December 15, 1981 (Tuesday)
- The first suicide car bombing was carried out, destroying Iraq's embassy in Beirut, Lebanon and killing 61 people, including Ambassador Abdul Razzak Lafta. Although car bombs had been set off before, and although suicide bombers had used cars before to drive to a target, the Beirut attack involved packing a vehicle with explosives and detonating them while driving.
- Argentina's Chief of Naval Operations, Juan Jose Lombardo, was asked by President Galtieri to draw up plans to recapture the Falkland Islands from the United Kingdom. Lombardo's proposal was completed in five days.
- Born: Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russian soccer football player, in Mostovskoy; Thomas Herrion, American NFL player who died during a game; in Fort Worth, Texas; (d. 2005)
- Died: Catherine T. MacArthur, 71, American philanthropist; and Karl Struss, 95, American cinematographer
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