Historical Events
Pietro Badoglio Resigns
Dec 6 Pietro Badoglio resigns as viceroy of Ethiopia
- Dec 7 CFL Grey Cup (Game 2), Lansdowne Park, Ottawa: Ottawa beats Toronto Balmy Beach, 12-5
- Dec 7 North Africa: British counter offensive under general O'Connor
- Dec 7 The first prototype Fairey Barracuda flew
- Dec 8 National Football League Championship, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Chicago Bears beat Washington Redskins, 73-0; most one-sided victory in NFL history; first NFL title game broadcast on national radio
- Dec 9 British assault on Benghazi, Libya: first major allied offensive in North Africa
- Dec 9 Illegal Jewish immigrants to Haifa are deported to Mauritius
- Dec 9 South Australia all out for 47 v NSW, O'Reilly 5-11
Harmon 1st Draft Pick
Dec 10 1941 NFL Draft: Tom Harmon from University of Michigan first pick by Chicago Bears
- Dec 10 British anti-offensive in Libya (Sidi Barrani)
Warning of German Assault
Dec 11 Russian general Georgy Zhukov warns of German assault
- Dec 17 British troops occupy Sollum, Egypt
Connie Mack Acquires Athletics
Dec 20 Connie Mack acquires controlling interest in the Athletics for $42,000
- Dec 22 World War II: Himarë is captured by the Greek army.
"Old Acquaintance"
Dec 23 John Van Druten's play "Old Acquaintance" premieres on Broadway in NYC
Bradman's Christmas Duck
Dec 25 Cricket master batsman Don Bradman is dismissed for a Xmas Day first ball duck (0) for South Australia v Victoria in a Sheffield Shield match at the Adelaide Oval
"Pal Joey"
Dec 25 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's musical "Pal Joey", starring Gene Kelly and Vivienne Segal, opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (later transferring to Shubert, and then the St. James), NYC; runs for 374 performances
"The Philadelphia Story"
Dec 26 "The Philadelphia Story" film directed by George Cukor, based on the Broadway play of the same name, starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart, is released (Academy Awards Best Actor 1941)
'Hitler Will Have to Break Us or Lose the War'
Dec 29 Worst German air raid on London as over 10,000 bombs including the 1st incendiary bombs are dropped on the city as part of the Blitz
- Dec 30 California's 1st freeway, (Arroyo Seco Parkway), opens
Famous Birthdays
- Dec 1 Matthias Habich, German actor (Straight to the Heart, Downfall), born in Danzig, Germany
- Dec 1 Mike Denness, English cricket batsman and captain (28 Tests, top score 188), born in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 2013)
Richard Pryor (1940-2005)
Dec 1 American Emmy and 5X Grammy Award-winning comedian (Live on the Sunset Strip), actor (Silver Streak; Stir Crazy), and screenwriter (Blazing Saddles), born in Peoria, Illinois
- Dec 1 Ron Finn, Canadian NHL linesman (2,373 regular season games, 2 x All-Star games, Rendez-vous '87 and 4 x Canada Cups), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Dec 2 Constance "Connie" Booth, American writer, actress, comedienne and psychotherapist (Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and the Holy Grail), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Dec 2 Gerry Cheevers, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame goalie and broadcaster (longest undefeated streak-32 games 1972; Boston Bruins), born in St. Catharines, Ontario
- Dec 2 Jonathan Sheppard. English-born American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame horse racing trainer (4X Breeder's Cup Grand National Steeplechase;, record 1,242 steeplechase victories), born in Ashwell, Hertfordshire, England (d. 2023)
- Dec 2 Willie Brown, American Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback, coach and executive (Super Bowl 1976, 80, 84; Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders), born in Yazoo City, Mississippi (d. 2019)
- Dec 3 Jeffrey R. Holland, American religious leader
- Dec 3 Kishin Shinoyama, Japanese photographer, including album cover art (Saori Minami; John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy), born in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
- Dec 4 Freddy Cannon [Picariello], American rocker ("Palisades Park"), born in Revere, Massachusetts [some sources give year as 1936]
- Dec 4 Gary Gilmore, American murderer, born in McCamey, Texas (d. 1977)
- Dec 5 Adrian Street, Welsh professional wrestler, born in Brynmawr, Brecknockshire, Wales
- Dec 5 Peter Pohl, Swedish writer, born in Hamburg, Germany
- Dec 6 Jay Leonhart, American session and touring jazz and pop double bassist and songwriter (The Bass Lesson), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Dec 6 Lawrence Bergman, Canadian politician, born in Montreal, Quebec
- Dec 7 Kumar Shahani, Indian writer and director (Kasbam Tarang, Maya Darpan), born in Larkana, Sindh
- Dec 7 Stan Boardman, English comedian, born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England
- Dec 8 Brant Alyea, American baseball player
- Dec 8 Jenny Linden, English actress (Hedda, Dr Who & the Daleks), born in Worthing, Sussex, England
- Dec 9 Sammy Strain, American pop and R&B singer (Little Anthony & The Imperials, 1958–72; 1992–2005 - "Hurt So Bad"; The O'Jays, 1975–1992 - "Use Ta Be My Girl"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Dec 10 William Fred Dempster, crew member (Biosphere 2), born in Berkeley, California
- Dec 11 Donna Mills, American actress (Knots Landing, Incident), born in Chicago, Illinois
Dionne Warwick (83 years old)
Dec 12 American singer ("I Say a Little Prayer"; "Do You Know The Way to San Jose"; "That's What Friends Are For"), born in East Orange, New Jersey
- Dec 12 Sharad Pawar, Indian politician (founded Nationalist Congress Party in 1999), born in Baramati, Bombay Presidency, British India
- Dec 12 Shirley Englehorn, American golfer (Women's PGA C'ship 1970), born in Caldwell, Idaho (d. 2022)
- Dec 13 Edith Clever, German actress (Parsifal, L'Adolescente), born in Wuppertal, Germany
- Dec 13 Steve Harmon, American actor (Ens Pulver-Mr Roberts), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Dec 14 Lex Gold, Scottish footballer, born in Lanark, Scotland
- Dec 15 Nick Buoniconti, American NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins) and sportscaster (NBC), born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 2019)
- Dec 16 Dimitri van Toren, Dutch singer-songwriter, born in Breda, Netherlands (d. 2015)
- Dec 17 Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist
- Dec 18 Bramwell Morrison, Canadian member of children's music group Sharon, Lois & Bram, born in Toronto, Ontario
- Dec 18 Ilario Castagner, Italian soccer manager (Perugia, Lazio, AC Milan, Internazionale, Ascoli) and striker (Perugia, AC Prato), born in Vittorio Veneto, Italy (d. 2023)
- Dec 19 Phil Ochs, American anti-war folk singer (Joe Hill; The War is Over; I Ain't Marchin' Anymore), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 1976)
- Dec 20 Larry Willis, American jazz pianist and composer, born in New York City (d. 2019)
Frank Zappa (1940-1993)
Dec 21 American rock guitarist, composer, (Mothers of Invention - "Peaches en Regalia"; "Baby Snakes"), activist, and filmmaker (200 Motels), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Dec 21 Kálmán Sóvári, Hungarian soccer defender (17 caps; Újpesti Dózsa, VM Egyetértés), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2020)
- Dec 21 Ray Hildebrand, American pop and contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter (Paul & Paula - "Hey Paula; Land and Hildebrand), born in Joshua, Texas (d. 2023)
- Dec 21 Tony Rivers [Thompson], British pop singer and vocal arranger (Harmony Grass; Cliff Richard), born in Shildon, England
- Dec 23 Eugene Record, American musician (Chi Lites - "Give It Away"; "Have You Seen Her"), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2005)
- Dec 23 Jorma Kaukonen, American rock guitarist (Jefferson Airplane; Hot Tuna), born in Washington, D.C.
- Dec 23 Robert Labine, French Canadian politician, born in Québec, Canada
Anthony Fauci (83 years old)
Dec 24 American immunologist (White House COVID-19 taskforce), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Dec 24 Grigory Kriss, Russian fencer (Olympic gold individual epée 1964; silver ind. & team epée 1968; bronze team epée 1972), born in Kiev, Ukraine
- Dec 24 Paul Tagliabue, NFL commissioner (1989- ), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Dec 24 Sharon Farrell, American actress (Lori-Hawaii 5-0, Young & Restless), born in Sioux City, Iowa
- Dec 25 Pete Brown, British musician and lyricist (Cream - "I Feel Free"; "White Room"; "Sunshine of Your Love"), born in Ashtead, Surrey, England (d. 2023) [1]
- Dec 26 Edward C. Prescott, American economist, Nobel laureate
- Dec 26 Ray Sadecki, American MLB player (St. Louis Cardinals), born in Kansas City, KS, (d. 2014)
- Dec 27 David Shepherd, English cricket umpire (92 Tests 1985–2005; 172 ODIs 1983–2005), born in Bideford, England (d. 2009)
- Dec 27 Jerry Lambert, jockey (rode Native Diver)
- Dec 28 Alvin Singleton, American composer ("After Fallen Crumbs"; "Shadows"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Dec 28 Lonnie Liston Smith, American jazz piano and keyboard player (Cosmic Echoes; Magic Lady), born in Richmond, Virginia,
- Dec 28 Neon Park [Martin Muller], American illustrator of album covers (Little Feat; Frank Zappa), born in Berkeley, California (d. 1993)
- Dec 29 Brigitte Kronauer, German author (The Scheik of Aachen), born in Essen, Germany
- Dec 29 Peter Koelewijn, Dutch rock musician and songwriter ("Get Off That Roof"), born in Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Dec 30 Fred Hansen, American pole vaulter (Olympic gold 1964), born in Cuero, Texas
- Dec 30 James Burrows, AmericanTV producer and director (The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Cheers), born in Los Angeles, California
- Dec 30 Jerry Granelli, American-Canadian jazz drummer (Vince Guaraldi Trio; Mose Allison), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2021)
- Dec 31 Bobby Notkoff, American rock and blues violinist (Crazy Horse; The Rockets), born in New York City (d. 2018) [1]
- Dec 31 Mani Neumeier, German musician (Guru Guru), born in Munich, Germany
- Dec 31 Oleg Anatolyevich Yakovlev, Russian cosmonaut, born in Leningrad
- Dec 31 Tim Considine, American actor (Spin & Marty; My Three Sons, 1960-65 - "Mike"), and photographer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2022)
Famous Weddings
Albert Camus
Dec 3 French author and future Nobel laureate Albert Camus (27) weds French pianist and mathematician Francine Faure (25) in Lyon, France
Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo
Dec 7 Mexican painters Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo remarry in San Francisco (divorced 1939)
Bette Davis
Dec 31 Actress Bette Davis (32) weds New England innkeeper Arthur Farnsworth at 15,000-acre ranch in Lake Montezuma, Arizona
Famous Deaths
- Dec 5 Jan Kubelik, Czech composer, dies at 60
- Dec 5 Mordechai Frizis, Jewish Greek military officer (b. 1893)
- Dec 6 Charlie Hime, cricketer (one Test for South Africa 1895), dies
- Dec 8 George Exton Lloyd, Anglican Bishop and theologian (b. 1861)
- Dec 9 Pietro Maletti, Italian major-general, died in battle in North Africa at the age of 60
- Dec 13 Dusty Tapscott, cricket (bro of Doodles, 4&1 in only S Af Test), dies
- Dec 13 George Macaulay, cricketer (took 24 wkts in 8 Tests, Eng 22-33), dies
- Dec 13 George Regas, Greek actor (The Mark of Zorro), dies at 50
- Dec 13 Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval, French physicist and inventor of the moving-coil D'Arsonval galvanometer, dies at 89
- Dec 13 Wilfred Lucas, Canadian actor (Pardon Us, Chump at Oxford), dies at 69
- Dec 16 Billy Hamilton, American Baseball HOF outfielder (NL batting champion 1891, 93; 5 × NL stolen base leader; KC Cowboys, Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 74
- Dec 16 Eugène Dubois, Dutch palaeontologist who discovered human ancestor Pithecanthropus erectus "Java Man", dies at 82 [1]
- Dec 16 M Eugene F T Dubois, geologist/paleontologist (Wadjakmens), dies
- Dec 16 William Wallace, Scottish composer, dies at 80
- Dec 17 Alicia Boole Stott, Irish mathematician, dies at 80
- Dec 19 Tomas Carrasquilla, Colombian author (Frutos de mi Tierra), dies at 82
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
Dec 21 American author (Great Gatsby, Zelda), dies of a heart attack at 44
- Dec 21 Hal Kemp, American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger and sweet jazz bandleader, dies as a result of a car accident at 36
- Dec 22 Nathanael West, American novelist ("Miss Lonelyhearts"; "The Day of the Locust"), dies at 37 in a car crash after running a stop light
- Dec 24 Rudolf Piskáček, Czech composer, dies at 56
- Dec 25 Agnes Ayres [Hinkle], American silent screen actress (The Sheik; Souls at Sea), dies from a cerebral hemorrhage at 42
