On this day · Sagittarius

December 15 birthdays

305 notable historical figures were born on December 15, and 181 died on this day. Everyone born on December 15 is a Sagittarius.

18% of December 15 birthdays work in Arts & Music, more than any other field. More come from United States (54) than any other country.

Born on December 15

• Nero (37 to 68. Roman emperor from AD 54 to 68)
• Lucius Verus (130 to 169. Roman emperor from 161 to 169)
• Mohamed Farrah Aidid (1934 to 1996. Somali military officer, warlord, and Disputed President Of Somalia (1934–1996))
• Freeman Dyson (1923 to 2020. British theoretical physicist and mathematician (1923–2020))
• Oscar Niemeyer (1907 to 2012. Brazilian architect (1907–2012))
• Nawaf Salam (born 1953. Prime Minister of Lebanon since 2025)
• Darya Dugina (1992 to 2022. Russian journalist and activist (1992–2022))
• Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928 to 2000. Austrian-born visual artist (1928–2000))
• Henri Becquerel (1852 to 1908. French experimental physicist (1852–1908))
• Maurice Wilkins (1916 to 2004. New Zealand-born British biophysicist (1916–2004))
• Usman dan Fodio (1754 to 1817. First Caliph of the Sokoto Caliphate)
• T. N. Seshan (1932 to 2019. Indian civil servant and bureaucrat (1932–2019))
• Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934 to 2012. President of Somalia from 2004 to 2008)
• Charles Léon (1806 to 1881. Soldier and son of Napoleon Bonaparte)
• Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1861 to 1944. Finnish politician (1861–1944))
• Melanie Chartoff (born 1948. American actress)
• Uziel Gal (1923 to 2002. Israeli firearm designer (1923–2002))
• Stanislav Shushkevich (1934 to 2022. Leader of Belarus from 1991 to 1994)
• Niels Ryberg Finsen (1860 to 1904. Faroese physician and Nobel laureate (1860–1904))
• Emilio Jacinto (1875 to 1899. Filipino revolutionary (1875–1899))
• Betty Smith (1896 to 1972. American playwright and novelist (1896–1972))
• David Teniers the Younger (1610 to 1690. Flemish Baroque painter (1610–1690))
• Josef Hoffmann (1870 to 1956. Austrian architect (1870–1956))
• Safdar Jang (1708 to 1754. Nawab of Awadh from 1739 to 1754)
• Julius Popper (1857 to 1893. Argentine explorer and major perpetrator of the Selkʼnam genocide)
• David Černý (born 1967. Czech artist (born 1967))
• Dipesh Chakrabarty (born 1948. Indian historian (born 1948))
• Khalid bin Barghash of Zanzibar (1874 to 1927. Sultan of Zanzibar in 1896)
• Keylor Navas (born 1986. Costa Rican footballer (born 1986))
• Muriel Rukeyser (1913 to 1980. American poet and essayist (1913–1980))
• Valentin Varennikov (1923 to 2009. Russian army general and politician (1923-2009))
• Albert Memmi (1920 to 2020. French writer (1920–2020))
• Boris Gryzlov (born 1950. Russian politician (born 1950))
• Rammellzee (1960 to 2010. American rapper)
• Shefqet Vërlaci (1877 to 1946. Albanian politician and prime minister (1877–1946))
• Princess Fadia of Egypt (1943 to 2002. Egyptian princess (1943–2002))
• Yevgeny Vuchetich (1908 to 1974. Soviet sculptor and artist (1908–1974))
• Abdessalam Jalloud (born 1944. Libyan politician and military officer (born 1944))
• Jagaddipendra Narayan (1915 to 1970. Last ruling Maharaja of Cooch Behar from 1922–1949)
• Allie Vibert Douglas (1894 to 1988. Canadian astronomer)
• Albert IV the Wise (1447 to 1508. Duke of Bavaria from 1503 to 1508)
• Gualberto Villarroel (1908 to 1946. 39th President of Bolivia)
• Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1667 to 1739. Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt)
• Ali Zeidan (born 1950. Libyan politician (born 1950))
• Marie Brenner (born 1949. American journalist (born 1949))
• Azim-ush-Shan (1664 to 1712. Mughal prince (1664–1712))
• Emily Carter (born 1960. American writer)
• Otto of Freising (1109 to 1158. Bishop of Freising from 1138 to 1158)
• Fawaz Gerges (born 1958. Lebanese-American academic and author)
• Henry Santos (born 1979. Dominican musical artist)
• Deborah Smith (translator) (born 1987. British translator of Korean fiction (born 1987))
• Paku Alam X (born 1962. Prince of Pakualaman since 2016)
• François Adrien Boieldieu (1775 to 1834. French composer (1775–1834))
• Arne Quinze (born 1971. Belgian conceptual artist (born 1971))
• Mandy Jiroux (born 1987. American singer)
• Bernardo Buontalenti (1531 to 1608. Italian painter (c. 1531–1608))
• Peter Hopkirk (1930 to 2014. British author (1930–2014))
• Eugen Bolz (1881 to 1945. German politician and anti-Nazi resistance figure (1881–1945))
• Carlos Soublette (1789 to 1870. President of Venezuela from 1837 to 1839 and from 1843 to 1847)
• Tamara Eidelman (born 1959. Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation and historian)

Died on December 15

• Walt Disney (1901 to 1966. American animator, producer and entrepreneur (1901–1966))
• Christopher Hitchens (1949 to 2011. British and American author and journalist (1949–2011))
• Johannes Vermeer (1632 to 1675. Dutch painter (1632–1675))
• Bell hooks (1952 to 2021. American author and activist (1952–2021))
• Blake Edwards (1922 to 2010. American filmmaker (1922–2010))
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875 to 1950. Indian independence activist (1875–1950))
• Basil II (958 to 1025. Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025)
• Wolfgang Pauli (1900 to 1958. Austrian–Swiss physicist (1900–1958))
• Fats Waller (1904 to 1943. American jazz pianist and composer (1904–1943))
• Anthony Wayne (1745 to 1796. American statesman and soldier (1745–1796))
• Kamehameha III (1813 to 1854. King of the Hawaiian Islands from 1825 to 1854)
• Alice Bailey (1880 to 1949. American esoteric, theosophist and writer (1880–1949))
• Arthur Machen (1863 to 1947. Welsh author and mystic (1863–1947))
• Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1823 to 1888. Third son and fourth child of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse)
• Ferdinand II of Portugal (1816 to 1885. King of Portugal from 1837 to 1853)
• Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1900 to 1985. Prime Minister of Mauritius from 1968 to 1982)
• Francisco Tárrega (1852 to 1909. Spanish composer and classical guitarist (1852–1909))
• Salima Sultan Begum (1539 to 1612. Empress consort of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1539–1613))
• Carlos P. Romulo (1899 to 1985. Filipino politician & diplomat (1899–1985))
• George Cayley (1773 to 1857. British aeronautical engineer (1773–1857))
• Sitting Bull (1831 to 1890. Hunkpapa Lakota leader (1831–1890))
• Ottokar I of Bohemia (1155 to 1230. Duke/King of Bohemia (c.1155–1230))
• Grégoire Kayibanda (1924 to 1976. President of Rwanda from 1962 to 1973)
• Nikolai Fyodorov (philosopher) (1829 to 1903. Russian philosopher and life extensionist)
• Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven (1874 to 1927. German artist and poet (1874 –1927))
• Anne Blunt, 15th Baroness Wentworth (1837 to 1917. British musician and horse breeder (1837–1917))
• Carola of Vasa (1833 to 1907. Queen of Saxony from 1873 to 1902)
• Ahmad bin Said (1694 to 1783. Imam and Sultan of Oman from 1744 to 1783)
• Afonso I, Duke of Braganza (1377 to 1461. Portuguese nobleman, founder of the House of Braganza (1377–1461))
• Glenn Miller (1904 to 1944. American big band musician (1904–1944))

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