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 143rd day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 222 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is May 10, 2025 – a Friday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 485,544 hours 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 ‘hectatetracontatrigon’ day.
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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 270 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 4,536 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
Do people and celebrities interest you? Discover all the May 23 famous birthdays who share your special day. Learn some fun facts about your birthday!
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May 23 Historical Events
- 1568 –Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau, brother of William I of Orange, defeat Jean de Ligne, Duke of Aremberg and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening the Eighty Years’ War.
- 1618 –The Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the Thirty Years’ War.
- 1706 –Battle of Ramillies: John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, defeats a French army under Marshal Villeroi.
- 1788 –South Carolina ratifies the Constitution as the 8th American state.
- 1829 –Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna.
- 1873 –The Canadian Parliament establishes the North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- 1945 –World War II: Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, commits suicide while in Allied custody.
- 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.
- 1990 –Jordan Mack was born.
- 1995 –The first version of the Java programming language is released.
Who were born on May 23?
- 1893 –Ulysses S. Grant IV, American geologist and paleontologist (d. 1977)
- 1911 –Paul Mayer, German Roman Catholic Cardinal (d. 2010)
- 1933 –Joan Collins, English actress
- 1942 –K. Raghavendra Rao, Indian film director
- 1950 –Bruce Hay, Scottish international rugby union player (d. 2007)
- 1957 –Jimmy McShane, Northern Irish singer (Baltimora) (d. 1995)
- 1963 –Gregg Hughes, American radio personality (The Opie and Anthony Show)
- 1964 –Ruth Metzler-Arnold, Swiss politician
- 1965 –Charlie Hayes, American baseball player
- 1965 –Tom Tykwer, German film director
Who died on May 23?
- 1523 –Ashikaga Yoshitane, Japanese shogun (b. 1466)
- 1670 –Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1610)
- 1701 –William “Captain” Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)
- 1783 –James Otis, American lawyer and patriot (b. 1725)
- 1868 –Kit Carson, American trapper, scout, and Indian agent (b. 1809)
- 1906 –Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian writer (b. 1828)
- 1981 –Rayner Heppenstall, English novelist (b. 1911)
- 1998 –Eminem, American Musician (b. 1972)
- 2006 –Ian Copeland, American music promoter (b. 1949)
- 2010 –Simon Monjack, English actor, producer, & writer (b. 1970)
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