burr Tillstrom, American actor and puppeteer
- 1985 - Burleigh Grimes, American baseball player and manager
- 1985 - Carroll Cole, American serial killer, arsonist, and cannibal
- 1988 - Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1989 - Frances Bavier, American actress
- 1989 - Sammy Fain, American pianist and composer
- 1989 - John Payne, American actor, singer, and producer
- 1990 - Pavlos Sidiropoulos, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1990 - Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia
- 1991 - Mimi Smith, English nurse
- 1991 - Richard Stone, English economist and statistician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1993 - Don Ameche, American actor
- 1994 - Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager
- 1994 - Gian Maria Volonté, Italian actor and director
- 1996 - Pete Rozelle, American businessman
- 1996 - Harry Babcock, American football player and first overall draft pick
- 1997 - Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer
- 1998 - César Baldaccini, French sculptor and educator
- 2000 - Werner Klemperer, German-American actor
- 2000 - Aziz Mian, Pakistani singer-songwriter and poet
- 2001 - Charles McClendon, American football player and coach
- 2002 - Philip Berrigan, American priest and activist
- 2003 - Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan general and politician, President of Guatemala
- 2005 - Charly Gaul, Luxembourger cyclist
- 2005 - Devan Nair, Malaysian-Singaporean union leader and politician, 3rd President of Singapore
- 2005 - Danny Williams, South African singer
- 2005 - William P. Yarborough, American general
- 2006 - John Feeney, New Zealand director and producer
- 2010 - Mark Dailey, American-Canadian journalist and actor
- 2011 - Dobie Gray, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 2012 - Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó, Equatoguinean engineer and politician, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea
- 2012 - Jan Carew, Guyanese author, poet, and playwright
- 2012 - Jeffrey Koo Sr., Taiwanese banker and businessman
- 2012 - Huw Lloyd-Langton, English guitarist
- 2012 - Pedro Vaz, Uruguayan lawyer and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay
- 2013 - Jean-Pierre Desthuilliers, French poet and critic
- 2013 - Stan Tracey, English pianist and composer
- 2013 - M. K. Turk, American basketball player and coach
- 2014 - Ralph H. Baer, German-American video game designer, created the Magnavox Odyssey
- 2014 - Jimmy Del Ray, American wrestler and manager
- 2014 - Fred Hawkins, American golfer
- 2014 - Luke Somers, English-American photographer and journalist
- 2015 - Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician
- 2015 - Liu Juying, Chinese general and politician
- 2015 - Nicholas Smith, British actor
- 2016 - Peter Vaughan, British actor
- 2024 - Maggie Tabberer, Australian fashion model and television personality
Holidays and observances
- Anniversary of the Founding of Quito
- Armed Forces Day
- Christian feast day:
- * Abraham of Kratia
- * Aemilianus
- * Denise and companions
- *Blessed János Scheffler
- * María del Monte Carmelo Sallés y Barangueras
- * Nicholas of Myra, and its related observances:
- ** Saint Nicholas Day, where Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus leaves little presents in children's shoes.
- * December 6
- Constitution Day
- Day of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of Azerbaijan
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Finland from Russia in 1917.
- National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women