9 December

Across recorded history, 1,543 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 9 December. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

← December 8 December 10 →

Nils Gustaf Dalén

1869–1937

Swedish Nobel Laureate and industrialist

Nils Gustaf Dalén was a Swedish inventor who received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his development of automatic regulators for gas accumulators.

Riccardo Giacconi

1931–2018

Italian-American astrophysicist

Riccardo Giacconi was an astrophysicist who pioneered X-ray astronomy.

Natsume Sōseki

1867–1916

Japanese novelist

Natsume Sōseki was a Japanese novelist known for his contributions to modern literature.

Paolo Rossi

1956–2020

Italian footballer

Paolo Rossi was an Italian footballer who played as a forward.

Ralph Bunche

1904–1971

diplomat, educator, civil rights activist and the first African American Nobel Peace Prize winner

Diplomat Ralph Bunche was the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Clarice Lispector

1920–1977

Ukrainian-Brazilian writer, poet, and journalist

Clarice Lispector was a writer known for her novels, short stories, and journalistic work in the Ukrainian-Brazilian literary tradition.

Lina Wertmüller

1928–2021

Italian film writer and director

Lina Wertmüller was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for her work in cinema.

Mary Leakey

1913–1996

British paleoanthropologist

Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey discovered the Laetoli footprints, which provided evidence of bipedalism in early hominids.

Eleanor Parker

1922–2013

American actress

Eleanor Parker was an American actress who appeared in numerous film and television productions.

Alain Poher

1909–1996

French politician

Alain Poher was a French politician who served as the president of the French Senate.

Marie Fredriksson

1958–2019

Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist, and lead vocalist of pop-rock duo Roxette

Marie Fredriksson was a Swedish singer and songwriter who served as the lead vocalist of the pop-rock duo Roxette.

Artem Mikoyan

1905–1970

Soviet aircraft designer

Artem Mikoyan was a Soviet aircraft designer who developed numerous military jet aircraft.

Edith Sitwell

1887–1964

British poet

Edith Sitwell was a British poet known for her distinctive literary style and contributions to twentieth-century poetry.

Robert Sheckley

1928–2005

American writer

Robert Sheckley was an American writer known for his contributions to the science fiction genre.

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

1880–1932

Bengali feminist writer and social reformer

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was a Bengali writer and social reformer who advocated for women's rights and education.

Antonio Salandra

1853–1931

Prime Minister of Italy

Antonio Salandra was an Italian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Italy.

Patrick Moore

1923–2012

English astronomer, broadcaster and writer

Patrick Moore was an English astronomer who worked as a television presenter and writer.

Berenice Abbott

1898–1991

American photographer

Berenice Abbott was an American photographer known for her documentation of architectural subjects.

William A. Wellman

1896–1975

American director, actor

William A. Wellman was an American film director who also worked as an actor and aircraft pilot.

Dražan Jerković

1936–2008

Croatian footballer

Dražan Jerković was a Croatian footballer who played as a forward and later served as a professional coach.

Almeida Garrett

1799–1854

Portuguese writer and politician

Almeida Garrett was a Portuguese writer and politician who introduced Romanticism to the literature of his country.

Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli

1856–1941

Austro-Hungarian general

Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli was an Austro-Hungarian field marshal who served as a senior military officer.

Fulton J. Sheen

1895–1979

American catholic bishop and television presenter

Fulton J. Sheen was a Catholic bishop and television presenter who reached a wide audience through his broadcasts.

Viačasław Kiebič

1936–2020

Belarusian politician

Viačasław Kiebič was a Belarusian politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Belarus.

Source: Wikidata, released into the public domain under CC0. Snapshot: 2026-07. Names, dates and roles come from Wikidata; summaries are condensed from it. Nothing here is generated to fill a gap.