Did you know
Davis was the only president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, leading the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
Notable Deaths on December 6
1889 — Jefferson Davis
American general and politician, President of the Confederate States of America (born 1808)
December 6 has 91 recorded notable deaths across history, from 343 to 2024. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
91 source records
343 – 2024
Today in history
Major events on December 6
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1957 Project Vanguard: A launchpad explosion of Vanguard TV3 thwarts the first United States attempt to launch a satellite into Earth orbit. Source
- 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election: For the first time in 17 years, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela loses its majority in parliament. Source
- 1917 World War I: USS Jacob Jones is the first American destroyer to be sunk by enemy action when it is torpedoed by German submarine SM U-53. Source
- 1917 Halifax Explosion: A munitions explosion near Halifax, Nova Scotia kills more than 1,900 people in the largest artificial explosion up to that time. Source
Did you know
Saint Nicholas of Myra, also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara in Anatolia during the time of the Roman Empire.
Did you know
Frances Bavier won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Comedy Actress for the role in 1967.
Did you know
Gian Maria Volonté is also recognized for his performances in Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge (1970), Giuliano Montaldo's Sacco & Vanzetti (1971) and Giordano Bruno (1973), and Francesco Rosi's Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979).
Did you know
In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the first five members.
More major people who died on December 6
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
343
Saint Nicholas
Greek bishop and saint (born 270)
Saint Nicholas of Myra, also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara in Anatolia during the time of the Roman Empire.
1989
Frances Bavier
American actress (born 1902)
Frances Elizabeth Bavier was an American stage and television actress. Originally from New York theatre, she worked in film and television from the 1950s until the 1970s.
1994
Gian Maria Volonté
Italian actor and director (born 1933)
Gian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor and activist. He is known for his roles in Italian Western films: Ramón Rojo in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars (1964), El Indio in Leone's For a Few Dollars More (1965), El…
1955
Honus Wagner
American baseball player and manager (born 1874)
Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner was an American professional baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1897 to 1917, mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1882
Anthony Trollope
English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (born 1815)
Anthony Trollope was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era.
1990
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Malaysian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia (born 1903)
Tunku Abdul Rahman, widely known simply as Tunku, was a Malaysian statesman who served as the first prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 until 1970.
1991
Mimi Smith
English nurse (born 1906)
Mary Elizabeth "Mimi" Smith, informally known as Aunt Mimi, was a maternal aunt and the parental guardian of the English musician John Lennon. She was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, as the oldest of five daughters.
1985
Burleigh Grimes
American baseball player and manager (born 1893)
Burleigh Arland Grimes was an American professional baseball player and manager, and the last major league pitcher who was officially permitted to throw the spitball.
1921
Said Halim Pasha
Ottoman politician, 280th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (born 1865)
Mehmed Said Halim Pasha was a writer and statesman who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1917.
1562
Jan van Scorel
Dutch painter (born 1495)
Jan van Scorel was a Dutch painter, who played a leading role in introducing aspects of Italian Renaissance painting into Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting.
2005
Charly Gaul
Luxembourger cyclist (born 1932)
Charly Gaul was a Luxembourgish professional cyclist. He was a national cyclo-cross champion, an accomplished time triallist and superb climber.
2005
William P. Yarborough
American general (born 1912)
Lieutenant General William Pelham Yarborough was a senior United States Army officer. Yarborough designed the U.S. Army's parachutist badge, paratrooper or 'jump' boots, and the M42 airborne jump uniform.
1988
Roy Orbison
American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1936)
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads.
1956
B. R. Ambedkar
Indian economist and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Justice (born 1891)
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and politician who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on the debates of the Constituent Assembly of India and the…
1868
August Schleicher
German linguist and academic (born 1821)
August Schleicher was a German linguist. Schleicher studied the Proto-Indo-European language and devised theories concerning historical linguistics.
1996
Pete Rozelle
American businessman (born 1926)
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was an American professional football executive.
1918
Alexander Dianin
Russian chemist (born 1851)
Aleksandr Pavlovich Dianin was a Russian chemist from Saint Petersburg. He carried out studies on phenols and discovered a phenol derivative now known as bisphenol A and the accordingly named Dianin's compound.
735
Prince Toneri of Japan (born 676)
Prince Toneri was a Japanese imperial prince in the Nara period. He was a son of Emperor Tenmu. He was given the posthumous name Emperor Sudoujinkei , as the father of Emperor Junnin.
1658
Baltasar Gracián
Spanish priest and author (born 1601)
Baltasar Gracián y Morales, better known as Baltasar Gracián, was a Spanish Jesuit priest and Baroque prose writer and philosopher. He was born in Belmonte, near Calatayud (Aragón).