Notable Deaths on February 23

February 23 has 87 recorded notable deaths across history, from 715 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.

John Quincy Adams

1848 — John Quincy Adams

American politician, 6th President of the United States (born 1767)

By · — Wikipedia

Notable Deaths 87 source records 715 – 2025

Major events on February 23

See what else happened on this day in history.

  1. 1763 Berbice slave uprising in Guyana: The first major slave revolt in South America. Source
  2. 1954 The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh. Source

Did you know about John Quincy Adams

Among his children were Charles Francis Adams Sr. Initially a Federalist like his father, Adams spent his presidency as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, and later, in the mid-1830s, became affiliated with the Whig Party.

Did you know about Madhubala

Although her beauty became central to her public image and earned her the nickname "Venus of the Indian screen", later critics have argued that her physical appeal often overshadowed her acting talent.

Did you know about John Keats

John Keats's poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculosis at the age of 25.

Did you know about Tomoyuki Yamashita

Tomoyuki Yamashita's conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 70 days earned him the sobriquet "The Tiger of Malaya".

Did you know about Flaco

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.

More major people who died on February 23

Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.

1969 Madhubala

Madhubala

Indian actress and producer (born 1933)
Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, known professionally as Madhubala, was an Indian actress. One of the leading stars of the Golden Age of Hindi cinema, she is celebrated for her beauty and versatility across dramatic, romantic and comedic roles. Although her beauty became central to her public image and earned her the nickname "Venus of the Indian screen", later critics have argued that her physical appeal often overshadowed her acting talent. Her portrayal of Anarkali in the historical epic Mughal-e-Azam (1960) has been named by critics as one of the finest performances in Indian cinematic history.
Wikipedia source
1821 John Keats

John Keats

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 age of 25. They were indifferently received in his lifetime, but his fame grew rapidly after his death. By the end of the century, he was placed in the canon of English literature, strongly influencing many writers of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood; the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1888 described his "Ode to a Nightingale" as "one of the final masterpieces".
Wikipedia source
1946 Tomoyuki Yamashita

Tomoyuki Yamashita

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 earned him the sobriquet "The Tiger of Malaya". He was assigned to defend the Philippines from the advancing Allies later in the war. Although he was unable to prevent the superior Allied forces from advancing, despite dwindling supplies and Allied guerrilla action, he was able to hold on to part of Luzon until after the formal surrender of Japan in August 1945.
Wikipedia source
2024 Flaco

Flaco

Eurasian eagle-owl (born 2010)
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. Flaco subsequently resided in and around Central Park. His escape attracted significant public and press attention, especially as he was of a species not native to North America. There were concerns for his ability to feed himself after being captive for so long, since he had not previously needed to fly or hunt, but he was seen successfully catching and eating rats a week after his escape. Attempts to recapture Flaco failed, and a petition circulated advocating that he remain free. Zoo officials ceased attempts to recapture him once it became clear he was eating on a regular basis and his flying skills improved.
Wikipedia source
1976 L. S. Lowry

L. S. Lowry

English painter (born 1887)
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist. His drawings and paintings often depict scenes of life in the industrial districts of North West England in the mid-20th century. He developed a distinctive style of painting and is best known for his urban landscapes peopled with human figures, often referred to as "matchstick men". He also painted mysterious unpopulated landscapes, brooding portraits and the unpublished "marionette" works, which were only found after his death. He was fascinated by the sea, and painted pure seascapes, depicting only sea and sky, from the early 1940s.
Wikipedia source
1447 Humphrey

Humphrey

Duke of Gloucester (born 1390)
Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester was an English prince, soldier and literary patron. He was, and styled himself as, "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of England, the brother of Henry V, and the uncle of Henry VI. Gloucester fought in the Hundred Years' War and acted as Lord Protector of England during the minority of his nephew. He was a controversial political figure whose actions and policies generated both support and opposition among his contemporaries and later historians. Assessments of his career note his involvement in political conflicts as well as his engagement with intellectual circles, including his role as an early English patron of humanist scholarship, in the context of the Renaissance.
Wikipedia source
1792 Joshua Reynolds

Joshua Reynolds

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 artist of the 18th-century and arguably one of the greatest artists in the history of art." He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting, which depended on idealisation of the imperfect. He was a founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts and was knighted by George III in 1769. He has been referred to as the 'master who revolutionised British Art.'
View Profile
2015 Rana Bhagwandas

Rana Bhagwandas

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 judicial crisis in Pakistan, and also briefly became the acting Chief Justice of Pakistan when the incumbent Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry went on foreign tours in 2005 and 2006, and thus became the first Hindu and the second non-Muslim to serve as chief of the highest court in Pakistan. Rana Bhagwandas also worked as the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan. He headed the interview panel for the selection of the federal civil servants in 2009.
Wikipedia source
2013 Lotika Sarkar

Lotika Sarkar

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 Studies (CWDS), Delhi, established in 1980, and also Indian Association for Women Studies, established in 1982. Starting in 1951, she taught law at Faculty of Law, University of Delhi till 1983, and also remained the head of the law faculty; thereafter she taught at Indian Law Institute. She was the first Indian woman to graduate from Cambridge University, and later in 1951 she also became the first woman to receive a PhD degree in law from the university.
Wikipedia source
908 Li Keyong

Li Keyong

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 Jiedushi provincial military governor during the late Tang period and was an instrumental figure in the development of a Shatuo base of power in what is today's Shanxi Province of China. His son Li Cunxu, a child of his concubine Lady Cao, would succeed him as Prince of Jin and eventually become the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty in 923.
Wikipedia source
2014 Roger Hilsman

Roger Hilsman

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, and then as a guerilla leader for the Office of Strategic Services. He later became an aide and adviser to President John F. Kennedy, and briefly to President Lyndon B. Johnson, in the U.S. State Department while he served as Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research in 1961 to 1963 and Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs in 1963 to 1964.
Wikipedia source
1270 Isabel of France (born 1225)

Isabel of France (born 1225)

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 Charles I of Sicily. In 1256, she founded the nunnery of Longchamp in part of the Forest of Rouvray, west of Paris. Isabelle consecrated her virginity and her entire life to God alone. She is honored as a saint by the Franciscan Order. Her feast day is 26 February.
Wikipedia source
1879 Albrecht von Roon

Albrecht von Roon

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 during the key decade of the 1860s, when a series of successful wars against Denmark, Austria, and France led to German unification under Prussia's leadership. A moderate conservative and supporter of executive monarchy, he was an avid modernizer who worked to improve the efficiency of the army.
Wikipedia source
715 Al-Walid I

Al-Walid I

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 prince, he led annual raids against the Byzantines from 695 to 698 and built or restored fortifications along the Syrian Desert route to Mecca. He became heir apparent in c. 705, after the death of the designated successor, Abd al-Malik's brother Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan.
Wikipedia source
2003 Robert K. Merton

Robert K. Merton

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 Sociological Association. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor. In 1994 he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his contributions to the field and for having founded the sociology of science.
View Profile
2016 Peter Lustig

Peter Lustig

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 hosted from 1979 up until 2006. During its first year the show was called Pusteblume. He also hosted the show Mittendrin (1987–95), narrated the film Gordos Reise ans Ende der Welt (2007) and provided the German voice for the computer game character Gary Gadget.
Wikipedia source
1990 José Napoleón Duarte

José Napoleón Duarte

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 1972. He lost, but the election is widely viewed as fraudulent. Following a coup d'état in 1979, Duarte led the subsequent civil-military Junta from 1980 to 1982. He was then elected president in 1984, defeating ARENA party leader Roberto D'Aubuisson.
Wikipedia source
1997 Tony Williams

Tony Williams

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 Williams Lifetime. In 1970, music critic Robert Christgau described him as "probably the best drummer in the world". Williams was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1997.
Wikipedia source
1969 Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

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. Prior to his accession, Saud was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 11 May 1933 to 9 November 1953. He was the second son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.
Wikipedia source

History runs on facts, and this project runs on coffee!

Your support is incredibly helpful and genuinely appreciated.

Support with a coffee ☕