December 27

December 27 is the 361st day of the year (362nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are four days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 537 – The Hagia Sophia is completed.
• 1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to native Indians in the New World.
• 1521 – The Zwickau prophets arrive in Wittenberg disturbing the peace and preaching the Apocalypse. Philip Melanchthon cannot silence them. Martin Luther is being held in protective custody at the Wartburg castle at this time. He is later released and is able, by his preaching, to regain the peace.
• 1655 – Second Northern War/the Deluge: Monks at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa are successful in fending off a month-long siege.
• 1657 – The Flushing Remonstrance is signed.
• 1703 – Portugal and England sign the Methuen Treaty which gives preference to Portuguese imported wines into England.
• 1814 – War of 1812: The American schooner USS Carolina is destroyed. It was the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson's makeshift fleet that fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans.
• 1831 – Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, during which he will begin to formulate his theory of evolution.
• 1836 – The worst ever avalanche in England occurs at Lewes, Sussex, killing eight people.
• 1845 – Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.
• 1845 – Journalist John L. O'Sullivan, writing in his newspaper the New York Morning News, argues that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country "by the right of our manifest destiny".
• 1911 – "Jana Gana Mana", the national anthem of India, is first sung in the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.
• 1918 – The Great Poland Uprising against the Germans begins.
• 1922 – Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō becomes the first purpose built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world.
• 1923 – Daisuke Namba, a Japanese student, tries to assassinate the Prince Regent Hirohito.
• 1927 – Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opens at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway.
• 1929 – Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin orders the "liquidation of the kulaks as a class", ostensibly as an effort to spread socialism to the countryside.
• 1932 – Radio City Music Hall, "Showplace of the Nation", opens in New York City.
• 1939 – The 7.8 Mw Erzincan earthquake shakes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). At least 32,700 people were killed.
• 1939 – Winter War: Finland holds off a Soviet attack in the Battle of Kelja.
• 1942 – The Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia is founded.
• 1945 – The World Bank and International Monetary Fund are created with the signing of an agreement by 29 nations.
• 1949 – Indonesian National Revolution: The Netherlands officially recognizes Indonesian independence. End of the Dutch East Indies.
• 1966 – The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the world, is discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
• 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital manned mission to the Moon.
• 1978 – Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of fascist dictatorship.
• 1979 – The Soviet Union invades the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
• 1983 – Pope John Paul II visits Mehmet Ali Ağca in Rebibbia's prison and personally forgives him for the 1981 attack on him in St. Peter's Square.
• 1985 – Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside the airports of Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.
• 1989 – The Romanian Revolution concludes, as the last minor street confrontations and stray shootings abruptly end in the country's capital, Bucharest.
• 1996 – Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Airfield which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul, Afghanistan.
• 1997 – Protestant paramilitary leader Billy Wright is assassinated in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
• 2001 – China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States.
• 2002 – Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia.
• 2004 – Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet.
• 2007 – Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a shooting incident.
• 2007 – Riots erupt in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of the presidential election, triggering a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis.
• 2008 – Operation Cast Lead: Israel launches 3-week operation on Gaza.
• 2009 – Iranian election protests: On the Day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, government security forces fire upon demonstrators.

Births

• 1390 – Anne de Mortimer, Irish wife of Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (d. 1411)
• 1571 – Johannes Kepler, German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer (d. 1630)
• 1572 – Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech poet, playwright, and composer (d. 1622)
• 1683 – Conyers Middleton, English priest and theologian (d. 1750)
• 1714 – George Whitefield, English-American preacher and saint (d. 1770)
• 1715 – Philippe de Noailles, French general (d. 1794)
• 1721 – François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher and author (d. 1790)
• 1761 – Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Finland (d. 1818)
• 1773 – George Cayley, English engineer and politician (d. 1857)
• 1776 – Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (d. 1811)
• 1797 – Ghalib, Indian poet (d. 1869)
• 1803 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian activist (d. 1839)
• 1809 – Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece (d. 1892)
• 1822 – Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (d. 1895)
• 1823 – Mackenzie Bowell, English-Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1917)
• 1832 – Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tretyakov Gallery (d. 1897)
• 1858 – Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Chilean lawyer and politician, 17th President of Chile (d. 1930)
• 1863 – Louis Lincoln Emmerson, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Illinois (d. 1941)
• 1864 – Hermann-Paul, French painter and illustrator (d. 1940)
• 1879 – Sydney Greenstreet, English-American actor (d. 1954)
• 1883 – Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1979)
• 1888 – Thea von Harbou, German actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 1954)
• 1892 – Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot (d. 1917)
• 1896 – Louis Bromfield, American author and theorist (d. 1956)
• 1896 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (d. 1952)
• 1896 – Carl Zuckmayer, German author and playwright (d. 1977)
• 1898 – Inejiro Asanuma, Japanese politician (d. 1960)
• 1899 – U Vimala, Burmese monk and scholar (d. 1962)
• 1900 – Hans Stuck, German race car driver (d. 1978)
• 1901 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (d. 1992)
• 1901 – Irene Handl, English actress (d. 1987)
• 1904 – René Bonnet, French race car driver and engineer (d. 1983)
• 1905 – Cliff Arquette, American actor and comedian (d. 1974)
• 1906 – Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, and actor (d. 1972)
• 1907 – Asaf Halet Çelebi, Turkish poet (d. 1958)
• 1907 – Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
• 1907 – Mary Howard, English author (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Conrad L. Raiford, American baseball player and activist (d. 2002)
• 1907 – Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer (d. 1978)
• 1909 – James Riddell, English skier and author (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Charles Olson, American poet and educator (d. 1970)
• 1911 – Anna Russell, English-Canadian singer and actress (d. 2006)
• 1914 – Jack Latham, American journalist and actor (d. 1987)
• 1915 – Mary Kornman, American actress and singer (d. 1973)
• 1915 – William Masters, American gynecologist, author, and academic (d. 2001)
• 1915 – Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian-Cypriot footballer and manager (d. 1999)
• 1916 – Werner Baumbach, German pilot (d. 1953)
• 1916 – Cahide Sonku, Turkish actress and director (d. 1981)
• 1917 – Buddy Boudreaux, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 2015)
• 1917 – T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic (d. 2004)
• 1917 – Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (d. 2009)
• 1918 – John Celardo, American captain and illustrator (d. 2012)
• 1919 – Charles Sweeney, American general and pilot (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Bruce Hobbs, American jockey and trainer (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Bruno Bobak, Polish-Canadian painter and educator (d. 2012)
• 1924 – Jean Bartik, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2011)
• 1924 – James A. McClure, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2011)
• 1924 – Hung Sin-nui, Chinese actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Michel Piccoli, French actor, singer, director, and producer
• 1926 – Jerome Courtland, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Antony Gardner, English engineer and politician (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Nityanand Swami, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Audrey Wagner, American baseball player, obstetrician, and gynecologist (d. 1984)
• 1930 – Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist and academic
• 1930 – Wilfrid Sheed, English-American author (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist and songwriter (The Blue Moon Boys)
• 1934 – Christopher Benjamin, English actor
• 1934 – Larisa Latynina, Ukrainian gymnast and coach
• 1934 – Jeffrey Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow, English businessman
• 1935 – Michael Turnbull, English bishop
• 1936 – Eve Uusmees, Estonian swimmer and coach
• 1938 – Stanislav Stanojevic, Serbian-French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1939 – John Amos, American actor and producer
• 1941 – Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
• 1941 – Mike Pinder, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (The Moody Blues)
• 1941 – Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach
• 1942 – Byron Browne, American baseball player
• 1942 – Charmian Carr, American actress and singer
• 1942 – Thomas Menino, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston (d. 2014)
• 1942 – Ron Rothstein, American basketball player and coach
• 1943 – Cokie Roberts, American journalist and author
• 1943 – Joan Manuel Serrat, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1943 – Peter Sinfield, English songwriter and producer
• 1943 – Roy White, American baseball player and coach
• 1944 – Mick Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Foreigner and Spooky Tooth)
• 1944 – Tracy Nelson, American singer-songwriter (Mother Earth)
• 1944 – Ivan Milat (serial killer), Australian serial killer
• 1946 – Lenny Kaye, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1946 – Joe Kinnear, Irish footballer and manager
• 1946 – Janet Street-Porter, English journalist and producer
• 1946 – Polly Toynbee, English journalist and author
• 1947 – Bill Eadie, American wrestler and coach
• 1947 – Doug Livermore, English footballer and manager
• 1947 – Osman Pamukoğlu, Turkish general and politician
• 1947 – Janet Perry, American soprano and actress
• 1947 – Willy Polleunis, Belgian runner
• 1947 – Mickey Redmond, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1948 – Gérard Depardieu, French actor, singer, and producer
• 1949 – Terry Ito, Japanese director, producer, and critic
• 1950 – Haris Alexiou, Greek singer-songwriter
• 1950 – Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer and manager
• 1950 – Terry Bozzio, American drummer and songwriter (Missing Persons UK, and HoBoLeMa)
• 1950 – Morgan Chu, American lawyer
• 1950 – Doug Stone, Canadian voice actor and singer
• 1951 – Ernesto Zedillo, Mexican economist and politician, 54th President of Mexico
• 1952 – Karla Bonoff, American singer-songwriter (Bryndle)
• 1952 – Tovah Feldshuh, American actress, singer, and playwright
• 1952 – Jay Hill, Canadian farmer and politician
• 1952 – David Knopfler, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Dire Straits)
• 1953 – Arthur Kent, Canadian journalist and author
• 1954 – Mandie Fletcher, English director, producer, and production manager
• 1955 – E. E. Bell, American actor
• 1955 – Brad Murphey, American-Australian race car driver
• 1955 – Barbara Olson, American journalist and author (d. 2001)
• 1956 – Doina Melinte, Romanian runner
• 1957 – Jerry Gaskill, American drummer (King's X)
• 1957 – Greg Mortenson, American humanitarian and author
• 1957 – Dane Witherspoon, American actor (d. 2014)
• 1958 – Barbara Crampton, American actress and producer
• 1958 – Steve Jones, American golfer
• 1959 – Gerina Dunwich, American astrologer, historian, and author
• 1959 – Andre Tippett, American football player and coach
• 1960 – Maryam d'Abo, English actress and producer
• 1960 – Victoria Paige Meyerink, American actress and producer
• 1960 – Donald Nally, American conductor and academic
• 1962 – Mark Few, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – John Kampfner, Singaporean journalist and author
• 1962 – Bill Self, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – Sherri Steinhauer, American golfer
• 1962 – Sara Thornton, English police officer
• 1962 – Pierlucio Tinazzi, Italian security guard (d. 1999)
• 1963 – Gaspar Noé, Argentinian-French director and screenwriter
• 1964 – Ian Gomez, American actor
• 1964 – Theresa Randle, American actress
• 1965 – Salman Khan, Indian actor and singer
• 1965 – Chris Mainwaring, Australian footballer and journalist (d. 2007)
• 1966 – Wendy Coakley-Thompson, American-Bahamian author and blogger
• 1966 – Marianne Elliott, English director and producer
• 1966 – Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler, and actor
• 1966 – Eva LaRue, American model and actress
• 1966 – Fabian Núñez, American politician
• 1969 – Jean-Christophe Boullion, French race car driver
• 1969 – Sarah Vowell, American author and journalist
• 1970 – Chyna, American wrestler and actress
• 1970 – Brendon Cook, Australian race car driver and rugby player
• 1970 – Lorenzo Neal, American football player and radio host
• 1971 – Sergei Bodrov, Jr., Russian actor and screenwriter (d. 2002)
• 1971 – Duncan Ferguson, Scottish footballer and coach
• 1971 – Guthrie Govan, English guitarist and educator (GPS, The Aristocrats, and Asia)
• 1971 – Savannah Guthrie, American lawyer and journalist
• 1971 – Jason Hawes, American paranormal investigator and author, founded The Atlantic Paranormal Society
• 1971 – Bryan Smolinski, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1972 – Thomas Wilson Brown, American actor and producer
• 1972 – Colin Charvis, English rugby player and coach
• 1972 – Kevin Ollie, American basketball player and coach
• 1972 – Matt Slocum, American guitarist and songwriter (Sixpence None the Richer)
• 1973 – Tabatha Cash, French porn actress
• 1973 – Wilson Cruz, American actor
• 1973 – Luka Grubor, Croatian-English rower
• 1973 – Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch pianist and composer
• 1974 – Tomáš Janků, Czech high jumper
• 1974 – Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor and visual effects designer
• 1974 – Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1974 – Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1974 – Édgar Ponce, Mexican actor and dancer (d. 2005)
• 1975 – Aigars Fadejevs, Latvian race walker and therapist
• 1975 – Heather O'Rourke, American actress (d. 1988)
• 1976 – Nikolaos Georgeas, Greek footballer
• 1976 – Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (d. 2009)
• 1976 – Daimí Pernía, Cuban basketball player and hurdler
• 1976 – Fernando Pisani, Canadian-Italian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Tim Roberts, American wrestler (d. 2015)
• 1976 – Aaron Stanford, American actor
• 1977 – Jacqueline Pillon, Canadian actress
• 1978 – Pelin Batu, Turkish actress, author, and historian
• 1978 – Deuce McAllister, American football player
• 1979 – David Dunn, English footballer and manager
• 1979 – Carson Palmer, American football player
• 1980 – Bernard Berrian, American football player
• 1980 – Antonio Cesaro, Swiss-American wrestler and trainer
• 1980 – Cas Haley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Dahntay Jones, American basketball player
• 1980 – Meelis Kompus, Estonian journalist
• 1981 – David Aardsma, American baseball player
• 1981 – Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
• 1981 – Javine Hylton, English singer
• 1981 – Moise Joseph, American-Haitian runner
• 1981 – Patrick Sharp, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Erin E. Stead, American illustrator
• 1983 – Anthony Boric, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Cole Hamels, American baseball player
• 1983 – Jesse Williams, American high jumper
• 1984 – Andrejs Perepļotkins, Ukrainian-Latvian footballer
• 1984 – Pleasure P, American singer-songwriter and producer (Pretty Ricky)
• 1984 – Gilles Simon, French tennis player
• 1985 – Logan Bailly, Belgian footballer
• 1985 – Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Belgian race car driver
• 1985 – Paul Stastny, Canadian-American ice hockey player
• 1986 – Torah Bright, Australian snowboarder
• 1986 – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican sprinter
• 1988 – Zavon Hines, Jamaican-English footballer
• 1988 – Rick Porcello, American baseball player
• 1988 – Ok Taecyeon, South Korean rapper, dancer, and actor (2PM)
• 1988 – Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter (Paramore)
• 1989 – Ingrid Várgas Calvo, Peruvian tennis player
• 1990 – Lazaro Arbos, Cuban-American singer
• 1990 – Max Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
• 1990 – Milos Raonic, Canadian tennis player
• 1991 – Chloe Bridges, American actress
• 1991 – Danny Wilson, Scottish footballer
• 1992 – Joel Indermitte, Estonian footballer
• 1992 – Maicel Uibo, Estonian decathlete
• 1995 – Mark Lapidus, Estonian chess player
• 1997 – Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player

Deaths

• 683 – Emperor Gaozong of Tang (b. 628)
• 1076 – Sviatoslav II of Kiev (b. 1027)
• 1087 – Bertha of Savoy, (b. 1051)
• 1381 – Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, English politician (b. 1352)
• 1543 – George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1484)
• 1548 – Francesco Spiera, Italian lawyer and jurist (b. 1502)
• 1603 – Thomas Cartwright, English minister and theologian (b. 1535)
• 1704 – Hans Albrecht von Barfus, Prussian field marshal and politician (b. 1635)
• 1707 – Jean Mabillon, French monk and scholar (b. 1632)
• 1737 – William Bowyer, English printer (b. 1663)
• 1743 – Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (b. 1659)
• 1771 – Henri Pitot, French engineer, invented the Pitot tube (b. 1695)
• 1782 – Henry Home, Lord Kames, Scottish judge and philosopher (b. 1697)
• 1800 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (b. 1718)
• 1812 – Joanna Southcott, English religious leader (b. 1750)
• 1834 – Charles Lamb, English author (b. 1775)
• 1836 – Stephen F. Austin, American soldier and politician (b. 1793)
• 1858 – Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French pianist and composer (b. 1785)
• 1896 – John Brown, English businessman and politician (b. 1816)
• 1900 – William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, English engineer and businessman, founded Armstrong Whitworth (b. 1810)
• 1914 – Charles Martin Hall, American chemist and engineer (b. 1863)
• 1919 – Achilles Alferaki, Russian-Greek composer and politician, Governor of Taganrog (b. 1846)
• 1923 – Gustave Eiffel, French architect and engineer, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (b. 1832)
• 1936 – Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Turkish poet, academic, and politician (b. 1873)
• 1938 – Calvin Bridges, American geneticist and academic (b. 1889)
• 1938 – Osip Mandelstam, Polish-Russian poet and critic (b. 1891)
• 1939 – Rinaldo Cuneo, American painter (b. 1877)
• 1943 – Ants Kurvits, Estonian general and politician, 10th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1887)
• 1950 – Max Beckmann, German-American painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
• 1952 – Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian priest, author, and educator (b. 1878)
• 1953 – Şükrü Saracoğlu, Turkish soldier and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1887)
• 1953 – Julian Tuwim, Polish poet and author (b. 1894)
• 1955 – Alfred Carpenter, English admiral, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1881)
• 1956 – Lambert McKenna, Irish priest and lexicographer (b. 1870)
• 1958 – Harry Warner, Polish-American film producer, co-founded Warner Bros. (b. 1881)
• 1960 – Jakob "Jackie" Gerlich, Austrian-American actor (b. 1917)
• 1965 – Edgar Ende, German painter (b. 1901)
• 1972 – Lester B. Pearson, Canadian historian and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
• 1974 – Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist and mathematician (b. 1898)
• 1974 – Amy Vanderbilt, American author (b. 1908)
• 1978 – Chris Bell American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Big Star) (b. 1951)
• 1978 – Houari Boumediene, Algerian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Algeria (b. 1932)
• 1978 – Bob Luman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
• 1979 – Hafizullah Amin, Afghan educator and politician, 2nd President of Afghanistan (b. 1929)
• 1981 – Hoagy Carmichael, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (b. 1899)
• 1982 – Jack Swigert, American pilot, astronaut, and politician (b. 1931)
• 1985 – Jean Rondeau, French race car driver (b. 1946)
• 1986 – George Dangerfield, English-American historian and journalist (b. 1904)
• 1986 – Dumas Malone, American historian and author (b. 1892)
• 1988 – Hal Ashby, American director and producer (b. 1929)
• 1992 – Kay Boyle, American author, poet, and educator (b. 1902)
• 1993 – Feliks Kibbermann, Estonian chess player and philologist (b. 1902)
• 1993 – Evald Mikson, Estonian footballer (b. 1911)
• 1993 – André Pilette, Belgian race car driver (b. 1918)
• 1994 – Fanny Cradock, English chief, author, and critic (b. 1909)
• 1994 – J. B. L. Reyes, Filipino lawyer and jurist (b. 1902)
• 1995 – Shura Cherkassky, Ukrainian-American pianist (b. 1909)
• 1995 – Genrikh Kasparyan, Armenian chess player and composer (b. 1910)
• 1995 – Konstantinos Kypriotis, Greek martial artist (b. 1954)
• 1997 – Brendan Gill, American journalist and author (b. 1914)
• 1997 – Billy Wright, English-Irish commander (b. 1960)
• 1999 – Michael McDowell, American author and screenwriter (b. 1950)
• 2002 – George Roy Hill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
• 2003 – Alan Bates, English actor and singer (b. 1934)
• 2003 – Iván Calderón, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1962)
• 2003 – Vestal Goodman, American singer (b. 1929)
• 2004 – Hank Garland, American guitarist (b. 1930)
• 2007 – Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani financier and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan (b. 1953)
• 2007 – Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Polish director and screenwriter (b. 1922)
• 2007 – Jaan Kross, Estonian author and poet (b. 1920)
• 2008 – Delaney Bramlett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Delaney & Bonnie) (b. 1939)
• 2008 – Robert Graham, Mexican-American sculptor (b. 1938)
• 2009 – Isaac Schwartz, Ukrainian-Russian composer and educator (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Catê, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1973)
• 2011 – Michael Dummett, English soldier, philosopher, and academic (b. 1925)
• 2011 – Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and educator (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Johnny Wilson, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Lloyd Charmers, Jamaican singer, keyboard player, and producer (The Uniques) (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Sohrab Hossain, Bangladeshi singer (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Tingye Li, Chinese-American physicist and engineer (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., American general and engineer (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Takashi Taniguchi, Japanese voice actor (b. 1947)
• 2012 – Salt Walther, American race car driver (b. 1947)
• 2013 – Richard Ambler, English-Scottish biologist and academic (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Mohamad Chatah, Lebanese economist and politician, Lebanese Minister of Finance (b. 1951)
• 2013 – Gianna D'Angelo, American soprano and educator (b. 1929)
• 2013 – John Matheson, Canadian colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1917)
• 2013 – Farooq Sheikh, Indian actor (b. 1948)
• 2014 – Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, American-Israeli religious leader, founded the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Ulises Estrella, Ecuadorian poet and academic (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Ronald Li, Hong Kong accountant and businessman (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Karel Poma, Belgian bacteriologist and politician (b. 1920)
• 2014 – Tomaž Šalamun, Croatian-Slovenian poet and academic (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Stein Eriksen, Norwegian-American skier (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Dave Henderson, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1958)
• 2015 – Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Meadowlark Lemon, American basketball player, actor, and minister (b. 1932)
• 2015 – Alfredo Pacheco, Salvadoran footballer (b. 1982)
• 2015 – Carlos Rosales Mendoza, Mexican drug lord (b. 1963)
• 2015 – Stevie Wright, English-Australian singer-songwriter (The Easybeats) (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Blessed Francesco Spoto
  • Blessed Sára Salkaházi
  • Fabiola
  • John the Apostle
  • Nicarete
  • December 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Constitution Day (North Korea)
• Emergency Rescuer's Day (Russia)
• St. Stephen's Day (Eastern Orthodox Church; a public holiday in Romania)
• The third of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History