December 23 facts for kids

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.

December 23rd is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient kingdoms to modern inventions. It's a day when important leaders made big decisions, new technologies changed the world, and famous people were born or passed away. Let's explore some of the notable moments that happened on this date.

Events That Shaped History

Ancient Times and Early History

• 484 – The Vandal Kingdom, a powerful group, stopped treating followers of Nicene Christianity badly. This brought more peace to the region.
• 558 – Chlothar I was crowned the King of the Franks, a strong group of people in Europe.
• 583 – In the ancient Maya civilization, Queen Yohl Ikʼnal became the ruler of Palenque, an important city.
• 962 – During the Arab–Byzantine wars, Byzantine soldiers led by Nikephoros II Phokas attacked and took over the city of Aleppo.
• 1598 – In the Arauco War, the Governor of Chile, Martín García Óñez de Loyola, was killed in battle by the Mapuche people, led by Pelantaro.

From Revolutions to New Discoveries (1601–1900)

• 1688 – As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England left England for France. He was replaced by his nephew and son-in-law, William of Orange, and his daughter Mary.
• 1773 – The Moscow State Academy of Choreography, a famous ballet school, was started in Russia.
• 1783 – George Washington officially stepped down as the leader of the Continental Army in Annapolis, Maryland.
• 1793 – The Battle of Savenay marked a big defeat for those who supported the king during the French Revolution.
• 1815 – The famous novel Emma by Jane Austen was published for the very first time.
• 1876 – The Constantinople Conference began. This meeting aimed to agree on political changes in the Balkans region.
• 1893 – The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck had its first performance.

The 20th and 21st Centuries

• 1905 – A meeting took place in Tampere, Finland, where important leaders Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin met for the first time.
• 1913 – The Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. This law created the Federal Reserve System, which manages money in the United States.
• 1914 – During World War I, soldiers from Australia and New Zealand arrived in Cairo, Egypt.
• 1914 – Also in World War I, a sad accident happened during the Battle of Sarikamish. Ottoman soldiers mistakenly attacked their own side, causing many deaths and injuries.
• 1916 – In World War I, Allied forces won against Turkish forces in the Sinai Peninsula during the Battle of Magdhaba.
• 1919 – A law called the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 became active in the United Kingdom. It helped remove barriers for women in many areas.
• 1936 – Colombia joined the Buenos Aires Convention, an agreement about copyright for creative works.
• 1936 – During the Spanish Civil War, the Second Spanish Republic officially allowed the Regional Defence Council of Aragon to exist.
• 1941 – In World War II, after 15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army took control of Wake Island.
• 1947 – The transistor, a key invention for modern electronics, was shown for the first time at Bell Labs.
• 1954 – The first successful kidney transplant operation was performed by doctors J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
• 1968 – Eighty-two sailors from the USS Pueblo were set free after being held for eleven months in North Korea.
• 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, became the tallest building in the world when it reached its full height.
• 1970 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially became a country with only one main political party.
• 1972 – In a famous American football play called the Immaculate Reception, Franco Harris helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win their first ever playoff game.
• 1972 – A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 hit Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, causing many deaths.
• 1979 – During the Soviet war in Afghanistan, forces from the Soviet Union entered Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
• 1986 – The airplane Voyager, flown by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, landed in California. It was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling.
• 1990 – In a vote, 88.5% of people in Slovenia chose to become independent from Yugoslavia.
• 2002 – A U.S. drone was shot down by an Iraqi jet. This was the first time a drone was involved in a combat fight with a regular aircraft.
• 2003 – An explosion at a natural gas field in Chongqing, China, caused many deaths.
• 2007 – An agreement was made for the Kingdom of Nepal to become a federal republic, meaning the Prime Minister would become the head of the country.
• 2008 – A coup d'état (when a group takes over the government) happened in Guinea just hours after the president passed away.

Famous Birthdays

People Born Long Ago

• 968 – Emperor Zhenzong of Song, an important emperor of the Song Dynasty in China.
• 1173 – Louis I, a duke from Bavaria.
• 1513 – Thomas Smith, an English scholar and diplomat.
• 1525 – John Albert I, a duke from Mecklenburg.
• 1573 – Giovanni Battista Crespi, an Italian artist who was a painter, sculptor, and architect.
• 1582 – Severo Bonini, an Italian organ player and composer.
• 1597 – Martin Opitz, a German poet and composer.
• 1605 – Tianqi Emperor, an emperor of China.
• 1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, a Swedish military leader and politician.
• 1621 – Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, an English lawyer and politician.
• 1689 – Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, a French composer.
• 1732 – Richard Arkwright, an English businessman and inventor. He helped create machines for spinning cotton.
• 1777 – Alexander I of Russia, an emperor of Russia.
• 1790 – Jean-François Champollion, a French scholar who helped understand ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
• 1805 – Joseph Smith, an American religious leader who founded the Latter Day Saint movement.
• 1810 – Karl Richard Lepsius, a German expert on ancient Egypt.
• 1812 – Samuel Smiles, a Scottish-English author.
• 1867 – Madam C. J. Walker, an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She created hair care products for African American women.
• 1878 – Stephen Timoshenko, a Ukrainian-American engineer and professor.

People Born More Recently (1901–Present)

• 1902 – Charan Singh, who became the 5th Prime Minister of India.
• 1908 – Yousuf Karsh, a famous Armenian-Canadian photographer.
• 1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, an English-Danish doctor and immunologist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, a German soldier, economist, and the 5th Chancellor of Germany.
• 1926 – Robert Bly, an American poet and essayist.
• 1929 – Chet Baker, an American jazz trumpet player and singer.
• 1933 – Akihito, who was an emperor of Japan.
• 1935 – Paul Hornung, an American football player.
• 1938 – Bob Kahn, an American computer scientist who helped create the internet's basic rules.
• 1942 – Quentin Bryce, an Australian lawyer and politician who became the 25th Governor-General of Australia.
• 1943 – Harry Shearer, an American actor and voice artist, known for many cartoon characters.
• 1943 – Queen Silvia of Sweden, the Queen of Sweden.
• 1946 – Susan Lucci, an American actress.
• 1949 – Adrian Belew, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1950 – Vicente del Bosque, a Spanish footballer and manager.
• 1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, a Scottish poet and playwright.
• 1956 – Dave Murray, an English guitarist.
• 1962 – Stefan Hell, a Romanian-German physicist and chemist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1963 – Jim Harbaugh, an American football player and coach.
• 1964 – Eddie Vedder, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1967 – Carla Bruni, an Italian-French singer-songwriter and model.
• 1971 – Corey Haim, a Canadian actor.
• 1977 – Matt Baker, an English television presenter.
• 1978 – Estella Warren, a Canadian swimmer, model, and actress.
• 1979 – Holly Madison, an American model and television personality.
• 1985 – Harry Judd, an English drummer and songwriter.
• 1986 – T. J. Oshie, an American ice hockey player.
• 1990 – Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, an American actress and singer.
• 2002 – Finn Wolfhard, a Canadian actor and musician.

Notable People Who Passed Away

Historical Figures

• 484 – Huneric, a Vandal king.
• 679 – Dagobert II, a Frankish king.
• 918 – Conrad I, a king of East Francia.
• 1193 – Thorlak, the patron saint of Iceland.
• 1230 – Berengaria of Navarre, who was a queen of England.
• 1556 – Nicholas Udall, an English writer and educator.
• 1588 – Henry I, a duke of Guise.
• 1631 – Michael Drayton, an English poet and writer.
• 1638 – Barbara Longhi, an Italian painter.
• 1771 – Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, a Canadian nun and saint who started the Grey Nuns.
• 1789 – Charles-Michel de l'Épée, a French priest and educator who helped develop sign language.
• 1795 – Henry Clinton, an English general and politician.
• 1834 – Thomas Robert Malthus, an English economist.
• 1889 – Constance Naden, an English poet and philosopher.

Modern Era Figures

• 1902 – Frederick Temple, an English archbishop.
• 1939 – Anthony Fokker, a Dutch pilot and engineer who designed famous airplanes.
• 1948 – Hideki Tojo, a Japanese general and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1950 – General Walton Walker passed away in an accident and was replaced by General Matthew Ridgway.
• 1953 – Lavrentiy Beria, a Soviet general and politician.
• 1972 – Andrei Tupolev, a Russian engineer who designed famous airplanes like the Tupolev Tu-95.
• 1979 – Peggy Guggenheim, an American-Italian art collector.
• 1982 – Jack Webb, an American actor, director, and producer.
• 2000 – Billy Barty, an American actor.
• 2000 – Victor Borge, a Danish-American comedian and pianist.
• 2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, who was the 9th Prime Minister of India.
• 2007 – Oscar Peterson, a famous Canadian jazz pianist and composer.
• 2013 – Mikhail Kalashnikov, a Russian general and weapons designer who created the AK-47 rifle.
• 2015 – Alfred G. Gilman, an American scientist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 2021 – Joan Didion, an American writer.

Special Days Around the World

• Birthday of the Queen Silvia, a day when flags are flown in Sweden.
• Children's Day is celebrated in South Sudan and Sudan.
• Christian Feast Days for various saints, including John Cantius and Thorlac Thorhallsson (patron saint of Iceland).
• Day of all level operational control structures servicemen in Ukraine.
• Festivus, a fun secular holiday made popular by the TV show Seinfeld.
• HumanLight is celebrated by Secular humanism in the United States.
• Kisan Diwas (Farmers' Day) is observed in Uttar Pradesh, India.
• Night of the Radishes is a unique festival in Oaxaca City, Mexico.
• Tibb's Eve is a special evening in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Tom Bawcock's Eve is celebrated in Mousehole, Cornwall.
• Victory Day (Egypt) is celebrated in Egypt.

See also

In Spanish: 23 de diciembre para niños