October 23 facts for kids

October 23 is a special day with many interesting events, births, and holidays throughout history. Let's explore some of the cool things that happened on this date!

Historical Events

Ancient Times (Before 1600)

• 42 BC – In a big battle called the Battle of Philippi, Mark Antony and Octavian defeated an army led by Brutus. This battle ended a civil war.
• 425 – At just six years old, Valentinian III became the Roman emperor.
• 1086 – During the Reconquista in Spain, the Almoravids won a battle against the Castilians at the Battle of Sagrajas.
• 1157 – The Battle of Grathe Heath brought an end to the Danish Civil War.
• 1295 – Scotland and France signed their first agreement for the Auld Alliance. This alliance was formed to protect each other against England.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1641 – Irish leaders in Ulster tried to take over Dublin Castle. This was the main place where England governed Ireland.
• 1642 – The Battle of Edgehill was the first major battle of the English Civil War.
• 1666 – A very strong tornado, with winds over 213 miles per hour, hit Lincolnshire, England. It was one of the strongest tornadoes ever recorded there.
• 1707 – The very first Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain met for the first time.
• 1798 – Forces led by Ali Pasha defeated the French army and captured the town of Preveza.
• 1812 – General Claude François de Malet started a secret plan to overthrow Napoleon. He spread a false rumor that Napoleon had died during his campaign in Russia.
• 1850 – The first ever National Women's Rights Convention began in Worcester, Massachusetts. This was an important meeting for women's rights.
• 1856 – The Second Opium War began. British forces attacked forts outside Canton (now Guangzhou) in China.
• 1864 – During the American Civil War, the Battle of Westport was the last major battle fought west of the Mississippi River. The Union army won this battle.
• 1868 – The Meiji Restoration officially began in Japan. Mutsuhito moved the capital to Edo, which he renamed Tokyo, starting a new era of big changes for Japan.

Modern Era (1901–Present)

• 1906 – Alberto Santos-Dumont flew an airplane in Europe. This was the first time a heavier-than-air aircraft flew there.
• 1911 – In the Italo-Turkish War, an Italian pilot used an airplane for scouting. This was the first time an airplane was used in combat.
• 1912 – The Battle of Kumanovo began between the Serbian and Ottoman armies during the First Balkan War.
• 1924 – A powerful warlord named Feng Yuxiang staged a surprise takeover in Beijing. This event, known as the Beijing Coup, changed the course of a war between different Chinese warlords.
• 1927 – A fire destroyed the Imatra Cinema in Tampere, Finland. Sadly, 21 people lost their lives.
• 1940 – Adolf Hitler and Francisco Franco met to talk about whether Spain should join World War II.
• 1941 – During The Holocaust, Nazi Germany stopped Jewish people from leaving their homes, including in areas they had taken over.
• 1942 – World War II: The Second Battle of El Alamein began. This battle was a major turning point in the war in North Africa.
• 1942 – A U.S. Army Air Force bomber crashed into American Airlines Flight 28 near Palm Springs, California. All 12 people on board died.
• 1942 – World War II: The Battle for Henderson Field started on Guadalcanal.
• 1944 – World War II: The huge Battle of Leyte Gulf began.
• 1955 – Ngô Đình Diệm became the first president of the Republic of Vietnam after winning a vote.
• 1955 – The people of the Saar region voted to join West Germany instead of France.
• 1956 – Police shot at people protesting against the government, which started the Hungarian Revolution.
• 1958 – A mining disaster in Springhill, Canada, killed 75 miners.
• 1958 – The famous cartoon characters, the Smurfs, first appeared in a magazine.
• 1965 – Vietnam War: American and South Vietnamese forces began an operation to fight Communist forces during the siege of Plei Me.
• 1970 – Gary Gabelich set a new land speed record in a rocket-powered car called the Blue Flame.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: A US bombing campaign against North Vietnam, called Operation Linebacker, ended after five months.
• 1983 – During the Lebanese Civil War, a truck bomb exploded at a U.S. Marines Corps base in Beirut, killing 241 American soldiers. A French army base was also attacked, killing 58 troops.
• 1989 – The country of Hungary officially changed from a communist state to a republic.
• 1989 – A huge explosion at a chemical plant in Pasadena, Texas, killed 23 people and injured many more.
• 1991 – The 1991 Paris Peace Accords were signed, which officially ended the Cambodian–Vietnamese War.
• 1993 – During The Troubles in Northern Ireland, a bomb exploded too early in Belfast, killing the person who set it off and nine other people.
• 1998 – Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed the Wye River Memorandum, an agreement for peace.
• 2001 – Apple Computer released the very first iPod.
• 2002 – Chechen terrorists took about 700 people hostage at a theater in Moscow.
• 2004 – A strong earthquake hit Niigata Prefecture in Japan, killing 35 people and leaving many without homes.
• 2011 – A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Van Province, Turkey, killing 582 people.
• 2011 – The 2011 Libyan civil war was declared over by the Libyan government.
• 2015 – Hurricane Patricia became one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. It hit Mexico, causing damage and sadly, some deaths.
• 2017 – The Siege of Marawi in the Philippines officially ended.
• 2020 – The Second Libyan Civil War came to an end with a ceasefire agreement.
• 2022 – Xi Jinping was chosen to lead China for a third term as the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Famous Births

Born Before 1900

• 1491 – Ignatius of Loyola, a Catholic priest who founded the Jesuit order.
• 1813 – Ludwig Leichhardt, a German explorer who explored parts of Australia.
• 1817 – Pierre Larousse, a French person who created dictionaries and wrote books.
• 1835 – Adlai Stevenson I, an American lawyer and politician who became the 23rd Vice President of the United States.
• 1844 – Sarah Bernhardt, a very famous French actress.
• 1844 – Robert Bridges, an English poet and writer.
• 1857 – Juan Luna, a talented Filipino painter and sculptor.
• 1869 – John Heisman, an American football player and coach. The Heisman Trophy is named after him!
• 1875 – Gilbert N. Lewis, an American chemist known for his work on chemical bonds.
• 1885 – Lawren Harris, a Canadian painter known for his landscapes.
• 1900 – Douglas Jardine, an English cricketer and lawyer.

Born After 1900

• 1905 – Felix Bloch, a Swiss physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on magnetism.
• 1905 – Gertrude Ederle, an American swimmer who was the first woman to swim across the English Channel.
• 1908 – Ilya Frank, a Russian physicist who also won a Nobel Prize.
• 1920 – Ted Fujita, a Japanese-American scientist who studied weather, especially tornadoes. The Fujita scale for tornado strength is named after him.
• 1920 – Gianni Rodari, a famous Italian writer of children's books.
• 1925 – Johnny Carson, a very popular American comedian and talk show host.
• 1931 – Jim Bunning, an American baseball player and politician.
• 1931 – Diana Dors, a well-known English actress.
• 1940 – Pelé, a legendary Brazilian footballer who is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
• 1942 – Michael Crichton, an American author and director who wrote books like Jurassic Park.
• 1942 – Anita Roddick, an English businesswoman who started The Body Shop.
• 1945 – Kim Larsen, a popular Danish singer-songwriter.
• 1946 – Mel Martínez, an American lawyer and politician.
• 1949 – Charly García, a famous Argentine singer-songwriter and musician.
• 1954 – Ang Lee, a Taiwanese-American director and producer who has won many awards for his films.
• 1956 – Dwight Yoakam, an American country music singer and actor.
• 1957 – Paul Kagame, the current President of Rwanda.
• 1957 – Martin Luther King III, an American activist and son of Martin Luther King Jr.
• 1959 – Sam Raimi, an American director and producer known for movies like the Spider-Man trilogy.
• 1959 – "Weird Al" Yankovic, an American singer-songwriter and comedian famous for his parody songs.
• 1962 – Doug Flutie, an American football player.
• 1963 – Gordon Korman, a Canadian-American author who writes many books for young readers.
• 1964 – Robert Trujillo, the bass player for the band Metallica.
• 1966 – Alex Zanardi, an Italian racing driver and cyclist who has overcome great challenges.
• 1969 – Sanjay Gupta, an American neurosurgeon and television personality.
• 1970 – Grant Imahara, an American television presenter and engineer, known from MythBusters.
• 1976 – Cat Deeley, an English model and television host.
• 1976 – Ryan Reynolds, a popular Canadian-American actor and producer.
• 1979 – Prabhas, a famous Indian film actor.
• 1986 – Emilia Clarke, an English actress known for her role in Game of Thrones.
• 1991 – Princess Mako of Akishino, a member of the Japanese Imperial Family.
• 1994 – Margaret Qualley, an American actress.
• 1998 – Amandla Stenberg, an American actress.

Notable Deaths

Died Before 1900

• 42 BC – Brutus, a Roman general and politician.
• 877 – Ignatios of Constantinople, an important leader in the Byzantine Church.
• 1157 – Sweyn III, a Danish king.
• 1456 – John of Capistrano, an Italian priest and saint.
• 1867 – Franz Bopp, a German linguist who studied languages.
• 1869 – Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, an English politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1872 – Théophile Gautier, a French journalist, author, and poet.

Died After 1900

• 1910 – Chulalongkorn, the King of Thailand.
• 1915 – W. G. Grace, a famous English cricketer.
• 1921 – John Boyd Dunlop, a Scottish businessman who founded Dunlop Rubber.
• 1939 – Zane Grey, an American author known for his Western novels.
• 1944 – Charles Glover Barkla, an English-Scottish physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1944 – Hana Brady, a young Czech girl who was a victim of The Holocaust.
• 1950 – Al Jolson, a Lithuanian-American actor and singer.
• 1978 – Maybelle Carter, an American singer and musician from the famous Carter Family.
• 1983 – Jessica Savitch, an American journalist.
• 1986 – Edward Adelbert Doisy, an American biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1997 – Bert Haanstra, a Dutch director and producer.
• 2001 – Josh Kirby, an English illustrator.
• 2003 – Soong Mei-ling, the wife of Chiang Kai-shek and a very influential figure in China.
• 2004 – Robert Merrill, an American opera singer.
• 2004 – Bill Nicholson, an English footballer and manager.
• 2006 – Lebo Mathosa, a South African singer.
• 2008 – Kevin Finnegan, an English boxer.
• 2009 – Lou Jacobi, a Canadian-American actor.
• 2011 – Herbert A. Hauptman, an American chemist and mathematician who won a Nobel Prize.
• 2011 – Marco Simoncelli, an Italian motorcycle racer.
• 2014 – Alvin Stardust, an English singer and actor.
• 2015 – Leon Bibb, an American-Canadian singer.
• 2016 – Pete Burns, an English singer-songwriter.
• 2023 – Bishan Singh Bedi, an Indian cricketer.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer
  • James the Just (James, brother of Jesus)
  • Allucio of Campugliano
  • Amon of Toul
  • Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
  • Ignatios of Constantinople
  • John of Capistrano
  • Joséphine Leroux
  • Peter Pascual
  • Romain (Romanus) of Rouen
  • Servandus and Cermanus
  • Severin of Cologne
  • October 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Christmas or the Feast of Señor Noemi (the Child Jesus) in the Apostolic Catholic Church
• Aviator's Day (Brazil)
• Chulalongkorn Day (Thailand)
• Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle (Republic of North Macedonia)
• Liberation Day (Libya)
• Mole Day (International observance)
• National Day (Hungary)
• Paris Peace Agreement Day (Cambodia)

See also

In Spanish: 23 de octubre para niños