1980

This article is about the year 1980. For other uses, see 1980 (disambiguation).

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1950s  1960s  1970s  – 1980s –  1990s  2000s  2010s
Years:	1977 1978 1979 – 1980 – 1981 1982 1983

1980 by topic:

Subject

Archaeology – Architecture – Art – Aviation – Awards – Comics – Film – Home video – Literature (Poetry) – Meteorology – Music (Country, Metal) – Rail transport – Radio – Science – Spaceflight – Sports – Television – Video gaming

By country

Australia – Canada – People's Republic of China – Ecuador – France – Germany – Greece – India – Ireland – Israel – Italy – Japan – Luxembourg – Malaysia – Mexico – New Zealand – Norway – Pakistan – Philippines – Singapore – South Africa– Soviet Union – UK – USA – Zimbabwe

Leaders

Sovereign states – State leaders – Religious leaders – Law

Birth and death categories

Births – Deaths

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions

v · d · e

1980 in other calendars

Gregorian calendar	1980 MCMLXXX
Ab urbe condita	2733
Armenian calendar	1429 ԹՎ ՌՆԻԹ
Assyrian calendar	6730
Bahá'í calendar	136 – 137
Bengali calendar	1387
Berber calendar	2930
British Regnal year	28 Eliz. 2 – 29 Eliz. 2
Buddhist calendar	2524
Burmese calendar	1342
Byzantine calendar	7488 – 7489
Chinese calendar	己未年十一月十四日 (4616/4676-11-14) — to — 庚申年十一月廿五日 (4617/4677-11-25)
Coptic calendar	1696 – 1697
Ethiopian calendar	1972 – 1973
Hebrew calendar	5740 – 5741
Hindu calendars
- Bikram Samwat	2036 – 2037
- Shaka Samvat	1902 – 1903
- Kali Yuga	5081 – 5082
Holocene calendar	11980
Iranian calendar	1358 – 1359
Islamic calendar	1400 – 1401
Japanese calendar	Shōwa 55 (昭和55年)
Korean calendar	4313
Minguo calendar	ROC 69 民國69年
Thai solar calendar	2523
Unix time	315532800 – 347155199
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1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year that started on a Tuesday. In the Gregorian calendar, the year 1980 was the 1980th year in the Anno Domini or Common Era, the 80th year of the 20th century, and the 980th year of the 2nd millennium. It was also the first year of the 1980s.

Events

January

• January 1 – Changes to the Swedish Act of Succession make Princess Victoria of Sweden Crown Princess and therefore next in line to the throne, ahead of her younger brother.
• January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
• January 6
  • Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
  • The president of Sicily, Piersanti Mattarella, is killed by the Mafia.
• January 7 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation approving $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
• January 9 – In Saudi Arabia, 63 Muslim fanatics are beheaded for their part in the siege of the Great Mosque in Mecca in November, 1979.
• January 11 – Nigel Short, 14, becomes the youngest chess player to be awarded the degree of International Master.
• January 20 – Cuba recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
• January 21
  • The London Gold Fixing hits its highest price ever (adjusted for inflation), at US$850 a troy ounce.^{[clarification needed]}
  • The MS Athina B is beached at Brighton, becoming a temporary tourist attraction.
  • At least 200 people were killed when the Corralejas Bullring collapsed at Sincelejo, Colombia.
• January 22 – Andrei Sakharov, Soviet scientist and human rights activist, is arrested in Moscow.
• January 24 – The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad is ordered liquidated due to bankruptcy, and debt owed to creditors.
• January 26 – Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations.^[1]
• January 27 – Canadian caper: Six United States diplomats, posing as Canadians, manage to escape from Tehran, Iran as they board a flight to Zürich, Switzerland.
• January 31 – The Spanish Embassy in Guatemala is invaded and set on fire, killing 36 people. It is called "Spain's own Tehran", similar to the 1979–80 Iran American U.S. Embassy Hostages of Americans.

February

• February 2 – Abscam: FBI personnel target members of the Congress of the United States in a sting operation.^{[citation needed]}
• February 2–February 3 – The New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot takes place; 33 inmates are killed and more than 100 inmates injured.
• February 4 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini names Abolhassan Banisadr as president of Iran.
• February 13 – The 1980 Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, New York.
• February 15 – In Vanuatu, followers of John Frum's cargo cult on the island of Tanna declare secession as the nation of Tafea.
• February 16 – A total solar eclipse seen in North Africa and West Asia.
• February 22 – The United States Olympic Hockey Team defeats the Soviet Union in the semifinals of the Winter Olympics, in the Miracle on Ice.
• February 23 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran's parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
• February 25 – A coup in Suriname ousts the government of Henck Arron; leaders Desi Bouterse and Roy Horb replace it with a National Military Council.
• February 27
  • M-19 guerrillas begin the Dominican embassy siege in Colombia, holding 60 people hostage, including 14 ambassadors.
  • Iran recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

March

• March 1 – The Voyager 1 probe confirms the existence of Janus, a moon of Saturn.
• March 3 – Pierre Trudeau returns to office as Prime Minister of Canada.
• March 4 – Robert Mugabe is elected Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
• March 8 – The Soviet Union's first rock music festival starts.
• March 14 – In Poland, a plane crashes during an emergency landing near Warsaw, killing a 14-man American boxing team and 73 others.
• March 18 – Fifty people are killed at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, when a Vostok-2M rocket explodes on its launch pad during a fueling operation.
• March 20 – The Mi Amigo, the ship that housed pirate radio station Radio Caroline, sinks (Radio Caroline returns aboard a new ship in 1983).
• March 21
  • U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
  • Mafioso Angelo Bruno is murdered in Philadelphia.
• March 22 – The Georgia Guidestones are erected in Elbert County, Georgia.
• March 24
  • The Australia Olympic Committee announces it will send an Olympic delegation to Moscow, despite objections by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.
  • Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed by gunmen while celebrating Mass in San Salvador. At his funeral 6 days later, 42 people are killed amid gunfire and bombs.
• March 26 – A mine lift cage at the Vaal Reef gold mine in South Africa falls 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers), killing 23.
• March 27
  • The Norwegian oil platform Alexander L. Kielland collapses in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.
  • The Silver Thursday market crash occurs.
  • Sierra Leone recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
• March 28 – Talpiot Tomb is found in Jerusalem.
• March 31 – Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train.

April

• April 1
  • The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) is formed in Lusaka, Zambia.
  • The Mariel boatlift from Cuba begins.
  • New York City's Transport Works Union Local 100 goes on strike, which continues for 11 days.
• April 2 – The St. Pauls riot breaks out in Bristol.
• April 7 – The United States severs diplomatic relations with Iran and imposes economic sanctions, following the taking of American hostages on November 4, 1979.
• April 10 – Spain and the United Kingdom agree to reopen the border between Gibraltar and Spain, closed since 1969.
• April 12
  • Samuel Kanyon Doe takes over Liberia in a coup d'état, ending over 130 years of democratic presidential succession in that country.
  • Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada.
• April 14 – Iron Maiden's debut self titled album Iron Maiden is released.
• April 15 – Libya and Syria recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
• April 18 – Zimbabwe gains independence from the United Kingdom; Robert Mugabe becomes Prime Minister.
• April 21 – Rosie Ruiz wins the Boston Marathon, but is later exposed as a fraud and stripped of her award.
• April 24 – Pennsylvania Lottery Scandal: the Pennsylvania Lottery is rigged by 6 men including the host of the live TV drawing, Nick Perry.
• April 24–April 25 – Operation Eagle Claw, a commando mission in Iran to rescue American embassy hostages, is aborted after mechanical problems ground the rescue helicopters. Eight United States troops are killed in a mid-air collision during the failed operation.
• April 25 – Dan-Air Flight 1008 crashes in Tenerife, killing all 146 occupants and marking the worst air disaster involving a British-registered aircraft in terms of loss of life.
• April 26 – Louise and Charmian Faulkner disappear from outside their flat in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia.
• April 27 – The Dominican embassy siege ends with all hostages released and the guerrillas flying to Cuba.
• April 28 – Swaziland recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
• April 30
  • Iranian Embassy Siege: Six Iranian-born terrorists take over the Iranian embassy in London, UK. SAS retakes the Embassy on May 5; 1 terrorist survives.
  • Queen Juliana of the Netherlands abdicates, and her daughter Beatrix accedes to the throne.

May

• May 4 – Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito dies. The funeral ceremony later becomes the world's biggest diplomatic meeting and media event ever, with more than 140 state delegations in Belgrade from all over the world (only the funeral of Pope John Paul II in April 2005 will have more news coverage and a higher number of delegations).
• May 7 – Paul Geidel, convicted of second-degree murder in 1911, is released from prison in Beacon, New York, after 68 years and 245 days (the longest-ever time served by an inmate).
• May 9
  • In Florida, the Liberian freighter Summit Venture hits the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay. A 1,400-foot section of the bridge collapses and 35 people (most in a bus) are killed.
  • The Norco shootout takes place in California.
  • James Alexander George Smith "Jags" McCartney the Turks and Caicos Islands’ first Chief Minister, is killed in a plane crash over New Jersey.
• May 11 – Mobster Henry Hill is arrested for drug possession.
• May 14 – Botswana recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
• May 17
  • A Tampa, Florida court acquits 4 white police officers of killing Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive, provoking 3 days of race riots in Miami.
  • Internal conflict in Peru: On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho.
• May 18
  • Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57 and causing US$3 billion in damage.
  • Ian Curtis, singer/songwriter of acclaimed post punk band Joy Division, is found hanged.
• May 18–May 27 – Gwangju Massacre: Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations, calling for democratic reforms.
• May 20 – 1980 Quebec referendum: Voters in Quebec reject by a vote of 60% a proposal to seek independence from Canada.
• May 21 – Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released.
• May 22 – Pac-Man (the best-selling arcade game of all time) is released.
• May 24
  • The International Court of Justice calls for the release of U.S. Embassy hostages in Tehran.
  • The New York Islanders win their first Stanley Cup, from a goal by Bobby Nystrom in overtime of game six of the Stanley Cup playoffs's final round.
• May 25 – Indianapolis 500: Johnny Rutherford wins for a third time in car owner Jim Hall's revolutionary ground effect Chaparral car; the victory is Hall's second as an owner.
• May 26
  • John Frum supporters in Vanuatu storm government offices on the island of Tanna. Vanuatu government troops land the next day and drive them away.
  • In South Korea, military government forces and pro-democracy protesters clash; 2,000 protesters die.
  • Vernon Jordan is shot and critically injured in an assassination attempt in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Joseph Paul Franklin (the first major news story for CNN).

June

• June 1 – The Cable News Network (CNN) is officially launched.
• June 3 – A series of deadly tornadoes strikes Grand Island, Nebraska, causing over $300m in damage, killing 5 people and injuring over 250.
• June 9 – In Los Angeles, comedian Richard Pryor is badly burned trying to freebase cocaine.
• June 10
  • Apartheid: The African National Congress in South Africa publishes a statement by their imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela.^[2]
  • A Unabomber bomb injures United Airlines president Percy Wood in Lake Forest, Illinois.
• June 20 – Augusta AVA becomes the first federally recognized American Viticultural Area.
• June 23–September 6 – The 1980 United States heat wave claims 1,700 lives.
• June 25 – A Muslim Brotherhood assassination attempt against Syrian president Hafez al-Assad fails. Assad retaliates by sending the army against them.
• June 26 – Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 crashes into the sea near Palermo after an explosion occurs in the air; 81 people die. A bomb or a missile is suspected to be the cause of the accident but no culprits are ever found.
• June 27 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs Proclamation 4771, requiring 18- to 25-year-old males to register for a peacetime military draft, in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
• June 29 – Vigdis Finnbogadottir is elected president of Iceland, making her the first woman democratically elected as head of state.

July

July 10: Fire at Alexandra Palace.

• July 4 – Chad and Mali recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
• July 8 – A wave of strikes begins in Lublin, Poland
• July 9
  • Pope John Paul II visits Brazil; 7 people are crushed to death in a crowd meeting him.
  • Zimbabwe recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
• July 15 – A severe and destructive thunderstorm strikes 4 counties in western Wisconsin, including the city of Eau Claire. It causes over $250m in damage, and 1 person is killed.
• July 16 – Former California Governor and actor Ronald Reagan is nominated for U.S. President, at the Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan. Influenced by the Religious Right, the convention also drops its long standing support for the Equal Rights Amendment, dismaying moderate Republicans.
• July 19 – Former Turkish Prime Minister Nihat Erim is killed by 2 gunmen in Istanbul, Turkey.
• July 19–August 3 – The 1980 Summer Olympics are held in Moscow, Soviet Union.
• July 25 – The album Back in Black is released by the Australian band AC/DC.
• July 27 – Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, deposed Shah of Iran, dies in Cairo.
• July 30
  • Vanuatu gains independence.
  • Israel's Knesset passes the Jerusalem Law.

August

• August 2 – A terrorist bombing at the railway station in Bologna, Italy kills 85 people and wounds more than 200.
• August 7–August 31 – Lech Wałęsa leads the first of many strikes at the Gdańsk Shipyard.
• August 10 – Hurricane Allen (category 3) pounds southeastern Texas.
• August 14 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter defeats Senator Edward Kennedy to win renomination, at the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York City.
• August 17 – In Australia, baby Azaria Chamberlain disappears from a campsite at Ayers Rock (Uluru), reportedly taken by a dingo.
• August 19 – In one of aviation's worst disasters, 301 persons are killed when Saudia Flight 163 catches fire in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• August 31 – Victory of the strike in Gdańsk Shipyard, Poland. Gdańsk Agreement is signed, opening a way to start the first in the communist block free organization not controlled by regime "Solidarność" i.e. Solidarity.

September

• September 1 – Terry Fox is forced to end his Marathon of Hope run outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, after finding that the cancer has spread to his lungs.
• September 2 – Ford Europe launches the Escort MK3, a new front-wheel drive hatchback.
• September 5 – The St. Gotthard Tunnel opens in Switzerland as the world's longest highway tunnel at 10.14 miles (16.32 km), stretching from Goschenen to Airolo.
• September 12 – Kenan Evren stages a military coup in Turkey. It stops political gang violence, but begins stronger state violence leading to the execution of many young activists.
• September 17
  • After weeks of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, the nationwide independent trade union Solidarity is established.
  • Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is killed in Asunción, Paraguay.
• September 21 – Bülent Ulusu, ex admiral, forms the new government of Turkey (44th government, composed mostly of technocrats)
• September 22
  • The command council of Iraq orders its army to "deliver its fatal blow on Iranian military targets," initiating the Iran–Iraq War.
  • Youth riots in the capital of the Soviet Republic of Estonia are quickly forced down.
• September 26 – The Mariel Boatlift officially ends.
• September 29 – The Washington Post publishes Janet Cooke's story of Jimmy, an 8-year-old heroin addict (later proven to be fabricated).
• September 30 – Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel and Xerox introduce the DIX standard for Ethernet, which is the first implementation outside of Xerox, and the first to support 10 Mbit/s speeds.

October

• October 1 – Associated Newspapers announces that The Evening News will close and merge with the Evening Standard.
• October 5 – British Leyland launches its new Metro, a three-door entry-level hatchback which is designed as the eventual replacement for the Mini. It gives BL a long-awaited modern competitor for the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Chevette.
• October 10
  • El Asnam, Algeria is destroyed by an earthquake, which claims more than 2,600 lives. After the quake, El Asnam is rebuilt and changes its name to the city of Chlef.
  • British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher delivers her famous 'The lady's not for turning' speech.
• October 14 – The Staggers Rail Act is enacted, deregulating American railroads.

• October 15
  • James Callaghan announces his resignation as Leader of the British Labour Party.
  • James Hoskins forces his way into WCPO's television studio in Cincinnati, holding 9 employees hostage for several hours before releasing them and taking his own life.
• October 18 – The Fraser Government is re-elected for a third consecutive term in Australia with a reduced majority.
• October 21 – World Series: The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals 4–2 in game 6.
• October 22 – The Thomson Corporation says that The Times and all associated supplements will close in March 1981 if no buyer can be found.
• October 25 – Proceedings on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction conclude at The Hague.
• October 27 – Six Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoners in Maze prison refuse food and demand status as political prisoners; the hunger strike lasts until December.
• October 30
  • El Salvador and Honduras sign a peace treaty to put the border dispute fought over in 1969's Football War before the International Court of Justice.
  • Costa Rica recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
• October 31
  • The Polish government recognizes Solidarity.
  • Reza Pahlavi, eldest son of the shah of Iran, proclaims himself the rightful successor to the Peacock Throne.

November

• November – Duration of the CESDAP plan extended indefinitely.
• November 4 – United States presidential election, 1980: Republican challenger and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California defeats incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter, exactly 1 year after the beginning of the Iran hostage crisis.
• November 10 – November 12 – Voyager program: The NASA space probe Voyager I makes its closest approach to Saturn, when it flies within 77,000 miles of the planet's cloud-tops and sends the first high resolution images of the world back to scientists on Earth.
• November 20
  • The Gang of Four trial begins in China.
  • A Texaco oil rig breaks through to a mine under Lake Peigneur.
• November 21
  • A fire at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip kills 85 people.
  • A then-record number of viewers (for an entertainment program) tune into the U.S. TV soap opera Dallas to learn who shot lead character J.R. Ewing. The "Who shot J.R.?" event is an international obsession.
• November 23 – Italy Earthquake of 1980: a magnitude 7 earthquake in southern Italy kills approximately 4,800 people and leaves 300,000 homeless.
• November 27 – Vanuatu recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

December

• December 2 – American missionary Jean Donovan and three Roman Catholic nuns are murdered by a military death squad in El Salvador while volunteering to do charity work during the country's civil war.
• December 8 – John Lennon, an English musician and peace activist, is murdered in New York City.
• December 11 – CERCLA is enacted by the U.S. Congress.
• December 15 – The Academia de la Llingua Asturiana (Academy of the Asturian Language) is created.
• December 16 – During a summit on the island of Bali, OPEC decides to raise the price of petroleum by 10%.

Date unknown

• Lawrence Klein is awarded the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
• The Right Livelihood Award is founded by Jakob von Uexkull. Hassan Fathy and Plenty International / Stephen Gaskin are its first winners.

World population

World population
	1980	1975		1985
World	4,434,682,000	4,068,109,000	366,573,000	4,830,979,000	396,297,000
Africa	469,618,000	408,160,000	61,458,000	541,814,000	72,196,000
Asia	2,632,335,000	2,397,512,000	234,823,000	2,887,552,000	255,217,000
Europe	692,431,000	675,542,000	16,889,000	706,009,000	13,578,000
Latin-America & Caribbean	361,401,000	321,906,000	39,495,000	401,469,000	40,068,000
North America	256,068,000	243,425,000	12,643,000	269,456,000	13,388,000
Oceania	22,828,000	21,564,000	1,264,000	24,678,000	1,850,000

Births

January

• January 1
  • Elin Nordegren, Swedish model
  • Mark Nichols, Canadian curler
• January 8
  • Adam Goodes, Australian rules footballer
  • Rachel Nichols, American actress
• January 9 – Sergio García, Spanish golfer
• January 10 – Sarah Shahi, American actress of Iranian and Spanish descent
• January 11 – Lovieanne Jung, American softball player
• January 12 – Ameriie, American singer
• January 13 – LaKisha Jones, American singer
• January 14
  • Ossama Haidar, Lebanese footballer
  • Hiroshi Tamaki, Japanese actor, model, and singer
  • Cory Gibbs, American footballer
  • Sosuke Sumitani, Japanese announcer
• January 16
  • Albert Pujols, Dominican Major League Baseball player
  • Michelle Wild, Hungarian actress
• January 17
  • Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian dance champion, choreographer, and instructor
  • Zooey Deschanel, American actress
• January 18 – Julius Peppers, American football player
• January 19
  • Arvydas Macijauskas, Lithuanian basketball player
  • Jenson Button, British racecar driver
• January 21 – Kevin McKenna, Canadian footballer
• January 22 – Jake Grove, American football player
• January 24 – Nyncke Beekhuyzen, Dutch actress
• January 25
  • Christian Olsson, Swedish athlete
  • Xavi, Spanish footballer
  • Michelle McCool, American professional wrestler
• January 27 – Marat Safin, Russian tennis player
• January 28 – Nick Carter, American pop singer (Backstreet Boys)
• January 29 – Yael Bar-Zohar, Israeli actress and model
• January 30 – Wilmer Valderrama, Venezuelan/Colombian-American comedian

February

• February 2 – Zhang Jingchu, Chinese actress
• February 5
  • Jo Swinson, British MP
  • Robin Vik, Czech tennis player
  • Paul DelVecchio, American reality show personality
• February 6
  • Kim Poirier, Canadian actress
  • Luke Ravenstahl, American mayor of Pittsburgh
• February 8 – Yang Wei, Chinese gymnast
• February 10
  • César Izturis, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
  • Steve Tully, English footballer
• February 11 – Matthew Lawrence, American actor (Boy Meets World)
• February 12
  • Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish tennis player
  • Christina Ricci, American actress
• February 14 – Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress
• February 15 – Conor Oberst, American singer/songwriter
• February 16 – Ashley Lelie, American football player
• February 17 – Jason Ritter, American actor
• February 18 – Regina Spektor, Russian-born American singer-songwriter
• February 19
  • Mike Miller, American basketball player
  • Ma Lin, Chinese table-tennis player
• February 20
  • Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby player
  • Artur Boruc, Polish football (soccer) goalkeeper
• February 21
  • Brad Fast, Canadian ice hockey player
  • Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, King of Bhutan
• February 24 – Emma Johnson, Australian swimmer
• February 26 – Júlio César da Silva e Souza, Brazilian footballer
• February 27 – Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
• February 28
  • Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player
  • Piotr Giza, Polish footballer
• February 29 – Simon Gagné, Canadian hockey player

March

• March 2
  • Chris Barker, English footballer
  • Lance Cade, American professional wrestler (d. 2010)
• March 4
  • Jung Da Bin, Korean actress (d. 2007)
  • Omar Bravo, Mexican footballer
  • Jack Hannahan, American baseball infielder
• March 7 – Laura Prepon, American actress
• March 13 – Caron Butler, American basketball player
• March 14 – Aaron Brown, English footballer
• March 16 – Todd Heap, American football player
• March 18 – Alexei Yagudin, Russian figure skater
• March 19
  • Agnes Pihlava, Finnish pop singer
  • Johan Olsson, Swedish cross country skier
• March 20 – Jamal Crawford, American basketball player
• March 21
  • Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian cross-country skier
  • Ronaldinho, Brazilian footballer
• March 23
  • Russell Howard, English comedian
  • Deryck Whibley, Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician (Sum 41)
• March 30 – Yalin, Turkish pop singer and songwriter
• March 31 – Chien-Ming Wang, Taiwanese Major League Baseball player

April

• April 1
  • Bijou Phillips, American actress and socialite
  • Randy Orton, American professional wrestler
  • Yūko Takeuchi, Japanese actress
• April 4 – Björn Wirdheim, Swedish race car driver
• April 8 – Ben Freeman, British actor
• April 9
  • Rachel Specter, American actress
  • Arlen Escarpeta, Belizean actor
• April 10
  • Sean Avery, Canadian ice hockey player
  • Kasey Kahne, American race car driver
  • Charlie Hunnam, English actor
• April 11 – Mark Teixeira, American baseball player
• April 12 – Brian McFadden, Irish rock singer (Westlife)
• April 15 – Natalie Casey, English actress
• April 16 – Paul London, American professional wrestler
• April 17
  • Brenda Villa, American water polo player
  • Lee Hyun-il, South Korean badminton player
  • Alaina Huffman, Canadian film and television actress
• April 20 – Jasmin Wagner, German singer
• April 21
  • Tony Romo, American football player
  • Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian hockey player
• April 22 – Nicolas Douchez, French footballer
• April 24
  • Austin Nichols, American actor
  • Karen Asrian, Armenian chess Grandmaster (d. 2008)
• April 25 – Kazuhito Tadano, Japanese baseball player
• April 26
  • Jordana Brewster, American actress
  • Stana Katic, American film actress
  • Marlon King, Jamaican footballer
  • Channing Tatum, American actor and model
• April 27 – Zayed Khan, Indian actor
• April 28 – Josh Howard, American Basketball player
• April 30 – Luis Scola, Argentine basketball player

May

• May 2
  • Tim Borowski, German footballer
  • Zat Knight, English footballer
• May 3 – Marcel Vigneron, American chef
• May 5 – Maia Hirasawa, Swedish pop singer
• May 6
  • Taebin, Korean hip-hop artist (1TYM)
  • Kelly van der Veer, Dutch reality TV star
  • Dimitris Diamantidis, Greek basketball player
• May 7 – Johan Kenkhuis, Dutch swimmer
• May 8 – Benny Yau, Canadian entertainer
• May 9
  • Grant Hackett, Australian swimmer
  • Norihiro Nishi, Japanese footballer
• May 10 – Pete Gray, Australian environmental activist (d. 2011)
• May 15 – Josh Beckett, American baseball player
• May 19 – Dean Heffernan, Australian footballer
• May 22 – Lucy Gordon, British actress (d. 2009)
• May 24 – Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong actress
• May 29 – Michael Stasko, Canadian actor
• May 30 – Steven Gerrard, English footballer

June

• June 1 – Oliver James, British actor
• June 2 – Lindsey Yamasaki, Japanese-American basketball player
• June 5 – Mike Fisher, Canadian hockey player
• June 7 – Henkka Seppälä, Finnish bassist (Children of Bodom)
• June 10
  • Francelino Matuzalem, Brazilian footballer
  • Wang Yuegu, Singaporean Olympic table tennis player
• June 13
  • Sarah Connor, German singer
  • Juan Carlos Navarro, Spanish basketball player
• June 15 – Almudena Cid Spanish rhythmic gymnast
• June 16
  • Brad Gushue, Canadian curler
  • Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer
• June 17
  • Kimeru, Japanese singer
  • Venus Williams, American tennis player
  • Jeph Jacques, American webcomic writer
• June 19 – Jason White, American football player
• June 22 – Ilya Bryzgalov, Russian ice hockey player
• June 23
  • Ramnaresh Sarwan, West Indian cricketer
  • Manus Boonjumnong, Thai boxer
  • Francesca Schiavone, Italian tennis player
• June 24 – Liane Balaban, Canadian actress
• June 25 – Nozomi Takeuchi, Japanese actress
• June 26 – Michael Vick, American football player
• June 29
  • Katherine Jenkins, Welsh soprano
  • Martin Truex Jr, American race car driver

July

• July 1 – Patrick Aufiero, American ice hockey player
• July 3 – Roland Mark Schoeman, South African swimmer
• July 5 – Eva Green, French actress and model
• July 6 – Pau Gasol, Spanish basketball player
• July 7 – Michelle Kwan, American figure skater
• July 8
  • Robbie Keane, Irish footballer
  • Yang Tae-Young, South Korean gymnast
• July 9 – Kathia Rodriguez, Puerto Rican actress
• July 10
  • Adam Petty, American race car driver (d. 2000)
  • Jessica Simpson, American singer
  • James Rolfe, American director, actor and writer (on the Internet)
• July 15
  • Jasper Pääkkönen, Finnish actor and film producer
  • Reggie Abercrombie, American baseball player
  • JW-Jones, Canadian blues musician
• July 16
  • Adam Scott, Australian golfer
  • Svetlana Feofanova, Russian pole-vaulter
• July 18 – Kristen Bell, American actress
• July 19 – Mark Webber, American actor
• July 20 – Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian supermodel
• July 22
  • Dirk Kuyt, Dutch footballer
  • Kate Ryan, Belgian singer
• July 23 – Michelle Williams, American singer, actress, (Destiny's Child)
• July 25 – Rebeka Dremelj, Slovenian singer
• July 27 – Nick Nemeth, American professional wrestler
• July 29 – Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
• July 30 – Diam's, French rapper

August

• August 2 – Dingdong Dantes, Filipino Actor
• August 3 – Dominic Moore, Canadian ice hockey player
• August 5 – Wayne Bridge, English footballer
• August 9
  • Charlie David, Canadian actor
  • Dominic Tabuna, Nauruan politician
• August 10 – Pua Magasiva, Samoan actor
• August 11 – Monika Pyrek, Polish pole vaulter
• August 12 – Maggie Lawson, American actress
• August 14 – Roy Williams, American football player
• August 16 – Julien Absalon, French mountain biker
• August 18 – Damion Stewart, Jamaican footballer
• August 21 – Jon Lajoie, Canadian comedian
• August 23 – Rex Grossman, American football player
• August 24 – Rachael Carpani, Australian actress
• August 26
  • Macaulay Culkin, American actor
  • Chris Pine, American actor
• August 27 – Derrick Strait, American football player
• August 28 – Debra Lafave, American teacher
• August 29
  • Nicholas Tse, Hong Kong singer
  • David Desrosiers, bassist and backing vocalist for (Simple Plan)

September

• September 2 – Dany Sabourin, French Canadian ice hockey goaltender
• September 3 – Jennie Finch, American softball player
• September 6
  • Joseph Yobo, Nigerian footballer
  • Samuel Peter, Nigerian boxer & heavyweight champion
  • Kerry Katona, English TV presenter and former pop star (Atomic Kitten)
• September 7
  • Gabriel Milito, Argentine footballer
  • Mark Prior, American baseball player
• September 9 – Michelle Williams, American actress
• September 11 – Mike Comrie, Canadian ice hockey player
• September 12
  • Sean Burroughs, American baseball player
  • Yao Ming, Chinese basketball player
• September 13
  • Ben Savage, American actor (Boy Meets World)
  • Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japanese baseball player
• September 15 – Jolin Tsai, Taiwanese singer
• September 19 - Tegan and Sara Quin, Canadian singer/songwriters
• September 21
  • Kareena Kapoor, Indian actress
  • Autumn Reeser, American actress
• September 24 – Victoria Pendleton, English cyclist
• September 29
  • Patrick Agyemang, Ghanaian footballer
  • Zachary Levi, American actor
  • Dallas Green, Musician (Alexisonfire, City and Colour)
• September 30
  • Martina Hingis, Swiss tennis player
  • Guillermo Rigondeaux, Cuban boxer
  • Emily Kokal, vocalist/guitarist of all-girl band Warpaint

October

• October 4
  • Kristina Lenko, Canadian champion ice skater
  • Tomáš Rosický, Czech footballer
  • Me'Lisa Barber, American athlete
• October 5 – James Toseland, English motorcycle racer
• October 8 – Michael Mizanin, American professional wrestler
• October 10 – Sherine, Egyptian singer
• October 12
  • Ledley King, English footballer
  • Nadzeya Astapchuk, Belarusian athlete
• October 13 – Scott Parker, English footballer
• October 14 – Terrence McGee, American football player
• October 16
  • Sue Bird, American basketball player
  • Timana Tahu, Australian Rugby League player
• October 17
  • Ekaterina Gamova, Russian volleyball player
  • Eminem, American rapper
• October 18 – Reetinder Sodhi, Indian cricket player
• October 21 – Kim Kardashian, American television personality
• October 24
  • Monica Arnold, American singer
  • Casey Wilson, American actress and comedienne
• October 28
  • Alan Smith, English footballer
  • Christy Hemme, American professional wrestler

November

• November 4 – Sabrina Colie, Jamaican actress
• November 5 – Christoph Metzelder, German footballer
• November 7 – Gervasio Deferr, Spanish gymnast
• November 10 – Calvin Chen, Taiwanese pop singer
• November 11 – Willie Parker, American football player
• November 12 – Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor
• November 13 – Monique Coleman, American actress
• November 16 – Kayte Christensen, American basketball player
• November 17 – Isaac Hanson, American musician
• November 18 – Denny Hamlin, American race car driver
• November 21
  • Hank Blalock, American baseball player
  • Hiroyuki Tomita, Japanese gymnast
• November 25
  • John-Michael Liles, American hockey player
  • Nick Swisher, American baseball player
• November 26 – Satoshi Ohno, Japanese singer
• November 28 – Lisa Middelhauve, German singer (Xandria)

December

• December 1 – Joel A. Sutherland, Canadian author
• December 3
  • Anna Chlumsky, American actress
  • Jim Sorgi, American football player
• December 5
  • Ibrahim Maalouf, Lebanese-born French trumpeter
  • Shizuka Itou, Japanese Actor
• December 6
  • Steve Lovell, English footballer
  • Kei Yasuda, Japanese singer
• December 7 – John Terry, English footballer
• December 9 – Ryder Hesjedal, Canadian professional cyclist
• December 10
  • Marina Orlova, Internet celebrity
  • Sarah Chang, American violinist
• December 13
  • Satoshi Tsumabuki, Japanese actor
  • Bosco Wong, Hong Kong actor
• December 18 – Christina Aguilera, American singer
• December 19 – Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor
• December 20
  • Ashley Cole, English footballer
  • Fitz Hall, English footballer
• December 22 – Chris Carmack, American actor
• December 27 – Bernard Berrian, American football player
• December 30 – Eliza Dushku, American actress
• December 31 – Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby player

Deaths

January

• January 1 – Adolph Deutsch, American composer (b. 1897)
• January 3 – Joy Adamson, Austrian-born conservationist and author (b. 1910)
• January 7 – Simone Mathieu, French tennis champion (b. 1908)
• January 8 – John Mauchly, American physicist and inventor (b. 1907)
• January 10 – George Meany, American labor leader (b. 1894)
• January 11 – Barbara Pym, English novelist (b. 1913)
• January 13 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-born conductor and arranger (b. 1901)
• January 17 – Barbara Britton, American actress (b. 1919)
• January 18 – Sir Cecil Beaton, English photographer (b. 1904)
• January 19 – William O. Douglas, American Supreme Court Justice (b. 1898)'
• January 21 – Georges Painvin, French cryptographer (b. 1886)
• January 24 – Lil Dagover, German actress (b. 1887)
• January 28 – Franco Evangelisti, Italian composer (b. 1926)
• January 29 – Jimmy Durante, American actor, singer, and comedian (b. 1893)
• January 30 – Professor Longhair, American musician (b. 1918)

February

• February 2
  • Hanna Rovina, Russian-born Israeli actress (b. 1889)
  • William Howard Stein, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
• February 6 – Albert Kotin, American abstract expressionist painter (b. 1907)
• February 9 – Tom Macdonald, Welsh journalist and novelist (b. 1900)
• February 12 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet (b. 1913)
• February 13 – David Janssen, American actor (b. 1931)
• February 14 – Luitkonwar Rudra Baruah, Assamese composer and actor
• February 17
  • Jerry Fielding, American conductor and music director (b. 1922)
  • Graham Sutherland, English artist (b. 1903)
• February 18 – Gale Robbins, American singer and actress (b. 1921)
• February 19 – Bon Scott, Scottish-born rock singer (AC/DC) (b. 1946)
• February 20
  • Joseph Banks Rhine, American parapsychologist (b. 1895)
  • Alice Longworth, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter, wife of Nicholas Longworth (b. 1884)
• February 22 – Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian painter and poet (b. 1886)
• February 24 – Clement Martyn Doke, South African linguist (b. 1893)
• February 27 – George Tobias, American actor (b. 1901)

March

• March 1
  • Dixie Dean, English football player (b. 1907)
  • Wilhelmina, Dutch-born American high-fashion model and owner of model agency (b. 1940)
  • Daniil Khrabrovitsky, Soviet film director (b. 1923)
• March 5
  • Jay Silverheels, Native American actor (b. 1912)
  • Winifred Wagner, German daughter-in-law of Richard Wagner, close friend of Adolf Hitler (b. 1897)
• March 10 – Herman Tarnower, American doctor and murder victim (b. 1910)
• March 11 – Maud Hart Lovelace, American author (b. 1892)
• March 14
  • Anna Jantar, Polish singer (b. 1950)
  • Mohammad Hatta, Indonesia's first vice president (b. 1902)
• March 16 – Tamara de Lempicka, Polish-born painter (b. 1898)
• March 18
  • Jessica Dragonette, American singer (b. 1900)
  • Erich Fromm, German-born psychologist and philosopher (b. 1900)
  • Louise Lovely, Australian actress (b. 1895)
• March 21 – Peter Stoner, American mathematician, astronomer and Christian apologist (b. 1888)
• March 24
  • John Barrie, British actor (b. 1917)
  • Pierre Etchebaster, French real tennis player (b. 1893)
  • Oscar Romero, El Salvador Roman Catholic archbishop (b. 1917)
• March 25
  • Roland Barthes, French literary critic and writer (b. 1915)
  • Walter Susskind, Czech conductor (b. 1913)
  • James Wright, American poet (b. 1927)
  • Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist (b.1901)
• March 28 – Dick Haymes, Argentine actor and singer (b. 1916)
• March 29 – Mantovani, Italian-born conductor and arranger (b. 1905)
• March 31
  • Vladimír Holan, Czech poet (b. 1905)
  • Jesse Owens, African-American athlete (b. 1913)

April

• April 4 – Red Sovine, American country & folk singer & songwriter (b. 1917)
• April 6 – John Collier, English writer (b. 1901)
• April 10 – Kay Medford, American actress (b. 1914)
• April 11 – Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turkish writer (b. 1935)
• April 12 – Clark McConachy, New Zealand snooker and billiards player (b. 1895)
• April 15
  • Raymond Bailey, American actor (b. 1904)
  • Marshall Reed, American film and television actor (b. 1917)
  • Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
• April 19 – Tony Beckley, English character actor (b. 1927)
• April 20 – Katherine Kennicott Davis, American composer (b. 1892)
• April 21 – Sohrab Sepehri, Persian poet and painter (b. 1928)
• April 22 – Jane Froman, American singer and actress (b. 1907)
• April 24 – Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer (b. 1904)
• April 26 – Cicely Courtneidge, British actress (b. 1893)
• April 27 – John Culshaw, British recording producer and musicologist (b. 1924)
• April 29 – Alfred Hitchcock, British suspense film director (b. 1899)
• April 30 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician (b. 1898)

May

• May 2 – George Pal, Hungarian-born animator and producer (b. 1904)
• May 4
  • Kay Hammond, English actress (b. 1909)
  • Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
• May 5 – Isabel Briggs Myers, American psychological theorist and co-creator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (b. 1897)
• May 8 – Geoffrey Baker, English field marshal (b. 1912)
• May 12 – Lillian Roth, American actress (b. 1910)
• May 14 – Hugh Griffith, Welsh actor (b. 1912)
• May 16 – Marin Preda, Romanian writer (b. 1922)
• May 18
  • David A. Johnston, American volcanologist (b. 1949)
  • Ian Curtis, British musician and singer (Joy Division) (b. 1956)
• May 21 – Ida Kaminska, Polish actress (b. 1899)
• May 28 – Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician (b. 1895)

June

• June 1 – Rube Marquard, American baseball player (b. 1886)
• June 7
  • Henry Miller, American writer (b. 1891)
  • Elizabeth Craig, British chef and writer (b. 1883)
  • Philip Guston, American painter (b. 1912)
• June 12
  • Masayoshi Ohira, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1910)
  • Billy Butlin, South African–born Canadian founder of Butlins Holiday Camps (b. 1899)
  • Milburn Stone, American actor (b. 1904)
• June 13 – Walter Rodney, Guyanese historian and political figure (b. 1942)
• June 20 – Amy Key Clarke, English mystical poet (b. 1892)
• June 21 – Bert Kaempfert, German orchestra leader and songwriter (b. 1923)
• June 23
  • Clyfford Still, American painter (b. 1904)
  • John Laurie, British actor (b. 1897)
  • Sanjay Gandhi, Indian son of Indira Gandhi (air crash) (b. 1946)
• June 24 – Boris Kaufman, Russian cinematographer (b. 1897)
• June 27 – Carey McWilliams, American author, editor, and lawyer (b. 1905)
• June 28 – José Iturbi, Spanish conductor and musician (b. 1895)

July

• July – Robert Brackman, American painter (b. 1898)
• July 1 – C. P. Snow, British physicist and novelist (b. 1905)
• July 4 – Gregory Bateson, British anthropologist, anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, semiotician and cyberneticist (b. 1904)
• July 6 – Gail Patrick, American actress (b. 1911)
• July 7
  • Reginald Gardiner, English actor (b. 1903)
  • Dore Schary, American film writer, director, and producer (b. 1905)
• July 9 – Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian writer, poet and diplomat (b. 1913)
• July 15 – Ben Selvin, American orchestra leader & recording artist (b. 1898)
• July 17
  • Don "Red" Barry, American actor (b. 1912)
  • Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician (b. 1890)
• July 23 – Keith Godchaux, American musician of the band The Grateful Dead (b. 1948)
• July 24
  • Uttam Kumar (Arun Kumar Chatterjee), Bengali actor (b. 1926)
  • Peter Sellers, English comedian and actor (b. 1925)
• July 25 – Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian singer-songwriter, poet, actor (b. 1938)
• July 26
  • Allen Hoskins, American actor (b. 1920)
  • Kenneth Tynan, English theatre critic (b. 1927)
• July 27 – Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran (b. 1919)
• July 31
  • Pascual Jordan, German physicist (b. 1902)
  • Mohammed Rafi, Indian singer (b. 1924)
  • Bobby Van, American actor (b. 1928)

August

• August 1 – Patrick Depailler, French racing driver (b. 1944)
• August 2 – Donald Ogden Stewart, American writer (b. 1894)
• August 7 – Jackie Cochran, American pilot (b. 1906)
• August 9 – Elliott Nugent, American actor (b. 1896)
• August 10 – Yahya Khan, President of Pakistan (b. 1917)
• August 14 – Dorothy Stratten, Canadian model (murdered) (b. 1960)
• August 19 – Otto Frank, German father of Jewish diarist Anne Frank (b. 1889)
• August 20 – Joe Dassin, French singer (b. 1938)
• August 22 – Norman Shelley, British actor (b. 1903)
• August 24 – Yootha Joyce, British actress (b. 1927)
• August 25 – Gower Champion, American theatre director, choreographer, and dancer (b. 1919)
• August 26
  • Tex Avery, American cartoonist (b. 1908)
  • Miliza Korjus, Estonian-Polish opera singer (b. 1909)

September

• September 3
  • Barbara O'Neil, American actress (b. 1909)
  • Dirch Passer, Danish actor (b. 1926)
  • Duncan Renaldo, American actor (b. 1904)
• September 8 – Willard Libby, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
• September 12 – Lillian Randolph, American actress (b. 1898)
• September 15 – Bill Evans, American jazz pianist (b. 1929)
• September 16 – Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist (b. 1896)
• September 17 – Anastasio Somoza Debayle, former President of Nicaragua (b. 1925)
• September 18 – Katherine Anne Porter, American author (b. 1890)
• September 19 – Sol Lesser, American film producer (b. 1890)
• September 25
  • John Bonham, British rock drummer (Led Zeppelin) (b. 1948)
  • Lewis Milestone, American film director (b. 1895)
  • Marie Under, Estonian poet (b. 1883)

October

• October 6 – Hattie Jacques, British actress (b. 1922)
• October 7 – Sydney Gordon Russell, English designer and craftsman (b. 1892)
• October 10 – Billie Thomas, American actor (Buckwheat, Our Gang) (b. 1931)
• October 20 – Lady Isobel Barnett, British television personality (b. 1918)
• October 21 – Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician after whom Asperger syndrome was named (b. 1906)
• October 25
  • Sahir Ludhianvi, Urdu/Hindustani poet and Hindi film lyricist (b. 1921)
  • Virgil Fox, American organist (b. 1912)
  • Victor Galindez, Argentine boxer (race car accident) (b. 1948)
• October 27
  • Steve Peregrin Took, British rock musician (T. Rex) (b. 1949)
  • John Hasbrouck van Vleck, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)

November

• November 4
  • Elsie MacGill, Canadian aeronautical engineer (b. 1904)
  • Johnny Owen, Welsh professional boxer (b. 1956)
• November 7 – Steve McQueen, American actor (b. 1930)
• November 9
  • Gloria Guinness, Mexican-born American fashion icon (b. 1912)
  • Carmel Myers, American actress (b. 1899)
  • Victor Sen Yung, American actor (b. 1915)
• November 16 – Boris Aronson, Russian set designer (b. 1898)
• November 18 – Conn Smythe, Canadian NHL coach (b. 1895)
• November 20 – John McEwen, 18th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1900)
• November 22
  • Norah McGuinness, Northern Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1901)
  • Mae West, American actress (b. 1893)
• November 24 – George Raft, American actor (b. 1901)
• November 26 – Rachel Roberts, British actress (b. 1927)
• November 27 – F. Burrall Hoffman, American architect (b. 1882)
• November 29 – Dorothy Day, American social progressive (b. 1897)

December

John Lennon

• December 2 – Romain Gary, Lithuanian-born writer (b. 1914)
• December 3 – Sir Oswald Mosley, British fascist leader (b. 1896)
• December 4
  • Francisco Sá Carneiro, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1934)
  • Stanislawa Walasiewicz, Polish-born runner (b. 1911)
• December 7 – Darby Crash, American rock songwriter, singer (The Germs) (b. 1958)
• December 8 – John Lennon, British singer, songwriter, and guitarist (The Beatles) (assassinated; b. 1940)
• December 16
  • Colonel Sanders, American fast food entrepreneur (b. 1890)
  • Hellmuth Walter, German engineer and inventor (b. 1900)
• December 18 – Alexei Kosygin, Russian politician, Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1904)
• December 21 – Marc Connelly, American playwright (b. 1890)
• December 23 – Frank Norman, English novelist, playwright and autobiographer (b. 1930)
• December 24
  • Karl Dönitz, German admiral and briefly President of Germany (b. 1891)
  • Siggie Nordstrom, American model, actress, entertainer, socialite and lead singer (The Nordstrom Sisters) (b. 1893)
• December 25 – Victoria Drummond, first woman marine engineer in Britain (b. 1894)
• December 26 – Richard Chase, American serial killer (b. 1950)
• December 28 – Sam Levene, American actor (b. 1905)
• December 29 – Tim Hardin, American musician (b. 1941)
• December 31
  • Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author and professor (b. 1911)
  • Raoul Walsh, American film director (b. 1887)

Nobel Prizes

• Physics – James Watson Cronin, Val Logsdon Fitch
• Chemistry – Paul Berg, Walter Gilbert, Frederick Sanger
• Medicine – Baruj Benacerraf, Jean Dausset, George D. Snell
• Literature – Czesław Miłosz
• Peace – Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
• Economics – Lawrence Klein

Templeton Prize

• Prof. Ralph Burhoe

References

1. ^ Historyorb.com
2. ^ ANC.org.za