Historical Events
The Color Purple
Dec 1 Musical "The Color Purple" based on the book by Alice Walker opens on Broadway produced by Oprah Whitney starring LaChanze (Tony Award Best Actress in a Musical)
- Dec 2 Van Tuong Nguyen is executed in Singapore for drug trafficking.
- Dec 3 10th Big 12 Championship Game: #2 Texas beats Colorado, 70-3
- Dec 3 14th SEC Championship Game: #13 Georgia beats #3 LSU, 34-14
- Dec 3 1st ACC Championship Game: #22 Florida State beats #5 Virginia Tech, 27-22
- Dec 3 XCOR Aerospace makes first manned rocket aircraft delivery of US Mail in Mojave, California.
- Dec 4 94th Davis Cup: Croatia beats Slovak Republic in Bratislava (3-2)
- Dec 4 Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the Government to allow universal and equal suffrage
Pope John Paul II
Dec 4 U.S. debut of the first part of two-part TV biopic miniseries "Pope John Paul II" on CBS
- Dec 5 The Civil Partnership Act comes into effect in the United Kingdom, and the first civil partnership is registered there.
- Dec 5 The Lake Tanganyika earthquake causes significant damage, mostly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Green Day, 50 Cent, Carey Win
Dec 6 16th Billboard Music Awards: Green Day, 50 Cent, and Mariah Carey win
- Dec 6 Several villagers are shot dead during protests in Dongzhou, China
- Dec 7 Rigoberto Alpizar, a passenger on American Airlines Flight 924 who allegedly claimed to have a bomb, is shot and killed by a team of US federal air marshals at Miami International Airport.
- Dec 7 U.S. debut of the second part of two-part TV biopic miniseries "Pope John Paul II" on CBS
- Dec 8 Ante Gotovina, Croatian army general accused of war crimes, is captured in the Playa de las Américas, Tenerife by the Spanish police.
Brokeback Mountain
Dec 9 "Brokeback Mountain" film released, directed by Ang Lee, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, based on story by Annie Proulx
- Dec 10 71st Heisman Trophy Award: Reggie Bush, USC (RB); Bush later forfeits trophy
- Dec 11 Cronulla riots: thousands of white Australians demonstrate against ethnic violence, resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese (and many who were not) in Cronulla Sydney. These are followed by ethnic attacks on Cronulla.
- Dec 11 The Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead, England, is rocked by explosions, causing a huge oil fire.
Movin' Out
Dec 11 Twyla Tharp's rock ballet "Movin' Out", set to songs of Billy Joel, closes at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, NYC after 1,303 performances
- Dec 15 Argentina's president Néstor Kirchner announces the early repayment of its external debt to the IMF.
- Dec 15 Introduction of the F-22 Raptor into USAF active service.
- Dec 15 Latvia amends its constitution to eliminate possibility of same-sex couples being entitled to marry.
- Dec 15 The 2005 Atlantic Power Outage began.
- Dec 17 Anti-WTO protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong
"The Breakthrough"
Dec 20 Geffen Records releases "The Breakthrough", the 7th studio album by Mary J. Blige; it wins 3 Grammy Awrds, and sells over 3 million copies
- Dec 20 New York City's Transport Workers Union Local 100 goes on strike over pension and wage increases, shutting down all subway and bus services for three days
- Dec 20 The first same sex civil partnerships in Scotland are celebrated
- Dec 20 US District Court Judge John E. Jones III rules against mandating the teaching of "intelligent design" in his ruling of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.
- Dec 21 Civil Partnership Act comes into force in the UK, with singer Elton John and David Furnish one of the first couples to form a same-sex civil union
- Dec 23 Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Aktau, Kazakhstan crashes shortly after takeoff killing 23 people.
- Dec 23 Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead
- Dec 26 Boxing Day shooting on a busy shopping street in Toronto kills 1 and wounds 6 others
- Dec 28 A U.S. immigration judge orders John Demjanjuk deported to Ukraine for crimes against humanity committed during World War II.
- Dec 30 Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin
Dimon Heads Morgan Chase
Dec 31 Jamie Dimon named as CEO of JPMorgan Chase
Famous Birthdays
- Dec 3 Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway, younger child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, third in line to succeed to throne, born in Oslo, Norway
- Dec 13 Prince Aymeric of Belgium, twin and third child of Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium, born in St-Luc University Hospital, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium
- Dec 13 Prince Nicolas of Belgium, twin and second child of Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium, born in St-Luc University Hospital, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium
Famous Weddings
Marilyn Manson
Dec 3 American rock singer Marilyn Manson [Brian Warner] (36) weds burlesque performer Dita Von Teese (33) at Castle Gurteen in County Tipperary, Ireland
- Dec 3 French heiress Athina Onassis (20) weds Olympic gold medalist equestrian Alvaro de Miranda Neto (32) in Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Dec 3 Hapanese "The Last Samurai" actor Ken Watanabe (46) weds Japanese actress Kaho Minami (41) in Tokyo, Japan; the second marriage for each, divorce in 2018
- Dec 3 NBC correspondent Hoda Kotb (41) weds New Orleans tennis coach Burzis Kanga in the Dominican Republic
- Dec 4 2004 Olympic volleyball team member Kerri Walsh (27) weds fellow volleyball player Casey Jennings (30) at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs, California
Matt Damon
Dec 9 "Bourne" actor Matt Damon (35) weds Argentine-born Luciana Barrosa (29) at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau near New York City Hall
- Dec 10 Actress Jane Danson (27) weds "Brookside" actor Robert Beck (35) at Gibbon Bridge Hotel in Lancashire, England
- Dec 10 American "Audioslave" drummer Brad Wilk (37) weds American "Seven Year Bitch" lead vocalist Selene Vigil (40) near the frozen waters of Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe; divorce in 2013
Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood
Dec 10 American country music singer-songwriter Garth Brooks (43) weds American country singer Trisha Yearwood (41) in Claremore, Oklahoma
- Dec 10 Gustavo Rojo's daughter and actress Ana Patricia Rojo (31) weds Andres Puentes Jr at the San Jose del Calvario church in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
- Dec 10 Rugby Star Clyde Rathbone (24) weds Carrie-Ann Leeson in South Africa
- Dec 10 Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated model Isabeli Fontana (22) weds actor-model Henri Castelli (27) at Fort Are Joao in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Dec 14 Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan (31) weds Mumtaz's daughter Natasha Madhvani at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, India
- Dec 15 English "Eastenders" actress Elaine Lordan (39) weds BBC manager Peter Manuel (39) at Islington Town Hall in London, England
- Dec 17 "Modern Day Drifter" country singer Dierks Bentley (30) weds Cassidy Black in Mexico
- Dec 17 Australian country singer Kasey Chambers (29) weds singer-songwriter Shane Nicholson in Avoca, New South Wales
- Dec 17 Race car driver Gary Paffett (24) weds his lady love Lisa in England
- Dec 22 "Ospreys" Rugby star Shane Williams (28) weds Gail Lacey at Twyn Church in Garnant, West Wales
- Dec 22 Brazilian actress Danielle Winits (31) weds model Cassio Reis at Capela Santa Ines in Rio de Janeiro
- Dec 23 "Are You Being Served?" actor John Inman (70) weds Ron Lynch at Westminster Register Office
Laura Dern
Dec 23 American "Jurassic Park" actress Laura Dern (38) weds musician Ben Harper (36) in Los Angeles, California; divorce in 2013
- Dec 29 "One Life To Live" actress Bree Williamson (26) weds surfer Josh Evans near the Flor Blanca Resort in Mal Pais, Costa Rica
Bethany Joy Lenz
Dec 31 "One Tree Hill" actress Bethany Joy Lenz (24) weds "Enation" musician Michael Galeotti in Hillsboro, Oregon
- Dec 31 Olympic gold medal skater Jamie Sale (28) weds her pair figure skater David Pelletier (31) at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Canada
Famous Divorces
Renée Zellweger
Dec 20 American actress Renée Zellweger (36) annuls her marriage to American country-music singer Kenny Chesney (37) citing fraud, after 4 months of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Dec 1 Dai-Keong Lee, Hawaiian-American classical and theater composer, dies at 90
- Dec 1 Gust Avrakotos, American intelligence case officer (b. 1938)
- Dec 1 Jack Colvin, American actor (Incredible Hulk), dies at 71
- Dec 2 Kenneth Lee Boyd, American convicted murderer (executed) (b. 1948)
- Dec 2 Nat Mayer Shapiro, American painter (b. 1919)
- Dec 2 Van Tuong Nguyen, Australian drug smuggler (hanged) (b. 1980)
- Dec 3 Lance Dossor, British-Australian concert pianist, dies at 89
- Dec 4 Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand author (b. 1924)
- Dec 4 Gloria Lasso [Rosa Montserrat Coscolín], French-Spanish n canción melódica singer ("Etranger au paradis"; "Buenas noches mi amor"), dies of a heart attack at 83
- Dec 4 Gregg Hoffman, American film producer (b.1963)
- Dec 5 Danny Williams, British pop singer, known as "Britain's Johnny Mathis" ("Moon River"; "White on White"), dies of lung cancer at 63
- Dec 5 Ed Masry, American lawyer (b. 1932)
- Dec 5 Frits Philips, Dutch engineer and CEO (Philips), dies at 100
- Dec 5 Kevin "Big Kev" McQuay, Australian businessman (b. 1949)
- Dec 6 Charly Gaul, Luxembourg cyclist (b. 1932)
- Dec 6 Danny Williams, South African-born singer (b. 1942)
- Dec 6 Devan Nair, Singaporean politician, 3rd President of Singapore (1981-85), dies at 82
- Dec 7 Bud Carson, American football player and coach (b. 1931)
- Dec 7 Carroll A. Campbell Jr., American politician (Governor South Carolina 1987-95, Rep-R-SC, 1979-87), dies at 65
- Dec 7 Lucy d'Abreu, was the oldest living person in the United Kingdom from April 2004 until her death (b. 1892)
- Dec 7 Rigoberto Alpizar, airplane passenger fatally shot by U.S. Air Marshals after allegedly claiming he had placed a bomb aboard (b. 1961)
- Dec 8 Donald James Martino, American classical composer (Notturno - Pulitzer Prize, 1974), dies at 74
- Dec 8 Georgiy Zhzhonov, Russian actor and writer (The Secret Agent's Blunder), dies at 90
- Dec 9 György Sándor, Hungarian pianist, dies at 93
- Dec 9 Robert Sheckley, American sci-fi author (10th Victim, Mindswap), dies at 77
Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)
Dec 10 American politician (Sen-D-Minn) and presidential candidate, dies of parkinsons at 89
Richard Pryor (1940-2005)
Dec 10 American Emmy and 5X Grammy Award-winning comedian (Live on the Sunset Strip), actor (Silver Streak; Stir Crazy), and screenwriter (Blazing Saddles), dies of a heart attack at 65
- Dec 12 Gebran Tueni, Lebanese politician (b. 1957)
- Dec 12 Robert F. Newmyer, American film producer (b. 1946)
- Dec 13 Stanley Tookie Williams, co-founder of the Crips and convicted murderer (b. 1953)
- Dec 13 Timothy Jordan II, American pop-rock musician (The All American Rejects; Jonezetta), takes his own life at 24
- Dec 14 Trevanian [Rodney William Whitaker], American film scholar and author, dies at 74
- Dec 15 Darrell Russell, American football defensive tackle (Pro Bowl 1998, 99; First-Team All-Pro 1998; Oakland Raiders), dies in a car crash at 29
- Dec 15 Heinrich Gross, Austrian physician (b. 1914)
- Dec 15 John McIntyre, Scottish theologian (Chaplin to the Queen in Scotland), dies at 89
- Dec 15 Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (3 PGA Tour titles), dies of heart failure at 90
- Dec 15 William Proxmire, American politician (Sen-D-WI, 1957-88), dies at 90
- Dec 16 Ed Hansen, American film director and editor (b. 1937)
- Dec 16 Enzo Stuarti [Scapone], Italian-American pop tenor (That's A'Nice!), dies at 86
- Dec 16 John Spencer, American actor (b. 1946)
- Dec 16 Kenneth Bulmer, English author (b. 1921)
- Dec 17 Jack Anderson, American journalist (Washington Post), dies at 83
- Dec 17 Jacques Fouroux, French rugby union scrum-half and captain (27 Tests; US Cognac, La Voulte, FC Auch) and coach (France 1981–1990), dies of a heart attack at 58
- Dec 17 Marc Favreau, French Canadian humourist, dies at 76
- Dec 18 Alan Voorhees, American engineer and urban planner (b. 1922)
- Dec 19 Keith Duckworth, English mechanical engineer (Cosworth; b. 1933)
- Dec 19 Vincent Gigante, Italian-American mafioso, dies at 77
- Dec 20 Maniam Moorthy, Malaysian climber
- Dec 21 Elrod Hendricks, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
- Dec 21 Myron Healey, American actor (The Lone Ranger, Wyatt Earp), dies of ill health at 82
- Dec 22 T. Cooper Evans, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa), dies at 81
- Dec 23 Lajos Baróti, Hungarian soccer defender (2 caps; Szegedi AK, Győri ETO) and manager (Hungary 1957-66, 75-78), dies at 91
- Dec 23 Norman D. Vaughan, American polar explorer and dogsled driver (b. 1905)
- Dec 23 Yao Wenyuan, Chinese literary critic and politician (member of the Gang of Four), dies at 74
- Dec 24 Michael Vale, American actor known for being Dunkin' Donuts mascot "Fred the Baker", dies at 83
- Dec 25 (Märta) Birgit Nilsson, Swedish operatic soprano (Elektra, Salome), dies at 87
- Dec 25 Derek Bailey, English guitar virtuoso (b. 1930)
- Dec 25 Robert Barbers, Philippine senator (b. 1944)
- Dec 26 Bill DeArango, American jazz guitarist (Charlie Ventura; Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis; "Slam" Stewart), dies at 85
- Dec 26 Erich Topp, German submarine commander (b. 1914)
- Dec 26 Kerry Packer, Australian businessman (b. 1937)
- Dec 26 Muriel Costa-Greenspon, American mezzo-soprano (b. 1937)
- Dec 26 Vincent Schiavelli, American actor, dies of cancer at 57
- Dec 27 William Doody, Canadian politician (b. 1931)
- Dec 28 Alan Betts, British emeritus professor (Royal Veterinary College), dies at 78
- Dec 29 Gerda Boyesen, Norwegian-born body psychotherapist (b. 1922)
- Dec 30 Eddie Barlow, South African cricket all-rounder who played 30 Tests, 6 x 100, HS 201, 40 wickets; Transvaal, Eastern Province, Derbyshire CCC, dies after a brain haemorrhage at 65
- Dec 30 Rona Jaffe, American novelist (Mazes & Monsters), dies at 74
- Dec 31 Enrico di Giuseppe, American tenor, dies of cancer at 73
- Dec 31 Phillip Whitehead, British politician (b. 1937)
