December 24

Pre-1600

 * 502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate.
 * 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death.
 * 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.
 * 971 – Battle of Ayn Shams: The Fatimids under Jawhar defeat the Qarmatians at the gates of Cairo, putting an end to the First Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.
 * 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.
 * 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned.
 * 1500 – A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia.

1601–1900

 * 1737 – The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal.
 * 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.
 * 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte.
 * 1814 – Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.
 * 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the Nikolauskirche in Oberndorf, Austria.
 * 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning.
 * 1846 – British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain.
 * 1865 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan.
 * 1868 – The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I.
 * 1871 – The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt.

1901–present

 * 1906 – Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
 * 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 striking workers families at a Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire".
 * 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins.
 * 1918 – Region of Međimurje is captured by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from Hungary.
 * 1920 – Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian Armed Forces.
 * 1924 – Albania becomes a republic.
 * 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.
 * 1929  – A four alarm fire breaks out in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C.
 * 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace.
 * 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces.
 * 1941  – World War II: Benghazi is conquered by the British Eighth Army.
 * 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria.
 * 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for Operation Overlord.
 * 1944 – World War II: The Belgian Troopship Leopoldville was torpedoed and sank with the loss of 763 soldiers and 56 crew.
 * 1945 – Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down.
 * 1951 – Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya.
 * 1952 – First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber.
 * 1953 – Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people.
 * 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital.
 * 1964  – Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 crashes after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, killing three.
 * 1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 111.
 * 1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits, took the Earthrise photograph, broadcast live TV pictures, and read the first ten verses of Genesis.
 * 1969 – Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital.
 * 1971 – LANSA Flight 508 is struck by lightning and crashes in the Puerto Inca District in the Department of Huánuco in Peru, killing 91.
 * 1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
 * 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.
 * 1983 – Aeroflot Flight 601 crashes during takeoff from Leshukonskoye Airport, killing 44 of the 49 people on board.
 * 1994 – Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists.
 * 1996 – A Learjet 35 crashes into Smarts Mountain near Dorchester, New Hampshire, killing both pilots on board.
 * 1997 – The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people.
 * 1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed).
 * 2003 – The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.
 * 2005 – Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of belligerence against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.
 * 2008 – The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400.
 * 2018 – A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor.
 * 2021 – Burmese military forces commit the Mo So massacre, killing at least 44 civilians.

Pre-1600

 * 3 BC – Galba, Roman emperor (d. 69)
 * 1166 – John, King of England (d. 1216)
 * 1389 – John V, Duke of Brittany (d. 1442)
 * 1474 – Bartolomeo degli Organi, Italian musician (d. 1539)
 * 1475 – Thomas Murner, German poet and translator (d. 1537)
 * 1508 – Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian scholar (d. 1567)
 * 1520 – Martha Leijonhufvud, Swedish noble (d. 1584)
 * 1537 – Willem IV van den Bergh, Stadtholder of Guelders and Zutphen (d. 1586)
 * 1549 – Kaspar Ulenberg, German theologian (d. 1617)
 * 1588 – Constance of Austria (d. 1631)
 * 1596 – Leonaert Bramer, Dutch painter (d. 1674)
 * 1597 – Honoré II, Prince of Monaco (d. 1662)

1601–1900

 * 1625 – Johann Rudolph Ahle, German organist, composer, and theorist (d. 1673)
 * 1635 – Mariana of Austria (d. 1696)
 * 1679 – Domenico Sarro, Italian composer and educator (d. 1744)
 * 1698 – William Warburton, English bishop (d. 1779)
 * 1726 – Johann Hartmann, Danish composer (d. 1793)
 * 1731 – Julie Bondeli, Swiss salonist and lady of letters (d. 1778)
 * 1754 – George Crabbe, English priest, surgeon, and poet (d. 1832)
 * 1761 – Selim III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1808)
 * 1761  – Jean-Louis Pons, French astronomer (d. 1831)
 * 1797 – Carl Georg von Wächter, German jurist (d. 1880)
 * 1798 – Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet and playwright (d. 1855)
 * 1809 – Kit Carson, American general (d. 1868)
 * 1810 – Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter and illustrator (d. 1873)
 * 1812 – Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German lawyer and jurist (d. 1894)
 * 1818 – James Prescott Joule, English physicist and brewer (d. 1889)
 * 1822 – Matthew Arnold, English poet and critic (d. 1888)
 * 1827 – Alexander von Oettingen, German theologian and statistician (d. 1905)
 * 1837 – Empress Elisabeth of Austria (d. 1898)
 * 1843 – Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet and playwright (d. 1886)
 * 1845 – George I of Greece (d. 1913)
 * 1865 – Szymon Askenazy, Polish historian, educator, and diplomat, founded the Askenazy school (d. 1935)
 * 1867 – Tevfik Fikret, Turkish poet and educator (d. 1915)
 * 1868 – Charles Harvey Bollman, American naturalist (d. 1889)
 * 1868  – Emanuel Lasker, German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1941)
 * 1869 – Henriette Roland Holst, Dutch poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1952)
 * 1872 – Frederick Semple, American golfer and tennis player (d. 1927)
 * 1875 – Émile Wegelin, French rower (d. 1962)
 * 1877 – Sigrid Schauman, Finnish painter and critic (d. 1979)
 * 1879 – Émile Nelligan, Canadian poet (d. 1941)
 * 1879  – Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1952)
 * 1880 – Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (d. 1939)
 * 1881 – Charles Wakefield Cadman, American composer and critic (d. 1946)
 * 1882 – Hans Rebane, Estonian journalist and politician, 8th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1961)
 * 1882  – Georges Legagneux, French aviator (d. 1914)
 * 1883 – Stefan Jaracz, Polish actor and producer (d. 1945)
 * 1885 – Paul Manship, American sculptor (d. 1966)
 * 1886 – Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1962)
 * 1887 – Louis Jouvet, French actor and producer (d. 1951)
 * 1887  – Axel Revold, Norwegian painter (d. 1962)
 * 1891 – Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky, Russian illustrator and painter (d. 1970)
 * 1892 – Ruth Chatterton, American actress (d. 1961)
 * 1893  – Harry Warren, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
 * 1894 – Georges Guynemer, French captain and pilot (d. 1917)
 * 1894  – Jack Thayer, American businessman (d. 1945)
 * 1895 – E. Roland Harriman, American financier and philanthropist (d. 1978)
 * 1895  – Noel Streatfeild, English author (d. 1986)
 * 1895  – Marguerite Williams, American geologist (d. 1991)
 * 1897 – Ville Pörhölä, Finnish shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1964)
 * 1897  – Väinö Sipilä, Finnish runner (d. 1987)
 * 1898 – Baby Dodds, American drummer (d. 1959)
 * 1900 – Joey Smallwood, Canadian journalist and politician, 1st Premier of Newfoundland (d. 1991)
 * 1900  – Hawayo Takata, Japanese-American teacher and master practitioner of Reiki (d. 1980)

1901–present

 * 1903 – Joseph Cornell, American sculptor and director (d. 1972)
 * 1903  – Ernst Krenkel, Polish-Russian geographer and explorer (d. 1971)
 * 1903  – Ava Helen Pauling, American humanitarian and activist (d. 1981)
 * 1904 – Joseph M. Juran, Romanian-American engineer and businessman (d. 2008)
 * 1905 – Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, and pilot (d. 1976)
 * 1906 – Franz Waxman, German-American composer and conductor (d. 1967)
 * 1907 – I. F. Stone, American journalist and author (d. 1989)
 * 1910 – Ellen Braumüller, German javelin thrower and triathlete (d. 1991)
 * 1910  – Fritz Leiber, American author and poet (d. 1992)
 * 1910  – Max Miedinger, Swiss typeface designer, created Helvetica (d. 1980)
 * 1913 – Ad Reinhardt, American painter and academic (d. 1967)
 * 1914 – Ralph Marterie, Italian-American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 1978)
 * 1914  – Herbert Reinecker, German author and screenwriter (d. 2007)
 * 1918 – Dave Bartholomew, American bandleader, composer and arranger (d. 2019)
 * 1919 – Qateel Shifai, Pakistani poet and songwriter (d. 2001)
 * 1919  – Pierre Soulages, French artist (d. 2022)
 * 1920 – Franco Lucentini, Italian author and screenwriter (d. 2002)
 * 1920  – Yevgeniya Rudneva, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant and navigator (d. 1944)
 * 1921 – Bill Dudley, American football player (d. 2010)
 * 1922 – Ava Gardner, American actress (d. 1990)
 * 1923 – George Patton IV, American general (d. 2004)
 * 1923  – William C. Schneider, American aerospace engineer (d. 1999)
 * 1924 – Lee Dorsey, American singer-songwriter (d. 1986)
 * 1924  – Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian soldier and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (d. 2014)
 * 1924  – Mohammed Rafi, Indian singer (d. 1980)
 * 1927 – Mary Higgins Clark, American author (d. 2020)
 * 1928 – Adam Exner, Canadian Roman Catholic prelate (d. 2023)
 * 1928  – Norman Rossington, English actor (d. 1999)
 * 1928  – Lev Vlassenko, Georgian-Australian pianist and educator (d. 1996)
 * 1929 – Lennart Skoglund, Swedish footballer (d. 1975)
 * 1929  – Red Sullivan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2019)
 * 1929  – Philip Ziegler, English historian and author (d. 2023)
 * 1930 – Robert Joffrey, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1988)
 * 1930  – John J. Kelley, American runner (d. 2011)
 * 1931 – Ray Bryant, American pianist and composer (d. 2011)
 * 1931  – Mauricio Kagel, Argentinian-German composer and scholar (d. 2008)
 * 1932 – Colin Cowdrey, Indian-English cricketer (d. 2000)
 * 1932  – On Kawara, Japanese-American painter (d. 2014)
 * 1934 – John Critchinson, English pianist and composer (d. 2017)
 * 1934  – Alex Hutchinson, Australian jazz musician
 * 1934  – Stjepan Mesić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Croatia
 * 1936 – Ivan Lawrence, English lawyer and politician
 * 1937 – Félix, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
 * 1937  – John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney, Northern Irish politician, Irish Minister of Home Affairs
 * 1938 – Bobby Henrich, American baseball player
 * 1938  – Valentim Loureiro, Portuguese soldier and politician
 * 1940 – Janet Carroll, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
 * 1940  – Anthony Fauci, American physician, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
 * 1941 – Mike Hazlewood, English singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
 * 1942 – Indra Bania, Indian actor, director, and playwright (d. 2015)
 * 1942  – Jonathan Borofsky, American sculptor and painter
 * 1942  – Đoàn Viết Hoạt, Vietnamese journalist, educator, and activist
 * 1943 – Tarja Halonen, Finnish lawyer and politician, 11th President of Finland
 * 1943  – Suzy Menkes, English journalist and critic
 * 1944 – Barry Elliott, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2018)
 * 1944  – Mike Curb, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California
 * 1944  – Oswald Gracias, Indian cardinal
 * 1944  – Daniel Johnson, Jr., Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Premier of Quebec
 * 1944  – Erhard Keller, German speed skater
 * 1944  – Bob Shaw, Australian golfer
 * 1944  – Woody Shaw, American trumpeter (d. 1989)
 * 1945 – Lemmy, English hard rock singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2015)
 * 1945  – Nicholas Meyer, American screenwriter, film director, and author
 * 1945  – Steve Smith, Canadian-American actor and comedian
 * 1946 – Jan Akkerman, Dutch rock guitarist and songwriter
 * 1946  – Jeff Sessions, American lawyer and politician, 44th Attorney General of Alabama and 84th Attorney General of the United States
 * 1947 – Kevin Sheedy, Australian footballer and coach
 * 1948 – Stan Bowles, English footballer and sportscaster (d. 2024)
 * 1948  – Frank Oliver, New Zealand rugby player and coach (d. 2014)
 * 1949 – Warwick Brown, Australian race car driver
 * 1949  – Randy Neugebauer, American accountant and politician
 * 1950 – Dana Gioia, American poet and critic
 * 1950  – Hiroshi Ikushima, Japanese businessman and academic
 * 1950  – Libby Larsen, American composer
 * 1950  – Tommy Turtle, British soldier (d. 2020)
 * 1951 – John D'Acquisto, American baseball player
 * 1951  – Nick Kent, English-French journalist and author
 * 1952 – Michael Ray, American jazz musician
 * 1953 – Timothy Carhart, American actor
 * 1954 – Yves Debay, Congolese-French commander and journalist (d. 2013)
 * 1954  – José María Figueres, Costa Rican businessman and politician, President of Costa Rica (1994-1998)
 * 1954  – Helen Jones, English lawyer and politician
 * 1955 – Grand L. Bush, American actor
 * 1955  – Scott Fischer, American mountaineer and guide (d. 1996)
 * 1955  – Clarence Gilyard, American actor and educator (d. 2022)
 * 1956 – Shim Hwa-jin, South Korean academic and educator
 * 1956  – Anil Kapoor, Indian actor and producer
 * 1957 – Hamid Karzai, Afghan politician, 12th President of Afghanistan
 * 1958 – Munetaka Higuchi, Japanese drummer and producer (d. 2008)
 * 1958  – Paul Pressey, American basketball player and coach
 * 1958  – Gene Sperling, American economist
 * 1958  – Diane Tell, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1959 – Chris Blackhurst, English journalist
 * 1959  – Lee Daniels, American director and producer
 * 1960 – Glenn McQueen, Canadian-American animator (d. 2002)
 * 1960  – Carol Vorderman, Welsh television host
 * 1961 – Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani businessman and politician, 4th President of Azerbaijan
 * 1961  – Mary Barra, American businesswoman, current CEO and chairwoman of General Motors
 * 1961  – Eriko Kitagawa, Japanese director and screenwriter
 * 1961  – Darren Wharton, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
 * 1961  – Wade Williams, American actor
 * 1961  – Jay Wright, American basketball player and coach
 * 1962 – Kate Spade, American fashion designer (d. 2018)
 * 1963 – Caroline Aherne, English actress, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
 * 1963  – Jay Bilas, American basketball player and sportscaster
 * 1963  – Timo Jutila, Finnish ice hockey player and sportscaster
 * 1963  – Mary Ramsey, American singer-songwriter and violinist
 * 1963  – Neil Turbin, American singer-songwriter
 * 1964 – Mark Valley, American actor
 * 1965 – Millard Powers, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
 * 1966 – Diedrich Bader, American actor
 * 1967 – Mikhail Shchennikov, Russian race walker
 * 1967  – Pernilla Wahlgren, Swedish singer and actress
 * 1968 – Doyle Bramhall II, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1968  – Marleen Renders, Belgian runner
 * 1969 – Milan Blagojevic, Australian footballer and manager
 * 1969  – Pernille Fischer Christensen, Danish director and screenwriter
 * 1969  – Taro Goto, Japanese soccer player
 * 1969  – Leavander Johnson, American boxer (d. 2005)
 * 1969  – Ryuji Kato, Japanese soccer player
 * 1969  – Nick Love, English director and screenwriter
 * 1969  – Ed Miliband, English academic and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office
 * 1969  – Mark Millar, Scottish author
 * 1969  – Luis Musrri, Chilean footballer and manager
 * 1969  – Oleg Skripochka, Russian astronaut and engineer
 * 1969  – Gintaras Staučė, Lithuanian footballer and manager
 * 1970 – Adam Haslett, American author and academic
 * 1970  – Amaury Nolasco, Puerto Rican actor
 * 1971 – Geoff Allott, New Zealand cricketer
 * 1971  – Sascha Fischer, German rugby player
 * 1971  – Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and actor
 * 1972 – Álvaro Mesén, Costa Rican footballer
 * 1972  – Klaus Schnellenkamp, Chilean businessman and author
 * 1973 – Liu Dong, Chinese-Spanish runner
 * 1973  – Paul Foot, English comedian
 * 1973  – Stephenie Meyer, American author and film producer
 * 1973  – Ali Salem Tamek, Moroccan activist
 * 1974 – Thure Lindhardt, Danish actor
 * 1974  – Paal Nilssen-Love, Norwegian drummer and composer
 * 1974  – Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer
 * 1974  – Ryan Seacrest, American radio host and television personality, and producer
 * 1974  – J.D. Walsh, American actor, director, and producer
 * 1976 – Linda Ferga, French hurdler
 * 1977 – Michael Raymond-James, American actor
 * 1978 – Yıldıray Baştürk, German-Turkish footballer
 * 1978  – Warren Tredrea, Australian footballer and sportscaster
 * 1979 – Chris Hero, American wrestler and trainer
 * 1980 – Stephen Appiah, Ghanaian footballer
 * 1980  – Tomas Kalnoky, Czech-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1980  – Maarja-Liis Ilus, Estonian pop musician
 * 1981 – Dima Bilan, Russian singer-songwriter and actor
 * 1983 – Gregor Blanco, Venezuelan baseball player
 * 1983  – Tim Jennings, American football player
 * 1984 – Isaac De Gois, Australian rugby league player
 * 1984  – Austin Stowell, American actor
 * 1985 – Alexey Dmitriev, German ice hockey player
 * 1985  – David Ragan, American race car driver
 * 1986 – Tim Elliott, American mixed martial artist
 * 1986  – Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukrainian basketball player
 * 1987 – Jane Summersett, American ice dancer
 * 1988 – Stefanos Athanasiadis, Greek footballer
 * 1988  – Emre Özkan, Turkish footballer
 * 1988  – Simon Zenke, Nigerian footballer
 * 1989 – Matt Calvert, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1990 – Brigetta Barrett, American high jumper
 * 1990  – Marcus Jordan, American basketball player
 * 1990  – Ryo Miyake, Japanese fencer
 * 1991 – Sofia Black-D'Elia, American actress
 * 1991  – Lara Michel, Swiss tennis player
 * 1991  – Eric Moreland, American basketball player
 * 1991  – Louis Tomlinson, English singer
 * 1991  – Taylor Zakhar Perez, American actor
 * 1992 – Davante Adams, American football player
 * 1992  – P. J. Hairston, American basketball player
 * 1994 – Fa'amanu Brown, New Zealand rugby league player
 * 1994  – Miguel Castro, Dominican baseball player
 * 1994  – Matt Frawley, Australian rugby league player
 * 1994  – Han Seung-woo, South Korean singer
 * 1995 – Anett Kontaveit, Estonian tennis player
 * 1998 – Alexis Mac Allister, Argentine footballer
 * 2002 – Joshua Primo, Canadian basketball player

Pre-1600

 * 36 – Gongsun Shu, emperor of Chengjia
 * 427 – Archbishop Sisinnius I of Constantinople
 * 903 – Hedwiga, duchess of Saxony
 * 950 – Shi Hongzhao, Chinese general
 * 950  – Wang Zhang, Chinese official
 * 950  – Yang Bin, Chinese chancellor
 * 1193 – Roger III of Sicily (b. 1175)
 * 1257 – John I, Count of Hainaut (b. 1218)
 * 1263 – Hōjō Tokiyori, regent of Japan (b. 1227)
 * 1281 – Henry V of Luxembourg (b. 1216)
 * 1449 – Walter Bower, Scottish chronicler (b. 1385)
 * 1453 – John Dunstaple, English composer (b. 1390)
 * 1456 – Đurađ Branković, Despot of Serbia (b. 1377)
 * 1473 – John Cantius, Polish scholar and theologian (b. 1390)
 * 1524 – Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (b. 1469)
 * 1541 – Andreas Karlstadt, Christian theologian and reformer (b. 1486)

1601–1900

 * 1635 – Hester Jonas, German nurse (b. 1570)
 * 1660 – Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1631)
 * 1707 – Noël Coypel, French painter and educator (b. 1628)
 * 1813 – Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1740)
 * 1844 – Friedrich Bernhard Westphal, Danish-German painter (b. 1803)
 * 1863 – William Makepeace Thackeray, English author and poet (b. 1811)
 * 1865 – Charles Lock Eastlake, English painter and historian (b. 1793)
 * 1867 – José Mariano Salas, Mexican general and politician. President of Mexico (1846, 1859) and regent of the Second Mexican Empire (b. 1797)
 * 1868 – Adolphe d'Archiac, French paleontologist and geologist (b. 1802)
 * 1872 – William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish physicist and engineer (b. 1820)
 * 1873 – Johns Hopkins, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1795)
 * 1879 – Anna Bochkoltz, German operatic soprano, voice teacher and composer (b. 1815)
 * 1889 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch pastor and poet (b. 1819)
 * 1893 – B. T. Finniss, Australian politician, 1st Premier of South Australia (b. 1807)
 * 1898 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese priest and saint (b. 1828)

1901–present

 * 1914 – John Muir, Scottish-American geologist, botanist, and author, founded Sierra Club (b. 1838)
 * 1920 – Stephen Mosher Wood, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1832)
 * 1923 – Joe Lacey, Irish Hunger Striker died during the 1923 Irish hunger strikes (b. 1895)
 * 1926 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, hammer thrower, and discus thrower (b. 1879)
 * 1931 – Carlo Fornasini, micropalaeontologist (b. 1854)
 * 1931  – Flying Hawk, American warrior, educator and historian (b. 1854)
 * 1935 – Alban Berg, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1885)
 * 1938 – Bruno Taut, German architect and urban planner (b. 1880)
 * 1941 – Siegfried Alkan, German composer (b. 1858)
 * 1942 – François Darlan, French admiral and politician, 122nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1881)
 * 1945 – Josephine Sabel, American singer and comedian (b. 1866)
 * 1947 – Charles Gondouin, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (b. 1875)
 * 1957 – Norma Talmadge, American actress and producer (b. 1894)
 * 1961 – Robert Hillyer, American poet and academic (b. 1895)
 * 1962 – Wilhelm Ackermann, German mathematician (b. 1896)
 * 1962  – Eveline Adelheid von Maydell, German illustrator (b. 1890)
 * 1964 – Claudia Jones, Trinidad-British journalist and activist (b. 1915)
 * 1965 – John Black, English businessman (b. 1895)
 * 1965  – William M. Branham, American minister and theologian (b. 1906)
 * 1967 – Burt Baskin, American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1913)
 * 1969 – Stanisław Błeszyński, Polish-German entomologist and lepidopterist (b. 1927)
 * 1969  – Cortelia Clark, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1907)
 * 1969  – Olivia FitzRoy, English soldier and author (b. 1921)
 * 1969  – Alfred B. Skar, Norwegian journalist and politician (b. 1896)
 * 1971 – Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (b. 1924)
 * 1972 – Gisela Richter, English-American archaeologist and historian (b. 1882)
 * 1973 – Fritz Gause, German historian and author (b. 1893)
 * 1975 – Bernard Herrmann, American composer and conductor (b. 1911)
 * 1977 – Samael Aun Weor, Colombian author and educator (b. 1917)
 * 1980 – Karl Dönitz, German admiral and politician, President of Germany (b. 1891)
 * 1982 – Louis Aragon, French author and poet (b. 1897)
 * 1984 – Peter Lawford, English-American actor (b. 1923)
 * 1985 – Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, American lawyer (b. 1904)
 * 1985  – Camille Tourville, Canadian-American wrestler and manager (b. 1927)
 * 1986 – Gardner Fox, American author (b. 1911)
 * 1987 – Joop den Uyl, Dutch journalist, economist, and politician, 45th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1919)
 * 1987  – M. G. Ramachandran, Sri Lankan-Indian actor, producer, and politician, 5th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (b. 1917)
 * 1988 – Jainendra Kumar, Indian author (b. 1905)
 * 1990 – Thorbjørn Egner, Norwegian playwright and songwriter (b. 1922)
 * 1991 – Virginia Sorensen, American author (b. 1912)
 * 1992 – Bobby LaKind, American singer-songwriter and conga player (b. 1945)
 * 1992  – James Mathews, Australian rugby league player (b. 1968)
 * 1992  – Peyo, Belgian cartoonist, created The Smurfs (b. 1928)
 * 1993 – Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (b. 1898)
 * 1994 – John Boswell, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1947)
 * 1994  – Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor (b. 1916)
 * 1997 – James Komack, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
 * 1997  – Toshiro Mifune, Chinese-Japanese actor and producer (b. 1920)
 * 1997  – Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (b. 1925)
 * 1998 – Syl Apps, Canadian ice hockey player and pole vaulter (b. 1915)
 * 1999 – Bill Bowerman, American runner, coach, and businessman, co-founded Nike, Inc. (b. 1911)
 * 1999  – Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, 152nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1907)
 * 1999  – João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (b. 1918)
 * 1999  – William C. Schneider, American aerospace engineer (b. 1923)
 * 2000 – John Cooper, English businessman, co-founded the Cooper Car Company (b. 1923)
 * 2002 – Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1920)
 * 2002  – Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
 * 2004 – Johnny Oates, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
 * 2006 – Braguinha, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1907)
 * 2006  – Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer (b. 1961)
 * 2006  – Frank Stanton, American businessman (b. 1908)
 * 2007 – Nicholas Pumfrey, English lawyer and judge (b. 1951)
 * 2007  – George Warrington, American businessman (b. 1952)
 * 2008 – Ralph Harris, British journalist (b. 1921)
 * 2008  – Harold Pinter, English playwright, screenwriter, director, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1930)
 * 2009 – Marcus Bakker, Dutch journalist and politician (b. 1923)
 * 2009  – Rafael Caldera,  Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela (b. 1916)
 * 2009  – George Michael, American sportscaster (b. 1939)
 * 2009  – Gero von Wilpert, German author and academic (b. 1933)
 * 2010 – Elisabeth Beresford, English journalist and author (b. 1926)
 * 2010  – Frans de Munck, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1922)
 * 2010  – Orestes Quércia, Brazilian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of São Paulo State (b. 1938)
 * 2010  – Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (b. 1930)
 * 2011 – Johannes Heesters, Dutch-German entertainer (b. 1903)
 * 2012 – Richard Rodney Bennett, English-American composer and academic (b. 1936)
 * 2012  – Charles Durning, American soldier and actor (b. 1923)
 * 2012  – Jack Klugman, American actor (b. 1922)
 * 2012  – Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (b. 1954)
 * 2013 – Frédéric Back, German-Canadian director, animator, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
 * 2013  – Ian Barbour, Chinese-American author and scholar (b. 1923)
 * 2013  – John M. Goldman, English haematologist and oncologist (b. 1938)
 * 2013  – Allan McKeown, English-American screenwriter and producer (b. 1946)
 * 2014 – Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player (b. 1923)
 * 2014  – Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (b. 1944)
 * 2014  – Herbert Harris, American lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
 * 2014  – Krzysztof Krauze, Polish director and screenwriter (b. 1953)
 * 2015 – Turid Birkeland, Norwegian businesswoman and politician, Norwegian Minister of Culture (b. 1962)
 * 2015  – Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, Filipino journalist (b. 1941)
 * 2015  – Adriana Olguín, Chilean lawyer and politician, Chilean Minister of Justice (b. 1911)
 * 2016 – Rick Parfitt, British musician (b. 1948)
 * 2016  – Liz Smith, English actress (b. 1921)
 * 2016  – Richard Adams, English author (b. 1920)
 * 2016  – Ben Xi, Chinese singer (b.1994)
 * 2017 – Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (b. 1935)
 * 2017  – Heather Menzies, Canadian-American model and actress (b. 1949)
 * 2018 – Martha Érika Alonso, Governor of Puebla (b. 1973)
 * 2018  – Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor of Puebla (b. 1968)
 * 2023 – Cheri Barry, American politician and mayor of Meridian, Mississippi (b. 1955)
 * 2023  – Richard Bowes, American science fiction author (b. 1944)
 * 2023  – Troy Dargan, Cook Islands rugby league footballer (b. 1997)

Holidays and observances

 * Christian feast day:
 * Adela and Irmina
 * Paola Elisabetta Cerioli
 * Adam and Eve
 * December 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances:
 * Aðfangadagskvöld, the day when the 13th and the last Yule Lad arrives to towns. (Iceland)
 * Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian Americans)
 * Juleaften (Denmark)/Julaften (Norway)/Julafton (Sweden)
 * Nittel Nacht (certain Orthodox Jewish denominations)
 * Nochebuena (Spain and Spanish-speaking countries)
 * The Declaration of Christmas Peace (Old Great Square of Turku, Finland's official Christmas City)
 * Wigilia (Poland)
 * Quviasukvik, the Inuit new year (Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia)
 * Kūčios (Lithuania)
 * Independence Day (Libya)
 * Day of Military Honour – Siege of Ismail (Russia)