Historical Events
- Dec 1 After just 3 seasons in MLB the Houston Colt .45s change name of the team to Astros; owners say move signals a step into the future for the franchise and the city of Houston
King Speaks With Hoover
Dec 1 Martin Luther King Jr. speaks to J. Edgar Hoover about his slander campaign
Ringo Starr
Dec 2 Ringo Starr's tonsils are removed at University College Hospital, London, England
- Dec 3 KHQL (now KCAN) TV channel 8 in Albion, NB (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Dec 3 Police arrests 800 sit-in students at University of California at Berkeley
- Dec 4 Baseball approves a free-agent draft
- Dec 4 Commissioner's office given full powers in baseball disputes
- Dec 4 Test Cricket debut of Ian Chappell, v Pakistan MCG, 11, 0-49, 0-31
- Dec 4 The Beatles release "Beatles For Sale", their fourth studio album in the UK
- Dec 5 Captain Roger Donlon is awarded the first Medal of Honor of the Vietnam War for successfully repelling a large Viet Cong attack
- Dec 6 "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" 1st airs on TV
- Dec 6 KTVR TV channel 13 in La Grande, OR (PBS) begins broadcasting
Antonio Segni Resigns
Dec 6 President Antonio Segni of Italy resigns
Harrison Changes Company Name
Dec 7 George Harrison changes his company's name from Mornyork to Harrisongs
A Love Supreme
Dec 9 John Coltrane's Quartet records their greatest work "A Love Supreme" at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
First Nobel to British Woman
Dec 10 Dorothy Hodgkin is the first British woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on penicillin and vitamin B12
King Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Dec 10 Nobel Peace Prize presented to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Oslo, Norway
Notes on Camp
Dec 11 "Time" magazine calls Susan Sontag "one of Manhattan's brightest intellectuals" in a review of her groundbreaking essay "Notes on Camp"
Che Guevara's Speech
Dec 11 Che Guevara speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. An unknown terrorist fires a mortar shell at the building during the speech.
- Dec 12 Cleveland Browns' Frank Ryan sets club record of 5 TD passes
- Dec 14 Michael Brown meets Renee Fladen, then writes "Walk Away Renee"
- Dec 15 Canada's House of Commons votes 163 to 78 to approve the red Maple Leaf Flag
- Dec 15 Jack Lawrence and Stan Freeman's musical "I Had a BaIl", starring Buddy Hackett, opens at Martin Beck Theater, NYC; runs for 199 performances
- Dec 16 US performs nuclear test at Pacific Ocean
Goldfinger
Dec 17 "Goldfinger", 3rd James Bond film, starring Sean Connery and Honor Blackman premieres in London
- Dec 18 "The Pink Panther" cartoon series premieres (Pink Phink)
Star Trek Pilot
Dec 18 Filming is completed for "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage"; cast includes Jeffrey Hunter, Susan Oliver, Leonard Nimoy, and Majel Barret; although it never airs, some footage re-used in "Menagerie" episode of the series
- Dec 18 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Dec 19 "Gertrud", Danish film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, starring Nina Pens Rode, Bendt Rothe and Ebbe Rode, is released in France
- Dec 20 Levi Eshkol forms 12th Israeli government
- Dec 22 American comedian Lenny Bruce is convicted of obscenity
Award to Denis Law
Dec 22 Ballon d'Or: Manchester United striker Denis Law wins award for best European football player; beats Inter midfielder Luis Suárez and Real Madrid winger Amancio Amaro; first Scotsman to win the award
- Dec 22 First flight of the US aircraft Lockheed SR-71, reaches 3,530 kph (record for a jet)
- Dec 23 India & Ceylon hit by cyclone, about 4,850 killed
- Dec 25 George Harrison's girlfriend Pattie Boyd attacked by female Beatle fans
- Dec 26 AFL Championship, War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo: Buffalo Bills beat San Diego Chargers 20-7; defending champions can't overcome 1st quarter injury to star RB Keith Lincoln
- Dec 26 Beatles single "I Feel Fine" goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks
- Dec 26 Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley claim last victim
The Supremes on Ed Sullivan Show
Dec 27 1st appearance of The Supremes on "The Ed Sullivan Show", singing "Come See About Me"
- Dec 27 National Football League Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Cleveland Browns shutout Baltimore Colts, 27-0; last championship win by a major-league pro sports team from Cleveland until 2016 NBA Cavaliers
The Execution of Stepan Razin
Dec 28 Premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich's cantata "The Execution of Stepan Razin"
"Doctor Zhivago" Filming Begins
Dec 28 Principal filming on film "Doctor Zhivago" begins
Tiny Alice
Dec 30 Edward Albee's play "Tiny Alice" premieres on Broadway in NYC
- Dec 31 Donald Campbell (UK) sets world water speed record (276.33 mph)
- Dec 31 Indonesia proclaims expelled from the UN
Famous Birthdays
- Dec 1 Salvatore Schillaci [Totò], Italian soccer striker (16 caps; Messina, Juventus), born in Palermo, Italy
- Dec 2 Chip Hale, American baseball infielder, coach and manager (Minnesota Twins; Arizona Diamondbacks; Washington Nationals), born in Santa Clara, California
- Dec 4 Chelsea Noble, American actress (Kate-Growing Pains), born in Cheektowaga, New York
- Dec 4 Jonathan Goldstein, American actor (Drake & Josh), born in Manhattan, New York
Marisa Tomei (59 years old)
Dec 4 American actress (My Cousin Vinny, In the Bedroom, The Wrestler), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Dec 4 Scott Hastings, Scottish rugby union centre and broadcaster (65 caps; 2 caps British & Irish Lions; Watsonians RFC), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
- Dec 4 Sertab Erener, Turkish singer (Sakin Ol!), born in Istanbul, Turkey
- Dec 5 Pablo Morales, American swimmer (Olympic gold 4x100m medley relay 1984, 92; 100m butterfly 1992), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Dec 6 Will Johnson, CFL defensive end (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
- Dec 7 Duncan Millar, English pop and jazz pianist (Blue Mercedes - Rich & Famous), born in London, England
- Dec 7 Peter Laviolette, American ice hockey coach (Stanley Cup Carolina Hurricanes 2006, NY Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators), born in Franklin, Massachusetts
- Dec 7 Roberta Close, Brazilian model (1st transgender model to have posed for the Brazilian edition of Playboy), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Dec 7 Vladimir Artemov, Russian gymnast (Olympic gold x 4, silver x 1 USSR 1988; World C'ship gold x 6), born in Vladimir, Russia
- Dec 8 James Blundell, Australian country singer ("Way Out West", "This Road"), born in Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia
- Dec 8 Teri Hatcher, actress (Lois & Clark, Desperate Housewives), born in Sunnyvale, California
- Dec 9 Josie Cichockyj, British wheelchair athlete (wheelchair racing [WR 5,000m], basketball, tennis, table tennis), born in Huddersfield, England (d. 2014)
- Dec 9 Paul Landers [Heiko Paul Hiersche], German dance-metal guitarist (Rammstein), born in East Berlin, East Germany
- Dec 9 Petr Briza, hockey goalie (Team Czech Rep), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
Bobby Flay (59 years old)
Dec 10 American celebrity chef, restaurateur and TV personality (Iron Chef America; Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction), born in New York City
- Dec 10 Luis Polonia, Dominican MLB outfielder (NY Yanks, Orioles), born in Santiago City, Dominican Republic
- Dec 11 Cosy Sheridan, American singer (The Pomegranate Seed), born in Concord, New Hampshire
- Dec 11 Dave Gagner, Canadian NHL center (Toronto Maple Leafs), born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada
- Dec 11 Dave Schools, American musician (Widespread Panic), born in Richmond, Virginia
- Dec 11 John Mark Karr, American who claimed involvement in JonBenét Ramsey case
- Dec 11 Justin Currie, Scottish rock vocalist and bassist (Del Amitri - "Roll To Me"), born in Glasgow
- Dec 11 Michel Courtemanche, French Canadian comedian (A New Comic is Born), born in Laval, Quebec, Canada
- Dec 11 Thomas Howard, American MLB baseball outfielder, 1990-2000 (San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and 4 other teams), born in Middletown, Ohio
- Dec 12 Haywood Jeffires, American NFL wide receiver (Houston Oilers), born in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Dec 12 Rockin' Jeff [Jeff Aaron Brown], British rock musician (The Pasadenas - "Riding on a Train"), born in England
- Dec 12 Sabu [Terry Michael Brunk], American professional wrestler, born in Staten Island, New York
- Dec 13 (Judge) "Lucky" Peterson, American contemporary blues, soul, and R&B musician ("The Son of A Bluesman"), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2020)
- Dec 13 Hide [Hideto Matsumoto], Japanese rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer (X Japan; Zilch), born in Midorigaoka, Japan (d. 1998)
- Dec 14 C. J. Snare, American rock vocalist (Firehouse - "Love of a Lifetime"), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2024)
- Dec 15 Jerry Ball, American football defensive tackle (Pro Bowl 1989, 90, 91; First Team All Pro 1991; Detroit Lions; LA/Oakland Raiders), born in Beaumont, Texas
- Dec 16 Anfisa Reztsova, Russian biathlete (Olympic gold 7.5k sprint 1992, 4×7.5k relay 1994) and c-c skier (Olympic gold 4×5k relay 1988; World C'ship gold 4×5k relay 1985, 87, 99), born in Yakimets, Russia (d. 2023)
- Dec 16 Billy Ripken, American baseball 2nd baseman (Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers) and broadcaster (XM Satellite Radio, MLB Network), born in Havre de Grace, Maryland
- Dec 16 Gail Harris, Dewsbury England, actress (Virtual Desire)
- Dec 16 Heike Drechsler, Gera German DR, sprinter (1988 world record)
- Dec 17 Eric Brown, actor (Buzz-Mama's Family), born in New York City
- Dec 17 Frank Musil, Pardubice Cze, NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators)
- Dec 17 Ginger Wildheart [David Leslie Walls], British singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Wildhearts), born in Suth Shields, Tyne & Wear, England
- Dec 17 Michele Tafoya, American sportscaster
- Dec 17 Tyrone Braxton, NFL safety (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl 32)
Steve Austin (59 years old)
Dec 18 American pro wrestler (6 x WWF Heavyweight C'ship; 4 x WWF Tag-Team C'ship; 2 x WWF Intercontinental C'ship; 3 x Royal Rumble; King of the Ring 1996) and broadcaster (The Steve Austin Show), born in Austin, Texas
- Dec 18 Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burundi (2005-20), born in Ngozi, Burundi (d. 2020)
- Dec 18 Robson Green, British actor (Soldier Soldier) and singer-songwriter (Robson & Jerome), born in Hexham, England
- Dec 19 Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuanian Basketball HOF center (Olympic gold USSR 1988; bronze Lithuania 1992, 96; 6 × Euroscar Player of the Year; Mr. Europa Player of the Year 1985, 97; Portland Trailblazers), born in Kaunas, Lithuania
- Dec 19 Béatrice Dalle (née Cabarrou), French actress (Betty Blue; Chimère; Night on Earth), born in Brest, France
- Dec 19 Lorie Kane, Canadian golfer (4 x LPGA Tour titles; Canadian Golf HOF), born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
- Dec 19 Mike Fetters, American MLB pitcher, 1989-2004 (California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, and 6 other teams), and pitching coach (Arizona Diamondback, 2012-present), born in Van Nuys, California
- Dec 19 Randall McDaniel, American College-Pro Football HOF guard (Arizona State Uni; !2 x Pro-Bowl; 7 × First-team All-Pro; Minnesota Vikings, TB Buccaneers), born in Phoenix, Arizona
- Dec 21 Fabiana Udenio, Argentine actress, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Dec 21 Joey Kocur, NHL right wing (Vancouver Canucks), born in Calgary, Alberta
- Dec 21 Keith Taylor, NFL safety (Washington Redskins), born in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
- Dec 21 Rob Kelly, English football manager, born in Birmingham, England
- Dec 22 Mike Jackson, US pitcher (Seattle Mariners), born in Houston, Texas
- Dec 23 Andy Gabel, American short track skater (Olympics 1994), born in Chicago, Illinois
Eddie Vedder (59 years old)
Dec 23 American rock singer (Pearl Jam - Ten; "Jeremy"), born in Evanston, Illinois
- Dec 23 Petr Klíma, Czech NHL right wing, 1985-99 (Detroit Red Wings; Edmonton Oilers, and 3 other teams), born in Chomutov, Czech Republic (d. 2023)
- Dec 24 Elbert Shelley, NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons), born in Trumann, Arkansas
- Dec 24 Gary Muller, South African tennis star, born in Durban, South Africa
- Dec 24 Marcel van der Net, Dutch soccer player (FC Utrecht), born in Dordrecht, Netherlands
- Dec 24 Mark Valley, American actor (Days of Our Lives), born in Ogdensburg, New York
- Dec 25 Gary McAllister, Scottish soccer midfielder (57 caps; Leicester City, Leeds United, Coventry City, Liverpool) and manager ( Coventry City, Leeds United), born in Motherwell, Scotland
- Dec 25 Peter Hanson, English/Sierra Leone/Dutch actor (Darling How Could You)
- Dec 25 Tim Royes, English-American music video director, born in London (d. 2007)
- Dec 26 Colleen Dion-Scotti, American actress (Search for Tomorrow), born in Newburgh, New York
- Dec 26 Elizabeth Kostova, American author (The Historian), born in New London, Connecticut
- Dec 26 Jeff King, American baseball infielder (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Marion, Indiana
- Dec 27 Ian Gomez, American actor (Cougar Town), born in New York City
- Dec 27 Steve Wallace, American football offensive tackle (Super Bowl XXIII, XXIV, XXIX SF 49ers; Pro Bowl 1993), born in Alabama, Georgia
- Dec 28 Charles Sinek, American ice dancer (& Beata Handra-1997 Pac Coast Sr 3rd), born in Wilmington, North Carolina
- Dec 28 Maite Zúñiga, Spanish athlete, born in Eibar, Spain
- Dec 29 Avip Priatna, Indonesian classical conductor (The Resonanz), and educator, born in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
- Dec 29 Craig Grebeck, American baseball infielder (Florida Marlins), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
- Dec 29 Kimberly Russell, American actress (Sarah-Head of the Class), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Dec 30 Duglas T. Stewart, Scottish rock singer-songwriter (BMX Bandits), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- Dec 30 Karim Bavi, Iranian soccer striker (23 caps; Shahin FC, Persepolis FC), born in Khorramshahr, Iran (d. 2022)
- Dec 30 Kris Tschetter, American golfer (US Open runner-up 1996), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Dec 31 Lowri Turner, British TV presenter, born in London
- Dec 31 Michael McDonald, American actor-comedian, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Dec 31 Winston Benjamin, West Indian cricket fast bowler (21 Tests, 61 wickets, 2 x 50; Leeward Islands, Leicestershire CCC, Hampshire CCC), born in All Saints, Antigua and Barbuda
Famous Weddings
Ralph Lauren
Dec 20 Fashion designer Ralph Lauren (25) weds Ricky Anne Loew-Beer in NYC, New York
Famous Deaths
- Dec 1 J. B. S. Haldane, British-Indian geneticist (primordial soup theory), dies at 72
- Dec 3 Ernst Ginsberg, writer, dies
- Dec 3 George Brown, English cricket wicketkeeper/batsman (7 Tests; Hampshire), dies at 77
- Dec 5 Remy Angenot, Flemish actor (Met den helm geboren, Patriot, Idiot), dies at 70
- Dec 6 Consuelo Vanderbilt (b. 1877)
- Dec 9 Edith Sitwell, English poet and author (Wheels), dies at 77
- Dec 11 Percy Kilbride, American stage and screen actor (The Egg and I; Ma and Pa Kettle films), dies at 76
Sam Cooke (1931-1964)
Dec 11 American singer and entrepreneur described as "the inventor of soul music" ("You Send Me"; "A Change Is Gonna Come"), shot to death at 33
- Dec 12 H I "Sailor" Young, cricketer (left-arm bowler Eng v Aust 1899), dies
- Dec 14 William Bendix, American actor (Lifeboat, Babe Ruth Story, Life of Riley), dies from lobar pneumonia at 58
- Dec 17 Victor Franz Hess, Austrian-born physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1883)
- Dec 21 Algernon Kingscote, English tennis player (Australasian C'ship 1919), dies at 76
- Dec 21 Carl Van Vechten, American writer famous for the controversial novel "Nigger Heaven", dies at 84
- Dec 22 Bonifacio Gil Garcia, Spanish composer and folklorist, dies at 66
- Dec 23 Arrigo Pedrollo, Italian composer, dies at 86
- Dec 25 Cheerio Meredith, actress (One Happy Family), dies at 74
- Dec 28 Dave Bowman, American jazz and studio pianist (Jack Teagarden; Bud Freeman; Perry Como), dies in a car accident at 50
- Dec 29 Bernard von Brentano, German writer (Big Cats), dies at 63
- Dec 29 Miroslav Krejčí, Czech composer, dies at 73
- Dec 30 Andrés Soriano, Spanish Filipino industrialist (San Miguel Brewery, Philippine Airlines), dies of pancreatic cancer at 66
- Dec 31 Gertrude Michael, American actress (Cleopatra, Menace, Club Havana, caged), dies from undisclosed causes at 53
- Dec 31 Ólafur Thors, Icelandic Prime Minister (5 times between 1942-63), dies at 72
