Updated December 14, 2011, 1:28 pm
On Dec. 15, 1916, the French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun.
On Dec. 15, 1892, J. Paul Getty, the American businessman and oil tycoon who controlled the Getty Oil Company, was born. Following his death on June 6, 1976, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1890 Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members were killed in Grand River, S.D., during a clash with Indian police. 1916 The French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun. 1938 Ground was broken for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. 1939 The movie “Gone With the Wind” had its world premiere in Atlanta. 1944 Bandleader Glenn Miller’s U.S. Army plane disappeared over the English Channel. 1961 Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court. 1966 Movie producer Walt Disney died at age 65. 1989 A popular uprising that led to the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu began in Romania. 2003 The late Sen. Strom Thurmond’s family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams’ claim that she was Thurmond’s illegitimate mixed-race daughter. 2004 American telecommunications giants Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced they would merge in a $35 billion deal. 2005 Millions of Iraqis turned out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election. 2009 The Washington, D.C. City Council voted to legalize same-sex marriage. 2010 The U.N. Security Council gave a unanimous vote of confidence to the government of Iraq by lifting 19-year-old sanctions on weapons and civilian nuclear power. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor Don Johnson (“Miami Vice”) turns 62 years old today.
AP Photo/Matt Sayles
Actor Adam Brody (“The O.C.”) turns 32 years old today.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer
1933 Tim Conway, Comedian (“The Carol Burnett Show”), turns 78 1939 Cindy Birdsong, Singer (The Supremes), turns 72 1940 Nick Buoniconti, Football Hall of Famer, turns 71 1942 Dave Clark, Rock musician, producer (The Dave Clark Five), turns 69 1952 Julie Taymor, Director, turns 59 1954 Mark Warner, U.S. senator, D-Va., turns 57 1963 Helen Slater, Actress, turns 48 Historic Birthdays
J. Paul Getty 12/15/1892 – 6/6/1976 American oil tycoon. Go to obituary »
31 Nero 12/15/AD 37 – 6/9/AD 68
Roman emperor67 George Romney 12/15/1734 – 11/15/1802
English portrait painter75 Joseph Moses Levy 12/15/1812 – 10/12/1888
English newspaperman; founded the London newspaper Daily Telegraph85 Franklin Sanborn 12/15/1831 – 2/24/1917
American journalist and biographer91 Gustave Eiffel 12/15/1832 – 12/28/1923
French civil engineer and designer of the Eiffel Tower43 Niels Ryberg Finsen 12/15/1860 – 9/24/1904
Danish physician, founder of modern phototherapy and Nobel prize winner76 Charles Duryea 12/15/1861 – 9/28/1938
American automobile inventor70 Maxwell Anderson 12/15/1888 – 2/28/1959
American playwright65 Kaare Klint 12/15/1888 – 3/28/1954
Danish architect and furniture designer78 Harold Abrahams 12/15/1899 – 1/14/1978
English athlete and Olympic gold medalist
