Historical Events
1926 – Detective novelist Agatha Christie mysteriously disappears for 11 days
1961 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 – Pioneer 10 passes Jupiter (1st fly-by of an outer planet) [Dec 4-GMT]
1979 – Shadow Traffic begins broadcasting in the New York City metropolitan area.
1982 – 77°F highest December temperature ever recorded in Cleveland, Ohio
2019 – Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin announce they are stepping down from roles at parent company Alphabet, Sundar Pichai to become head of both
Famous Birthdays
1483 – Nicolaus von Amsdorf, German reformation theologist, born in Torgau, Saxony (d. 1565)
1857 – Joseph Conrad, Polish-English novelist (Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness), born in Berdychiv, Poland (d. 1924)
1883 – Anton (Friedrich Wilhelm) von Webern, Austrian 12-tone composer, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1945)
1973 – Francisco Islas Rueda [Super Crazy], Mexican pro wrestler (WWE; NJPW, Zero-1, AJPW), born in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico
1978 – Trina [Katrina Laverne Taylor], American rapper (Glamorest Life), born in Miami, Florida
1985 – Amanda Seyfried, American actress (Mamma Mia, The Dropout), born in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Famous Deaths
1765 – Lord John Sackville, English politician (MP Tamworth 1734-47) and cricketer (Kent CCC), dies at 52
1960 – Hermann Stephani, German organist, and musicologist, dies at 83
1976 – Mary Nash, actress (Philadelphia Story, Till the Clouds Roll By), dies at 91
1993 – Lewis Thomas, biologist, dies of cancer at 80
1997 – Violet Carlson, American Broadway actress (The Student Prince), dies at 97
2017 – John B. Anderson, American politician and 1980 Republican presidential candidate, dies at 95