December 3

Pre-1600

• 915 – Pope John X crowns Berengar I of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor (probable date).

1601–1900

• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones.
• 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Wiesloch: Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Anton Sztáray defeats the French at Wiesloch.
• 1800 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden: French General Jean Victor Marie Moreau decisively defeats the Archduke John of Austria near Munich. Coupled with First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte's earlier victory at Marengo, this will force the Austrians to sign an armistice and end the war.
• 1800 – United States presidential election: The Electoral College casts votes for president and vice president that result in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
• 1818 – Illinois becomes the 21st U.S. state.
• 1834 – The Zollverein (German Customs Union) begins the first regular census in Germany.
• 1854 – Battle of the Eureka Stockade: More than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences.
• 1859 – Nigeria's first newspaper, missionary Henry Townsend's Iwe Irohin, was published.
• 1881 – The first issue of Tamperean daily newspaper Aamulehti ("Morning Paper") is published.
• 1898 – The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeats an all-star collection of early football players 16–0, in what is considered to be the very first all-star game for professional American football.

1901–present

• 1901 – In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt delivers a 20,000-word report to the House of Representatives asking Congress to curb the power of trusts "within reasonable limits". The speech was not delivered in person.
• 1904 – The Jovian moon Himalia is discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at California's Lick Observatory.
• 1910 – Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
• 1912 – Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia (the Balkan League) sign an armistice with the Ottoman Empire, temporarily halting the First Balkan War. (The armistice will expire on February 3, 1913, and hostilities will resume.)
• 1919 – After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, including two collapses causing 89 deaths, the Quebec Bridge opens to traffic.
• 1920 – Following more than a month of Turkish–Armenian War, the Turkish-dictated Treaty of Alexandropol is concluded.
• 1925 – Final agreement is signed between the Irish Free State, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom formalizing the Partition of Ireland.
• 1929 – President Herbert Hoover delivers his first State of the Union message to Congress. It is presented in the form of a written message rather than a speech.
• 1938 – Nazi Germany issues the Decree on the Utilization of Jewish Property forcing Jews to sell real property, businesses, and stocks at below market value as part of Aryanization.
• 1944 – Greek Civil War: Fighting breaks out in Athens between the ELAS and government forces supported by the British Army.
• 1959 – The current flag of Singapore is adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire.
• 1960 – The musical Camelot debuts at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. It will become associated with the Kennedy administration.
• 1965 – Soviet Union, Space probe of the Luna program, called Luna 8, is launched, but crashes on the Moon.
• 1967 – At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a transplant team headed by Christiaan Barnard carries out the first heart transplant on a human (53-year-old Louis Washkansky).
• 1971 – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Pakistan launches a pre-emptive strike against India and a full-scale war begins.
• 1972 – Spantax Flight 275 crashes during takeoff from Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport, killing all 155 people on board.
• 1973 – Pioneer program: Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter.
• 1979 – In Cincinnati, 11 fans are suffocated in a crush for seats on the concourse outside Riverfront Coliseum before a Who concert.
• 1979 – Iranian Revolution: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini becomes the first Supreme Leader of Iran.
• 1982 – A soil sample is taken from Times Beach, Missouri, that will be found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin.
• 1984 – Bhopal disaster: A methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, kills more than 3,800 people outright and injures 150,000–600,000 others (some 6,000 of whom later died from their injuries) in one of the worst industrial disasters in history.
• 1989 – In a meeting off the coast of Malta, U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev release statements indicating that the Cold War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact may be coming to an end.
• 1992 – The Greek oil tanker Aegean Sea, carrying 80,000 tonnes of crude oil, runs aground in a storm while approaching A Coruña, Spain, and spills much of its cargo.
• 1992 – A test engineer for Sema Group uses a personal computer to send the world's first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague.
• 1994 – Taiwan holds its first full local elections; James Soong elected as the first and only directly elected Governor of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian became the first directly elected Mayor of Taipei, Wu Den-yih became the first directly elected Mayor of Kaohsiung.
• 1995 – Cameroon Airlines Flight 3701 crashes on approach to Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing 71 of the 76 people on board.
• 1997 – In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign the Ottawa Treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines. The United States, People's Republic of China, and Russia do not sign the treaty, however.
• 1999 – NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere.
• 2005 – XCOR Aerospace makes the first crewed rocket aircraft delivery of U.S. Mail in Kern County, California.
• 2007 – Winter storms cause the Chehalis River to flood many cities in Lewis County, Washington, and close a 32-kilometre (20 mi) portion of Interstate 5 for several days. At least eight deaths and billions of dollars in damages are blamed on the floods.
• 2009 – A suicide bombing at a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, kills 25 people, including three ministers of the Transitional Federal Government.
• 2012 – At least 475 people are killed after Typhoon Bopha makes landfall in the Philippines.
• 2014 – The Japanese space agency, JAXA, launches the space explorer Hayabusa2 from the Tanegashima Space Center on a six-year round trip mission to an asteroid to collect rock samples.
• 2021 – COVID-19 pandemic: New Zealand moves into COVID-19 Protection Framework (Traffic Light System), moving Auckland out of lockdown for fully vaccinated people.
• 2022 – Massive power outage after Moore County substation attack, that leaves 45,000 people, without power, for five days, leading to a FBI probe.
• 2023 – Mount Marapi located in West Sumatra, Indonesia begins a sporadic series of eruptions. 23 people were killed, and 12 were injured.

Pre-1600

• 1368 – Charles VI of France (d. 1422)
• 1447 – Bayezid II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1512)
• 1483 – Nicolaus von Amsdorf, German theologian and Protestant reformer (d. 1565)
• 1560 – Jan Gruter, Dutch scholar and critic (d. 1627)
• 1590 – Daniel Seghers, Flemish Jesuit brother and painter (d. 1661)

1601–1900

• 1616 – John Wallis, English mathematician and cryptographer (d. 1703)
• 1684 – Ludvig Holberg, Norwegian historian and writer (d. 1754)
• 1722 – Hryhorii Skovoroda, Ukrainian poet, composer, and philosopher (d. 1794)
• 1729 – Antonio Soler, Spanish composer and theorist (d. 1783)
• 1730 – Mahadaji Shinde, Maratha ruler of Gwalior (d. 1794)
• 1755 – Gilbert Stuart, American painter (d. 1828)
• 1793 – Clarkson Frederick Stanfield, English painter and academic (d. 1867)
• 1800 – France Prešeren, Slovenian poet and lawyer (d. 1849)
• 1810 – Louisa Susannah Cheves McCord, American author and political essayist (d. 1879)
• 1826 – George B. McClellan, American general and politician, 24th Governor of New Jersey (d. 1885)
• 1827 – Lombe Atthill, Northern Irish obstetrician and gynaecologist (d. 1910)
• 1833 – Carlos Finlay, Cuban epidemiologist and physician (d. 1915)
• 1838 – Cleveland Abbe, American meteorologist and academic (d. 1916)
• 1838 – Octavia Hill, English activist and author (d. 1912)
• 1838 – Princess Louise of Prussia (d. 1923)
• 1842 – Phoebe Hearst, American philanthropist and activist (d. 1919)
• 1842 – Charles Alfred Pillsbury, American businessman, founded the Pillsbury Company (d. 1899)
• 1842 – Ellen Swallow Richards, American chemist, ecologist, and educator (d. 1911)
• 1848 – William Shiels, Irish-Australian politician, 16th Premier of Victoria (d. 1904)
• 1850 – Richard Butler, English-Australian politician, 23rd Premier of South Australia (d. 1925)
• 1856 – George Leake, Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Western Australia (d. 1902)
• 1857 – Joseph Conrad, Polish-born British novelist (d. 1924)
• 1857 – Mathilde Kralik, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1944)
• 1863 – Gussie Davis, African-American songwriter (d. 1899)
• 1864 – Herman Heijermans, Dutch author and playwright (d. 1924)
• 1867 – William John Bowser, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of British Columbia (d. 1933)
• 1872 – Arthur Charles Hardy, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (d. 1962)
• 1872 – William Haselden, English cartoonist (d. 1953)
• 1875 – Max Meldrum, Scottish-Australian painter and educator (d. 1955)
• 1878 – Francis A. Nixon, American businessman (d. 1956)
• 1879 – Albert Asher, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1965)
• 1879 – Charles Hutchison, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1949)
• 1879 – Kafū Nagai, Japanese author and playwright (d. 1959)
• 1879 – Donald Matheson Sutherland, Canadian physician and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 1970)
• 1880 – Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (d. 1945)
• 1883 – Anton Webern, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1945)
• 1884 – Rajendra Prasad, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st President of India (d. 1963)
• 1884 – Walther Stampfli, Swiss lawyer and politician, 50th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1965)
• 1886 – Manne Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
• 1887 – Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, Japanese general and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1990)
• 1891 – Thomas Farrell, American general (d. 1967)
• 1894 – Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian lawyer and politician (d. 1975)
• 1895 – Anna Freud, Austrian-English psychologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1982)
• 1895 – Sheng Shicai, Chinese warlord (d. 1970)
• 1897 – William Gropper, American cartoonist and painter (d. 1977)
• 1899 – Hayato Ikeda, Japanese politician, 58th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1965)
• 1899 – Howard Kinsey, American tennis player (d. 1966)
• 1900 – Bert Hawke, Australian politician, 18th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1986)
• 1900 – Ulrich Inderbinen, Swiss mountaineer (d. 2004)
• 1900 – Richard Kuhn, Austrian-German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)

1901–present

• 1901 – Glenn Hartranft, American shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1970)
• 1901 – Mildred Wiley, American high jumper (d. 2000)
• 1902 – Mitsuo Fuchida, Japanese captain and pilot (d. 1976)
• 1902 – Feliks Kibbermann, Estonian chess player and philologist (d. 1993)
• 1904 – Edgar Moon, Australian tennis player (d. 1976)
• 1905 – Les Ames, English cricketer (d. 1990)
• 1907 – Connee Boswell, American jazz singer (d. 1976)
• 1911 – Nino Rota, Italian pianist, composer, conductor, and academic (d. 1979)
• 1914 – Irving Fine, American composer and academic (d. 1962)
• 1918 – Abdul Haris Nasution, Indonesian general and politician, 12th Indonesian Minister of Defence (d. 2000)
• 1919 – Charles Lynch, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1994)
• 1921 – Phyllis Curtin, American soprano and academic (d. 2016)
• 1921 – John Doar, American lawyer and activist (d. 2014)
• 1922 – Len Lesser, American actor (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Eli Mandel, Canadian poet, critic, and academic (d. 1992)
• 1922 – Sven Nykvist, Swedish director and cinematographer (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Trevor Bailey, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2011)
• 1923 – Stjepan Bobek, Croatian-Serbian footballer and manager (d. 2010)
• 1923 – Moyra Fraser, Australian-English actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Wiel Coerver, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2011)
• 1924 – F. Sionil José, Filipino journalist, writer and author (d. 2022)
• 1924 – Roberto Mieres, Argentinian race car driver and sailor (d. 2012)
• 1925 – Ferlin Husky, American country music singer (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Andy Williams, American singer (d. 2012)
• 1928 – Thomas M. Foglietta, American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (d. 2004)
• 1928 – Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Indian-Bangladeshi jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (d. 2014)
• 1929 – John S. Dunne, American priest and theologian (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Jean-Luc Godard, French-Swiss director and screenwriter (d. 2022)
• 1930 – Raul M. Gonzalez, Filipino lawyer and politician, 42nd Filipino Secretary of Justice (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Yves Trudeau, Canadian sculptor (d. 2017)
• 1931 – Franz Josef Degenhardt, German author and poet (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Jaye P. Morgan, American singer and actress
• 1932 – Takao Fujinami, Japanese lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
• 1933 – Nicolas Coster, British-American actor (d. 2023)
• 1933 – Paul J. Crutzen, Dutch chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2021)
• 1934 – Viktor Gorbatko, Russian general, pilot and cosmonaut (d. 2017)
• 1934 – Abimael Guzmán, Peruvian philosopher and academic (d. 2021)
• 1935 – Eddie Bernice Johnson, American nurse and politician (d. 2023)
• 1937 – Bobby Allison, American race car driver and businessman
• 1937 – Morgan Llywelyn, American-Irish model and author
• 1938 – Jean-Claude Malépart, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
• 1938 – Sally Shlaer, American mathematician and engineer (d. 1998)
• 1939 – John Paul Sr., Dutch-American race car driver
• 1939 – David Phillips, English chemist and academic
• 1940 – Jeffrey R. Holland, American academic and religious leader
• 1942 – Mike Gibson, Northern Irish-Irish rugby player
• 1942 – Pedro Rocha, Uruguayan footballer and manager (d. 2013)
• 1942 – Alice Schwarzer, German journalist and publisher, founded EMMA Magazine
• 1942 – David K. Shipler, American journalist and author
• 1943 – Joseph Franklin Ada, American lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Guam
• 1943 – J. Philippe Rushton, English-Canadian psychologist and academic (d. 2012)
• 1944 – Ralph McTell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1944 – Craig Raine, English poet, author, and playwright
• 1944 – António Variações, Portuguese musician (d. 1984)
• 1948 – Jan Hrubý, Czech violinist and songwriter
• 1948 – Maxwell Hutchinson, English architect and television host
• 1948 – Ozzy Osbourne, English singer-songwriter
• 1949 – Heather Menzies, Canadian-American actress (d. 2017)
• 1949 – Mickey Thomas, American singer-songwriter
• 1950 – Alberto Juantorena, Cuban runner
• 1951 – Mike Bantom, American basketball player and coach
• 1951 – Jim Brewer, American basketball player
• 1951 – Ray Candy, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1994)
• 1951 – Rick Mears, American race car driver
• 1951 – Mike Stock, English songwriter, record producer, and musician
• 1952 – Don Barnes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1952 – Benny Hinn, Israeli-American evangelist and author
• 1952 – Duane Roland, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2006)
• 1952 – Mel Smith, English comedian, actor, director, and producer (d. 2013)
• 1953 – Franz Klammer, Austrian skier and race car driver
• 1953 – Rob Waring, American-Norwegian vibraphonist and contemporary composer
• 1954 – Grace Andreacchi, American-English author, poet, and playwright
• 1955 – Steven Culp, American actor
• 1956 – Émile Gros Raymond Nakombo, Central African politician, Mayor of Bangui
• 1956 – Ewa Kopacz, Polish physician and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland
• 1957 – Maxim Korobov, Russian businessman and politician
• 1959 – Eamonn Holmes, Irish journalist and game show host
• 1960 – Daryl Hannah, American actress and producer
• 1960 – Igor Larionov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1960 – Julianne Moore, American actress and author
• 1960 – Mike Ramsey, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1962 – Richard Bacon, English banker, journalist, and politician
• 1962 – Nataliya Grygoryeva, Ukrainian hurdler
• 1962 – Tammy Jackson, American basketball player
• 1963 – Joe Lally, American singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1963 – Terri Schiavo, American medical patient (d. 2005)
• 1964 – Darryl Hamilton, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
• 1965 – Andrew Stanton, American voice actor, director, producer, screenwriter
• 1965 – Katarina Witt, German figure skater and actress
• 1966 – Flemming Povlsen, Danish footballer and manager
• 1966 – Irina Zhuk, Russian figure skater and coach
• 1967 – Marie Françoise Ouedraogo, Burkinabé mathematician
• 1968 – Brendan Fraser, American actor and producer
• 1968 – Montell Jordan, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1969 – Bill Steer, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1969 – Hal Steinbrenner, American businessman
• 1970 – Paul Byrd, American baseball player
• 1970 – Lindsey Hunter, American basketball player and coach
• 1970 – Christian Karembeu, French footballer
• 1970 – Laura Schuler, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1971 – Heiko Herrlich, German footballer and manager
• 1971 – Frank Sinclair, English-Jamaican footballer and manager
• 1971 – Henk Timmer, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1971 – Vernon White, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
• 1972 – Danilo Goffi, Italian runner
• 1973 – Bruno Campos, Brazilian-American actor and lawyer
• 1973 – Holly Marie Combs, American actress and producer
• 1973 – MC Frontalot, American rapper
• 1973 – Charl Willoughby, South African cricketer
• 1974 – Lucette Rådström, Swedish journalist
• 1976 – Mark Boucher, South African cricketer
• 1976 – Gary Glover, American baseball player
• 1976 – Cornelius Griffin, American football player
• 1976 – Byron Kelleher, New Zealand rugby player
• 1976 – Tomotaka Okamoto, Japanese soprano
• 1977 – Chad Durbin, American baseball player
• 1977 – Troy Evans, American football player
• 1977 – Adam Małysz, Polish ski jumper and race car driver
• 1977 – Yelena Zadorozhnaya, Russian runner
• 1978 – Daniel Alexandersson, Swedish footballer
• 1978 – Jiří Bicek, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1978 – Bram Tankink, Dutch cyclist
• 1978 – Trina, American rapper and producer
• 1979 – Daniel Bedingfield, New Zealand-English singer-songwriter
• 1979 – Rock Cartwright, American football player
• 1979 – Tiffany Haddish, American comedian and actress
• 1979 – Sean Parker, American entrepreneur and philanthropist
• 1980 – Anna Chlumsky, American actress
• 1980 – Jenna Dewan, American actress and dancer
• 1980 – Zlata Filipović, Bosnian-Irish diarist
• 1981 – Ioannis Amanatidis, Greek footballer
• 1981 – Brian Bonsall, American actor and musician
• 1981 – Tyjuan Hagler, American football player
• 1981 – Edwin Valero, Venezuelan boxer (d. 2010)
• 1981 – David Villa, Spanish footballer
• 1982 – Manny Corpas, Panamanian baseball player
• 1982 – Michael Essien, Ghanaian footballer
• 1982 – Dascha Polanco, Dominican-American actress
• 1982 – Franco Sbaraglini, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
• 1983 – Stephen Donald, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Aleksey Drozdov, Russian decathlete
• 1983 – Sherri DuPree, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1983 – Andy Grammer, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
• 1983 – James Ihedigbo, American football player
• 1984 – Manuel Arana, Spanish footballer
• 1984 – Avraam Papadopoulos, Greek footballer
• 1985 – Nina Ansaroff, American martial artist
• 1985 – László Cseh, Hungarian swimmer
• 1985 – Mike Randolph, American soccer player
• 1985 – Brian Roberts, American basketball player
• 1985 – Amanda Seyfried, American actress
• 1985 – Robert Swift, American basketball player
• 1985 – Marcus Williams, American basketball player
• 1986 – James Laurinaitis, American football player
• 1987 – Michael Angarano, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1987 – Erik Grönwall, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1987 – Brian Robiskie, American football player
• 1987 – Alicia Sacramone, American gymnast
• 1988 – Melissa Aldana, Chilean saxophonist
• 1989 – Selçuk Alibaz, Turkish footballer
• 1989 – Alex McCarthy, English footballer
• 1989 – Tomasz Narkun, Polish mixed martial artist
• 1990 – Christian Benteke, Belgian footballer
• 1990 – Sharon Fichman, Canadian-Israeli tennis player
• 1990 – Matt Reynolds, American baseball player
• 1991 – Ekaterine Gorgodze, Georgian tennis player
• 1992 – Cristian Ceballos, Spanish footballer
• 1992 – Joseph McManners, English singer-songwriter, musician and actor^{[citation needed]}
• 1994 – Jake T. Austin, American actor
• 1994 – Lil Baby, American rapper
• 1994 – Solomone Kata, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1994 – Bernarda Pera, American tennis player
• 1995 – Julius Honka, Finnish ice hockey player

Pre-1600

• 311 – Diocletian, Roman emperor (b. 244)
• 649 – Birinus, French-English bishop and saint (b. 600)
• 860 – Abbo, bishop of Auxerre
• 937 – Siegfried, Frankish nobleman
• 978 – Abraham, Coptic pope of Alexandria
• 1038 – Emma of Lesum, Saxon countess and Saint
• 1099 – Saint Osmund (b. 1065)
• 1154 – Pope Anastasius IV (b. 1073)
• 1265 – Odofredus, Italian lawyer and jurist
• 1266 – Henry III the White, Duke of Wroclaw
• 1309 – Henry III, Duke of Głogów (b. 1251/60)
• 1322 – Maud Chaworth, Countess of Leicester (b. 1282)
• 1532 – Louis II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (b. 1502)
• 1533 – Vasili III of Russia (b. 1479)
• 1542 – Jean Tixier de Ravisi, French scholar and academic (b. 1470)
• 1552 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1506)
• 1592 – Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (b. 1545)

1601–1900

• 1610 – Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general and daimyō (b. 1548)
• 1668 – William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury (b. 1591)
• 1691 – Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, British scientist (b. 1615)
• 1706 – Countess Emilie Juliane of Barby-Mühlingen (b. 1637)
• 1752 – Henri-Guillaume Hamal, Walloon musician and composer (b. 1685)
• 1765 – Lord John Sackville, English cricketer and politician (b. 1713)
• 1789 – Claude Joseph Vernet, French painter (b. 1714)
• 1815 – John Carroll, American archbishop (b. 1735)
• 1876 – Samuel Cooper, American general (b. 1798)
• 1882 – Archibald Tait, Scottish-English archbishop (b. 1811)
• 1888 – Carl Zeiss, German physicist and lens maker, created the optical instrument (b. 1816)
• 1890 – Billy Midwinter, English-Australian cricketer (b. 1851)
• 1892 – Afanasy Fet, Russian author and poet (b. 1820)
• 1894 – Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist, poet, and essayist (b. 1850)

1901–present

• 1902 – Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys' High School and Knox Church (b. 1833)
• 1904 – David Bratton, American water polo player (b. 1869)
• 1910 – Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader and author, founded Christian Science (b. 1821)
• 1912 – Prudente de Morais, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Brazil (b. 1841)
• 1917 – Harold Garnett, English-French cricketer (b. 1879)
• 1919 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (b. 1841)
• 1928 – Ezra Meeker, American farmer and politician (b. 1830)
• 1934 – Charles James O'Donnell, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1849)
• 1935 – Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1868)
• 1937 – William Propsting, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1861)
• 1941 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter and poet (b. 1883)
• 1949 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-American actress and educator (b. 1876)
• 1952 – Rudolf Margolius, Czech lawyer and politician (b. 1913)
• 1956 – Manik Bandopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1908)
• 1956 – Alexander Rodchenko, Russian sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer (b. 1891)
• 1967 – Harry Wismer, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1913)
• 1972 – William Manuel Johnson, American bassist (b. 1872)
• 1973 – Emile Christian, American trombonist, cornet player, and composer (b. 1895)
• 1973 – Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, President of Mexico, 1952-1958 (b. 1889)
• 1979 – Dhyan Chand, Indian field hockey player and coach (b. 1905)
• 1980 – Oswald Mosley, English lieutenant, fascist, and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1896)
• 1981 – Walter Knott, American farmer, founded Knott's Berry Farm (b. 1889)
• 1981 – Joel Rinne, Finnish actor (b. 1897)
• 1984 – Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin, Azerbaijani-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1919)
• 1989 – Fernando Martín Espina, Spanish basketball player (b. 1962)
• 1989 – Connie B. Gay, American businessman, founded the Country Music Association (b. 1914)
• 1993 – Lewis Thomas, American physician, etymologist, and academic (b. 1913)
• 1996 – Georges Duby, French historian and author (b. 1919)
• 1998 – Pierre Hétu, Canadian pianist and conductor (b. 1936)
• 1999 – John Archer, American actor (b. 1915)
• 1999 – Scatman John, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1942)
• 1999 – Madeline Kahn, American actress, comedian, and singer (b. 1942)
• 1999 – Horst Mahseli, Polish footballer (b. 1934)
• 1999 – Jarl Wahlström, Finnish 12th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1918)
• 2000 – Gwendolyn Brooks, American poet and educator (b. 1917)
• 2000 – Hoyt Curtin, American composer and producer (b. 1922)
• 2002 – Adrienne Adams, American illustrator (b. 1906)
• 2002 – Glenn Quinn, Irish-American actor (b. 1970)
• 2003 – David Hemmings, English actor (b. 1941)
• 2003 – Sita Ram Goel, Indian historian, publisher and writer (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Shiing-Shen Chern, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1911)
• 2005 – Frederick Ashworth, American admiral (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Herb Moford, American baseball player (b. 1928)
• 2005 – Kikka Sirén, Finnish pop/schlager singer (b. 1964)
• 2007 – James Kemsley, Australian cartoonist and actor (b. 1948)
• 2008 – Robert Zajonc, Polish-American psychologist and author (b. 1923)
• 2009 – Leila Lopes, Brazilian actress and journalist (b. 1959)
• 2009 – Richard Todd, Irish-born British soldier and actor (b. 1919)
• 2010 – Abdumalik Bahori, Azerbaijani poet and author (b. 1927)
• 2011 – Dev Anand, Indian actor, director, and producer (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, Iraqi-Lebanese archbishop (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Kuntal Chandra, Bangladeshi cricketer (b. 1984)
• 2012 – Fyodor Khitruk, Russian animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1917)
• 2012 – Diego Mendieta, Paraguayan footballer (b. 1980)
• 2012 – Janet Shaw, Australian cyclist and author (b. 1966)
• 2013 – Paul Aussaresses, French general (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Reda Mahmoud Hafez Mohamed, Egyptian air marshal (b. 1952)
• 2013 – Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian poet and educator (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Herman Badillo, Puerto Rican-American lawyer and politician (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Jacques Barrot, French politician, French European Commissioner (b. 1937)
• 2014 – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian–American psychotherapist and author (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Ian McLagan, English-American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (b. 1945)
• 2014 – James Stewart, Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Gladstone Anderson, Jamaican singer and pianist (b. 1934)
• 2015 – Eevi Huttunen, Finnish speed skater (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Scott Weiland, American singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
• 2019 – Ragnar Ulstein, Norwegian journalist and war historian (b. 1920)

• Christian feast day:
  • Abbo of Auxerre
  • Pope Abraham of Alexandria (Coptic, 6 Koiak))
  • Adrian (Ethernan)
  • Birinus
  • Cassian of Tangier
  • Emma (of Lesum or of Bremen)
  • Francis Xavier
  • Blessed Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim
  • Zephaniah
  • December 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Doctors' Day (Cuba)
• International Day of Persons with Disabilities

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Historical Events on December 3