What are the important events that happened on May 23? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
May 23: Facts & Myths About This Day
May 23 is the 144th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 222 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is May 10, 2024 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 28,607,040 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectatetracontatetragon’ day.
Gemini is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 251 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,171 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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May 23 Historical Events
- 1430 –Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne.
- 1788 –South Carolina ratifies the Constitution as the 8th American state.
- 1846 –Mexican-American War: President Mariano Paredes of Mexico unofficially declares war on the United States.
- 1873 –The Canadian Parliament establishes the North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- 1948 –Thomas C. Wasson, US Consul-General assassinated in Jerusalem.
- 1967 –Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran and blockades the port of Eilat at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba to Israeli shipping.
- 1995 –Oklahoma City bombing: In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the remains of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building are imploded.
- 1998 –The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes.
- 2002 –The “55 parties” clause of the Kyoto protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland.
- 2004 –Part of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport’s Terminal 2E collapses, killing four people and injuring three others.
Who were born on May 23?
- 1910 –Sir Hugh Casson, British architect and painter (d. 1999)
- 1912 –John Payne, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1928 –Pauline Julien, French Canadian singer (d. 1998)
- 1949 –Alan Garcia, Peruvian politician
- 1956 –Albert Voorn, Dutch equestrian
- 1956 –Mark Shaw, New Zealand rugby footballer
- 1970 –Nanette Burstein, American director/producer
- 1978 –Mike González, American baseball player
- 1985 –Ross Wallace, Scottish footballer
- 1986 –Ruben Zadkovich, Australian footballer
Who died on May 23?
- 1523 –Ashikaga Yoshitane, Japanese shogun (b. 1466)
- 1934 –Clyde Barrow, American outlaw (b. 1909)
- 1965 –Earl Webb, American baseball player (b. 1897)
- 1967 –Lionel Groulx, French Canadian priest and historian (b. 1878)
- 1986 –Sterling Hayden, American actor (b. 1916)
- 1989 –Georgy Tovstonogov, Russian theatre director (b. 1915)
- 1998 –Eminem, American Musician (b. 1972)
- 2006 –Clifford Antone, American businessman (b. 1949)
- 2008 –Utah Phillips, American folksinger and activist (b. 1935)
- 2009 –Roh Moo-hyun, 16th President of the Republic of Korea (b. 1946)
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