December 29, 2013

2013C. T. Hsia, Chinese-American critic and scholar (born 1921)^[†]

Hsia Chih-tsing, or C. T. Hsia, was a Chinese historian and literary theorist. He contributed to the introduction of modern Chinese literature to the Western world by promoting the works of once marginalized writers in the 1960s. Today, C. T. Hsia is considered one of the most important critics of Chinese literature.

2013Paul Comstive, English footballer (born 1961)^[†]

Paul Comstive was an English professional footballer who mainly played as a midfielder. He played in the Football League for seven different clubs and also played non-league football.

2013Benjamin Curtis, American guitarist, drummer, and songwriter (born 1978)^[†]

Benjamin Curtis was an American guitarist and drummer. He was a member of bands Tripping Daisy, Secret Machines and School of Seven Bells.

2013Connie Dierking, American basketball player (born 1936)^[†]

Conrad William Dierking was an American professional basketball player from 1958 to 1971.

2013Wojciech Kilar, Polish classical and film music composer (born 1932)^[†]

Wojciech Kilar was a Polish classical and film music composer. One of his greatest successes came with his score to Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992, which received the ASCAP Award and the nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Music. In 2003, he won the César Award for Best Film Music written for The Pianist, for which he also received a BAFTA nomination. In 2012, he became the recipient of Poland's highest distinction, the Order of the White Eagle.

2013Besik Kudukhov, Russian wrestler (born 1986)^[†]

Besik Serodinovich Kudukhov was a Russian freestyle wrestler of Ossetian descent. He won a bronze medal in the 55 kg category at the 2008 Olympics. He also won a silver medal in the 60 kg category at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

2013Jagadish Mohanty, Indian author and translator (born 1951)^[†]

Jagadish Mohanty was a renowned Odia writer, considered as a trendsetter in modern Odia fiction, has received the prestigious Sarala Award in 2003, Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award in 1990 for his novel Kanishka Kanishka, Dharitri Award in 1985, Jhankar Award, Prajatantra Award. Born in Gorumahisani, an iron-ore mines in northern periphery in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, he spent more than 30 years of his life working in the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited(MCL) in western periphery of Odisha. Though he kept himself away from the cultural capital of Odisha, but still his writings highlighted him in the mainstream of Odia literature and culture.

2013Mike O'Connor, German-American journalist (born 1946)^[†]

Mike O'Connor was a German-born American journalist, war correspondent, and Mexico's representative for Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promote press freedom around the world. Born in Germany following World War II to Americans stationed in a refugee camp, O'Connor began his career as a journalist in the 1980s. As a foreign journalist, he covered civil wars and conflicts for NPR, The New York Times, CBS News, among others.

2013A suicide bomb attack at the Volgograd-1 railway station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd kills at least 18 people and wounds 40 others.^[†]

Volgograd-Glavny is a major junction railway station of Volgograd in Russia.

2013Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher suffers a massive head injury while skiing in the French Alps.^[†]

Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the world's premier forms of motorsport since its inaugural running in 1950 and is often considered to be the pinnacle of motorsport. The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules all participant cars must follow. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix. Grands Prix take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built circuits or closed roads.