December 23
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December 23 is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are eight days remaining until the end of the year.
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Events [change]
- 1572 – Theologian Johann Sylvan is executed in Heidelberg.
- 1672 – Giovanni Cassini discovers Saturn's moon Rhea.
- 1688 – James II of England flees to Paris, as Mary II and William III take the throne to rule jointly.
- 1787 – The HMVA Bounty is sent to Tahiti to collect breadfruit plants.
- 1888 – Part of Vincent van Gogh's left ear is cut off in as-yet unexplained circumstances.
- 1914 – World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops land in Cairo, Egypt.
- 1936 – Colombia becomes a signatory of the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1941 – World War II: After 15 days of fighting, Japan takes control of Wake Island.
- 1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated.
- 1948 – Japanese officials who were found guilty of war crimes, are executed.
- 1958 – The Tokyo Tower is dedicated, becoming the world's tallest self-supporting iron tower.
- 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City is topped out at a height of 417 metres.
- 1972 – A major earthquake hits Nicaragua, killing thousands of people. It was of magnitude 6.2.
- 1972 – Members of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes, near the border between Chile and Argentina, are rescued.
- 1979 – Soviet forces occupy Kabul, Afghanistan.
- 1986 – Voyager becomes the first aircraft without an aerial or ground refuelling to fly non-stop around the world.
- 1990 – In a referendum, the most of Slovenia's voters support independence from Yugoslavia.
- 1991 – Germany recognises Croatia's independence.
- 2003 – An explosion at the PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field near Chongqing, China, kills 234 people.
- 2005 – Lech Kaczynski becomes President of Poland. His time in office ends with his death in a plane crash on April 10, 2010.
- 2011 – At least 40 people are killed in bomb attacks in Damascus, Syria.
Births [change]
- 1537 – John III of Sweden, King of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1582 – Severo Bonini, composer (d. 1663)
- 1597 – Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
- 1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
- 1732 – Richard Arkwright, industrialist, and inventor of the Water Frame (d. 1792)
- 1750 – King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
- 1777 – Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
- 1790 – Jean François Champollion, Egyptologist, deciphered the Rosetta Stone (d. 1832)
- 1804 – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
- 1805 – Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement (d. 1844)
- 1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
- 1822 – Wilhelm Bauer, engineer (d. 1875)
- 1864 – Zorka of Montenegro, Princess of Serbia (d. 1890)
- 1867 – Madame C. J. Walker, first African American millionaire (d. 1919).
- 1885 – Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
- 1891 – Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
- 1896 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian writer (d. 1957)
- 1902 – Charan Singh, Prime Minister of India (d. 1987)
- 1907 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean writer and poet (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Avraham Stern, Zionist group leader (d. 1942)
- 1908 – Yousuf Karsh, Armenian-Canadian portrait photographer (d. 2002)
- 1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, Danish immunologist (d. 1994)
- 1916 – Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany 1974-1982
- 1918 – José Greco, dancer (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Calder Willingham, writer (d. 1995)
- 1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician (d. 2001)
- 1923 – Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
- 1923 – James Stockdale, United States Navy admiral (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist (d. 2008)
- 1925 – Mohammed Mzali, Prime Minister of Tunisia (d. 2010)
- 1926 – Robert Bly, American poet
- 1933 – Akihito, Emperor of Japan
- 1935 – Paul Hornung, American football star
- 1936 – Frederic Forrest, American actor
- 1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, musician
- 1941 – Tim Hardin, musician
- 1942 – Quentin Bryce, Governor-General of Australia
- 1943 – Mikhail Gromov, mathematician
- 1943 – Harry Shearer, American actor, voice actor (This Is Spinal Tap, The Simpsons)
- 1943 – Silvia, Queen of Sweden
- 1944 – Wesley Clark, American General and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander
- 1946 – John Sullivan, English television writer (d. 2011)
- 1947 – Susan Lucci, soap opera actress
- 1948 – Jack Ham, American football star
- 1950 – Michael C. Burgess, American politician
- 1950 – Vicente del Bosque, Spanish football manager
- 1951 – Anthony Phillips, British musician (Genesis)
- 1952 – William Kristol, American conservative commentator
- 1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright
- 1956 – Dave Murray, musician (Iron Maiden)
- 1957 – Trisha Goddard, British television presenter
- 1958 – Victoria Williams, singer
- 1961 – Carol Smillie, British television personality
- 1963 – Jim Harbaugh, American football quarterback
- 1964 – Eddie Vedder, musician (Pearl Jam)
- 1967 – Carla Bruni, Italian-French singer, model and First Lady of France
- 1969 – Martha Byrne, soap opera actress
- 1970 – Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
- 1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
- 1971 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite
- 1974 – Agustin Delgado, Ecuadorean footballer
- 1977 – Matt Baker, British television presenter
- 1977 – Alge Crumpler, American football player
- 1978 – Andra Davis, American football player
- 1978 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1978 – Estella Warren, actress
- 1978 – Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
- 1979 – Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer
- 1981 – Beth, Spanish singer
- 1981 – Mario Santana, Argentine footballer
- 1983 – Michael Chopra, English footballer
- 1987 – Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player
- 1990 – Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American actress
Deaths [change]
- 130 – Emperor Keiko of Japan (b. 60)
- 1193 – Saint Thorlak, patron Saint of Iceland (b. 1133)
- 1572 – Johann Sylvan, German theologian
- 1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese military commander (b. 1531)
- 1631 – Michael Drayton, English poet (b. 1563)
- 1652 – John Cotton, English-born American minister (b. 1585)
- 1902 – Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1821)
- 1931 – Wilson Bentley, American scientist (b. 1865)
- 1948 – Akira Muto, Japanese military commander (b. 1892)
- 1948 – Hideki Tōjō, 40th Prime Minister of Japan, Led the Attack on Pearl Harbour (b. 1884)
- 1972 – Andrei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1888)
- 1979 – Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (b. 1898)
- 1992 – Eddie Hazel, American musician (b. 1950)
- 1998 – Anatoly Rybakov, Russian writer (b. 1911)
- 2000 – Victor Borge, Danish comedian and pianist (b. 1909)
- 2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
- 2005 – Lajos Baroti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1914)
- 2007 – Oscar Peterson, American jazz pianist and composer (b. 1925)
- 2009 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan politician (b. 1910)
- 2010 – K. Karunakaran, Indian politician (b. 1918)
Observances [change]
- Akihito's birthday (Japan)
- Saint Thorlak's Day (Iceland)
- HumanLight (Secular Humanism in the United States)
