Major historical anniversaries and events for this day in history and this week for 2024.
TIP: You might also like to search historical anniversaries for a particular day or month!
Historical Anniversaries this Week
December 19

Events (100 years ago today): 1924 – German serial killer Fritz Haarmann is sentenced to death for a series of murders.
Events (50 years ago today): 1974 – Nelson Rockefeller is sworn in as Vice President of the United States under President Gerald Ford under the provisions of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Carlo Chiti, Italian engineer (d. 1994)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1989)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Gary Morton, American comedian and producer (d. 1999)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Edmund Purdom, British-Italian actor (d. 2009)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Michel Tournier, French journalist and author (d. 2016)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Cicely Tyson, American actress (d. 2021) [22]
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Eduard Ivakdalam, Indonesian footballer
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Joe Jurevicius, American football player
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Felipe Lopez, Dominican-American basketball player
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Jake Plummer, American football player and sportscaster
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Ricky Ponting, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
December 20

Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Charlie Callas, American actor and comedian (d. 2011)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Judy LaMarsh, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 42nd Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1980)[42]
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Die, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer
Deaths (50 years ago today): 1974 – Rajani Palme Dutt, English journalist and politician (b. 1896)
Deaths (50 years ago today): 1974 – André Jolivet, French composer and conductor (b. 1905)
Commemorations:
International Human Solidarity Day
December 21

Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Karrie Webb, Australian golfer
Deaths (200 years ago today): 1824 – James Parkinson, English physician and paleontologist (b. 1755)
Deaths (50 years ago today): 1974 – Richard Long, American actor and director (b. 1927)
December 22

Events (50 years ago today): 1974 – The house of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is attacked by members of the Provisional IRA.
Births (150 years ago today): 1874 – Franz Schmidt, Austrian cellist, pianist, and composer (d. 1939)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Frank Corsaro, American actor and director (d. 2017)
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Rei Hance, American actress[51]
Deaths (100 years ago today): 1924 – Karl Denke, German serial killer and cannibal (b. 1860)[76][77][78][79]
Deaths (50 years ago today): 1974 – Sterling North, American author and critic (b. 1906)
December 23

Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer and politician
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2004)
December 24

Events (50 years ago today): 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.[34]
Births (550 years ago today): 1474 – Bartolomeo degli Organi, Italian musician (d. 1539)[48]
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Lee Dorsey, American singer-songwriter (d. 1986)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian soldier and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (d. 2014)
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Thure Lindhardt, Danish actor
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Paal Nilssen-Love, Norwegian drummer and composer
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – Ryan Seacrest, American radio host and television personality, and producer[62]
Births (50 years ago today): 1974 – J.D. Walsh, American actor, director, and producer
Deaths (500 years ago today): 1524 – Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (b. 1469)
December 25

Events (300 years ago today): 1724 – J. S. Bach leads the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV 91, in Leipzig, based on Luther's 1524 Christmas hymn.[19]
Births (600 years ago today): 1424 – Margaret Stewart, Dauphine of France (d. 1445)
Births (350 years ago today): 1674 – Thomas Halyburton, Scottish minister and theologian (d. 1712)
Births (150 years ago today): 1874 – Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano and actress (d. 1944)[70]
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer, created The Twilight Zone (d. 1975)
Births (100 years ago today): 1924 – Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian poet and politician, 10th Prime Minister of India (d. 2018)
Deaths (200 years ago today): 1824 – Barbara von Krüdener, German mystic and author (b. 1764)
Deaths (200 years ago today): 1824 – William Lawless, Irish revolutionary, later French Army general (b. 1772)
© 1998-2024 Russel Tarr, ActiveHistory.co.uk Limited (Reg. 6111680)
1 Torrin Drive, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY3 6AW, England
All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Contact