Did you know
Flaco was a male Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped his long-time enclosure at Central Park Zoo in New York City after someone cut the protective netting in February 2023
Notable Deaths on February 23
87 people
715 – 2025
February 23 has seen 87 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 715 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
2024 — Flaco
Eurasian eagle-owl (born 2010)
Did you know
Zoo officials ceased attempts to recapture him once it became clear he was eating on a regular basis and his flying skills improved.
Did you know
Flaco subsequently resided in and around Central Park
Did you know
His escape attracted significant public and press attention, especially as he was of a species not native to North America
Did you know
Attempts to recapture Flaco failed, and a petition circulated advocating that he remain free
Umayyad caliph (born 668)
Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, commonly known as al-Walid I, was the sixth Umayyad caliph, ruling from October 705 until his death in 715. He was the eldest son of his predecessor, Caliph Abd al-Malik. As a…
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715
Shatuo military governor during the Tang dynasty in China (born 856)
Li Keyong was a military general and politician of Shatuo Turk ethnicity, and from January 896 the Prince of Jin, which would become an independent state after the fall of the Tang dynasty in 907. Li served as a…
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908
Count of Vermandois, (born 884)
Herbert II, Count of Vermandois, Count of Meaux, and Count of Soissons. He was the first to exercise power over the territory that became the province of Champagne.
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943
943
1011
Emperor Zhezong of Song, personal name Zhao Xu, was the seventh emperor of the Song dynasty of China. His original personal name was Zhao Yong but he changed it to "Zhao Xu" after his coronation. He reigned from 1085…
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1100
Isabelle of France was a French princess and daughter of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile. She was a younger sister of King Louis IX of France and of Alfonso, Count of Poitiers, and an older sister of King…
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1270
1447
Pope Eugene IV was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian and a nephew of Pope Gregory XII. In 1431, he was elected pope. He…
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1447
Emperor Yingzong of Ming, personal name Zhu Qizhen, was the sixth and eighth emperor of the Ming dynasty. He ruled as the Zhengtong Emperor from 1435 to 1449, and as the Tianshun Emperor from 1457 to 1464.
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1464
1473
Spanish Viceroy of the Indies (born c. 1479)
Diego Columbus was a navigator and explorer under the kings of Castile and Aragón. He served as the 2nd admiral of the Indies, 2nd viceroy of the Indies and 4th governor of the Indies as a vassal to the kings of Castile…
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1526
Duke of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire (born 1515)
Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, was an English courtier and nobleman of the Tudor period. He was the father of Lady Jane Grey, known as "the Nine Days Queen".
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1554
Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (born 1519)
Andrea Cesalpino was a Florentine physician, philosopher and botanist.
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1603
French mathematician (born 1540)
François Viète, known in Latin as Franciscus Vieta, was a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra, due to his innovative use of letters as parameters in equations.…
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1603
English politician (born 1543)
Sir Nicholas Fuller was an English barrister and Member of Parliament. After studying at Christ's College, Cambridge, Fuller became a barrister of Gray's Inn. His legal career there began prosperously—he was employed by…
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1620
French organist and composer (born 1653)
Georg Muffat was a Baroque composer and organist. He is best known for the remarkably articulate and informative performance directions printed along with his collections of string pieces Florilegium Primum and…
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1704
Polish king (born 1677)
Stanisław Leszczyński, also Anglicised and Latinised as Stanislaus, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at various times Prince of Deux-Ponts, Duke of Bar and Duke of Lorraine.
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1766
Founding Father of the United States (born 1716)
George Taylor was an American ironmaster and politician who was a Founding Father of the United States and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania. His former home,…
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1781
English painter and academic (born 1723)
Sir Joshua Reynolds was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy Peltz says he was "the leading portrait…
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1792
English poet (born 1795)
John Keats was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculosis at the…
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1821
Brazilian politician, twice Minister of Finance, brother of José Bonifácio and Antônio Carlos (born 1775)
Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada was a Brazilian politician who played a leading role in the declaration of Brazil's independence and in the government the following years. He was twice Minister of Finance.
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1844
American politician, 6th President of the United States (born 1767)
John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825; minister to Great Britain, Prussia, and…
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1848
German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (born 1777)
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist, who contributed to many fields in mathematics and science. His mathematical contributions spanned the branches of number…
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1855
Polish poet and playwright (born 1812)
Count Napoleon Stanisław Adam Feliks Zygmunt Krasiński was a Polish poet traditionally ranked after Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki as one of Poland's Three Bards – the Romantic poets who influenced national…
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1859
Finnish medical reformer (born 1827)
Mathilda Fredrika "Amanda" Cajander, née Nygren, was a Finnish deaconess and a pioneer within medical care in Finland.
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1871
Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (born 1803)
Albrecht Theodor Emil Graf von Roon was a Prussian soldier and statesman. As Minister of War from 1859 to 1873, Roon, along with Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke, was a dominating figure in Prussia's government…
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1879
German composer and educator (born 1828)
Woldemar Bargiel was a German composer and conductor of the Romantic period.
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1897
English poet, novelist, and short story writer (born 1867)
Ernest Christopher Dowson was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer. Despite his short lifespan, he made a lasting impression on the literature of the English fin-de-siècle through his Decadent poetry.
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1900
German surgeon and academic (born 1823)
Johannes Friedrich August von Esmarch was a German surgeon. He developed the Esmarch bandage and founded the Deutscher Samariter-Verein, the predecessor of the Deutscher Samariter-Bund.
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1908
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born 1882)
Adolphus Frederick VI was the last reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
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1918
German SA officer (born 1907)
Horst Ludwig Georg Erich Wessel was a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, who became a propaganda symbol in Nazi Germany following his murder in 1930 by two members of the…
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1930
Australian soprano and actress (born 1861)
Dame Nellie Melba was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the first Australian to achieve…
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1931
English composer and academic (born 1857)
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works…
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1934
Belgian-American chemist and engineer (born 1863)
Leo Hendrik Baekeland was a Belgian chemist. Educated in Belgium and Germany, he spent most of his career in the United States. He is best known for the inventions of Velox photographic paper in 1893, and Bakelite in…
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1944
Japanese general (born 1885)
Tomoyuki Yamashita was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. His conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 70 days…
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1946
Irish-American publisher and educator (born 1866)
John Robert Gregg was an Irish-born American educator, publisher, and inventor, best known as the creator of the eponymous shorthand writing system, Gregg shorthand. Developed in the late 19th century and refined over…
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1948
French poet and playwright (born 1868)
Paul Claudel was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel. He is most famous for his verse dramas, which often convey his devout Catholicism, and for…
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1955
English actor and comedian (born 1890)
Stan Laurel was an English actor, comedian, director and writer who was in the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 short films, feature films and cameo roles.
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1965
1969
2nd King of Saudi Arabia (born 1902)
Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 until his abdication on 2 November 1964. During his reign, he served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1954 and from 1960 to 1962.…
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1969
American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1895)
Dickinson Woodruff Richards Jr. was an American physician and physiologist. He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1956 with André Cournand and Werner Forssmann for the development of…
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1973
American composer and screenwriter (born 1895)
Harry Rubenstein, known professionally as Harry Ruby, was an American pianist, composer, songwriter and screenwriter, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. He was married to silent film actress…
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1974
English painter (born 1887)
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist. His drawings and paintings mainly depict Pendlebury, Lancashire as well as Salford and its vicinity.
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1976
Canadian businessman and politician, 25th Premier of British Columbia (born 1900)
William Andrew Cecil Bennett was a Canadian politician who served as the 25th premier of British Columbia from 1952 to 1972. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett remains the longest-serving premier in British…
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1979
English organist and composer (born 1892)
Herbert Norman Howells was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.
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1983
Salvadoran engineer and politician, President of El Salvador (born 1925)
José Napoleón Duarte Fuentes was a Salvadoran politician who served as the 36th President of El Salvador from 1984 to 1989 during the Salvadoran Civil War. He was mayor of San Salvador before running for president in…
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1990
English veterinarian and author (born 1916)
James Alfred Wight, better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author.
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1995
American drummer, composer, and producer (born 1945)
Anthony Tillmon Williams was an American jazz drummer. Williams first gained fame as a member of Miles Davis's "Second Great Quintet", and later pioneered jazz fusion with Davis's group and his own combo, The Tony…
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1997
American actor and director (born 1924)
Philip Abbott was an American character actor. He appeared in several films and numerous television series, including a lead role as Arthur Ward in the crime series The F.B.I.
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1998
American wrestler (born 1965)
Richard L. Wilson was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name The Renegade, where he was a one-time WCW World Television Champion.
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1999
2000
English footballer and manager (born 1915)
Sir Stanley Matthews was an English footballer who played as an outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game and one of the greatest players of all time, he is the only player to have…
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2000
American bass player, songwriter, and producer (born 1955)
Howard Norman Epstein was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
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2003
American sociologist and academic (born 1910)
Robert King Merton was an American sociologist who is considered a founding father of modern sociology, and a major contributor to the subfield of criminology. He served as the 47th president of the American…
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2003
Indian director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (born 1934)
Vijay Anand, also known as Goldie Anand, was an Indian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, editor and actor, who is known for acclaimed films such as Guide (1965), Teesri Manzil (1966), Jewel Thief (1967) and Johny Mera…
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2004
Indian politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (born 1918)
Sikander Bakht was an Indian politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who served as the 15th governor of Kerala from 2002 until his death. He was elected as the Vice President of the BJP, served as its…
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2004
Bangladeshi academic and former Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1912)
Muhammad Shamsul Huq was a Bangladeshi politician and educator. He served as an education minister in erstwhile East Pakistan, and became the minister of foreign affairs six years after the independence of Bangladesh.…
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2006
Spanish footballer (born 1921)
Pedro Telmo Zarraonandía Montoya, known as Telmo Zarra, was a Spanish football forward. He spent the majority of his career at Athletic Bilbao, from 1940 to 1955, for whom he remains the top scorer in competitive…
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2006
the oldest female resident of Belarus not registered by the Guinness Book of Records (born 1888)
Hanna Adamauna Barysiewicz, Belarusian: Ганна Адамаўна Барысевiч, Russian: Анна Адамовна Борисевич was the oldest female resident of Belarus not registered by the Guinness Book of Records. Until her death, she was…
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2007
English footballer (born 1941)
John Henry Ritchie was an English footballer. He is Stoke City's all-time record goalscorer.
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2007
Slovenian economist and politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (born 1950)
Janez Drnovšek was a Slovenian liberal politician, President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1989–1990), Prime Minister of Slovenia and President of Slovenia (2002–2007).
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2008
Belgian racing driver and journalist (born 1917)
Paul Frère was a racing driver and journalist from Belgium. He participated in eleven World Championship Formula One Grands Prix debuting on 22 June 1952 and achieving one podium finish with a total of eleven…
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2008
Cuban plumber and activist (born 1967)
Orlando Zapata Tamayo was a Cuban political activist and a political prisoner who died after hunger striking for 85 days. His death received international attention, and was viewed as a significant setback in Cuba's…
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2010
Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (born 1923)
Nirmala Srivastava, also known as Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, was the founder and guru of Sahaja Yoga, a religious cult. She claimed to have been born fully realised and spent her life working for peace by developing and…
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2011
American lawyer and politician (born 1926)
William Raggio was an American politician and a former Republican member of the Nevada Senate. He represented Washoe County's 3rd district from 1972 until his retirement in 2011. He is the longest-serving member in the…
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2012
American physicist and mathematician (born 1924)
David Sayre was an American scientist, credited with the early development of direct methods for protein crystallography and of diffraction microscopy. While working at IBM he was part of the initial team of ten…
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2012
Polish sociologist and activist (born 1919)
Kazimierz Żygulski was a Polish sociologist, political activist and Minister of Culture.
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2012
American soldier and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (born 1918)
Eugene Donald Bookhammer was an American politician who served as the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, as a Republican, from 1969 to 1977. He served under Governors Russell W. Peterson and Sherman W. Tribbitt.…
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2013
Holocaust survivor, Holocaust historian, Yiddish writer, lecturer and editor (born 1922)
Joseph Friedenson was a Holocaust survivor, Holocaust historian, Yiddish writer, lecturer, and editor of Dos Yiddishe Vort.
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2013
Belgian cardinal (born 1920)
Julien Ries was a Belgian religious historian, titular archbishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Prior to his death, Ries was described as "the greatest living religious scholar".
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2013
Indian lawyer and academic (born 1945)
Lotika Sarkar was a noted Indian feminist, social worker, educator and lawyer, who was a pioneer in the field of women's studies and women's rights in India. She was a founding member of Centre for Women's Development…
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2013
Czech-English Holocaust survivor, pianist and educator (born 1903)
Alice Herz-Sommer, was a Czech-born Israeli classical pianist, music teacher, and supercentenarian who survived Theresienstadt concentration camp. She lived for 40 years in Israel, before emigrating to London in 1986,…
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2014
American soldier, academic, and politician (born 1919)
Roger Hilsman Jr. was an American soldier, government official, political scientist, and author. He saw action in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II, first with Merrill's Marauders, getting wounded in combat,…
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2014
Australian-English journalist and author (born 1918)
Harold Edward James Aldridge was an Australian-British writer and journalist. His World War II despatches were published worldwide and he was the author of over 30 books, both fiction and non-fiction works, including…
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2015
Pakistani lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of Pakistan (born 1942)
Rana Bhagwandas was a Pakistani jurist who served as a judge and acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP). He enjoyed extremely high reputation as a judge. He remained the acting CJP during the 2007…
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2015
American soldier and politician (born 1925)
William E. "Bill" Dykes was a Democratic former state senator from his native St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, who represented his state's 11th District from 1972 to 1984. Prior to his legislative service, he had been…
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2015
German television host and author (born 1937)
Peter Fritz Willi Lustig was a German television presenter, voice actor and author of children's books who has become especially well known as leading actor in the weekly children's television show Löwenzahn, which he…
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2016
American baseball player (born 1928)
Jacqueline "Jackie" Mattson was an American baseball player who played in the catcher position. She played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1950 and 1951, batting and throwing…
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2016
American actress (born 1929)
Katherine Marie Helmond was an American actress. Over an acting career spanning six decades, she was best known for her starring role as Jessica Tate on the sitcom Soap (1977–1981) and her co-starring role as Mona…
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2019
Saudi Arabian politician (born 1930)
Ahmed Zaki Yamani was a Saudi Arabian politician who served as Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources under four Saudi monarchs from 1962 to 1986, and a minister in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting…
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2021
2023
English football commentator (born 1945)
John Walker Motson was an English football commentator. Beginning as a television commentator with the BBC in 1971, he commentated on over 2000 games on television and radio. From the late 1970s to 2008, Motson was the…
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2023
American attorney (born 1931)
Lawrence John Dolan was an American attorney who was the principal owner of the Cleveland Guardians of the Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 until his death in 2025 and the founder of SportsTime Ohio.
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2025
American singer, composer and producer (born 1951)
Christopher Howard Jasper was an American singer, composer and producer. Jasper was a member of the Isley Brothers from 1973 to 1983, and Isley-Jasper-Isley from 1984 to 1987. He was also a successful solo musician and…
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2025
American sports commentator (born 1956)
Alan Trautwig was an American sports commentator who worked with MSG Network, ABC, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and USA Network. He later did pre-game and post-game shows for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as…
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2025
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February 23 in the Blog
Baltic Campaign - February 23, 1918
1918 Baltic Campaign: German forces seize Riga, Latvia, in a surprise attack
Read the full storyNotable deaths
Who died on February 23?
Flaco — Owl that escaped from a New York City zoo (2010–2024)
FeaturedFlaco
Death year2024
Known forFlaco subsequently resided in and around Central Park
Deaths on this date87 (715 – 2025)
Explore February 23
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on February 23 in History
2025
A snap election is held in Germany. Wikipedia →
2021
Four simultaneous prison riots leave at least 62 people dead in Ecuador. Wikipedia →
2020
See all events on February 23
Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African-American citizen, is shot and murdered by three white men after visiting a house under construction while jogging at a neighborhood in Satilla Shores near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia. Wikipedia →
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