March 23
March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). There are 283 days remaining.
Events
- 752 - Stephen II becomes Pope.
- 1708 - James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth.
- 1775 - American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his famous speech - "give me liberty or give me death" in Williamsburg, Virginia.
- 1806 - After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their arduous journey home.
- 1839 - First recorded use of "OK" as an abbreviation for "oll korrect" (Boston Morning Post).
- 1857 - Elisha Otis' first elevator is installed (at 488 Broadway, New York City).
- 1868 - The University of California is founded in Oakland, California when the Organic Act is signed into law.
- 1889 - Land run: President Benjamin Harrison opens Oklahoma to white settlement starting on April 22.
- 1889 - free Woolwich Ferry officially opened in east London.
- 1903 - The Wright Brothers apply for a patent on their invention of the first successful airplane after much hard work.
- 1909 - Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society.
- 1919 - In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement.
- 1931 - The Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt embrace gallows during the Indian struggle for independence. Their request to be shot by a firing squad was refused.
- 1933 - The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act, giving Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers over German legislation.
- 1935 - Signing of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
- 1940 - The famous Pakistan Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan or the then Qarardad-e-Lahore) was put forward in the Annual General Convention of the All India Muslim League on this day.
- 1942 - World War II: In the Indian Ocean, Japanese forces capture the Anadaman Islands.
- 1956 - Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world.
- 1965 - NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young).
- 1983 - Strategic Defense Initiative: President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles.
- 1989 - Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann announce cold fusion at the University of Utah.
- 1989 - A 1,000-foot diameter Near-Earth asteroid misses the Earth by 400,000 miles.
- 1994 - At an election rally in Tijuana, Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio is assassinated by Mario Aburto Martínez.
- 1996 - The Republic of China on Taiwan holds its first direct elections for president
- 1999 - Gunmen assassinate Paraguay's Vice President Luis Maria Argana.
Births
- 1699 - John Bartram, American botanist (d. 1777)
- 1749 - Pierre Simon de Laplace, mathematician and astronomer (d. 1827)
- 1754 - Baron Jurij Vega, Slovene mathematician, physicist and artillery officer (d. 1802)
- 1769 - William Smith, geologist/cartographer (d. 1839)
- 1823 - Schuyler Colfax, Vice President of the United States (d. 1885)
- 1834 - Julius Reubke, composer (d. 1858)
- 1878 - Franz Schreker, composer (d. 1934)
- 1882 - Emmy Noether, mathematician (d. 1935)
- 1887 - Juan Gris, painter and graphic artist (d. 1927)
- 1887 - Prince Felix Yussupov, assassin of Rasputin (d. 1967)
- 1889 - Yukichi Chuganji, oldest man alive on (d. 2003)
- 1900 - Erich Fromm, psychoanalyst (d. 1980)
- 1904 - Joan Crawford, actress (d. 1977)
- 1905 - Lale Andersen, singer and cabaretist (d. 1972)
- 1910 - Akira Kurosawa, film director (d. 1998)
- 1912 - Wernher von Braun, physicist and engineer (d. 1977)
- 1923 - Marcel Marceau, mime artist
- 1929 - Sir Roger Bannister, athlete, first "Miracle Mile"
- 1942 - Walter Rodney, historian and political figure (d. 1980)
- 1949 - Ric Ocasek, musician ("The Cars")
- 1952 - Kim Stanley Robinson, science fiction author
- 1953 - Chaka Khan, singer
- 1956 - José Manuel Durão Barroso, Portuguese politician, elected prsident of the European Commission
- 1972 - Judith Godrèche, actress/author
- 1973 - Jason Kidd, basketball player
- 1976 - Keri Russell, actress
- 1978 - Nicholle Tom, actress
- 1979 - Misty Hyman, US swimmer
- 1979 - Chad Dittman, President and CEO of the Intense Football League
Deaths
- 1555 - Pope Julius III, (b. 1487)
- 1801 - Tsar Paul of Russia, (b. 1754)
- 1842 - Stendhal, writer, (b. 1783)
- 1931 - Bhagat Singh Indian Freedom Fighter (b. 1907)
- 1931 - Batukeshwar Dutt Indian Freedom Fighter.
- 1964 - Peter Lorre, actor, (b. 1904)
- 1970 - Del Lord, pioneer Hollywood director, (b. 1894)
- 1979 - Orlando Letelier, former Chilean ambassador to the United States, (b. 1932)
- 1983 - Barney Clark, first artificial heart recipient
- 1993 - Hans Werner Richter, author (b. 1908)
- 2003 - Fritz Spiegl, journalist, (b. 1926)
- 2004 - Rupert Hamer, Australian politician (b. 1916)
Holidays and observances
March 22 - March 24 - February 23 - April 23 -- listing of all days
