March 23 facts for kids

March 23 is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 283 days remain until the end of the year.

This page tells you about important things that happened on March 23rd throughout history. You'll discover famous births, significant events, and special days celebrated around the world.

Events That Shaped History

Early Times (Before 1600)

• 1400 – The Trần dynasty in Vietnam, which had ruled for 175 years, was taken over by a court official named Hồ Quý Ly.
• 1540 – Waltham Abbey, a religious community in England, was closed down by King Henry VIII. This was the last one to be shut during the time known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
• 1568 – The Peace of Longjumeau was signed. This agreement brought an end to the second part of the French Wars of Religion.

From 1601 to 1900

• 1775 – During the American Revolutionary War, Patrick Henry gave his famous speech, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" in Richmond, Virginia.
• 1801 – Tsar Paul I of Russia was killed in his bedroom during a sudden takeover of power.
• 1806 – Explorers Lewis and Clark and their team, the "Corps of Discovery," began their long journey home. They had traveled across the Louisiana Purchase and reached the Pacific Ocean.
• 1821 – In the Greek War of Independence, the city of Kalamata was captured after a battle.
• 1839 – A huge earthquake destroyed Inwa, which was once the capital city of the Konbaung dynasty in what is now Myanmar.
• 1848 – The ship John Wickliffe arrived at Port Chalmers in New Zealand. It carried the first Scottish settlers for the city of Dunedin. This led to the founding of the Otago province.
• 1857 – Elisha Otis installed his very first elevator in New York City.
• 1862 – During the American Civil War, the First Battle of Kernstown in Virginia took place. This battle marked the start of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Even though the Confederates lost, it helped distract the Union army from capturing Richmond.
• 1868 – The University of California was officially started in Oakland, California, when the Organic Act became law.
• 1879 – In the War of the Pacific, the Battle of Topáter was fought. This was the first battle of the war between Chile and the combined forces of Bolivia and Peru.
• 1885 – During the Sino-French War, Chinese forces won the Battle of Phu Lam Tao near Hưng Hóa in northern Vietnam.
• 1888 – In England, The Football League, the world's oldest professional association football league, held its first meeting.
• 1889 – The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian, which was then part of British India.

Modern Era (1901–Present)

• 1901 – Emilio Aguinaldo, the first and only President of the First Philippine Republic, was captured by American forces.
• 1905 – Eleftherios Venizelos called for Crete to join Greece. This started what is known as the Theriso revolt.
• 1909 – Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt left New York for a special safari in Africa. This trip was supported by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society.
• 1913 – A series of tornadoes killed over 240 people in the central United States. At the same time, an ongoing flood in the Ohio River area caused 650 deaths.
• 1918 – In World War I, during Germany's Spring Offensive, the 10th Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment was destroyed, and many soldiers became prisoners of war.
• 1919 – In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini started his Fascist political movement.
• 1933 – The Reichstag (German parliament) passed the Enabling Act of 1933. This law gave Adolf Hitler complete power over Germany.
• 1935 – The Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines was signed.
• 1939 – The Hungarian air force attacked the Slovak air force headquarters, killing 13 people. This marked the start of the Slovak–Hungarian War.
• 1940 – The Lahore Resolution was presented at a meeting of the All-India Muslim League. This resolution called for a separate Muslim state.
• 1956 – Pakistan became the world's first Islamic republic. This day is now celebrated as Republic Day in Pakistan.
• 1965 – NASA launched Gemini 3, the first U.S. space flight with two astronauts, Gus Grissom and John Young.
• 1977 – The first of The Nixon Interviews was recorded. British journalist David Frost interviewed former U.S. President Richard Nixon about the Watergate scandal.
• 1978 – The first UNIFIL troops arrived in Lebanon for a peacekeeping mission along the Blue Line.
• 1982 – Guatemala's government, led by Fernando Romeo Lucas García, was overthrown in a military takeover by General Efraín Ríos Montt.
• 1983 – Strategic Defense Initiative: President Ronald Reagan proposed a plan to develop technology that could stop enemy missiles.
• 1988 – Angolan and Cuban forces defeated South Africa in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale.
• 1991 – The Revolutionary United Front invaded Sierra Leone, starting the 11-year Sierra Leone Civil War.
• 1996 – Taiwan held its first direct elections for president. Lee Teng-hui was chosen as President.
• 1999 – Paraguay's Vice President Luis María Argaña was assassinated.
• 2001 – The Russian Mir space station was intentionally brought down. It broke apart in the atmosphere and fell into the southern Pacific Ocean.
• 2003 – The Battle of Nasiriyah, a major conflict, took place during the invasion of Iraq.
• 2008 – The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport officially opened in Hyderabad, India.
• 2010 – The Affordable Care Act became law in the United States.
• 2018 – President of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned from his position due to a large corruption scandal.
• 2019 – The Kazakh capital city of Astana was renamed to Nur-Sultan.
• 2019 – The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces captured the town of Baghuz in Eastern Syria. This was seen as a military victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
• 2020 – Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown because of COVID-19.
• 2021 – A large container ship got stuck and blocked the Suez Canal for six days.

Famous People Born on This Day

• 1749 – Pierre-Simon Laplace, a French mathematician and astronomer.
• 1769 – William Smith, an English geologist who created the first geological map of England.
• 1823 – Schuyler Colfax, an American journalist and politician who became the 17th Vice President of the United States.
• 1858 – Ludwig Quidde, a German activist and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1881 – Roger Martin du Gard, a French novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1881 – Hermann Staudinger, a German chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1882 – Emmy Noether, a German-American mathematician and physicist.
• 1900 – Erich Fromm, a German psychologist and sociologist.
• 1907 – Daniel Bovet, a Swiss-Italian pharmacologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 1910 – Akira Kurosawa, a famous Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter.
• 1912 – Wernher von Braun, a German-American physicist and engineer who helped develop rockets.
• 1924 – Bette Nesmith Graham, an American inventor who created Liquid Paper.
• 1929 – Roger Bannister, an English middle-distance runner who was the first to run a mile in under four minutes.
• 1933 – Philip Zimbardo, an American psychologist.
• 1937 – Robert Gallo, an American physician and academic.
• 1942 – Michael Haneke, an Austrian director and screenwriter.
• 1952 – Rex Tillerson, an American businessman and diplomat who served as the 69th United States Secretary of State.
• 1953 – Chaka Khan, a famous American singer-songwriter.
• 1956 – José Manuel Barroso, a Portuguese politician who was the 115th Prime Minister of Portugal.
• 1957 – Lucio Gutiérrez, an Ecuadorian politician who became the 52nd President of Ecuador.
• 1962 – Steve Redgrave, a famous English rower who won many Olympic gold medals.
• 1968 – Damon Albarn, an English singer-songwriter and producer.
• 1968 – Fernando Hierro, a famous Spanish footballer.
• 1972 – Joe Calzaghe, a Welsh boxer.
• 1973 – Jason Kidd, an American basketball player and coach.
• 1976 – Chris Hoy, a Scottish cyclist who won multiple Olympic gold medals.
• 1976 – Keri Russell, an American actress.
• 1983 – Mo Farah, a Somali-English runner who won many Olympic gold medals.
• 1988 – Jason Kenny, an English cyclist who won many Olympic gold medals.
• 1990 – Princess Eugenie, a member of the British Royal Family.
• 1992 – Kyrie Irving, an Australian-American basketball player.
• 1996 – Alexander Albon, a Thai-British race car driver.

Notable People Who Passed Away on This Day

• 59 – Agrippina the Younger, a Roman empress.
• 1555 – Julius III, a pope of the Catholic Church.
• 1801 – Paul I, the Russian emperor.
• 1842 – Stendhal, a French novelist.
• 1910 – Nadar, a French photographer and journalist.
• 1931 – Bhagat Singh, an Indian activist who fought for independence.
• 1964 – Peter Lorre, an American actor.
• 1972 – Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Spanish fashion designer who founded the Balenciaga brand.
• 1981 – Elizabeth Tinsley, an English-New Zealand astronomer.
• 1992 – Friedrich Hayek, an Austrian-German economist and philosopher who won the Nobel Prize in Economics.
• 1994 – Giulietta Masina, an Italian actress.
• 1999 – Luis María Argaña, the Vice President of Paraguay.
• 2011 – Elizabeth Taylor, a famous American-British actress and humanitarian.
• 2015 – Lee Kuan Yew, a Singaporean lawyer and politician who was the first Prime Minister of Singapore.
• 2021 – George Segal, an American actor.
• 2022 – Madeleine Albright, a Czechoslovakian-American diplomat who was the 64th United States Secretary of State.

Special Days and Celebrations

• Christian feast day:
  • Gregory the Illuminator
  • Joseph Oriol
  • Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès
  • Turibius of Mogrovejo
• Day of Hungarian-Polish Friendship (Hungary and Poland)
• Day of the Sea (Bolivia)
• Family Day (South Africa)
• Pakistan Day (Pakistan)
• Promised Messiah Day (Ahmadiyya)
• World Meteorological Day

See also

In Spanish: 23 de marzo para niños