Did you know
Carl Sagan won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for The Dragons of Eden.
Notable Deaths on December 20
1996 — Carl Sagan
American astronomer, astrophysicist, and cosmologist (born 1934)
December 20 has 98 recorded notable deaths across history, from 69 to 2024. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
98 source records
69 – 2024
Today in history
Major events on December 20
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1848 French presidential election: Having won the popular vote in a landslide, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte is inaugurated in the chamber of the National Assembly as the first (and only) president of the French Second Republic. Source
- 1977 With the approval of the State Council, China's two largest newspapers, the People's Daily and the Guangming Daily, publish in full for the first time the Second Chinese Character Simplification Scheme. Source
- 1960 Vietnam War: The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, popularly known as the Viet Cong, is formally established in Tân Lập village, present day Tây Ninh province. Source
- 1917 Cheka, the first Soviet secret police force, is founded. Source
Did you know
In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Did you know
After his appointment as First Quartermaster General of the Great General Staff in 1916, Ludendorff oversaw virtually all decisions regarding Germany's strategy and war effort until the country's defeat in 1918.
Did you know
William Edwards Deming was an American business theorist, composer, economist, industrial engineer, management consultant, statistician, and writer.
Did you know
A five-time Emmy Award nominee, Sinclair won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as "Empress" Josephine in Gabriel's Fire in 1991.
More major people who died on December 20
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2024
Rickey Henderson
American baseball player (born 1958)
Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson, nicknamed "Man of Steal", was an American professional baseball left fielder who played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate…
1937
Erich Ludendorff
German general (born 1865)
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a Prussian-born German general and politician. He achieved fame during World War I (1914–1918) for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914.
1993
W. Edwards Deming
American statistician, author, and academic (born 1900)
William Edwards Deming was an American business theorist, composer, economist, industrial engineer, management consultant, statistician, and writer.
1995
Madge Sinclair
Jamaican-American actress (born 1938)
Madge Dorita Sinclair CD was a Jamaican actress best known for her roles in Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975), Convoy (1978), Coming to America (1988), Trapper John, M.D. (1980–1986), and the ABC TV miniseries Roots (1977).
1976
Richard J. Daley
American lawyer and politician, 48th Mayor of Chicago (born 1902)
Richard Joseph Daley was an American politician who served as the mayor of Chicago from 1955, and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party from 1953, until his death.
1862
Robert Knox
Scottish surgeon and zoologist (born 1791)
Robert Knox was a Scottish anatomist and ethnologist best known for his involvement in the Burke and Hare murders.
1889
George F. Durand
Canadian architect (born 1850)
George Ferguson Durand was a Canadian architect. Born in London, Canada West, to a Scottish immigrant, he showed an interest in the arts from a young age.
1940
Sarita Colonia
Peruvian folk saint (born 1914)
Sara Colonia Zambrano, popularly known as Sarita Colonia, was a Peruvian woman who became a folk saint after her death. Born into poverty, she moved to Lima and worked various jobs until her death at age 26.
1740
Richard Boyle
2nd Viscount Shannon, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Portsmouth (born 1675)
Field Marshal Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, PC was a British army officer and politician.
1925
João Ferreira Sardo
the founder of Gafanha da Nazaré, also known as Prior Sardo (born 1873).
João Ferreira Sardo, known as Prior Sardo, was a Portuguese presbyter, civic leader, and entrepreneur who founded the parish of Gafanha da Nazaré during the final years of the Kingdom of Portugal and the early…
1993
Nazife Güran
Turkish composer and educator (born 1921)
Avniye Nazife Aral Güran was a Turkish composer and pianist, born in Vienna of a diplomat father. She is one of the first Turkish female composers to write classical music.
1820
John Bell
American farmer (born 1750)
John Bell Sr was an American farmer whose death was attributed to supernatural causes. He is a central figure in the Bell Witch ghost story of southern American folklore.
2009
Arnold Stang
American actor (born 1918)
Arnold Sidney Stang was an American actor and comedian. Recognized by his small stature and squawky, Brooklyn-accented speaking voice, he steadily worked on the stage, radio, and television and provided animation…
2022
Franco Harris
American football player (born 1950)
Franco Harris was an American professional football player who was a fullback for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
1765
Louis-Ferdinand
Dauphin of France (born 1729)
Louis, Dauphin of France was the elder and only surviving son of King Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczyńska. As the son of the king, Louis was a fils de France. As heir apparent, he became Dauphin of France.
1919
Philip Fysh
English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Tasmania (born 1835)
Sir Philip Oakley Fysh was an English-born Australian politician. He arrived in Tasmania in 1859 and became a leading merchant in Hobart.
1590
Ambroise Paré
French physician and surgeon (born 1510)
Ambroise Paré was a French barber surgeon who served in that role for kings Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III.
1939
Hans Langsdorff
German captain (born 1894)
Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff was a German naval officer, most famous for his command of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee before and during the Battle of the River Plate off the coast of Uruguay in 1939.
1968
John Steinbeck
American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902)
John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer and novelist. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception".