December 6

For the novel, see December 6 (novel).

Events

Pre-1600

• 1060 – Béla I is crowned king of Hungary.
• 1240 – Mongol invasion of Rus': Kyiv, defended by Voivode Dmytro, falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan.
• 1492 – After exploring the island of Cuba (which he had mistaken for Japan) for gold, Christopher Columbus lands on an island he names Hispaniola.
• 1534 – The city of Quito in Ecuador is founded by Spanish settlers led by Sebastián de Belalcázar.

1601–1900

• 1648 – Pride's Purge removes royalist sympathizers from Parliament so that the High Court of Justice could put the King on trial.
• 1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army begins retreat during the second Jacobite Rising.
• 1790 – The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia.
• 1803 – Five French warships attempting to escape the Royal Naval blockade of Saint-Domingue are all seized by British warships, signifying the end of the Haitian Revolution.
• 1865 – Georgia ratifies the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
• 1882 – Transit of Venus, second and last of the 19th century.
• 1884 – The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., is completed.
• 1897 – London becomes the world's first city to host licensed taxicabs.

1901–present

• 1904 – Theodore Roosevelt articulated his "Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the U.S. would intervene in the Western Hemisphere should Latin American governments prove incapable or unstable.
• 1907 – A coal mine explosion at Monongah, West Virginia, kills 362 workers.
• 1912 – The Nefertiti Bust is discovered.
• 1916 – World War I: The Central Powers capture Bucharest.
• 1917 – Finland declares independence from the Russian Empire.
• 1917 – Halifax Explosion: A munitions explosion near Halifax, Nova Scotia kills more than 1,900 people in the largest artificial explosion up to that time.
• 1917 – World War I: USS Jacob Jones is the first American destroyer to be sunk by enemy action when it is torpedoed by German submarine SM U-53.
• 1921 – The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed in London by British and Irish representatives.
• 1922 – Ireland is partitioned, with Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State coming into existence, one year to the day after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
• 1928 – The government of Colombia sends military forces to suppress a month-long strike by United Fruit Company workers, resulting in an unknown number of deaths.
• 1933 – In United States v. One Book Called Ulysses Judge John M. Woolsey rules that James Joyce's novel Ulysses is not obscene despite coarse language and sexual content, a leading decision affirming free expression.
• 1939 – Winter War: The Red Army's advance on the Karelian Isthmus is stopped by Finns at the Mannerheim Line during the Battle of Taipale.
• 1941 – World War II: Camp X opens in Canada to begin training Allied secret agents for the war.
• 1956 – A violent water polo match between Hungary and the USSR takes place during the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, against the backdrop of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
• 1957 – Project Vanguard: A launchpad explosion of Vanguard TV3 thwarts the first United States attempt to launch a satellite into Earth orbit.
• 1967 – Adrian Kantrowitz performs the first human heart transplant in the United States.
• 1969 – Altamont Free Concert: At a free concert performed by the Rolling Stones, eighteen-year old Meredith Hunter is stabbed to death by Hells Angels security guards.
• 1971 – Pakistan severs diplomatic relations with India, initiating the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
• 1973 – The Twenty-fifth Amendment: The United States House of Representatives votes 387–35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States. (On November 27, the Senate confirmed him 92–3.)
• 1975 – The Troubles: Fleeing from the police, a Provisional IRA unit takes a British couple hostage in their flat on Balcombe Street, London, beginning a six-day siege.
• 1977 – South Africa grants independence to Bophuthatswana, although it is not recognized by any other country.
• 1978 – Spain ratifies the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in a referendum.
• 1982 – The Troubles: The Irish National Liberation Army bombs a pub frequented by British soldiers in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, killing eleven soldiers and six civilians.
• 1989 – The École Polytechnique massacre (or Montreal Massacre): Marc Lépine, an anti-feminist gunman, murders 14 young women at the École Polytechnique in Montreal.
• 1990 – A military jet of the Italian Air Force, abandoned by its pilot after an on-board fire, crashed into a high school near Bologna, Italy, killing 12 students and injuring 88 other people.
• 1991 – Yugoslav Wars: In Croatia, forces of the Serb-dominated Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) heaviest bombardment of Dubrovnik during a siege of seven months.
• 1992 – The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India, is demolished, leading to widespread riots causing the death of over 1,500 people.
• 1995 – The United States Food and Drug Administration approves Saquinavir, the first protease inhibitor to treat HIV/AIDS. Within 2 years of its approval, annual deaths from AIDS in the United States fall from over 50,000 to approximately 18,000.
• 1998 – in Venezuela, Hugo Chávez is victorious in presidential elections.
• 1999 – A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc.: The Recording Industry Association of America sues the peer-to-peer file-sharing service Napster, alleging copyright infringement.
• 2005 – An Iranian Air Force C-130 military transport aircraft crashes into a ten-floor apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, killing all 94 on board and 12 more on the ground.
• 2006 – NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.
• 2015 – Venezuelan parliamentary election: For the first time in 17 years, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela loses its majority in parliament.
• 2017 – Donald Trump's administration officially announces the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Births

Pre-1600

• 846 – Hasan al-Askari, Arabian 11th of the Twelve Imams (died 874)
• 1285 – Ferdinand IV of Castile (died 1312)
• 1421 – Henry VI of England (died 1471)
• 1478 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian courtier, diplomat, and author (died 1529)
• 1520 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (died 1551)
• 1545 – Janus Dousa, Dutch historian and noble (died 1604)
• 1586 – Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist (died 1670)
• 1592 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (died 1676)

1601–1900

• 1608 – George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (died 1670)
• 1637 – Edmund Andros, English courtier and politician, 4th Colonial Governor of New York (died 1714)
• 1640 – Claude Fleury, French historian and author (died 1723)
• 1645 – Maria de Dominici, Maltese sculptor and painter (died 1703)
• 1685 – Marie Adélaïde of Savoy (died 1712)
• 1721 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French minister and politician (died 1794)
• 1721 – James Elphinston, Scottish philologist and linguist (died 1809)
• 1732 – Warren Hastings, British colonial administrator of India (died 1818)
• 1752 – Gabriel Duvall, American jurist and politician (died 1844)
• 1778 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French physicist and chemist (died 1850)
• 1792 – William II of the Netherlands (died 1849)
• 1803 – Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (died 1829)
• 1805 – Richard Hanson, English-Australian politician, 4th Premier of South Australia (died 1876)
• 1812 – Robert Spear Hudson, English businessman and philanthropist (died 1884)
• 1823 – Max Müller, German-English philologist and orientalist (died 1900)
• 1827 – William Arnott, Australian biscuit manufacturer and founder of Arnott's Biscuits (died 1901)
• 1833 – John S. Mosby, American colonel (died 1916)
• 1835 – Wilhelm Rudolph Fittig, German chemist (died 1910)
• 1841 – Frédéric Bazille, French painter and soldier (died 1870)
• 1848 – Johann Palisa, Austrian astronomer (died 1925)
• 1849 – August von Mackensen, German field marshal (died 1945)
• 1853 – Hans Molisch, Czech-Austrian botanist and academic (died 1937)
• 1853 – Haraprasad Shastri, Indian historian and scholar (died 1931)
• 1863 – Charles Martin Hall, American chemist and engineer (died 1914)
• 1864 – William S. Hart, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1946)
• 1875 – Albert Bond Lambert, American golfer and pilot (died 1946)
• 1875 – Evelyn Underhill, English mystic and author (died 1941)
• 1876 – Fred Duesenberg, German-American businessman, co-founded the Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company (died 1932)
• 1878 – Elvia Carrillo Puerto, Mexican politician (died 1968)
• 1882 – Warren Bardsley, Australian cricketer (died 1954)
• 1884 – Cornelia Meigs, American author, playwright, and academic (died 1973)
• 1886 – Joyce Kilmer, American soldier, author, and poet (died 1918)
• 1887 – Lynn Fontanne, British actress (died 1983)
• 1887 – Joseph Lamb, American pianist and composer (died 1960)
• 1888 – Will Hay, English actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1949)
• 1890 – Dion Fortune, Welsh occultist, psychologist, and author (died 1946)
• 1890 – Yoshio Nishina, Japanese physicist and academic (died 1951)
• 1890 – Rudolf Schlichter, German painter and illustrator (died 1955)
• 1892 – Osbert Sitwell, English-Italian captain, poet, and author (died 1969)
• 1893 – Homer N. Wallin, American admiral (died 1984)
• 1893 – Sylvia Townsend Warner, English author and poet (died 1978)
• 1896 – Ira Gershwin, American songwriter (died 1983)
• 1898 – Alfred Eisenstaedt, German-American photographer and journalist (died 1995)
• 1898 – John McDonald, Scottish-Australian politician, 37th Premier of Victoria (died 1977)
• 1898 – Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1987)
• 1898 – Winifred Lenihan, American actress, writer, and director (died 1964)
• 1900 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (died 1974)

1901–present

• 1901 – Eliot Porter, American photographer and academic (died 1990)
• 1903 – Tony Lazzeri, American baseball player and manager (died 1946)
• 1904 – Ève Curie, French-American journalist and pianist (died 2007)
• 1905 – Elizabeth Yates, American journalist and author (died 2001)
• 1907 – John Barkley Rosser Sr., American logician (died 1989)
• 1908 – Herta Freitag, Austrian-American mathematician (died 2000)
• 1908 – Pierre Graber, Swiss lawyer and politician, 69th President of the Swiss Confederation (died 2003)
• 1908 – Baby Face Nelson, American gangster (died 1934)
• 1908 – Miklós Szabó, Hungarian runner (died 2000)
• 1909 – Rulon Jeffs, American religious leader (died 2002)
• 1909 – Alan McGilvray, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (died 1996)
• 1910 – David M. Potter, American historian, author, and academic (died 1971)
• 1912 – Eleanor Holm, American swimmer and actress (died 2004)
• 1913 – Karl Haas, German-American pianist, conductor, and radio host (died 2005)
• 1914 – Cyril Washbrook, English cricketer (died 1999)
• 1916 – Yekaterina Budanova, Russian captain and pilot (died 1943)
• 1916 – Kristján Eldjárn, Icelandic educator and politician, 3rd President of Iceland (died 1982)
• 1916 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and producer (died 1986)
• 1917 – Dean Hess, American minister and colonel (died 2015)
• 1917 – Kamal Jumblatt, Lebanese lawyer and politician (died 1977)
• 1917 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (died 2008)
• 1918 – Tauba Biterman, Polish Holocaust survivor (died 2019)
• 1919 – Skippy Baxter, Canadian-American figure skater and coach (died 2012)
• 1919 – Paul de Man, Belgian-born philosopher, literary critic and theorist (died 1983)
• 1920 – Dave Brubeck, American pianist and composer (died 2012)
• 1920 – Peter Dimmock, English sportscaster and producer (died 2015)
• 1920 – George Porter, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2002)
• 1921 – Otto Graham, American football player and coach (died 2003)
• 1921 – Piero Piccioni, Italian lawyer, pianist, and composer (died 2004)
• 1922 – John Brunt, English captain, Victoria Cross recipient (died 1944)
• 1922 – Benjamin A. Gilman, American soldier and politician (died 2016)
• 1924 – Wally Cox, American actor (died 1973)
• 1927 – Jim Fuchs, American shot putter and discus thrower (died 2010)
• 1928 – Bobby Van, American actor, dancer, and singer (died 1980)
• 1929 – Philippe Bouvard, French journalist and radio host
• 1929 – Nikolaus Harnoncourt, German-Austrian cellist and conductor (died 2016)
• 1929 – Frank Springer, American comic book illustrator (died 2009)
• 1929 – Alain Tanner, Swiss director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2022)
• 1930 – Daniel Lisulo, Zambian banker and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Zambia (died 2000)
• 1931 – Zeki Müren, Turkish singer-songwriter and actor (died 1996)
• 1932 – Kamleshwar, Indian author, screenwriter, and critic (died 2007)
• 1933 – Henryk Górecki, Polish composer and academic (died 2010)
• 1933 – Donald J. Kutyna, American general
• 1934 – Nick Bockwinkel, American wrestler, sportscaster, and actor (died 2015)
• 1935 – Jean Lapointe, Canadian actor, singer, and politician (died 2022)
• 1936 – Bill Ashton, English saxophonist and composer (died 2025)
• 1936 – Kenneth Copeland, American evangelist and author
• 1936 – David Ossman, American writer and comedian
• 1937 – Alberto Spencer, Ecuadorian-American soccer player (died 2006)
• 1938 – Patrick Bauchau, Belgian-American actor
• 1939 – Franco Carraro, Italian politician and sports administrator
• 1940 – Lawrence Bergman, Canadian lawyer and politician
• 1940 – Richard Edlund, American visual effects designer and cinematographer
• 1941 – Helen Cornelius, American country singer-songwriter and actress (died 2025)
• 1941 – Bruce Nauman, American sculptor and illustrator
• 1941 – Richard Speck, American murderer (died 1991)
• 1941 – Bill Thomas, American academic and politician
• 1942 – Peter Handke, Austrian author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1942 – Robb Royer, American guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter
• 1943 – Mike Smith, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (died 2008)
• 1943 – Keith West, English rock singer-songwriter and music producer
• 1944 – Jonathan King, English singer-songwriter, record producer, music entrepreneur, television/radio presenter, and convicted sex offender
• 1945 – Shekhar Kapur, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1946 – Frankie Beverly, American soul/funk singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (died 2024)
• 1946 – Willy van der Kuijlen, Dutch footballer and manager (died 2021)
• 1947 – Lawrence Cannon, Canadian businessman and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1947 – Geoffrey Hinton, British-Canadian computer scientist, cognitive scientist, and cognitive psychologist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1947 – Henk van Woerden, Dutch-South African painter and author (died 2005)
• 1947 – Miroslav Vitouš, Czech-American bassist and songwriter
• 1948 – Jean-Paul Ngoupandé, Central African politician, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (died 2014)
• 1948 – Don Nickles, American businessman and politician
• 1948 – Keke Rosberg, Finnish racing driver
• 1948 – JoBeth Williams, American actress
• 1949 – Linda Barnes, American author, playwright, and educator
• 1949 – Linda Creed, American singer-songwriter (died 1986)
• 1949 – Doug Marlette, American author and cartoonist (died 2007)
• 1949 – Peter Willey, English cricketer and umpire
• 1950 – Guy Drut, French hurdler and politician
• 1950 – Joe Hisaishi, Japanese pianist, composer, and conductor
• 1950 – Helen Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke, Scottish journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
• 1951 – Wendy Ellis Somes, English ballerina and producer
• 1951 – Maurice Hope, Caribbean-English boxer
• 1952 – Nicolas Bréhal, French author and critic (died 1999)
• 1952 – Craig Newmark, American computer programmer and entrepreneur; founded Craigslist
• 1952 – Shio Satō, Japanese illustrator (died 2010)
• 1953 – Sue Carroll, English journalist (died 2011)
• 1953 – Gary Goodman, Australian cricketer and coach
• 1953 – Geoff Hoon, English academic and politician, Minister of State for Europe
• 1953 – Tom Hulce, American actor
• 1953 – Masami Kurumada, Japanese author and illustrator
• 1954 – Nicola De Maria, Italian painter
• 1954 – Chris Stamey, American singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer
• 1955 – Anne Begg, Scottish educator and politician
• 1955 – Rick Buckler, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (died 2025)
• 1955 – Graeme Hughes, Australian cricketer, rugby league player, and sportscaster
• 1955 – Tony Woodcock, English footballer
• 1955 – Steven Wright, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
• 1956 – Peter Buck, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1956 – Hans Kammerlander, Italian mountaineer and guide
• 1956 – Randy Rhoads, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (died 1982)
• 1957 – Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 1999)
• 1957 – Andrew Cuomo, American politician, 56th Governor of New York
• 1957 – Bill Hanzlik, American basketball player and coach
• 1958 – Nick Park, English animator, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Deborah Estrin, American computer scientist and academic
• 1959 – Stephen Hepburn, English politician
• 1959 – Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman (died 2015)
• 1959 – Stephen Muggleton, English computer scientist and engineer
• 1960 – Masahiko Katsuya, Japanese journalist and photographer (died 2018)
• 1961 – David Lovering, American drummer
• 1961 – Jonathan Melvoin, American musician (died 1996)
• 1961 – Manuel Reuter, German race car driver
• 1962 – Janine Turner, American actress
• 1962 – Ben Watt, English singer-songwriter, musician, author, DJ, and radio presenter
• 1963 – Ulrich Thomsen, Danish actor and producer
• 1964 – Mall Nukke, Estonian painter
• 1965 – Gordon Durie, Scottish footballer and manager
• 1966 – Natascha Badmann, Swiss triathlete
• 1966 – Per-Ulrik Johansson, Swedish golfer
• 1967 – Judd Apatow, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1967 – Helen Greiner, American businesswoman and engineer
• 1967 – Arnaldo Mesa, Cuban boxer (died 2012)
• 1968 – Karl Ove Knausgård, Norwegian author
• 1968 – Ali Latifiyan, Iranian writer and political theorist
• 1968 – Akihiro Yano, Japanese baseball player
• 1969 – Mark Gardener, English rock musician
• 1969 – Torri Higginson, Canadian actress
• 1970 – Ulf Ekberg, Swedish singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
• 1970 – Adrian Fenty, American lawyer and politician, 6th Mayor of the District of Columbia
• 1970 – Mark Reckless, English politician
• 1970 – Jeff Rouse, American swimmer
• 1971 – Craig Brewer, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1971 – José Contreras, Cuban baseball player
• 1971 – Richard Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
• 1971 – Naozumi Takahashi, Japanese singer and voice actor
• 1971 – Carole Thate, Dutch field hockey player
• 1971 – Ryan White, American activist (died 1990)
• 1972 – Ewan Birney, English scientist
• 1972 – Heather Mizeur, American lawyer and politician
• 1974 – Jens Pulver, American mixed martial artist and boxer
• 1974 – Nick Stajduhar, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1975 – Noel Clarke, English actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Adrian García Arias, Mexican footballer
• 1976 – Lindsay Price, American actress
• 1977 – Kevin Cash, American baseball player and manager
• 1977 – Andrew Flintoff, English cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
• 1977 – Paul McVeigh, Irish footballer
• 1978 – Chris Başak, American baseball player
• 1978 – Darrell Jackson, American football player
• 1978 – Adriana Moisés Pinto, Brazilian basketball player
• 1978 – Ramiro Pez, Argentine rugby player
• 1979 – Tim Cahill, Australian footballer
• 1980 – Danielle Downey, American golfer and coach (died 2014)
• 1980 – Steve Lovell, English footballer
• 1980 – Carlos Takam, Cameroonian-French boxer
• 1981 – Federico Balzaretti, Italian footballer
• 1982 – Ryan Carnes, American actor and producer
• 1982 – Alberto Contador, Spanish cyclist
• 1982 – Sean Ervine, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1982 – Robbie Gould, American football player
• 1982 – Aaron Sandilands, Australian footballer
• 1982 – Susie Wolff, Scottish race car driver
• 1984 – Syndric Steptoe, American football player
• 1984 – Nora Kirkpatrick, American actress and musician
• 1984 – Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland
• 1985 – Shannon Bobbitt, American basketball player
• 1985 – Aristeidis Grigoriadis, Greek swimmer
• 1985 – R. P. Singh, Indian cricketer
• 1986 – Sean Edwards, English race car driver (died 2013)
• 1986 – Matt Niskanen, American ice hockey player
• 1988 – Adam Eaton, American baseball player
• 1988 – Ravindra Jadeja, Indian cricketer
• 1988 – Sandra Nurmsalu, Estonian singer and violinist
• 1988 – Nils Petersen, German footballer
• 1988 – Nobunaga Shimazaki, Japanese voice actor
• 1989 – Felix Schiller, German footballer
• 1990 – Tamira Paszek, Austrian tennis player
• 1991 – Rachel Jarry, Australian basketball player
• 1991 – Milica Mandić, Serbian taekwondo athlete
• 1991 – Coco Vandeweghe, American tennis player
• 1992 – Viktor Antipin, Russian ice hockey player
• 1992 – Britt Assombalonga, Congolese footballer
• 1992 – Johnny Manziel, American football player
• 1993 – Jasprit Bumrah, Indian cricketer
• 1993 – Elián González, Cuban technician, known for a child custody and immigration case held in 2000
• 1993 – Tautau Moga, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
• 1994 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greek-Nigerian basketball player
• 1994 – Wakatakakage Atsushi, Japanese sumo wrestler
• 1994 – Shreyas Iyer, Indian cricketer
• 1995 – A Boogie wit da Hoodie, American rapper and singer-songwriter
• 1996 – Davide Calabria, Italian footballer
• 1996 – Stefanie Scott, American actress and singer
• 1997 – Sabrina Ionescu, American basketball player
• 1998 – Angelīna Kučvaļska, Latvian figure skater

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 343 – Saint Nicholas, Greek bishop and saint (born 270)
• 735 – Prince Toneri of Japan (born 676)
• 762 – Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, Arab rebel leader (born 710)
• 1185 – Afonso I of Portugal (born 1109)
• 1305 – Maximus, Metropolitan of Kyiv
• 1306 – Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk (born 1270)
• 1352 – Pope Clement VI (born 1291)
• 1562 – Jan van Scorel, Dutch painter (born 1495)

1601–1900

• 1616 – Ahmad Ibn al-Qadi, Moroccan writer, judge and mathematician (born 1552)
• 1618 – Jacques Davy Duperron, French cardinal (born 1556)
• 1658 – Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author (born 1601)
• 1675 – John Lightfoot, English priest, scholar, and academic (born 1602)
• 1686 – Eleonora Gonzaga, Queen consort of Ferdinand III (born 1630)
• 1716 – Benedictus Buns, Dutch priest and composer (born 1642)
• 1718 – Nicholas Rowe, English poet and playwright (born 1674)
• 1746 – Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish poet and songwriter (born 1665)
• 1771 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist (born 1682)
• 1779 – Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter (born 1699)
• 1788 – Jonathan Shipley, English bishop (born 1714)
• 1855 – William Swainson, English ornithologist and entomologist (born 1789)
• 1867 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (born 1794)
• 1868 – August Schleicher, German linguist and academic (born 1821)
• 1878 – Theodoros Vryzakis, Greek painter and educator (born 1814)
• 1879 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American businessman (born 1814)
• 1882 – Alfred Escher, Swiss businessman and politician, founded Credit Suisse (born 1819)
• 1882 – Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (born 1815)
• 1889 – Jefferson Davis, American general and politician, President of the Confederate States of America (born 1808)
• 1892 – Werner von Siemens, German engineer and businessman, founded the Siemens Company (born 1816)

1901–present

• 1918 – Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist (born 1851)
• 1921 – Said Halim Pasha, Ottoman politician, 280th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (born 1865)
• 1924 – Gene Stratton-Porter, American author and screenwriter (born 1863)
• 1945 – Edmund Dwyer-Gray, Irish-Australian politician, 29th Premier of Tasmania (born 1870)
• 1951 – Harold Ross, American journalist and publisher, founded The New Yorker (born 1892)
• 1955 – Honus Wagner, American baseball player and manager (born 1874)
• 1956 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Justice (born 1891)
• 1961 – Frantz Fanon, Martinique-French psychiatrist and author (born 1925)
• 1964 – Evert van Linge, Dutch footballer and architect (born 1895)
• 1972 – Janet Munro, English actress and singer (born 1934)
• 1974 – Nikolay Kuznetsov, Soviet naval officer (born 1904)
• 1976 – João Goulart, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 24th President of Brazil (born 1918)
• 1980 – Charles Deutsch, French engineer and businessman, co-founded DB (born 1911)
• 1982 – Jean-Marie Seroney, Kenyan activist and politician (born 1927)
• 1983 – Lucienne Boyer, French singer and actress (born 1903)
• 1983 – Gul Khan Nasir, Pakistani poet, historian, and politician (born 1914)
• 1985 – Burr Tillstrom, American actor and puppeteer (born 1917)
• 1985 – Burleigh Grimes, American baseball player and manager (born 1893)
• 1985 – Carroll Cole, American serial killer, arsonist, and cannibal (born 1938)
• 1988 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1936)
• 1989 – Frances Bavier, American actress (born 1902)
• 1989 – Sammy Fain, American pianist and composer (born 1902)
• 1989 – John Payne, American actor, singer, and producer (born 1912)
• 1990 – Pavlos Sidiropoulos, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1948)
• 1990 – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia (born 1903)
• 1991 – Mimi Smith, English nurse (born 1906)
• 1991 – Richard Stone, English economist and statistician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913)
• 1993 – Don Ameche, American actor (born 1908)
• 1994 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (born 1922)
• 1994 – Gian Maria Volonté, Italian actor and director (born 1933)
• 1996 – Pete Rozelle, American businessman (born 1926)
• 1996 – Harry Babcock, American football player and first overall draft pick (born 1930)
• 1997 – Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (born 1918)
• 1998 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor and educator (born 1921)
• 2000 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (born 1920)
• 2000 – Aziz Mian, Pakistani singer-songwriter and poet (born 1942)
• 2001 – Charles McClendon, American football player and coach (born 1923)
• 2002 – Philip Berrigan, American priest and activist (born 1923)
• 2003 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan general and politician, President of Guatemala (born 1918)
• 2005 – Charly Gaul, Luxembourger cyclist (born 1932)
• 2005 – Devan Nair, Malaysian-Singaporean union leader and politician, 3rd President of Singapore (born 1923)
• 2005 – Danny Williams, South African singer (born 1942)
• 2005 – William P. Yarborough, American general (born 1912)
• 2006 – John Feeney, New Zealand director and producer (born 1922)
• 2010 – Mark Dailey, American-Canadian journalist and actor (born 1953)
• 2011 – Dobie Gray, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1940)
• 2012 – Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó, Equatoguinean engineer and politician, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (born 1961)
• 2012 – Jan Carew, Guyanese author, poet, and playwright (born 1920)
• 2012 – Jeffrey Koo Sr., Taiwanese banker and businessman (born 1933)
• 2012 – Huw Lloyd-Langton, English guitarist (born 1951)
• 2012 – Pedro Vaz, Uruguayan lawyer and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay (born 1963)
• 2013 – Jean-Pierre Desthuilliers, French poet and critic (born 1939)
• 2013 – Stan Tracey, English pianist and composer (born 1926)
• 2013 – M. K. Turk, American basketball player and coach (born 1942)
• 2014 – Ralph H. Baer, German-American video game designer, created the Magnavox Odyssey (born 1922)
• 2014 – Jimmy Del Ray, American wrestler and manager (born 1962)
• 2014 – Fred Hawkins, American golfer (born 1923)
• 2014 – Luke Somers, English-American photographer and journalist (born 1981)
• 2015 – Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (born 1945)
• 2015 – Liu Juying, Chinese general and politician (born 1917)
• 2015 – Nicholas Smith, British actor (born 1934)
• 2016 – Peter Vaughan, British actor (born 1923)
• 2024 – Maggie Tabberer, Australian fashion model and television personality (born 1936)

Holidays and observances

• Anniversary of the Founding of Quito (Ecuador)
• Armed Forces Day (Ukraine)
• Christian feast day:
  • Abraham of Kratia
  • Aemilianus (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Denise and companions
  • Blessed János Scheffler
  • María del Monte Carmelo Sallés y Barangueras
  • Nicholas of Myra, and its related observances:
    • Saint Nicholas Day, where Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus leaves little presents in children's shoes. (International)
  • December 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (Spain)
• Day of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of Azerbaijan
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Finland from Russia in 1917.
• National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Canada)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• Template:NYT On this day
• Historical Events on December 6