March 23
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
March 23 is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 283 days remaining until the end of the year.
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Events [change]
- 752 – Stephen II becomes Pope.
- 1400 - The Tran Dynasty of Vietnam is deposed after 175 years in power, by Ho Quy Ly, a court official.
- 1568 – Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. Again Catherine of Medici and Charles IX of France make substantial concessions to the Huguenots.
- 1708 – James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his famous speech – "give me liberty or give me death" at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia.
- 1801 – Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death in his bedroom at St. Michael Palace.
- 1806 – After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their arduous journey home.
- 1821 - Greek War of Independence: Battle and fall of the city of Kalamata.
- 1839 – First recorded use of "OK" as an abbreviation for "oll korrect" in the Boston Morning Post.
- 1848 – The ship John Wickliffe arrives at Port Chalmers carrying the first Scottish settlers for Dunedin, New Zealand. Otago province is founded.
- 1848 - Venice declares independence from Austria. This leads to the creation of the Republic of San Marco, under Prime Minister Daniele Manin, which lasts until August 23, 1849.
- 1857 – Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway, New York City.
- 1862 - American Civil War: First Battle of Kernstown - start of Stonewall Jackson's valley campaign.
- 1868 – The University of California is founded in Oakland, California when the Organic Act is signed into law.
- 1879 - War of the Pacific: The Battle of Topater, the first major battle of the war, is fought between Chile and the joint forces of Peru and Bolivia.
- 1888 - In England, the Football League first meets.
- 1889 – Land run: President Benjamin Harrison opens Oklahoma to white settlement starting on April 22.
- 1868 – The free Woolwich Ferry officially opens in east London.
- 1901 - President of the Philippines Emilio Aguinaldo is captured by US forces.
- 1903 – The Wright Brothers apply for a patent on their invention of one of the first successful airplanes after much hard work.
- 1905 - Eleftherios Venizelos calls for Crete's union with Greece.
- 1909 – Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society.
- 1918 - World War I: Third day of the German spring offensive - the 10th Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment is heavily defeated, with many being taken prisoner.
- 1919 – In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement.
- 1931 – Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt embrace the gallows during the Indian struggle for independence. Their request to be shot by a firing squad is refused.
- 1933 – The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany.
- 1935 – Signing of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
- 1939 - The Hungarian air force attacks the headquarters of the Slovakian air force in the city of Spisska Nova Ves, killing 13 people.
- 1940 – The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan or the then Qarardad-e-Lahore) is put forward at the Annual General Convention of the All India Muslim League.
- 1942 – World War II: In the Indian Ocean, Japanese forces capture the Andaman Islands.
- 1956 – Pakistan becomes the first Islamic Republic in the world.
- 1962 – NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, was launched as a showcase for Dwight D. Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace initiative.
- 1963 – In London, United Kingdom, Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann win the eighth Eurovision Song Contest for Denmark singing "Dansevise" (Dancing tune).
- 1965 – NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young).
- 1978 – The first UNIFIL troops arrived in Lebanon for peacekeeping mission along the Blue Line.
- 1982 - Guatemala's government, led by Fernando Romeo Lucas Garcia is overthrown in a military coup by right-wing General Efrain Rios Montt.
- 1983 – Strategic Defense Initiative: US President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles.
- 1989 – Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann announce cold fusion at the University of Utah.
- 1989 – A 1,000-foot diameter Near-Earth asteroid misses the Earth by 400,000 miles.
- 1991 - The 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone begins.
- 1994 – At an election rally in Tijuana, Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio is assassinated by Mario Aburto Martinez.
- 1994 - Aeroflot Flight 593 crashes in Siberia, when the pilot's 15-year-old son accidentally disengages the autopilot, killing all 75 people on board.
- 1996 – Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President.
- 1998 - James Cameron's movie Titanic wins several Academy Awards on one night, making it one of Hollywood's most successful films ever.
- 1999 – Gunmen assassinate Paraguay's Vice President Luis María Argaña.
- 2001 – The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji.
- 2001 – The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) (now World Wrestling Entertainment) purchases rival organization World Championship Wrestling (WCW) for an estimated $5 million.
- 2003 – In Nasiriyah, Iraq, 18 U.S. Marines are killed during the first major conflict of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- 2003 - In Slovenia, referendums are held on memberships of the EU and NATO, with a majority in favor of both proposals.
- 2004 – Andhra Pradesh Federation of Trade Unions holds its first conference in Hyderabad, India.
- 2005 – The United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, refuses to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.
Births [change]
- 1429 – Margaret of Anjou, Queen Consort of England (d. 1482)
- 1501 - Pietro Andrea Mattioli, Italian physician and botanist (d. 1577)
- 1599 - Thomas Selle, German composer (d. 1663)
- 1638 - Frederik Ruysch, Dutch physician and anatomist (d. 1731)
- 1643 - Mary of Jesus de Leon y Delgado, Spanish saint (d. 1731)
- 1645 – William Kidd, Scottish sailor (d. 1701)
- 1723 – Agha Mohammad Khan Ghajar, King of Persia (d. 1771)
- 1732 - Marie Adelaide of France (d. 1800)
- 1749 - Pierre-Simon Laplace, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1827)
- 1754 – Jurij Vega, Slovenian mathematician, physicist and artillery officer (d. 1802)
- 1769 - William Smith, English geologist (d. 1839)
- 1799 - Joshua Baker, Governor of Louisiana (d. 1885)
- 1823 – Schuyler Colfax, 17th Vice President of the United States (d. 1885)
- 1826 - Ludwig Minkus, Austrian ballet composer, violin virtuoso and teacher (d. 1917)
- 1829 - N. R. Pogson, English astronomer and mathematician (d. 1891)
- 1831 – Eduard Schlagintweit, German writer (d. 1866)
- 1854 - Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner, British politician (d. 1925)
- 1858 – Ludwig Quidde, German pacifist, Nobel Peace Prize winner (d. 1941)
- 1862 - Nathaniel Reed, American outlaw-turned-evangelist (d. 1950)
- 1869 - Calouste Gulbenkian, Armenian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1955)
- 1871 - Heinrich Schroth, German actor (d. 1945)
- 1880 – Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish politician (d. 1922)
- 1881 – Roger Martin du Gard, French writer (d. 1958)
- 1881 – Hermann Staudinger, German chemist (d. 1965)
- 1881 - Lacey Hearn, American athlete and sprinter (d. 1969)
- 1882 – Emmy Noether, German mathematician (d. 1935)
- 1887 – Juan Gris, Spanish Cubist painter (d. 1927)
- 1887 – Felix Yusupov, Russian, assassin of Grigori Rasputin (d. 1967)
- 1893 - G. D. Naidu, Indian inventor and engineer (d. 1974)
- 1899 – Dora Gerson, German actress and singer (d. 1943)
- 1900 – Erich Fromm, German-born psychoanalyst (d. 1980)
- 1904 - German Busch, President of Bolivia (d. 1939)
- 1905 – Lale Andersen, German singer and actress (d. 1972)
- 1905 – Joan Crawford, American actress (d. 1977)
- 1906 - Jose Della Torre, Argentine footballer (d. 1979)
- 1907 – Daniel Bovet, Swiss scientist (d. 1992)
- 1910 – Akira Kurosawa, Japanese film director (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Wernher von Braun, German physicist and engineer (d. 1977)
- 1915 – Vasily Zaytsev, Soviet World War II figure (d. 1991)
- 1915 - Thomas Pashby, Canadian advocate for safety in ice hockey (d. 2005)
- 1918 - Stanley Armour Dunham, Barack Obama's grandfather (d. 1992)
- 1920 - Tetsuharu Kawakami, Japanese baseball player and coach
- 1921 – Donald Campbell, British car and motorboat racer (d. 1967)
- 1922 - Marty Allen, American comedian and actor
- 1922 - Ugo Tognazzi, Italian actor, director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
- 1924 - Bette Nesmith Graham, American inventor (d. 1980)
- 1925 - David Watkin, British cinematographer (d. 2008)
- 1929 – Roger Bannister, British runner
- 1931 – Yevgeny Grishin, Russian speed skater (d. 2005)
- 1931 – Viktor Korchnoi, Russian chess player
- 1931 - Yevdokiya Mekshilo, Russian skier (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Louisiana Red, American blues musician (d. 2012)
- 1934 - Mark Rydell, American director
- 1935 - Barry Cryer, British writer and comedian
- 1937 - Ibrahim Abouleish, Egyptian chemist and businessman
- 1937 – Craig Breedlove, American land speed record holder
- 1937 - Robert Gallo, American virologist
- 1938 - Dave Pike, American jazz musician
- 1942 – Michael Haneke, Austrian filmmaker and author
- 1944 – Tony McPhee, British singer and guitarist
- 1944 - Michael Nyman, British composer
- 1945 - Franco Battiato, Italian singer, songwriter and filmmaker
- 1945 - David Grisman, American bluegrass musician
- 1950 – Valgerdur Sverrisdottir, Icelandic politician
- 1950 – Mike Easley, American politician, former Governor of North Carolina
- 1952 - Francesco Clemente, Italian artist
- 1952 - Pola Kinski, German actress
- 1953 – Chaka Khan, American singer
- 1956 – Jose Manuel Barroso, Portuguese politician
- 1956 - Andrew Mitchell, British politician
- 1957 – Lucio Gutierrez, former President of Ecuador
- 1958 - Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, Swedish ice hockey player and coach
- 1958 - Serena Grandi, Italian actress
- 1958 – Eldon Hoke, American singer and drummer (d. 1997)
- 1960 – Nicol Stephen, Scottish politician
- 1962 – Steve Redgrave, British rower, five-time Olympic champion
- 1963 - Michel, Spanish footballer
- 1964 – Hope Davis, American actress
- 1965 – Marti Pellow, Scottish singer
- 1965 - Richard Grieco, American actor
- 1965 - Steve Turner, American rock musician
- 1966 - Alfred Nijhuis, Dutch footballer
- 1968 – Damon Albarn, British singer (Blur)
- 1968 – Fernando Hierro, Spanish footballer
- 1968 – Michael Atherton, English cricketer
- 1970 - Melissa Errico, American actress and singer
- 1971 – Gail Porter, Scottish television presenter
- 1972 – Joe Calzaghe, Welsh boxer
- 1972 - Jonas Bjorkman, Swedish tennis player
- 1973 – Jerzy Dudek, Polish footballer
- 1973 – Jason Kidd, American basketball player
- 1976 – Chris Hoy, Scottish cyclist, six-time Olympic champion
- 1976 – Michelle Monaghan, American actress
- 1976 – Keri Russell, American actress
- 1978 – Walter Samuel, Argentine footballer
- 1978 – Perez Hilton, American blogger
- 1980 – Russell Howard, British comedian
- 1981 – Shelley Rudman, British skeleton bobsledder
- 1982 – Jose Raul Contreras, Chilean footballer
- 1983 – Mo Farah, British track-and-field athlete, two-time Olympic gold medallist
- 1983 – Sascha Riether, German footballer
- 1983 – Jerome Thomas, English footballer
- 1986 – Andrea Dovizioso, Italian motorcycle racer
- 1988 - Jason Kenny, English cyclist, Olympic champion
- 1990 – Princess Eugenie of York, member of the British royal family
- 1992 - Kyrie Irving, Australian-American basketball player
- 1992 – Vanessa Morgan, Canadian actress and singer
Deaths [change]
- 1103 – Eudes I, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1058)
- 1361 – Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster (b. 1310)
- 1369 – King Peter of Castile (b. 1334)
- 1555 – Pope Julius III (b. 1489)
- 1559 - Emperor Gelawdewos of Ethiopia
- 1606 – Justus Lipsius, Flemish humanist (b. 1547)
- 1675 - Antoni van Goordt, Dutch composer and organist (b. 1619)
- 1680 - Nicolas Fouquet, French statesman (b. 1615)
- 1742 – Jean-Baptiste Dubos, French writer (b. 1670)
- 1748 - Johann Gottfried Walther, German music theorist, organist and composer (b. 1684)
- 1801 – Tsar Paul I of Russia (b. 1754)
- 1819 – August von Kotzebue, German dramatist and writer (b. 1761)
- 1842 – Stendhal, French writer (b. 1783)
- 1881 – Nikolai Rubinstein, Russian composer (b. 1835)
- 1923 – Hovhannes Tumanyan Armenian poet and writer (b. 1869)
- 1931 – Bhagat Singh, Indian freedom writer (b. 1907)
- 1931 – Rajguru, Indian freedom fighter (b. 1908)
- 1931 – Sukhdev, Indian freedom fighter (b. 1907)
- 1938 - Thomas Walter Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan (b. 1867)
- 1945 – Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Japanese commander (b. 1891)
- 1947 - Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (b. 1870)
- 1948 – Nikolai Berdyaev, Russian philosopher (b. 1874)
- 1953 – Raoul Dufy, French painter (b. 1877)
- 1955 – Artur da Silva Bernardes, President of Brazil (b. 1875)
- 1960 - Raoul Paoli, French athlete, boxer and rower (b. 1887)
- 1964 – Peter Lorre, Hungarian-born actor (b. 1904)
- 1971 - Simon Vestdijk, Dutch writer (b. 1898)
- 1978 - Haim Ernst Wertheimer, Israeli biochemist (b. 1893)
- 1979 – Ted Anderson, English footballer (b. 1911)
- 1985 - Richard Beeching, British physicist and engineer (b. 1913)
- 1985 – Zoot Sims, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1925)
- 1990 – John Dexter, English stage and film director (b. 1925)
- 1992 – Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist (b. 1899)
- 1994 – Luis Donaldo Colosio, Mexican politician (b. 1950)
- 1994 - Giulietta Masina, Italian actress (b. 1921)
- 1994 - Donald Swann, British composer, musician and entertainer (b. 1923)
- 2002 – Ben Hollioake, English cricketer (b. 1977)
- 2003 – Fritz Spiegl, Austrian-born journalist (b. 1926)
- 2006 – Cindy Walker, American singer, songwriter and dancer (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Rafael Azcona, Spanish screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Ghukas Chubaryan, Armenian sculptor (b. 1923)
- 2011 – Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, former President of Somalia (b. 1934)
- 2013 - Boris Berezovsky, Russian businessman and oligarch (b. 1946)
- 2013 - Joe Weider, American bodybuilder (b. 1920)
Observances [change]
- Republic Day (Pakistan)
- Polish-Hungarian friendship day
- Day of the Sea (Bolivia)
- World Meteorological Day
- Family Day (South Africa)
- Western Christianity - Earliest possible date for Easter Monday (April 26 is the latest)
- Western Christianity - Second-earliest possible date for Easter, last occurred on this date in 2008, next in 2160.
