Historical Events
- Dec 2 Child Emperor Pu Yi ascends the Chinese throne at the age of two
Elgar's 1st Symphony
Dec 3 Edward Elgar's 1st Symphony in A performed by the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Hans Richter, premieres in Manchester, England
- Dec 4 Haiti's president General Alexis Nord flees from military coup
- Dec 4 The world's ten leading maritime nations attend a Naval Conference in London; they agree on rules for blockade, convoys, and seizure of contraband
- Dec 5 1st US football uniform numerals used (University of Pittsburgh)
- Dec 9 The German Reichstag adopts a progressive social law restricting hours of factory work by young people and women
- Dec 11 Frederick Delius' orchestral work "In a Summer Garden" premieres in London
- Dec 12 Australasian Championships Men's Tennis, Sydney: American Fred Alexander beats Alfred Dunlop of Australia 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-3
- Dec 16 1st credit union in US forms (Manchester NH)
Young Turks in Government
Dec 17 In Turkey the new parliament convenes with reformist Young Turks as the majority
Jackson vs. Burns
Dec 26 African-American boxer Jack Johnson stops Canadian defending champion Tommy Burns in the 14th round in Sydney, Australia, to become the first black man to win world heavyweight title; Burns is favorite in 12th title defense but Johnson dominates before police stop the bout
Famous Birthdays
- Dec 1 Georgios Kasassoglou, Greek violinist, composer (Four Preludes on The Return from The Front; Clouds), educator and arts advocate, born in Athens, Greece (d. 1984)
- Dec 2 Hy Gardner, American newspaper columnist (New York Herald Tribune, 1951-66), and television panelist, born in New York City (d. 1989)
- Dec 2 Robert F. Simon, American actor (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; Operation Petticoat; M*A*S*H), born in Mansfield, Ohio (d. 1992)
- Dec 2 Rufus "Rufe" Davis, American actor (Cocoanut Grove, Trail Blazers, Gangs of Sonora), born in Vinson, Oklahoma (d. 1974)
- Dec 3 Edward Underdown, British actor (Beat the Devil, Thunderball), born in London, England (d. 1989)
- Dec 3 Halsey Stevens, American composer (Triskelion), born in Scott, New York (d. 1989)
- Dec 3 Nigel Balchin, English author (Business for Pleasure), born in Potterne, England (d. 1970)
- Dec 4 A. D. Hershey, American biologist, worked with bacteriophages (Nobel 1969), born in Owosso, Michigan (d. 1997)
Baby Face Nelson (1908-1934)
Dec 6 American bank robber and gangster who killed more FBI agents than any other criminal, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Dec 6 Pierre Graber, Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1970–1978), born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland (d. 2003)
- Dec 7 Jacques Gans, Dutch author and journalist, born in Hilversum, Netherlands (d. 1972)
- Dec 7 John Doeg, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1930), born in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico (d. 1978)
- Dec 8 John Volpe, American politician (61st and 63rd Governor of Massachusetts) and U.S. Secretary of Treasury (1969-73), born in Wakefield, Massachusetts (d. 1994)
- Dec 9 William Edward Hanford, American chemist (discovered process of making polyurethanes), born in Bristol, Pennsylvania (d. 1996) [1]
- Dec 10 Arnold van Ruler, Dutch theologist, born in Apeldoorn, Netherlands (d. 1970)
- Dec 10 Olivier Messiaen, French composer (L'Ame en Bourgeon; St Francois d'Assise), born in Avignon, France (d. 1992)
- Dec 11 Elliott Carter, American classical composer and winner of two Pulitzer prizes, born in New York City (d. 2012)
- Dec 13 Van Heflin [Emmett Evan Heflin Jr], American stage, screen, and radio actor (Johnny Eager; Shane; Madame Bovary; 3:10 to Yuma), born in Walters, Oklahoma (d. 1971)
- Dec 13 Victor Babin, Russian-American concert pianist (Vronsky & Babin), composer, and educator (Cleveland Institute, 1961-72), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1972)
- Dec 14 (Moritz) "Morey" Amsterdam, American comedian, cellist, and actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Buddy"), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1996)
- Dec 14 Claude Davey, Welsh rugby union footballer, born in Garnant, Wales (d. 2001)
- Dec 14 Laurence Naismith, British actor (Diamonds Are Forever, Camelot, Persuaders), born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, England (d. 1992)
- Dec 14 Mária Szepes, Hungarian author (The Red Lion), born in Budapest (d. 2007)
- Dec 16 Remedios Varo, Spanish-Mexican surrealist artist (Eyes on the table, Useless Science or the Alchemist), born in Anglès, Spain (d. 1963) [1]
Willard Libby (1908-1980)
Dec 17 American chemist who developed radiocarbon dating (Nobel 1960), born in Grand Valley, Colorado
- Dec 17 William Brocklesby Wordsworth, English composer, born in London, England (d. 1988)
- Dec 18 Celia Johnson, English actress (Happy Breed, Brief Encounter), born in Richmond, Surrey (d. 1982)
- Dec 20 Dennis Morgan, American actor (Kitty Foyle), born in Prentice, Wisconsin (d. 1994)
- Dec 20 Francis Turner, American civil engineer (oversaw the Interstate Highway System), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 1999)
- Dec 20 Julio César Brero [or Giulio Cesare], Italian-born Argentine composer and lawyer (Novella), born in Milan, Italy (d. 1973)
- Dec 20 Norman Hackforth, British musician and radio broadcaster (Noel Coward; Twenty Questions), born in Bihar, British India (d. 1996)
- Dec 21 Pat Weaver, American radio advertising executive (started Today show), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2002)
- Dec 22 Marius Duintjer, Dutch architect (Kolenkit), born in Veendam, Netherlands (d. 1983)
- Dec 22 Max Bill, Swiss architect and artist (Ruban Sans Fin), born in Winterthur, Switzerland (d. 1994)
- Dec 23 Yousuf Karsh, American Canadian portrait photographer (Life Magazine), born in Mardin, Ottoman Empire (d. 2002)
- Dec 24 Cladys "Jabbo" Smith, American jazz trumpet pioneer, born in Pembroke, Georgia (d. 1991)
- Dec 25 Helen Twelvetrees, American actress (State's Attorney, Painted Desert), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1958)
- Dec 25 Jan Seidel, Czech composer, born in Nymburk, Bohemia (d. 1998)
- Dec 25 Jo-Jo Moore, American baseball left fielder (MLB All Star 1934–38, 40; World Series 1933; NY Giants), born in Gause, Texas (d. 2001)
- Dec 25 Quentin Crisp, English author (d. 1999)
- Dec 25 Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American automotive engineer, known as "the Father of the Corevette", born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1996)
- Dec 26 Ralph Hill, American athlete (Olympic silver 5,000m 1932; same time as winner Lauri Lehtinen), born in Klamath Falls, Oregon (d. 1994)
- Dec 27 Louis de Bourbon, Dutch poet (Black Banners), born in Arnhem, Netherlands (d. 1975)
- Dec 28 Felicja Blumental, Polish-Brazilian concert pianist (Villa-Lobos' Piano Concerto No. 5; Penderecki's Partita for Harpsichord), born in Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire (d. 1991)
- Dec 28 Lew Ayres, American actor (All Quiet on Western Front; Holiday; Dr Kildare (films); Johnny Belinda), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 1996)
- Dec 29 Claire Dodd, American actress (Lady, In the Navy), born in Des Moines, Iowa (d. 1973)
- Dec 29 Gerben Sonderman, Dutch test pilot (Fokker), born in Drachten, Netherlands (d. 1955)
- Dec 31 John Kirby [Kirk], American jazz double-bassist and tuba player (Benny Goodman; "Undecided"), born in Winchester, Virginia (d. 1952)
- Dec 31 Marko Rothmuller, Croatian composer, born in Slavonski Brod, Croatia (d. 1993)
- Dec 31 Simon Wiesenthal, Jewish-Austrian holocaust survivor & Nazi hunter (Wiesenthal Center), born in Buchach, Ukraine (d. 2005)
Famous Deaths
- Dec 9 William Harvey Carney, American Civil War soldier (first African-American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor), dies of injuries sustained in an elevator accident at 68
- Dec 13 Augustus Le Plongeon, French-American photographer and antiquitarian, dies at 83
- Dec 22 Marie Jungius, Dutch fairy tale writer and feminist, dies at 44
- Dec 23 Eduard Wachmann, Romanian composer, conductor and university professor, dies at 72
- Dec 23 Francois A. Gevaert, Belgium Dutch composer (Diable au Moulin), dies at 68
- Dec 24 François-Auguste Gevaert, Belgian composer (Le diable au moulin), dies at 80
- Dec 30 Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian lawyer, journalist and senator (b. 1844)
