December 2 Explained

Events

Pre-1600

• 1244  - Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.^[1]
• 1409  - The University of Leipzig opens.^[2]

1601–1900

• 1697  - St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London, is consecrated.^[3]
• 1763  - Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what will become the United States.^[4]
• 1766  - Swedish parliament approves the Swedish Freedom of the Press Act and implements it as a ground law, thus being first in the world with freedom of speech.
• 1804  - At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French.^[5]
• 1805  - War of the Third Coalition: Battle of Austerlitz: French troops under Napoleon decisively defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.^[6]
• 1823  - Monroe Doctrine: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaims American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warns European powers not to interfere in the Americas.
• 1845  - Manifest Destiny: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James K. Polk proposes that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
• 1848  - Franz Joseph I becomes Emperor of Austria.
• 1851  - French President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte overthrows the Second Republic.
• 1852  - Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomes Emperor of the French as Napoleon III.
• 1859  - Origins of the American Civil War: Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia).^[7]
• 1865  - Alabama ratifies the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed by North Carolina, then Georgia; U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.
• 1867  - At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States.
• 1899  - Philippine–American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, known as the "Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.

1901–present

• 1908  - Puyi becomes Emperor of China at the age of two.
• 1917  - World War I: Russia and the Central Powers sign an armistice at Brest-Litovsk, and peace talks leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk begin.
• 1927  - Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile.
• 1930  - Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a $150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.
• 1939  - New York City's LaGuardia Airport opens.
• 1942  - World War II: During the Manhattan Project, a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
• 1943  - World War II: A Luftwaffe bombing raid on the harbour of Bari, Italy, sinks numerous cargo and transport ships, including the American, which is carrying a stockpile of mustard gas.
• 1947  - Jerusalem Riots of 1947: Arabs riot in Jerusalem in response to the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.
• 1949  - Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others is adopted.
• 1950  - Korean War: The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River ends with a decisive Chinese victory and UN forces are completely expelled from North Korea.
• 1954  - Cold War: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to censure Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute".
• 1954  - The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and Taiwan, is signed in Washington, D.C.
• 1956  - The Granma reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente Province. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.
• 1957  - United Nations Security Council Resolution 126 relating to the Kashmir conflict is adopted.
• 1961  - In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba will adopt Communism.
• 1962  - Vietnam War: After a trip to Vietnam at the request of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official to comment adversely on the war's progress.
• 1968  - Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55 crashes into Pedro Bay, Alaska, killing all 39 people on board.
• 1970  - The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
• 1971  - Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm al-Quwain form the United Arab Emirates.
• 1975  - Laotian Civil War: The Pathet Lao seizes the Laotian capital of Vientiane, forces the abdication of King Sisavang Vatthana, and proclaims the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
• 1976  - Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba, replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado.
• 1977  - A Tupolev Tu-154 crashes near Benghazi, Libya, killing 59.^[8]
• 1980  - Salvadoran Civil War: Four American missionaries are raped and murdered by a death squad.
• 1982  - At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
• 1988  - Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority state.
• 1988  - Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-27, a classified mission for the United States Department of Defense.^[9]
• 1989  - The Peace Agreement of Hat Yai is signed and ratified by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and the governments of Malaysia and Thailand, ending the over two-decade-long communist insurgency in Malaysia.
• 1990  - Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-35, carrying the ASTRO-1 spacelab observatory.^[10]
• 1991  - Canada and Poland become the first nations to recognize the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union.
• 1992  - Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-53 for the United States Department of Defense.^[11]
• 1993  - Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed by police in Medellín.
• 1993  - Space Shuttle program: STS-61: NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
• 1999  - The United Kingdom devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive following the Good Friday Agreement.
• 2001  - Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
• 2015  - San Bernardino attack: Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik kill 14 people and wound 22 at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California.
• 2016  - Thirty-six people die in a fire at a converted Oakland, California, warehouse serving as an artist collective.
• 2020  - Cannabis is removed from the list of most dangerous drugs of the international drug control treaty by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.^{[12] [13] [14] [15]}

Births

Pre-1600

• 503  - Emperor Jianwen of Liang, emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty (d. 551)
• 1501  - Queen Munjeong, Korean queen (d. 1565)
• 1578  - Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1641)
• 1599  - Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin, Scottish nobleman (d. 1663)

1601–1900

• 1629  - Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg, Catholic cardinal (d. 1704)
• 1694  - William Shirley, English-American lawyer and politician, Governor of the province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1771)
• 1703  - Ferdinand Konščak, Croatian missionary and explorer (d. 1759)
• 1738  - Richard Montgomery, Irish-American general (d. 1775)
• 1754  - William Cooper, American judge and politician, founded Cooperstown, New York (d. 1809)
• 1759  - James Edward Smith, English botanist and mycologist, founded the Linnean Society (d. 1828)
• 1760  - John Breckinridge, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th United States Attorney General (d. 1806)
• 1760  - Joseph Graetz, German organist, composer, and educator (d. 1826)
• 1798  - António Luís de Seabra, 1st Viscount of Seabra, Portuguese magistrate and politician (d. 1895)
• 1810  - Henry Yesler, American businessman and politician, 7th Mayor of Seattle (d. 1892)
• 1811  - Jean-Charles Chapais, Canadian farmer and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Agriculture (d. 1885)
• 1817  - Heinrich von Sybel, German historian, academic, and politician (d. 1895)
• 1825  - Pedro II of Brazil (d. 1891)
• 1827  - William Burges, English architect and designer (d. 1881)^[16]
• 1846  - Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau, French lawyer and politician, 68th Prime Minister of France (d. 1904)
• 1847  - Deacon White, American baseball player and manager (d. 1939)
• 1859  - Kateryna Melnyk-Antonovych, Ukrainian historian and archaeologist (d. 1942)^[17]
• 1859  - Georges Seurat, French painter (d. 1891)
• 1860  - Charles Studd, England cricketer and missionary (d. 1931)
• 1863  - Charles Edward Ringling, American businessman, co-founded the Ringling Brothers Circus (d. 1926)
• 1866  - Harry Burleigh, American singer-songwriter (d. 1949)
• 1876  - Yusuf Akçura, Tatar-Turkish activist and ideologue of Turanism (d. 1935)
• 1877  - Cahir Healy, Northern Irish Anti Partitionist, writer and politician (d. 1970)^[18]
• 1884  - Erima Harvey Northcroft, New Zealand soldier, lawyer, and judge (d. 1953)
• 1884  - Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, Turkish poet and author (d. 1958)
• 1885  - George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
• 1891  - Otto Dix, German painter and illustrator (d. 1969)
• 1891  - Charles H. Wesley, American historian and author (d. 1987)
• 1894  - Warren William, American actor (d. 1948)
• 1895  - Harriet Cohen, English pianist (d. 1967)
• 1897  - Ivan Bagramyan, Russian general (d. 1982)
• 1897  - Rewi Alley, New Zealand writer and political activist (d. 1987)^[19]
• 1898  - Indra Lal Roy, Indian lieutenant and first Indian fighter aircraft pilot (d. 1918)
• 1899  - John Barbirolli, English cellist and conductor (d. 1970)
• 1899  - John Cobb, English race car driver and pilot (d. 1952)
• 1899  - Ray Morehart, American baseball player (d. 1989)
• 1900  - Elisa Godínez Gómez de Batista, former First Lady of Cuba (d. 1993)
• 1900  - Herta Hammerbacher, German landscape architect and professor (d. 1985)

1901–present

• 1901  - Raimundo Orsi, Argentinian-Italian footballer (d. 1986)
• 1906  - Peter Carl Goldmark, Hungarian-American engineer (d. 1977)
• 1909  - Arvo Askola, Finnish runner (d. 1975)
• 1909  - Walenty Kłyszejko, Estonian–Polish basketball player and coach (d. 1987)
• 1909  - Joseph P. Lash, American activist and author (d. 1987)
• 1910  - Russell Lynes, American photographer, historian, and author (d. 1991)
• 1910  - Taisto Mäki, Finnish runner (d. 1979)
• 1912  - George Emmett, English cricketer and coach (d. 1976)
• 1913  - Marc Platt, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 2014)
• 1914  - Bill Erwin, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1914  - Adolph Green, American playwright and composer (d. 2002)
• 1915  - Takahito, Prince Mikasa of Japan (d. 2016)
• 1916  - Howard Finster, American minister and painter (d. 2001)
• 1917  - Sylvia Syms, American singer (d. 1992)
• 1921  - Carlo Furno, Italian cardinal (d. 2015)
• 1922  - Iakovos Kambanelis, Greek author, poet, and screenwriter (d. 2011)
• 1923  - Maria Callas, American-Greek soprano and actress (d. 1977)^[20]
• 1924  - Jonathan Frid, Canadian actor (d. 2012)
• 1924  - Alexander Haig, American general and politician, 59th United States Secretary of State (d. 2010)
• 1924  - Else Marie Pade, Danish composer (d. 2016)
• 1924  - Vilgot Sjöman, Swedish actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1925  - Julie Harris, American actress (d. 2013)
• 1927  - Ralph Beard, American basketball player (d. 2007)^[21]
• 1928  - Guy Bourdin, French photographer (d. 1991)
• 1929  - Dan Jenkins, American journalist and author (d. 2019)
• 1929  - Leon Litwack, American historian and author (d. 2021)
• 1930  - Gary Becker, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
• 1930  - David Piper, English race car driver
• 1931  - Nigel Calder, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
• 1931  - Masaaki Hatsumi, Japanese martial artist and educator, founded Bujinkan
• 1931  - Wynton Kelly, American pianist and composer (d. 1971)
• 1931  - Edwin Meese, American lawyer, 75th United States Attorney General
• 1931  - Gareth Wigan, British film studio executive (d. 2010)
• 1933  - Peter Robin Harding, English marshal and pilot (d. 2021)
• 1933  - Mike Larrabee, American sprinter and educator (d. 2003)
• 1934  - Tarcisio Bertone, Italian cardinal
• 1935  - David Hackett Fischer, American historian, author, and academic
• 1937  - Manohar Joshi, Indian lawyer and politician, 15th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2024)
• 1939  - Yael Dayan, Israeli journalist, author, and politician
• 1939  - Francis Fox, Canadian lawyer and politician, 48th Secretary of State for Canada
• 1939  - Harry Reid, American lawyer and politician, 25th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada (d. 2021) ^[22]
• 1940  - Willie Brown, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2019)
• 1941  - Mike England, Welsh footballer and manager
• 1941  - Tom McGuinness, English guitarist, songwriter, author, and producer
• 1942  - Anna G. Jónasdóttir, Icelandic political scientist and academic
• 1943  - Wayne Allard, American veterinarian and politician
• 1944  - Cathy Lee Crosby, American actress and tennis player
• 1944  - Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovan journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (d. 2006)
• 1944  - Dionysis Savvopoulos, Greek singer-songwriter
• 1944  - Botho Strauß, German author and playwright
• 1945  - Penelope Spheeris, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1945  - Alan Thomson, Australian cricketer (d. 2022)
• 1946  - John Banks, New Zealand businessman and politician, 38th Mayor of Auckland City
• 1946  - David Macaulay, English-American author and illustrator
• 1946  - Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founded Versace (d. 1997)
• 1947  - Isaac Bitton, Moroccan-French drummer and songwriter
• 1947  - Tommy Jenkins, English footballer and manager
• 1947  - Ivan Atanassov Petrov, Bulgarian neurologist and author
• 1948  - Elizabeth Berg, American nurse and author
• 1948  - T. Coraghessan Boyle, American novelist and short story writer
• 1948  - Patricia Hewitt, Australian-English educator and politician, English Secretary of State for Health
• 1948  - Toninho Horta, Brazilian guitarist and composer
• 1948  - Antonín Panenka, Czech footballer
• 1950  - John Wesley Ryles, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1950  - Amin Saikal, Afghan-Australian political scientist and academic
• 1950  - Benjamin Stora, Algerian-French historian and author
• 1950  - Paul Watson, Canadian activist, founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
• 1952  - Carol Shea-Porter, American social worker, academic, and politician
• 1952  - Keith Szarabajka, American actor
• 1954  - Dan Butler, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1956  - Steven Bauer, Cuban-American actor and producer
• 1957  - Dagfinn Høybråten, Norwegian political scientist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Health
• 1958  - Randy Gardner, American figure skater
• 1958  - Andrew George, English politician
• 1958  - Vladimir Parfenovich, Belarusian canoe racer and politician
• 1958  - George Saunders, American short story writer and essayist
• 1959  - Kelefa Diallo, Guinean general (d. 2013)
• 1960  - Peter Blakeley, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1960  - Deb Haaland, American politician, 54th United States Secretary of the Interior
• 1960  - Razzle, English rock drummer (d. 1984)
• 1960  - Rick Savage, English singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1960  - Silk Smitha, Indian film actress^[23]
• 1962  - John Dyegh, Nigerian businessman and politician
• 1963  - Brendan Coyle, English actor
• 1963  - Ann Patchett, American author
• 1963  - Rich Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
• 1963  - Ron Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1965  - Shane Flanagan, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1966  - Philippe Etchebest, French chef and television host
• 1966  - Jinsei Shinzaki, Japanese wrestler and promoter, co-founded Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling
• 1967  - Mary Creagh, English scholar and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
• 1968  - David Batty, English footballer
• 1968  - Jiří Dopita, Czech ice hockey player^[24]
• 1968  - Darryl Kile, American baseball player (d. 2002)
• 1968  - Lucy Liu, American actress and producer^[25]
• 1968  - Nate Mendel, American singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1968  - Rena Sofer, American actress
• 1969  - Ulrika Bergquist, Swedish journalist
• 1969  - Chris Kiwomya, English footballer
• 1969  - Pavel Loskutov, Estonian runner
• 1969  - Tanya Plibersek, Australian journalist and politician, 45th Australian Minister of Health
• 1970  - Joe Lo Truglio, American actor and comedian
• 1970  - Maksim Tarasov, Russian pole vaulter
• 1970  - Treach, American rapper and actor
• 1971  - Wilson Jermaine Heredia, American actor and singer
• 1971  - Rachel McQuillan, Australian tennis player
• 1971  - Jüri Reinvere, Estonian-German composer and poet
• 1971  - Francesco Toldo, Italian footballer
• 1971  - Mine Yoshizaki, Japanese illustrator
• 1972  - Alan Henderson, American basketball player^[26]
• 1972  - Sergei Zholtok, Latvian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
• 1973  - Graham Kavanagh, Irish footballer and manager
• 1973  - Monica Seles, Serbian-American tennis player
• 1973  - Lee Steele, English footballer
• 1973  - Jan Ullrich, German cyclist
• 1975  - Mark Kotsay, American baseball player and manager
• 1976  - Masafumi Gotoh, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1977  - Siyabonga Nomvethe, South African footballer
• 1978  - Jarron Collins, American basketball player and coach
• 1978  - Jason Collins, American basketball player
• 1978  - Nelly Furtado, Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1978  - Luigi Malafronte, Italian footballer
• 1978  - Peter Moylan, Australian baseball player
• 1978  - Maëlle Ricker, Canadian snowboarder
• 1978  - David Rivas, Spanish footballer
• 1978  - Andrew Ryan, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
• 1978  - Christopher Wolstenholme, English singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1979  - Yvonne Catterfeld, German singer-songwriter and actress
• 1979  - Michael McIndoe, Scottish footballer
• 1979  - Abdul Razzaq, Pakistani cricketer
• 1980  - Adam Kreek, Canadian rower
• 1980  - Darryn Randall, South African cricketer (d. 2013)
• 1980  - Joel Ward, Canadian ice hockey player^[27]
• 1981  - Maria Ferekidi, Greek canoe racer
• 1981  - Eric Jungmann, American actor
• 1981  - Thomas Pöck, Austrian ice hockey player^[28]
• 1981  - Danijel Pranjić, Croatian footballer
• 1981  - Britney Spears, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
• 1982  - Christos Karipidis, Greek footballer
• 1982  - Matt Walsh, American basketball player^[29]
• 1983  - Action Bronson, American rapper, songwriter, chef, and television host^[30]
• 1983  - Chris Burke, Scottish footballer
• 1983  - Bibiana Candelas, Mexican volleyball player
• 1983  - Jaime Durán, Mexican footballer
• 1983  - Eugene Jeter, American-Ukrainian basketball player, coach, and executive^[31]
• 1983  - Jana Kramer, American actress and singer
• 1983  - Aaron Rodgers, American football player
• 1983  - Daniela Ruah, Portuguese-American actress
• 1984  - Péter Máté, Hungarian footballer
• 1985  - Amaury Leveaux, French swimmer
• 1985  - Dorell Wright, American basketball player
• 1986  - Song Ha-yoon, South Korean actress
• 1986  - Claudiu Keșerü, Romanian footballer
• 1986  - Renee Montgomery, American basketball player and executive^[32]
• 1986  - Tal Wilkenfeld, Australian bass player and composer
• 1988  - Alfred Enoch, English actor
• 1988  - Stephen McGinn, Scottish footballer
• 1989  - Etta Bond, English singer-songwriter
• 1989  - Matteo Darmian, Italian footballer
• 1989  - Cassie Steele, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
• 1989  - Robert Turbin, American football player^[33]
• 1990  - Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Ghanaian footballer
• 1990  - Gastón Ramírez, Uruguayan footballer
• 1991  - Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier
• 1991  - Brandon Knight, American basketball player^[34]
• 1991  - Charlie Puth, American singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1992  - Sim Bhullar, Canadian basketball player^[35]
• 1992  - Gary Sánchez, Dominican baseball player^[36]
• 1993  - Haruka Ishida, Japanese singer and actress
• 1993  - Kostas Stafylidis, Greek footballer
• 1994  - Zach Cunningham, American football player^[37]
• 1994  - Aaron Jones, American football player^[38]
• 1994  - Elias Lindholm, Swedish ice hockey player^[39]
• 1994  - Fumika Shimizu, Japanese actress and model
• 1994  - Tomokaze Yūta, Japanese sumo wrestler
• 1995  - Uladzislau Hancharou, Belarusian trampolinist
• 1995  - Inori Minase, Japanese actress, voice actress and singer
• 1996  - Jake Doran, Australian cricketer^[40]
• 1997  - De'Andre Hunter, American basketball player^[41]
• 1998  - Annalise Basso, American actress
• 1998  - Anna Kalinskaya, Russian tennis player^[42]
• 1998  - Juice Wrld, American rapper, singer and songwriter (d. 2019)^[43]
• 2003  - Neil Erasmus, South African-Australian footballer^[44]
• 2004  - Ilia Malinin, American competitive figure skater^[45]

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 537  - Pope Silverius
• 930  - Ma Yin, Chinese warlord, king of Chu (Ten Kingdoms) (b. 853)
• 949  - Odo of Wetterau, German nobleman
• 1022  - Elvira Menéndez, queen of Alfonso V of Castile (b. 996)
• 1255  - Muhammad III of Alamut, Nizari Ismaili Imam^[46]
• 1340  - Geoffrey le Scrope, Chief Justice of King Edward III of England
• 1348  - Emperor Hanazono of Japan (b. 1297)
• 1381  - John of Ruusbroec, Flemish priest and mystic (b. 1293)
• 1455  - Isabel of Coimbra, queen of Portugal (b. 1432)^[47]
• 1463  - Albert VI, Archduke of Austria (b. 1418)
• 1469  - Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, Italian banker and politician (b. 1416)
• 1510  - Muhammad Shaybani, Khan of Bukhara (b. 1451)
• 1515  - Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general (b. 1453)
• 1547  - Hernán Cortés, Spanish general and explorer (b. 1485)^[48]
• 1594  - Gerardus Mercator, Flemish mathematician, cartographer, and philosopher (b. 1512)

1601–1900

• 1615  - Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, French general (b. 1541)
• 1665  - Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet, French author (b. 1588)
• 1694  - Pierre Puget, French painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1622)
• 1719  - Pasquier Quesnel, French theologian and author (b. 1634)
• 1723  - Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (b. 1674)
• 1726  - Samuel Penhallow, English-American historian and author (b. 1665)
• 1747  - Vincent Bourne, English poet and scholar (b. 1695)
• 1748  - Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1662)
• 1774  - Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer (b. 1720)
• 1814  - Marquis de Sade, French philosopher, author, and politician (b. 1740)
• 1844  - Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko, Polish general and politician (b. 1768)
• 1849  - Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (b. 1792)
• 1859  - John Brown, American abolitionist (b. 1800)
• 1881  - Jenny von Westphalen, German author (b. 1814)
• 1885  - Allen Wright, Principal chief of the Choctaw Nation (1866–1870); proposed the name "Oklahoma", from Choctaw words okra and umma, meaning "Territory of the Red People." (b. 1826)
• 1888  - Namık Kemal, Turkish journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1840)
• 1892  - Jay Gould, American businessman and financier (b. 1836)
• 1899  - Gregorio del Pilar, Filipino general and politician, 1st Governor of Bulacan (b. 1875)

1901–present

• 1918  - Edmond Rostand, French poet and playwright (b. 1868)
• 1924  - Kazimieras Būga, Lithuanian linguist and philologist (b. 1879)
• 1927  - Paul Heinrich von Groth, German scientist who systematically classified minerals and founded the journal Zeitschrift für Krystallographie und Mineralogie (b. 1843)
• 1931  - Vincent d'Indy, French composer and educator (b. 1851)^[49]
• 1936  - John Ringling, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Brothers Circus (b. 1866)
• 1943  - Nordahl Grieg, Norwegian journalist and author (b. 1902)
• 1944  - Josef Lhévinne, Russian pianist and educator (b. 1874)
• 1944  - Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Egyptian-Italian poet and composer (b. 1876)
• 1944  - Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player and soldier (b. 1917)
• 1950  - Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist and composer (b. 1917)
• 1953  - Reginald Baker, Australian rugby player (b. 1884)
• 1953  - Trần Trọng Kim, Vietnamese historian, scholar, and politician, Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1883)
• 1957  - Harrison Ford, American actor (b. 1884)
• 1957  - Manfred Sakel, Ukrainian-American neurophysiologist and psychiatrist (b. 1902)
• 1966  - L. E. J. Brouwer, Dutch mathematician and philosopher (b. 1881)
• 1966  - Giles Cooper, Irish author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1918)
• 1967  - Francis Spellman, American cardinal (b. 1889).^[50]
• 1969  - José María Arguedas, Peruvian anthropologist, author, and poet (b. 1911)
• 1969  - Kliment Voroshilov, Ukrainian-Russian marshal and politician, 3rd Head of State of The Soviet Union (b. 1881)
• 1974  - Sylvi Kekkonen, Finnish writer and wife of President of Finland Urho Kekkonen (b. 1900)^[51]
• 1974  - Max Weber, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1897)
• 1976  - Danny Murtaugh, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
• 1980  - Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Indian-Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Pakistan (b. 1905)
• 1980  - Romain Gary, Lithuanian-French author, director, and screenwriter (b. 1914)
• 1981  - Wallace Harrison, American architect, co-founded Harrison & Abramovitz (b. 1895)
• 1982  - Marty Feldman, English actor and comedian (b. 1934)
• 1982  - Giovanni Ferrari, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1907)
• 1983  - Fifi D'Orsay, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1904)
• 1985  - Philip Larkin, English poet, author, and librarian (b. 1922)
• 1986  - Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor, singer, businessman, and television producer (b. 1917)
• 1986  - John Curtis Gowan, American psychologist and academic (b. 1912)
• 1987  - Luis Federico Leloir, French-Argentinian physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
• 1987  - Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich, Belarusian physicist, astronomer, and cosmologist (b. 1914)
• 1988  - Karl-Heinz Bürger, German colonel (b. 1904)
• 1988  - Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
• 1990  - Aaron Copland, American composer and conductor (b. 1900)
• 1990  - Robert Cummings, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1908)
• 1993  - Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord (b. 1949)
• 1995  - Robertson Davies, Canadian author, playwright, and critic (b. 1913)
• 1995  - Roxie Roker, American actress (b. 1929)
• 1995  - Mária Telkes, Hungarian–American biophysicist and chemist (b. 1900)
• 1997  - Shirley Crabtree, English wrestler (b. 1930)
• 1997  - Michael Hedges, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1953)
• 1999  - Charlie Byrd, American guitarist (b. 1925)
• 2000  - Gail Fisher, American actress (b. 1935)
• 2002  - Ivan Illich, Austrian priest and philosopher (b. 1926)
• 2002  - Arno Peters, German cartographer and historian (b. 1916)
• 2003  - Alan Davidson, British soldier, historian, and author (b. 1924)
• 2004  - Alicia Markova, English ballerina and choreographer (b. 1910)
• 2004  - Mona Van Duyn, American poet and academic (b. 1921)
• 2005  - William P. Lawrence, American admiral and pilot (b. 1930)
• 2005  - Van Tuong Nguyen, Australian convicted drug trafficker (b. 1980)
• 2006  - Mariska Veres, Dutch singer (b. 1947)
• 2007  - Jennifer Alexander, Canadian-American ballerina and actress (b. 1972)
• 2007  - Elizabeth Hardwick, American literary critic, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1916)
• 2008  - Odetta, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (b. 1930)
• 2008  - Henry Molaison, American memory disorder patient (b. 1926)
• 2008  - Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian lawyer and businessman (b. 1933)
• 2008  - Renato de Grandis, Italian composer, musicologist, and writer (b. 1927)
• 2009  - Foge Fazio, American football player and coach (b. 1938)
• 2009  - Eric Woolfson, Scottish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1945)
• 2012  - Tom Hendry, Canadian playwright, co-founded the Manitoba Theatre Centre (b. 1929)
• 2012  - Ehsan Naraghi, Iranian sociologist and author (b. 1926)
• 2013  - William Allain, American soldier and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi (b. 1928)
• 2013  - Jean-Claude Beton, Algerian-French engineer and businessman, founded Orangina (b. 1925)
• 2013  - Marcelo Déda, Brazilian lawyer and politician (b. 1960)
• 2013  - Junior Murvin, Jamaican singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
• 2014  - A. R. Antulay, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1929)
• 2014  - Jean Béliveau, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1931)
• 2014  - Josie Cichockyj, English basketball player and coach (b. 1964)
• 2014  - Bobby Keys, American saxophonist (b. 1943)
• 2014  - Don Laws, American figure skater and coach (b. 1929)
• 2015  - Sandy Berger, American lawyer and politician, 19th United States National Security Advisor (b. 1945)
• 2015  - Will McMillan, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1944)
• 2015  - George T. Sakato, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1921)
• 2020  - Pat Patterson, American wrestler (b. 1941) ^{[52] [53]}
• 2024  - Helmut Duckadam, Romanian footballer (b. 1959) ^[54]

Holidays and observances

• Armed Forces Day (Cuba)
• Christian feast day:
  • Avitus of Rouen
  • Bibiana
  • Channing Moore Williams (Anglicanism)
  • Chromatius
  • Habakkuk (Eastern Orthodox)
  • December 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (United Nations)^[55]
• Lao National Day
• National Day (United Arab Emirates)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
  • Historical Events on December 2

Notes and References

1. Book: of Puylaurens . William . C . William William . Laurentii . Guilelmus de Podio . The Chronicle of William of Puylaurens: The Albigensian Crusade and Its Aftermath . 2003 . Boydell Press . 978-0-85115-925-6 . 109 . en.
2. Book: Dhondt . Pieter . University Jubilees and University History Writing: A Challenging Relationship . 28 October 2014 . BRILL . 978-90-04-26507-3 . 163 . en.
3. Book: J. S. Bromley. The New Cambridge Modern History: Volume 6, The Rise of Great Britain and Russia, 1688-1715/25. 2 July 1970. CUP Archive. 978-0-521-07524-4. 262.
4. Book: Touro Synagogue of Congregation Jeshuat Israel, Newport, Rhode Island: Founded 1658, Dedicated 1763, Designated as a National Historic Site, 1946. 1948. Society of Friends of Touro Synagogue National Historic Shrine. 7.
5. Book: Vincent Cronin. Napoleon. 1971 . 250.
6. Book: Frederick C. Schneid. Napoleon's conquest of Europe: the War of the Third Coalition. 2005. Greenwood Press. 137.
7. Book: Schraff . Anne E. . John Brown: "We Came to Free the Slaves" . 2010 . Enslow Publishers . 9780766033559 . 103–107 . 20 May 2021.
8. Web site: Ranter . Harro . Aviation Safety Network LZ-BTN accident description . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20050408123450/http://aviation-safety.net:80/database/record.php?id=19771202-0 . 8 April 2005 . 23 July 2010 . Aviation Safety Network . Flight Safety Foundation.
9. News: Evans . Ben . January 30, 2012 . Into the Black: NASA's Secret Shuttle Missions – Part Two . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210106083802/https://www.americaspace.com/2012/01/30/into-the-black-nasas-secret-shuttle-missions-part-two/ . January 6, 2021 . AmericaSpace.
10. News: December 2, 1990 . Columbia Makes Successful Night Launch . Statesman Journal . Salem, Oregon . 3 . Newspapers.com . Gannett News Service.
11. Web site: June 29, 2001 . STS-53 (52) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210318083302/https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-53/mission-sts-53.html . March 18, 2021 . February 11, 2022 . NASA.
12. Book: Commission on Narcotic Drugs Report on the reconvened sixty-third session (2–4 December 2020) – Economic and Social Council Official Records, 2020 Supplement No. 8A [E/CN.7/2020/15/Add.1]]. United Nations. 2020. New-York. 5. Decision 63/17: Deletion of cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol.
13. Web site: 22 January 2021. The International Drug Control Conventions Schedules of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol, as at 22 January 2021 [ST/CND/1/Add.1/Rev.7]]. live. United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. https://web.archive.org/web/20210309204653/https://undocs.org/en/ST/CND/1/Add.1/Rev.7 . 2021-03-09 .
14. News: 2020-12-02. UN commission reclassifies cannabis, yet still considered harmful. 2021-05-26. UN News. en.
15. News: Kwai. Isabella. 2020-12-02. U.N. Reclassifies Cannabis as a Less Dangerous Drug. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-05-26. 0362-4331.
16. Book: Crook, J. Mordaunt. William Burges and the High Victorian Dream. 1981. Chicago. University of Chicago Press. 9780226121178. 38. Internet Archive.
17. Web site: Сьомочкіна-Рижко . О. М. . Антонович-Мельник Катерина Миколаївна . 2024-11-08 . Енциклопедія Сучасної України . uk.
18. November 2007 . Cahir Healy Papers . Public Records Office of Northern Ireland . 3 . 26 January 2023 .
19. Web site: Alley, Rewi . teara.govt.nz . New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage . 26 December 2019 . en.
20. Web site: Famous birthdays for Dec. 2: Britney Spears, Charlie Puth . . 30 November 2023 . 2 December 2022.
21. Web site: Ralph Beard . . 30 November 2023.
22. News: Harry Reid, former Senate leader, dead at 82. Politico. Cohen. David. December 28, 2021. December 28, 2021.
23. Web site: Silk Smitha's bold interview . filmfare.com/ . 2 December 2013 . en.
24. Web site: Jiri Dopita . . 30 November 2023.
25. Web site: Rose . Mike . Today's famous birthdays list for December 2, 2022 includes celebrities Britney Spears, Lucy Liu . . . 30 November 2023 . 2 December 2022.
26. Web site: Alan Henderson . . 30 November 2023.
27. Web site: Joel Ward . . 30 November 2023.
28. Web site: Thomas Pock . . 30 November 2023.
29. Web site: Matt Walsh . . 30 November 2023.
30. Web site: Steiner . BJ . Happy Birthday, Action Bronson! . . 30 November 2023 . 2 December 2014.
31. Web site: Pooh Jeter . . 30 November 2023.
32. Web site: Renee Montgomery . . 30 November 2023.
33. Web site: Robert Turbin . . 30 November 2023.
34. Web site: Brandon Knight . . 30 November 2023.
35. Web site: Sim Bhullar . . 30 November 2023.
36. Web site: Gary Sánchez . . 30 November 2023.
37. Web site: Zach Cunningham . . 30 November 2023.
38. Web site: Aaron Jones . . 30 November 2023.
39. Web site: Elias Lindholm . . 30 November 2023.
40. Web site: Jake Doran . ESPNcricinfo . 11 December 2023.
41. Web site: De'Andre Hunter . . 30 November 2023.
42. Web site: WTAtennis.com Profile: Anna Kalinskaya. Women's Tennis Association. 17 October 2022.
43. Web site: VIBE. VIBE. 2020-12-03. Juice Wrld's Mom Shares Touching Tribute In Honor Of His Birthday. 2021-05-04. VIBE.com. en-US.
44. Web site: Neil Erasmus. AFL Tables. 25 May 2022.
45. Web site: Ilia Malinin - Player Profile - Figure Skating. Eurosport. 29 March 2024.
46. Book: Daftary . Farhad . The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines . 1992 . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-42974-0 . 422 . en.
47. Book: Anne Commire. Deborah Klezmer. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. 2000. Yorkin Publications. 978-0-7876-4066-8. 702.
48. Book: MacNutt . Francis Augustus . Fernando Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico, 1485-1547 . 1909 . G. P. Putnam's Sons . New York . 432.
49. Book: John Warrack. Ewan West. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera. 7 March 1996. Oxford University Press, USA. 978-0-19-280028-2. 243.
50. Book: Spellman, Francis Joseph (1889-1967), Roman Catholic prelate . . 2000 . 10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0801438 . 978-0-19-860669-7 . May 4, 2021. Fogarty . Gerald P. .
51. Web site: Kekkonen, Sylvi (1900-1974) . Kansallisbiografia.fi . National Biography of Finland . 1 August 2021 . fi.
52. Web site: Tony Marinaro on Twitter: "Just got a text from my buddy Rodger Brulotte letting me know that legendary wrestler Pat Patterson of @WWE passed away earlier this morning in a Miami hospital. Patterson, had cancer. He was 79. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. RIP. #WWE". December 2, 2020. Twitter.
53. Web site: WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson passes away. WWE. December 2, 2020. December 2, 2020.
54. Web site: Ex-Steaua Bucharest keeper Duckadam, the 'Hero of Seville', dies at 65. Reuters. December 2, 2024. December 2, 2024.
55. Web site: International Days . www.un.org . 2 January 2021 . en . 6 January 2015.