May 23 facts for kids

May 23 is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 222 days remain until the end of the year.

Every day is special, and May 23 has seen many important events throughout history! From ancient battles to modern discoveries, people have been born, achieved great things, and passed away on this date. Let's explore some of the most interesting moments.

Important Events in History

Early Times (Before 1600)

• 1430 – Joan of Arc, a famous French hero, was captured by soldiers from Burgundy during the Siege of Compiègne.
• 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, a religious leader, died in Florence, Italy.
• 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon was officially ended.
• 1568 – Dutch rebels, led by Louis of Nassau, won a battle against Jean de Ligne, Duke of Arenberg at Heiligerlee. This battle helped start the Eighty Years' War.

Later Years (1601–1900)

• 1618 – An event known as the Second Defenestration of Prague helped start the Thirty Years' War.
• 1706 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, led his army to victory against the French at the Battle of Ramillies.
• 1788 – South Carolina became the eighth state to agree to the United States Constitution.
• 1793 – The Battle of Famars took place during the War of the First Coalition.
• 1829 – The Accordion, a musical instrument, received its patent in Vienna, Austrian Empire.
• 1844 – A merchant from Shiraz announced he was a Prophet, starting a new religious movement. He is seen as a very important figure in the Baháʼí Faith.
• 1846 – During the Mexican–American War, Mexico's President Mariano Paredes unofficially declared war on the United States.
• 1873 – The Canadian Parliament created the North-West Mounted Police, which later became the famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
• 1900 – Sergeant William Harvey Carney was given the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the American Civil War in 1863.

Modern Times (1901–present)

• 1905 – Sultan Abdul Hamid II announced the creation of the Ullah millet for the Aromanians in his empire. This is why Aromanian National Day is celebrated on May 23.
• 1911 – The famous New York Public Library was officially opened.
• 1915 – During World War I, Italy joined the Allies, following the Treaty of London.
• 1934 – Famous American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde were killed by police in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
• 1939 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus sank off the coast of New Hampshire during a test dive. Sadly, 24 sailors and two civilians died.
• 1945 – During World War II, Heinrich Himmler, a leader of the SS, died while being held by Allied forces.
• 1949 – During the Cold War, Western powers approved the Basic Law and created a new German state, the Federal Republic of Germany.
• 1960 – A tsunami caused by a large earthquake in Chile the day before, killed 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.
• 1995 – The very first version of the Java programming language was released.
• 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement was accepted in a vote in Northern Ireland, with about 75% of people voting yes.
• 2008 – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) decided that Middle Rocks belonged to Malaysia and Pedra Branca belonged to Singapore, ending a long land dispute.
• 2013 – A freeway bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Skagit River collapsed in Mount Vernon, Washington.
• 2021 – Ryanair Flight 4978 was forced to land by Belarusian authorities so they could arrest a journalist named Roman Protasevich.
• 2022 – Anthony Albanese became the 31st Prime Minister of Australia after his party won the 2022 Australian federal election.

Famous Birthdays

Many interesting people were born on May 23:

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 1052 – Philip I of France, a French King.
• 1100 – Emperor Qinzong of Song, a Chinese Emperor.
• 1707 – Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist who created the system for naming plants and animals.
• 1734 – Franz Mesmer, a German physician known for his ideas about "animal magnetism."
• 1790 – Jules Dumont d'Urville, a French admiral and explorer.
• 1810 – Margaret Fuller, an American journalist and critic.
• 1824 – Ambrose Burnside, an American general and politician.
• 1844 – `Abdu'l-Bahá, an important religious leader.
• 1848 – Otto Lilienthal, a German pilot and engineer who was a pioneer in aviation.
• 1883 – Douglas Fairbanks, a famous American actor and filmmaker from the early days of Hollywood.
• 1891 – Pär Lagerkvist, a Swedish writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Modern Personalities (1901–present)

• 1908 – John Bardeen, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize twice!
• 1910 – Margaret Wise Brown, an American author famous for children's books like Goodnight Moon.
• 1910 – Artie Shaw, a well-known American clarinet player and bandleader.
• 1919 – Betty Garrett, an American actress, singer, and dancer.
• 1925 – Joshua Lederberg, an American biologist and geneticist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1928 – Rosemary Clooney, a popular American singer and actress.
• 1933 – Joan Collins, a famous English actress.
• 1934 – Robert Moog, an electronic engineer who invented the Moog synthesizer, a very important musical instrument.
• 1944 – John Newcombe, a famous Australian tennis player.
• 1951 – Anatoly Karpov, a Russian chess grandmaster.
• 1954 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler, a legendary American boxer.
• 1958 – Drew Carey, an American actor and game show host.
• 1972 – Rubens Barrichello, a Brazilian race car driver.
• 1974 – Jewel, an American singer-songwriter and actress.
• 1977 – Richard Ayoade, a British actor, director, and writer.
• 1991 – Lena Meyer-Landrut, a German singer-songwriter.
• 1999 – James Charles, an American internet personality.

Notable Deaths

Here are some important people who passed away on May 23:

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 1125 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1370 – Toghon Temür, a Mongol emperor.
• 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, an Italian friar and preacher.
• 1524 – Ismail I, the first Emperor of the Safavid dynasty.
• 1701 – William Kidd, a Scottish pirate.
• 1857 – Augustin-Louis Cauchy, a French mathematician.
• 1868 – Kit Carson, a famous American general and frontiersman.
• 1886 – Leopold von Ranke, a German historian.

Modern Personalities (1901–present)

• 1906 – Henrik Ibsen, a famous Norwegian playwright and poet.
• 1934 – Bonnie and Clyde, American criminals.
• 1937 – John D. Rockefeller, a very wealthy American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Standard Oil Company.
• 1945 – Heinrich Himmler, a German commander and politician during World War II.
• 1960 – Georges Claude, a French engineer who invented Neon lighting.
• 1975 – Moms Mabley, an American comedian and actress.
• 1986 – Sterling Hayden, an American actor.
• 1999 – Owen Hart, a Canadian-American professional wrestler.
• 2009 – Roh Moo-hyun, the 9th President of South Korea.
• 2015 – Anne Meara, an American actress and comedian.
• 2015 – John Forbes Nash, Jr., an American mathematician who won a Nobel Prize.
• 2017 – Roger Moore, a famous English actor, known for playing James Bond.
• 2021 – Eric Carle, an American children's book author and illustrator, best known for The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Holidays and Observances

• Aromanian National Day
• Christian feast day:

* Aaron the Illustrious * Desiderius of Vienne * Giovanni Battista de' Rossi * Julia of Corsica * Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA)) * Quintian, Lucius and Julian * William of Perth * May 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Constitution Day (Germany)
• Labour Day (Jamaica)
• Students' Day (Mexico)
• World Turtle Day

See also

In Spanish: 23 de mayo para niños