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December 21st
🎉 Holiday on this date
Winter Solstice
Shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, around December 21, marking the astronomical start of winter; celebrated across many cultures.
228 Notable deaths
Gabriela Zapolska
Polish novelist, prose writer, publicist, feuilletonist, theatre critic, stage actress (1857–1921).
Born March 30th, 1857 in Pidhaitsi. [ref]
Died December 21st, 1921 at 64 years old in Lviv. [ref]
Ivan Kozlovskyi
Ukrainian soviet singer (1900–1993).
Born March 24th, 1900 in Marianivka.
Died December 21st, 1993 at 93 years old in Moscow.
Johanne Luise Heiberg
Danish actress (1812–1890).
Born November 22nd, 1812 in Copenhagen.
Died December 21st, 1890 at 78 years old in Copenhagen.
Alex Quaison-Sackey
Ghanaian diplomat (1924-1992).
Born August 9th, 1924 in Winneba.
Died December 21st, 1992 at 68 years old in Accra.
Stanley Rossiter Benedict
American chemist (1884–1936).
Born March 17th, 1884 in Cincinnati.
Died December 21st, 1936 at 52 years old in United States.
Hannelore Hoger
German actress.
Born August 20th, 1939 in Hamburg. [ref]
Died December 21st, 2024 at 85 years old in Hamburg. [ref]
Yevhen Rudakov
Soviet footballer (1942-2011).
Born January 2nd, 1942 in Moscow.
Died December 21st, 2011 at 69 years old in Kyiv. [ref]
Hugo Rahner
German theologian (1900–1968).
Born May 3rd, 1900 in Pfullendorf.
Died December 21st, 1968 at 68 years old in Munich (Parkinson's disease).
Franz Gertsch
Swiss artist (1930–2022).
Born March 8th, 1930 in Mörigen.
Died December 21st, 2022 at 92 years old in Riggisberg. [ref]
Jonas Wenström
Swedish engineer (1855-1893).
Born October 4th, 1855 in Hällefors parish.
Died December 21st, 1893 at 38 years old in Västerås.
Wilhelm Trübner
German artist (1851-1917).
Born February 3rd, 1851 in Heidelberg.
Died December 21st, 1917 at 66 years old in Karlsruhe.
Ahmed Asmat Abdel-Meguid
Egyptian diplomat (1923-2013).
Born March 22nd, 1923 in Alexandria.
Died December 21st, 2013 at 90 years old in Cairo. [ref]
Sydney Wooderson
British middle distance runner (1914-2006).
Born August 30th, 1914 in Camberwell.
Died December 21st, 2006 at 92 years old in Dorset (kidney failure). [ref]
Horacio Ferrer
Uruguayan-argentine poet, broadcaster, reciter, tango lyricist (1933–2014).
Born June 2nd, 1933 in Montevideo.
Died December 21st, 2014 at 81 years old in Buenos Aires (heart failure).
Ermindo Onega
Argentine footballer (1940–1979).
Born April 4th, 1940 in Las Parejas.
Died December 21st, 1979 at 39 years old in Lima, Buenos Aires (traffic collision).
Ata al-Ayyubi
Ottoman civil servant (1877-1951).
Born March 25th, 1877 in Damascus.
Died December 21st, 1951 at 74 years old in Damascus.
Dora Montefiore
Suffragette, socialist, writer (1851–1933).
Born December 20th, 1851 in Coulsdon, Kenley.
Died December 21st, 1933 at 82 years old in Hastings.
Heinrich Dreser
German chemist (1860–1924).
Born October 1st, 1860 in Darmstadt.
Died December 21st, 1924 at 64 years old in Zurich.
Francisco Javier Zaldúa
President of colombia.
Born December 3rd, 1811 in Bogotá.
Died December 21st, 1882 at 71 years old in Bogotá.
Ian Matos
Brazilian diver.
Born April 24th, 1989 in Muaná.
Died December 21st, 2021 at 32 years old in Rio de Janeiro (breakthrough infection). [ref]
John A. Winston
American politician (1812-1871).
Born September 4th, 1812 in Madison County.
Died December 21st, 1871 at 59 years old in Pulaski County.
Carlyle Glean
Grenadian politician (1932–2021).
Born February 11th, 1932 in Grenada.
Died December 21st, 2021 at 89 years old in Grenada. [ref]
Louis Diémer
French composer (1843–1919).
Born February 14th, 1843 in Paris.
Died December 21st, 1919 at 76 years old in Paris.
Ján Cikker
Slovak composer (1911–1989).
Born July 29th, 1911 in Banská Bystrica.
Died December 21st, 1989 at 78 years old in Bratislava.
Sitor Situmorang
Indonesian poet (1924–2014).
Born October 2nd, 1924 in Harian. [ref]
Died December 21st, 2014 at 90 years old in Apeldoorn.
Deaths 126 to 150 of 228
To the most trivial actions, attach the devotion and mindfulness of a hundred monks. To matters of life and death, attach a sense of humor. Zhuangzi