December 30 in History

A large explosion at the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden kills at least 22 people and wounds 50.

More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A segment of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptures in Shaanxi, China, and approximately 150,000 L (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flows down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River.

A suicide bomber kills nine people at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan.

Madrid–Barajas Airport is bombed.

The Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks in a storm, resulting in at least 400 deaths.

Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed.

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.

A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 194.

Rizal Day bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a period of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.

In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people from four villages are killed.

Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.

Israel establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgrades to full diplomatic relations with Ireland.

Stella Sigcau, Prime minister of the South African Bantustan of Transkei, is ousted from power in a bloodless military coup led by General Bantu Holomisa.

Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker II ends.

Hurricane Creek mine disaster, near Hyden, Kentucky

Aeroflot Flight L-51 crashes near Liepāja International Airport in Liepāja, Latvia, killing 43.

The Guatemalan Air Force sinks several Mexican fishing boats alleged to have breached maritime borders, killing three and sparking international tension.

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation is established to consolidate criminal investigation and intelligence into a single agency.

An RAF Avro Lancaster bomber crashes in Luqa, Malta after an engine failure, killing three crew members and a civilian on the ground.

Cold War: King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania.

King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving the throne vacant.

Subhas Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair.

The Flint sit-down strike hits General Motors.

The Italian Air Force bombs a Swedish Red Cross hospital during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.

The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opens in Tokyo, Japan.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is formed.

Russian mystic and advisor to the Tsar Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin is murdered by a loyalist group led by Prince Felix Yusupov. His frozen, partially-trussed body was discovered in a Petrograd river three days later.

The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita.

The All-India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India (later Dhaka, Bangladesh).

Former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated at the front gate of his home in Caldwell.

A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605.

The Discovery Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott attains a Farthest South at 82°17′S in Antarctica.

The British Colony of Natal annexes Zululand.

Filipino patriot and reform advocate José Rizal is executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila.

Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scores the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, and the Cup-winning goal as the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5.

Following the Wounded Knee Massacre, the United States Army and Lakota warriors face off in the Drexel Mission Fight.

Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.

The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed.

The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed.

War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York.

Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine.

Reapers' War: Louis XIII of France swears the Catalan constitutions, being appointed Count of Barcelona and thus establishing the personal union of the Principality of Catalonia with the Kingdom of France.

Wars of the Roses: Lancastrians kill the 3rd Duke of York and win the Battle of Wakefield.

Hundred Years' War: Battle of La Rochelle.

Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city.

Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushing defeat on the allied armies of Leinster and Dublin near Lyons Hill in Ireland.

The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire.

Igor Shesterkin, Russian hockey goaltender

Joshua, American singer

Ollie Watkins, English footballer

V, South Korean singer

Ryan Tunnicliffe, English footballer

Carson Wentz, American football player

Camila Giorgi, Italian tennis player

Bruno Henrique, Brazilian footballer

Joe Root, English cricketer

C. J. Wilcox, American basketball player

Tyler Anderson, American baseball player

Ryan Sheckler, American skateboarder and entrepreneur

Kateřina Vaňková, Czech tennis player

Jakub Nakládal, Czech ice hockey player

Domenico Criscito, Italian footballer

Ellie Goulding, English singer-songwriter and producer

Caity Lotz, American actress

Jeff Ward, American actor

Gianni Zuiverloon, Dutch footballer

Lars Boom, Dutch cyclist

Bryson Goodwin, Australian rugby league player

Anna Wood, American actress

Randall Azofeifa, Costa Rican footballer

Andra Day, American singer and songwriter

LeBron James, American basketball player, producer and businessman

Eddie Edwards, American professional wrestler

Nick Symmonds, American runner

Kevin Systrom, American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Instagram

Kristin Kreuk, Canadian actress

Tobias Kurbjuweit, German footballer

Dawan Landry, American football player

Ali Al-Habsi, Omani footballer

Cédric Carrasso, French footballer

Michael Rodríguez, Costa Rican footballer

Matt Ulrich, American football player

Eliza Dushku, American former actress and producer

D. J. Mbenga, Congolese-Belgian basketball player

Alison McGovern, British politician

Michael Grimm, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Devin Brown, American basketball player

Tyrese Gibson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

Phillips Idowu, English triple jumper

Zbigniew Robert Promiński, Polish drummer

Rob Scuderi, American ice hockey player

Laila Ali, American boxer and actress

Glory Alozie, Nigerian-Spanish sprinter and hurdler

Grant Balfour, Australian baseball player

Saša Ilić, Serbian footballer and manager

Kenyon Martin, American basketball player

Lucy Punch, English actress

Kazuyuki Toda, Japanese footballer

Kastro, American rapper

Patrick Kerney, American football player

A. J. Pierzynski, American baseball player and sportscaster

Scott Chipperfield, Australian footballer

Tiger Woods, American golfer

Alexandro Alves do Nascimento, Brazilian footballer (died 2012)

Dr. Jitheshji, Indian Speed Cartoonist and Pictorial Orator

Jason Behr, American actor

Ato Boldon, Trinidadian runner, sportscaster, and politician

Daniel Amokachi, Nigerian footballer and manager

Maureen Flannigan, American actress and producer

Paul Keegan, Irish footballer

Dita Indah Sari, Indonesian trade union leader and activist

Sister Bliss, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer

C. S. Lee, Korean-American actor

Ricardo, Spanish footballer and manager

Daniel Sunjata, American actor

Emmanuel Clérico, French race car driver

Dave England, American snowboarder and stuntman

Jay Kay, English singer and songwriter

Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia

Michelle McGann, American golfer

Meredith Monroe, American actress

Bryan Burk, American screenwriter and producer

Adam Dale, Australian cricketer

Sandra Glover, American hurdler

Albano Mucci, Australian activist

Carl Ouellet, Canadian wrestler and sportscaster

Gary Chartier, American philosopher, scholar, and academic

Bennett Miller, American director and producer

Heidi Fleiss, American procurer

Almir Kayumov, Russian footballer and referee (died 2013)

Sylvie Moreau, Canadian actress and screenwriter

George Newbern, American actor

Chandler Burr, American journalist and author

Mike Pompeo, American diplomat and politician; 70th United States Secretary of State

Johnny Rogers, American-Spanish basketball player

Milan Šrejber, Czech tennis player

Douglas Coupland, German-Canadian author and playwright

Bill English, New Zealand farmer and politician, 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand

Sean Hannity, American radio and television host

Ben Johnson, Jamaican-Canadian sprinter

Charlie Nicholas, Scottish footballer and sportscaster

Richard M. Durbin, English biologist and academic

Antonio Pappano, English pianist and conductor

Kåre Thomsen, Norwegian guitarist and graphic designer

Tracey Ullman, English-American actress, singer, director, and screenwriter

Josée Verner, Canadian politician, 8th Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Pedro Costa, Portuguese director, screenwriter, and cinematographer

Steven Smith, American engineer and astronaut

Matt Lauer, American journalist and television host

Glenn Robbins, Australian comedian and actor

Ingus Baušķenieks, Latvian singer-songwriter and producer

Suzy Bogguss, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist

Patricia Kalember, American actress

Sheryl Lee Ralph, American actress and singer

Barry Greenstein, American poker player and philanthropist

Daniel T. Barry, American engineer and astronaut

Dana Key, American singer, guitarist, and producer (died 2010)

Graham Vick, English director and producer (died 2021)

Meredith Vieira, American journalist and game show host

June Anderson, American soprano and actress

Doug Allder, English footballer and coach

Chris Jasper, American musician, singer-songwriter, and producer (died 2025)

Nick Rose, English runner

Timothy Mo, Chinese-English author

Lewis Shiner, American journalist and author

Bjarne Stroustrup, Danish computer scientist, created the C++ programming language

Martti Vainio, Finnish runner

David Bedford, English runner

Jerry Coyne, American biologist and author

Jim Flaherty, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Canadian Minister of Finance (died 2014)

Jed Johnson, American interior designer and director (died 1996)

James Kahn, American author, screenwriter, and producer

Jeff Lynne, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Steve Mix, American basketball player and coach

Clive Bunker, English drummer and songwriter

Patti Smith, American singer-songwriter and poet

Berti Vogts, German footballer and coach

Davy Jones, English singer-songwriter and actor (died 2012)

Lloyd Kaufman, American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded Troma Entertainment

Paola Pigni, Italian runner (died 2021)

Concetta Tomei, American actress

William J. Fallon, American admiral

Joseph Hilbe, American mathematician and philosopher (died 2017)

Vladimir Bukovsky, Russian author and activist (died 2019)

Guy Edwards, English race car driver

Michael Nesmith, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 2021)

Janko Prunk, Slovenian historian, academic, and politician

Robert Quine, American guitarist (died 2004)

Toomas Savi, Estonian physician and politician

Fred Ward, American actor (died 2022)

Mel Renfro, American football player and coach

James Burrows, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2026)

Glenda Adams, Australian author and academic (died 2007)

Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (died 1983)

Ron Wolf, American Football Hall of Fame General Manager

Gordon Banks, English footballer and manager (died 2019)

John Hartford, American singer-songwriter and fiddler (died 2001)

Jim Marshall, American football player (died 2025)

Paul Stookey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Omar Bongo, Gabonese lieutenant and politician, President of Gabon (died 2009)

Sandy Koufax, American baseball player and sportscaster

Jack Riley, American actor (died 2016)

John N. Bahcall, American astrophysicist and astronomer, co-developed the Hubble Space Telescope (died 2005)

Joseph Bologna, American actor, director, playwright and screenwriter (died 2017)

Barry Briggs, New Zealand motorcycle racer and sportscaster

Joseph P. Hoar, American general (died 2022)

Tony Serra, American criminal defense and civil rights attorney, political activist and tax resister

Del Shannon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1990)

Russ Tamblyn, American actor

Timité Bassori, Ivorian filmmaker, actor, and writer

Skeeter Davis, American singer-songwriter (died 2004)

John T. Houghton, Welsh physicist and author (died 2020)

Frank Torre, American baseball player and manager (died 2014)

Roy Yorke Calne, English surgeon and academic (died 2024)

Elmira Minita Gordon, Belizean educator, 1st Governor-General of Belize (died 2021)

Red Rhodes, American pedal steel guitarist (died 1995)

Tu Youyou, Chinese chemist and pharmacist, Nobel Prize laureate

Rosalinde Hurley, English physician, microbiologist, and academic (died 2004)

Bo Diddley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2008)

Jan Kubíček, Czech painter and sculptor (died 2013)

Stan Tracey, English pianist and composer (died 2013)

Ian MacNaughton, Scottish actor, producer, and director (died 2002)

Yvonne Brill, Canadian-American propulsion engineer (died 2013)

Prakash Vir Shastri, Indian academic and politician (died 1977)

Jane Langton, American author and illustrator (died 2018)

Rashid Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Lebanon (died 1987)

Dick Spooner, English cricketer (died 1997)

David Willcocks, English organist, composer, and conductor (died 2015)

Seymour Melman, American engineer and author (died 2004)

Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality, and beauty pageant host (died 1992)

Lucio Agostini, Italian-Canadian conductor and composer (died 1996)

Elyne Mitchell, Australian author (died 2002)

Jeanette Nolan, American actress (died 1998)

Paul Bowles, American composer and author (died 1999)

Alziro Bergonzo, Italian architect and painter (died 1997)

Carol Reed, English director and producer (died 1976)

Daniil Kharms, Russian poet, author, and playwright (died 1942)

Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian composer and academic (died 1987)

Helge Ingstad, Norwegian explorer, lawyer, and politician, 2nd Governor of Svalbard (died 2001)

Alfredo Bracchi, Italian songwriter and screenwriter (died 1976)

Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, Mexican soldier and politician, 47th President of Mexico (died 1973)

William Kolehmainen, Finnish-American runner and coach (died 1967)

K. M. Munshi, Indian politician, writer and educationist, founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (died 1971)

Austin Osman Spare, English artist and occultist (died 1956)

Hideki Tōjō, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (died 1948)

Archer Baldwin, American-English farmer and politician (died 1966)

Lester Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1960)

Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (died 1950)

William Aberhart, Canadian evangelist and politician, seventh Premier of Alberta (died 1943)

Al Smith, American lawyer and politician, 42nd Governor of New York (died 1944)

Stephen Leacock, English-Canadian political scientist and author (died 1944)

Ōzutsu Man'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (died 1918)

Rudyard Kipling, Indian-English author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1936)

Sylvio Lazzari, French-Austrian composer (died 1944)

André Messager, French pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1929)

Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician, 44th Mayor of Atlanta (died 1929)

John Milne, English seismologist and geologist (died 1913)

Osman Hamdi Bey, Ottoman administrator, intellectual, art expert and painter (died 1910)

Samuel Newitt Wood, American lawyer and politician (died 1891)

Theodor Fontane, German author and poet (died 1898)

John W. Geary, American lawyer and politician, 16th Governor of Pennsylvania (died 1873)

Sylvester Jordan, German lawyer and politician (died 1861)

Charles Sapinaud de La Rairie, French general (died 1829)

Sebastián Kindelán y O'Regan, colonial governor of East Florida, Santo Domingo and Cuba (died 1826)

Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French painter and educator (died 1805)

Charles Yorke, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (died 1770)

William Croft, English organist and composer (died 1727)

Ahmed III, Ottoman sultan (died 1736)

Vincenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet (died 1707)

Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (died 1624)

David Pareus, German theologian (died 1622)

Ebussuud Efendi, Ottoman lawyer and jurist (died 1574)

Vasily I of Moscow (died 1425)

Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, ruler of Minorca (died 1282)

Empress Dowager Bian, second wife of Cao Cao, mother of Cao Wei's first emperor, Cao Pi (died 230)

Titus, Roman emperor (probable) (died 81)

Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi Politician, Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh

Bryan Ansell, British role-playing and wargame designer (born 1955)

Tom Wilkinson, English actor (born 1948)

Aki Yashiro, Japanese singer (born 1950)

Barbara Walters, American journalist, producer, and author (born 1929)

Dawn Wells, American actress, (born 1938)

Erica Garner, American civil rights activist (born 1990)

Doug Atkins, American football player (born 1930)

Howard Davis, Jr., American boxer and trainer (born 1956)

Mangesh Padgaonkar, Indian poet, playwright, and translator (born 1929)

Howard Pawley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Premier of Manitoba (born 1934)

Terry Becker, American actor, director, and producer (born 1921)

Jim Galloway, Scottish-Canadian clarinet player and saxophonist (born 1936)

Luise Rainer, German-born American-British actress (born 1910)

Kinnaird R. McKee, American admiral (born 1929)

José María Maguregui, Spanish footballer and manager (born 1934)

Eiichi Ohtaki, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer (born 1948)

Johnny Orr, American basketball player and coach (born 1927)

Paul Sally, American mathematician and academic (born 1933)

Philip Coppens, Belgian-American journalist and author (born 1971)

Beate Sirota Gordon, Austrian-American director and producer (born 1923)

Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1909)

Carl Woese, American microbiologist and biophysicist (born 1928)

Dennis Ferguson, Australian sex offender (born 1948)

Ronald Searle, English-French cartoonist (born 1920)

Bobby Farrell, Dutch dancer and performer from Aruba (born 1949)

Rowland S. Howard, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1959)

Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesian journalist and politician, fourth President of Indonesia (born 1940)

Saddam Hussein, Iraqi general and politician, fifth President of Iraq (born 1937)

Terry Peck, Falkland Islander police officer and spy (born 1938)

Michel Plasse, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1948)

Eddie Barlow, South African cricketer and coach (born 1940)

Rona Jaffe, American novelist (born 1932)

Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (born 1910)

John Gregory Dunne, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (born 1932)

Mary Brian, American actress (born 1906)

Eleanor J. Gibson, American psychologist and academic (born 1910)

Mary Wesley, English author (born 1912)

Julius J. Epstein, American screenwriter and producer (born 1909)

Joff Ellen, Australian comedian and actor (born 1915)

Fritz Leonhardt, German engineer, co-designed the Cologne Rodenkirchen Bridge and Fernsehturm Stuttgart (born 1909)

Des Renford, Australian swimmer (born 1927)

Sarah Knauss, American supercentenarian (born 1880)

Sam Muchnick, American wrestling promoter, co-founded the National Wrestling Alliance (born 1905)

Shinichi Hoshi, Japanese author and illustrator (born 1926)

Lew Ayres, American actor (born 1908)

Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1914)

Doris Grau, American voice actor and script supervisor (born 1924)

Dmitri Ivanenko, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (born 1904)

İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil, Turkish lawyer and politician, 20th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1908)

Irving "Swifty" Lazar, American talent agent (born 1907)

Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian-French physicist and academic (born 1907)

Romeo Muller, American actor, screenwriter, for screenplays like the 1964, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special) (born 1928)

Raghuvir Sahay, Indian author, poet, and critic (born 1929)

Yuli Daniel, Russian author and poet (born 1925)

Isamu Noguchi, American sculptor and landscaper (born 1904)

Era Bell Thompson, American journalist (born 1905)

Violette Cordery, English race car driver (born 1900)

Alberto Vargas, Peruvian-American painter and illustrator (born 1896)

Richard Rodgers, American playwright and composer (born 1902)

Jo Cals, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1914)

Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist and academic (born 1919)

Sonny Liston, American boxer (born 1932)

Trygve Lie, Norwegian journalist and politician, first Secretary-General of the United Nations (born 1896)

Vincent Massey, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor General of Canada (born 1887)

Rex Ingamells, Australian poet and author (born 1913)

Archduke Eugen of Austria (born 1863)

Han van Meegeren, Dutch painter (born 1889)

Alfred North Whitehead, English-American mathematician and philosopher (born 1861)

Song Jin-woo, South Korean journalist and politician (born 1889)

Romain Rolland, French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1866)

El Lissitzky, Russian photographer and architect (born 1890)

Childe Wills, American engineer (born 1878)

Hans Niels Andersen, Danish businessman, founded the East Asiatic Company (born 1852)

Jean Collas, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (born 1874)

Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic (born 1869)

Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (born 1844)

Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (born 1828)

José Rizal, Filipino ophthalmologist, journalist, and author (born 1861)

Martha Darley Mutrie, British painter (born 1824)

Manuel de Araújo Porto-Alegre, Baron of Santo Ângelo, Brazilian poet and painter (born 1806)

Francis Lewis, Welsh-American merchant and politician (born 1713)

Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian painter and academic (born 1702)

Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (born 1727)

Nicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, Irish-Austrian soldier and courtier (born 1685)

Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria (born 1628)

Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist, physiologist, and physician (born 1577)

Giovanni Baglione, Italian painter and historian of art (born 1566)

John Francis Regis, French priest and saint (born 1597)

Job of Manyava, Ukrainian monk and saint (born 1550)

Heinrich Bünting, German priest and cartographer (born 1545)

Pope Innocent IX (born 1519)

Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Italian author and poet (born 1504)

Galeazzo Alessi, Italian architect, designed the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (born 1512)

Jakob Fugger, German banker and businessman (born 1459)

Edmund, Earl of Rutland, Irish politician, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (born 1443)

Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (born 1411)

Louis III, Elector Palatine (born 1378)

Bonne of Berry, Regent of Savoy (born 1362)

Bernard Gui, inquisitor (born 1261 or 1262)

Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine

Wang Shenzhi, founder of Min (born 862)

Tian Jun, Chinese warlord (born 858)

Egwin of Evesham, bishop of Worcester

Pope Felix I