- Dec 1 Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is declared King of Thailand, succeeding his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Francois Hollande
Dec 1 French President Francois Hollande announces he will not seek a 2nd term - 1st modern French leader not to do so
Yahya Jammeh's Rule Ends
Dec 1 Gambia presidential election: dictator Yahya Jammeh is defeated by Adama Barrow after 22 years in power
- Dec 1 Joel Embiid is named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for NBA games played in October and November
- Dec 1 UN admits its peacekeepers were responsible for the cholera epidemic in Haiti in 2010 that killed 30,000
Trump Breaks "One China" Policy
Dec 2 Donald Trump takes a call with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen, in a break from America's long standing "One China" policy
- Dec 2 Fire during a dance party at an illegally re=purposed warehouse in Oakland< California kills 36
- Dec 2 For 6th time in 7 years, Cincinnati Reds 1st baseman Joey Votto wins Tip O'Neill Award as best Canadian MLB player; hit .326 with NL-leading .434 OBP, 29 HRs & 97 RBIs in an outstanding all-around season for last-place club
- Dec 3 US army decides it will not allow an oil pipeline to be built in North Dakota, after months of protests by The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
- Dec 4 Austria elects liberal independent Alexander Van der Bellen as President, after original vote in May annulled
- Dec 4 Tens of thousands march throughout Brazil against a vote to undermine anti-corruption investigations
- Dec 4 Venezuela issues new higher-value notes after currency falls 60% in 1 months against the US dollar
- Dec 5 Malta becomes the 1st country in Europe to outlaw conversion therapy
- Dec 7 6.5 earthquake in Aceh province, Indonesia kills at least 97 people
- Dec 7 Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigns 3 days after losing a referendum to reform the constitution
- Dec 7 Pakistan International Airways plane crashes north of Islamabad, killing all 48 on board, including singer turned preacher Junaid Jamshed
- Dec 9 Ghanaian Presidential election won by Nana Akufo-Addo of the opposition New Patriotic Party
- Dec 9 Mosconi Cup nine-ball pool, London, England: Europe wins 7th consecutive title convincingly beating US, 11-3; MVP: Albin Ouschan (Austria)
Park Geun-hye Impeached
Dec 9 South Korean MPs vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye
Rogue One
Dec 10 "Rogue One", 1st of the Star Wars Anthology films, directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones, premieres in Los Angeles
Jackson Youngest Winner
Dec 10 82nd Heisman Trophy Award: Lamar Jackson, Louisville Cardinals (QB), youngest player to win at 19
- Dec 10 Terrorist bomb attacks outside a stadium in Istanbul kill 38 and injure 166
- Dec 11 Bombing at a chapel in Cairo, Egypt, kills 25 and wounds 45
- Dec 11 Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh says he will contest his election defeat in court, after his 1st election loss in 22 years
- Dec 11 Kyrgyzstan votes in a referendum to change the constitution to give the government more power
Ronaldo Fourth Title
Dec 12 Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo claims award for the 4th time; record winning margin of 429 from Lionel Messi
- Dec 12 Bill English is sworn in as New Zealand Prime Minister, succeeding John Key
- Dec 12 Paolo Gentiloni is sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy, succeeding Matteo Renzi
Duterte's Killer Boast
Dec 12 Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte boasts he killed susected criminals personally when mayor of Davao City
Rock for the Rainforest Benefit
Dec 14 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Ronnie Spector, Idina Menzal, Darlene Love, and Jennifer Nettles
- Dec 14 University of Toronto scientists present findings of the world's oldest water - 2 billion years old from a mine in Canada
- Dec 15 Ceasefire declared in Aleppo to allow hundreds to be evacutated from last rebel held area
- Dec 15 White supremacist Dylann Roof is found guilty of the Charleston Church Massacre which killed 9
- Dec 16 5 day pollution red alert declared in Beijing and 21 other Chinese cities, classified by officials as a “meteorological disaster”
$25 Million for Islamic State Leader
Dec 16 US State Department increases reward for information on Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to $25 million
Sports History
Dec 19 Alex Puccio ascends Terre De Sienne V13 (8B) at Hueco Tanks, six months after spinal surgery
- Dec 19 At least 48 people die after drinking bath lotion in Irkutsk, Siberia, thinking it contained alcohol
- Dec 19 Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead at an art gallery in Ankara by Turkish gunman
- Dec 19 Truck driven into a Christmas market in Berlin kills 12, injures 48
- Dec 19 US electoral collage votes 304 to 227 to nominate Donald Trump for President over the objections of seven faithless electors
Carl Icahn Special Advisor
Dec 21 Carl Icahn is announced as Special Advisor to the President on Regulatory Reform, under President Donald Trump
"Dangal"
Dec 21 Indian sports drama film "Dangal" directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra premieres - first Indian film to earn $300 million worldwide
- Dec 22 Ebola vaccine VSV-EBOV is found to be 70-100% effective in a study published in The Lancet, becoming the world's first proven vaccine against Ebola
- Dec 23 United Nations Security Council adopts a landmark resolution demanding a halt to all Israeli settlement in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967. Resolution 2334 was moved by New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela and passed 14-0 with a US abstention.
- Dec 25 Russian military defence plane crashes into the Black Sea after takeoff from Sochi airport, killing all 92 on board
Obama Punishes Russia
Dec 29 US President Barack Obama retaliates against Russia for hacking American computer systems and trying to influence the 2016 presidential election by ejecting 35 Russian spies and imposing sanctions
- Dec 30 83rd Orange Bowl: #10 Florida State beats #6 Michigan, 33-32
- Dec 30 A ceasefire organised by Russia, Iran and Turkey between Syria's government and opposition groups takes effect
Ray Davis Honored
Dec 30 British singer-songwriter Ray Davies, of The Kinks, is awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II
- Dec 30 Last day Indians are able to deposit in banks 500 and 1,000 rupee notes which were scrapped only 50 days earlier in an anti-corruption measure
Chris Ofili Honored
Dec 31 Chris Ofili is appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to art
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
Revolutionaries
Scientists