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This day in history

This day in history: 23 October

Events, births and deaths on this date, ordered by how many people look them up.

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Born on this day · Died on this day283 · 108

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Key facts

456 historical events, births and deaths are listed for 23 October.
Entries come from Wikipedia’s day pages and are ordered by page views.
2022: Myanmar Air Force airstrikes a concert in Hpakant Township, Kachin state killing at least 80 people, including senior Kachin Independence Organisation officials, in the Hpakant massacre.

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day: Æthelflæd of Romsey

Christian feast day: Allucio of Campugliano

Christian feast day: Amon of Toul (Diocese of Toul)

Christian feast day: Blessed Thomas Thwing

Christian feast day: Boethius

Christian feast day: Christmas or the Feast of Señor Noemi (the Child Jesus) in the Apostolic Catholic Church

Christian feast day: Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer

Christian feast day: Ignatios of Constantinople

Christian feast day: James the Just (i.e. James, brother of Jesus) (Lutheran, Episcopal Church (USA), Eastern Orthodox)

Christian feast day: John of Capistrano

Christian feast day: Joséphine Leroux

Christian feast day: October 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Events

2022Myanmar Air Force airstrikes a concert in Hpakant Township, Kachin state killing at least 80 people, including senior Kachin Independence Organisation officials, in the Hpakant massacre.

2022Xi Jinping is elected as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party by the Central Committee, beginning a third term of the paramount leader of China.

2020Second Libyan Civil War: The Second Libyan Civil War comes to an end as all parties to the 5+5 Joint Libyan Military Commission agree to a ceasefire.

2017War against the Islamic State: Philippine defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana declares the end of the Siege of Marawi.

2015The lowest sea-level pressure in the Western Hemisphere, and the highest reliably-measured non-tornadic sustained winds, are recorded in Hurricane Patricia, which strikes Mexico hours later, killing at least 13 and causing over $280 million

2011A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Van Province, Turkey, killing 582 people and injuring thousands.

2011Motorcycle racer Marco Simoncelli dies in a racing accident at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

2011The Libyan National Transitional Council deems the Libyan Civil War over.

2007A storm causes the Mexican Kab 101 oil platform to collide with a wellhead, leading to the death and drowning of 22 people during rescue operations after evacuation of the platform.

2007Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-120, with Pamela Melroy becoming the second female space shuttle commander.

2004A powerful earthquake and its aftershocks hit Niigata Prefecture in northern Japan, killing 35 people, injuring 2,200, and leaving 85,000 homeless or evacuated.

2002Second Chechen War: Chechen separatist terrorists seize the House of Culture theater in Moscow and take approximately 700 theater-goers hostage.

2001Apple Computer releases the iPod.

1998Israel and the Palestinian Authority sign the Wye River Memorandum.

1995Yolanda Saldívar is found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of popular Latin singer Selena.

1993The Troubles: A Provisional IRA bomb prematurely detonates in Belfast, killing the bomber and nine civilians.

1991Signing of the Paris Peace Accords which ends the Cambodian–Vietnamese War.

1989An explosion at the Houston Chemical Complex in Pasadena, Texas, which registered a 3.5 on the Richter magnitude scale, kills 23 and injures 314.

1989Bankruptcy of Wärtsilä Marine, the biggest bankruptcy in the Nordic countries up until then.

1989The Hungarian Republic officially replaces the communist Hungarian People's Republic.

1983Lebanese Civil War: The U.S. Marines Corps barracks in Beirut is hit by a truck bomb, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. A French Army barracks in Lebanon is also hit that same morning, killing 58 troops.

1982A gunfight breaks out between police officers and members of a religious cult in Arizona. The shootout leaves two cultists dead and dozens of cultists and police officers injured.

1978Aeroflot Flight 6515 crashes off Syvash, killing all 26 people aboard.

1972Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker, a US bombing campaign against North Vietnam in response to its Easter Offensive, ends after five months.

1970Gary Gabelich sets a land speed record in a rocket-powered automobile called the Blue Flame, fueled with natural gas.

1965Vietnam War: The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, launches an operation seeking to destroy Communist forces during the siege of Plei Me.

1959Aeroflot Flight 200 crashes while attempting to land at Vnukovo International Airport, killing 28.

1958Belgian artist Peyo's comic characters, the Smurfs, make their debut in Spirou magazine.

1958Canada's Springhill mining disaster kills seventy-five miners, while ninety-nine others are rescued.

1956Secret police shoot several anti-communist protesters, igniting the Hungarian Revolution.

1955Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm defeats former emperor Bảo Đại in a referendum and founds the Republic of Vietnam.

1955The people of the Saar region vote in a referendum to unite with West Germany instead of France.

1945Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signs a contract with the Brooklyn Dodger's minor league team, the Montreal Royals, breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier.

1944World War II: The Battle of Leyte Gulf begins.

1942All 12 passengers and crewmen aboard American Airlines Flight 28 are killed when it collides with a U.S. Army Air Force bomber near Palm Springs, California.

1942World War II: Allied forces commence the Second Battle of El Alamein, which proves to be the key turning point in the North African campaign.

1942World War II: The Battle for Henderson Field begins on Guadalcanal.

1941The Holocaust: Nazi Germany prohibits Jews from emigrating, including in its occupied territories.

1940Adolf Hitler and Francisco Franco meet at Hendaye to discuss the possibility of Spain entering the Second World War.

1927The Imatra Cinema is destroyed in a fire in Tampere, Finland, during showing the 1924 film Wages of Virtue; 21 people die in the fire and almost 30 are injured.

Born on this day

2004Niccolò Pisilli, Italian footballer

2003Jacob Bethell, English Cricket Legend

2002Ningning, Chinese singer

1999Yui Kobayashi, Japanese idol

1998Amandla Stenberg, American actress

1998Jordan Goodwin, American basketball player

1997Élie Okobo, French basketball player

1997Jaydn Su'A, New Zealand rugby league player

1997Minnie, Thai singer

1997Nick Bosa, American football player

1995Ireland Baldwin, American model

1994Margaret Qualley, American actress

1993Josh Ruffels, English footballer

1992Álvaro Morata, Spanish footballer

1991Emil Forsberg, Swedish footballer

1991Jorge Taufua, Australian rugby league player

1991Princess Mako of Akishino, member of the Japanese Imperial Family

1989Alain Baroja, Venezuelan footballer

1989Andriy Yarmolenko, Ukrainian footballer

1989Anisya Kirdyapkina, Russian race walker

1989Jonita Gandhi, Indo-Canadian singer

1989Viktor Agardius, Swedish footballer

1989Zach Brown, American football player

1988Aleksandr Salugin, Russian footballer

1988Carolin Schiewe, German footballer

1988Jordan Crawford, American basketball player

1987Carmella, American wrestler

1987Faye, Swedish singer-songwriter

1987Félix Doubront, Venezuelan baseball player

1987Kyle Gibson, American baseball player

1987Miyuu Sawai, Japanese model and actress

1987Naomi Watanabe, Japanese actress

1987Robin Copeland, Irish rugby player

1987Seo In-guk, South Korean singer and actor

1986Briana Evigan, American actress and dancer

1986Emilia Clarke, English actress

1986Inbar Lavi, Israeli actress

1986Jake Robinson, English footballer

1986Jessica Stroup, American actress

1986Jovanka Radičević, Montenegrin handball player

Died on this day

2025June Lockhart, American actress

2024Gary Indiana, American writer, playwright and poet (born 1950)

2024Geoff Capes, British shot putter and strongman (born 1949)

2024Jack Jones, American singer and actor (born 1938)

2023Aira Samulin, Finnish entrepreneur and dance teacher (born 1927)

2023Bishan Singh Bedi, Indian cricketer (born 1946)

2022Adriano Moreira, Portuguese politician, Minister of the Overseas Provinces, President of the CDS – People's Party (born 1922)

2020Jerry Jeff Walker, American singer-songwriter (born 1942)

2018Todd Reid, Australian tennis player (born 1984)

2017Walter Lassally, German cinematographer (born 1926)

2016Jack Chick, American cartoonist and publisher (born 1924)

2016Pete Burns, English singer-songwriter (born 1959)

2016Wim van der Voort, Dutch speed skater (born 1923)

2015Fred Sands, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded the Museum of Contemporary Art (born 1938)

2015Jim Roberts, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (born 1940)

2015Leon Bibb, American-Canadian singer (born 1922)

2015Roger De Clerck, Belgian businessman (born 1924)

2014Alvin Stardust, English singer and actor (born 1942)

2014Bernard Mayes, English-American journalist and academic (born 1929)

2014Ghulam Azam, Bangladeshi politician (born 1922)

2014Joan Quigley, American astrologer and author (born 1927)

2014John Bramlett, American football player (born 1941)

2014Tullio Regge, Italian physicist and academic (born 1931)

2013Anthony Caro, English sculptor and academic (born 1924)

2013Bill Mazer, Ukrainian-American journalist and sportscaster (born 1920)

2013Gypie Mayo, English guitarist and songwriter (Dr. Feelgood and The Yardbirds) (born 1951)

2013Niall Donohue, Irish hurler (born 1990)

2013Wes Bialosuknia, American basketball player (born 1945)

2012Michael Marra, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1952)

2012Roland de la Poype, French soldier and pilot (born 1920)

Quote of the day

“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”

Zen proverb

Questions people ask

Where do the entries come from?

From Wikipedia’s on-this-day pages for this language, updated once a day and ordered by how often each article is read.

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