December 2 in recent years
2009 (Wednesday)
2008 (Tuesday)
2007 (Sunday)
2006 (Saturday)
2005 (Friday)
2004 (Thursday)
2003 (Tuesday)
2002 (Monday)
2001 (Sunday)
2000 (Saturday)
December 2 leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 28 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events [ ] 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens.1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire.1804 - At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris , Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French , the first French Emperor in a thousand years.1805 - Napoleonic Wars : Battle of Austerlitz - French troops under Napoleon defeat a joint Russo -Austrian force.1823 - Monroe Doctrine : US President James Monroe delivers a speech establishing American neutrality in future European conflicts.1845 - Manifest Destiny : US President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.1848 - Franz Josef I becomes Emperor of Austria .1851 - Newly-elected French President Charles Louis Bonaparte overthrows the Second Republic .1852 - Napoleon III becomes Emperor of the French .1859 - Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October 16th raid on Harper's Ferry .1867 - In a New York City theater, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States .1899 - Philippine-American War : The Battle of Tirad Pass , termed "The Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.1908 - Child Emperor Pu Yi ascends the Chinese throne at the age of two1920 - Following more than a month of Turkish-Armenian War , the Turkish dictated peace treaty is concluded -Treaty of Alexandropol 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 : US President Herbert Hoover goes before the United States Congress and asks for a US$150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.1939 - New York City 's La Guardia Airport opens.1942 - Manhattan Project : A team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction .1943 - A Luftwaffe bombing raid on the harbour of Bari , Italy , sinks an American ship with a mustard gas stockpile. Numerous fatalities (though the exact death toll is unresolved as the bombing raid itself caused hundreds of deaths too).1946 - British Government invites four Indian leaders, Nehru , Baldev Singh , Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan to obtain the participation of all parties in the Constituent Assembly.1947 - Jerusalem Riots of 1947 : Riots break out in Jerusalem in response to the approval of the 1947 UN Partition Plan .1954 - Red Scare : The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to condemn 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 the Republic of China , is signed in Washington .
1956 - The Granma yachtCuba's Oriente province and Fidel Castro , Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution .1956 - Meher Baba and followers suffer auto accident in Satara ,India .1961 - In a nationally-broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist -Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism .1962 - Vietnam War : After a trip to Vietnam at the request of US President John F. Kennedy , US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official to not make an optimistic public comment on the war's progress.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 .1972 - Gough Whitlam becomes the first Australian Labor Party Prime Minister of Australia for 23 years.1975 - Pathet Lao seizes power in Laos , and establishes the Lao People's Democratic Republic .1976 - Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado .1980 - Four U.S. nuns and churchwomen, Ita Ford , Maura Clarke , Jean Donovan , and Dorothy Kazel , are murdered by a death squad in El Salvador .1988 - Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan , becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam -dominated state.1990 - A coalition led by Chancellor Helmut Kohl wins the first free all-German elections since 1932 .1993 - Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed 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 .2001 - Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy .2005 - Van Tuong Nguyen is executed in Singapore for drug trafficking .Births [ ] 1578 - Agostino Agazzari , Italian composer and music theorist (d. 1640 )1694 - William Shirley , Colonial Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1771 )1703 - Ferdinand Konscak , Croatian explorer (d. 1759 )1710 - Bertinazzi , Italian actor and writer (d. 1783 )1738 - Richard Montgomery , Irish-born soldier (d. 1775 )1754 - William Cooper , American judge (d. 1809 )1760 - John Breckinridge , American politician (d. 1806 )1811 - Jean-Charles Chapais , French Canadian politician, Father of the Canadian Confederation (d. 1885 )1817 - Heinrich von Sybel , German historian (d. 1895 )1825 - Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (d. 1891 )1846 - Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau , French statesman (d. 1904 )1849 - Princess Marie of Hanover (d. 1906 )1859 - Georges Seurat , French painter (d. 1891 )1863 - Charles Ringling , American circus owner (d. 1926 )1885 - George Richards Minot , American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize (d. 1950 )1886 - Harry Burleigh , American composer (d. 1949 )1891 - Otto Dix , German painter and graphic artist (d. 1969 )1892 - Leo Ornstein , Russian-born composer and pianist (d. 2002 )1894 - Warren William , American Broadway and film actor (d. 1948 )1895 - Harriet Cohen , British pianist (d. 1967 )1897 - Hovhannes Bagramyan , Marshall of the Soviet Union (d. 1982 )1898 - Indra Lal Roy , Indian pilot (d. 1918 )1899 - John Barbirolli , British conductor (d. 1970 )1899 - John Cobb , British racing driver (d. 1952 )
1901 - Raimundo Orsi , Argentine-born footballer (d. 1986 )1902 - Howard Koch , American screenwriter (d. 1995 )1906 - Peter Carl Goldmark , Hungarian-born recording engineer (d. 1977 )1914 - Adolph Green , American composer (d. 2002 )1914 - Ray Walston , American actor (d. 2001 )
1917 - Sylvia Syms , American jazz singer (d. 1992 )1923 - Maria Callas , Greek soprano (d. 1977 )1924 - Alexander M. Haig , American soldier and politician1925 - Julie Harris , American actress1930 - Gary Becker , American economist, recipient of the Bank of Sweden Prize 1931 - Edwin Meese , American politician1931 - Nigel Calder , British science writer
1931 - Hatsumi Masaaki , Founder and head of the Bujinkan Dojo organization
1931 - Wynton Kelly , American jazz pianist (d. 1971 )
1933 - Michael Larrabee , American athlete (d. 2003 )1933 - K. Veeramani , Indian anti-caste activist
1934 - Andre Rodgers , baseball player (d. 2004 )1935 - David Hackett Fischer , American historian1939 - Yael Dayan , Israeli writer and politician1939 - Harry Reid , American politician
1939 - Francis Fox , Canadian politician, member of the Senate
1943 - Wayne Allard , American politician1944 - Ibrahim Rugova , first President of Kosovo (d. 2006 )1944 - Botho Strauß , German author
1944 - Dionysis Savvopoulos , Greek musician and songwriter
1944 - Inger Davidson , Swedish politician
1945 - Penelope Spheeris , American film director1946 - Gianni Versace , Italian fashion designer (d. 1997 )1947 - Isaac Bitton , French rock band drummer (Les Variations )1947 - Ivan Atanassov Petrov , Bulgarian neurologist1947 - Tommy Jenkins , English football player
1948 - T. Coraghessan Boyle , American writer1950 - Bob Kevoian , American radio personality1951 - Adrian Devine , American baseball pitcher1952 - Carol Shea-Porter , American Congresswoman1954 - Dan Butler , American actor1954 - Stone Phillips , American television journalist
1957 - Dagfinn Høybråten , Norwegian politician1958 - Uladzimir Parfianovich , Belarusian canoer1958 - Eric L. Harry , American novelist
1958 - George Saunders , American writer
1960 - Nicholas Dingley alias Razzle, British Drummer (Hanoi Rocks )1960 - Rick Savage , British bassist (Def Leppard )1962 - Kardam , titular Bulgarian royal family1963 - Ann Patchett , American novelist1963 - Ron Sutter , National Hockey League player
1966 - Jinsei Shinzaki , Japanese professional wrestler1968 - Lucy Liu , American actress1968 - Nate Mendel , American bassist (Foo Fighters )
1968 - Rena Sofer , American actress
1968 - Chris Wedge , American animator
1968 - Darryl Kile , baseball player (d. 2002 )
1971 - Wilson Jermaine Heredia , American actor1971 - Francesco Toldo , Italian Football Player (Inter Milan )
1972 - Sergei Zholtok , Latvian ice hockey player (d. 2004 )1973 - Graham Kavanagh , Irish footballer1973 - Monica Seles , Yugoslavian-born tennis player
1973 - Jan Ullrich , German cyclist
1976 - Eddy Garabito , professional baseball player1977 - Siyabonga Nomvethe , South African footballer plays for Aalborg BK 1978 - Nelly Furtado , Canadian singer and songwriter1978 - Chris Wolstenholme , British bassist (Muse )
1978 - David Rivas , Spanish Footballer plays for Real Betis
1978 - Jason Collins , American basketball player for New Jersey Nets
1978 - Jarron Collins , American basketball player for Utah Jazz
1979 - Yvonne Catterfeld , German singer and actress1979 - Michael McIndoe , Scottish professional footballer (Wolverhampton Wanderers )
1981 - Isabella Soprano , American pornographic actress1981 - Danijel Pranjić , Croatian football player plays for SC Heerenveen
1981 - Britney Spears , American singer
1982 - Matt Ware , American football player1982 - Pizon , American rapper/producer
1982 - Hristos Karipidis , Greek footballer
1983 - Bibiana Candelas , Mexican volleyball player1983 - Chris Burke , Scottish footballer plays for Rangers F.C.
1983 - Aaron Rodgers , American football player for Green Bay Packers
1984 - Péter Máté , Hungarian footballer (Reading F.C. )1985 - Dorell Wright , American basketball player1986 - Claudiu Keserü , Romanian football player (FC Nantes Atlantique )1987 - Teairra Mari , American R&B singer1988 - Alfred Enoch , British Actor1989 - Cassie Steele , Canadian actressDeaths [ ] 1348 - Emperor Hanazono of Japan (b. 1297 )1381 - John of Ruysbroeck , Flemish mystic1463 - Archduke Albert VI of Austria (b. 1418 )1469 - Piero di Cosimo de' Medici , ruler of Florence (b. 1416 )1515 - Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba , Spanish general and statesman (b. 1453 )1547 - Hernán Cortés , Spanish explorer and conqueror (b. 1485 )1552 - Francis Xavier , Spanish Catholic missionary (b. 1506 )1615 - Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon , French general1665 - Catherine de Vivonne , French socialite (b. 1588 )1694 - Pierre Paul Puget , French artist (b. 1622 )1719 - Pasquier Quesnel , French Jansenist theologian (b. 1634 )1726 - Samuel Penhallow , English-born American colonist and historian (b. 1665 )1747 - Vincent Bourne , English classical scholar (b. 1695 )1748 - Charles Seymour , English politician (b. 1662 )1774 - Johann Friedrich Agricola , German composer and organist (b. 1720 )1814 - Marquis de Sade , French writer (b. 1740 )1844 - Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko , Polish general and politician (b. 1768 )1849 - Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen , wife of William IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1792 )1859 - John Brown , American abolitionist (hanged) (b. 1800 )1860 - Alfred Bunn , British theatrical manager (b. 1796 )1892 - Jay Gould , American entrepreneur (b. 1836 )1918 - Edmond Rostand , French poet and dramatist (b. 1868 )1924 - Kazimieras Būga , Lithuanian philologist (b. 1879 )1931 - Vincent d'Indy , French composer (b. 1851 )1936 - John Ringling , American circus owner (b. 1866 )1943 - Nordahl Grieg , Norwegian author and journalist (b. 1902 )1944 - Josef Lhévinne , Russian pianist (b. 1874 )1944 - Filippo Tommaso Marinetti , Italian writer (b. 1876 )
1950 - Dinu Lipatti , Romanian pianist (b. 1917 )1957 - Manfred Sakel , Polish psychiatrist (b. 1902 )
1963 - Thomas J. Hicks , British-born runner (b. 1875 )1963 - Sabu Dastagir , Indian-born American actor (b. 1924 )
1968 - Adamson-Eric (Eric Adamson), Estonian painter (b. 1902 )1969 - Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov , Russian politician (b. 1881 )1974 - Max Weber , Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1897 )1976 - Danny Murtaugh , baseball player and manager (b. 1917 )1980 - Chaudhry Muhammad Ali , Prime Minister of Pakistan (b. 1905 )1980 - Romain Gary , Lithuanian-born French writer (b. 1914 )
1982 - Marty Feldman , British comedian, writer and actor (b. 1934 )1983 - Fifi d'Orsay , Canadian actress (b. 1904 )1985 - Aniello Dellacroce , American gangster (b. 1914 )1985 - Philip Larkin , English writer and jazz critic (b. 1922 )
1986 - Desi Arnaz , Cuban-born actor, musician, band leader, and composer (b. 1917 )1987 - Luis Federico Leloir , French-born chemist and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906 )1987 - Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich , Russian physicist (b. 1914 )
1988 - Tata Giacobetti , Italian singer and lyricist (Quartetto Cetra )1990 - Aaron Copland , American composer (b. 1900 )1990 - Robert Cummings , American film and television actor (b. 1908 )
1993 - Pablo Escobar , Colombian drug dealer (b. 1949 )1995 - Robertson Davies , Canadian novelist (b. 1913 )1997 - Shirley Crabtree , British professional wrestler (b. 1930 )1997 - Michael Hedges , American guitarist known for originality (b. 1953 )
2002 - Ivan Illich , Austrian priest and philosopher (b. 1926 )2002 - Arno Peters , German historian (b. 1916 )
2003 - Alan Davidson , British author (b. 1924 )2004 - Mona Van Duyn , American poet (b. 1921 )2004 - Alicia Markova , British ballerina (b. 1910 )2005 - Nat Mayer Shapiro , American painter (b. 1919 )2005 - Van Tuong Nguyen , Australian drug smuggler (hanged) (b. 1980 )2005 - Kenneth Lee Boyd , American convicted murderer (executed) (b. 1948 )2006 - Mariska Veres , Dutch singer (b. 1947 )Holidays and observances [ ] External links [ ]
135 Familypedia people were born on December 2
137 Familypedia people died on December 2
107 Familypedia people were first married on December 2