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Today April 23rd 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
1014 – Battle of Clontarf: Brian Boru defeats Viking invaders, but is killed in battle.
1229 – Ferdinand III of Castile conquers Cáceres.
1343 – St. George s Night Uprising.
1348 – The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III of England is announced on St George s Day.
1521 – Battle of Villalar: King Charles I of Spain defeats the Comuneros.
1597 – William Shakespeare s The Merry Wives of Windsor is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I of England in attendance.
1635 – First public school in the United States, Boston Latin School, is founded in Boston, Massachusetts.
1660 – Treaty of Oliwa is established between Sweden and Poland.
1661 – King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is crowned in Westminster Abbey.
1815 – The Second Serbian Uprising (1815-1817) was a second phase of the national revolution of the Serbs against the Ottoman Empire, which erupted shortly after the annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire.
1867 – William Lincoln patents the zoetrope, a machine which shows animated pictures by mounting a strip of drawings in a wheel.
1920 – The national council in Turkey denounces the government of Sultan Mehmed VI and announces a temporary constitution.
1920 – The Grand National Assembly of Turkey is founded in Ankara.
1923 – Inauguration ceremonies take place of Gdynia as a temporary military port and fishers shelter.
1932 – The 153-year old De Adriaan Windmill in Haarlem, the Netherlands burns down.
1935 – Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
1940 – The Rhythm Night Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people.
1941 – World War II: Greek government and King George II evacuate Athens before the attacking Wehrmacht.
1942 – World War II: Baedeker Blitz – German bombers hit Exeter, Bath and York in retaliation for the British raid on Lübeck.
1948 – 1948 Arab-Israeli War: Haifa, the major port of Israel, is captured from Arab forces.
1955 – The Canadian Labour Congress is formed by the merger of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour.
1961 – Algiers putsch by French generals.
1967 – A group of young radicals are expelled from the Nicaraguan Socialist Party (PSN). This group goes on to found the Socialist Workers Party (POS).
1968 – Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university. see main article Columbia University protests of 1968.
1979 – Fighting in London between the Anti-Nazi League and the Metropolitan Police s Special Patrol Group results in the death of protester Blair Peach.
1982 – Conch Republic is established.
1985 – Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. (The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than 3 months.)
1987 – 28 construction workers die when the L Ambiance Plaza apartment building collapses while under construction in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
1988 – Pink Floyd s album Dark Side of the Moon leaves the charts for its first time after spending a record of 741 consecutive weeks (over 14 years) on the Billboard 200.
1990 – Namibia becomes the 160th member of the United Nations and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
1993 – Eritreans vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
1997 – Omaria massacre in Algeria: 42 villagers are killed.
2003 – Beijing closes all schools for two weeks because of the SARS virus.
Births
1170 – Isabelle of Hainaut, queen of France (d. 1190)
1185 – King Afonso II of Portugal (d. 1223)
1464 – Joan of France, Duchess of Berry, queen of France (d. 1505)
1484 – Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian philosopher (d. 1558)
1500 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian (d. 1565)
1516 – Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian, and archaeologist (d. 1571)
1598 – Maarten Tromp, Dutch admiral (d. 1653)
1621 – William Penn, English admiral (d. 1670)
1628 – Johann van Waveren Hudde, Dutch mathematician (d. 1704)
1676 – King Frederick I of Sweden (d. 1751)
1720 – Vilna Gaon, Lithuanian rabbi (d. 1797)
1725 – Saint Gerard Majella, Catholic saint (d. 1755)
1746 – Félix Vicq-d Azyr, French physician and anatomist (d. 1794)
1775 – J. M. W. Turner, English painter (d. 1851)
1791 – James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States (d. 1868)
1792 – John Thomas Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist (d. 1882)
1794 – Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar (d. 1856)
1805 – Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz, German philosopher (d. 1879)
1813 – Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Senator from Illinois and Presidential candidate (d. 1861)
1813 – Frédéric Ozanam, French scholar (Society of Saint Vincent de Paul) (d. 1853)
1823 – Abd-ul-Mejid, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1861)
1834 – Artemus Ward, American comic writer (d. 1867)
1853 – Winthrop M. Crane, 40th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1920)
1857 – Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (d. 1919)
1858 – Max Planck, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
1858 – Ethel Mary Smyth, English composer (d. 1944)
1861 – Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, British general (d. 1936)
1865 – Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Russian-Azerbaijani general (d. 1943)
1867 – Johannes Andreas Grib Fibiger, Danish scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1928)
1872 – Violet Gordon-Woodhouse, British musician (d. 1951)
1876 – Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, German historian (d. 1925)
1880 – Michel Fokine, Russian choreographer and dancer (d. 1942)
1882 – Albert Coates, British composer (d. 1953)
1888 – Georges Vanier, French-Canadian soldier and diplomat (d. 1967)
1889 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (d. 1942)
1893 – Frank Borzage, American film director (d. 1952)
1894 – Cow Cow Davenport, American pianist (d. 1955)
1895 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand writer (d. 1982)
1897 – Lucius Clay, American general (d. 1978)
1897 – Lester B. Pearson, fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1972)
1899 – Bertil Ohlin, Swedish economist, Bank of Sweden Prize winner (d. 1979)
1899 – Minoru Shirota, inventor of Yakult (d. 1982)
1900 – Joseph Green, Polish-born actor and director (d. 1996)
1900 – Jim Bottomley, American baseball player (d. 1959)
1901 – E.B. Ford, British ecological geneticist (d. 1988)
1902 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
1903 – Guy Simonds, youngest general officer in the Canadian army (d. 1974)
1904 – Duncan Renaldo, Spanish-American actor (d. 1985)
1907 – Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor (d. 1975)
1907 – Lee Miller, American photographer & model (d. 1977)
1908 – Myron Waldman, American animator (d. 2006)
1910 – Simone Simon, French actress (d. 2005)
1917 – Dorian Leigh, American supermodel (d. 2008)
1918 – Maurice Druon, French author
1919 – Oleg Penkovsky, Soviet double-agent
1921 – Janet Blair, American actress (d. 2007)
1921 – Warren Spahn, American baseball player (d. 2003)
1923 – Dolph Briscoe, Governor of Texas
1923 – Avram Davidson, American writer (d. 1993)
1923 – Antonino Rocca, professional wrestler
1924 – Chuck Harmon, American baseball player
1924 – Bobby Rosengarden, American jazz drummer (d. 2007)
1926 – J. P. Donleavy, Irish American author
1928 – Shirley Temple, American actress and politician
1932 – Jim Fixx, American athlete and writer (d. 1984)
1932 – Halston, American fashion designer (d. 1990)
1934 – George Canseco, Filipino music composer (d. 2004)
1935 – Bunky Green, American musician
1936 – Roy Orbison, American singer and musician (d. 1988)
1939 – Jorge Fons, Mexican film director
1939 – Lee Majors, American actor
1939 – Ray Peterson, American singer (d. 2005)
1940 – Michael Copps, American Federal Government official
1941 – Jacqueline Boyer, French singer
1941 – Paavo Lipponen, Prime Minister of Finland 1995-2003
1941 – Michael Lynne, American film executive
1942 – Sandra Dee, American actress (d. 2005)
1943 – Gail Goodrich, American basketball player
1943 – Tony Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player
1943 – Frans Koppelaar, Dutch painter
1943 – Hervé Villechaize, French actor (d. 1993)
1947 – Glenn Cornick, British musician (Jethro Tull)
1947 – Bernadette Devlin, Irish politician
1948 – Pascal Quignard, French author
1948 – Serge Thériault, French-Canadian comedian and actor
1949 – David Cross, British violinist (King Crimson)
1949 – Joyce DeWitt, American actress
1952 – Narada Michael Walden, American musician and producer
1954 – Michael Moore, American filmmaker
1955 – Judy Davis, Australian actress
1955 – Tony Miles, English chess player (d. 2001)
1957 – Kenji Kawai, Japanese composer
1957 – Neville Brody, English graphic designer, typographer and art director
1958 – Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Icelandic music composer
1958 – Ryan Walter, Canadian ice hockey player
1960 – Valerie Bertinelli, American actress
1960 – Steve Clark, English guitarist (Def Leppard) (d. 1991)
1960 – Claude Julien, French-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1961 – Terry Gordy, American professional wrestler (d. 2001)
1961 – George Lopez, American actor and comedian
1962 – Hillel Slovak Former guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers (d. 1988)
1962 – John Hannah, Scottish actor
1963 – Paul Belmondo, French actor and racing driver
1963 – Magnús Ver Magnússon, Icelandic powerlifter
1967 – Rheal Cormier, Canadian baseball player
1967 – Melina Kanakaredes, American actress
1968 – Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist (d. 2001)
1968 – Princess Aisha bint Al Hussein of Jordan
1968 – Princess Zein bint Al Hussein of Jordan
1969 – Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast
1969 – Byron Thames, American actor
1969 – Richard Wolstencroft, Australian Filmmaker
1969 – Martin López-Zubero, Spanish swimmer
1970 – Scott Bairstow, American actor
1970 – Andrew Gee, Australian rugby league footballer
1970 – Dennis Bayne Culp, American singer/songwriter
1970 – Sadao Abe, Japanese actor
1971 – Charmaine Sinclair, English model
1972 – Pierre Labrie, Canadian poet
1972 – Patricia Manterola, Mexican singer
1972 – Sonya Smith, American actress
1973 – Patrick Poulin, French-Canadian ice hockey player
1974 – Carlos Dengler, American musician (Interpol)
1974 – Barry Watson, American actor
1975 – Jón Þór Birgisson, Icelandic musician and singer (Sigur Rós)
1975 – Bobby Shaw, American football wide receiver for the NFL
1977 – John Cena, American professional wrestler
1977 – Andruw Jones, Curaçaoan baseball player
1977 – Willie Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
1977 – Kal Penn, American actor
1977 – Lee Young-Pyo, Korean footballer
1979 – Barry Fratelli, Scottish bassist (The Fratellis)
1979 – Yana Gupta, Indian actress & model
1979 – Jaime King, American actress
1979 – Lauri Ylönen, Finnish singer (The Rasmus)
1981 – Sean Henn, American baseball player
1981 – Joanna Krupa, Supermodel/actress
1981 – Chris Sharma, American rock climber/boulderer
1982 – Taio Cruz, London/English R&B, Pop, Hip Hop singer
1983 – Daniela Hantuchová, Slovakian tennis player
1983 – Jennifer Heil, Canadian free style skier
1984 – Alexandra Kosteniuk, Chess Woman World Champion
1985 – Angel Locsin, Filipina TV and movie actress
1986 – Sven Kramer, Dutch speedskater
1986 – Jessica Stam, Canadian supermodel
1987 – Emily Fox, American cupstacking champion
1988 – Victor Anichebe, Nigerian footballer
1989 – Nicole Vaidišová, Czech tennis player
1990 – Matthew Dillon Underwood, American actor
Deaths
303 – Saint George, Roman soldier and Christian martyr
725 – Wihtred, King of Kent
871 – Ethelred of Wessex
997 – Saint Adalbert of Prague, bishop (b. c. 956)
1014 – Brian Boru, High King of Ireland (killed in battle)
1016 – Ethelred II of England
1124 – King Alexander I of Scotland (b. 1078)
1151 – Queen Adeliza of England (b. 1103)
1217 – King Inge II of Norway (b. 1185)
1407 – Olivier de Clisson, French soldier (b. 1326)
1605 – Tsar Boris Godunov of Russia (b. c. 1550)
1616 – Miguel Cervantes, Spanish author (b. 1547)
1616 – William Shakespeare, English writer and actor (b. 1564) (Julian calendar)
1616 – El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Peruvian writer (b. 1539)
1625 – Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange (b. 1567)
1702 – Margaret Fell, English Quaker leader (b. 1614)
1740 – Thomas Tickell, English writer (b. 1685)
1781 – James Abercrombie, British general (b. 1706)
1792 – Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and adventurer (b. 1741)
1794 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French statesman (executed) (b. 1721)
1827 – Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek hero of the Greek War of Independence
1839 – Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, French explorer (b. 1768)
1850 – William Wordsworth, English poet (b. 1770)
1889 – Jules Barbey d Aurevilly, French writer (b. 1808)
1895 – Carl Ludwig, German physician (b. 1815)
1905 – Gédéon Ouimet, Quebec politician (b. 1823)
1907 – Alfred Packer, American Cannibal (b. 1842)
1915 – Rupert Brooke, English poet (b. 1887).
1936 – Teresa de la Parra, Venezuelan writer (b. 1889)
1951 – Charles G. Dawes, Vice President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1865)
1952 – Julius Freed, American inventor and banker (b. 1887)
1975 – William Hartnell, English actor (b. 1908)
1979 – Blair Peach, New Zealand-born anti-fascist (b. 1946)
1981 – Josep Pla, Catalan journalist and writer (b. 1897)
1983 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (b. 1908)
1984 – Red Garland, American jazz pianist (b. 1923)
1985 – Sam Ervin, American politician (b. 1896)
1986 – Harold Arlen, American composer (b. 1905)
1986 – Jim Laker, English cricketer (b. 1922)
1986 – Otto Preminger, Austrian-born film director (b. 1906)
1990 – Paulette Goddard, American actress (b. 1911)
1991 – Johnny Thunders, American musician (b. 1952)
1992 – Satyajit Ray, Indian filmmaker (b. 1921)
1993 – César Chávez, American labor activist (b. 1927)
1995 – Howard Cosell, American sports journalist (b. 1918)
1995 – John C. Stennis, U.S. Senator from Mississippi (b. 1904)
1996 – Jean-Victor Allard, Canadian military officer (b. 1913)
1996 – P. L. Travers, Australian author (b. 1899)
1997 – Denis Compton, English cricketer (b. 1918)
1998 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek politician (b. 1907)
1998 – James Earl Ray, American assassin (b. 1928)
2003 – James H. Critchfield, American Central Intelligence agent (b. 1917)
2003 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French photographer (b. 1910)
2005 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Premier of Queensland (b. 1911)
2005 – Al Grassby, Australian immigration minister (b. 1928)
2005 – John Mills, English actor (b. 1908)
2005 – Romano Scarpa, Italian-born comic artist (b. 1927)
2005 – Earl Wilson, American baseball player (b. 1934)
2006 – Johnnie Checketts, New Zealand fighter pilot (b. 1912)
2007 – Paul Erdman, American economist and author (b. 1932)
2007 – David Halberstam, American journalist, historian and author (b. 1934)
2007 – Boris Yeltsin, first President of the Russian Federation (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances
UNESCO International Day of the Book in honor of the death of both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes on April 23, 1616.
Turkey – National Sovereignty and Children s Day (1920)
Feast Day of Saint George:
Patron saint and National Day of England
Patron saint of Catalonia
Castile and León – Castile and León Day
Saint Adalbert of Prague
Saint Gerard (d. 1138)
World Book and Copyright Day
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