Who was born on December 12?
December 12 is packed with notable birthdays. Explore 84 famous birthdays, sorted by recent English Wikipedia pageviews. Top ranked names include Adolf Bötticher, Alfred Werner, Alvin Kraenzlein, Andrey Perlov, Bernard Lagat. Filter by actor, musician, athlete, and more — or open any other calendar day.
December 12
84 people
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Adolf Bötticher
Adolf Bötticher or Adolf Boetticher (12 December 1842 – 9 June 1901) was a German art historian and conservator. Bötticher was born in Blumberg, Brandenburg, and studied at the Bauakademie in Berlin (1865–68). After performing excavatory work in Greece from 1875 to 1877, he published a weekly newspaper for architects and engineers (Wochenblatt für Architekten und Ingenieure). In 1886 Bötticher headed the registry for historic buildings and art monuments in East Prussia, and in 1891 he was named conservator for the province. He died in Warnicken.
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Alfred Werner
Alfred Werner (12 December 1866 – 15 November 1919) was a Swiss chemist who was a student at ETH Zurich and a professor at the University of Zurich. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1913 for proposing the octahedral configuration of transition metal complexes. Werner developed the basis for modern coordination chemistry. He was the first inorganic chemist to win the Nobel Prize, and the only one prior to 1973.
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Alvin Kraenzlein
Alvin Christian "Al" Kraenzlein (December 12, 1876 – January 6, 1928) was an American track-and-field athlete known as "the father of the modern hurdling technique". He was the first sportsman in the history of the Olympic games to win four individual gold medals in a single discipline at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. As of 2016, Alvin Kraenzlein is the only track-and-field athlete who has won four individual titles at one Olympics. Kraenzlein is also known for developing a pioneering technique of straight-leg hurdling, which allowed him to set two world hurdle records. He is an Olympic Hall of Fame (1984) and National Track and Field Hall of Fame (1974) inductee.
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Andrey Perlov
Andrey Borisovich Perlov (Russian: Андрей Борисович Перлов, born 12 December 1961 in Novosibirsk, Soviet Union) is a retired race walker who represented the USSR and later Russia.
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Bernard Lagat
Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974) is a Kenyan-American former middle and long-distance runner. Lagat was born in Kapsabet, Kenya. Prior to his change of domicile to the US, Lagat had an extensive competitive career representing his native country. With his personal best of 3:26.34, Lagat is the Kenyan record holder at 1500 m outdoors, and is the second fastest 1500 m runner of all time, behind Hicham El Guerrouj. After becoming an American citizen, he broke American records in several events, including the 1500 m, mile, 3000 m, and 5000 m. Lagat is a five-time Olympian, having competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 games, and is a thirteen-time medalist in World Championships and Olympics including five gold medals. At the age of 41, he finished 5th in the finals of the 5000 m at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Lagat's long-term coach is James Li of the University of Arizona, with whom he has worked for over a decade. Today, Lagat is the head cross country coach and an assistant track and field coach at the University of Arizona.
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Bill Nighy
William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is a British and Irish actor. Known for his work on stage and screen, he has received various accolades including two BAFTA Awards and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with The Illuminatus! in 1977. He gained acclaim for his roles in David Hare's Pravda in 1985, Harold Pinter's Betrayal in 1991, Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, and Anton Chekhov's The Seagull in 1994. He received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor nomination for his role in Blue/Orange in 2001. He acted on Broadway in the David Hare plays The Vertical Hour (2006) and Skylight (2015), earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination for the latter. Nighy's early film roles include the comedies Still Crazy (1998), Guest House Paradiso (1999) and Blow Dry (2001). He rose to international stardom with his role in Love Actually (2003), which earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He went on to portray Viktor in the Underworld film series (2003–2009) and Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2006–2007). His other films include Shaun of the Dead (2004), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), The Constant Gardener (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Hot Fuzz (2007), Valkyrie (2008), Wild Target (2010), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), About Time (2013), Emma (2020), and Living (2022), the last of which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Nighy has gained acclaim for his roles in television, earning a BAFTA Award for his role in BBC One series State of Play (2003), and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the BBC film Gideon's Daughter (2007). He is also known for his roles in The Girl in the Café (2006), the BBC's Worricker trilogy which includes Page Eight (2012), Turks & Caicos (2014), and Salting the Battlefield (2014), and the BBC's Ordeal by Innocence (2018).
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Bob Barker
Robert William Barker (December 12, 1923 – August 26, 2023) was an American media personality, game show host, and animal rights advocate. He hosted CBS's The Price Is Right, the longest-running game show in North American television history, from 1972 to 2007. Barker also hosted Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975. Born in Darrington, Washington, in modest circumstances, Barker spent most of his youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation and was a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Barker joined the United States Navy Reserve during World War II. He worked part-time in radio while attending college. In 1950, Barker moved to California to pursue a broadcasting career. He was given his own radio show, The Bob Barker Show, which ran for six years. Barker began his game show career in 1956, hosting Truth or Consequences. Barker began hosting The Price Is Right in 1972. He became an advocate for animal rights and of animal rights activism, supporting groups such as the United Activists for Animal Rights, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. In 2007, Barker retired from hosting The Price Is Right after celebrating his 50-year career on television. Regarded as a pop culture icon, Barker continued to make occasional appearances for several years into his retirement until 2015.
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Bob Pettit
Robert Lee Pettit Jr. ( PET-it; born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In 1956, he became the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award and he won the award again in 1959. He also won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award four times. As of the end of 2025–2026 regular season, Pettit is still the only regular season MVP in the history of the Hawks. Pettit is the Hawks' franchise leader for most career rebounds (12,849), and most rebounds per game with 16.2. The first NBA player to score more than 20,000 points, Pettit was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. He is one of four players who was named to all four NBA anniversary teams and one of only two living members as of 2025 with Bob Cousy. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
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Bob Thompson
Robert H. "Bob" Thompson (born December 12, 1942) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger based in West Virginia, whose music career has spanned for over 50 years. He is the featured house pianist for West Virginia's Public Broadcasting nationally syndicated show, Mountain Stage, and is the founding member of The Bob Thompson Unit.
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Bruce Price
Bruce Price (December 12, 1845 – May 29, 1903) was an American architect and an innovator in the Shingle Style. The stark geometry and compact massing of his cottages in Tuxedo Park, New York, influenced Modernist architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright and Robert Venturi. He also designed Richardsonian Romanesque institutional buildings, Beaux-Arts mansions, and Manhattan skyscrapers. In Canada, he designed Châteauesque railroad stations and grand hotels for the Canadian Pacific Railway, including Windsor Station in Montreal and Château Frontenac in Quebec City.
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Cathy Rigby
Cathleen Roxanne Rigby (later Mason, later McCoy; born December 12, 1952), known as Cathy Rigby, is an actress, speaker, and former artistic gymnast. Her performance in the 1968 Summer Olympics helped to popularize the sport of gymnastics in the United States. After her retirement from gymnastics, Rigby became a stage and television actress. She is most noted for the role of Peter Pan, which she played for more than 30 years. She also became a public speaker on the subject of eating disorder, which she struggled with and overcame. Rigby is featured in an image included on the Voyager Golden Record.
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Chris Phelan
Chris Phelan (12 December 1955 – 5 May 2026) was an Irish-born Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s. He was a state representative versatile forward for Queensland and a two-time New South Wales Rugby League premiership-winner with the Parramatta Eels. Phelan was born in Borris-in-Ossory, Ireland. Immensely strong for his size, the Townsville forward was playing for Brisbane's Southern Suburbs club when he was first selected for Queensland at lock in all three games of the 1981 interstate series. Phelan was the Brisbane Rugby League premierships Rothmans Medal winner that year and also won the Grand Final with Souths. He signed to Sydney's defending premiers Parramatta in 1982. He had to sit out the start of the 1982 while Parramatta waged a battle with the Queensland Rugby League over his transfer fee. Phelan played at prop in the Eels' two Grand Final wins over Manly in 1982 and 1983 but moved to the second-row for the 6–4 loss in the 1984 decider against Canterbury. In 1984 he was recalled to the Queensland side for game III of the State of Origin series where he appeared at second-row. After a season with Oldham in England, Phelan returned to his home state in 1985 and continued playing with Souths, helping them to victory in the 1985 Brisbane Rugby League grand final. In 2008, he was named in the Souths Magpies team of the century. Phelan died of pancreatic cancer in Brisbane, on 5 May 2026, at the age of 70.
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Christa Stubnick
Christa Stubnick (German pronunciation: [ˈkʁɪsta ˈʃtup̩ˌnɪk] ; née Christa Seliger on 12 December 1933 – 13 May 2021) was an East German sprinter who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1956 Summer Olympics. She won silver medals in the 100 m and 200 m events, splitting the Australians Betty Cuthbert (winner) and Marlene Matthews (third). Her 4 × 100 m relay team finished sixth.
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Connie Francis
Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( FRANG-koh-NEER-oh; December 12, 1937 – July 16, 2025), known professionally as Connie Francis, was an American singer and actress. One of the top-charting female vocalists of the late 1950s and early 1960s, she amassed over 200 million records sold, placing her among the best-selling music artists in history. After a string of unsuccessful releases, Francis rose to fame in 1957 with her cover of the 1923 song "Who's Sorry Now?", which was followed by various other top-10 hits. She became the first woman to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" topped the chart in 1960. She was also the first woman to achieve three No. 1 hits on the chart, among her 53 career entries. Before the advent of the British Invasion, Francis was the most popular female vocalist in the United States between 1958 and 1964. Francis recorded music in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Greek, Yiddish, and Japanese, making her a best-selling artist in international markets as well as in American immigrant communities. She recorded songs from various genres, including traditional pop standards, brill building pop, rock and roll, country and jazz. Between 1974 and 1988, a series of traumatic personal experiences, including a rape attack at knifepoint, led Francis to suffer years of psychological and physical difficulties that sidelined her career. She resumed performing from 1989 until her retirement in 2018. She regained prominence in 2025, shortly before her death, when her 1961 recording "Pretty Little Baby" went viral on social media platforms.
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Daddy Birori
Daddy Birori (born 12 December 1986), also known as Etekiama Agiti Tady, is a footballer who plays as a forward for AS Vita Club. Born in Zaire, he made 18 appearances for the Rwanda national team scoring five goals.
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Daniel Agger
Daniel Munthe Agger (Danish: [ˈtɛˀniəl ˈɑkɐ]; born 12 December 1984) is a Danish professional football coach and former player who is the assistant manager of the Danish national football team. As a player, he played as a centre-back for Brøndby and Liverpool and captained the Denmark national team. Agger was described as "a fine reader of the game, comfortable on the ball and blessed with a ferocious shot". He was the 2007 and 2012 Danish Football Player of the Year. He started his senior career with Brøndby in July 2004, winning the Danish Superliga and the Danish Cup, before moving to Liverpool in January 2006. He made 175 Premier League appearances for the club (232 total) and won the League Cup and Community Shield. Agger returned to Brøndby for personal reasons in August 2014, and retired two years later at the age of 31. A full international since 2005, Agger earned 75 caps and scored 11 goals for Denmark. He represented the nation at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, captaining his country at the latter.
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Dejene Berhanu
Dejene Berhanu (December 12, 1980 – August 29, 2010) was a male Ethiopian runner, who specialized in the 5000 metres. Berhanu finished 11th in the short race at the 2004 World Cross Country Championships and fifth in the 5000 at the Athens Olympics. He followed that up with a pair of strong finishes at the World Cross Country Championships the next year. Berhanu was seventh in the short race and sixth in the long race. He ran in the 5000 again at the World Championships at Helsinki, finishing eighth. In 2006, Berhanu turned to focus on the marathon. He eschewed cross country for the Rotterdam Marathon, where he finished fourth in a time of 2:08:46. He ran the Chicago Marathon in the fall as a last-minute replacement for favourite Felix Limo. Running with the leaders through the halfway mark in a blistering 63:15, Berhanu faded after 30 km and finished ninth in a time of 2:12:27.
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Dickey Betts
Forrest Richard "Dickey" Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) was an American rock guitarist and vocalist, best known as a longtime member of the Allman Brothers Band. A co-founder with Duane Allman of the band in 1969, he was central both to the group's rise to critical acclaim in 1971 and its greatest commercial success in the mid-1970s, and was the writer and vocalist on the Allmans' hit single "Ramblin' Man". The Allman Brothers Band broke up and re-formed twice, always with Betts in the lineup, until he was forced out of the group in 2000. Starting in 1974, Betts also fronted his own bands, performing concerts and recording records. He released albums as Dickey Betts and Great Southern, the Dickey Betts Band, and under his own name.
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Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( KOTCH; December 12, 1924 – February 1, 2013) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. A popular figure, Koch rode the New York City Subway and stood at street corners greeting passersby with the slogan "How'm I doin'?" Koch was a lifelong Democrat who described himself as a "liberal with sanity". The author of an ambitious public housing renewal program in his later years as mayor, he began by cutting spending and taxes and cutting 7,000 employees from the city payroll. He was the city's second Jewish mayor after his predecessor Abraham Beame. He crossed party lines to endorse Rudy Giuliani for mayor of New York City in 1993, Al D'Amato for Senate in 1998, Michael Bloomberg for mayor of New York City in 2001, and George W. Bush for president in 2004. Koch was first elected mayor of New York City in 1977 and was re-elected in 1981 with 75% of the vote. He was the first New York City mayor to win endorsement on both the Democratic and Republican party tickets. In 1985, Koch was elected to a third term with 78% of the vote. His third term was fraught with scandal regarding political associates (although the scandal never touched him personally) and with racial tensions, including the killings of Michael Griffith and Yusuf Hawkins. In a close race, Koch lost the 1989 Democratic primary to his successor, David Dinkins. Koch was a lifelong bachelor. Though he publicly denied being gay on numerous occasions, he attempted to find a boyfriend late in life.
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Ed Oliver
Edward Oliver (born December 12, 1997) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars, winning numerous awards, and was selected by the Bills in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.
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Eddie Kingston
Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a one-time and the inaugural AEW Continental Champion. He also performs for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a one-time ROH World Champion, and in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a one-time Strong Openweight Champion. He simultaneously defended all three championships as the singular Continental Crown Championship. Moore started his wrestling career in 2002, and has wrestled for numerous promotions, including Evolve, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Chikara, AAW Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Impact Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). Outside of brief stints in Impact and ROH, he was a mainstay on the independent circuit for 18 years before signing with AEW. He has been praised for his ability on the microphone, especially when cutting promos, and is regarded by many as one of the best talkers in professional wrestling; this ability has often allowed him to remain featured on AEW programming even when injured.
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Eduardo Castro Luque
Eduardo Enrique Castro Luque (12 December 1963 – 14 September 2012) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). At the time of his killing, he was a deputy-elect from Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, to the Congress of Sonora. Born and raised in Ciudad Obregón, Castro Luque ran for office in his municipality and was elected to the Sonora state legislature on 1 July 2012. Before running for office, he had served as the marketing manager of the Yaquis de Obregón baseball team in his hometown and was working at his privately owned publicity agency. On 14 September 2012, two days before taking office, he was gunned down outside his home by gunmen. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Northern Mexico has been the scene of violent confrontations between Mexico's drug gangs. The recent wave of violence in Ciudad Obregón is attributed to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, which fight for the control of retail drug sales and the smuggling routes leading to the United States.
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Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian: [ˈɛ̀dvɑɖ ˈmʊŋk] ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work The Scream has become one of the most iconic and acclaimed images in all of Western art. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inheriting a mental condition that ran in the family. Studying at the Royal School of Art and Design in Kristiania (Oslo), Munch began to live a bohemian life under the influence of the nihilist Hans Jæger, who urged him to paint his own emotional and psychological state ('soul painting'); from this emerged his distinctive style. Travel brought new influences and outlets. In Paris, he learned much from Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, especially their use of color. In Berlin, he met the Swedish dramatist August Strindberg, whom he painted, as he embarked on a major series of paintings he would later call The Frieze of Life, depicting a series of deeply felt themes such as love, anxiety, jealousy and betrayal, steeped in atmosphere. The Scream was conceived in Kristiania. According to Munch, he was out walking at sunset, when he 'heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature'. The painting's agonized face is widely identified with the angst of the modern person. Between 1893 and 1910, he made two painted versions and two in pastels, as well as a number of prints. One of the pastels would eventually command the fourth highest nominal price paid for a painting at auction. As his fame and wealth grew, his emotional state remained insecure. He briefly considered marriage, but could not commit himself. A mental breakdown in 1908 forced him to give up heavy drinking, and he was cheered by his increasing acceptance by the people of Kristiania and exposure in the city's museums. His later years were spent working in peace and privacy. Although his works were banned in Nazi-occupied Europe, most of them survived World War II, securing his legacy. Edvard Munch displayed a remarkable talent for drawing from an early age, yet he received minimal formal artistic training. A pivotal influence on his artistic growth was his association with the Kristiania Bohème—a progressive circle of writers and artists in Kristiania (the former name of Oslo). The group's members championed free love and openly rejected the narrow-minded conventions of bourgeois society. Among the more established painters in this circle, Christian Krohg provided Munch with valuable instruction as well as ongoing encouragement and support. Edvard Munch was highly active in the fields of graphic art and printmaking, producing a substantial body of work using intaglio techniques—such as etching, drypoint, and aquatint—on copper plates. Beginning in 1894, he embarked on engraving directly onto copper and, largely self-taught and without formal instruction, created numerous masterpieces in this medium.
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Edward G. Robinson
Edward Goldenberg Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was an American actor who was popular during Hollywood's Golden Age. After making his stage debut in 1913, he rose to stardom with his performance as the title character in Little Caesar (1931) and became well known for his portrayals of gangsters. He starred in a variety of films, including the biopics Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet and A Dispatch from Reuters (both 1940) and the film noirs Double Indemnity and The Woman in the Window (both 1944). During the 1930s and 1940s, Robinson was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism, which were growing in strength in Europe in the years which led up to World War II. His activism included contributing over $250,000 to more than 850 organizations that were involved in war relief, along with contributions to cultural, educational, and religious groups. His postwar films include The Stranger (1946) and Key Largo (1948), and he won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for House of Strangers (1949). During the 1950s, Robinson was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare, but he was cleared of any deliberate Communist involvement. He did not name names but renounced a number of leftist organizations so as not to be probed further. As a result of being investigated, he found himself on Hollywood's graylist, people who were on the Hollywood blacklist maintained by the major studios, but could find work at minor film studios on what was called Poverty Row. He returned to the A-list when Cecil B. DeMille cast him as Dathan (the adversary of Moses) in The Ten Commandments (1956). During his 60-year career, Robinson appeared in 30 Broadway plays, and more than 100 films. In 1956, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for Middle of the Night. He played his final role in the science-fiction story Soylent Green (1973). Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited him as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. He received an Academy Honorary Award for his work in the film industry, which was awarded two months after he died in 1973. In 1999, he was ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema.
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Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈɛmeʁsõ fitʃiˈpawdʒi]; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1970 to 1980. Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in 1972 and 1974 with Lotus and McLaren, respectively; he won 14 Grands Prix across 11 seasons. In American open-wheel racing, Fittipaldi won the IndyCar World Series in 1989 with Patrick, and is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Moving up from Formula Two, Fittipaldi made his race debut for Team Lotus as a third driver at the 1970 British Grand Prix. After Jochen Rindt was killed at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix, the Brazilian became Lotus's lead driver in only his fifth Grand Prix. He enjoyed considerable success with Lotus, winning the World Drivers' Championship in 1972 at the age of 25. At the time, he was the youngest ever F1 world champion, and he held the record for 33 years. He later moved to McLaren for 1974, winning the title once again, and helping McLaren win their first Constructors' Championship. He surprised the paddock by moving to his brother's Fittipaldi Automotive team prior to the 1976 season, being replaced by James Hunt. Success eluded him during his final years in Formula One, with the Fittipaldi cars not competitive enough to fight for victories. Fittipaldi took two more podium finishes, before retiring in 1980. Following his Formula One career, Fittipaldi moved to the American CART series, achieving numerous successes, including the 1989 CART title and two wins at the Indianapolis 500 in 1989 and 1993. Since his retirement from Indy Car racing in 1996, Fittipaldi races only occasionally. In 2008, he became one of only three people in history to have a Corvette production car named in his honor. At age 67, he entered the 2014 6 Hours of São Paulo.
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Ervin Santana
Ervin Ramon Santana (born Johan Ramon Santana; December 12, 1982) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals (twice), Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago White Sox. Santana is a two-time All-Star, and he threw a no-hitter with the Angels in 2011. Santana was born Johan Ramon Santana, and used that name until 2003. He changed his name to avoid having the same name as Venezuelan pitching star Johan Santana. According to Santana, "I just came up with Ervin... Ervin Santana, that sounds good."
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Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of the 20th century. Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era. He joined the Harry James band as the vocalist in 1939 before signing with Columbia Records four years later and becoming the idol of the "bobby soxers". In 1946, Sinatra released his debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra. He then signed with Capitol Records and released several albums with arrangements by Nelson Riddle, notably In the Wee Small Hours (1955) and Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956). In 1960, Sinatra left Capitol Records to start his own record label, Reprise Records, releasing a string of successful albums. He collaborated with Count Basie on Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First (1962) and It Might as Well Be Swing (1964). In 1965, he recorded September of My Years and starred in the Emmy-winning television special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music. After releasing Sinatra at the Sands in 1966, Sinatra recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. It was followed by 1968's Francis A. & Edward K. with Duke Ellington. Sinatra retired in 1971 following the release of "My Way" but came out of retirement two years later. He recorded several albums and released "New York, New York" in 1980. Sinatra is among the world's best-selling music artists, with an estimated 150 million record sales globally. Sinatra also forged a highly successful acting career. After winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity (1953), he starred in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Sinatra also appeared in musicals such as On the Town (1949); Guys and Dolls (1955); High Society (1956); and Pal Joey (1957), the last of which won him a Golden Globe Award. Toward the end of his career, Sinatra frequently played detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967) and the titular The Detective (1968). He received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1971. Sinatra also directed the anti-war drama None but the Brave (1965). On television, The Frank Sinatra Show began on CBS in 1950, and Sinatra continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Sinatra was recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985, and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. He earned 13 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. American music critic Robert Christgau called Sinatra "the greatest singer of the 20th century" and he continues to be regarded as an iconic figure.
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Garrett Atkins
Garrett Bernard Atkins (born December 12, 1979) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. Between 2003 and 2010, he played for the Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles.
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Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert (UK: FLOH-bair, US: floh-BAIR; French: [ɡystav flobɛʁ]; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. He is known especially for his debut novel Madame Bovary (1857), his Correspondence, and his scrupulous devotion to his style and aesthetics. The celebrated writer Guy de Maupassant was a protégé of Flaubert.
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Gísli S. Einarsson
Gísli Sveinbjörn Einarsson (born 12 December 1945) is an Icelandic politician and former member of the Althing. A member of the Social Democratic Alliance, he represented the Western constituency from September 1993 to May 2003. Gísli was born on 12 December 1945 in Súðavík in Norður-Ísafjarðarsýsla county. He is the son of captain Einar Kristinn Gíslason and Elísabet Sveinbjörnsdóttir. In 1968 he received a diploma in mechanics from the vocational school in Akranes. He received a degree in engineering from the Western Polytechnic in Akranes in 1982. Gísli joined the State Cement Factory in Akranes in 1963 as an apprentice mechanic and was a mechanic at the factory from 1964 to 1976. He did an apprenticeship in cement machine maintenance at Aalborg Portland in Denmark from 1976 to 1977 and was a mechanic at the factory from 1977 to 1979. Returning to Iceland, he was foreman at the State Cement Factory from 1979 to 1992 before working on computer-controlled machine maintenance at the factory from 1992 to 1993. Gísli was a member of the municipal council in Akranes from 1986 to 1993 and served as its chairman (1990) and president (1991–1992). He was Mayor of Akranes from 2006 to 2010. He was a substitute member of the Althing in December 1991 (for Eiður Guðnason) and in November 2004 (for Jóhann Ársælsson). He was appointed to the Althing in September 1993 following the resignation of Eiður Guðnason. Gísli married Ólöf Edda Guðmundsdóttir in 1964 and has two sons and a daughter.
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Harald Kaarmann
Harald Kaarmann (after 1935, Harald Kaarma; 12 December 1901 – 19 August 1942) was an Estonian footballer and bandy player.
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Haywood Jeffires
Haywood Franklin Jeffires (pronounced "Jeffries"; born December 12, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He was selected by the Houston Oilers in the first round (20th overall) of the 1987 NFL draft out of North Carolina State. Jeffires spent his first nine seasons in the NFL with the Oilers, where he was selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 1991 to 1993. In 1991, Jeffires led the league in receptions and was a First-team All-Pro. He then spent the 1996 season with the New Orleans Saints.
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Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler (December 12, 1928 – December 27, 2011) was an American abstract expressionist painter. She was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work for over six decades (early 1950s until 2011), she spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work. Frankenthaler began exhibiting her large-scale abstract expressionist paintings in contemporary museums and galleries in the early 1950s. She was included in the 1964 Post-Painterly Abstraction exhibition curated by Clement Greenberg that introduced a newer generation of abstract painting that came to be known as color field. Born in Manhattan, she was influenced by Greenberg, Hans Hofmann, and Jackson Pollock's paintings. Her work has been the subject of several retrospective exhibitions, including a 1989 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and been exhibited worldwide since the 1950s. In 2001, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Frankenthaler had a home and studio in Darien, Connecticut.
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Henry Armstrong
Henry Jackson Jr. (December 12, 1912 – October 22, 1988) was an American professional boxer and a world boxing champion who fought under the name Henry Armstrong. He is the only fighter to ever hold world championships in three divisions (featherweight, lightweight and welterweight) simultaneously. Armstrong and Terence Crawford are the only boxers in history to hold the undisputed championship in three different weight classes. He defended his welterweight title a total of 19 times. The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1937. The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1940. The Sporting News recognized him as the Fighter of the Decade for the 1930s. He is currently ranked by BoxRec as the sixth-greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time. In 2007, The Ring ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest fighter of the last 80 years. Boxing coach and commentator Teddy Atlas considers Armstrong to be the greatest of all time. Historian Bert Sugar also ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest fighter of all time. ESPN ranked Armstrong as number 3 on their list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time. He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990. In 2019, the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) ranked him as the second best boxer of all time, pound for pound, as well as the second-best featherweight, third-best welterweight, and fifth-best lightweight of all time.
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Henry Wells
Henry Wells (December 12, 1805 – December 10, 1878) was an American businessman important in the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company. Wells worked as a freight agent before joining the express business. His companies, which were the predecessors of American Express and Wells Fargo, competed with the United States Post Office by carrying mail at less than the government rate. In higher education, Wells was the founder of Wells College in Aurora, New York.
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Iolanda Balaș
Iolanda Balaș (Romanian pronunciation: [joˈlanda ˈbalaʃ], Hungarian: Balázs Jolán, later Balázs-Sőtér Jolán; 12 December 1936 – 11 March 2016) was a Romanian athlete, an Olympic champion and former world record holder in the high jump. She was the first Romanian woman to win an Olympic gold medal and is considered to have been one of the greatest high jumpers of the twentieth century.
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Isaac John
Isaac John (born 12 December 1988) is a former professional rugby league footballer who previously played for the Mount Pritchard Mounties in the Intrust Super Premiership. A Cook Islands and New Zealand international representative, he played as a five-eighth and halfback and previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League, and the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the Super League.
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Joe Williams
Joe Williams (born Joseph Goreed; December 12, 1918 – March 29, 1999) was an American jazz singer. He sang with big bands, such as the Count Basie Orchestra and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, and with small combos. He sang in two films with the Basie orchestra and sometimes worked as an actor.
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Johan van der Velde
Johan van der Velde (born 12 December 1956 in Rijsbergen) is a former Dutch cyclist. In the 1980 Tour de France, he won the young rider classification, also placing 12th in the general classification that year. He had been a racing cyclist for only a year. In the 1981 Tour de France, he took first place on the second and 21st stages, finishing 12th overall for the second year. He rode with TI–Raleigh in the Tour de France from 1979 to 1983 and the Panasonic team where he won Stage 5 and wore the Yellow Jersey for two days in the 1986 Tour de France.
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John Randle
John Anthony Randle (born December 12, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for eleven seasons for the Minnesota Vikings and three seasons for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was a six-time first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. Since becoming an official stat in 1982, his 137.5 sacks rank tenth, tied with Richard Dent, and first among defensive tackles. On February 6, 2010, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played college football for the Trinity Valley Cardinals and the Texas A&I Javelinas, and was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent after the 1990 NFL draft. He is considered one of the greatest undrafted players of all time.
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John Sandfield Macdonald
John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Confederation in 1867. He served as both premier and attorney general of Ontario from July 16, 1867, to December 20, 1871. He was referred to by his middle name, Sandfield, and often signed his correspondence and documents as J. Sandfield Macdonald.
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Josef Doležal
Josef Doležal (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjozɛv ˈdolɛʒal]; 12 December 1920 in Příbram – 28 January 1999 in Prague) was a Czech athlete who competed mainly in the 50 kilometre walk. He competed for Czechoslovakia in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland in the 50 kilometre walk where he won the silver medal.
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Joseph Orville Shelby
Joseph Orville "J.O." Shelby (December 12, 1830 – February 13, 1897) was a Confederate officer who commanded cavalry in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. After the Confederacy surrendered, Shelby tried to swear fealty to Emperor Maximilian I during the second French intervention in Mexico. With the Emperor's permission, Shelby formed the New Virginia Colony, a colony of Confederate exiles in Mexico, until the end of the intervention in 1867, after which he abandoned the colony.
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Karl Bryullov
Karl Pavlovich Bryullov (né Brüllo; Russian: Карл Па́влович Брюлло́в; 23 December [O.S. 12 December] 1799 – 23 June [O.S. 11 June] 1852) was a Russian painter and draughtsman during the Romantic period, remembered among the greatest visual artists in the history of Russian art.
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Lodovico Giustini
Lodovico Giustini (12 December 1685 – 7 February 1743) was an Italian composer and keyboard player of the late Baroque and early Classical eras. He was the first known composer ever to write music for the piano.
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Louise Thuliez
Louise Thuliez (12 December 1881 – 10 October 1966) was a French schoolteacher, resistance fighter during World War I and World War II and author.
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Lucas Hedges
Lucas Hedges (born December 12, 1996) is an American actor. A son of filmmaker Peter Hedges, he studied theater at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Hedges began his acting career with a supporting role in Wes Anderson's comedy-drama Moonrise Kingdom (2012). He had his breakthrough in 2016 playing a sardonic teenager in Kenneth Lonergan's drama Manchester by the Sea, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, among other accolades. Hedges then starred as an aggressive youth in an off-Broadway production of Yen and had supporting roles in the coming-of-age film Lady Bird and the drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in 2017. In 2018, Hedges played the lead role of a teenager forced into a gay conversion therapy program in Boy Erased, which earned him nominations for both the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama and the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He also made his Broadway debut in a revival of Lonergan's drama The Waverly Gallery in the same year. In 2023, he starred as Ennis Del Mar in a West End theatre production of Brokeback Mountain.
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Martin Ferguson
Martin John Ferguson (born 12 December 1953) is an Australian former Labor Party politician who was the Member of the House of Representatives for Batman from 1996 to 2013. He served as Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism in the Rudd and Gillard governments from 2007 to 2013. Before entering Parliament, Ferguson spent a long career as a trade unionist, being General Secretary of the Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union from 1984 to 1990 and President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions from 1990 to 1996. He is the son of Jack Ferguson who was Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1984. His brother is Laurie Ferguson, also a long-serving Labor MP.
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Martina Hellmann
Martina Helga Hellmann (née Opitz; born 12 December 1960) is a retired German track and field athlete who represented East Germany. She was the Olympic champion in the discus throw at the 1988 Summer Olympics. She also won the World Championship in that event in 1983 and again in 1987. Born in Leipzig, Saxony, Hellmann was sixteen years old when she began participating in the event. In 1977 she gave the participants' oath at the opening of the East German gymnastics and sport festival. That summer she set the world record for 16-year-olds with a throw of 55.00 meters. Her career was plagued by sickness and injury until 1983 when she became the surprise world champion. She was unable to compete at the 1984 summer Olympic games due to her country's boycott. On 6 September 1988 she threw the discus 78.14 metres, farther than any woman had ever thrown it before or after. However, this throw was in an unofficial tournament in the East German training camp at Kienbaum set up to decide the final GDR place for the Olympic games in Seoul and was not eligible to be considered a world record. During this session she threw the following distances, two of them exceeding the world record at the time, and two more that were ever exceeded by only one female thrower: 76.92m – 78.14m – 70.52m – 76.56m – 75.66m – 74.04m (the women's world record, set in July 1988, is 76.80 m). Ilke Wyludda threw a lifetime best 75.36 m, but had to stay home. Five of Hellmann's throws during that competition were better than her official best of 72.92 metres, achieved in August 1987 in Potsdam, and which ranks her ninth on the world all-time list and sixth among German discus throwers, behind Gabriele Reinsch, Ilke Wyludda, Diana Gansky-Sachse, Irina Meszynski and Gisela Beyer. After the 1992 Summer Olympics, where she was eliminated during qualification, she retired. She later was the head of a sports group of the insurance company AOK and became a manager at a cabaret in Leipzig. Hellmann represented the SC DHfK Leipzig sport club and trained with Rolf Wittenbecher and Bernhard Thomas. During her active career she was 1.78 meters tall and weighed 85 kilograms.
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Mayim Bialik
Mayim Chaya Bialik ( MY-im bee-AH-lik; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress and former game show host. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom Blossom. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, for which she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015 and 2017. Bialik shared hosting duties of Jeopardy! with Ken Jennings on a rotating basis between August 2021 and December 2023.
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Michael Olise
Michael Akpovie Olise (; o-LEE-say; Urhobo: [à.k͡pɔ̀.vjɛ̀ ɔ̀.lí.sɛ̀]; French: [maikəl olisɛ]; born 12 December 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the France national team. Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, he is known for his creative playmaking, tactical intelligence, dribbling, and flair. Born in London, Olise is a product of various English academies. He made his professional debut for Championship club Reading in 2019 and won EFL Young Player of the Season in 2021. He was then signed by Premier League club Crystal Palace, where he spent three seasons. He was nominated for PFA Young Player of the Year in 2024, before moving to Bayern Munich. At Bayern, Olise emerged as one of the most dominant wingers in Europe; in 2024–25, he was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Season and in 2025–26, he was named VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season. He has helped the club win two league titles and a DFB-Pokal. Olise represented France at youth level and was included in their squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics, receiving a silver medal. He made his debut for the senior French team in September 2024 and played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup where he registered a tournament-high seven assists — the most for any player in a single World Cup edition.
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Miguel de la Madrid
Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (Spanish pronunciation: [miˈɣel de la maˈðɾið uɾˈtaðo]; 12 December 1934 – 1 April 2012) was a Mexican politician and lawyer affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 59th president of Mexico from 1982 to 1988. Inheriting a severe economic and financial crisis from his predecessor José López Portillo as a result of the international drop in oil prices and a crippling external debt on which Mexico had defaulted months before he took office, De la Madrid introduced sweeping neoliberal policies to overcome the crisis, beginning an era of market-oriented presidents in Mexico, along with austerity measures involving deep cuts in public spending. In spite of these reforms, De la Madrid's administration continued to be plagued by negative economic growth and inflation for the rest of his term, while the social effects of the austerity measures were particularly harsh on the lower and middle classes, with real wages falling to half of what they were in 1978 and with a sharp rise in unemployment and in the informal economy by the end of his term. De la Madrid's administration was also famous for his "Moral Renovation" campaign, whose purported goal was to fight the government corruption that had become widespread under previous administrations, leading to the arrests of top officials of the López Portillo administration. In addition, his administration was criticized for its slow response to the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and the handling of the controversial 1988 elections in which the PRI candidate Carlos Salinas de Gortari was declared winner, amid accusations of electoral fraud.
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Mädchen Amick
Mädchen Amick ( MAY-chən AY-mik; born December 12, 1970) is an American actress and television director. She is known for her starring role as Shelly Johnson on the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991), its prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) and its revival television series Twin Peaks: The Return (2017). She appeared in the pilot episode of Baywatch (1989). She was a series regular on Central Park West (1995–1996), Freddie (2005–2006), and Witches of East End (2013–2014) and as Wendall Meade in ER (2004). In film, she had starring roles in Sleepwalkers (1992) and Dream Lover (1993). She also portrayed Alice Cooper on The CW's drama television series Riverdale (2017–2023). Amick is a member of SAG-AFTRA's 2025–2027 National Board.
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Nicky Eaden
Nicholas Jeremy Eaden (born 12 December 1972) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, he is a senior professional development coach at EFL League One side Barnsley. As a player he was as a full-back who accumulated 550 appearances in the Football League. He was part of the Barnsley team who played in the Premier League during the 1997–98 season. He also won promotions to the top flight with both Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic, also playing professionally for Nottingham Forest and Lincoln City. He rounded his career off with spells with non-league sides Halesowen Town, Solihull Moors and Kettering Town. Eaden moved into coaching during his final playing stint with Kettering and was appointed assistant manager, a position he also held at Peterborough United and Rotherham United. He has also held various coaching positions at Leicester City, Tamworth, Coventry City and Chesterfield, as well as spells as manager of non-league sides Nuneaton Borough, Hednesford Town and Kettering Town.
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Nixon Chepseba
Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba (born 12 December 1990) (Keiyo in Kenya) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner (1.84m) who specializes in the 1500 metres. He was the 2011 Diamond League series winner of that event and has a personal best of 3:29.90 minutes. Chepseba gained his first international selection for the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships via a trial event at Nyayo National Stadium. At the competitions, he took the silver medal in the 1500 m behind fellow Kenyan James Magut (who ran a championship record). He made his European debut later that year, winning at the Antwerp Gala and setting a meet record of 2:18.61 min for the 1000 m at the Athletics Bridge in Slovakia. He trains in Kaptagat. He moved up to the senior ranks the year after and ran an indoor best of 3:35.82 min for the 1500 m in Leipzig in February 2010. Another personal best (3:33.99 min) came at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in his first Diamond League appearance. He also ran at the Golden Gala and Memorial van Damme meetings that year and finished his season with a personal best run of 3:32.42 min for third at the Rieti Meeting. Chepseba established himself as a top-level competitor during the 2011 indoor season. He defeated Deresse Mekonnen and Silas Kiplagat at the Meeting Pas de Calais with a world-leading time, then improved further at the PSD Bank Meeting to defeat Augustine Choge with a world-leading and meet record time of 3:34.63 min. He continued his winning streak outdoors with consecutive 2011 Diamond League victories in Doha and Shanghai, setting a meet record of 3:31.42 min to beat the Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop at the latter event. He came sixth in the Oslo Dream Mile and was fifth at the Kenyan Championships, missing out on a place for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. He turned his attention to the Diamond League circuit instead and a win at the Weltklasse Zurich meet saw him top the rankings to become the 2011 Diamond League winner over 1500 m. He ended his year on a high, setting a meet record and personal best of 3:30.94 min to win at the Hanžeković Memorial. In May 2012, he won the 1500m at the Hengelo meeting in a new personal best time of 3:29.90, making him only the 22nd runner in history to better the 3:30 barrier, and making him the 8th fastest Kenyan 1500m runner in history. He finished fourth in the 1500 m at the 2013 World Championships.
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Otto Warmbier
Otto Frederick Warmbier (December 12, 1994 – June 19, 2017) was an American college student who was imprisoned in North Korea in 2016 on a charge of subversion. In June 2017, he was released by North Korea in a vegetative state, and died shortly thereafter. Warmbier entered North Korea as part of a guided tour group on December 29, 2015. On January 2, 2016, he was arrested at Pyongyang International Airport while awaiting departure from the country. He was convicted of attempting to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel, for which he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment with hard labor. Shortly after his sentencing in March 2016, Warmbier suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause and fell into a coma, which lasted until his death. North Korean authorities did not disclose his medical condition until June 2017, when they announced he had fallen into a coma as a result of botulism and a sleeping pill. He was freed later that month, still in a comatose state after 17 months in captivity. He was sent back to the United States and arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 13, 2017. He was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for immediate evaluation and treatment. Warmbier never regained consciousness. Due to the severity of his condition, his parents requested his feeding tube be removed. He died on June 19, 2017, six days after his return to the United States. A coroner's report stated that he had died from an unknown injury causing lack of oxygen to the brain. Non-invasive internal scans did not find any signs of fractures or trauma to his skull. In 2018, a U.S. federal court found the North Korean government liable for Warmbier's alleged torture and death, in a default judgment in favor of Warmbier's parents after North Korea did not contest the case.
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Pat Calathes
Patrick Sean Calathes (Greek: Πατρίκιος Σον "Πατ" Καλάθης, born on December 12, 1985) is a Greek-American former professional basketball player. At a height of 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall, he played at both the small forward and power forward positions. He was the 2013 Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP.
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Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series. These sea novels are set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centre on the friendship of the English naval captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician Stephen Maturin. The 20-novel series, the first of which is Master and Commander, is known for its well-researched and highly detailed portrayal of early 19th-century life, as well as its authentic and evocative language. A partially finished 21st novel in the series was published posthumously containing facing pages of handwriting and typescript. O'Brian wrote a number of other novels and short stories, most of which were published before he achieved success with the Aubrey–Maturin series. He also translated works from French to English, and wrote biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso. His major success as a writer came late in life, when the Aubrey–Maturin series caught the eye of an American publisher. The series drew more readers and favourable reviews when the author was in his seventies. Near the end of his life, and in the same year that he lost his wife, British media revealed details of O'Brian's early life, first marriage, and post-war change of name, causing distress to the very private author and to many of his readers at that time.
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Pedro Ferriz de Con
Pedro Ferriz de Con (born December 12, 1950) is a Mexican radio and TV news anchor. During the 1990s, he worked for the Multivision Network. In January 2000, he left MVS and went to Grupo Imagen, where he hosted the morning newscast on XEDA-FM until August 25, 2014. He also hosted the evening newscast of Cadenatres from 2007 to 2012. He currently hosts a morning radio newscast named "Central FM". On January 15, 2016, he announced his independent bid to run for president in 2018 in Mexico via his Facebook Page. Ferríz de Con is a Civil Engineer from the Universidad Iberoamericana in México City and has a Master's Degree in applied mathematics from Fleming College at Lugano, Switzerland. His father, was Pedro Ferríz Santacruz (1921-2013), who also was a radio announcer and politician.
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Randy Smith
Randolph Smith (December 12, 1948 – June 4, 2009) was an American professional basketball player who set the NBA record for consecutive games played. From 1972 to 1982, Smith played in every regular season game, en route to a then-record of 906 straight games (since broken by A.C. Green). In college, he was a Division II All-American basketball player, soccer player and track athlete. He was born in Bellport, New York.
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Rehman Malik
Rehman Malik NI (Punjabi, Urdu: رحمان ملک; born 12 December 1951 – 23 February 2022) was a Pakistani politician, and a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer, who later served as the federal Interior Minister from 25 March 2008 until 16 March 2013. Prior to his entry in national politics, Malik had served in the FIA as a special agent, eventually becoming the Additional Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency in 1993 until 1996. During his stint as Director, he coordinated successful counter-terrorist operations in the country as well as abroad, including the arrest and extradition of Yousaf Ramzi to the United States in 1995. After being removed from the Directorship, Malik moved to the United Kingdom and began political activity through the PPP platform. From 2004 until 2007, he served as the chief of security of Benazir Bhutto and became senior official of the central committee of the PPP. After successfully contesting the general elections held in 2008, Malik was appointed adviser and eventually appointed Interior Minister by Prime Minister Yousaf Gillani. In 2013, he lost his ministerial appointment after a Supreme Court's hearing against the dual nationality case, which also influenced his decision of resigning from the Pakistan Senate, also the same year.
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Robert Noyce
Robert Norton Noyce (December 12, 1927 – June 3, 1990), nicknamed "the Mayor of Silicon Valley", was an American physicist and entrepreneur who co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel Corporation in 1968. He was also credited with the realization of the first monolithic integrated circuit or microchip made with silicon, which fueled the personal computer revolution and gave Silicon Valley its name. Noyce founded The Noyce School of Applied Computing within the College of Engineering at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan awarded him the National Medal of Technology, and in 1989, he was inducted into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame, with President George H. W. Bush delivering the keynote. In 1990, he received a Lifetime Achievement Medal alongside Jack Kilby and John Bardeen during the bicentennial celebration of the Patent Act.
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Roni Porokara
Roni Porokara (born 12 December 1983) is a Finnish entrepreneur and a former international footballer, who is currently working in a real estate business.
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Roy Douglas
Richard Roy Douglas (12 December 1907 – 23 March 2015) was an English composer, pianist and arranger. He worked as musical assistant to William Walton and Ralph Vaughan Williams, made well-known orchestrations of works such as Les Sylphides (based on piano pieces by Chopin) and Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto, and wrote a quantity of original music.
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Russell Batiste Jr.
David Russell Batiste Jr. (December 12, 1965 – September 30, 2023) was an American drummer based in New Orleans. Batiste played drums for the bands the funky Meters, Papa Grows Funk, and Vida Blue.
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Sammy Korir
Sammy Korir (born December 12, 1971) is a long distance runner from Kenya.
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Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
Admiral of the Red Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (12 December 1724 – 27 January 1816) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As a junior officer he saw action during the War of the Austrian Succession. While in temporary command of Antelope, Hood drove a French ship ashore in Audierne Bay, and captured two privateers in 1757 during the Seven Years' War. He held senior command as Commander-in-Chief, North American Station and then as Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Station. During the American War of Independence, Hood led the British navy to victory at the Battle of the Mona Passage in April 1782. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, then First Naval Lord and, after briefly returning to the Portsmouth command, became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet during the French Revolutionary Wars. His younger brother was Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, and his first cousin once-removed was Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Baronet.
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Sašo Udovič
Sašo Udovič (born 12 December 1968) is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as a forward. With the Slovenia national team, he appeared at the 2000 UEFA European Championship.
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Sharad Pawar
Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar (born 12 December 1940) is an Indian politician who has served as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha since 2014. Prior to 2014 he served as a member of Lok Sabha, as a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He has served four terms as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra including (1990–1991): Following the 1990 assembly elections, he continued his leadership as Chief Minister, and held cabinet positions in the Union Council of Ministers, including the Minister of Defence under P. V. Narasimha Rao government and the Minister of Agriculture under Manmohan Singh government. In 1999, he founded the NCP following a split from the Indian National Congress. In July 2023, following a split within the NCP, he now leads the Sharadchandra Pawar faction. Pawar has been involved in several coalition governments and political alliances in Maharashtra. Born in Baramati, Maharashtra, Sharadchandra is the patriarch of the Pawar family, which includes several political figures, including his daughter Supriya Sule, nephew Ajit Pawar (former Deputy CM of Maharashtra), and grandnephew Rohit Rajendra Pawar. Pawar served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 2005 to 2008 and of the International Cricket Council (ICC) from 2010 to 2012. He also headed the Mumbai Cricket Association from October 2013 to January 2017. He received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, in 2017.
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Sheila E.
Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957), known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Regarded as one of the greatest percussionists of her generation, she is a multi-instrumentalist known for playing drums and percussion. She is sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Percussion". Her music incorporates a wide variety of styles, including R&B, funk, jazz, pop, synth-pop, latin pop, and salsa. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Sheila began her music career as a percussionist for the George Duke Band from 1976 to 1980. She rose to mainstream success with release of her debut album, The Glamorous Life (1984), on Warner Bros. Records. The album's singles "The Glamorous Life" and "The Belle of St. Mark" became international hits. The album earned four Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist. Her follow-up album Romance 1600 (1985) produced another top-charting international hit called "A Love Bizarre". She released two more albums on Warner Bros. Records: Sheila E. (1987) and Sex Cymbal (1991). In 2021, she received a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In July 2023, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In April 2024, she released her tenth album, Bailar. The album's single "Bemba Colorá" won a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance at 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
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Sheree J. Wilson
Sheree J. Wilson (born December 12, 1958) is an American actress, producer, businesswoman, and model. She is best known for her roles as April Stevens Ewing on the American primetime television series Dallas (1986–1991) and as Alex Cahill-Walker on the television series Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001).
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Shohjahon Ergashev
Shohjahon Ergashev (born 12 December 1991) is an Uzbek professional boxer. He challenged for the IBF super-lightweight title in 2023.
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Stand Watie
Brigadier-General Stand Watie (Cherokee: ᏕᎦᏙᎦ, romanized: Degadaga, or Degadoga, lit. 'Stand firm'; December 12, 1806 – September 9, 1871), also known as Standhope Uwatie and Isaac S. Watie, was a Cherokee politician who served as the second principal chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1862 to 1866. The Cherokee Nation allied with the Confederate States during the American Civil War, and he was subsequently the only Native American Confederate general officer. Watie commanded Indian forces in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, made up mostly of Cherokee, Muskogee, and Seminole. He was the last Confederate States Army general to surrender. Before removal of the Cherokee to Indian Territory in the late 1830s, Watie and his older brother Elias Boudinot were among Cherokee leaders who signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835. The majority of the tribe opposed their action. In 1839, the brothers were attacked in an assassination attempt, as were other relatives active in the Treaty Party. All but Stand Watie were killed. Watie in 1842 killed one of his uncle's attackers, and in 1845 his brother Thomas was killed in retaliation, in a continuing cycle of violence that reached Indian Territory. Watie was acquitted by the Cherokee at trial in the 1850s on the grounds of self-defense. Watie led the Southern Cherokee delegation to Washington, D.C., after the American Civil War to sue for peace, hoping to have tribal divisions recognized. The federal government negotiated only with the leaders who had sided with the Union. Watie stayed out of politics for his last years, and tried to rebuild his plantation.
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Ted Kennedy
Theodore Samuel "Teeder" Kennedy (December 12, 1925 – August 14, 2009) was a professional ice hockey player. A centre, he spent his entire career with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1943 to 1957 and was captain for eight seasons. Along with Turk Broda, he was the first player in NHL history to win five Stanley Cups, and he was the last Maple Leaf to win the Hart Trophy for most valuable player, until Auston Matthews in 2022. He was an essential contributor to the Maple Leafs becoming what many consider as the National Hockey League's first dynasty. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. He has been called the quintessential Maple Leaf and by some the greatest player in the team's history. In 2017 Kennedy was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. Kennedy was raised in the small Ontario town of Humberstone, now Port Colborne. Kennedy was born just eleven days after his father was killed in a hunting accident. His mother, left alone to raise four children, took a job at the local hockey arena which became Kennedy's second home. After a stellar junior hockey career, Kennedy first came to the attention of the Montreal Canadiens and attended their training camp while still in high school. Disappointed and heart sick at the idea of not playing for his favourite team, Montréal who owned his rights eventually traded him to Toronto for defencemen Frank Eddols. A move that contributed to the falling out between Conn Smythe who was away fighting the war with the 48th Highlanders in Europe, and Frank Selke who was left behind to manage the team, resulting in the latter eventually leaving the Leafs organization for the Canadiens. Although young, Kennedy was successful with Toronto from the start. In his first season, the 18-year-old finished second on the team in scoring and then in his sophomore year was considered the star of Toronto's upset of the record-breaking Montreal Canadiens of 1944–45. He established himself as the leader of the team and became captain in 1948. Although not the best skater in the league, Kennedy was a fierce forechecker and skilled playmaker. Kennedy was a perfect fit into coach Hap Day's emphasis on defence and positional play. He gained a reputation for scoring the important goal and excelling in the playoffs. Kennedy holds the Toronto Maple Leafs' all-time record for career points in the Stanley Cup Final and is the youngest player in the history of the NHL to have scored a Stanley Cup winning goal. A Sports Illustrated poll of hockey experts in 1998 rated Kennedy as having the best face-off skills in the history of the NHL.
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Toshiko Akiyoshi
Toshiko Akiyoshi (秋吉敏子 or 穐吉敏子, Akiyoshi Toshiko; born 12 December 1929) is a Japanese jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in Down Beat magazine's annual Readers' Poll. In 1984, she was the subject of the documentary Jazz Is My Native Language. In 1996, she published her autobiography, Life with Jazz, and in 2007 she was named an NEA Jazz Master by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts.
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Tracy Austin
Tracy Ann Austin Holt (born December 12, 1962) is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 21 weeks. Austin won 30 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including two major titles at the 1979 and 1981 US Opens, and five doubles titles, including the mixed doubles title at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships, partnering her brother John. She won the 1980 WTA Tour Championships and the year-ending 1981 Toyota Championships, both in singles. Austin remains the youngest US Open women's singles champion (aged 16) and the youngest inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (aged 29). A series of injuries and a serious automobile accident in 1989 cut short her professional career.
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Walter Benona Sharp
Walter Benona Sharp (12 December 1870 - 28 November 1912) was an American oilman and innovator in drilling techniques.
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Wilfred Kirochi
Wilfred Kirochi (born 12 December 1969) is a former Kenyan middle-distance runner who won a silver medal at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo in the 1500 m event. Previously Kirochi had won two World Junior Championship titles in 1986 and 1988 (where he defeated future world and Olympic champion Noureddine Morceli). In 1990, Kirochi also won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland behind Peter Elliott. Kirochi did not qualify for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, as he did not finish in the top three at the Kenyan trials in Nairobi. However, just prior to the Olympics, he won meets in Oslo and Nice, where he set a temporary world season's best. Later in the season, he improved his personal best to 3:32.49.
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William L. Marcy
William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786 – July 4, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as U.S. Senator, the eleventh Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and the twenty-first U.S. Secretary of State. In the latter office, he negotiated the Gadsden Purchase, the last major acquisition of land in the contiguous United States. Born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, Marcy established a legal practice in Troy, New York, after graduating from Brown University. He fought in the War of 1812, as an ensign, first lieutenant and captain in the 155th New York Infantry Regiment. Politically, he aligned with the Bucktail faction of the Democratic-Republican Party and became a leading member of the Albany Regency. As the Democratic-Republicans fractured in the 1820s, he became a member of the Democratic Party. Between 1821 and 1831, he successively served as Adjutant General of New York, New York State Comptroller, and as an associate justice of the New York Supreme Court. In 1831, the New York legislature elected Marcy to the U.S. Senate, and he held that position until 1833, when he became the Governor of New York. He served three terms as governor until his defeat in 1838 by the Whig nominee, William Seward. He served as Secretary of War under James K. Polk from 1845 to 1849, overseeing the Mexican–American War. After leaving the Polk administration, he resumed the practice of law and became a leader of the "Soft" Hunker faction of the New York Democratic Party. He returned to the Cabinet in 1853, serving as Secretary of State under Franklin Pierce. In this role, he resolved a dispute about the status of U.S. immigrants abroad and directed U.S. diplomats to dress in the plain style of an ordinary American rather than the court-dress many had adopted from Europe. He also negotiated a reciprocity treaty with British North America and the 30,000-square-mile (78,000 km2) Gadsden purchase with Mexico, acquiring territory in present-day Arizona and New Mexico. He left office in 1857 and died shortly thereafter.
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Wings Hauser
Gerald Dwight "Wings" Hauser (December 12, 1947 – March 15, 2025) was an American actor, screenwriter, film director and musician. A prolific character actor, he appeared in over 100 film and television productions since 1967, and was once called "the biggest star you've never heard of". He received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male for his role in Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987). He is the father of actor Cole Hauser.
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Yoel Hernández
Yoel Hernández Reyes (born 12 December 1977 in Manacas, Villa Clara) is a Cuban track and field athlete who specialises in the 110 metres hurdles. His personal best time is 13.24 seconds, achieved when he won the silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. The result places him fifth among Cuban 110 m hurdlers, behind Anier García, Dayron Robles, Emilio Valle and Alejandro Casañas.
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Zeli Ismail
Zeli Ismail (born 12 December 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a right midfielder for Northern Premier League Division One West club Shifnal Town. Born in Albania, he has represented England at both under-16 and under-17 level.
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Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz
Álvaro de Bazán y Guzmán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz (12 December 1526 – 9 February 1588), was a Spanish admiral and nobleman. He took part, among others, in the seizure of the rock of Vélez de la Gomera (1564), the relief to the besieged during the sieges of Oran (1563) and Malta (1565), the Battle of Lepanto (1571), the conquest of Tunis (1573), the incorporation of Portugal to the Spanish monarchy (1580), and the conquest of Terceira (1582). A leading admiral in both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, like his father before him, Bazán has been considered the prime naval commander in the history of Spain. He made developments in amphibious warfare and pioneered the strategic usage of several kinds of ships, refining the design of existent vessels and popularising galleons as warships, ultimately making possible many of the successes of the Spanish Empire since the 16th and 17th centuries. For his leadership and influence, Bazán was celebrated by Miguel de Cervantes as el Padre de los Soldados ("the Father of the Soldiers"). He was reputed to have never lost a battle under his command, a remarkable achievement in a fifty-year-long military career. He was a grandee of Spain and a patron of the arts. He built the Palace of the Marquis of Santa Cruz in Viso, Spain, which currently houses the General Archive of the Spanish Navy.
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Étienne-Émile Baulieu
Étienne-Émile Baulieu (French: [etjɛn emil boljø]; 12 December 1926 – 30 May 2025) was a French biochemist and endocrinologist who was best known for his research in the field of steroid hormones and their role in reproduction and aging. He has been nicknamed the “father” of the abortion pill mainly as a result of his work on the abortion-inducing drug RU486 (Mifepristone). Baulieu also worked to determine if dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) was a prohormone and if it and other hormonal substitutions also increased longevity in humans.
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