February 23 — On This Day
270 entries
Events
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303
Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
Roman emperor · Diocletian · Nicomedia · Diocletianic Persecution
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532
Byzantine emperor Justinian I orders the building of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople - the Hagia Sophia.
Byzantine emperor · Justinian I · Eastern Orthodox Church · Basilica · Constantinople
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1455
Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
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1554
Mapuche forces, under the leadership of Lautaro, score a victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Marihueñu in Chile.
Mapuche · Lautaro · Spanish Empire · Battle of Marihueñu · Chile
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1739
At York Castle, the outlaw Dick Turpin is identified by his former schoolteacher. Turpin had been using the name Richard Palmer.
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1778
American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to help to train the Continental Army.
American Revolutionary War · Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben · Valley Forge, Pennsylvania · Continental Army
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1820
Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.
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1836
Texas Revolution: The Siege of the Alamo (prelude to the Battle of the Alamo) begins in San Antonio, Texas.
Texas Revolution · Siege of the Alamo · Battle of the Alamo · San Antonio, Texas
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1847
Mexican-American War: Battle of Buena Vista: In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
Mexican-American War · Battle of Buena Vista · Zachary Taylor · Antonio López de Santa Anna
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1854
The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
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1861
President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.
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1870
Reconstruction Era: Post-U.S. Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
Reconstruction Era · American Civil War · Mississippi · Union (American Civil War)
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1883
Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an anti-trust law.
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1885
Sino-French War: French Army gains an important victory in the Battle of Đồng Đăng in the Tonkin region of Vietnam.
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1886
Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of man-made aluminum, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister, Julia Brainerd Hall.
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1887
The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
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1898
Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing "J'accuse", a letter accusing the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
Émile Zola · J'accuse · Antisemitism · Captain (OF-2) · Alfred Dreyfus
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1900
Second Boer War: During the Battle of the Tugela Heights, the first British attempt to take Hart's Hill fails.
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1903
Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
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1905
Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club.
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1909
The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
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1917
First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution (March 8 in the Gregorian calendar).
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1927
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill by Congress establishing the Federal Radio Commission (later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.
Calvin Coolidge · United States Congress · Federal Radio Commission · Federal Communications Commission
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1927
German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg writes a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he describes his uncertainty principle for the first time.
Theoretical physics · Werner Heisenberg · Wolfgang Pauli · Uncertainty principle
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1934
Leopold III becomes King of Belgium.
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1941
Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
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1942
World War II: Japanese submarines fire artillery shells at the coastline near Santa Barbara, California.
World War II · Empire of Japan · Bombardment of Ellwood · Santa Barbara, California
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1943
A fire breaks out at Saint Joseph's Orphanage, County Cavan, Ireland, killing 35 children and one adult.
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1943
Greek Resistance: The United Panhellenic Organization of Youth is founded in Greece.
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1944
The Soviet Union begins the forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.
Soviet Union · Operation Lentil (Caucasus) · Chechens · Ingush people · North Caucasus
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1945
World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines and a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.
Battle of Iwo Jima · United States Marine · Hospital corpsman · Mount Suribachi · Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
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1945
World War II: The 11th Airborne Division, with Filipino guerrillas, free the captives of the Los Baños internment camp.
11th Airborne Division (United States) · Filipinos · Los Baños, Laguna
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1945
World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by combined Filipino and American forces.
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1945
World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
Nazi Germany · Poznań · Soviet Union · History of Poland (1939-45)
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1945
World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is annihilated in a raid by 379 British bombers.
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1954
The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh.
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1966
In Syria, Ba'ath Party member Salah Jadid leads an intra-party military coup that replaces the previous government of General Amin al-Hafiz, also a Baathist.
Syria · Ba'ath Party · Salah Jadid · Coup · Amin al-Hafiz
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1974
The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
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1980
Iran hostage crisis: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran's parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
Iran hostage crisis · Supreme Leader of Iran · Ayatollah · Ruhollah Khomeini
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1981
In Spain, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup d'état by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
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1983
The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.
United States Environmental Protection Agency · Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins · Times Beach, Missouri
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1987
Supernova 1987a is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
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1991
In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d'état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
Thailand · Sunthorn Kongsompong · Coup d'état · Chatichai Choonhavan
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1998
In the United States, tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42 people.
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1999
Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
Kurds · Abdullah Öcalan · Treason · Ankara
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2007
A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 88. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
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2008
A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber crashes on Guam, marking the first operational loss of a B-2.
United States Air Force · B-2 Spirit · 2008 Andersen Air Force Base B-2 accident
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2010
Unknown criminals pour more than 2.5 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in northern Italy, sparking an environmental disaster.
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2012
A series of attacks across Iraq leave at least 83 killed and more than 250 injured.
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2017
The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army captures Al-Bab from ISIL.
Famous Births
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1417
Pope Paul II (d. 1471)
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1417
Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1479)
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1443
Matthias Corvinus, Hungarian king (d. 1490)
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1529
Onofrio Panvinio, Italian historian (d. 1568)
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1539
Henry XI of Legnica, thrice Duke of Legnica (d. 1588)
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1539
Salima Sultan Begum, Empress of the Mughal Empire (d. 1612)
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1583
Jean-Baptiste Morin, French mathematician, astrologer, and astronomer (d. 1656)
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1592
Balthazar Gerbier, Dutch painter (d. 1663)
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1633
Samuel Pepys, English diarist and politician (d. 1703)
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1646
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shogun (d. 1709)
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1680
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, Canadian politician, 2nd Colonial Governor of Louisiana (d. 1767)
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville · List of colonial governors of Louisiana
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1685
George Frideric Handel, German-English organist and composer (d. 1759)
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1723
Richard Price, Welsh-English minister and philosopher (d. 1791)
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1744
Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German banker and businessman (d. 1812)
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1831
Hendrik Willem Mesdag, Dutch painter (d. 1915)
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1840
Carl Menger, Austrian economist and educator (d. 1921)
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1842
Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, German philosopher and author (d. 1906)
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1850
César Ritz, Swiss businessman, founded The Ritz Hotel, London and Hôtel Ritz Paris (d. 1918)
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1852
Dục Đức, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1883)
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1868
W. E. B. Du Bois, American sociologist, historian, and activist (d. 1963)
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1868
Anna Hofman-Uddgren, Swedish actress, singer, and director (d. 1947)
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1873
Liang Qichao, Chinese journalist, philosopher, and scholar (d. 1929)
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1874
Konstantin Päts, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st President of Estonia (d. 1956)
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1878
Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian painter and theorist (d. 1935)
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1883
Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (d. 1969)
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1883
Guy C. Wiggins, American painter (d. 1962)
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1889
Musidora, French actress and director (d. 1957)
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1889
Cyril Delevanti, English-American actor (d. 1975)
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1889
Victor Fleming, American director, cinematographer, and producer (d. 1949)
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1889
John Gilbert Winant, American captain, pilot, and politician, 60th Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1947)
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1892
Kathleen Harrison, English actress (d. 1995)
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1894
Harold Horder, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1978)
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1899
Erich Kästner, German author and poet (d. 1974)
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1899
Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (d. 1981)
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1904
Terence Fisher, English director and screenwriter (d. 1980)
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1904
William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian (d. 1993)
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1908
William McMahon, Australian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1988)
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1915
Jon Hall, American actor and director (d. 1979)
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1915
Paul Tibbets, American general and pilot (d. 2007)
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1919
Johnny Carey, Irish footballer and manager (d. 1995)
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1920
Paul Gérin-Lajoie, Canadian lawyer and politician
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1923
Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan jurist and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 2014)
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1923
Ioannis Grivas, Greek judge and politician, 176th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2016)
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1923
Dante Lavelli, American football player (d. 2009)
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1923
Mary Francis Shura, American author (d. 1991)
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1924
Allan McLeod Cormack, South-African-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
Allan McLeod Cormack · Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
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1925
Louis Stokes, American lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
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1927
Régine Crespin, French soprano and actress (d. 2007)
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1928
Hans Herrmann, German race car driver
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1928
Vasily Lazarev, Russian colonel, physician, and astronaut (d. 1990)
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1929
Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow (d. 2008)
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1929
Elston Howard, American baseball player and coach (d. 1980)
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1930
Paul West, English-American author, poet, and academic (d. 2015)
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1931
Tom Wesselmann, American painter and sculptor (d. 2004)
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1932
Majel Barrett, American actress and producer (d. 2008)
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1937
Tom Osborne, American football player, coach, and politician
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1938
Paul Morrissey, American director, producer, and screenwriter
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1938
Diane Varsi, American actress (d. 1992)
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1940
Peter Fonda, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
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1940
Jackie Smith, American football player
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1941
Ron Hunt, American baseball player
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1943
Fred Biletnikoff, American football player and coach
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1943
Bobby Mitchell, American golfer
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1944
Bernard Cornwell, English author and educator
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1944
Florian Fricke, German keyboard player and composer (d. 2001)
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1944
Johnny Winter, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2014)
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1945
Allan Boesak, South African cleric and politician
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1946
Rusty Young, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
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1947
Pia Kjærsgaard, Danish politician, Speaker of the Danish Parliament
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1947
Anton Mosimann, Swiss chef and author
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1948
Bill Alexander, English director and producer
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1948
Trevor Cherry, English footballer
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1948
Steve Priest, English singer-songwriter and bass player
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1949
César Aira, Argentinian author and translator
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1949
Marc Garneau, Canadian engineer, astronaut, and politician
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1950
Rebecca Goldstein, American philosopher and author
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1951
Eddie Dibbs, American tennis player
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1951
Ed "Too Tall" Jones, American football player and boxer
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1951
Patricia Richardson, American actress
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1952
Brad Whitford, American guitarist and songwriter
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1953
Kenny Bee, Hong Kong singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
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1953
Satoru Nakajima, Japanese race car driver
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1954
Rajini Thiranagama, Sri Lankan physician and academic (d. 1989)
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1954
Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian captain and politician, 3rd President of Ukraine
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1955
Howard Jones, English singer-songwriter
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1955
Flip Saunders, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
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1956
Sandra Osborne, Scottish politician
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1958
David Sylvian, English singer-songwriter
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1959
Clayton Anderson, American engineer and astronaut
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1959
Nick de Bois, English politician
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1959
Ian Liddell-Grainger, Scottish soldier and politician
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1959
Linda Nolan, Irish singer and actress
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1960
Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan
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1962
Michael Wilton, American guitarist
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1963
Bobby Bonilla, American baseball player
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1963
Radosław Sikorski, Polish journalist and politician, 11th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland
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1964
John Norum, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
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1965
Michael Dell, American businessman
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1965
Helena Suková, Czech-Monacan tennis player
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1967
Steve Stricker, American golfer
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1967
Chris Vrenna, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
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1969
Michael Campbell, New Zealand-Australian golfer
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1969
Martine Croxall, English journalist and television news presenter
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1969
Daymond John, American fashion designer and businessman, founded FUBU
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1970
Niecy Nash, American actress and producer
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1971
Carin Koch, Swedish golfer
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1971
Melinda Messenger, English model and television host
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1971
Joe-Max Moore, American soccer player
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1972
Alessandro Sturba, Italian footballer
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1972
Rondell White, American baseball player
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1973
Jeff Nordgaard, American-Polish basketball player
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1974
Herschelle Gibbs, South African cricketer
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1974
Robbi Kempson, South African rugby player
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1975
Michael Cornacchia, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
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1976
Scott Elarton, American baseball player and coach
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1976
Kelly Macdonald, Scottish actress
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1976
Jeff O'Neill, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
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1977
Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, Estonian skier
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1978
Residente, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
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1978
Dan Snyder, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
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1979
S. E. Cupp, American journalist and author
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1981
Gareth Barry, English footballer
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1981
Josh Gad, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
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1981
Charles Tillman, American football player
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1982
Adam Hann-Byrd, American actor and screenwriter
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1983
Mido, Egyptian footballer and sportscaster
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1983
Aziz Ansari, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
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1983
Emily Blunt, English actress
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1986
Emerson Conceição, Brazilian footballer
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1986
Skylar Grey, American singer-songwriter
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1986
Kazuya Kamenashi, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
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1986
Jerod Mayo, American football player
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1986
Ola Svensson, Swedish singer-songwriter
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1987
Ab-Soul, American rapper
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1987
Theophilus London, Trinidadian-American singer-songwriter and producer
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1988
Nicolás Gaitán, Argentinian footballer
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1989
Evan Bates, American ice dancer
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1989
Jérémy Pied, French footballer
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1990
Kevin Connauton, Canadian ice hockey player
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1990
Terry Hawkridge, English footballer
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1990
Marco Scandella, Canadian ice hockey player
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1992
Casemiro, Brazilian footballer
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1992
Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Greek footballer
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1993
Chris Grevsmuhl, Australian rugby league player
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1994
Dakota Fanning, American actress
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1995
Andrew Wiggins, Canadian basketball player
Famous Deaths
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715
Al-Walid I, Umayyad caliph (b. 668)
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908
Li Keyong, Shatuo military governor during the Tang Dynasty in China (b. 856)
Li Keyong · Shatuo · Tang Dynasty · China
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943
Herbert II, Count of Vermandois, (b. 884)
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943
David I, prince of Tao-Klarjeti (Georgia)
David I of Klarjeti · Principality of Tao-Klarjeti · Georgia (country)
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1011
Willigis, German archbishop (b. 940)
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1100
Emperor Zhezong of Song (b. 1076)
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1270
Isabel of France (b. 1225)
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1447
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1390)
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1447
Pope Eugene IV (b. 1383)
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1464
Emperor Yingzong of Ming (b. 1427)
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1473
Arnold, Duke of Gelderland (b. 1410)
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1526
Diego Colón, Spanish Viceroy of the Indies (b. c. 1479)
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1554
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire (b. 1515)
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk · Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire
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1603
Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (b. 1519)
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1603
Franciscus Vieta, French mathematician (b. 1540)
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1620
Nicholas Fuller, English politician (b. 1543)
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1704
Georg Muffat, French organist and composer (b. 1653)
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1766
Stanisław Leszczyński, Polish king (b. 1677)
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1781
George Taylor, Irish-American blacksmith and politician (b. 1716)
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1792
Joshua Reynolds, English painter and academic (b. 1723)
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1821
John Keats, English poet (b. 1795)
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1848
John Quincy Adams, American politician, 6th President of the United States (b. 1767)
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1855
Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (b. 1777)
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1859
Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1812)
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1879
Albrecht von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (b. 1803)
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1897
Woldemar Bargiel, German composer and educator (b. 1828)
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1900
Ernest Dowson, English poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1867)
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1908
Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (b. 1823)
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1918
Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1882)
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1930
Horst Wessel, German SA officer (b. 1907)
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1931
Nellie Melba, Australian soprano and actress (b. 1861)
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1934
Edward Elgar, English composer and academic (b. 1857)
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1944
Leo Baekeland, Belgian-American chemist and engineer (b. 1863)
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1946
Tomoyuki Yamashita, Japanese general (b. 1885)
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1948
John Robert Gregg, Irish-American publisher and educator (b. 1866)
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1955
Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright (b. 1868)
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1965
Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (b. 1890)
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1969
Madhubala, Indian actress and producer (b. 1933)
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1969
Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 2nd King of Saudi Arabia (b. 1902)
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1973
Dickinson W. Richards, American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
Dickinson W. Richards · Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
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1974
Harry Ruby, American composer and screenwriter (b. 1895)
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1976
L. S. Lowry, English painter (b. 1887)
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1979
W. A. C. Bennett, Canadian businessman and politician, 25th Premier of British Columbia (b. 1900)
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1983
Herbert Howells, English organist and composer (b. 1892)
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1990
José Napoleón Duarte, Salvadoran engineer and politician, President of El Salvador (b. 1925)
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1995
James Herriot, English veterinarian and author (b. 1916)
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1997
Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (b. 1945)
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1998
Philip Abbott, American actor and director (b. 1924)
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1999
The Renegade, American wrestler (b. 1965)
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2000
Ofra Haza, Israeli singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1957)
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2000
Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (b. 1915)
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2003
Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1955)
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2003
Robert K. Merton, American sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
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2004
Vijay Anand, Indian director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1934)
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2004
Sikander Bakht, Indian politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (b. 1918)
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2006
Telmo Zarra, Spanish footballer (b. 1921)
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2007
John Ritchie, English footballer (b. 1941)
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2008
Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian economist and politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (b. 1950)
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2008
Paul Frère, Belgian race car driver and journalist (b. 1917)
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2010
Orlando Zapata, Cuban plumber and activist (b. 1967)
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2011
Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (b. 1923)
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2012
William Raggio, American lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
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2012
David Sayre, American physicist and mathematician (b. 1924)
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2012
Kazimierz Żygulski, Polish sociologist and activist (b. 1919)
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2013
Eugene Bookhammer, American soldier and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (b. 1918)
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2013
Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (b. 1920)
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2013
Lotika Sarkar, Indian lawyer and academic (b. 1945)
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2014
Alice Herz-Sommer, Czech-English Holocaust survivor, pianist and educator (b. 1903)
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2014
Roger Hilsman, American soldier, academic, and politician (b. 1919)
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2015
James Aldridge, Australian-English journalist and author (b. 1918)
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2015
Rana Bhagwandas, Pakistani lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of Pakistan (b. 1942)
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2015
W. E. "Bill" Dykes, American soldier and politician (b. 1925)
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2016
Peter Lustig, German television host and author (b. 1937)
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2016
Jacqueline Mattson, American baseball player (b. 1928)