February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 311 days remaining until the end of the year (312 in leap years).
Events
- 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed from movable type.
- 1660 - Charles XI becomes King of Sweden.
- 1778 - American Revolution: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to help to train the Continental Army.
- 1820 - Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.
- 1836 - The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas.
- 1847 - Mexican-American War: Battle of Buena Vista - In Mexico, American troops under General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
- 1854 - The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
- 1861 - President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after an assassination attempt in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1870 - Military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
- 1883 - Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law.
- 1887 - The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
- 1898 - Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing "J'accuse", a letter accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully placing Captain Alfred Dreyfus in jail.
- 1900 - In South Africa, the Boers and British troops fight in the Battle of Hart's Hill.
- 1903 - Cuba leases Guantanamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
- 1904 - The United States gains control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million.
- 1905 - Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club.
- 1909 - The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
- 1917 - First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution.
- 1918 - First victory of Red Army over the Kaiser's German troops near Narva and Pskov. Since 1923 this date become the Day of Red Army in honour of this victory.
- 1919 - Benito Mussolini forms the Fascist Party in Italy.
- 1927 - The Federal Radio Commission (later renamed the Federal Communications Commission) begins to regulate the use of radio frequencies.
- 1934 - Léopold III becomes King of Belgium.
- 1941 - Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
- 1944 - Forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people to Central Asia.
- 1945 - World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines and a commonly forgotten U.S. Navy Corpsman, reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag. The photo would later win a Pulitzer Prize.
- 1945 - World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by American forces.
- 1945 - World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań, the city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
- 1945 - World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is completely destroyed by a raid of 379 British bombers.
- 1945 - World War II: The Verona Philharmonic Theatre is bombed by Allied forces. It would later be re-opened in 1975.
- 1947 - The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.
- 1954 - The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh.
- 1955 - First meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
- 1957 - The founding congress of the Senegalese Popular Bloc is opened in Dakar.
- 1958 - Cuban rebels kidnap 5-time world driving champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
- 1966 - A military coup in Syria replaces the previous government.
- 1974 - The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
- 1975 - In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly two months early in the United States.
- 1980 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran's parliament would decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
- 1981 - 23-F, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup d'état by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
- 1983 - The Spanish Socialist government of Felipe González and Miguel Boyer nationalizes Rumasa, a holding of José María Ruiz Mateos.
- 1983 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.
- 1987 - Supernova 1987a: A supernova is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
- 1991 - Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabia border and enter Iraq, thus starting the ground-phase of the war.
- 1991 - In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d'état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
- 1992 - The Socialist Labour Party is founded in Georgia.
- 1995 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 30.28 to close at 4,003.33, closing above 4,000 for the first time.
- 1997 - A large fire occurs in the Russian Space station, Mir.
- 1998 - Kissimmee Tornado Outbreak: Tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42.
- 1998 - Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders.
- 1999 - Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
- 1999 - An avalanche destroys the Austrian village of Galtür, killing 31.
- 2005 - Slovakia Summit 2005 begins, marking the first occasion when a sitting American President visits Slovakia; George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin are in attendance.
- 2005 - Vote of the controversial French law on colonialism, repealed start of 2006.
- 2006 - Dubai Ports World agrees to postpone its plans to take over management of six U.S. ports after the proposal ignited harsh bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.
- 2007 - Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea.
- 2007 - A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, United Kingdom, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
- 2008 - a B-2 Spirit of the USAF crashes at Guam. The crew survived but the aircraft was written off, making it the most expensive air crash in human history (the aircraft alone cost $1.2Bn).
Births
- 1417 - Pope Paul II (d. 1471)
- 1583 - Jean-Baptiste Morin, French scientist (d. 1656)
- 1633 - Samuel Pepys, English naval administrator and man of letters, posthumously famous as a diarist (d. 1703)
- 1646 - Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shogun (d. 1709)
- 1648 - Arabella Churchill, English mistress of James II of England (d. 1730)
- 1680 - Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, French colonizer and Governor of Louisiana (d. 1767)
- 1685 - Georg Friedrich Handel, German/British Baroque composer (d. 1759)
- 1723 - Richard Price, Welsh philosopher (d. 1791)
- 1729 - Josiah Hornblower, American statesman (d. 1809)
- 1743 - Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German-born banker (d. 1812)
- 1809 - William Sprague, American minister and politician from Michigan (d. 1868)
- 1842 - Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, German philosopher (d. 1906)
- 1850 - César Ritz, Swiss hotelier (d. 1918)
- 1868 - W.E.B. DuBois, American civil rights leader (d. 1963)
- 1873 - Liang Qichao, Chinese scholar (d. 1929)
- 1874 - Konstantin Päts, Estonian president (d. 1956)
- 1878 - Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian painter and art theorist (d. 1935)
- 1883 - Karl Jaspers, German philosopher (d. 1969)
- 1889 - Victor Fleming, American director (d. 1949)
- 1889 - Musidora, French actress and director (d. 1957)
- 1891 - Harold Horder, Australian Rugby League player (d. 1978)
- 1899 - Erich Kästner, German writer (d. 1974)
- 1899 - Norman Taurog, American film director (d. 1981)
- 1901 - Edgar Ende, German painter (d. 1965)
- 1904 - Terence Fisher, English film director (d. 1980)
- 1904 - William L. Shirer, American historian (d. 1993)
- 1904 - Leopold Trepper, Soviet spy (d. 1982)
- 1908 - William McMahon, twentieth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1988)
- 1914 - Theofiel Middelkamp, Dutch cyclist (d. 2005)
- 1915 - Jon Hall, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1915 - Paul Tibbets, US Air Force retired Brigadier General and Pilot of B-29 "Enola Gay" over Hiroshima (d. 2007)
- 1918 - Richard G. Butler, American fascist (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Paul Gérin-Lajoie, French Canadian politician
- 1923 - Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan politician
- 1924 - Allan McLeod Cormack, South-African born physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1998)
- 1924 - Claude Sautet, French film director (d. 2000)
- 1927 - Régine Crespin, French operatic soprano (d. 2007)
- 1928 - Hans Herrmann, German race car driver
- 1928 - Vasili Lazarev, cosmonaut (d. 1990)
- 1931 - Tom Wesselmann, American collage artist (d. 2004)
- 1932 - Majel Barrett, American actress
- 1937 - Tom Osborne, American football coach and politician
- 1938 - Diane Varsi, American actress (d. 1992)
- 1940 - Peter Fonda, American actor
- 1941 - Ron Hunt, baseball player
- 1943 - Fred Biletnikoff, American football player and coach
- 1944 - Bernard Cornwell, English historical novelist
- 1944 - John Sandford, American novelist
- 1944 - Johnny Winter, American musician
- 1945 - Allan Boesak, South African activist
- 1946 - Rusty Young, American country-rock guitarist (Poco)
- 1947 - John McWethy, American journalist (d. 2008)
- 1947 - Pia Kjærsgaard, Danish politician
- 1948 - Doug Moench, American comic book writer
- 1949 - Marc Garneau, French Canadian astronaut
- 1950 - Maxi, Irish singer and radio personality
- 1951 - Ed Jones, American football player
- 1951 - Patricia Richardson, American actress
- 1952 - Brad Whitford, American musician (Aerosmith)
- 1953 - Satoru Nakajima, Japanese racing driver
- 1954 - Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine
- 1955 - Tom Bodett, American voice actor, radio personality, and writer
- 1955 - Howard Jones, British pop singer
- 1958 - Tony Barrell, English writer and journalist
- 1958 - David Sylvian, English musician (Japan, Nine Horses)
- 1959 - Richard Dodds, British field hockey player
- 1960 - Alan Griffin, Australian politician
- 1960 - Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan
- 1961 - Kelly Hansen, American drummer (Summer Lights)
- 1962 - Michael Wilton, American musician (Queensrÿche)
- 1963 - Bobby Bonilla, former baseball player
- 1963 - Radosław Sikorski, Polish politician
- 1964 - John Norum, Norwegian guitarist (Europe)
- 1965 - Kristin Davis, American actress
- 1965 - Michael Dell, American computer manufacturer
- 1965 - Helena Suková, former Czech tennis player
- 1965 - Veronica Webb, American supermodel and actress
- 1967 - Tamsin Greig, English actress
- 1968 - Justin Bell, British racing driver
- 1969 - Marc Wauters, Belgian cyclist
- 1970 - Marie-Josée Croze, French Canadian actress
- 1970 - Niecy Nash, American actress
- 1971 - Jeong Chan, South Korean actor
- 1971 - Don Maxwell, Canadian cricketer
- 1971 - Melinda Messenger, English television presenter
- 1971 - Joe-Max Moore, American soccer player
- 1972 - Steve Holy, American country singer
- 1972 - Rondell White, American baseball player
- 1973 - Jack Case, American artist
- 1973 - Lars-Olof Johansson, Swedish musician (The Cardigans)
- 1974 - Leko, American DJ
- 1974 - Jaime Villarreal, Mexican musician
- 1974 - Herschelle Gibbs, South African cricketer
- 1975 - Michael Cornacchia, American actor
- 1975 - Robert Lopez, American composer
- 1975 - Natalia Verbeke, Argentine actress
- 1976 - Kelly Macdonald, British actress
- 1977 - Kristina Šmigun, Estonian cross-country skier
- 1978 - René Pérez, Puerto Rican musician (Calle 13)
- 1978 - Dan Snyder, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
- 1979 - D-Roc, American rapper (Ying Yang Twins)
- 1980 - Karan Singh Grover, an Indian television actor
- 1981 - Gareth Barry, English footballer
- 1981 - Charles Tillman, American football player
- 1982 - Adam Hann-Byrd, American actor
- 1983 - Mirco Bergamasco, Italian rugby player
- 1983 - Mido, Egyptian footballer
- 1983 - Emily Blunt, British actress
- 1983 - Aziz Ansari, Indian American Comedian
- 1986 - Holly Brook, American musician
- 1986 - Kazuya Kamenashi, Japanese pop star (KAT-TUN)
- 1986 - Jerod Mayo, American Football player
- 1989 - Evan Bates, American ice dancer
- 1994 - Dakota Fanning, American actress
Deaths
- 943 - Herbert II, Count of Vermandois, (b. 884)
- 1011 - Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz
- 1100 - Emperor Zhezong of China (b. 1076)
- 1270 - Saint Isabel of France, daughter of Louis VIII of France (b. 1225)
- 1447 - Pope Eugene IV (b. 1383)
- 1447 - Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1390)
- 1464 - Zhengtong, Emperor of China (b. 1427)
- 1526 - Diego Colón, Spanish Viceroy of the Indies
- 1554 - Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English politician (executed) (bc. 1515)
- 1572 - Pierre Certon, French composer
- 1603 - Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (b. 1519)
- 1669 - Leo Aitzema, Dutch historian and statesman (b. 1600)
- 1704 - Georg Muffat, French composer (b. 1653)
- 1730 - Pope Benedict XIII (b. 1649)
- 1766 - Stanislaw Leszczynski, King of Poland (b. 1677)
- 1781 - George Taylor, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (bc. 1716)
- 1792 - Joshua Reynolds, English painter (b. 1723)
- 1800 - Joseph Warton, English literary critic (b. 1722)
- 1819 - John Keats, English poet (b. 1795)
- 1848 - John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States (b. 1767)
- 1855 - Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (b. 1777)
- 1859 - Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish Romantic poet (b. 1812)
- 1879 - Albrecht Graf von Roon, Prime Minister of Prussia (b. 1803)
- 1897 - Woldemar Bargiel, German composer (b. 1828)
- 1908 - Johannes Friedrich August von Esmarch, German surgeon (b. 1823)
- 1922 - Albert Victor Bäcklund, Swedish physicist (b. 1845)
- 1930 - Horst Wessel, Nazi ideologue and composer (b. 1907)
- 1931 - Nellie Melba, Australian opera soprano (b. 1861)
- 1934 - Edward Elgar, English composer (b. 1857)
- 1944 - Leo Hendrik Baekeland, Flemish-American chemist and inventor of the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite (b. 1863)
- 1946 - Tomoyuki Yamashita, Japanese general (hanged) (b. 1885)
- 1948 - John Robert Gregg, Irish-born publisher and inventor (b. 1866)
- 1955 - Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright (b. 1868)
- 1957 - Marika Ninou, Greek singer (b. 1918)
- 1960 - Arthur Legat, Belgian racing driver (b. 1898)
- 1965 - Stan Laurel, British born actor and comedian (b. 1890)
- 1969 - King Saud of Saudi Arabia (b. 1902)
- 1970 - Hirsch Jacobs, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (b. 1904)
- 1973 - Dickinson W. Richards, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1895)
- 1974 - Harry Ruby, American composer and writer (b. 1895)
- 1976 - LS Lowry, English artist (b. 1887)
- 1979 - W.A.C. Bennett, Canadian politician (b. 1900)
- 1983 - Herbert Howells, English composer (b. 1892)
- 1990 - José Napoleón Duarte, President of El Salvador (b. 1925)
- 1992 - Markos Vafiadis, Greek politician (b. 1906)
- 1995 - Melvin Franklin, American singer (The Temptations) (b. 1942)
- 1995 - James Herriot, English writer (b. 1916)
- 1997 - Tony Williams, American jazz drummer (b. 1945)
- 1999 - Carlos Hathcock, USMC Sniper, 93 Confirmed Kills (b. 1942)
- 2000 - Ofra Haza, Israeli singer (b. 1957)
- 2000 - Stanley Matthews, English footballer (b. 1915)
- 2001 - Robert Enrico, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1931)
- 2003 - Robert K. Merton, American sociologist (b. 1910)
- 2003 - Howie Epstein, American bass guitarist (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) (b. 1955)
- 2004 - Vijay Anand, Indian film director (b. 1934)
- 2004 - Carl Anderson, American singer (b. 1945)
- 2004 - Sikander Bakht, Governor of Kerala (b. 1918)
- 2004 - Don Cornell, American singer (b. 1919)
- 2004 - Carl Liscombe, Canadian hockey player (b. 1915)
- 2006 - Benno Besson, Swiss actor and film director (b. 1922)
- 2006 - Telmo Zarraonaindía, Spanish footballer (b. 1921)
- 2007 - Donnie Brooks, American singer (b. 1936)
- 2007 - John Ritchie, British footballer (b. 1941)
- 2008 - Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian prime minister and president (b. 1950)
- 2008 - Paul Frère, Belgian race car driver and motorsport journalist (b. 1917)
- 2008 - Douglas Fraser, Scottish pilot, first to land at Newfoundland Airport on January 11, 1938 (b. 1916)
Holidays and observances
External links
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