Died On December 21st

Discover the most famous people who died on December 21. The list includes people like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Franz Boas, John Newton, Stella Adler, Nikolaas Tinbergen. Famous personalities featured on this list, include actors, journalists, soldiers and novelists and from other domains of life. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Germany and many more countries.
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 1 
F. Scott Fitzgerald
(Best Known for His Novel 'The Great Gatsby')
F. Scott Fitzgerald
38
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 24, 1896
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Died: 1940

Novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and short-story writer F. Scott Fitzgerald is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. However, he wasn’t much popular during his lifetime. His works gained international acclaim only in the years following his untimely death at 44. Many of his works have been adapted into films.

 2 
George Patton
(One of the Most Successful Combat Generals in United States History)
George Patton
23
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: November 11, 1885
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: San Gabriel, California, United States
Died: 1945

George Patton was a general of the US Army, remembered for his work as a commander of the Seventh United States Army during World War II. He is also remembered for commanding the Third Army in the Western Front in June 1944 after the Allied invasion of Normandy. His life and work inspired the 1970 epic biographical war film Patton.

 3 
Kevin Greene
(American Football player)
Kevin Greene
4
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: July 31, 1962
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, United States
Died: 2020
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 4 
Edda Göring
(Only Child of German Politician Hermann Göring and Actress Emmy Sonnemann)
Edda Göring
15
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 2, 1938
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: 2018
Edda Göring was the only child of Nazi Party member Hermann Göring and actor Emmy Sonnemann. She grew up amidst luxury and received expensive art as gifts as a child, one of which, a painting of Madonna and Child by Lucas Cranach the Elder, dragged her into legal disputes.
 5 
John Newton
(British Sailor and Anglican Clergyman)
John Newton
4
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: July 24, 1725
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Wapping, London
Died: 1807

John Newton was an English Anglican cleric. As a young man, he was forcefully recruited into the navy and worked on slave ships in the slave trade for several years. He later converted to Christianity, following which he denounced slavery and became an abolitionist. He was then ordained as a Church of England cleric. 

 6 
Albert King
(Singer-songwriter, Basketball player, Musician, Guitarist)
Albert King
7
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: April 25, 1923
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Indianola
Died: 1992
 7 
Dick Enberg
(Sportscaster)
Dick Enberg
2
Birthdate: January 9, 1935
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Mount Clemens, Michigan, United States
Died: 2017
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 8 
John Eisenhower
(Diplomat, Military historian, Author, Writer, Biographer)
John Eisenhower
4
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 3, 1922
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Denver
Died: 2013

U.S. Army officer John Eisenhower was the son of military-general-turned-president Dwight D. Eisenhower. He had donned many hats, from teaching English to serving on his father's White House staff. He also assisted his father in writing his memoirs and had been the American ambassador to Belgium, too.

 9 
Stella Adler
(American Actress & Acting Teacher)
Stella Adler
6
Birthdate: February 10, 1901
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.
Died: 1992
 10 
Klara Hitler
(Mother of Adolf Hitler)
Klara Hitler
21
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: August 12, 1860
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Spital, Austria
Died: 1907

Klara Hitler was the mother of Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany. Born into a modest family in Austria, she was a hardworking and energetic woman with a pleasant demeanor. She married Alois Hitler and had six children, of whom only two—Adolf and Paula—survived to adulthood. She died of breast cancer when she was 47.

 11 
Bruce McCandless II
(The First Person to Complete an Untethered Spacewalk)
Bruce McCandless II
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 8, 1937
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: 2017

US Navy officer, aviator, and NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II was the first person to complete an untethered spacewalk. He also contributed to the development of the Manned Maneuvering Unit. Post-retirement, he became a research scientist. He once sued singer Dido for using one of his space flight photos as an album cover.

 12 
Billie Whitelaw
(Actress)
Billie Whitelaw
3
Birthdate: June 6, 1932
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Coventry, Warwickshire, England
Died: 2014
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
 13 
Kelly Johnson
(Aerospace engineer)
Kelly Johnson
3
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: February 27, 1910
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Ishpeming, Michigan, United States
Died: 1990
 14 
Ted Healy
(American Vaudeville Performer, Actor and Comedian)
Ted Healy
2
Birthdate: October 1, 1896
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kaufman, Texas, United States
Died: 1937
 15 
Edgar Bronfman Sr.
(Businessman)
Edgar Bronfman Sr.
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: June 20, 1929
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: 2013

Edgar Bronfman Sr. was a Canadian-American entrepreneur best remembered for his role as president, treasurer, and CEO for the popular multinational conglomerate, Seagram. Bronfman was also a philanthropist who helped organizations like Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. In 1999, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 16 
Franz Boas
(German–American Anthropologist and a Pioneer of Modern Anthropology)
Franz Boas
2
Birthdate: July 9, 1858
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Minden, Germany
Died: 1942

Remembered for his research on cultural relativism, German-born American anthropologist Franz Boas is often referred to as the Father of American Anthropology. The son of a merchant, he was a sickly child who grew up reading a lot. He also studied folklore and developed it as an academic discipline.

 17 
Teji Bachchan
(Human rights activist)
Teji Bachchan
0
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: August 12, 1914
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Faisalabad, Pakistan
Died: 2007
 18 
Dick Schaap
(Sportswriter)
Dick Schaap
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 27, 1934
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: 2001
 19 
Knud Rasmussen
(Greenlandic–Danish Polar Explorer and Anthropologist)
Knud Rasmussen
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 7, 1879
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ilulissat, Greenland
Died: 1933

Knud Rasmussen was a Greenlandic–Danish polar explorer. He was the first European to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled. Also an anthropologist, he is often referred to as  the "father of Eskimology." As a young man,  he pursued an unsuccessful career as an actor and opera singer before embarking on his major explorations. 

 20 
James Parkinson
1
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: April 11, 1755
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Shoreditch
Died: 1824

The man who lent his name to Parkinson’s disease, which he described as paralysis agitans in Essay on the Shaking Palsy, James Parkinson was a leading English surgeon. An avid paleontologist and geologist too, he often collected specimens and fossils. He and his son also offered the first description of appendicitis.

 21 
Thomas the Apostle
11
Listed In: Leaders
Birthplace: Galilee, Israel
Died: 0072

Thomas the Apostle was one of Jesus Christ's Twelve Apostles, according to the New Testament. He is often called Doubting Thomas as he doubted Jesus' resurrection. Widely considered the patron saint of India, Thomas is believed to have traveled to present-day Kerala, where Christianity is a major religion. Hence, he is credited with popularizing the religion in South India.

 22 
Emmanuel Yarbrough
(Amateur Sumo Wrestler)
Emmanuel Yarbrough
6
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: September 5, 1964
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rahway, New Jersey, United States
Died: 2015

Emmanuel Yarbrough was an American professional wrestler, martial artist, actor, and football player. Remembered for his achievements as an amateur sumo wrestler, Yarbrough was the heaviest living athlete according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Emmanuel Yarbrough passed away at the age of 51 after suffering a heart attack.

 23 
Saparmurat Niyazov
(1st President of Turkmenistan)
Saparmurat Niyazov
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: February 19, 1940
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Gypjak, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Died: 2006
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 24 
P. B. S. Pinchback
(Politician)
P. B. S. Pinchback
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 10, 1837
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Macon, Georgia, United States
Died: 1921
 25 
Henry Fielding Dickens
(English Lawyer and Son of Novelist Charles Dickens)
Henry Fielding Dickens
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 16, 1849
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: London, England
Died: 1933

One of the 10 children of legendary English author Charles Dickens, Henry Fielding Dickens was named after author Henry Fielding. A Cambridge alumnus, he had initially studied math. However, he later took up law and became a successful barrister. He had also been a Liberal Party member.

 26 
Hobey Baker
(First American Star in Ice Hockey by the Hockey Hall of Fame)
Hobey Baker
2
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: January 15, 1892
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: 1918
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 27 
Jasper Tudor
(Duke)
Jasper Tudor
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 1431
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
Died: 1495
 28 
Ernst-Günther Schenck
(Surgeon, University teacher)
Ernst-Günther Schenck
3
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: October 3, 1904
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Marburg
Died: 1998

While serving at the Nazi concentration camps during World War II, doctor Ernst-Günther Schenck created a protein sausage for Nazi troops, which was tested on the camp inmates, leading to many deaths. His experiences were later penned by him in his memoir, which inspired films such as Downfall.

 29 
Emanuel Ungaro
(French Fashion Designer Who Founded the Eponymous Fashion House in 1965)
Emanuel Ungaro
0
Listed In: Fashion
Birthdate: February 13, 1933
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Aix-en-Provence, France
Died: 2019

Born to a tailor father, French designer Emanuel Ungaro was gifted a sewing machine as his first toy. His first job was at a tailor's shop in Paris, following which he worked for Balenciaga and Courrèges. Best known for his menswear and perfume collection, he later created his own label.

 30 
Nikolaas Tinbergen
(Ornithologist)
Nikolaas Tinbergen
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: April 15, 1907
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands
Died: 1988

Nikolaas Tinbergen was a Dutch ornithologist and biologist. Counted among the founders of modern ethology, Tinbergen shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973 with Konrad Lorenz and Karl von Frisch for their discoveries concerning the social behavior patterns in animals. He is also credited with authoring an influential book on animal behavior titled The Study of Instinct.

 31 
Frank B. Kellogg
(Lawyer, Politician)
Frank B. Kellogg
1
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: December 22, 1856
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Potsdam
Died: 1937
 32 
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
(Princess)
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: August 28, 1691
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Brunswick, Germany
Died: 1750
 33 
Ralph Nelson
(Film Director)
Ralph Nelson
0
Birthdate: August 12, 1916
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Long Island, New York, United States
Died: 1987
 34 
Paul Hausser
(Military Leader)
Paul Hausser
10
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: October 7, 1880
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brandenburg, Germany
Died: 1972

Paul Hausser was a German general who played an important role in the post-war efforts in order to achieve legal and historical rehabilitation. Hausser was among many former members of the Waffen-SS who strived towards achieving rehabilitation. He also played a prominent role during World War I, serving in the Prussian Army.

 35 
Paul de Man
(Belgian-Born American Literary Critic and Literary Theorist)
Paul de Man
0
Birthdate: December 6, 1919
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Antwerp
Died: 1983

Belgian-born American literary critic Paul de Man was considered one of the 2 pioneering figures of deconstruction, the other being French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Known for his criticism of authorial intentionalism, he also had a controversial personal life and once lived with a woman and her husband in a consensual relationship.

 36 
Luigi Cadorna
(Italian Military General Known for His Failure during World War I)
Luigi Cadorna
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 4, 1850
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Verbania, Italy
Died: 1928

Italian military general Luigi Cadorna served as the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army during World War I, though he is remembered for his inefficiency and bad decisions. He was later moved to the Allied military council at Versailles, and in spite of his failure, was eventually named a Field Marshal.

 37 
Peter Canisius
(Dutch Jesuit Catholic Priest Known for His Strong Support for the Catholic Faith During the Protestant Reformation)
Peter Canisius
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: May 8, 1521
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nijmegen, Netherlands
Died: 1597
Jesuit scholar Peter Canisius strongly opposed Protestantism. His dedication to the cause of Roman Catholicism in Germany earned him the title of the Second Apostle of Germany. He established many Jesuit colleges in Germany and is remembered for his work Triple Catechism. He is also known as a saint in the Catholic Church.
 38 
Carl van Vechten
(Writer, photographer)
Carl van Vechten
1
Listed In: Photographers
Birthdate: June 17, 1880
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Cedar Rapids
Died: 1964
 39 
Dominic Frontiere
(Composer)
Dominic Frontiere
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: June 17, 1931
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Died: 2021
 40 
Margaret of Valois-Angouleme
(Author)
Margaret of Valois-Angouleme
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: April 11, 1492
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Angoulême, France
Died: 1549

Margaret of Valois-Angouleme, the wife of Henry II of Navarre, was a significant figure of the French Renaissance, and is also regarded as The First Modern Woman. She patronized artists and was herself an author, with several short stories and a religious poem to her credit.

 41 
Lewis Terman
(Psychologist, University teacher)
Lewis Terman
1
Birthdate: January 15, 1877
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Johnson County
Died: 1956
 42 
Harry Wills
(Boxer)
Harry Wills
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: May 15, 1889
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Died: 1958
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 43 
Ivan Ilyin
(Russian Political Philosopher, Jurist, Orator, Publicist, and Conservative Monarchist)
Ivan Ilyin
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 9, 1883
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Moscow, Russian Empire
Died: 1954
 44 
Carlos Mérida
(Artist)
Carlos Mérida
3
Birthdate: December 2, 1891
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Died: 1984
 45 
Curt Richter
(American Biologist, Psychobiologist and Geneticist Who Made Important Contributions in the Field of 'Circadian Rhythms')
Curt Richter
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: February 20, 1894
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: United States
Died: 1988

Curt Richter is best remembered for his pioneering study on biorhythms. Born to a German immigrant engineer, Richter initially studied engineering but later switched to biology and then psychology. He later taught psychobiology and also worked on concepts such as the biological clock and circadian rhythms.

 46 
Margret Rey
(Writer)
Margret Rey
1
Birthdate: May 16, 1906
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Died: 1996
 47 
John Chamberlain
(sculptor, painter)
John Chamberlain
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 16, 1927
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Rochester
Died: 2011
 48 
Lion Feuchtwanger
(Novelist)
Lion Feuchtwanger
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: July 7, 1884
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Munich, Germany
Died: 1958
 49 
Edwin G. Krebs
(American Biochemist Who Received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1992)
Edwin G. Krebs
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: June 6, 1918
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Lansing, Iowa, United States
Died: 2009

American biochemist Edwin Gerhard Krebs is best-known for collaborating with Edmond H. Fischer in elucidating the way reversible phosphorylation works as a switch in activating proteins and regulating different cellular processes. This key discovery of reversible protein phosphorylation led the two to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1992.

 50 
Niels Gade
(Danish Violinist, Composer, Conductor, Organist, and Teacher)
Niels Gade
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: February 22, 1817
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: 1890