1886 – Antoni Wincenty Rutkowski, Polish-Russian composer, dies at 27
1951 – Coretté Alefred [Hardy], American-Russian-Soviet jazz, spiritual and pop lyrical and dramatic soprano, dancer, and actress, dies at 70
1958 – Joseph Vandemeulebroek, Belgian politician (Mayor of Brussels,1939-41 and 1944-56), dies at 82
1967 – Frank Moran, American heavyweight boxer and film actor, dies of a heart attack at 80
1989 – Konrad Lechner, German cellist, composer, and conductor, dies at 78
1990 – Hope Sansberry, American actress (Rats are Coming), dies at 94
1998 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist, dies at 74
2000 – Ralph Louis Wain, British agricultural scientist, dies at 89
2003 – Don Conicannon, British miner, labor union official and politician (Member of Parliament, 1966-87), dies at 73
2012 – Klaus Köste, German gymnast, dies at 69
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 14th December 2025
1575 – Polish Parliament selects Istvan Bathory as king of Poland
1702 – The Forty-seven Ronin (leaderless samurai), under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenge the death of their master in Japan
1977 – Test Cricket debut of Pakistan spin bowling great Abdul Qadir v England in 1st Test at Lahore
1983 – Biographical drama film “Silkwood”, directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher premieres
1984 – Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires from Monday Night Football
1993 – Muslim fundamentalists murder 12 Croats and Bosnians in Algeria
1997 – Revival of Arthur Miller’s dramatic play “A View From the Bridge”, starring Anthony LaPaglia, Allison Janney, and Brittany Murphy. opens at the Criterion Theater, NYC; runs for 239 performance, wins 2 Tony and 4 Drama Desk Awards
2017 – The Walt Disney Company buys most of 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion
Today in History for 14th December 2025
Historical Events
1925 – Alban Berg’s first opera “Wozzeck” premieres with the Berlin State Opera in Berlin, Germany
1944 – Beginning of Liese-Aktion: Germany tries to recruit Dutch men for the Germany labor force
1969 – “Leaving on a Jet Plane” single sung by Peter, Paul and Mary, written by John Denver, hits #1 on US Billboard’s Hot Top 100
1975 – WCPR (Brooklyn New York pirate radio station) begins broadcasting on 1620 AM
1988 – Spanish General strike to protest austerity measures
Famous Birthdays
1895 – George VI, King of the United Kingdom (1936-52), born in Norfolk, England (d. 1952)
1901 – Paul I, King of Greece (1947-64), born at Tatoi Palace in Parnitha, Kingdom of Greece (d. 1964)
1927 – Koss Rietkerk, Dutch internal minister (VVD) (1982-86), born in Boskoop, Netherlands (d. 1986)
1927 – Richard Cassilly, American tenor, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1998)
1975 – Tamecka Dixon, American WNBA guard (LA Sparks), born in Linden, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
1417 – John Oldcastle, English nobleman and pro-protestant Lollard leader, whom Shakespeare based his Falstaff character on, hanged for heresy at 39
1998 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist, dies at 74
2012 – Kenneth Kendall, British broadcaster (BBC News, Treasure Hunt), dies from a stroke at 88
2017 – Lones Wigger, American competitive rifle shooter (Olympic gold/silver-1964, 72), dies at 80
2017 – Yú Guāngzhōng [Yu Kwang-chung], Taiwanese poet, essayist, and translator (Nostalgia), dies from respiratory failure at 89
Famous Deaths for 13th December 2025
1124 – Callistus/Callixtus II [Guido di Borgogna], Italian Pope (1119-24), dies
1793 – Johann Joachim Christoph Bode, German literary translator, dies at 63
1862 – Maxcy Gregg, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in Battle of Fredericksburg at 48
1868 – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer, dies at 74
1894 – Sarah Parker Remond, African-American abolitionist, dies at 68
1908 – Augustus Le Plongeon, French-American photographer and antiquitarian, dies at 83
1934 – Thomas A. Watson, American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell in inventing the telephone, dies at 80
1935 – Victor Grignard, French chemist (Nobel 1912 – development of the Grignard reaction), dies at 64
1945 – Irma Grese, German Nazi concentration camp guard known as the “Hyena of Auschwitz”, and convicted war criminal, executed by hanging at 22
1963 – Hubert ME Pierlot, Belgian advocate/premier (1939-45), dies at 79
Historical Events for 13th December 2025
1294 – Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months, hoping to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit
1570 – Sweden and Denmark signs Peace of Stettin
1643 – English Civil War: The Battle of Alton takes place in Hampshire.
1895 – First complete performance of Gustav Mahler’s 2nd Symphony (“Resurrection”), in Berlin, Germany, conducted by the composer
1979 – Strikes against price increases in Gdańsk, Poland
1982 – Australian Open Men’s Tennis: South African Johan Kriek wins 2nd straight Australian title; repeats previous year’s win over American Steve Denton 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
1990 – Revival of Leigh, Charlap, Styne, Comden and Green’s musical “Peter Pan”, starring Cathy Rigby, opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater, NYC; runs for 45 performances
2023 – COP28 in Dubai ends with agreement from 190 counties to begin “transitioning away from fossil fuels”, a compromise but still the first to directly address an end to fossil fuels
Today in History for 13th December 2025
Historical Events
1930 – French government of André Tardieu falls for the second time
1997 – 63rd Heisman Trophy Award: Charles Woodson, Michigan (CB)
2013 – “Beyoncé” 5th studio album by Beyoncé is released
2014 – Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, criticizes UN Security Council for its lack of action over war crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan
2018 – Apple announces new $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas and expansion in other US cities
Famous Birthdays
1941 – Elizabeth Pochoda, American journalist who helped revitalize Vanity Fair magazine, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2025)
1950 – Heather North, American actress (The Barefoot Executive; voice of Velma in “Scooby-Doo”), born in Pasadena, California (d. 2017)
1961 – Irene Sáez, Venezuelan beauty queen crowned Miss Universe 1981 and politician, born in Chacao, Miranda, Venezuela
1967 – NeNe Leakes (née Linnethia Johnson), American television personality (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), actress, and fashion designer, born in Queens, New York City
1991 – Dermot Kennedy, Irish singer-songwriter (“Power Over Me”; “Giants”), born in Rathcoole, County Dublin, Ireland
Famous Deaths
1204 – Maimonides [Moses Ben Maimon], Sephardic Jewish philosopher, astronomer and physician (Mishneh Torah), dies in Cairo at 69
1978 – Frits Slomp, Dutch pastor and resistance fighter (aided people in hiding during WWII), dies at 80
1987 – Peter Birch, American dancer, choreographer (Jane Froman’s USA Canteen), and director (Captain Kangaroo), dies of a heart attack at 65
1997 – Harry Glaß, German ski jumper (Olympic bronze 1956), dies at 67
2007 – Mark Partridge, Rhodesian politician
Famous Deaths for 12th December 2025
1788 – Joseph Gibbs, English composer and organist, dies at 88
1852 – Tsjalling Hiddes Halbertsma, Dutch Frisian merchant, poet, and story teller (Rhymes and Tales), dies at 60
1877 – José de Alencar, Brazilian writer (O Guarani), dies at 48
1958 – Milutin Milanković, Serbian astronomer and geophysicist (linked long-term changes in climate to astronomical factors affecting the amount of solar energy received at Earth’s surface), dies at 79
1965 – Johnny Lee, American actor (Song of the South, The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show), dies from a heart attack at 67
1976 – John “Jack” Cassidy, American stage and screen actor and Grammy Award-winning singer (Shangri-La; The Eiger Sanction: She Loves Me; Columbo), dies in an apartment fire at 49
1998 – Marco Denevi, Argentine writer (Rosaura at Ten in the Morning, Secret Ceremony), dies at 76
2003 – Heydar Aliyev [Heydər Əliyev], Soviet-Azerbaijani politician (President of Azerbaijan, 1983-2003), dies at 80
2006 – Paul Arizin, American College/Basketball HOF small forward (NBA C’ship 1956; 10 x NBA All Star; NBA scoring champion 1952, 57; Philadelphia Warriors), dies in his sleep at 78
2021 – Vicente Fernández, Mexican Grammy Award-winning singer, known as “El Rey de la Música Ranchera” (The King of Ranchera Music), actor, and film producer, dies at 81
Historical Events for 12th December 2025
1822 – Mexico officially recognized as an independent nation by US
1932 – USSR and China resume diplomatic relations
1955 – The first prototype of the hovercraft is patented by British engineer Christoper Cockerell
1961 – Nazi German army officer Adolf Eichmann is found guilty of war crimes in Israel
1963 – Kenya (formerly British East Africa) declares independence from the United Kingdom
1982 – $9,800,000 in cash stolen from money transport car in NYC
1988 – PLO leader Yasi Arafat accepts Israel’s right to exist
2016 – Ballon d’Or: Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo claims award for the 4th time; record winning margin of 429 from Lionel Messi
Today in History for 12th December 2025
Historical Events
1969 – Comedy film “The Magic Christian”, starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr premieres in London, England
1991 – Tampa Bay Buccaneer Dexter Manley retires after failing drug test
2000 – US Supreme Court releases its 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore, settling the recount dispute in Florida’s 2000 presidential election in George W. Bush’s favor, thus handing him the presidency over Al Gore
2020 – Chinese leader Xi Jinping says the country will reduce its carbon intensity by 65% by 2030
2021 – Dutchman Max Verstappen wins Formula 1 Drivers’ C’ship for Red Bull with a controversial last lap win over Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP
Famous Birthdays
1887 – Kurt Magnus Atterberg, Swedish composer, born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 1974)
1928 – Chinghiz Aitmatov, Soviet-Kyrgyz author and best-known figure in Kyrgyzstan’s literature (Jamila), born in Kirghiz ASSR, Soviet Union (d. 2008)
1941 – Terry Kirkman, American rock vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardist (The Association – “Windy”; “Cherish”), and later substance abuse counselor, born in Salina, Kansas (d. 2023)
1952 – Ajit De Silva, Sri Lankan cricket spin bowler (4 Tests), born in Ambalangoda, Sri Lanka
1959 – Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Indian cricketer (big-hitting Indian opener), born in Madras, India
Famous Deaths
1788 – Joseph Gibbs, English composer and organist, dies at 88
1912 – Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria (regent for nephews King Ludwig II and King Otto), dies at 91
1965 – Johnny Lee, American actor (Song of the South, The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show), dies from a heart attack at 67
1970 – Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (Member of the Australian Parliament for Bourke), dies at 81
1998 – Lawton Chiles, U.S. Senator from Florida (1971-89) and Governor of Florida (1991-98), dies at 68
Famous Deaths for 11th December 2025
969 – Nicephorus Phocas [Nikephoros II Phokas], Byzantine emperor (963-969), assassinated in his sleep at about 57 by his nephew and his wife’s lover John Tzimiskes and entourage
1573 – Alardus/Eilard de Waterlant, duke of Alva, hanged
1899 – Andrew Wauchope, British Major-General, dies in Battle of Magersfontein in the Boer war, South Africa. Another British Major, The Marquess of Winchester also killed.
1938 – Christian Lous Lange, Norwegian pacifist and internationalist (Nobel Peace Prize 1921), dies at 69
1950 – Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and computing pioneer, dies at 57
1979 – Claire Carleton, American actress (Alice-Cimarron City), dies at 66
1981 – I. D. du Plessis, South African writer and director (3rd World), dies at 81
1996 – William Rushton, actor, author and cartoonist (TW3, Private Eye), dies of a heart attack at 59
2008 – Patricia Hutchinson, British diplomat (Ambassador to Uruguay, 1980-83), dies at 82
2021 – Anne Rice, American Gothic novelist (Interview With A Vampire), dies of complications from a stroke at 80