What happened on April 23? There are more than 273 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About April 23

April 23 In HistoryApril 23 is the 114th day of the year 2024. There are 252 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday. This day falls under the 17th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Fountain Green, Utah 84632 sunrise will occur at 06:34 AM and sunset will occur at 08:14 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Taurus. The modern birthstone for this month is Diamond while the mystical birthstone is Opal.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 281 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 21 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For April 23

  • 215 BC
    A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
  • 1014
    Battle of Clontarf: Brian Boru defeats Viking invaders, but is killed in battle.
  • 1016
    Edmund Ironside succeeds his father Æthelred the Unready as king of England,
  • 1343
    Estonia: St. George’s Night Uprising.
  • 1348
    The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III is announced on St George’s Day.
  • 1521
    Battle of Villalar: King Charles I of Spain defeats the Comuneros.
  • 1635
    The first public school in the United States, Boston Latin School, is founded in Boston, Massachusetts.
  • 1660
    Treaty of Oliwa is established between Sweden and Poland.
  • 1661
    King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is crowned in Westminster Abbey.
  • 1815
    The Second Serbian Uprising – a second phase of the national revolution of the Serbs against the Ottoman Empire, erupts shortly after the annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1910
    Theodore Roosevelt made his The Man in the Arena speech.
  • 1918
    World War I: The British Royal Navy makes a raid in an attempt to neutralise the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge.
  • 1920
    The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) is founded in Ankara.
  • 1920
    The national council in Turkey denounces the government of Sultan Mehmed VI and announces a temporary constitution.
  • 1927
    Turkey becomes the first country to celebrate Children’s Day as a national holiday.
  • 1932
    The 153-year old De Adriaan Windmill in Haarlem, Netherlands burns down. It is rebuilt and reopens exactly 70 years later.
  • 1935
    The Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
  • 1940
    The Rhythm Night Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people.
  • 1941
    World War II: The Greek government and King George II evacuate Athens before the invading Wehrmacht.
  • 1942
    World War II: Baedeker Blitz – German bombers hit Exeter, Bath and York in retaliation for the British raid on Lübeck.
  • 1949
    Chinese Civil War: Establishment of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
  • 1951
    American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia.
  • 1955
    The Canadian Labour Congress is formed by the merger of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour.
  • 1961
    Algiers putsch by French generals.
  • 1967
    Soviet space program: Soyuz 1 (Russian: Союз 1, Union 1) is a manned spaceflight, Launched into orbit carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov.
  • 1968
    Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university.
  • 1985
    Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than 3 months.
  • 1990
    Namibia becomes the 160th member of the United Nations and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
  • 1993
    Eritreans vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
  • 1997
    Omaria massacre in Algeria: 42 villagers are killed.
  • 2003
    Beijing closes all schools for two weeks because of the SARS virus.

Who Were Born On April 23?

  • 1141
    King Malcolm IV of Scotland (d. 1165)
  • 1170
    Isabelle of Hainaut, queen of France (d. 1190)
  • 1185
    King Afonso II of Portugal (d. 1223)
  • 1464
    Joan of France, Duchess of Berry, queen of France (d. 1505)
  • 1484
    Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian philosopher (d. 1558)
  • 1500
    Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian (d. 1565)
  • 1516
    Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian, and archaeologist (d. 1571)
  • 1564
    William Shakespeare, English writer and actor (d. 1616) (traditional approximate birth date in Julian calendar based on April 26 baptism)
  • 1598
    Maarten Tromp, Dutch admiral (d. 1653)
  • 1621
    William Penn, English admiral (d. 1670)
  • 1628
    Johann van Waveren Hudde, Dutch mathematician (d. 1704)
  • 1676
    King Frederick I of Sweden (d. 1751)
  • 1720
    Vilna Gaon, Lithuanian rabbi (d. 1797)
  • 1725
    Saint Gerard Majella, Catholic saint (d. 1755)
  • 1746
    Félix Vicq-d'Azyr, French physician and anatomist (d. 1794)
  • 1775
    J. M. W. Turner, English painter (d. 1851)
  • 1791
    James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States (d. 1868)
  • 1792
    John Thomas Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist (d. 1882)
  • 1794
    Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar (d. 1856)
  • 1805
    Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz, German philosopher (d. 1879)
  • 1813
    Frédéric Ozanam, French scholar (Society of Saint Vincent de Paul) (d. 1853)
  • 1813
    Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Senator from Illinois and Presidential candidate (d. 1861)
  • 1823
    Abd-ul-Mejid I, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1861)
  • 1834
    Artemus Ward, American comic writer (d. 1867)
  • 1853
    Winthrop M. Crane, 40th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1920)
  • 1857
    Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (d. 1919)
  • 1858
    Ethel Mary Smyth, English composer (d. 1944)
  • 1858
    Max Planck, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
  • 1861
    Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, British general (d. 1936)
  • 1861
    John Peltz, American baseball player (d. 1906)
  • 1865
    Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Russian-Azerbaijani general (d. 1943)
  • 1867
    Johannes Andreas Grib Fibiger, Danish scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1928)
  • 1872
    Violet Gordon-Woodhouse, British musician (d. 1951)
  • 1876
    Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, German historian (d. 1925)
  • 1880
    Michel Fokine, Russian choreographer and dancer (d. 1942)
  • 1882
    Albert Coates, British composer (d. 1953)
  • 1888
    Georges Vanier, French-Canadian soldier and diplomat (d. 1967)
  • 1889
    Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (d. 1942)
  • 1891
    Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer (d. 1953)
  • 1893
    Frank Borzage, American film director (d. 1952)
  • 1894
    Cow Cow Davenport, American pianist (d. 1955)
  • 1895
    Johnny Hyde, Russian-born American talent agent (d. 1950)
  • 1895
    Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand writer (d. 1982)
  • 1897
    Lester B. Pearson, fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1972)
  • 1897
    Lucius D. Clay, American general (d. 1978)
  • 1899
    Bertil Ohlin, Swedish economist, Bank of Sweden Prize winner (d. 1979)
  • 1899
    Minoru Shirota, inventor of Yakult (d. 1982)
  • 1900
    Jim Bottomley, American baseball player (d. 1959)
  • 1900
    Joseph Green, Polish-born actor and director (d. 1996)
  • 1901
    E.B. Ford, British ecological geneticist (d. 1988)
  • 1902
    Halldór Laxness, Icelandic writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
  • 1903
    Guy Simonds, youngest general officer in the Canadian army (d. 1974)
  • 1904
    Duncan Renaldo, Spanish-American actor (d. 1985)
  • 1907
    Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor (d. 1975)
  • 1907
    Lee Miller, American photographer & model (d. 1977)
  • 1908
    Myron Waldman, American animator (d. 2006)
  • 1910
    Simone Simon, French actress (d. 2005)
  • 1911
    Ronald Neame, British film producer (d. 2010)
  • 1917
    Dorian Leigh, American supermodel (d. 2008)
  • 1918
    Maurice Druon, French author (d. 2009)
  • 1919
    Oleg Penkovsky, Soviet double-agent (d. 1963)
  • 1921
    Janet Blair, American actress (d. 2007)
  • 1921
    Warren Spahn, American baseball player (d. 2003)
  • 1922
    Jack May, British actor (d. 1997)
  • 1922
    Marjorie Cameron, American writer, painter, actress and occultist (d. 1995)
  • 1923
    Antonino Rocca, professional wrestler (d. 1977)
  • 1923
    Avram Davidson, American writer (d. 1993)
  • 1923
    Dolph Briscoe, Governor of Texas (d. 2010)
  • 1924
    Bobby Rosengarden, American jazz drummer (d. 2007)
  • 1924
    Chuck Harmon, American baseball player
  • 1926
    J. P. Donleavy, Irish American author
  • 1928
    Shirley Temple, American actress and politician
  • 1930
    Alan Oppenheimer, American actor and voice actor
  • 1932
    Halston, American fashion designer (d. 1990)
  • 1932
    Jim Fixx, American athlete and writer (d. 1984)
  • 1934
    George Canseco, Filipino music composer (d. 2004)
  • 1935
    Bunky Green, American musician
  • 1936
    Roy Orbison, American singer and musician (d. 1988)
  • 1939
    Jorge Fons, Mexican film director
  • 1939
    Lee Majors, American actor
  • 1939
    Ray Peterson, American singer (d. 2005)
  • 1940
    Michael Copps, American Federal Government official
  • 1941
    Jacqueline Boyer, French singer
  • 1941
    Michael Lynne, American film executive
  • 1941
    Paavo Lipponen, Prime Minister of Finland 1995-2003
  • 1942
    Sandra Dee, American actress (d. 2005)
  • 1943
    Frans Koppelaar, Dutch painter
  • 1943
    Gail Goodrich, American basketball player
  • 1943
    Hervé Villechaize, French actor (d. 1993)
  • 1943
    Tony Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1947
    Bernadette Devlin, Irish politician
  • 1947
    Glenn Cornick, British musician (Jethro Tull)
  • 1948
    Pascal Quignard, French author
  • 1948
    Serge Thériault, French-Canadian comedian and actor
  • 1949
    David Cross, British violinist (King Crimson)
  • 1949
    Joyce DeWitt, American actress
  • 1952
    Narada Michael Walden, American musician and producer
  • 1953
    James Russo, American actor
  • 1954
    Michael Moore, American filmmaker
  • 1955
    Fumi Hirano, Japanese voice actress and essayist
  • 1955
    Judy Davis, Australian actress
  • 1955
    Tony Miles, English chess player (d. 2001)
  • 1957
    Jan Hooks, American actress
  • 1957
    Kenji Kawai, Japanese composer
  • 1957
    Neville Brody, English graphic designer, typographer and art director
  • 1958
    Gene Scheer, American opera librettist and songwriter
  • 1958
    Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Icelandic music composer
  • 1958
    Ryan Walter, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1960
    Claude Julien, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1960
    Steve Clark, English guitarist (Def Leppard) (d. 1991)
  • 1960
    Valerie Bertinelli, American actress
  • 1961
    George Lopez, American actor and comedian
  • 1961
    Terry Gordy, American professional wrestler (d. 2001)
  • 1962
    John Hannah, Scottish actor
  • 1963
    Magnús Ver Magnússon, Icelandic powerlifter
  • 1963
    Paul Belmondo, French actor and racing driver
  • 1967
    Kim Hee-ae, South Korean actress
  • 1967
    Melina Kanakaredes, American actress
  • 1967
    Rheal Cormier, Canadian baseball player
  • 1968
    Princess Aisha bint Al Hussein of Jordan
  • 1968
    Princess Zein bint Al Hussein of Jordan
  • 1968
    Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist (d. 2001)
  • 1969
    Arthur Phillips, American author and Jeopardy! champion
  • 1969
    Byron Thames, American actor
  • 1969
    Martin López-Zubero, Spanish swimmer
  • 1969
    Richard Wolstencroft, Australian filmmaker
  • 1969
    Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast
  • 1970
    Andrew Gee, Australian rugby league footballer
  • 1970
    Dennis Bayne Culp, American singer/songwriter
  • 1970
    Sadao Abe, Japanese actor
  • 1970
    Scott Bairstow, Canadian actor
  • 1971
    Charmaine Sinclair, English model
  • 1971
    Uli Herzner, German American designer
  • 1972
    Patricia Manterola, Mexican singer
  • 1972
    Pierre Labrie, Canadian poet
  • 1972
    Sonya Smith, American actress
  • 1973
    Patrick Poulin, French-Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1974
    Barry Watson, American actor
  • 1974
    Carlos Dengler, American musician (Interpol)
  • 1974
    Michael Kerr, New Zealand-born German rugby player
  • 1975
    Bobby Shaw, American football player
  • 1975
    Jón Þór Birgisson, Icelandic musician and singer (Sigur Rós)
  • 1977
    Andruw Jones, Curaçaoan baseball player
  • 1977
    John Cena, American professional wrestler and actor
  • 1977
    John Oliver, British comedian
  • 1977
    Kal Penn, American actor
  • 1977
    Lee Young-Pyo, Korean footballer
  • 1977
    Willie Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979
    Barry Fratelli, Scottish bassist (The Fratellis)
  • 1979
    Jaime King, American actress
  • 1979
    Joanna Krupa, Polish/American model and actress
  • 1979
    Lauri Ylönen, Finnish singer (The Rasmus)
  • 1979
    Yana Gupta, Indian actress & model
  • 1981
    Chris Sharma, American rock climber/boulderer
  • 1981
    Sean Henn, American baseball player
  • 1981
    Seka Aleksic, Serbian turbofolk singer
  • 1983
    Daniela Hantuchová, Slovakian tennis player
  • 1983
    Taio Cruz, British singer-songwriter
  • 1984
    Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russian chess player
  • 1985
    Angel Locsin, Filipina actress
  • 1986
    Jessica Stam, Canadian model
  • 1986
    Sven Kramer, Dutch speedskater
  • 1987
    Boaz Mauda, Israeli singer
  • 1987
    Emily Fox, American cup stacker and basketball player
  • 1987
    John Boye, Ghanaian football player
  • 1988
    Molly Burnett, American actress
  • 1988
    Prince Buaben, Ghanaian football player
  • 1988
    Victor Anichebe, Nigerian footballer
  • 1989
    Nicole Vaidišová, Czech tennis player
  • 1990
    Dev Patel, British actor
  • 1990
    Matthew Underwood, American actor
  • 1990
    Pikky Ya France, Namibian cricketer

Who Died On April 23?

  • 303
    Saint George, Roman soldier and Christian martyr
  • 725
    Wihtred, King of Kent
  • 871
    Ethelred of Wessex
  • 997
    Saint Adalbert of Prague, bishop (b. c. 956)
  • 1014
    Brian Boru, High King of Ireland
  • 1016
    Ethelred II of England
  • 1124
    King Alexander I of Scotland (b. 1078)
  • 1151
    Queen Adeliza of England (b. 1103)
  • 1217
    King Inge II of Norway (b. 1185)
  • 1407
    Olivier de Clisson, French soldier (b. 1326)
  • 1605
    Tsar Boris Godunov of Russia (b. c. 1550)
  • 1616
    El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Peruvian writer (b. 1539)
  • 1616
    Miguel Cervantes, Spanish author (b. 1547)
  • 1616
    William Shakespeare, English dramatist and actor (b. 1564) (according to the Julian calendar)
  • 1625
    Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange (b. 1567)
  • 1702
    Margaret Fell, English Quaker leader (b. 1614)
  • 1740
    Thomas Tickell, English writer (b. 1685)
  • 1781
    James Abercrombie, British general (b. 1706)
  • 1784
    King Solomon I of Imereti (b. 1735)
  • 1792
    Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and adventurer (b. 1741)
  • 1794
    Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French statesman (b. 1721)
  • 1827
    Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek War of Independence figure
  • 1839
    Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, French explorer (b. 1768)
  • 1850
    William Wordsworth, English poet (b. 1770)
  • 1889
    Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, French writer (b. 1808)
  • 1895
    Carl Ludwig, German physician (b. 1815)
  • 1905
    Gédéon Ouimet, Quebec politician (b. 1823)
  • 1907
    Alferd Packer, American prospector and accused cannibal (b. 1842)
  • 1915
    Rupert Brooke, English poet (b. 1887)
  • 1936
    Teresa de la Parra, Venezuelan writer (b. 1889)
  • 1951
    Charles G. Dawes, Vice President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1865)
  • 1952
    Julius Freed, American inventor and banker (b. 1887)
  • 1965
    George Adamski, Polish-American author and ufologist (b. 1891)
  • 1975
    William Hartnell, English actor (b. 1908)
  • 1979
    Blair Peach, New Zealand-born anti-fascist (b. 1946)
  • 1981
    Josep Pla, Catalan journalist and writer (b. 1897)
  • 1983
    Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (b. 1908)
  • 1984
    Red Garland, American jazz pianist (b. 1923)
  • 1985
    Sam Ervin, American politician (b. 1896)
  • 1986
    Harold Arlen, American composer (b. 1905)
  • 1986
    Jim Laker, English cricketer (b. 1922)
  • 1986
    Otto Preminger, Austrian-born film director (b. 1906)
  • 1990
    Paulette Goddard, American actress (b. 1910)
  • 1991
    Johnny Thunders, American musician (b. 1952)
  • 1992
    Satyajit Ray, Indian filmmaker (b. 1921)
  • 1992
    Tanka Prasad Acharya, Nepalese statesman (b. 1912)
  • 1993
    César Chávez, American labor activist (b. 1927)
  • 1995
    Howard Cosell, American attorney and sportscaster (b. 1918)
  • 1995
    John C. Stennis, American politician (b. 1904)
  • 1996
    Jean Victor Allard, Canadian military officer (b. 1913)
  • 1996
    P. L. Travers, Australian author (b. 1899)
  • 1997
    Denis Compton, English cricketer (b. 1918)
  • 1998
    James Earl Ray, American assassin (b. 1928)
  • 1998
    Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek politician (b. 1907)
  • 1998
    Thanassis Skordalos, Greek musician (b. 1920)
  • 2003
    Fernand Fonssagrives, French photographer (b. 1910)
  • 2003
    James H. Critchfield, American Central Intelligence agent (b. 1917)
  • 2005
    Al Grassby, Australian immigration minister (b. 1928)
  • 2005
    Earl Wilson, American baseball player (b. 1934)
  • 2005
    Romano Scarpa, Italian-born comic artist (b. 1927)
  • 2005
    Sir Johannes “Joh” Bjelke-Petersen, Australian politician (b. 1911)
  • 2005
    Sir John Mills, English actor (b. 1908)
  • 2006
    Johnnie Checketts, New Zealand fighter pilot (b. 1912)
  • 2006
    Phil Walden, American rock group manager (b. 1940)
  • 2007
    Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician (b. 1931)
  • 2007
    David Halberstam, American journalist and author (b. 1934)
  • 2007
    Paul Erdman, American economist and author (b. 1932)
  • 2007
    Peter Randall, British George Medal recipient (b. 1930)
  • 2011
    Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill (b. 1921)
  • 2011
    John Sullivan, British comedy writer (b. 1946)
  • 2011
    Tom King, American songwriter and musician (b. 1943)

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