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.
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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 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
- 1568 –The Netherlands declare their independence from Spain.
- 1609 –Official ratification of the Second Charter of Virginia takes place.
- 1618 –The Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the Thirty Years’ War.
- 1701 –After being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London.
- 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.
- 1805 –Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned King of Italy with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in the Cathedral of Milan.
- 1813 –South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador (“The Liberator”).
- 1911 –The New York Public Library is dedicated.
- 1945 –World War II: Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, commits suicide while in Allied custody.
Who were born on May 23?
- 1887 –Thoralf Skolem, Norwegian mathematician (d. 1963)
- 1918 –Denis Compton, English cricketer (d. 1997)
- 1924 –Clyde King, American baseball player and manager (d. 2010)
- 1940 –Giles Gordon, Scottish literary agent (d. 2003)
- 1951 –Antonis Samaras, Greek politician
- 1954 –Hans Kruize, Dutch field hockey player
- 1956 –Albert Voorn, Dutch equestrian
- 1970 –Yigal Amir, Israeli assassin of Yitzhak Rabin
- 1974 –Ken Jennings, American game show contestant
- 1986 –Ruben Zadkovich, Australian footballer
Who died on May 23?
- 1125 –Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1081)
- 1670 –Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1610)
- 1701 –William “Captain” Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)
- 1813 –Geraud Duroc, French general (b. 1772)
- 1908 –François Coppée, French poet and novelist (b. 1842)
- 1949 –Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter (b. 1872)
- 1966 –Demchugdongrub, Mongolian politician (b. 1902)
- 2003 –Jean Yanne, French actor and director (b. 1933)
- 2006 –Clifford Antone, American businessman (b. 1949)
- 2008 –Utah Phillips, American folksinger and activist (b. 1935)
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