April 23

April 23 in recent years

2024 (Tuesday)

2023 (Sunday)

2022 (Saturday)

2021 (Friday)

2020 (Thursday)

2019 (Tuesday)

2018 (Monday)

2017 (Sunday)

2016 (Saturday)

2015 (Thursday)

April 23 is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 252 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
• 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico, defeating queen Yohl Ik'nal and sacking the city.
• 711 – Dagobert III succeeds his father King Childebert III as King of the Franks.
• 1014 – Battle of Clontarf: High King of Ireland Brian Boru defeats Viking invaders, but is killed in battle.
• 1016 – Edmund Ironside succeeds his father Æthelred the Unready as King of England.
• 1343 – St. George's Night Uprising commences in the Duchy of Estonia.
• 1348 – The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III is announced on St. George's Day.
• 1516 – The Munich Reinheitsgebot (regarding the ingredients of beer) takes effect in all of Bavaria.
• 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.
• 1655 – The Siege of Santo Domingo begins during the Anglo-Spanish War, and fails seven days later.
• 1660 – Treaty of Oliva 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.
• 1879 – Fire burns down the second main building and dome of the University of Notre Dame, which prompts the construction of the third, and current, Main Building with its golden dome.
• 1914 – First baseball game at Wrigley Field, then known as Weeghman Park, in Chicago.
• 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. The assembly denounces the government of Sultan Mehmed VI and announces the preparation of a temporary constitution.
• 1927 – Cardiff City defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, the only time it has been won by a team not based in England.
• 1935 – The Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
• 1940 – The Rhythm 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.
• 1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler's designated successor, Hermann Göring, sends him a telegram asking permission to take leadership of the Third Reich. Martin Bormann and Joseph Goebbels advise Hitler that the telegram is treasonous.
• 1946 – Manuel Roxas is elected the last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
• 1949 – Chinese Civil War: Establishment of the People's Liberation Army Navy.
• 1951 – Cold War: American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia.
• 1961 – Algiers putsch by French generals.
• 1967 – Soviet space program: Soyuz 1 (Russian: Союз 1, Union 1) a manned spaceflight carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov is launched into orbit.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university.
• 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army and Razakars massacre approximately 3,000 Hindu emigrants in the Jathibhanga area of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
• 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 three 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.
• 1993 – Sri Lankan politician Lalith Athulathmudali is assassinated while addressing a gathering, approximately four weeks ahead of the Provincial Council elections for the Western Province.
• 1999 – NATO bombs the headquarters of Radio Television of Serbia, as part of their aerial campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
• 2005 – The first ever YouTube video, titled "Me at the zoo", was published by co-founder Jawed Karim.
• 2013 – At least 28 people are killed and more than 70 are injured as violence breaks out in Hawija, Iraq.
• 2018 – A vehicle-ramming attack kills 10 people and injures 16 in Toronto. A 25-year-old suspect, Alek Minassian, is arrested.
• 2019 – The 2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse in Myanmar kills four miners and two rescuers.

Births

• 1141 (probable) – Malcolm IV of Scotland (d. 1165)
• 1185 – Afonso II of Portugal (d. 1223)
• 1408 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (d. 1462)
• 1420 – George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia (d. 1471)
• 1464 – Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (d. 1505)
• 1464 – Robert Fayrfax, English Renaissance composer (d. 1521)
• 1484 – Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian physician and scholar (d. 1558)
• 1500 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian and academic (d. 1565)
• 1500 – Johann Stumpf, Swiss writer (d. 1576)
• 1512 – Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel, Chancellor of the University of Oxford (d. 1580)
• 1516 – Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian, and archaeologist (d. 1571)
• 1598 – Maarten Tromp, Dutch admiral (d. 1653)
• 1621 – William Penn, English admiral and politician (d. 1670)
• 1628 – Johannes Hudde, Dutch mathematician and politician (d. 1704)
• 1661 – Issachar Berend Lehmann, German-Jewish banker, merchant and diplomat (d. 1730)
• 1715 – Johann Friedrich Doles, German composer and conductor (d. 1797)
• 1720 – Vilna Gaon, Lithuanian rabbi and author (d. 1797)
• 1744 – Princess Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (d. 1770)
• 1748 – Félix Vicq-d'Azyr, French physician and anatomist (d. 1794)
• 1791 – James Buchanan, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 15th President of the United States (d. 1868)
• 1792 – Thomas Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist (d. 1882)
• 1794 – Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar and author (d. 1856)
• 1805 – Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz, German philosopher and academic (d. 1879)
• 1812 – Frederick Whitaker, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
• 1813 – Stephen A. Douglas, American educator and politician, 7th Illinois Secretary of State (d. 1861)
• 1813 – Frédéric Ozanam, Italian-French historian and scholar (d. 1853)
• 1818 – James Anthony Froude, English historian, novelist, biographer and editor (d. 1894)
• 1819 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1901)
• 1853 – Winthrop M. Crane, American businessman and politician, 40th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1920)
• 1856 – Granville Woods, American inventor and engineer (d. 1910)
• 1857 – Ruggero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (d. 1919)
• 1858 – Max Planck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
• 1860 – Justinian Oxenham, Australian public servant (d. 1932)
• 1861 – Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, English field marshal and diplomat, British High Commissioner in Egypt (d. 1936)
• 1861 – John Peltz, American baseball player and manager (d. 1906)
• 1865 – Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Russian-Azerbaijani general (d. 1943)
• 1867 – Johannes Fibiger, Danish physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
• 1876 – Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, German historian and author (d. 1925)
• 1880 – Michel Fokine, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1942)
• 1882 – Albert Coates, English composer and conductor (d. 1953)
• 1888 – Georges Vanier, Canadian general and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (d. 1967)
• 1889 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (d. 1942)
• 1893 – Frank Borzage, American actor and director (d. 1952)
• 1895 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author and director (d. 1982)
• 1897 – Folke Jansson, American general (d. 1965)
• 1897 – Lester B. Pearson, Canadian historian and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
• 1898 – Lucius D. Clay, American general (d. 1978)
• 1899 – Bertil Ohlin, Swedish economist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
• 1899 – Minoru Shirota, Japanese physician and microbiologist, invented Yakult (d. 1982)
• 1900 – Jim Bottomley, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1959)
• 1900 – Joseph Green, Polish-American actor and director (d. 1996)
• 1901 – E. B. Ford, English biologist and geneticist (d. 1988)
• 1902 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
• 1903 – Guy Simonds, English-Canadian general (d. 1974)
• 1904 – Clifford Bricker, Canadian long-distance runner (d. 1980)
• 1904 – Louis Muhlstock, Polish-Canadian painter (d. 2001)
• 1904 – Duncan Renaldo, American actor (d. 1985)
• 1907 – Lee Miller, American model and photographer (d. 1977)
• 1907 – Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor, designed the Wotruba Church (d. 1975)
• 1908 – Myron Waldman, American animator and director (d. 2006)
• 1910 – Sheila Scott Macintyre, Scottish mathematician (d. 1960)
• 1910 – Simone Simon, French actress (d. 2005)
• 1911 – Ronald Neame, English-American director, cinematographer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
• 1913 – Diosa Costello, Puerto Rican-American entertainer, producer and club owner (d. 2013)
• 1915 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer, academic, and businessman (d. 2000)
• 1916 – Yiannis Moralis, Greek painter and educator (d. 2009)
• 1916 – Sinah Estelle Kelley, American chemist (d. 1982)
• 1917 – Dorian Leigh, American model (d. 2008)
• 1917 – Tony Lupien, American baseball player and coach (d. 2004)
• 1918 – Maurice Druon, French author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Oleg Penkovsky, Russian colonel (d. 1963)
• 1920 – Eric Grant Yarrow, 3rd Baronet, English businessman (d. 2018)
• 1921 – Judy Agnew, Second Lady of the United States (d. 2012)
• 1921 – Cleto Bellucci, Italian archbishop (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
• 1921 – Warren Spahn, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
• 1923 – Dolph Briscoe, American lieutenant and politician, 41st Governor of Texas (d. 2010)
• 1923 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (d. 1993)
• 1924 – Chuck Harmon, American baseball player and scout (d. 2019)
• 1924 – Bobby Rosengarden, American drummer and bandleader (d. 2007)
• 1926 – J.P. Donleavy, American-Irish novelist and playwright (d. 2017)
• 1926 – Rifaat el-Mahgoub, Egyptian politician (d. 1990)
• 1928 – Shirley Temple, American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat (d. 2014)
• 1929 – George Steiner, French-American philosopher, author, and critic (d. 2020)
• 1932 – Halston, American fashion designer (d. 1990)
• 1932 – Jim Fixx, American runner and author (d. 1984)
• 1933 – Annie Easley, American computer scientist, mathematician, and engineer (d. 2011)
• 1934 – George Canseco, Filipino composer and producer (d. 2004)
• 1936 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
• 1937 – Victoria Glendinning, English author and critic
• 1937 – David Mills, English cricketer (d. 2013)
• 1937 – Barry Shepherd, Australian cricketer (d. 2001)
• 1939 – Jorge Fons, Mexican director and screenwriter
• 1939 – Bill Hagerty, English journalist
• 1939 – Lee Majors, American actor
• 1939 – Ray Peterson, American pop singer (d. 2005)
• 1940 – Michael Copps, American academic and politician
• 1940 – Dale Houston, American singer-songwriter (d. 2007)
• 1940 – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (d. 2014)
• 1941 – Jacqueline Boyer, French singer and actress
• 1941 – Arie den Hartog, Dutch road bicycle racer (d. 2018)
• 1941 – Paavo Lipponen, Finnish journalist and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Finland
• 1941 – Michael Lynne, American film producer, co-founded New Line Cinema
• 1941 – Ed Stewart, English radio and television host (d. 2016)
• 1941 – Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer (d. 2016)
• 1942 – Sandra Dee, American model and actress (d. 2005)
• 1943 – Gail Goodrich, American basketball player and coach
• 1943 – Tony Esposito, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager
• 1943 – Frans Koppelaar, Dutch painter
• 1943 – Hervé Villechaize, French actor (d. 1993)
• 1944 – Jean-François Stévenin, French actor and director
• 1946 – Blair Brown, American actress
• 1946 – Carlton Sherwood, American soldier and journalist (d. 2014)
• 1947 – Robert Burgess, English sociologist and academic
• 1947 – Glenn Cornick, English bass player (d. 2014)
• 1947 – Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Irish civil rights leader and politician
• 1948 – Pascal Quignard, French author and screenwriter
• 1948 – Serge Thériault, Canadian actor
• 1949 – Paul Collier, English economist and academic
• 1949 – David Cross, English violinist
• 1949 – John Miles, British rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist
• 1950 – Rowley Leigh, English chef and journalist
• 1950 – Barbara McIlvaine Smith, Sac and Fox Nation Native American politician
• 1951 – Martin Bayerle, American treasure hunter
• 1952 – Narada Michael Walden, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer
• 1953 – James Russo, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1954 – Stephen Dalton, English air marshal
• 1954 – Michael Moore, American director, producer, and activist
• 1955 – Judy Davis, Australian actress
• 1955 – Tony Miles, English chess player (d. 2001)
• 1955 – Urmas Ott, Estonian journalist and author (d. 2008)
• 1957 – Neville Brody, English graphic designer, typographer, and art director
• 1957 – Jan Hooks, American actress and comedian (d. 2014)
• 1958 – Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Icelandic composer and producer
• 1958 – Ryan Walter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1959 – Unity Dow, Botswanan judge, author, and rights activist
• 1960 – Valerie Bertinelli, American actress
• 1960 – Steve Clark, English guitarist and songwriter (d. 1991)
• 1960 – Barry Douglas, Irish pianist and conductor
• 1960 – Léo Jaime, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1960 – Claude Julien, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1961 – George Lopez, American comedian, actor, and talk show host
• 1961 – Pierluigi Martini, Italian race car driver
• 1962 – John Hannah, Scottish actor and producer
• 1962 – Shaun Spiers, English businessman and politician
• 1963 – Paul Belmondo, French race car driver
• 1963 – Robby Naish, American windsurfer
• 1964 – Gianandrea Noseda, Italian pianist and conductor
• 1965 – Leni Robredo, Filipina human rights lawyer, 14th Vice President of the Philippines
• 1966 – Jörg Deisinger, German bass player
• 1966 – Matt Freeman, American bass player
• 1966 – Lembit Oll, Estonian chess Grandmaster (d. 1999)
• 1967 – Rheal Cormier, Canadian baseball player
• 1967 – Melina Kanakaredes, American actress
• 1968 – Bas Haring, Dutch philosopher, writer, television presenter and professor.
• 1968 – Ken McRae, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1968 – Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist, Oklahoma City bombing co-perpetrator (d. 2001)
• 1969 – Martín López-Zubero, American-Spanish swimmer and coach
• 1969 – Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast
• 1970 – Egemen Bağış, Turkish politician, 1st Minister of European Union Affairs
• 1970 – Dennis Culp, American singer-songwriter and trombonist
• 1970 – Andrew Gee, Australian rugby league player and manager
• 1970 – Hans Välimäki, Finnish chef and author
• 1970 – Tayfur Havutçu, Turkish international footballer and manager
• 1971 – Uli Herzner, German-American fashion designer
• 1972 – Pierre Labrie, Canadian poet and playwright
• 1972 – Peter Dench, English photographer and journalist
• 1972 – Amira Medunjanin, singer from Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 1973 – Patrick Poulin, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1974 – Carlos Dengler, American bass player
• 1974 – Michael Kerr, New Zealand-German rugby player
• 1975 – Bobby Shaw, American football player
• 1976 – Aaron Dessner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1977 – John Cena, American professional wrestler and actor
• 1977 – David Kidwell, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
• 1977 – Willie Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1977 – John Oliver, English comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1977 – Kal Penn, Indian-American actor
• 1977 – Bram Schmitz, Dutch cyclist
• 1977 – Lee Young-pyo, South Korean international footballer
• 1978 – Gezahegne Abera, Ethiopian runner
• 1979 – Barry Hawkins, English snooker player
• 1979 – Jaime King, American actress and model
• 1979 – Joanna Krupa, Polish-American model and television personality
• 1979 – Samppa Lajunen, Finnish skier
• 1980 – Nicole den Dulk, Dutch Paralympic equestrian
• 1982 – Tony Sunshine, American singer-songwriter
• 1983 – Leon Andreasen, Danish international footballer
• 1983 – Daniela Hantuchová, Slovak tennis player
• 1983 – Ian Henderson, English rugby league player
• 1984 – Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russian chess player
• 1984 – Jesse Lee Soffer, American actor
• 1985 – Angel Locsin, Filipino actress, producer, and fashion designer
• 1986 – Sven Kramer, Dutch speed skater
• 1986 – Alysia Montaño, American runner
• 1986 – Rafael Fernandes, Brazilian baseball player
• 1987 – Michael Arroyo, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1987 – John Boye, Ghanaian footballer
• 1987 – Emily Fox, American basketball player
• 1988 – Victor Anichebe, Nigerian footballer
• 1988 – Alistair Brownlee, English triathlete
• 1988 – Signe Ronka, Canadian figure skater
• 1988 – Lenka Wienerová, Slovak tennis player
• 1989 – Nicole Vaidišová, Czech tennis player
• 1990 – Rui Fonte, Portuguese footballer, winger
• 1990 – Dev Patel, English actor
• 1991 – Nathan Baker, English footballer
• 1991 – Caleb Johnson, American singer-songwriter
• 1991 – Paul Vaughan, Australian-Italian rugby league player
• 1994 – Patrick Olsen, Danish footballer
• 1994 – Song Kang, South Korean actor
• 1995 – Gigi Hadid, American fashion model and television personality
• 1997 – Zach Apple, American swimmer

Deaths

• 303 – Saint George, Roman soldier and martyr (b. 275)
• 711 – Childebert III, Frankish king (b. 670)
• 725 – Wihtred of Kent (b. 670)
• 871 – Æthelred of Wessex (b. 837)
• 915 – Yang Shihou, Chinese general
• 944 – Wichmann the Elder, Saxon nobleman
• 990 – Ekkehard II, Swiss monk and abbot
• 997 – Adalbert of Prague, Czech bishop, missionary, and saint (b. 956)
• 1014 – Brian Boru, Irish king (b. 941)
• 1014 – Domnall mac Eimín, Mormaer of Mar
• 1016 – Æthelred the Unready, English son of Edgar the Peaceful (b. 968)
• 1124 – Alexander I of Scotland (b. 1078)
• 1151 – Adeliza of Louvain (b. 1103)
• 1170 – Minamoto no Tametomo, Japanese samurai (b. 1139)
• 1196 – Béla III of Hungary (b. c.1148)
• 1200 – Zhu Xi, Chinese philosopher (b. 1130)
• 1217 – Inge II of Norway (b. 1185)
• 1262 – Aegidius of Assisi, companion of Saint Francis of Assisi
• 1307 – Joan of Acre (b. 1272)
• 1400 – Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford, English politician and nobleman (b. c. 1338)
• 1407 – Olivier de Clisson, French soldier (b. 1326)
• 1501 – Domenico della Rovere, Catholic cardinal (b. 1442)
• 1554 – Gaspara Stampa, Italian poet (b. 1523)
• 1605 – Boris Godunov, Russian ruler (b. 1551)
• 1616 – William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (b. 1564)
• 1625 – Maurice, Prince of Orange (b. 1567)
• 1695 – Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet and author (b. 1621)
• 1702 – Margaret Fell, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1614)
• 1781 – James Abercrombie, Scottish general and politician (b. 1706)
• 1784 – Solomon I of Imereti (b. 1735)
• 1792 – Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and author (b. 1741)
• 1794 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French lawyer and politician (b. 1721)
• 1827 – Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek general (b. 1780)
• 1839 – Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, French admiral and explorer (b. 1768)
• 1850 – William Wordsworth, English poet and author (b. 1770)
• 1889 – Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, French author and critic (b. 1808)
• 1895 – Carl Ludwig, German physician and physiologist (b. 1815)
• 1905 – Gédéon Ouimet, Canadian politician, 2nd Premier of Quebec (b. 1823)
• 1907 – Alferd Packer, American prospector (b. 1842)
• 1915 – Rupert Brooke, English poet (b. 1887)
• 1936 – Teresa de la Parra, French-Venezuelan author (b. 1889)
• 1951 – Jules Berry, French actor and director (b. 1883)
• 1951 – Charles G. Dawes, American banker and politician, 30th Vice President of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1865)
• 1959 – Bak Jungyang, Korean politician
• 1965 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (b. 1891)
• 1966 – George Ohsawa, Japanese founder of the Macrobiotic diet (b. 1893)
• 1981 – Josep Pla, Catalan journalist and author (b. 1897)
• 1983 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (b. 1908)
• 1984 – Red Garland, American pianist (b. 1923)
• 1985 – Sam Ervin, American lawyer and politician (b. 1896)
• 1985 – Frank Farrell, Australian rugby league player and policeman (b. 1916)
• 1986 – Harold Arlen, American composer (b. 1905)
• 1986 – Jim Laker, English cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1922)
• 1986 – Otto Preminger, Ukrainian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1906)
• 1990 – Paulette Goddard, American actress (b. 1910)
• 1991 – Johnny Thunders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
• 1992 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 1992 – Tanka Prasad Acharya, Nepalese politician, 27th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1912)
• 1993 – Cesar Chavez, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers (b. 1927)
• 1995 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian farmer and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1895)
• 1995 – Howard Cosell, American lawyer and journalist (b. 1918)
• 1995 – Riho Lahi, Estonian journalist (b. 1904)
• 1995 – John C. Stennis, American lawyer and politician (b. 1904)
• 1996 – Jean Victor Allard, Canadian general (b. 1913)
• 1996 – P. L. Travers, Australian-English author and actress (b. 1899)
• 1997 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1918)
• 1998 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, 172nd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1907)
• 1998 – James Earl Ray, American assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr. (b. 1928)
• 1998 – Thanassis Skordalos, Greek singer-songwriter and lyra player (b. 1920)
• 2003 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French-American photographer (b. 1910)
• 2004 – Herman Veenstra, Dutch water polo player (b. 1911)
• 2005 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (b. 1911)
• 2005 – Robert Farnon, Canadian-English trumpet player, composer and conductor (b. 1917)
• 2005 – Al Grassby, Australian journalist and politician (b. 1928)
• 2005 – John Mills, English actor (b. 1908)
• 2005 – Romano Scarpa, Italian author and illustrator (b. 1927)
• 2005 – Earl Wilson, American baseball player, coach and educator (b. 1934)
• 2006 – Phil Walden, American record producer and manager, co-founder of Capricorn Records (b. 1940)
• 2007 – Paul Erdman, Canadian-American economist and author (b. 1932)
• 2007 – David Halberstam, American journalist, historian and author (b. 1934)
• 2007 – Peter Randall, English sergeant (b. 1930)
• 2007 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (b. 1931)
• 2010 – Peter Porter, Australian-born British poet (b. 1929)
• 2011 – James Casey, English comedian, radio scriptwriter and producer (b. 1922)
• 2011 – Tom King, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1943)
• 2011 – Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, English businessman and politician (b. 1921)
• 2011 – Max van der Stoel, Dutch politician and Minister of State (b. 1924)
• 2011 – John Sullivan, English screenwriter and producer (b. 1946)
• 2012 – Lillemor Arvidsson, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 34th Governor of Gotland (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Billy Bryans, Canadian drummer, songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
• 2012 – Chris Ethridge, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1947)
• 2012 – Raymond Thorsteinsson, Canadian geologist and paleontologist (b. 1921)
• 2012 – LeRoy T. Walker, American football player and coach (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Bob Brozman, American guitarist (b. 1954)
• 2013 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (b. 1943)
• 2013 – Tony Grealish, English footballer (b. 1956)
• 2013 – Antonio Maccanico, Italian banker and politician (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Frank W. J. Olver, English-American mathematician and academic (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Kathryn Wasserman Davis, American philanthropist and scholar (b. 1907)
• 2014 – Benjamín Brea, Spanish-Venezuelan saxophonist, clarinet player, and conductor (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Michael Glawogger, Austrian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (b. 1959)
• 2014 – Jaap Havekotte, Dutch speed skater and producer of ice skates (b. 1912)
• 2014 – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (b. 1911)
• 2014 – F. Michael Rogers, American general (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Mark Shand, English conservationist and author (b. 1951)
• 2014 – Patric Standford, English composer and educator (b. 1939)
• 2015 – Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (b. 1944)
• 2015 – Ray Jackson, Australian activist (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Pierre Claude Nolin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Canadian Senate (b. 1950)
• 2015 – Jim Steffen, American football player (b. 1936)
• 2015 – Francis Tsai, American author and illustrator (b. 1967)
• 2016 – Inge King, German-born Australian sculptor (b. 1915)
• 2016 – Banharn Silpa-archa, Thai politician, Prime Minister from 1995–1996 (b. 1932)
• 2019 – Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick, American soprano singer and presenter (b.1983)

Holidays and observances

• Castile and León Day (Castile and León)
• Christian feast day:
  • Adalbert of Prague
  • Felix, Fortunatus, and Achilleus
  • George
  • Blessed Giles of Assisi
  • Gerard of Toul
  • Ibar of Beggerin (Meath)
  • Toyohiko Kagawa (Episcopal and Lutheran Church)
  • April 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Earliest day on which the first day of Children's Day can fall, while April 29 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday of April. (Colombia)
• Independence Day (Conch Republic, Key West, Florida)
• International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
• Khongjom Day (Manipur)
• National Sovereignty and Children's Day (Turkey and Northern Cyprus)
• Navy Day (China)
• St George's Day (England) and its related observances:
  • Canada Book Day (Canada)
  • La Diada de Sant Jordi (Catalonia, Spain)
  • World Book Day
• UN English Language Day (United Nations)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Historical Events on April 23
• Today in Canadian History