People who died on December 15 71
Li Siyuan
d. 933 (b. 867)
Li Siyuan, Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang
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Basil II
d. 1025 (b. 958)
Basil II, Byzantine emperor (b. 958)
Alp Arslan
d. 1072 (b. 1029)
Alp Arslan, Turkish sultan (b. 1029)
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Wanyan Liang
d. 1161 (b. 1122)
Wanyan Liang, Jurchen emperor (b. 1122)
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Ottokar I of Bohemia
d. 1230 (b. 1155)
Ottokar I of Bohemia (b. 1155)
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Philip I, Latin Emperor
d. 1283 (b. 1243)
Philip I, Latin Emperor (b. 1243)
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Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna
d. 1467 (b. 1417)
Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna, archbishop and Regent of Sweden (b. 1417)
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Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde
d. 1598 (b. 1540)
Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde (b. 1540)
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Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes
d. 1621 (b. 1578)
Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes, French courtier, Constable of France (b. 1578)
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Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
d. 1673 (b. 1623)
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (b. 1623)
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Johannes Vermeer
d. 1675 (b. 1632)
Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter and educator (b. 1632)
Izaak Walton
d. 1683 (b. 1593)
Izaak Walton, English author (b. 1593)
Gaspar Fagel
d. 1688 (b. 1634)
Gaspar Fagel, Dutch lawyer and politician (b. 1634)
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Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart
d. 1688 (b. 1636)
Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart, French noble (b. 1636)
George Hickes (divine)
d. 1715 (b. 1642)
George Hickes, English minister and scholar (b. 1642)
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington
d. 1753 (b. 1694)
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect and politician, designed Chiswick House (b. 1694)
Joseph Martin Kraus
d. 1792 (b. 1756)
Joseph Martin Kraus, Swedish pianist, violinist, and composer (b. 1756)
Shneur Zalman
d. 1812 (b. 1745)
Shneur Zalman, Russian rabbi, author and founder of Chabad (b. 1845)
Jacques Charles François Sturm
d. 1855 (b. 1803)
Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician and academic (b. 1803)
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Alfred Bird
d. 1878 (b. 1811)
Alfred Bird, English chemist and businessman, invented baking powder (b. 1811)
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Sitting Bull
d. 1890 (b. 1831)
Sitting Bull, American tribal chief (b. 1831)
Fats Waller
d. 1943 (b. 1904)
Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1904)
Glenn Miller
d. 1944 (b. 1904)
Glenn Miller, American bandleader and composer (b. 1904)
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Arthur Machen
d. 1947 (b. 1863)
Arthur Machen, Welsh journalist and author (b. 1863)
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Vallabhbhai Patel
d. 1950 (b. 1875)
Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (b. 1875)
Wolfgang Pauli
d. 1958 (b. 1900)
Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
Charles Laughton
d. 1962 (b. 1899)
Charles Laughton, English-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1899)
M. Balasundaram
d. 1965 (b. 1903)
M. Balasundaram, Sri Lankan journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1903)
Keith Arbuthnott, 15th Viscount of Arbuthnott
d. 1966 (b. 1897)
Keith Arbuthnott, 15th Viscount of Arbuthnott, Indian-Scottish general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire (b. 1897)
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Walt Disney
d. 1966 (b. 1901)
Walt Disney, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (b. 1901)
Antonio Barrette
d. 1968 (b. 1899)
Antonio Barrette, Canadian politician, 18th Premier of Quebec (b. 1899)
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Jess Willard
d. 1968 (b. 1881)
Jess Willard, American boxer (d. 1968)
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Karl Theodor Bleek
d. 1969 (b. 1898)
Karl Theodor Bleek, German lawyer and politician, 12th Mayor of Marburg (b. 1898)
Paul Lévy (mathematician)
d. 1971 (b. 1886)
Paul Lévy, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1886)
Anatole Litvak
d. 1974 (b. 1902)
Anatole Litvak, Russian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1902)
Wilfred Kitching
d. 1977 (b. 1893)
Wilfred Kitching, English 7th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1893)
Chill Wills
d. 1978 (b. 1902)
Chill Wills, American actor (b. 1903)
Jan Peerce
d. 1984 (b. 1904)
Jan Peerce, American tenor and actor (b. 1904)
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
d. 1985 (b. 1900)
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, Mauritian physician and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Mauritius (b. 1900)
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Serge Lifar
d. 1986
Serge Lifar, Russian-French ballet dancer and choreographer
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Edward Underdown
d. 1989 (b. 1908)
Edward Underdown, English actor and jockey (b. 1908)
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Vasily Zaytsev
d. 1991 (b. 1915)
Vasily Zaytsev, Russian captain (b. 1915)
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William Dale Phillips
d. 1993 (b. 1925)
William Dale Phillips, American chemist and engineer (b. 1925)
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Haris Brkić
d. 2000 (b. 1974)
Haris Brkić, Bosnian-Serbian basketball player (b. 1974)
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Vincent Apap
d. 2003 (b. 1909)
Vincent Apap, Maltese sculptor (b. 1909)
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George Fisher (cartoonist)
d. 2003 (b. 1923)
George Fisher, American cartoonist (b. 1923)
Keith Magnuson
d. 2003 (b. 1947)
Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1947)
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Vassal Gadoengin
d. 2004 (b. 1943)
Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan educator and politician, Speaker of the Nauru Parliament (b. 1943)
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Heinrich Gross
d. 2005 (b. 1914)
Heinrich Gross, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (b. 1914)
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Stan Leonard
d. 2005 (b. 1915)
Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (b. 1915)
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William Proxmire
d. 2005 (b. 1915)
William Proxmire, American soldier, journalist, and politician (b. 1915)
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Darrell Russell (American football)
d. 2005 (b. 1976)
Darrell Russell, American football player (b. 1976)
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Clay Regazzoni
d. 2006 (b. 1939)
Clay Regazzoni, Swiss race car driver (b. 1939)
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Mary Stolz
d. 2006 (b. 1920)
Mary Stolz, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
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Julia Carson
d. 2007 (b. 1938)
Julia Carson, American lawyer and politician (b. 1938)
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León Febres Cordero
d. 2008 (b. 1931)
León Febres Cordero, Ecuadorian engineer and politician, 46th President of Ecuador (b. 1931)
Oral Roberts
d. 2009 (b. 1918)
Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (b. 1918)
Blake Edwards
d. 2010 (b. 1922)
Blake Edwards, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
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Bob Feller
d. 2010 (b. 1918)
Bob Feller, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1918)
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Eugene Victor Wolfenstein
d. 2010 (b. 1940)
Eugene Victor Wolfenstein, American psychoanalyst and theorist (b. 1940)
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Bob Brookmeyer
d. 2011 (b. 1929)
Bob Brookmeyer, American trombonist, pianist, and composer (d. 2011)
Christopher Hitchens
d. 2011 (b. 1949)
Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (b. 1949)
Owoye Andrew Azazi
d. 2012 (b. 1952)
Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (b. 1952)
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Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa
d. 2012 (b. 1948)
Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Nigerian politician, 18th Governor of Kaduna State (b. 1948)
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Olga Zubarry
d. 2012 (b. 1929)
Olga Zubarry, Argentinian actress (b. 1929)
Harold Camping
d. 2013 (b. 1921)
Harold Camping, American evangelist, author, radio host (b. 1921)
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Joan Fontaine
d. 2013 (b. 1917)
Joan Fontaine, British-American actress (b. 1917)
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Dyron Nix
d. 2013 (b. 1967)
Dyron Nix, American basketball player (b. 1967)
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Donald Metcalf
d. 2014 (b. 1929)
Donald Metcalf, Australian physiologist and immunologist (b. 1929)
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Fausto Zapata
d. 2014 (b. 1940)
Fausto Zapata, Mexican journalist, lawyer, and politician, Governor of San Luis Potosí (b. 1940)
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Harry Zvi Tabor
d. 2015 (b. 1917)
Harry Zvi Tabor, English-Israeli physicist and engineer (b. 1917)