Famous Events For January 23 – Today In History

January 23: Today in History – Historical Events

Early Centuries – January 23 Historic Events – Before the 1700s

1. 23rd Jan 1265: On this day the British Parliament was not summoned by the monarch but was formally convened by other authorities.
2. 23rd Jan 1368: This day marked the beginning of the Ming Dynasty rule in China which lasted for three centuries, with the coronation of Zhu Yuanzhang, who ascended the throne of China as Howngwu Emperor
3. 23rd Jan 1490: On this day first printing of Ramban’s Sha’ar ha-Gemul happened.
4. 23rd Jan 1552: The 2nd version of the Book of Common Prayer became mandatory in England on this day.

5. 23rd Jan 1556: On this day there was a severe earthquake in the Shensi Province of China. This was one of the deadliest earthquakes killing over 8, 30,000 people.
6. 23rd Jan 1570: On this day the Civil War breaks out after the assassination of Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland.
7. 23rd Jan 1571: On this day the Royal Exchange in London was opened by Queen Elizabeth I of England.
8. 23rd Jan 1579: On this day the protestant Dutch Republic was formed by the signing of the Union of Utrecht.
9. 23rd Jan 1631: On this day the anti-German Treaty of Barwald was signed by France and Sweden.
10. 23rd Jan 1637: On this day the Dutch governor Johan Mauritius landed in Pernambuco, Brazil.
11. 23rd Jan 1643: On this day in the English Civil War, Sir Thomas Fairfax takes Leeds for the Parliamentarians.
12. 23rd Jan 1647: On this day King Charles I who was captured by Scottish Presbyterians, was sold by them to the English Parliament.
13. 23rd Jan 1668: On this day a triple alliance was signed by England, Netherlands, and Sweden against France.

18th Century – What Happened on January 23 – The 1700s

14. 23rd Jan 1719: On this day Liechtenstein became a sovereign member of the Holy Roman Empire.
15. 23rd Jan 1789: On this day the first US catholic college was founded at Georgetown.
16. 23rd Jan 1793: On this day the 2nd partition of Poland happens between Prussia and Russia.
17. 23rd Jan 1793: On this day a 1st aid Society, the Human Society of Philadelphia was organized.

19th Century – January 23 This Day That Year – The 1800s

18. 23rd Jan 1812: A 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes and shakes New Madrid in Missouri.
19. 23rd Jan 1845: A uniform election day for both the President and Vice President of the United States was authorized on this day.
20. 23rd Jan 1849: Physician Mrs. Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to become a physician in the United States of America on this day.
21. 23rd Jan 1855: This day the first bridge over the river Mississippi was opened.
22. 23rd Jan 1859: On this day the Volcano Mauna Loa begins to erupt. The eruption lasted 300 days.

23. 23rd Jan 1862: On this day 10,000 grape vine cuttings were imported by Agoston Harazythy, 1st Vintner in Sonoma Valley, California.
24. 23rd Jan 1879: The National Archery Association was formed on this day.
25. 23rd Jan 1889: Heart surgeon Daniel Williams established Provident Hospital in Chicago on this day.
26. 23rd Jan 1894: A shorthand record was established on this day by G W Bunbury who achieved a speed of 250 words per minute for ten minutes.
27. 23rd Jan 1899: Revolutionary and 1st President of the Philippines was sworn in on this day as the President of the first Philippine Republic.

20th Century – Important Events On This Day January 23rd – The 1900s

28. 23rd Jan 1904: On this day there was a devastating fire in the Norwegian coastal town of Alesund. One person died and 10,000 were rendered homeless in the fire.
29. 23rd Jan 1907: Charles Curtis of Kansas became the first Native American US Senator on this day.

30. 23rd Jan 1908: On this day the United States and Great Britain demanded that abuses in Congo should come to an end.
31. 23rd Jan 1909: It was on this day that radio was used for the first time in rescue operations at sea.
32. 23rd Jan 1912: On this day the International Opium Convention was signed at The Hague.
33. 23rd Jan 1912: A new type of horn called the exhaust horn which produces musical notes was created and patented on this day.
34. 23rd Jan 1913: There was a coup d’état against the Turkish government led by the Young Turks.
35. 23rd Jan 1920: On this day the Dutch refused to turn over Wilhelm II ex-emperor of Germany to the Allies.
36. 23rd Jan 1923: This day marked the beginning of the taxi strike in Amsterdam which lasted for over two months.

37. 23rd Jan 1924: Stanley Baldwin resigned on this day paving the way for a new government in Britain.
38. 23rd Jan 1924: Following the resignation of Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald formed the first Labor government in Britain. This marked the fructification of 24 years of effort by the party.
39. 23rd Jan 1930: On this day the planet Pluto was photographed by Clyde Tombaugh.
40. 23rd Jan 1930: This day was marked by the establishment of George Washington’s birthplace as a National Monument.
41. 23rd Jan 1932: El Salvador army killed 40,000 protesting farmers on this day.
42. 23rd Jan 1933: On this day the 20th amendment which changed the date of the Presidential Inauguration to 20th Jan was ratified.
43. 23rd Jan 1936: The Catholic Peoples Party of Curacao was formed on this day.
44. 23rd Jan 1937: In Soviet President Stalin’s great purge, Karl Radek and sixteen others were sent on trial on this day.

45. 23rd Jan 1937: President Roosevelt, who was a Baseball fan wrote a letter with enthusiasm to the Baseball Writers Association complimenting the sports writers who had who had worked hard to stir sportsmanship and enthusiasm. This letter addressed to James Dawson was to be read at a dinner sponsored by the organization.
46. 23rd Jan 1940: On this day Pianist Ignaz became the Premier of the Polish government in exile.
47. 23rd Jan 1941: Groundbreaking for the construction of the Lewis Research Station, earlier known as NACA, now known as NASA began on this day.
48. 23rd Jan 1942: Japanese forces launched an attack on the Australian air base at Rabaul in New Britain on this day. They subsequently occupied Rabaul.
49. 23rd Jan 1942: There was a tank battle between the British 8th Army and Africa Korp at Adzjedabia on this day.
50. 23rd Jan 1943: The British 8th Army marched into Tripoli and captured Tripoli from the Germans on this day.
51. 23rd Jan 1943: Composer and Pianist Duke Wellington performed in the Carnegie Hall in New York City for the first time today.

52. 23rd Jan 1945: On this day the Dutch Prime Minister Gerbrandy who was in exile in London offered his resignation.
53. 23rd Jan 1946: Rear Admiral Sidney W Souers of the USNR became the first director of the CIA on this day.
54. 23rd Jan 1950: On this day the Israeli Knesset resolved that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel.
55. 23rd Jan 1950: On this day Capt Raymond Westerner the rebel army captain occupied Bandung.
56. 23rd Jan 1954: On this day Harry Van Thorn was chosen as the Chairman of the Dutch KVP.
57. 23rd Jan 1955: On this day about 14 people were killed and many others injured when the express train travelling between York to Bristol in which they were travelling derailed.
58. 23rd Jan 1958: On this day Marcos Perez Jiménez, the dictator flees Venezuela as Larrazabal takes power.
59. 23rd Jan 1958: On this day the United Auto Workers were ready to vote on a new profit-sharing plan. The plan catered for workers receiving a share of 25% of any profit above 10% of what the companies make(net capital before tax).
60. 23rd Jan 1960: The U.S. Navy bathyscaphe “Trieste” descended to a record depth of 10,750 meters in the Pacific on this day.
61. 23rd Jan 1961: The luxury Portuguese cruise liner Santa Maria was hijacked by terrorists belonging to the leftist rebel group and sailed to Brazil. They released the ship and the passengers and crew in exchange for political asylum in Brazil.

62. 23rd Jan 1964: On this day the 24th amendment to the U.S. Constitution eliminating poll tax in the federal elections was completely ratified.
63. 23rd Jan 1968: The proposal to create a local community college system in the Midwest City and Tulsa area was approved on this day. The plans were to be put on hold until communities were allowed to issue bonds for the establishment of these schools.
64. 23rd Jan 1968: The U.S. Navy ship “Pueblo” was seized by North Korea on charges of intruding into the national waters on a spying mission. The crew members were released eleven months later.
65. 23rd Jan 1970: On this day Australia’s first armature radio satellite(Oscar 5) was launched.
66. 23rd Jan 1970: USA on this day performed a nuclear test at the Nevada test site.
67. 23rd Jan 1971: Alaska recorded the lowest temperature of -80°C on this day in the Prospect Creek Camp.
68. 23rd Jan 1971: After the Commonwealth conference ended in a compromise on this day Britain was allowed to sell arms to South Africa.
69. 23rd Jan 1972: On this day the entire population of Istanbul was placed under house arrest by the authorities.
70. 23rd Jan 1972: On this day a bootlegger sold spurious liquor to a marriage party in Delhi India. 100 people died after consuming the liquor.
71. 23rd Jan 1972: East Central State College received a substantial amount of money from a small organization called the National Science Foundation for technological improvements.
72. 23rd Jan 1973: U.S. President Richard Nixon announced on this day that an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War.
73. 23rd Jan 1973: About 176 Mousim Pilgrims were killed when Jordan Air crashed in Kano, Nigeria.
74. 23rd Jan 1978: Sweden imposed a ban on the use of aerosol sprays as they would damage the environment. They were the first country to do so.
75. 23rd Jan 1981: The First Richard Nixon Museum opens in San Clement, California on this day.
76. 23rd Jan 1981: West Berlin elects Jochem Bird as its mayor on this day.
77. 23rd Jan 1983: The Russian radioactive satellite falls into the Indian Ocean on this day.

78. 23rd Jan 1985: The proceedings of the House of Lords were televised for the first time on this day.
79. 23rd Jan 1988: The experimental airplane Voyager which was flown by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager \landed this day after completing its first nonstop flight around the world without refueling.
80. 23rd Jan 1988: In the 62nd Australian Open Tennis championship Steffi Graff of Germany beat Cris Evert of U.S.A. 6-1, 7-6.
81. 23rd Jan 1989: A massive earthquake of 6 magnitude strikes the Soviet Central Asian Republic of Tajikistan. Hundreds were feared dead in the earthquake.
82. 23rd Jan 1997: On this day Madeline Albright was sworn in as the Secretary of State of the United States. She was the first woman to be sworn in as Secretary of State.
83. 23rd Jan 1997: In Fairfax, in Virginia, a judge sentenced Mir Aimal Kasi to death for an assault rifle attack killing two and injuring three other people outside the CIA headquarters in 1993.
84. 23rd Jan 1991: A British woman on this day received a record £186,000 as damages for repetitive strain injury.
85. 23rd Jan 1991: Embattled Iraqis caused the world’s largest oil spill on this day.
86. 23rd Jan 1993: New York Newsday reports on this day that Bob Packwood the Oregon Senator sexually harassed 23 women.
87. 23rd Jan 1998: On this day Pope John Paul II condemns the US for its embargo against Cuba.

21st Century – January 23 This Day In History – The 2000s

88. 23rd Jan 2001: On this day 5 protestors in China poured petrol on themselves and set themselves on fire at Tiananmen Square. Firefighters doused the fire. The tape of the incident captured by a CNN journalist was confiscated by the authorities.
89. 23rd Jan 2003: On this day North Korea announced that it would consider sanctions against as an act of war for North Korea’s reinstatement of its nuclear program.
90. 23rd Jan 2006: On this day Stephan Harper wins the elections to become the first conservative Prime Minister in 12 years in Canada.
91. 23rd Jan 2010: The government of Venezuela takes six cable television channels off the air for refusing to transmit government messages.

92. 23rd Jan 2011: In Pakistan an emergency polio immunization program was launched by its President Asif Ali Zardari on this day. 32 million children under the age of 5 were targeted to be immunized.
93. 23rd Jan 2011: On this day the outgoing CEO of Google Eric Schmidt was awarded $100 million by Google.
94. 23rd Jan 2012: In response to Iran’s nuclear program the European Union imposes more sanctions upon Iran’s Banking and Oil Industry.
95. 23rd Jan 2013: Switzerland hosts its 2013 economic forum at Devos.
96. 23rd Jan 2011: An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 strikes the Western town of Glenuig in Scotland. The tremors were felt up to a distance of 70 miles. Very little damage was done.
97. 23rd Jan 2012: On this day a British woman Felicity Aston crossed Antarctica solo after skiing a distance of 1084 miles in about 59 days. She became the first woman to achieve this feat.
98. 23rd Jan 2014: Morocco on this day voted for a change of the controversial law which allowed rapists of minor girls to avoid punishment by marrying them. This law led to protests.
99. 23rd Jan 2014: On this day Celebrity pop singer Justin Bieber was arrested for drunken driving, speed racing, and resisting arrest.
100. 23rd Jan 2014: On this day Vietnam records its first snowfall as there was a snowfall in Western Nghe Ah.

See Also:

Sun Signs Everything Under The Sun!