December 15
December 15 is the 350th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 16 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Sagittarius.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On December 15 the Sun's declination is approximately -23.4°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a December 15.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Bill of Rights Day (United States) 2nd Amendment Day (South Carolina)
- Christian feast day: Drina Martyrs
- Christian feast day: Drostan (Aberdeen Breviary)
- Christian feast day: John Horden and Robert McDonald (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Christian feast day: Maria Crocifissa di Rosa
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2017 — A 6.5Mw earthquake strikes the Indonesian island of Java in the city of Tasikmalaya, resulting in four deaths. ↗(9 years ago)more
The 2017 Java earthquake occurred on 15 December 2017 when a moment magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java, specifically the city of Tasikmalaya on 23:47:58 West Indonesian Time in West Java, Indonesia. The earthquake struck at a depth of 91 km and was categorized as a strong but deep earthquake.
2014 — Gunman Man Haron Monis takes 18 hostages inside a café in Martin Place for 16 hours in Sydney. Monis and two hostages are killed when police raid the café the following morning. ↗(12 years ago)more
Man Haron Monis was an Iranian-born refugee and Australian citizen who took hostages in a siege at the Lindt Chocolate Café at Martin Place, Sydney on 15 December 2014, lasting for 16 hours, until the early hours of the following morning. The siege resulted in the death of Monis and two hostages.
2013 — The South Sudanese Civil War begins when opposition leaders Dr. Riek Machar, Pagan Amum and Rebecca Nyandeng vote to boycott the meeting of the National Liberation Council at Nyakuron. ↗(13 years ago)more
The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan fought from 2013 to 2018 between government and opposition forces. The civil war caused rampant human rights abuses, including forced displacement, ethnic massacres, and killings of journalists by various parties.
2010 — A boat carrying 90 asylum seekers crashes into rocks off the coast of Christmas Island, Australia, killing 48 people. ↗(16 years ago)more
A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as a result of who they are, what they believe in or say, or because of armed conflict, violence or serious public ...
2005 — Introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor into USAF active service. ↗(21 years ago)more
The Lockheed Martin–Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft. As a product of the United States Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also incorporates ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence c...
2001 — The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 spent to stabilize it, without fixing its famous lean. ↗(25 years ago)more
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or simply the Tower of Pisa, is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is one of three structures in Pisa's Cathedral Square, which includes the cathedral and Pisa Baptistry.
2000 — The third reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down. ↗(26 years ago)more
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, 16.5 kilometres (10 mi) northwest of the city of Chernobyl, 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the Belarus–Ukraine border, and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Kyiv.
1997 — Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 crashes in the desert near Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, killing 85. ↗(29 years ago)more
Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 was a Tupolev Tu-154B-1 that crashed on 15 December 1997 on approach to Sharjah Airport in the United Arab Emirates. There was a sole survivor, the navigator, from a crew of seven and seventy-nine passengers. Investigators determined the cause of the accident was pilot error leading to controlled flight into terrain.
1993 — The Troubles: The Downing Street Declaration is issued by British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. ↗(33 years ago)more
The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.
1989 — Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights relating the abolition of capital punishment is adopted. ↗(37 years ago)more
The Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, is a subsidiary agreement to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It was created on 15 December 1989 and entered into force on 11 July 1991.
- 1981 — A suicide car bombing targeting the Iraqi embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, levels the embassy and kills 61 people, including Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon. The attack is considered the first modern suicide bombing. ↗(45 years ago)
more
On December 15, 1981, the Iraqi Shi'a Islamist group al-Dawa carried out a suicide car bombing targeting the Iraqi embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. The explosion leveled the embassy and killed 61 people, including Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon, and injured at least 100 others.
1978 — U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and sever diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan). ↗(48 years ago)more
James Earl Carter Jr. was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter served from 1971 to 1975 as the 76th governor of Georgia and from 1963 to 1967 in the Georgia State Senate.
Notable births
2000 — Kayvon Thibodeaux, American football player ↗(26 years ago)more
Kayvon Thibodeaux is an American professional football edge rusher for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Los Angeles, he was named USA Today's High School Football Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.
1997 — Maude Apatow, American actress ↗(29 years ago)more
Maude Annabelle Apatow is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Lexi Howard in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–present).
1997 — Zach Banks, American race car driver ↗(29 years ago)more
Zachary Banks-Calderín is an American racing driver. Banks has recorded over 90 career race wins.
1997 — Magdalena Fręch, Polish tennis player ↗(29 years ago)more
Magdalena Fręch is a Polish professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 22, achieved on 28 October 2024. On 8 August 2022, she peaked at No. 174 in the doubles rankings.
- 1997 — Stefania LaVie Owen, New Zealand-American actress ↗(29 years ago)
more
Stefania LaVie Owen is a New Zealand-American actress. She portrayed Puddle Kadubic in the comedy television series Running Wilde and Dorrit Bradshaw in the teen drama television series The Carrie Diaries.
Notable deaths
2025 — William J. Bauer, senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and previously a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, (born 1926) ↗(1 years ago)more
William Joseph Bauer was an American judge who was a senior circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago from 1974 until his death, having been nominated to the position by President Gerald Ford.
2024 — Zakir Hussain, Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer (born 1951) ↗(2 years ago)more
Ustad Zakir Hussain Qureshi was an Indian tabla player, composer, arranger, percussionist, music producer and film actor who was based for much of his career in the San Francisco Bay Area. The eldest son of esteemed tabla player Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation and one of its finest percussionists.
2020 — Saufatu Sopoanga, Tuvaluan politician, 8th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (born 1952) ↗(6 years ago)more
Saufatu Sopoanga was a Tuvaluan politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Tuvalu from 2 August 2002 to 27 August 2004. He drew international attention for his speeches warning about the effects of the rising sea level on Tuvalu and other low-lying island countries.
2018 — Eryue He, Chinese historical fiction writer (born 1945) ↗(8 years ago)more
Ling Jiefang, better known by his pen name Eryue He, was a Chinese historical fiction writer. He is best known for writing biographical novels of three Qing dynasty emperors, all of which have been adapted into award-winning television series.
2018 — Girma Wolde-Giorgis, President of Ethiopia (born 1924) ↗(8 years ago)more
Girma Wolde-Giorgis was an Ethiopian politician who was the president of Ethiopia from 2001 to 2013. He was the second person to hold the office of president since the founding of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1995.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (350) | 2 × 5^2 × 7 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (16) | 2^4 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 15122026 · next palindrome year: 2151 |
| Sun declination | -23.36° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 5 days |