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On This Day
Discover events that happened On This Day including famous birthdays and notable deaths. Each day we highlight famous people, past and present, who have impacted our world. Browse sections by selecting the links below or click the calendar to view events on another day.
December 15
Events on This Day
-
1877
136 years ago
Thomas Edison applies for a patent for the phonograph, a device that laid down the groundwork for future music-playing technology.
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1961
52 years ago
An Israeli court sentences former S.S. officer Adolf Eichmann to death for organizing the deportation of Jews to Nazi concentration camps.
-
1978
35 years ago
President Jimmy Carter recognizes the People's Republic of China and cuts off official relations with Taiwan.
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2006
7 years ago
Dreamgirls, starring Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy, opens in limited release. The musical will go on to win three Golden Globes, and Hudson will win an Oscar.
December 15
Born on This Day
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Don Johnson
- In these groups:
- Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson
- Married Divorced Remarried
- Celebrity Golfers
Don Johnson
Film Actor, Television Actor / 1949 -
Don Johnson is an actor who rose quickly to fame as undercover police office Sonny Crockett on the hit TV series Miami Vice.
Born: December 15, 1949
Age: 63 years old
Birthplace: Flat Creek, Missouri, United States
Occupation: Film Actor, Television Actor -
J. Paul Getty
- In these groups:
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Art Collectors
- Famous Philanthropists
J. Paul Getty
Art Collector, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist / 1892 - 1976
Billionaire businessman J. Paul Getty became president of the Getty Oil Company after his father George Getty’s death. His Getty Foundation funds the J. Paul Getty Museum and other artist endeavors.
1892 | 83 years old
Art Collector, Entrepreneur, ... -
John Hammond
- In these groups:
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Civil Rights Activists
- Famous Music Producers
John Hammond
Civil Rights Activist, Music Producer / 1910 - 1987
Record producer John Hammond crusaded for racial integration in the music business, and is regarded as the most important nonmusician in the history of jazz.
1910 | 76 years old
Civil Rights Activist, Music Producer -
Tim Conway
- In these groups:
- Celebrity Enlistees
- Famous Military Veterans
- Famous Sagittarians
Tim Conway
Comedian / 1933 -
Tim Conway is an American comedian and actor, best known for co-starring alongside Carol Burnett on The Carol Burnett Show.
Born: December 15, 1933
Age: 79 years old
Birthplace: Willoughby, Ohio, United States
Occupation: Comedian -
Nero
- In these groups:
- Erratic and Autocratic
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Actors
Nero
Theater Actor, Musician, Political Leader, Emperor, Poet / 37 - 68
As Roman emperor, Nero’s reign was lavish and tyrannical. He killed his mother, persecuted Christians and is said to have "fiddled while Rome burned."
37 | 30 years old
Theater Actor, Musician, ... -
Adam Brody
- In these groups:
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Actors
- Famous Film Actors
Adam Brody
Film Actor, Television Actor / 1979 -
Adam Brody played the role of geeky teenager Seth Cohen on the popular hit Fox series The O.C.1979 | 33 years old
Film Actor, Television Actor
December 15
Died on This Day
-
Walt Disney
- In these groups:
- Famous Irish-Americans
- Honorary Oscar Recipients
- The Ed Sullivan Show Guests
Walt Disney
Entrepreneur / 1901 - 1966
Walt Disney was an American motion-picture and television producer and showman, famous as a pioneer of cartoon films and as the creator of Disneyland.
Died: December 15, 1966
Age: 65 years old
Place: Burbank, California , United States
Occupation: Entrepreneur -
Oral Roberts
- In these groups:
- Famous Aquarians
- Famous Evangelists
- Famous People Born in 1918
Oral Roberts
Evangelist / 1918 - 2009
Radio and television evangelist Oral Roberts believed he had direct communications from God. In 1963, he founded Oral Roberts University.2009 | 91 years old
Evangelist -
Sitting Bull
- In these groups:
- Wild West
- People with Animal Names
- Famous Military Leaders
Sitting Bull
Warrior / 1831 - 1890
Sitting Bull was a Teton Dakota Indian chief under whom the Sioux tribes united in their struggle for survival on the North American Great Plains.
1890 | 59 years old
Warrior
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Play Nowprofile name: Don Johnson profile occupation: Film Actor, Television Actor
profile id: 9309884
profile name: J. Paul Getty profile occupation: Art Collector, Entrepreneur, ...
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profile name: John Hammond profile occupation: Civil Rights Activist, Music Producer
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profile name: Tim Conway profile occupation: Comedian
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profile name: Nero profile occupation: Theater Actor, Musician, ...
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profile name: Adam Brody profile occupation: Film Actor, Television Actor
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profile name: Walt Disney profile occupation: Entrepreneur
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profile name: Oral Roberts profile occupation: Evangelist
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profile name: Sitting Bull profile occupation: Warrior
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profile name: Thomas Edison profile occupation: Entrepreneur
profile id: 9285259
profile name: Adolf Eichmann profile occupation: War Criminal
profile id: 9240013
profile name: Jimmy Carter profile occupation: U.S. President
profile id: 39230
profile name: Beyoncé Knowles profile occupation: Entrepreneur
profile id: 507747
profile name: Jennifer Hudson profile occupation: Actress
profile id: 9418676
profile name: Eddie Murphy profile occupation: Director
profile id: 9420059
profile name: James A. Naismith profile occupation: Inventor
profile id: 37990
profile name: Glenn Miller profile occupation: Songwriter
profile id: 9454130
profile name: Christopher Reeve profile occupation: Film Actor
profile id: 9507157
profile name: Strom Thurmond profile occupation: U.S. Representative
profile id: 37727
profile name: Léon Walras profile occupation: Educator
profile id: 37158
profile name: Herbert Beerbohm Tree profile occupation: Theater Actor
profile id: 37840
profile name: Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. profile occupation: Pilot
profile id: 38092
profile name: Phil Ochs profile occupation: Musician
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Upcoming Birthdays
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Léon Walras
- In these groups:
- Famous Academics
- Famous Teachers
- Famous Sagittarians
Léon Walras
Educator, Economist / 1834 - 1910
Economist Léon Walras was an advocate of cooperatives as an alternative to revolution. He ran a bank for producers' cooperatives with Léon Say.
December 16, 1834
Educator -
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
- In these groups:
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Actors
- Famous Theater Actors
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Theater Actor / 1852 - 1917
Sir Herbert Beerbohm was a stage actor and well-known figure in English theater. He both managed and produced several plays in London including Charles Dickens and Shakespearean classics.
December 17, 1852
Theater Actor -
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
- In these groups:
- Famous Military Veterans
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Military Leaders
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
General, Pilot / 1912 - 2002
Pilot and officer Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. was the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force.
December 18, 1912
Pilot -
Phil Ochs
- In these groups:
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Civil Rights Activists
- Famous Antiwar Activists
Phil Ochs
Civil Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer / 1940 - 1976
American folk singer Phil Ochs is best remembered for the protest songs he wrote in the 1960's on war and civil rights.
December 19, 1940
Musician
Famous Sagittarians
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Kara Walker
- In these groups:
- Famous Black Artists
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Painters
Kara Walker
Painter / 1969 -
Kara Walker is an African-American artist who rose to fame for her use of large paper silhouettes to explore social issues surrounding gender, race and black history.
November 26, 1969
Painter -
Noam Chomsky
- In these groups:
- Famous Academics
- Famous Linguists
- Famous Sagittarians
Noam Chomsky
Linguist, Anti-War Activist, Academic Author, Journalist / 1928 -
Famed scholar Noam Chomsky is known for both his groundbreaking contributions to linguistics and his penetrating critiques of political systems.
December 7, 1928
Linguist, Anti-War Activist, Academic Author, Journalist
