1334 – Pope John XXII (1316-1334), dies at about 90
1915 – Gustav Hollaender, German violinist, conductor, and composer, dies at 60
1944 – Roger Bresnahan, American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher, outfielder and manager (World Series 1905 NY Giants; St. Louis Cardinals; first shin guards and batting helmet), dies at 65
1969 – Alceo Toni, Italian arranger (Vivaldi’s “Four Season’s” for piano four-hands), composer (Elegiac Quintet), and musicologist, dies at 85
1983 – Bruce Drake, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (University of Oklahoma 1938-55, 200-181), dies at 77
1985 – Marcel Boereboom, Belgian pianist, critic, educator, and musicologist (Handbook of Music History), dies at 83
1994 – Geoffery Rudolph Elton, historiographer, dies at 73
1995 – Adrianne Jones, killed by David Graham and Diane Zamora, at 16
2005 – Gregg Hoffman, American film producer (b.1963)
2017 – Mary Louise Hancock, American politician and activist, dies at 97
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 4th December 2025
1906 – Alpha Phi Alpha, first Black Greek Letter Fraternity, forms
1949 – Duncan Stewart, 2nd British Governor of Sarawak is fatally stabbed in the streets of Sibu by Malay student Rosli Dhoby with help from Morshidi Sidek with the goal of helping neighbouring Indonesia to take over British Sarawak
1971 – The UN Security Council calls an emergency session to consider the deteriorating situation between India and Pakistan
1977 – NFL’s 5,000th game, Cincinnati beats KC 27-7
1982 – China adopts its constitution
1985 – Slobodan Živojinović of Yugoslavia upsets No. 2 seed John McEnroe 2-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the Australian Open quarter finals; leaves McEnroe without a major singles title for the first time since 1978
1994 – 83rd Davis Cup: Sweden beats Russia in Moscow (4-1)
2012 – Miranda Hart wins Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year for “Is It Just Me?” at The British Book Awards
Today in History for 4th December 2025
Historical Events
1909 – Oldest still-operating NHL franchise is officially established as J. Ambrose O’Brien and Jack Laviolette create the “Club de Hockey Canadien,” known today as the Montreal Canadiens
1920 – 1st Pro football playoff game Buffalo-7, Canton-3 at Polo Grounds, NYC
1948 – Heitor Villa-Lobos’ folk operetta “Magdalena” closes at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC, after 88 performances
1964 – Test Cricket debut of Ian Chappell, v Pakistan MCG, 11, 0-49, 0-31
1968 – Following a civil rights march in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, there is a violent clash between Loyalists and those who are taking part in the march
Famous Birthdays
1908 – Alfred Hershey, American biologist, worked with bacteriophages (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1969), born in Owosso, Michigan (d. 1997)
1920 – Jeanne Manford, American gay rights activist, born in Flushing, New York (d. 2013)
1938 – Yvonne Minton, Australian-British soprano, born in Sydney, Australia
1955 – Cassandra Wilson [née Fowlkes], American jazz singer-songwriter, born in Jackson, Mississippi
1961 – Frank Reich, American NFL quarterback (Buffalo Bills) and coach (Indianapolis Colts 2018-20), born in Freeport, New York
Famous Deaths
1807 – Prince Hall, activist/Masonic leader, dies in Boston
1959 – Rosetta Duncan, American vaudevillian (Duncan Sisters), actress (Topsy and Eva), and songwriter (Remeberin’). dies in an auto accident at 65
1976 – W. F. McCoy, Northern Irish politician (b. 1886)
2000 – H. C. Artmann, Austrian writer, dies at 79
2019 – Bob Willis, English cricket fast bowler and captain (90 Tests, 325 wickets; 64 ODIs; Surrey CCC, MCC, Warwickshire CCC, Northern Transvaal), dies of prostate cancer at 70
Famous Deaths for 3rd December 2025
1807 – Clara Reeve, English author (old English baron), dies at 78
1866 – Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda [Jan Kalivoda], Bohemian violinist, composer, and court conductor, dies of a heart attack at 65
1894 – Joseph Schadde, Flemish architect (Antwerp Stock exchange), dies at 76
1949 – Elin Pelin [Dimitar Ivanov Stoyanov], Bulgarian writer (The Gerak Family; Earth), dies at 72
1980 – Oswald Mosley, British politician and founder of British Union of Fascists, dies at 84
2009 – Richard Todd, Irish-born British actor (Dorian Gray, Assassin Yangtse Incident), dies at 90
2015 – Scott Weiland, American rock singer-songwrite (Stone Temple Pilots; Velvet Revolver), dies of an accidental drug overdose at 48
2018 – Philip Bosco, American actor (Trading Places, Lend Me a Tenor), dies at 88
2021 – Ed Shames, US Army paratrooper (WWII), and last surviving officer of the Band of Brothers (101st Airborne-Easy Company 506th Regiment), dies at 99
2023 – Myles Goodwyn, Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter (April Wine – “You Could Have Been a Lady”), and record producer, dies at 75
Historical Events for 3rd December 2025
1676 – Battle of Lund (Scanian War): Swedish army of 8,000 defeats much larger joint Danish/Dutch force of 13,000
1912 – Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece and Bulgaria sign weapons pact
1933 – Funeral of WWI commander Sir Arthur Currie with 150,000 people lining the streets of Montreal – largest Canadian funeral at the time
1983 – 48th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 23-20 in Birmingham
1992 – UN Security Council passes Resolution 794 authorizing US led allied forces to intervene in war-torn Somalia to restore order and allow humanitarian aid to be delivered
2005 – XCOR Aerospace makes first manned rocket aircraft delivery of US Mail in Mojave, California.
2018 – David Attenborough warns collapse of civilisation and the natural world on the horizon at UN climate summit in Poland
2018 – Ballon d’Or: Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modrić wins; first time since 2007 that either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t win award; Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg is inaugural women’s winner
Today in History for 3rd December 2025
Historical Events
1914 – Dutch army opens fire on interned Belgian soldiers: 8 killed
1923 – First Congressional open session broadcast via radio (Washington, D.C.)
1953 – Robert Wright and George Forrest’s musical “Kismet” opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 583 performances, wins Tony Award for Best Musical
1978 – “King of Hearts” closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 48 performances
1984 – Bhopal disaster: A Union Carbide pesticide plant leaks 45 tons of methyl isocyanate and other toxic compounds in Bhopal, India, officially killing 2,259 – other estimates are as high as 16,000 (including later deaths) and over half a million injured
Famous Birthdays
1755 – Gilbert Stuart, American portrait painter (unfinished portrait of George Washington), born in Saunderstown, Rhode Island (d. 1828)
1908 – Edward Underdown, British actor (Beat the Devil, Thunderball), born in London, England (d. 1989)
1914 – Edward “Corky” Cornelius, American jazz trumpeter (Benny Goodman; Gene Krupa), born in Cicero, Indiana (d. 1943)
1918 – Abdul Haris Nasution, Indonesian army general, born in Koetanopan, North Sumatera, Dutch East Indies (d. 2000)
1933 – Rosalind Knight, British stage and screen actress (Friday Night Dinner – “Horrible Grandma”), born in Marylebone (now Westminster), England (d. 2020)
Famous Deaths
1973 – Emile Christian, American jazz trombonist, dies at 78
1999 – John Archer [Ralph Bowman], American actor (Destination: Moon, White Heat, Blue Hawaii), dies of lung cancer at 84
2004 – Shiing-Shen Chern, Chinese mathematician (b. 1911)
2016 – Gigliola Frazzoni, Italian operatic soprano, dies at 93
2023 – Myles Goodwyn, Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter (April Wine – “You Could Have Been a Lady”), and record producer, dies at 75
Famous Deaths for 2nd December 2025
1665 – Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet, French socialite (b. 1588)
1844 – Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko, Polish general and politician, dies at 76
1915 – Jan Malát, Czech composer, pedagogue, and musicologist, dies at 72
1953 – Reginald “Snowy” Baker, Australian boxer (Olympic silver middleweight 1908), rugby union halfback (2 caps) and actor (The Sword of Valor), dies at 69
1953 – Walter “Doc” Meanwell, English Basketball Hall of Fame coach (University of Wisconsin 1911–1917, 1920–1934), dies at 69
1991 – George Lott, American tennis player (12 Grand Slam doubles titles), dies at 85
1997 – Michael Hedges, American new-age guitarist, composer, and singer (Aerial Boundaries), dies in a car accident at 43
2005 – Nat Mayer Shapiro, American visual artist best known for complex paintings, dies at 86
2013 – Jean-Claude Beton, Algerian-born French businessman, entrepreneur and soft-drink manufacturer (Orangina), dies at 88
2014 – Jean Béliveau, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Hart Trophy 1956, 64; Art Ross Trophy 1956; Conn Smythe Trophy 1965; record 17 Stanley Cups), dies at 83
Today in History for 2nd December 2025
Historical Events
1961 – Fidel Castro declares he’s a Marxist and will lead Cuba to Communism
1973 – Capital Centre (USAir Arena) opens in Landover Maryland; NBA’s Washington Bullets beat Seattle SuperSonics, 98-96 in opening game; arena demolished 2002
1984 – Miami quarterback Dan Marino breaks NFL single-season touchdown pass record when he throws his 37th in the Dolphins’ 45-34 loss to the Raiders; finishes season with 48 TD passes
2014 – Hong Kong pro-democracy activists clash with police as they try to surround the government’s headquarters in some of the worst violence since the protests began
2020 – The UK becomes the first western country to authorize a vaccine for COVID-19, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
Famous Birthdays
1920 – Robert Moevs, American composer, born in La Crosse, Wisconsin (d. 2007)
1927 – Jim David, American NFL defensive back (Pro Bowl 1954-59; NFL Champion 1952-53, 57; Detroit Lions), born in Florence, South Carolina (d. 2007)
1931 – Masaaki Hatsumi, Japanese founder and head of the Bujinkan Organization, born in Noda, Chiba, Japan
1939 – Harry Reid, American attorney and politician (U.S. Senator from Nevada, 1987-2017; U.S. House of Representatives, 1983-87), born in Searchlight, Nevada (d. 2021)
1947 – Ntare V [Charles Ndizeye], final King of Burundi (1966), born in Gitega, Burundi, Ruanda-Urundi (d. 1972)
Famous Deaths
1831 – Traugott Maximilian Eberwein, German composer, and Kapellmeister (Court of Schwartzberg-Rudolstadt, 1817-31), dies at 56
1918 – Edmond Rostand, French poet and dramatist (Cyrano de Bergerac), dies during the flu epidemic at 50
1935 – James Henry Breasted, American Egyptologist and anthropologist, dies at 70
2020 – Pamela Tiffin, American actress (One, Two, Three; Viva Max!), dies at 78
2020 – Rafer Johnson, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1960), dies from stroke complications at 86
Famous Deaths for 1st December 2025
1740 – John Abernethy, Irish Protestant minister known as part of the Belfast Society, dies at 60
1901 – George Lohmann, England cricket medium pace bowler (18 Tests, 112 wickets @ 10.75), dies of tuberculosis at 36
1941 – Alva B. Adams, American politician (U.S. Senator from Colorado, 1933-41), dies at 66
1945 – Harvey Bartlett Gaul, American composer, dies at 64
1990 – Jan Hendrik de Groot, Dutch co-founder of Vrij Nederland), dies at 89
1993 – Peter Wood, English session and touring rock keyboardist and songwriter (Sutherland Bros and Quiver; Al Stewart; Joan Armatrading; Lou Reed), dies of injuries from a fall at 43
2003 – Clark Kerr, first Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley (b. 1911)
2008 – Mikel Laboa, Basque singer and songwriter (b. 1934)
2009 – Gustavo Adolfo Palma, Guatemalan singer (b. 1920)
2011 – Ragnhild Hveger, Danish swimmer (Olympic silver 400m freestyle 1936; 44 world records 1938-56), dies at 90
Historical Events for 1st December 2025
1956 – Frank Robinson (NL) and Luis Aparicio (AL) voted Rookie of the Year
1956 – Australian women’s 4 x 100m relay team of Norma Croker, Betty Cuthbert, Fleur Mellor and Shirley Strickland de la Hunty run world record 44.65 to win the gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; Cuthbert’s 3rd gold of the Games
1958 – Our Lady of Angels School fire kills 92 students and 3 nuns in Chicago, Illinois
1967 – Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 52 points in 76ers’ 133-109 win over Seattle SuperSonics; sets NBA record for 22 free throw misses
1971 – Chicago Cubs release longtime star and future Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, ending his 19-year MLB career; announce Banks will serve as a coach on manager Leo Durocher’s staff; Banks finishes with 512 home runs and 1,636 RBI
1976 – Angola admitted to the UN
1984 – American tennis icon Chris Evert wins her 1,000th career professional match; beats Pascale Paradis of France 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 in the round of 16 at the Australian Open; Evert goes on to win the event
1994 – Ernesto Zedillo is inaugurated as president of Mexico