Historical Events
Elliot Page
Dec 1 Actor Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, reveals he is transgender
- Dec 1 Chinese robotic spacecraft Chang’e-5 lands on the Moon as part of two-day mission to retrieve rock samples
Spotify's Most Streamed 2020
Dec 1 Spotify's most streamed artist of 2020 was Bad Bunny, its most streamed song "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd
- Dec 2 The UK becomes the first western country to authorize a vaccine for COVID-19, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
No Presidential Voter Fraud
Dec 2 US Attorney General William Barr says there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, despite claims by President Donald Trump
- Dec 2 US records its largest daily death toll for COVID-19 at 2,885 and for the first time patient numbers in hospital exceed 100,000
- Dec 3 AT&T Inc’s Warner Bros studio announces all its 2021 movies will stream online the same day they appear in theatres because of the pandemic
- Dec 3 “I actually believe they’re going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation,” warns Dr. Robert Redfield, head of US CDC about the months ahead with COVID-19
- Dec 4 Mosconi Cup nine-ball pool, Coventry, England: Europe ends US 2-year run with emphatic 11-3 win; MVP: Jayson Shaw (Scotland)
- Dec 4 New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson smashes 251 to set up the home side's innings & 134 run win over the West Indies in the 1st Test in Hamilton
- Dec 5 Russia begins vaccinating people with its Sputnik V vaccine in Moscow, despite the vaccine not finishing clinical trials
- Dec 6 Japanese space capsule Hayabusa-2 lands safely back on earth in Australia, carrying first significant rock samples from an asteroid, the Ryugu
- Dec 6 US President Donald Trump orders about 700 troops withdrawn from Somalia
- Dec 7 Australian states celebrate "Freedom Day" easing COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria and New South Wales
- Dec 7 Breaking, the competitive form of breakdancing, confirmed as an Olympic sport for the Paris 2024 games
- Dec 7 Coca-Cola named the world's No. 1 plastic polluter, in Break Free From Plastic's annual brand audit
- Dec 7 Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo wins a second term in the country's general elections
- Dec 7 Most of California begins second lockdown as hospitals come under strain and the state records average of 21,000 COVID-19 cases a day
- Dec 8 Former Israeli space security chief Haim Eshed says Aliens and a Galactic Federation exist and Donald Trump knows about it, in article published in the Jerusalem Post
- Dec 8 The UK begins vaccinating for COVID-19 using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
- Dec 9 Canada approves the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19
- Dec 9 United Arab Emirates is the first country to authorize China's Sinopharm vaccine for COVID-19 saying it is 86% effective
- Dec 11 America's FDA authorizes the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use
- Dec 11 European Union leaders agree to cut net carbon emissions by 55% in the next decade
- Dec 11 First same-sex civil union registered in Bolivia after a two-year legal battle by activists
- Dec 11 Gunmen storm a school in Kankara, Katsina state, northern Nigeria, kidnapping more than 300 students (Boko Haram later claims responsibility)
Carbon Reduction
Dec 12 Chinese leader Xi Jinping says the country will reduce its carbon intensity by 65% by 2030
Hilton's TikTok Ban
Dec 12 Media personality Perez Hilton is banned from TikTok
Guterres Urges "Climate Emergency"
Dec 12 UN Chief Antonio Guterres urges world's leaders to declare "climate emergency" to avoid catastrophic global warning on 5th anniversary of Paris Climate Accord
Hamilton Record 7th Title
Dec 13 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finishes 3rd in season-ending Abu Dhabi GP to claim record equalling 7th F1 World Drivers C'ship by 124 points from teammate Valtteri Bottas; Mercedes' 7th straight Constructors title
- Dec 13 Germany announces a strict lockdown till Jan 10 after looser restrictions failed to prevent COVID-19 numbers surging
- Dec 14 America begins its first COVID-19 vaccinations using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on the same day it records over 300,000 deaths
- Dec 14 Russia revealed to have been behind massive cyberattack on US government agencies and private companies since the Spring
- Dec 14 Total solar eclipse visible across southern Chile and Argentina
- Dec 14 US Attorney General William Barr resigns
- Dec 14 US Electoral College votes 306-232 to officially affirm Joe Biden's presidential election victory
- Dec 14 US Open Women's Golf, Champions GC, Houston: Kim A-lim wins her first major title by 1 stroke from fellow South Korean Ko Jin-young and American Amy Olson
MacKenzie Scott Gives $4 Billion
Dec 15 MacKenzie Scott announces she has given away more than $4 billion to 384 nonprofit organizations across the US
Tom Cruise Berates Crew
Dec 15 UK newspaper "The Sun" publishes recording of Tom Cruise berating his film crew for breaking COVID-19 protocols
- Dec 16 14 people found guilty of 2015 terror attacks on Charlie Hebdo office and supermarket in Paris
- Dec 16 China blocks imports of coal, from Australia, the world's second biggest market for the world's biggest coal exporter
- Dec 16 Major winter storm hits US Northeast resulting in at least seven deaths and Binghamton, New York, receiving record 41 inches of snow
- Dec 16 Nine-year-old girl who died of an asthma attack in 2013 becomes first person in the world to officially have air pollution listed as cause of death
- Dec 16 US Major League Baseball announces it is elevating the Negro Leagues to Major League status
- Dec 17 China's Chang'e-5 mission successfully returns from collecting rock samples from the Moon, landing in Siziwang Banner, Mongolia
- Dec 17 Cyclone Yasa makes landfall as a category 5 storm over Bula province, Fiji, killing two people
- Dec 17 French President Emanuel Macron tests positive for COVID-19, sending other European leaders into isolation
- Dec 17 King Carl XVI Gustaf says Swedish authorities have failed in their response to COVID-19, criticizing the country's controversial anti-lockdown strategy
- Dec 17 More than 300 school boys rescued after they were kidnapped from their school in Katsina state, northern Nigeria
- Dec 18 International body Covax, established to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low and middle income countries, announces deals with vaccine manufacturers and method for countries to share excess vaccines
- Dec 18 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine granted emergency authorization by US Food and Drug Administration
- Dec 18 South Africa announces detection of new variant of COVID-19, called 501.V2, which is driving a second wave of infections
VP Pence Receives Vaccine
Dec 18 US Vice President Mike Pence receives the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine live on TV
Kamakawiwoʻole's "Over the Rainbow"
Dec 21 Hawaiian vocalist Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's official music video for his rendition of Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg's "Over the Rainbow" reaches a billion views on YouTube
- Dec 21 United States attorney general announces charges against Libyan Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, accusing him of involvement in constructing the bomb that destroyed Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on the 32nd anniversary of the disaster
- Dec 21 US begins vaccinating for COVID-19 using the Moderna vaccine
- Dec 21 US President-elect Joe Biden receives the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine live on TV
Messi Overtakes Pele Record
Dec 22 Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi scores his 644th goal for FC Barcelona during 3-0 win over Real Valladolid to break Pele's record for most goals for one club; Pele, 643 goals for Santos 1956-74
Sports History
Dec 22 Caitlin Clark registers her first triple-double at Iowa with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists against Western Illinois
- Dec 25 An RV detonates in downtown Nashville, Tennessee causing damage to people and property; prior to detonating, a recorded message playing from speakers warned anyone in earshot to evacuate prior to an explosion
- Dec 25 New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara equals Ernie Nevers 1929 NFL record of 6 touchdowns in a match in the Saints' 52-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome
- Dec 29 Milwaukee Bucks break NBA record for most 3-pointers made by a team in a single game with 29 in a dominant 144-97 victory over the Heat in Miami
- Dec 30 Argentina is the first major Latin American country to legalize abortion (signed into law 14 Jan 2021)
- Dec 30 San Antonio assistant Becky Hammon becomes first female to coach an NBA team after Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is ejected in a 121-107 loss to the LA Lakers
- Dec 31 WHO grants the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine emergency authorization, paving the way for worldwide distribution
Famous Weddings
Nick Faldo
Dec 18 Retired British golf champion Nick Faldo (64) weds fourth wife, American golf enthusiast Linda DeMarco (58) on the beach in the Florida Keys
Famous Deaths
- Dec 1 Arnie Robinson Jr., American athlete (Olympic gold long jump 1976; bronze 1972), dies from a brain tumor at 72
- Dec 1 Denis Menke, American baseball infielder (MLB All Star 1969, 70; Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds), dies at 80
- Dec 1 Maria Itkina, Russian athlete (9 sprint world records, 60m-400m), dies at 88
- Dec 2 Pamela Tiffin, American actress (One, Two, Three; Viva Max!), dies at 78 [1]
- Dec 2 Pat Patterson, Canadian pro wrestler (WWE Hall of Fame; creator Royal Rumble), dies from cancer at 79
- Dec 2 Rafer Johnson, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1960), dies from stroke complications at 86
- Dec 2 Robert Hamilton, Lord Belhaven and Stenton, British politician (House of Lords, 1961-99), dies at 93
- Dec 2 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, French politician, President of France (1974-81), dies of COVID-19 at 94
- Dec 2 Warren Berlinger, American actor (Larry-Joey Bishop Shop, Take Two), dies at 83
- Dec 3 Alison Lurie, American novelist (Pulitzer Prize - Foreign Affairs), dies at 94 [1]
- Dec 3 André Gagnon, French Canadian pianist and composer, dies at 84
- Dec 3 Bill Fitsell, Canadian journalist, writer and historian (International Hockey Hall of Fame curator, historian 1969-2005), dies at 97
- Dec 3 Noah Creshevsky, American electroacoustic composer, dies of cancer at 75
- Dec 4 Bassam Saba, Lebanese violinist, oud, and nay player (New York Arabic Orchestra; Silk Road Ensemble), dies of COVID-19 complications at 62 [1]
- Dec 4 David L. Lander, American actor (Laverne & Shirley - "Squiggy"), dies of multiple sclerosis at 73 [1]
- Dec 5 Peter Alliss, English golfer (Ryder Cup 1957 GB winners) and author, course designer and television presenter, commentator (BBC, ESPN, ABC Sports), dies at 89
- Dec 5 Viktor Ponedelnik, Russian soccer striker (29 caps Soviet Union; FC SKA Rostov-on-Don), dies at 83
- Dec 5 Wojciech Zabłocki, Polish fencer (4 x World C'ship gold team; Olympic silver team sabre 1956, 60; bronze 1964), dies at 89
- Dec 6 Dennis Ralston, American tennis player (4 x Grand Slam doubles champion; Wimbledon singles 1966 runner-up), dies from cancer at 78
- Dec 6 Jack Scarbath, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Uni of Maryland; Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers), dies at 90
- Dec 6 Neil Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey linesman (1,744 NHL games; Hockey Hall of Fame), dies at 87
- Dec 6 Paul Sarbanes, American politician (Senator-D-MD, 1977-2007, sponsored Sarbanes–Oxley Act), dies at 87
- Dec 6 Petras Bingelis, Lithuania conductor, founder and artistic director (Kaunas State Choir, 1969-2020), dies of COVID-19 at 77
- Dec 6 Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguayan politician and physician, President of Uruguay (2005-10, 2015-20), dies at 80 [1]
Chuck Yeager (1923-2020)
Dec 7 American test pilot who was the 1st man to break the sound barrier, dies at 97 [1] [2]
- Dec 7 Dick Allen, American baseball infielder (7 × MLB All-Star; NL Rookie of the Year 1964, Philadelphia Phillies; AL MVP 1972, Chicago White Sox), dies at 78 [1]
- Dec 7 Doug Scott, English mountaineer (first ascent of south-west face of Mount Everest), dies at 79 [1]
- Dec 7 Fred Akers, American football coach (University of Wyoming; University of Texas, Austin; Purdue; career college record 108–75–3), dies at 82
- Dec 8 Alejandro Sabella, Argentine soccer midfielder (8 caps; River Plate, Sheffield United, Estudiantes) and manager (Argentina 2011-14), dies from heart disease at 66
- Dec 8 Harold Budd, American avant-garde ambient pianist and composer (The Pavilion of Dreams), dies of COVID-19 at 84 [1]
Alex Olmedo (1936-2020)
Dec 9 American-Peruvian tennis player (Australian C'ships, Wimbledon 1959), dies from brain cancer at 84
- Dec 9 Gordon Forbes, South African tennis player and author (French Open mixed doubles [Darlene Hard] 1955), dies from COVID-19 at 86
- Dec 9 Paolo Rossi, Italian soccer striker (48 caps; FIFA World Cup 1982 [Golden Boot, Golden Ball]; L.R. Vicenza, Juventus), dies at 64
- Dec 9 Ray Hunter, Northern Irish cricket all-rounder (28 international matches) and rugby union centre (10 Tests; British & Irish Lions 1962; Portadown RFC), dies at 82
- Dec 9 Ray Perkins, American football coach (New York Giants, University of Alabama, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arkansas State University), dies from heart disease at 79
- Dec 10 Barbara Windsor, British actress and Dame (Carry On films, EastEnders). dies at 83
- Dec 12 Ann Reinking, American dancer and actress (All the Jazz, Micki & Maude), dies at 71 [1]
- Dec 12 Charley Pride, American country singer (Sweet Country), dies of COVID-19 complications at 86 [1]
- Dec 12 Claude Castonguay, Quebec politician (task force on Quebec health care), dies at 91
- Dec 12 Jack Steinberger, American physicist (1988 Nobel Prize for Physics - Neutrinos), dies at 99 [1]
- Dec 12 John le Carré [pen name for David Cornwell], English novelist (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold), dies at 89
- Dec 12 Motjeka Madisha, South African soccer defender (13 caps; Mamelodi Sundowns), dies in car accident at 25
- Dec 13 Jimmy Collins, American basketball shooting guard (Chicago Bulls) and coach (University of Illinois, Chicago 1996-2010), dies from heart surgery complications at 74
- Dec 13 Jimmy McLane, American swimmer (Olympic gold 1500m 1948), dies at 90
- Dec 13 Otto Barić, Croatian soccer manager (Croatia, Austria, Wacker Innsbruck, SK Rapid, SV Salzburg), dies from COVID-19 at 87
- Dec 13 Pierre Lacroix, Canadian NHL executive (Quebec Nordiques; Stanley Cup 1996, 2001 Colorado Avalanche), dies from COVID-19 complications at 72
- Dec 14 Earl Hutto, American politician (Rep-D-Florida, 1979-95), dies at 94
- Dec 14 Eric Freeman, Australian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 34 wickets, 2 x 50s; South Australia), dies from a heart attack at 76
- Dec 14 Gérard Houllier, French soccer manager (Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Liverpool, Olympique Lyonnais, Aston Villa, France), dies after heart operation at 73
- Dec 14 Günter Sawitzki, German soccer goalkeeper (10 caps West Germany; VfB Stuttgart), dies at 88
- Dec 14 Jeannie Morris, American sports journalist and author (Chicago Daily News, WMAQ; 'Brian Piccolo: A Short Season', 2014 Ring Lardner Award), dies from appendix cancer at 85
- Dec 15 Charles Shere, American contemporary classical composer, broadcaster, music critic, and educator, dies at 85
- Dec 15 Jean-Pierre Lux, French rugby union centre (42 caps; US Tyrosse, US Dax) and administrator (President European Rugby Cup 1999-2014), dies at 74
- Dec 16 Kálmán Sóvári, Hungarian soccer defender (17 caps; Újpesti Dózsa, VM Egyetértés), dies at 79
- Dec 17 Pelle Svensson, Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler (World C'ship gold 100kg 1970, 71; Olympic silver 97kg 1964), dies from cancer at 77
- Dec 17 Stanley Cowell American jazz pianist (Heath Brothers), record label co-founder (Strata-East), and educator, dies from hypovolemic shock at 79
- Dec 18 Tim Severin, British author and explorer who replicated historic voyages, dies at 80
- Dec 19 Maria Piątkowska, Polish athlete (WR 4 x 100m relay 1964), dies at 89
- Dec 19 Pelle Alsing, Swedish drummer (Roxette - "Listen to Your Heart"), dies at 60
- Dec 19 Rosalind Knight, British stage and screen actress (Friday Night Dinner - "Horrible Grandma"), dies at 87
- Dec 20 Chad Stuart [David Stuart Chadwick], English pop-rock vocalist and guitarist (Chad & Jeremy), songwriter, and producer, dies of pneumonia at 79
- Dec 20 Dietrich Weise, German soccer forward (Eintracht Frankfurt, FSV Mainz) and manager (FC Kaiserslautern, E Frankfurt, F Düsseldorf, Egypt, Liechtenstein), dies at 86
- Dec 20 Fanny Waterman, English concert pianist and teacher (Leeds International Piano Competition), dies at 100 [1]
- Dec 21 K. T. Oslin, American country singer (80's Ladies), dies at 78 [1]
- Dec 21 Kevin Greene, American Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (5 x Pro Bowl; First-team All-Pro 1989, 94, 96; LA Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers), dies at 58
- Dec 23 James E. Gunn, American sci-fi author (The Listeners, Station in Space, Immortal), dies at 97
- Dec 23 John Edrich, English cricket batsman (77 Tests, 12 x 100. 24 x 50, HS 310no; Norfolk CCC, Surrey CCC), dies at 83
- Dec 23 Leslie West [Weinstein], American rock guitarist (Mountain - "Mississippi Queen"; "Theme for an Imaginary Western"), dies of cardiac arrest at 75 [1]
- Dec 24 Geoff Stephens, English songwriter and record producer ("The Crying Game"; The New Vaudeville Band - "Winchester Cathedral", "There's a Kind of Hush"), dies of complications from COVID-19 at 86
- Dec 24 Ivry Gitlis, Israeli classical violin virtuoso, dies at 98
- Dec 25 Ivan Bohdan, Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold Soviet Union heavyweight 1960; World C'ship gold 1958, 61), dies at 92
- Dec 25 Jaan Rääts, Estonian pianist, orchestral and film score composer, dies at 88
- Dec 25 K. C. Jones, American Basketball Hall of Fame point guard (Olympic gold 1956; NBA C'ship 1959–66, Boston Celtics) and coach (NBA C'ship 1984, 86; Boston Celtics), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 88
- Dec 25 Robin Jackman, English cricket seam bowler (4 Tests, 14 wickets; 15 ODIs; Surrey CCC), dies from COVID-19 at 75
- Dec 25 Tony Rice, American bluegrass guitarist (J.D. Crowe and the New South), dies at 69 [1]
- Dec 26 Jim McLean, Scottish soccer forward (Hamilton Academical, Clyde, Dundee) and manager (Dundee United 1971-93), dies from dementia at 83
Phil Niekro (1939-2020)
Dec 26 American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (knuckleballer; no-hitter 1973; 5 x MLB All Star; 5 x Gold Glove; Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves), dies of cancer at 81 [1]
- Dec 27 Harry Bromfield, South African cricket spin bowler (9 Tests, 17 wickets; Western Province), dies at 88
- Dec 27 José Luiz Carbone, Brazilian soccer midfielder (6 caps; São Paulo, Internacional, Botafogo) and coach (Fluminense, Guarani), dies from liver cancer at 74
- Dec 27 Loyd Phillips, American College Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman (University of Arkansas; Chicago Bears), dies from a stroke at 75
- Dec 28 Armando Manzanero, Mexican composer and singer (It’s Impossible, Adoro), dies at 86 [1]
- Dec 28 Fou Ts'ong, Chinese-British concert pianist, dies of COVID-19 at 86
- Dec 28 Paul-Heinz Dittrich, German contemporary classical composer and teacher, dies at 90
- Dec 29 Claude Bolling, French jazz and classical cross-over pianist and composer (Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio), dies at 90 [1] [2]
- Dec 29 John F Reid, New Zealand cricket batsman (19 Tests, 1296 runs @ 46.28, 6 x 100s), dies at 64
- Dec 29 John Paul Jr., American auto racer (IMSA GT C'ship 1982; 24 Hours of Daytona 1982, 92; 12 Hours of Sebring 1982), dies from Huntington's disease at 60
- Dec 29 Luke Letlow, American businessman and politician, elected to US House of Representatives for Louisiana, dies before taking office, from complications caused by COVID-19, at 41
- Dec 29 Phyllis McGuire, American pop vocalist (McGuire Sisters - "Sincerely"; "Sugartime"), dies at 89
- Dec 29 Pierre Cardin, Italian-French fashion designer, dies at 98
- Dec 30 Alto Reed [Thomas Cartmell], American saxophonist (Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band), dies of colon cancer at 72
- Dec 30 Eugene Wright, American jazz bassist (The Dave Brubeck Quartet), sometimes known as "The Senator", dies at 97 [1]
- Dec 30 Samuel Little, American serial killer (who confessed to 93 murders), dies at 80 [1]
- Dec 31 Joan Micklin Silver, American film director (Hester Street; Crossing Delancey), dies at 85
- Dec 31 Richard Thornburgh, 76th United States Attorney General (1988-91) and 41st Governor of Pennsylvania (dealt with Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown), dies at 88 [1]
- Dec 31 Tommy Docherty, Scottish soccer midfielder (25 caps; Preston North End) and manager (Chelsea, QPR, Scotland, Manchester United), dies at 92
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
80-89
Over 90