22 December
Notable Births
Callan McKenna
b. 2006
Scottish footballer (born 2006)
Camila Osorio
b. 2001
Colombian tennis player (born 2001)
Jack Draper
b. 2001
British tennis player (born 2001)
Joshua Bassett
b. 2000
American actor and singer (born 2000)
G Hannelius
b. 1998
American actress and singer
Latto
b. 1998
American rapper (born 1998)
Casper Ruud
b. 1998
Norwegian tennis player (born 1998)
Sergi Darder
b. 1993
Spanish footballer (born 1993)
Raphaël Guerreiro
b. 1993
Footballer (born 1993)
Meghan Trainor
b. 1993
American singer-songwriter (born 1993)
Michaela Hončová
b. 1992
Slovak tennis player
Nick Johnson (basketball)
b. 1992
American basketball player (born 1992)
Moonbyul
b. 1992
South Korean rapper (born 1992)
DaBaby
b. 1991
American rapper (born 1991)
Jean-Baptiste Maunier
b. 1990
French actor and singer (born 1990)
Jordin Sparks
b. 1989
American singer and actress (born 1989)
Jacob Stallings
b. 1989
American baseball player (born 1989)
Scott Darling
b. 1988
American ice hockey player (born 1988)
Mohamed El Shenawy
b. 1988
Egyptian footballer (born 1988)
Leigh Halfpenny
b. 1988
Welsh rugby union player (born 1988)
Notable Deaths
Chris Rea
d. 2025
English musician and producer (1951–2025)
Ram Dass
d. 2019
American spiritual teacher (1931–2019)
Paddy Ashdown
d. 2018
British politician (1941–2018)
Simcha Rotem
d. 2018
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising veteran
Gonzalo Morales Sáurez
d. 2017
Chad Robinson
d. 2016
Australian rugby league footballer
Peter Lundblad
d. 2015
Swedish singer and songwriter
Freda Meissner-Blau
d. 2015
Austrian politician and activist (1927–2015)
Christine Cavanaugh
d. 2014
American actress (1963–2014)
Joe Cocker
d. 2014
English singer (1944–2014)
Bernard Stone
d. 2014
Chicago alderman (1927–2014)
Diomedes Díaz
d. 2013
Colombian vallenato artist (1957–2013)
Hans Hækkerup
d. 2013
Danish politician (1945–2013)
Chuck Cherundolo
d. 2012
American football player and coach (1916–2012)
Ryan Freel
d. 2012
American baseball player (1976–2012)
Cliff Osmond
d. 2012
American actor (1937–2012)
Lim Keng Yaik
d. 2012
Malaysian politician
Fred Foy
d. 2010
American actor (1921–2010)
Albert Scanlon
d. 2009
English footballer (1935–2009)
Samuel Beckett
d. 1989
Irish playwright and poet (1906–1989)
On This Day in History
All 60 ›
2018
A tsunami caused by an eruption of Anak Krakatau in Indonesia kills at least 430 people and injures almost a thousand more.
2018 Sunda Strait tsunami
2018
The 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown, the second-longest shutdown of the U.S. federal government in history, begins.
2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown
2017
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397 against North Korea is unanimously approved.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397
2016
A study finds the VSV-EBOV vaccine against the Ebola virus between 70 and 100% effective, making it the first proven vaccine against the disease.
RVSV-ZEBOV vaccine
2012
Bashir Ahmad Bilour of Awami National Party and eight others are killed in a Pakistan Taliban bomber suicide attack in Dhaki Nalbandi area near Qissa Khwani Bazaar.
Bashir Ahmad Bilour
2010
The repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
2008
An ash dike ruptures at a solid waste containment area for a Tennessee Valley Authority coal-fired power plant in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 4.2 million m3 (1.1 billion US gal) of coal fly ash slurry in the largest industrial spill in U.S. history.
Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill
2001
Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, hands over power in Islamic State of Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.
Burhanuddin Rabbani
2001
Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.
Richard Reid
1999
Just after taking off from London Stansted Airport, Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 crashes into Hatfield Forest near Great Hallingbury, killing all four people on board.
London Stansted Airport
1997
Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.
Acteal massacre
1997
Somali Civil War: Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo, Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
Somali Civil War
1996
Airborne Express Flight 827 crashes in Narrows, Virginia, killing all six people on board.
Airborne Express Flight 827
1992
During approach to Tripoli International Airport, a Boeing 727 operating as Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 1103 collides in mid-air with a Libyan Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23, killing 157 people.
Tripoli International Airport
1990
Lech Wałęsa is elected President of Poland.
Lech Wałęsa
1990
Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship.
Marshall Islands
1989
Romanian Revolution: Communist President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu is overthrown by Ion Iliescu after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife Elena flee Bucharest in a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.
Romanian revolution
1989
German reunification: Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
German reunification
1987
In Zimbabwe, the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi.
Zimbabwe
1984
"Subway vigilante" Bernhard Goetz shoots four would-be muggers on a 2 express train in Manhattan section of New York, United States.
1984 New York City Subway shooting