December 7

December 7 in recent years

2024 (Saturday)

2023 (Thursday)

2022 (Wednesday)

2021 (Tuesday)

2020 (Monday)

2019 (Saturday)

2018 (Friday)

2017 (Thursday)

2016 (Wednesday)

2015 (Monday)

December 7 is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 24 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

Up to 1900

• 43 BC – Roman writer, lawyer and statesman Cicero is assassinated.
• 574 – Roman Emperor Justin II retires.
• 1703 – The Great Storm of 1703 in Great Britain makes landfall.
• 1724 – religious troubles were followed by the execution of nine Protestant citizens and the mayor of Thorn (Toruń) by Polish authorities.
• 1732 – The Royal Opera House opens in London.
• 1776 – Glibert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette arranges to enter the American military as a general.
• 1787 – Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the US Constitution.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas.
• 1869 – American outlaw Jesse James commits his first confirmed bank robbery in Gallatin, Missouri.

1901 – 1950

• 1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary.
• 1941 – World War II: Canada declares war on Finland, Hungary, Romania, and Japan.
• 1941 – The Japanese attack the Hawaiian city of Pearl Harbor during World War II. 2,403 people are killed, 188 planes are destroyed, and 8 US ships are damaged or destroyed.
• 1946 – A fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, kills 119 people.
• 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The government of Republic of China moves from Nanking to Taipei.

1951 – 2000

• 1962 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco revises the principality's constitution, devolving some of his power to advisory and legislative councils.
• 1970 – West German Chancellor Willy Brandt makes a gesture of reconciliation towards the victims of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, known as the "Kniefall", as he falls to his knees in front of the city's memorial.
• 1972 – First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos escapes an assassination attempt.
• 1972 – Apollo 17 launches, as the last mission to–date to fly to the Moon; On this mission, the famous "Blue Marble" photograph of the Earth is taken.
• 1975 – Indonesia invades East Timor.
• 1983 – An Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 collides with an Aviaco DC–9 in dense fog while the two airliners are taxing down the runway at Madrid–Barajas Airport, killing 93 people.
• 1987 – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashes near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 people on board.
• 1987 – The Alianza Lima air disaster occurs.
• 1988 – In Armenia an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale kills nearly 25,000, injures 15,000 and leaves 400,000 people homeless.
• 1988 – Yasser Arafat recognizes the right of Israel to exist.
• 1995 – The Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter.
• 1999 – The RIAA files a lawsuit against the Napster file–sharing client, on charges of copyright infringement.

From 2001

• 2003 – The newly formed Conservative Party of Canada is officially recognised.
• 2006 – A tornado strikes Kensal Green, Northwest London.
• 2007 – The "Hebei Spirit" oil spill begins in South Korea after a crane barge that had broken free from a tug collides with the very large crude carrier, Hebei Spirit.
• 2015 – Then–US Presidential candidate Donald Trump calls for Muslims to be banned from entering the United States.
• 2016 – An earthquake in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, kills around 100 people.
• 2016 – All 47 people on board die when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashes near Islamabad.
• 2017 – Australia legalises same-sex marriage.

Births

Up to 1900

• 521 – Columba, Irish missionary, monk and saint (d. 597)
• 903 – Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, Persian astronomer and author (d. 986)
• 1302 – Azzone Visconti, Italian ruler (d. 1339)
• 1546 – Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Consort of Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1567)
• 1561 – Kikkawa Hiroie, Japanese daimyo (d. 1625)
• 1598 – Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Italian artist (d. 1680)
• 1627 – Countess Louise Henriette of Nassau (d. 1667)
• 1637 – Bernardo Pasquini, Italian composer (d. 1710)
• 1643 – Giovanni Battista Falda, Italian architect and engraver (d. 1678)
• 1724 – Louise of Great Britain (d. 1751)
• 1784 – Allan Cunningham, Scottish author and poet (d. 1842)
• 1801 – Johann Nestroy, Austrian dramatist and actor (d. 1862)
• 1810 – Theodor Schwann, German biologist (d. 1882)
• 1823 – Leopold Kronecker, German mathematician (d. 1891)
• 1830 – Luigi Cremona, Italian mathematician (d. 1903)
• 1838 – Thomas Bent, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of Victoria (d. 1909)
• 1847 – Deacon White, American baseball player and manager (d. 1939)
• 1860 – Joseph Cook, 6th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1947)
• 1863 – Pietro Mascagni, Italian composer (d. 1945)
• 1863 – Felix Calonder, Swiss politician (d. 1952)
• 1863 – Richard Warren Sears, American businessman (d. 1914)
• 1873 – Willa Cather, American writer (d. 1947)
• 1879 – Rudolf Friml, Czech–American pianist and composer (d. 1972)
• 1884 – John Carpenter, American sprinter (d. 1933)
• 1885 – Mason Phelps, American golfer (d. 1945)
• 1887 – Ernst Toch, Austrian–American composer and songwriter (d. 1964)
• 1888 – Hamilton Fish III, American captain and politician (d. 1991)
• 1889 – Gabriel Marcel, French philosopher, dramatist and critic (d. 1973)
• 1891 – Fay Bainter, American actress (d. 1968)
• 1900 – Christian Matras, Faroese poet (d. 1988)

1901 – 1950

• 1905 – Gerard Kuiper, Dutch astronomer (d. 1973)
• 1908 – Slim Bryant, American musician (d. 2010)
• 1909 – Nikola Vapcarov, Macedonian poet from Bulgaria (d. 1942)
• 1910 – Duncan McNaughton, Canadian high jumper (d. 1998)
• 1910 – Louis Prima, American singer-songwriter, trumpeter and actor (d. 1978)
• 1910 – Vere Bird, 1st Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda (d. 1999)
• 1910 – Edmundo Ros, Trinidadian bandleader (d. 2011)
• 1912 – Daniel Jones, Welsh composer (d. 1993)
• 1915 – Eli Wallach, American actor (d. 2014)
• 1918 – Max Merkel, Austrian footballer (d. 2006)
• 1920 – Manuel Pereira da Silva, Portuguese sculptor (d. 2003)
• 1920 – Tatamkulu Afrika, South African poet and author (d. 2002)
• 1920 – Fiorenzo Magni, Italian cyclist (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Walter Nowotny, Austrian–German soldier and pilot (d. 1944)
• 1924 – Jovanka Broz, First Lady of Yugoslavia (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Mario Soares, former President of Portugal (d. 2017)
• 1928 – Noam Chomsky, American linguist, philosopher and political writer
• 1930 – Christopher Nicole, English author
• 1932 – Ellen Burstyn, American actress
• 1933 – Krsto Papic, Croatian actor (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Armando Manzanero, Mexican musician, singer and composer
• 1940 – Stan Boardman, English comedian and actor
• 1942 – Harry Chapin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1981)
• 1943 – Sue Johnston, English actress
• 1947 – Johnny Bench, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1947 – Tony Thomas, American screenwriter and producer
• 1947 – Garry Unger, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1947 – Anne Fine, British author
• 1948 – Gary Morris, American singer and actor

1951 – 1975

• 1952 – Susan Collins, American senator
• 1952 – Georges Corraface, French actor and producer
• 1954 – Mike Nolan, Irish singer
• 1955 – Priscilla Barnes, American actress and producer
• 1955 – John Watkins, Australian educator and politician
• 1956 – Larry Bird, American basketball player
• 1956 – Anna Soubry, English politician
• 1956 – Iveta Radicova, former Prime Minister of Slovakia
• 1958 – Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta
• 1959 – Barbara Wilshere, British actress
• 1960 – Craig Scanlon, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1962 – Alain Blondel, French decathlete
• 1962 – Grecia Colmenares, Venezuelan–Argentine actress
• 1962 – Imad Mughniyah, Lebanese resistance leader and freedom fighter
• 1963 – Theo Snelders, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1964 – Ilse Aigner, German politician
• 1965 – Colin Hendry, Scottish footballer
• 1965 – Jeffrey Wright, American actor and director
• 1969 – Andrea Claudio Galluzzo, Italian historian and archaeologist
• 1971 – Chasey Lain, American pornographic actress
• 1972 – Hermann Maier, Austrian skier
• 1972 – Tammy Lynn Sytch, American wrestler and manager
• 1973 – Damien Rice, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
• 1973 – Terrell Owens, American football player
• 1974 – Nicole Appleton, Canadian singer and actress

From 1976

• 1977 – Dominic Howard, English drummer (Muse)
• 1977 – Luke Donald, English golfer
• 1979 – Jennifer Carpenter, American actress
• 1979 – Sara Bareilles, American singer
• 1980 – Clemens Fritz, German footballer
• 1980 – John Terry, English footballer
• 1984 – Robert Kubica, the first Polish Formula One racing driver
• 1984 – Aaron Gray, American basketball player
• 1984 – Marko Vujin, Serbian handball player
• 1985 – Dean Ambrose, American wrestler
• 1987 – Aaron Carter, American singer
• 1988 – Emily Browning, Australian actress
• 1988 – Andrew Goudelock, American basketball player
• 1989 – Nicholas Hoult, English actor
• 1989 – Caleb Landry Jones, American actor
• 1989 – Alessandro Marchi, Italian footballer
• 1990 – Yasiel Puig, Cuban baseball player
• 1990 – David Goffin, Belgian tennis player
• 1990 – Urszula Radwanska, Polish tennis player
• 1991 – Dori Sakurada, Japanese actor, singer and dancer
• 1993 – Jasmine Villegas, American actress
• 1994 – Yuzuru Hanyu, Japanese figure skater
• 2003 – Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, Dutch royal

Deaths

Up to 1900

• 43 BC – Cicero, Roman politician and writer (b. 106 BC)
• 283 – Pope Eutychian
• 983 – Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 955)
• 1254 – Pope Innocent IV (b. 1195)
• 1279 – Boleslaw V the Chaste, Polish prince (b. 1226)
• 1295 – Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, English soldier (b. 1243)
• 1649 – Charles Garnier, French missionary and saint (b. 1606)
• 1683 – Algernon Shirley, English philosopher and politician (b. 1623)
• 1723 – Jan Santini Aichel, Czech architect (b. 1677)
• 1772 – Martín Sarmiento, Spanish monk, missionary, scholar and author (b. 1695)
• 1793 – Joseph Bara, French soldier and drummer (b. 1779)
• 1817 – William Bligh, British naval officer and Governor of New South Wales (b. 1754)
• 1879 – Jon Sigurdsson, Icelandic independence campaigner (b. 1811)
• 1894 – Ferdinand de Lesseps, French diplomat and entrepreneur (b. 1805)
• 1899 – Juan Luna, Filipino painter and sculptor (b. 1857)

1901 – 2000

• 1902 – Thomas Nast, German–American cartoonist (b. 1840)
• 1906 – Elie Ducommun, Swiss educator and journalist (b. 1833)
• 1913 – Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, Italian cardinal (b. 1828)
• 1917 – Ludwig Minkus, Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1826)
• 1938 – Anna Marie Hahn, German–American murderer (b. 1906)
• 1947 – Tristan Bernard, French author and playwright (b. 1866)
• 1947 – Nicholas Murray Butler, American philosopher, diplomat and educator (b. 1862)
• 1970 – Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist, sculptor and author (b. 1883)
• 1975 – Thornton Wilder, American author and playwright (b. 1897)
• 1978 – Alexander Wetmore, American ornithologist (b. 1886)
• 1985 – Robert Graves, English poet (b. 1895)
• 1990 – Joan Bennett, American actress (b. 1910)
• 1993 – Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 1st President of Ivory Coast (b. 1905)
• 1993 – Wolfgang Paul, German physicist (b. 1913)
• 1994 – J. C. Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1939)
• 1997 – Billy Bremner, Scottish footballer (b. 1942)
• 1998 – Martin Rodbell, American scientist (b. 1925)

From 2001

• 2005 – Lucy d'Abreu, Indian–born supercentenarian (b. 1892)
• 2006 – Jeane Kirkpatrick, American diplomat (b. 1926)
• 2010 – Elizabeth Edwards, American lawyer and author (b. 1949)
• 2011 – Harry Morgan, American actor (b. 1915)
• 2011 – Jerry Robinson, American comic artist (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Marty Reisman, American table tennis player and author (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Edouard Molinaro, French actor, director, producer and screenwriter (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Khalil Ullah Khan, Bangladeshi actor (b. 1934)
• 2014 – Mango, Italian singer, songwriter and musician (b. 1954)
• 2014 – Ken Weatherwax, American actor (b. 1955)
• 2015 – Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor and producer (b. 1945)
• 2015 – Shirley Stelfox, English actress (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Martin E. Brooks, American actor (b. 1925)
• 2016 – Greg Lake, English musician (b. 1947)
• 2017 – Fred J. Doocy, American politician and banker (b. 1913)
• 2017 – Ivan Korsak, Ukrainian writer and journalist (b. 1946)
• 2017 – Philippe Maystadt, Belgian politician (b. 1948)
• 2017 – Roland Taylor, American basketball player (b. 1946)
• 2018 – Belisario Betancur, Colombian politician, President of Colombia (b. 1923)
• 2018 – Shmuel Flatto-Sharon, French–Israeli politician (b. 1930)
• 2018 – Luigi Radice, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1935)
• 2019 – Berkley Bedell, American politician and businessman (b. 1921)
• 2019 – Reinhard Bonnke, German evangelist (b. 1940)
• 2019 – Bump Elliott, American football player (b. 1925)
• 2019 – Giuseppe Frigo, Italian politician and lawyer (b. 1935)
• 2019 – Herbert Joos, German jazz trumpeter (b. 1940)
• 2019 – Ali Mufuruki, Tanzanian businessman (b. 1958)

Holidays and observances

• Saint Ambrose Feast Day
• United States – Pearl Harbor Day
• Colombia – Día de las Velitas (Day of the Candles): Festivity
• India – The Armed Forces Flag Day
• Armenia – Spitak Remembrance Day
• International Civil Aviation Day