hours after protesters attacked the British embassy in Tehran. December December 15 – The United States formally declares an end to the Iraq War. While this ends the insurgency, it begins another. December 16 – Tropical Storm Washi causes 1,268 flash flood fatalities in the Philippines, with 85 people officially listed as missing. December 17 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies of either a heart attack or stroke on his way to a field guidance. December 19 – Liechtenstein becomes the 26th member state of the Schengen Area. December 29 – Samoa and Tokelau move from east to west of the International Date Line, thereby skipping December 30, in order to align their time zones better with their main trading partners. Births January 8 – Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine of Denmark Deaths January January 2 Anne Francis, American actress (b. 1930) Hans Kalt, Swiss rower (b. 1924) Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (b. 1946) Richard Winters, American paratrooper (b. 1918) January 4 Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi of Iran (b. 1966) Gerry Rafferty, Scottish musician (b. 1947) January 5 – Assar Rönnlund, Swedish cross-country skier (b. 1935) January 10 John Dye, American actor (b. 1963) Margaret Whiting, American country and pop musician (b. 1924) January 11 – David Nelson, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1936) January 15 Nat Lofthouse, English footballer (b. 1925) Susannah York, English actress (b. 1939) January 18 – Sargent Shriver, American diplomat, politician, and activist (b. 1915) January 21 – Dennis Oppenheim, American artist (b. 1938) January 24 – Bernd Eichinger, German film producer, director and screenwriter (b. 1949) January 26 – Gladys Horton, American singer, lead singer and founder of The Marvelettes (b. 1945) January 27 – Charlie Callas, American comedian and actor (b. 1924) January 29 – Milton Babbitt, American composer (b. 1916) January 30 – John Barry, English composer (b. 1933) February February 3 – Maria Schneider, French actress (b. 1952) February 4 – Martial Célestin, 1st Prime Minister of Haiti (b. 1913) February 5 – Brian Jacques, British author (b. 1939) February 6 Josefa Iloilo, 2-Time President of Fiji (b. 1920) Gary Moore, British musician (b. 1952) February 8 – Cesare Rubini, Italian basketball player and coach (b. 1923) February 12 Peter Alexander, Austrian actor and singer (b. 1926) Betty Garrett, American actress and dancer (b. 1919) Kenneth Mars, American actor (b. 1935) February 14 – George Shearing, British-American jazz pianist (b.