December 23

December 23 in recent years

2023 (Saturday)

2022 (Friday)

2021 (Thursday)

2020 (Wednesday)

2019 (Monday)

2018 (Sunday)

2017 (Saturday)

2016 (Friday)

2015 (Wednesday)

2014 (Tuesday)

December 23 is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; eight days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 484 – Huneric dies and is succeeded by his nephew Gunthamund, who becomes king of the Vandals. During his reign Christians are protected from persecution.
• 558 – Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks.
• 562 – Hagia Sophia in Constantinople reopened with a rebuilt dome after a series of earthquakes caused the original to collapse.
• 583 – Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque.
• 679 – King Dagobert II is murdered while hunting.
• 962 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo.
• 1572 – Theologian Johann Sylvan is executed in Heidelberg for his heretical Antitrinitarian beliefs.
• 1688 – As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England flees from England to Paris, France after being deposed in favor of his nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary.
• 1783 – George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
• 1793 – The Battle of Savenay: a decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in War in the Vendée during the French Revolution.
• 1876 – First day of the Constantinople Conference which resulted in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.
• 1893 – The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.
• 1913 – The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System.
• 1914 – World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops arrive in Cairo, Egypt.
• 1916 – World War I: Battle of Magdhaba – Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in the Sinai Peninsula.
• 1919 – Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 becomes law in the United Kingdom.
• 1936 – Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
• 1940 – World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis (Y-2) sinks the Italian motor ship Antonietta.
• 1941 – World War II: After 15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army occupies Wake Island.
• 1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
• 1948 – Seven Japanese convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, Japan.
• 1954 – First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
• 1968 – The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.
• 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
• 1970 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a one-party state.
• 1972 – A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes the Nicaraguan capital of Managua killing more than 10,000.
• 1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having reportedly survived by cannibalism.
• 1979 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet Union forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
• 1986 – Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.
• 1990 – History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88.5% of Slovenia's overall electorate vote for independence from Yugoslavia.
• 2002 – A U.S. MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25 in the first combat engagement between a drone and conventional aircraft.
• 2003 – PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai County, Chongqing, China, killing at least 234.
• 2007 – An agreement is made for the Kingdom of Nepal to be abolished and the country to become a federal republic with the Prime Minister becoming head of state.
• 2010 – A monsoonal trough crosses the northeastern coast of Australia from the Coral Sea, bringing mass flooding across Queensland.

Births

• 1173 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
• 1513 – Thomas Smith, English scholar and diplomat (d. 1577)
• 1582 – Severo Bonini, Italian organist and composer (d. 1663)
• 1597 – Martin Opitz, German poet and composer (d. 1639)
• 1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish field marshal and politician, Lord High Constable of Sweden (d. 1676)
• 1621 – Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)
• 1621 – Edmund Berry Godfrey, English lawyer and judge (d. 1678)
• 1689 – Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
• 1690 – Pamheiba, Indian emperor (d. 1751)
• 1713 – Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3rd Yokozuna (d. 1749)
• 1732 – Richard Arkwright, English businessman and inventor, invented the Water frame and Spinning frame (d. 1792)
• 1750 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
• 1758 – Nathan Wilson, American soldier and politician (d. 1834)
• 1777 – Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
• 1790 – Jean-François Champollion, French philologist, orientalist, and scholar (d. 1832)
• 1804 – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French author, critic, and academic (d. 1869)
• 1805 – Joseph Smith, American religious leader, 1st President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1844)
• 1812 – Samuel Smiles, Scottish-English author (d. 1904)
• 1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch pastor and poet (d. 1889)
• 1822 – Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
• 1839 – János Murkovics, Slovene-Hungarian author and educator (d. 1917)
• 1843 – Richard Conner, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1924)
• 1854 – Henry B. Guppy, English botanist and author (d. 1926)
• 1867 – Madam C. J. Walker, American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company (d. 1919)
• 1870 – John Marin, American architect and painter (d. 1953)
• 1878 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (d. 1972)
• 1885 – Pierre Brissaud, French illustrator, painter, and engraver (d. 1964)
• 1896 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian lieutenant and author (d. 1957)
• 1900 – Otto Soglow, American cartoonist (d. 1975)
• 1902 – Norman Maclean, American author and academic (d. 1990)
• 1902 – Charan Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (d. 1987)
• 1907 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean author and poet (d. 2005)
• 1907 – James Roosevelt, American general and politician (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Avraham Stern, Polish Zionist leader (d. 1942)
• 1908 – Yousuf Karsh, Armenian-Canadian photographer (d. 2002)
• 1910 – Kurt Meyer, German general (d. 1961)
• 1911 – James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
• 1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, English-Danish physician and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
• 1911 – Marie Orav, Estonian chess player (d. 1994)
• 1912 – Anna J. Harrison, American organic chemist and academic (d. 1998)
• 1912 – Woodrow Borah, American historian of Spanish America (d. 1999)
• 1916 – Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1918 – José Greco, Italian-American dancer and choreographer (d. 2000)
• 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, German soldier, economist, and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (d. 2015)
• 1919 – Kenneth M. Taylor, American general and pilot (d. 2006)
• 1921 – Guy Beaulne, Canadian actor and director (d. 2001)
• 1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French discus thrower, shot putter, and pianist (d. 2001)
• 1923 – Onofre Marimón, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1954)
• 1923 – Günther Schifter, Austrian journalist and radio host (d. 2008)
• 1923 – James Stockdale, American admiral and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
• 1924 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player and politician (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Duncan Hallas, English author and politician (d. 2002)
• 1925 – Rayner Unwin, English publisher (d. 2000)
• 1926 – Robert Bly, American poet and author
• 1932 – Richard Clark Barkley, American soldier, academic, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to East Germany (d. 2015)
• 1933 – Akihito, Japanese emperor
• 1933 – Noella Leduc, American baseball player (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Paul Hornung, American football player and sportscaster
• 1935 – Abdul Ghani Minhat, Malaysian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
• 1937 – Barney Rosenzweig, American screenwriter and producer
• 1937 – Nelson Shanks, American painter, historian, and educator (d. 2015)
• 1938 – Bob Kahn, American computer scientist and engineer, co-developed the Transmission Control Protocol
• 1939 – Nancy Graves, American sculptor and painter (d. 1995)
• 1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1940 – Robert Labine, Canadian politician
• 1941 – Peter Davis, English businessman
• 1942 – Quentin Bryce, Australian lawyer and politician, 25th Governor-General of Australia
• 1943 – Ron Allen, American baseball player
• 1943 – Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov, Russian-French mathematician and academic
• 1943 – Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
• 1943 – Harry Shearer, American actor, voice artist, and comedian
• 1943 – Queen Silvia of Sweden
• 1944 – Wesley Clark, American general
• 1945 – Adly Mansour, Egyptian lawyer, judge, and politician, President of Egypt
• 1945 – Geoffrey Wheatcroft, English journalist and author
• 1946 – Edita Gruberová, Slovak soprano and actress
• 1946 – Susan Lucci, American actress
• 1946 – John Sullivan, English screenwriter, producer, and composer (d. 2011)
• 1947 – Bill Rodgers, American runner
• 1947 – Lawrence Tanter, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1948 – David Davis, English politician, Minister of State for Europe
• 1948 – Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, and journalist
• 1948 – Jack Ham, American football player and sportscaster
• 1948 – Rick Wohlhuter, American runner
• 1949 – Adrian Belew, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1949 – Reinhold Weege, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2012)
• 1950 – Michael C. Burgess, American obstetrician and politician
• 1950 – Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, English general
• 1950 – Vicente del Bosque, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1950 – Ilchi Lee, South Korean author and educator
• 1951 – Anthony Phillips, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1952 – William Kristol, American journalist, publisher, and political activist/pundit
• 1953 – Andres Alver, Estonian architect and academic
• 1953 – Gerrit W. Gong, American religious leader and academic
• 1954 – Raivo Järvi, Estonian radio host and politician (d. 2012)
• 1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright
• 1955 – Grace Knight, English-Australian singer-songwriter
• 1956 – Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver (d. 2001)
• 1956 – Dave Murray, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1957 – Dan Bigras, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1958 – Joan Severance, American actress
• 1958 – Victoria Williams, American singer-songwriter
• 1961 – Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian journalist and author
• 1961 – Ketan J. Patel, Kenyan-English biologist and academic
• 1961 – Carol Smillie, Scottish model and actress
• 1961 – Lorna Tolentino, Filipino actress and producer
• 1962 – Bertrand Gachot, Belgian race car driver
• 1962 – Stefan Hell, Romanian-German physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1962 – Kang Je-gyu, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1962 – Keiji Mutoh, Japanese wrestler and actor
• 1963 – Jim Harbaugh, American football player and coach
• 1963 – Jess Harnell, American singer-songwriter
• 1963 – Donna Tartt, American author
• 1963 – Ante Zelck, German businessman
• 1964 – Eddie Vedder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1966 – Badi Assad, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1967 – Carla Bruni, Italian-French singer-songwriter and model
• 1967 – Tim Fountain, English author and playwright
• 1967 – Otis Grant, Jamaican-Canadian boxer, coach, and manager
• 1968 – Karyn Bryant, American journalist, actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1968 – Barry Kooser, American painter and animator
• 1968 – Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, Puerto Rican-American photographer
• 1968 – René Tretschok, German footballer and manager
• 1969 – Greg Biffle, American race car driver
• 1969 – Martha Byrne, American actress
• 1969 – Rodney Culver, American football player (d. 1996)
• 1970 – Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater and sportscaster
• 1970 – Raymont Harris, American football player
• 1970 – Karine Polwart, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
• 1971 – Jo Johnson, English banker, journalist, and politician
• 1971 – Michalis Klokidis, Greek footballer
• 1971 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, English model, actress, and author
• 1971 – Wim Vansevenant, Belgian cyclist
• 1971 – Masayoshi Yamazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1974 – Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer and politician
• 1974 – Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2004)
• 1975 – Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1975 – Lady Starlight, American singer-songwriter
• 1976 – Joanna Hayes, American hurdler and coach
• 1976 – Brad Lidge, American baseball player
• 1976 – Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Uzbek-Greek footballer and manager
• 1976 – Jamie Noble, American wrestler and producer
• 1977 – Alge Crumpler, American football player
• 1977 – Tore Johansen, Norwegian trumpeter and composer
• 1977 – Jari Mäenpää, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1977 – Paul Shirley, American basketball player and blogger
• 1978 – Esthero, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1978 – Andra Davis, American football player
• 1978 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1978 – Estella Warren, Canadian swimmer, model, and actress
• 1979 – Abraham Chebii, Kenyan runner
• 1979 – Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player
• 1979 – Megan Mayhew Bergman American author and educator
• 1979 – Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer
• 1979 – Yukifumi Murakami, Japanese javelin thrower
• 1980 – Cody Ross, American baseball player
• 1981 – Maritza Correia, Puerto Rican-American swimmer
• 1981 – Yuriorkis Gamboa, Cuban boxer
• 1981 – Agnes Milowka, Polish-Australian diver, explorer, photographer, and author (d. 2011)
• 1981 – Mario Santana, Argentinian footballer
• 1982 – Brad Nelson, American baseball player
• 1982 – Thomas Rohregger, Austrian cyclist
• 1983 – Michael Chopra, English footballer
• 1983 – Lisa Dobriskey, English runner
• 1983 – Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
• 1984 – Dudu Aharon, Israeli singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Josh Satin, American baseball player
• 1984 – Sebastian Werle, German rugby player
• 1985 – Harry Judd, English drummer and songwriter
• 1986 – Beau Champion, Australian rugby player
• 1986 – T. J. Oshie, American ice hockey player
• 1987 – Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Thomas Bourgin, French motorcycle racer (d. 2013)
• 1987 – Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player
• 1989 – Liis Koger, Estonian painter and poet
• 1992 – Jeff Schlupp, German footballer

Deaths

• 484 – Huneric, Vandal king
• 668 – Mor Gabriel, Turkish bishop and saint (b. 594)
• 679 – Dagobert II, Frankish king (b. 650)
• 761 – Gaubald, Frankish bishop (b. 700)
• 910 – Saint Naum, Bulgarian missionary and scholar (b. 830)
• 918 – Conrad I of Germany (b. 890)
• 1230 – Berengaria of Navarre (b. 1165)
• 1556 – Nicholas Udall, English cleric, playwright, and educator (b. 1504)
• 1568 – Roger Ascham, English scholar and academic (b. 1515)
• 1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese samurai (b. 1531)
• 1588 – Henry I, Duke of Guise (b. 1550)
• 1631 – Michael Drayton, English poet and playwright (b. 1563)
• 1646 – François Maynard, French poet and academic (b. 1582)
• 1652 – John Cotton, English minister and theologian (b. 1585)
• 1675 – Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French general and diplomat (b. 1602)
• 1722 – Pierre Varignon, French mathematician and academic (b. 1654)
• 1761 – Alastair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish spy (b. 1725)
• 1763 – Antoine François Prévost, French novelist and translator (b. 1697)
• 1771 – Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian nun and saint, founded Grey Nuns (b. 1701)
• 1779 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1724)
• 1789 – Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French priest and educator (b. 1712)
• 1795 – Henry Clinton, English general and politician (b. 1730)
• 1805 – Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and author (b. 1723)
• 1834 – Thomas Robert Malthus, English economist and demographer (b. 1766)
• 1884 – John Chisum, American businessman and poker player (b. 1824)
• 1889 – Constance Naden, English poet and philosopher (b. 1858)
• 1902 – Frederick Temple, English archbishop and academic (b. 1821)
• 1912 – Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist and academic (b. 1850)
• 1926 – Swami Shraddhanand, Indian monk, missionary, and educator (b. 1856)
• 1930 – Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay, Turkish lieutenant and educator (b. 1906)
• 1931 – Wilson Bentley, American meteorologist and photographer (b. 1865)
• 1939 – Anthony Fokker, Indonesia-born Dutch pilot and engineer, designed the Fokker Dr.I and Fokker D.VII (b. 1890)
• 1946 – John A. Sampson, American gynecologist and academic (b. 1873)
• 1948 – Akira Mutō, Japanese general (b. 1883)
• 1948 – Hideki Tojo, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1884)
• 1950 – Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (b. 1878)
• 1953 – Lavrentiy Beria, Georgian-Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Internal Affairs (b. 1899)
• 1954 – René Iché, French soldier and sculptor (b. 1897)
• 1961 – Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, American author (b. 1875)
• 1961 – Kurt Meyer, German general (b. 1910)
• 1970 – Charles Ruggles, American actor (b. 1886)
• 1970 – Aleksander Warma, Estonian lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (b. 1890)
• 1972 – Andrei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-95 and Tupolev Tu-104 (b. 1888)
• 1973 – Charles Atlas, Italian-American bodybuilder and model (b. 1892)
• 1973 – Irna Phillips, American screenwriter, created Guiding Light and As the World Turns (b. 1901)
• 1979 – Peggy Guggenheim, American-Italian art collector (b. 1898)
• 1982 – Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
• 1983 – Colin Middleton, Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Joan Lindsay, Australian author and playwright (b. 1896)
• 1992 – Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (b. 1934)
• 1994 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (b. 1905)
• 1995 – Patric Knowles, English actor (b. 1911)
• 1998 – Joe Orlando, Italian-American author and illustrator (b. 1927)
• 2000 – Billy Barty, American actor (b. 1924)
• 2000 – Victor Borge, Danish-American comedian, pianist, and conductor (b. 1909)
• 2001 – Bola Ige, Nigerian lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Oyo State (b. 1930)
• 2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Charlie Drake, English actor (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Timothy J. Tobias, American pianist and composer (b. 1952)
• 2006 – Johnny Vincent, English footballer (b. 1947)
• 2007 – William Francis Ganong, Jr., American physiologist and academic (b. 1924)
• 2007 – Michael Kidd, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1915)
• 2007 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1925)
• 2009 – Robert L. Howard, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1939)
• 2009 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan general and politician (b. 1910)
• 2009 – Edward Schillebeeckx, Belgian theologian and academic (b. 1914)
• 2010 – Fred Hargesheimer, American soldier and pilot (b. 1916)
• 2010 – K. Karunakaran, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Kerala (b. 1918)
• 2011 – Aydın Menderes, Turkish economist and politician (b. 1946)
• 2012 – Jean Harris, American educator and murderer (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Eduardo Maiorino, Brazilian mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (b. 1979)
• 2013 – Chryssa, Greek-American sculptor (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian general and weapons designer, designed the AK-47 rifle (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Yusef Lateef, American saxophonist, composer, and educator (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Ricky Lawson, American drummer and composer (b. 1954)
• 2013 – José Ortiz, Spanish illustrator (b. 1932)
• 2013 – G. S. Shivarudrappa, Indian poet and educator (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Robert W. Wilson, American philanthropist and art collector (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Robert V. Hogg, American statistician and academic (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Jeremy Lloyd, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Don Howe, English footballer and manager (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Jean-Marie Pelt, French biologist, pharmacist, and academic (b. 1933)
• 2015 – Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Ministers of Turkey (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances

• Birthday of the Queen Silvia, an official flag day (Sweden)
• Children's Day (South Sudan and Sudan)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Abassad (Coptic Church)
  • John Cantius
  • O Emmanuel
  • Psote (Coptic Church)
  • Thorlac Thorhallsson, patron saint of Iceland; The last day of preparations before Christmas.
  • December 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Festivus, a holiday made popular by the sitcom Seinfeld
• HumanLight (Secular humanism in United States)
• Kisan Diwas (Uttar Pradesh, India)
• Night of the Radishes (Oaxaca City, Mexico)
• The Emperor's Birthday, birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan. (Japan)
• Tibb's Eve (Newfoundland and Labrador)
• Tom Bawcock's Eve (Mousehole, Cornwall)
• Victory Day (Egypt) commemorates the end of the Suez Crisis on that date in 1956

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History