Who are famous people born on January 23?

Famous people born on January 23 include: Julio Enciso, Joško Gvardiol, Nicola Zalewski.

What famous people died on January 23?

Notable historical figures who died on January 23 include: Charles Osgood, Melanie Safka, Hal Holbrook.

January 23 in History

Q: What happened on January 23 in history?

On January 23, 2024: Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people.

2024 — Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people

January 23 spans 56 recorded events across recorded history — from 393 – 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · January 23 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 56 events 393 – 2024

Did you know

In 2024, Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

On 23 January 2024, Northwestern Air Flight 738, a British Aerospace Jetstream, was chartered by the Rio Tinto Group to carry mine workers from Fort Smith to the Diavik Diamond Mine, located around 300 km (190 mi) northeast of Yellowknife. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, 1,200 m (3,900 ft) from the runway near Fort Smith Airport, killing six of the seven passengers and crew. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

The only survivor was taken to the Fort Smith Health Centre and was later airlifted to the Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife for further treatment. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

In 2024, Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor.

Ruler of the Roman Empire

The Roman emperor was the ruler and monarchical head of state of the Roman Empire, starting with the granting of the title augustus to Octavian in 27 BC. The title of imperator, originally a military honorific, was usually used alongside caesar, originally a cognomen. When a given Roman is described as becoming emperor in English, it generally reflects his accession as augustus, and later as basileus. Early emperors also used the title princeps alongside other Republican titles, notably consul and pontifex maximus.

393

Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao.

Bow-like ranged weapon

A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a prod, mounted horizontally on a main frame called a tiller, which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long gun. Crossbows shoot arrow-like projectiles called bolts or quarrels. A person who shoots crossbow is called a crossbowman, an arbalister or an arbalist.

971

The episcopal seat is moved from Nousiainen to Koroinen (located near the current centre of Turku) by the permission of Pope Gregory IX.

The date is starting to be considered as the founding of Turku.

Nousiainen is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Turku along Highway 8 (E8). The Finnish-speaking municipality has a population of 4,667 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 199.55 square kilometres (77.05 sq mi) of which 0.62 km2 (0.24 sq mi) is water. The population density is 23.46 inhabitants per square kilometre (60.8/sq mi).

1229

In the conflict between King Henry III of England and his rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, King Louis IX of France issues the Mise of Amiens, a one-sided decision in favour of Henry that later leads to the Second Barons' War.

King of England from 1216 to 1272

Henry III, also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272.

1264

Zhu Yuanzhang proclaims himself the Hongwu Emperor, beginning the Ming dynasty.

Emperor of China from 1368 to 1398

The Hongwu Emperor, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1368 to 1398.

1368

Having published nothing for eleven years, François Rabelais publishes the Tiers Livre, his sequel to Gargantua and Pantagruel.

French writer and humanist (died 1553)

François Rabelais was a French writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholar, he attracted opposition from both Protestant theologian John Calvin and from the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Though in his day he was best known as a physician, scholar, diplomat, and Catholic priest, later he became better known as a satirist for his depictions of the grotesque, and for his larger-than-life characters.

1546

The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China.

The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.

An earthquake, also called a quake, tremor, or temblor, is the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. The seismic activity of an area is the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a particular time. The seismicity at a particular location in the Earth is the average rate of seismic energy released per unit volume.

1556

The Deccan Sultanates defeat Rama Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire at the Battle of Talikota, resulting in over 100,000 casualties and the destruction of the capital Vijayanagara.

Name for five former polities in India

The Deccan sultanates is a historiographical term referring to five medieval Indian Persianate Muslim kingdoms on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range. They emerged after the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate and were ruled by various dynasties: Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. Ahmadnagar was the first to declare independence, in 1490; followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year. Bidar became independent in c. 1492, and Golconda in 1512 CE.

1565

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent for the infant King James VI of Scotland, is assassinated by firearm, the first recorded instance of such.

Regent for King James VI of Scotland from 1567–1570

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his half-nephew, the infant James VI, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570. He was the first head of government to be assassinated with a firearm.

1570

The Royal Exchange opens in London.

Commercial building in London (built 1571, rebuilt 1844)

The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, who still jointly own the freehold. The original foundation was ceremonially opened by Queen Elizabeth I who granted it its "royal" title. The current neoclassical building has a trapezoidal floor plan and is flanked by Cornhill and Threadneedle Street, which converge at Bank junction in the heart of the city. It lies in the Ward of Cornhill.

1571

The Union of Utrecht forms a Protestant republic in the Netherlands.

1579 treaty unifying the northern Netherlands provinces

The Union of Utrecht was an alliance based on an agreement concluded on 23 January 1579 between a number of Dutch provinces and cities, to reach a joint commitment against the king, Philip II of Spain. By joining forces, they hoped to force him to stop his harsh administrative measures. In addition, some important political matters were regulated in areas such as defence, taxation and religion, which is why the treaty in question is also seen as a first version or precursor of a later constitution. The Union of Utrecht complemented the so-called General Union of 1576, established by the Pacification of Ghent, which is why it is also referred to as the Further Union.

1579

Blaise Pascal publishes the first of his Lettres provinciales.

French polymath (1623–1662)

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer.

1656

The Principality of Liechtenstein is created within the Holy Roman Empire.

Monarchical state under the rule of a prince or princess

A principality is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often used to describe small monarchies, particularly those in Europe, where the ruler holds the title of prince or an equivalent.

1719

Moscow University is established (12 January 1755 O.S.).

Public research university in Moscow, Russia

Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Alumni of the university include past leaders of the Soviet Union and other governments. As of 2019, 13 Nobel laureates, 6 Fields Medal winners, and 1 Turing Award winner were affiliated with the university.

1755

Georgetown College, the first Catholic university in the United States, is founded in Georgetown, Maryland (now a part of Washington, D.C.) when Bishop John Carroll, Rev.

Robert Molyneux, and Rev. John Ashton purchase land for the proposed academy for the education of youth.

Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States, the oldest university in Washington, D.C., and the nation's first federally chartered university.

1789

Second Partition of Poland.

1793 division of Poland–Lithuania

The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian War of 1792 and the Targowica Confederation of 1792, and was approved by its territorial beneficiaries, the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. The division was ratified by the coerced Polish parliament (Sejm) in 1793 in a short-lived attempt to prevent the inevitable complete annexation of Poland, the Third Partition.

1793

After crossing the frozen Zuiderzee, the French cavalry capture 14 Dutch ships and 850 guns, in a rare occurrence of surrender of naval vessels to land forces.

Former inland sea in the Netherlands, now the IJsselmeer

The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee, historically called Lake Almere and Lake Flevo, was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands. It extended about 100 km (62 mi) inland and at most 50 km (31 mi) wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 m and a coastline of about 300 km (190 mi). It covered 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi). Its name is Dutch for "southern sea", indicating that the name originates in Friesland, to the north of the Zuiderzee.

1795

Slavery in Tunisia is abolished.

Slavery in Tunisia was a specific manifestation of the Arab slave trade, which was abolished on 23 January 1846 by Ahmed I Bey. Tunisia was in a similar position to that of Algeria, with a geographic position which linked it with the main Trans-Saharan routes. It received caravans from Fezzan and Ghadamès, which consisted solely, in the eighteenth century, of gold powder and slaves, according to contemporary witnesses.

1846

Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her M.D.

by the Geneva Medical College of Geneva, New York, becoming the United States' first female doctor.

Elizabeth Blackwell was an English-American physician, notable as the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the United Kingdom. Blackwell played an important role in both the United States and the United Kingdom as a social reformer, and was a pioneer in promoting education for women in medicine. Her contributions remain celebrated with the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal, awarded annually to a woman who has made a significant contribution to the promotion of women in medicine.

1849

In Montana, U.S.

cavalrymen kill 173 Native Americans, mostly women and children, in what becomes known as the Marias Massacre.

Montana is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan to the north. It is the fourth-largest state by area, but the eighth-least populous state and the third-least densely populated state. Its capital is Helena, while the most populous city is Billings. The western half of the state contains numerous mountain ranges, particularly the Rocky Mountains, while the eastern half is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands, with smaller mountain ranges found throughout the state.

1870

Anglo-Zulu War: The Battle of Rorke's Drift ends.

British colonial war in 1879

The Anglo-Zulu War, or simply the Zulu War, was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Isandlwana and the British defence at Rorke's Drift.

1879

The Malolos Constitution is inaugurated, establishing the First Philippine Republic.

Emilio Aguinaldo is sworn in as its first president.

The Political Constitution of 1899, informally known as the Malolos Constitution, was the constitution of the First Philippine Republic. It was written by Felipe Calderón y Roca and Felipe Buencamino as an alternative to a pair of proposals to the Malolos Congress by Apolinario Mabini and Pedro Paterno. After a lengthy debate in the latter part of 1898, it was promulgated on January 21, 1899.

1899

Second Boer War: The Battle of Spion Kop between the forces of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State and British forces ends in a British defeat.

1899–1902 war in South Africa

The Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the Boer republics over Britain's influence in Southern Africa.

1900

Ålesund Fire: The Norwegian coastal town Ålesund is devastated by fire, leaving 10,000 people homeless and one person dead.

Kaiser Wilhelm II funds the rebuilding of the town in Jugendstil style.

The Ålesund fire happened on 23 January 1904 in the Norwegian city of Ålesund. It destroyed almost the whole city centre, built mostly of wood, like the majority of Norwegian towns at the time. The town has since been rebuilt and it is now the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality.

1904

RMS Republic, a passenger ship of the White Star Line, becomes the first ship to use the CQD distress signal after colliding with another ship, the SS Florida, off the Massachusetts coastline, an event that kills six people.

The Republic sinks the next day.

RMS Republic was a steam-powered ocean liner built in 1903 by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, and lost at sea in a collision in 1909 while sailing for the White Star Line. The ship was equipped with a new Marconi wireless telegraphy transmitter, and issued a CQD distress call, resulting in the saving of around 1,500 lives, the first major marine rescue made possible by radio. Known as the "Millionaires' Ship" because of the number of wealthy Americans who traveled by her, she was described as a "palatial liner" and was the flagship of White Star Line's Boston service..

1909

The First International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague.

First international opium control treaty

The First International Opium Convention is a former international treaty signed at The Hague in 1912. The conference were an international effort by states to regulate the trade of opium and suppress illicit opium consumption. It was followed in 1925 by the Second International Opium Convention signed in Geneva.

1912

The First Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Velykomykhailivka.

Congress of Makhnovshchina

The Regional Congresses of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents represented the "highest form of democratic authority" within the political system of the Makhnovshchina. They brought together delegates from the region's peasantry, industrial workers and insurgent soldiers, which would discuss the issues at hand and take their decisions back with them to local popular assemblies.

1919

The Netherlands refuses to surrender the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to the Allies.

German Emperor from 1888 to 1918

Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor from 1888 until his abdication in 1918. His fall from power marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 400-year rule over Prussia.

1920

The first successful treatment with insulin is given to 14-year-old diabetic Leonard Thompson.

Use of insulin protein and analogs as medical treatment

As a medication, insulin is any pharmaceutical preparation of the protein hormone insulin that is used to treat high blood glucose. Such conditions include type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and complications of diabetes such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic states. Insulin is also used along with glucose to treat hyperkalemia. Typically it is given by injection under the skin, but some forms may also be used by injection into a vein or muscle. There are various types of insulin, suitable for various time spans. The types are often all called insulin in the broad sense, although in a more precise sense, insulin is identical to the naturally occurring molecule whereas insulin analogues have slightly different molecules that allow for modified time of action. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. In 2023, it was the 157th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 3 million prescriptions.

1922

The trial of the anti-Soviet Trotskyist center sees seventeen mid-level Communists accused of sympathizing with Leon Trotsky and plotting to overthrow Joseph Stalin's regime.

1936–1938 show trials held by Stalin to purge political opposition

The Moscow trials were a series of show trials held by the Soviet Union between 1936 and 1938 at the instigation of Joseph Stalin. They were nominally directed against "Trotskyists" and members of the "Right Opposition" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.The "Case of the Trotskyite–Zinovievite Terrorist Center" ; The "Case of the Anti-Soviet Trotskyist Center" ; and The "Case of the Anti-Soviet 'Bloc of Rightists and Trotskyites'".

1937

Charles Lindbergh testifies before the U.S.

Congress and recommends that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler.

Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York to Paris, a distance of 3,600 miles (5,800 km), flying alone for over 33 hours. His aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis, was built to compete for the $25,000 Orteig Prize for the first flight between the two cities. Although not the first transatlantic flight, it was the first solo crossing of the Atlantic and the longest at the time by nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km), setting a new flight distance world record. The achievement garnered Lindbergh worldwide fame and stands as one of the most consequential flights in history, signalling a new era of air transportation between parts of the globe.

1941

World War II: The Battle of Rabaul commences Japan's invasion of Australia's Territory of New Guinea.

1939–1945 global conflict

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Soviet-occupied Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania.Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1942

World War II: Troops of the British Eighth Army capture Tripoli in Libya from the German–Italian Panzer Army.

World War II army in North Africa and Italy

The Eighth Army was a field army of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed as the Western Army on 10 September 1941, in Egypt, before being renamed the Army of the Nile and then the Eighth Army on 26 September. It was created to better control the growing Allied force based in Egypt and to direct its efforts to lift the siege of Tobruk via Operation Crusader.

1943

World War II: German admiral Karl Dönitz launches Operation Hannibal, the evacuation of areas along the eastern Baltic coast.

German grand admiral (1891–1980)

Karl Dönitz was a German naval officer and politician who briefly succeeded Adolf Hitler as the head of state of Nazi Germany after the latter's suicide during the Second World War in April 1945. He held this position until the dissolution of the Flensburg Government, about two weeks after Germany's unconditional surrender to the Allies. As Supreme Commander of the Navy beginning in 1943, he played a major role in the naval history of the war.

1945

The Knesset resolves that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Unicameral legislature of Israel

The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel.

1950

American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renames it the "Frisbee".

American inventor (1920-2010)

Walter Frederick Morrison was an American inventor and entrepreneur, who invented the Frisbee.

1957

After a general uprising and rioting in the streets, President Marcos Pérez Jiménez leaves Venezuela.

Overthrow of Venezuelan dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez

The 1958 Venezuelan coup d'état took place on 23 January 1958, when the dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez was overthrown.

1958

The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) in the Pacific Ocean.

Free-diving self-propelled deep-sea submersible

A bathyscaphe is a free-diving, self-propelled deep-sea submersible, consisting of a crew cabin similar to a bathysphere, but suspended below a float rather than from a surface cable, as in the classic bathysphere design.

1960

The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence officially begins when PAIGC guerrilla fighters attack the Portuguese Army stationed in Tite.

1963–1974 armed conflict in West Africa

The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence, also known as the Bissau-Guinean War of Independence, was an armed independence conflict that took place in Portuguese Guinea from 1963 to 1974. It was fought between Portugal and the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, an armed independence movement backed by the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Algeria and Guinea. The war is commonly referred to as "Portugal's Vietnam" because it was a protracted guerrilla war which had extremely high costs in men and material and which created significant internal political turmoil in Portugal.

1963

The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.

1964 amendment prohibiting poll taxes

The Twenty-fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits both Congress and the states from requiring the payment of a poll tax or any other tax to vote in federal elections. The amendment was proposed by Congress to the states on August 27, 1962, and was ratified by the states on January 23, 1964.

1964

Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Ivory Coast are established.

Practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states

Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.

1967

Milton Keynes (England) is founded as a new town by Order in Council, with a planning brief to become a city of 250,000 people.

Its initial designated area enclosed three existing towns and twenty-one villages. The area to be developed was largely farmland, with evidence of continuous settlement dating back to the Bronze Age.

Milton Keynes is a city in Buckinghamshire, England, about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. At the 2021 census, the population of its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms the northern boundary of the urban area; a tributary, the River Ouzel, meanders through its linear parks and balancing lakes. Approximately 25% of the urban area is parkland or woodland, including two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). By design, the city comprises many well-delineated neighbourhoods.

1967

USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is attacked and seized by the Korean People's Navy.

Ship attacked and captured by North Korea

USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is a Banner-class technical research ship, placed into service during World War II, then converted to a spy ship in 1967 by the United States Navy. She gathered intelligence and oceanographic information, monitoring electronic and radio signals from North Korea. On 23 January 1968, the ship was attacked and captured by a North Korean vessel, in what became known as the "Pueblo incident".

1968

World Airways Flight 30 overshoots the runway at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, and crashes into Boston Harbor.

Two people are missing and presumed dead.

World Airways Flight 30 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF airliner which suffered a fatal accident upon landing at Logan International Airport in Boston, skidding into Boston Harbor, on January 23, 1982. Two of the passengers were never found, and are presumed to have drowned.

1982

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.

Music museum in Cleveland, Ohio, US

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the artists, producers, engineers, and other personnel who have influenced its development.

1986

Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan sends a "letter of death" to Somali President Siad Barre, proposing the genocide of the Isaaq people.

Somali Politician & General (1949-2025)

Jaale Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan, better known as General Morgan, was a Somali politician and senior military official. He served as Minister of Public Works and Housing from 1989 to 1990 and was the last Minister of Defence under Siad Barre's regime. Additionally, he held various position including Chief Commander of the Somali Armed Forces.

1987

Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State.

American diplomat and political scientist (1937–2022)

Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state under President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman to hold the position.

1997

Netscape announces Mozilla, with the intention to release Communicator code as open source.

American computer services company

Netscape Communications Corporation was an American independent computer services company with headquarters in Mountain View, California, and then Dulles, Virginia. Its Netscape web browser was once dominant but lost to Internet Explorer and other competitors in the first browser war, with its market share falling from more than 90 percent in the mid-1990s to less than one percent in 2006. An early Netscape employee, Brendan Eich, created the JavaScript programming language, the most widely used language for client-side scripting of web pages. A founding engineer of Netscape, Lou Montulli, created HTTP cookies. The company also developed SSL which was used for securing online communications and was later renamed to TLS.

1998

Five people attempt to set themselves on fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, an act that many people later claim is staged by the Chinese Communist Party to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their persecution.

Incident in Beijing, China

Five people set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, on the eve of Chinese New Year on 23 January 2001. There is controversy over the incident; Chinese government sources say that five members of Falun Gong, a religious movement banned in mainland China, set themselves on fire in the square. Falun Gong sources disputed the accuracy of these portrayals, and claimed that their teachings explicitly forbid violence or suicide. Some journalists have claimed the self-immolations were staged.

2001

U.S.

journalist Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered.

Daniel Pearl was an American journalist who worked for The Wall Street Journal. On January 23, 2002, he was kidnapped by jihadist militants while he was on his way to what he had expected would be an interview with Pakistani Islamic scholar Mubarak Ali Gilani in Karachi, Pakistan. Pearl had moved to Mumbai, India, upon taking up a regional posting by his newspaper and later entered Pakistan to cover the war on terror, which was launched by the United States in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001. At the time of his abduction, he had been investigating the alleged links between British citizen Richard Reid and al-Qaeda; Reid had reportedly completed his training at a facility owned by Gilani, who had been accused by the United States of being affiliated with the Pakistani terrorist organization Jamaat ul-Fuqra.

2002

A very weak signal from Pioneer 10 is detected for the last time, but no usable data can be extracted.

First spacecraft to visit Jupiter and the outer Solar System (1972–2003)

Pioneer 10 is a NASA space probe launched in 1972 that completed the first mission to the planet Jupiter. Pioneer 10 became the first of five artificial objects to achieve the escape velocity needed to leave the Solar System. This space exploration project was conducted by the NASA Ames Research Center in California. The space probe was manufactured by TRW Inc.

2003

A 7.9 Mw  earthquake occurs in the Gulf of Alaska.

It is tied as the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded in the United States, but there are no reports of significant damage or fatalities.

On January 23, 2018, at 00:31 AKST, an earthquake occurred in the Gulf of Alaska near Kodiak Island. The earthquake, measured at 7.9 on the Mw scale, was approximately 280 kilometers (170 mi) southeast of Kodiak and happened at a depth of 25 kilometers (16 mi).

2018

A double car bombing in Benghazi, Libya, kills at least 33 people and wounds "dozens" of others.

The victims include both military personnel and civilians, according to local officials.

Benghazi is the second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean, Benghazi is also a major seaport.

2018

The China–United States trade war begins when President Donald Trump places tariffs on Chinese solar panels and washing machines.

Economic conflict since 2018

An economic conflict between China and the United States has been ongoing since January 2018, when US president Donald Trump began imposing tariffs and other trade barriers on China with the aim of forcing it to make changes to what the US has said are longstanding unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft. The first Trump administration stated that these practices may contribute to the US–China trade deficit, and that the Chinese government requires the transfer of American technology to China. In response to the trade measures, CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's administration accused the Trump administration of engaging in nationalist protectionism and took retaliatory action. Following the trade war's escalation through 2019, the two sides reached a tense phase-one agreement in January 2020. However, because of a temporary collapse in goods trade around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic together with a short recession diminished the chance of meeting the target, China failed to buy the $200 billion worth of additional imports specified. By the end of Trump's first presidency, the trade war was widely characterized by American media outlets as a failure for the United States.

2018

Mutinying Burkinabè soldiers led by Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba depose and detain President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré amid widespread anti-government protests.

Burkinabé military officer and president in 2022

Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba is a Burkinabé military officer who served as interim president of Burkina Faso from 31 January 2022 to 30 September 2022, when he was removed in a coup d'état by his own military colleague, Ibrahim Traoré. Damiba had come to power just eight months earlier, on 24 January 2022, when he removed president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré in a coup.

2022

Born on January 23

20 people 1985 – 2004

Julio Enciso

Paraguayan footballer

Julio César Enciso Espínola is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for Ligue 1 club Strasbourg and the Paraguay national team.

2004

Joško Gvardiol

Croatian footballer

Joško Gvardiol is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Premier League club Manchester City and the Croatia national team.

2002

Nicola Zalewski

Polish footballer

Nicola Zalewski is a professional footballer who plays as a wing-back or attacking midfielder for Serie A club Atalanta. Born in Italy, he plays for the Poland national team.

2002

Olga Danilović

Serbian tennis player

Olga Danilović is a Serbian professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 32 by the WTA, achieved on 14 July 2025 and a best doubles ranking of No. 90, reached on 27 October 2025.…

2001

Fanni Pigniczki

Hungarian rhythmic gymnast

Fanni Pigniczki is a Hungarian rhythmic gymnast. She competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

2000

Alban Lafont

French footballer

Alban-Marc Lafont is a professional footballer who plays as goalkeeper for Greek Super League club Panathinaikos, on loan from Ligue 2 club Nantes. Born in Burkina Faso and raised in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast…

1999

XXXTentacion

American rapper (died 2018)

Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, professionally known as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion…

1998

Keita Bates-Diop

American basketball player

Keita Bates-Diop is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Ohio State…

1996

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

English footballer

Ruben Ira Loftus-Cheek is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club AC Milan and the England national team.

1996

Addison Russell

American baseball player

Addison Wayne Russell is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. Russell was drafted 11th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. He…

1994

Reina Triendl

Japanese model and actress

Reina Triendl is an Austrian-Japanese model, tarento, and actress.

1992

Steve Birnbaum

American soccer player

Steven Mitchell Birnbaum is an American former professional soccer player who is currently the sporting director for DC Power FC in the USL Super League. He was captain of and played as a center-back for D.C. United for…

1991

Alex Silva

Canadian wrestler

Alexander Freitas is a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he is a former Impact Gut Check Winner under the ring name Alex Silva.

1990

Leo Komarov

Estonian-Finnish ice hockey player

Leonid Aleksandrovich Komarov is a professional ice hockey player who is a forward for Kiekko-Espoo of the Liiga.

1987

Gelete Burka

Ethiopian runner

Gelete Burka Bati is an Ethiopian middle-distance and long-distance runner. She was born in Kofele in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region, the same district as double Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie.

1986

Marc Laird

Scottish footballer

Marc James Peter Laird is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Lowland League East club Civil Service Strollers, where he is also assistant manager.

1986

José Enrique

Spanish footballer

José Enrique Sánchez Díaz, known as José Enrique, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back.

1986

Steven Taylor

English footballer

Steven Vincent Taylor is an English former professional footballer and head coach. As a defender, he played over 200 games in the Premier League with Newcastle United, in the span of 13 seasons.

1986

Sandro Viletta

Swiss skier

Sandro Viletta is a Swiss former World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist.

1986

San E

South Korean rapper

Jung San, more commonly known by his stage name San E (산이), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2010 under JYP Entertainment, where he was the label's first solo rapper. He left the company in 2013 to sign with hip…

1985

See all birthdays on January 23

Died on January 23

20 people 2003 – 2024

Charles Osgood

American radio and television commentator, writer and musician (born 1933)

Charles Osgood Wood III was an American radio and television commentator, writer, and musician. Osgood was best known both for being the host of CBS News Sunday Morning, a role he held for over 22 years from April 10,…

2024

Melanie Safka

American Emmy winning singer-songwriter (born 1947)

Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk, professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, was an American singer-songwriter.

2024

Hal Holbrook

American actor and director (born 1925)

Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. was an American actor. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show, titled Mark Twain Tonight!, that he developed while studying at Denison University. He won the Tony…

2021

Larry King

American journalist and talk show host (born 1933)

Larry King was an American TV and radio host, author, and spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s. Beginning in 1978, King gained national prominence as host of The Larry King…

2021

Song Yoo-jung

South Korean actress and model (born 1994)

Song Yoo-jung was a South Korean actress and model. Song made her acting debut in the MBC series Golden Rainbow (2013). She gained viewers' attention for her performance in the same cable channel series Make a Wish…

2021

Aloysius Pang

Singaporean actor (born 1990)

Aloysius Pang Wei Chong was a Singaporean actor once managed under NoonTalk Media, best known for his involvement in multiple Mediacorp dramas.

2019

Oliver Mtukudzi

Zimbabwean Afro Jazz musician (born 1952)

Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi was a Zimbabwean musician, businessman, philanthropist, human rights activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Southern Africa Region.

2019

Hugh Masekela

South African trumpeter, composer and singer (born 1939)

Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for writing…

2018

Wyatt Tee Walker

American civil rights activist and pastor (born 1928)

Wyatt Tee Walker was an African-American pastor, national civil rights leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was a chief of staff for Martin Luther King Jr., and in 1958 became an early board member of the…

2018

Ernie Banks

American baseball player and coach (born 1931)

Ernest Banks, nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between 1953 and 1971.…

2015

Prosper Ego

Dutch activist, founded the Oud-Strijders Legioen (born 1927)

Prosper Joannes Gerardus Antonius Ego was a Dutch politician and founder of the veterans' organization the Oud-Strijders Legioen.

2015

Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (born 1924)

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1 August 2005 until his death in 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982. He was the tenth son…

2015

Yuri Izrael

Russian meteorologist and journalist (born 1930)

Yuri Antonievich Izrael was a Soviet and Russian meteorologist. He served as the vice-chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) until September 2008, when the new bureau was elected. He was the…

2014

Elmira Nazirova

Azerbaijani composer (born 1928)

Elmira Mirza Rza-kyzy Nazirova was an Azerbaijani composer. Born to a Georgian Jewish family, she was a child prodigy who excelled at music and trained at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory for several years. At 14, she…

2014

Józef Glemp

Polish cardinal (born 1929)

Józef Glemp was a Polish cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Warsaw from 1981 to 2006, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983. He assumed the title of Primate of Poland following Stefan…

2013

Robert W. Scott

American farmer and politician, 67th Governor of North Carolina (born 1929)

Robert Walter "Bob" Scott was an American politician who served as the 67th Governor of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973. He was born and died in Haw River, North Carolina.

2009

Syed Hussein Alatas

Malaysian sociologist and politician (born 1928)

Syed Hussein Alatas bin Syed Ali Alatas was a Malaysian academic, sociologist, politician, and founder of social science organisations. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya in the 1980s and formed the…

2007

Johnny Carson

American talk show host, television personality, and producer (born 1925)

John William Carson was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992).

2005

Helmut Newton

German-Australian photographer (born 1920)

Helmut Newton was a German-Australian photographer. The New York Times described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of…

2004

Nell Carter

American actress and singer (born 1948)

Nell Carter was an American actress and singer.

2003

See all deaths on January 23

What happened on January 23 in history?

On January 23, one notable event in history was 2024: Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people..

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DateJanuary 23

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Events listed56

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January 23 in History

2024 — Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people

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January 23 in History

2024 — Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people

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