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 ).
[edit ] Events
632 – The Last Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada' ) of prophet Muhammad .
1455 – Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible , the first Western book printed with movable type .
1660 – Charles XI becomes King of Sweden .
1739 – Richard Palmer is identified at York Castle , by his former schoolteacher, as the outlaw Dick Turpin .
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 the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland .
1870 – In the United States, post-Civil War 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 .
1886 – Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of man-made aluminum , after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister Julia Brainerd Hall.
1887 – The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake , killing around 2,000.
1896 – The Tootsie Roll is invented.
1898 – Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing "J'accuse ", a letter accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus .
1900 – In South Africa , Boers and British troops fight in the Battle of Hart's Hill.
1903 – Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
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 . In honor of this victory, the date is celebrated from 1923 onward as "Red Army Day"; it is renamed Defender of the Fatherland Day after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and is colloquially known as "Men's Day".
1927 – The Federal Radio Commission (later renamed the Federal Communications Commission ) begins to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.
1934 – Leopold III becomes King of Belgium .
1941 – Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg .
1943 – A fire breaks out at St. Joseph's Orphanage, Co Cavan , Ireland , killing 36 people (35 of whom are children).
1944 – The Soviet Union begins the forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus 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 and become the model for the national USMC War Memorial .
1945 – World War II: The 11th Airborne Division , with Filipino guerrillas, free the captives of the Los Baños internment camp.
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 in a raid by 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 begins 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 – In Syria , Baath party member Salah Jadid leads an intra-party military coup that replaces the previous government of General Amin Hafiz , also a Baathist.
1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst .
1980 – The United States Men's Olympic hockey team defeats the Swedish team to claim gold.
1980 – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran's parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages .
1981 – In Spain, 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 company founded by entrepreneur 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 is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud .
1991 – Gulf War : Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Iraq , thus beginning 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 the nation of Georgia .
1997 – A small fire occurs in the Russian Space station , Mir .
1998 – In the United States, 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 "; the latter term is commonly interpreted to refer to the people of Europe and the United States.
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 – In Slovakia , a two-day meeting dubbed "Slovakia Summit 2005 " takes place between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin . This occasion marks the first visit of a sitting American President to the Slovak Republic since its establishment in 1993.
2005 – The controversial French law on colonialism is passed, requiring teachers to teach the "positive values of colonialism". After public outcry, it is repealed at the beginning 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 .
2007 – A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg , Cumbria , England , killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
2008 – A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit crashes on Guam . It is the first operational loss of a B-2.
2010 – Unknown criminals pour more than 2.5 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro , in Northern Italy , causing an environmental disaster .
[edit ] Births
1417 – Pope Paul II (d. 1471)
1443 – Matthias Corvinus of Hungary , King of Hungary and Croatia (d. 1490)
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)
1840 – Frederick Wicks , English author and inventor (d. 1910)
1842 – Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann , German philosopher (d. 1906)
1850 – César Ritz , Swiss hotelier (d. 1918)
1868 – W. E. B. Du Bois , 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)
1889 – John Gilbert Winant , American politician (d. 1947)
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 , founder of Aryan Nations (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)
1929 – Elston Howard , American baseball player (d. 1980)
1931 – Tom Wesselmann , American collage artist (d. 2004)
1932 – Majel Barrett Roddenberry , American actress (d. 2008)
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
1955 – Flip Saunders , American basketball coach
1957 – Ria Brieffies , Dutch singer (d. 2009)
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 – David E. Clemmer , American ion mobility-mass spectrometrist, 2006 recipient of Biemann Medal
1965 – Michael Dell , American computer manufacturer
1965 – Helena Suková , Czech former tennis player
1966 – Neal McDonough , American actor
1967 – Tamsin Greig , English actress
1967 – Chris Vrenna , American musician, producer and sound engineer Nine Inch Nails , Tweaker
1968 – Justin Bell , British racing driver
1969 – Marc Wauters , Belgian cyclist
1969 – Michael Campbell , New Zealand golfer
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
1976 – Scott Elarton , American baseball player
1977 – Kristina Šmigun-Vähi , Estonian cross-country skier
1978 – René Pérez , Puerto Rican musician (Calle 13 )
1978 – Dan Snyder , Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
1978 – Jo Joyner , English actress
1981 – Gareth Barry , English footballer
1981 – Charles Tillman , American football player
1982 – Adam Hann-Byrd , American actor
1982 – Karan Singh Grover , Indian actor
1983 – Mirco Bergamasco , Italian rugby player
1983 – Mido , Egyptian footballer
1983 – Emily Blunt , British actress
1983 – Aziz Ansari , Indian-American comedian
1986 – Ola Svensson , Swedish pop singer
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
1992 – Kyriakos Papadopoulos , Greek footballer
1994 – Dakota Fanning , American actress
[edit ] Deaths
943 – Herbert II, Count of Vermandois , (b. 884)
1011 – Willigis , Archbishop of Mainz (b. 940)
1072 – Peter Damian , theologian and Doctor of the Church (b. 1007)
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 (b. c.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)
1766 – Stanislaw Leszczynski , King of Poland (b. 1677)
1781 – George Taylor , American signatory to the Declaration of Independence (b. c.1716)
1792 – Joshua Reynolds , English painter (b. 1723)
1800 – Joseph Warton , English literary critic (b. 1722)
1821 – 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)
1961 – Davey Crockett , American baseball player (b. 1875)
1965 – Stan Laurel , British 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 – L. S. 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 (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 – Neil Ardley , English jazz pianist and composer (b. 1937)
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 (b. 1916)
[edit ] Holidays and observances
[edit ] External links
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