Harmony Jets Flight 185
The crash of Harmony Jets Flight 185 killed all eight people on board, including the Libyan Army chief Mohammed al-Haddad in Ankara, Turkey.
What happened on December 23
32 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 583 to 2025.
Standout on December 23
2025
Harmony Jets Flight 185
The crash of Harmony Jets Flight 185 killed all eight people on board, including the Libyan Army chief Mohammed al-Haddad in Ankara, Turkey.
About December 23
December 23 is the 357th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 357 of 365 (358 in leap years)8 days left in the year (8 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Wednesday in 2026, Thursday in 2027, Saturday in 2028, Sunday in 2029, Monday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 52 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♑ Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)Cusp date — the exact boundary shifts by a day in some years.
- Season
- Winter in the north · Summer in the south
- December birthstone
- Turquoise / Tanzanite / Zircongood fortune, wisdom and success
- December birth flower
- Narcissus / Holly / Poinsettiarespect, hope and good wishes
- Next occurrence
- In 57 days
- Roman numerals
- XXIII.XIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 250thAmerican Revolutionary War1776
- 40thBalázs Dzsudzsák1986
- 40thBeau Champion1986
- 40thRutan Voyager1986
- 40thThomas Bourgin1986
- 30thBartosz Kapustka1996
- 5thJoan Didion2021
- 1stHarmony Jets Flight 1852025
Born on December 23 — ages this year
- 2002Finn Wolfhardturns 24
- 2000Victor Bonifaceturns 26
- 1999Samuel Linoturns 27
- 1996Bartosz Kapustkaturns 30
- 1994Reed Alexanderturns 32
- 1992Mbwana Samattaturns 34
Historical events 32
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2023 Plateau State massacres
A series of massacres targeting Berom civilians unfold in the Plateau State in Nigeria, killing over 200 people and further injuring over 500. No group claims responsibility.
2015 Sabiha Gökçen Airport bombing
A bomb explodes at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport, killing one airport cleaner. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks claim responsibility for the attack four days later.
2008 Guinean coup d'état
A coup d'état occurs in Guinea hours after the death of President Lansana Conté.
Republic of Guinea Armed Forces
The Guinean military engineered a coup d'état, announcing that it planned to rule the country for two years prior to a new presidential election.
Kingdom of Nepal
An agreement is made for the Kingdom of Nepal to be abolished and the country to become a federal republic with the Prime Minister becoming head of state.
Antonov An-140
An Antonov An-140, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Aktau, Kazakhstan, heading across the Caspian Sea, crashes, killing 23 people.
PetroChina
An explosion at the PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field in Kai County, Chongqing, China, kills at least 234.
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
A U.S. MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25 in the first combat engagement between a drone and conventional aircraft.
Pioneer Helmet
The Pioneer Helmet, one of only six Anglo-Saxon helmets to be discovered, was first placed on public display.
History of Slovenia
History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88.5% of Slovenia's overall electorate vote for independence from Yugoslavia.
1990 Slovenian independence referendum
About 88 percent of eligible voters in Slovenia voted to secede from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Rutan Voyager
Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.
Aeroflot Flight 3519
An engine fire caused Aeroflot Flight 3519 to crash shortly after takeoff from Krasnoyarsk, USSR, killing all but one of the 111 people on board.
Soviet–Afghan War
Soviet–Afghan War: Soviet Union forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
Alitalia Flight 4128
Alitalia Flight 4128 crashes into the Tyrrhenian Sea while on approach to Falcone Borsellino Airport in Palermo, Italy, killing 108.
Immaculate Reception
The Immaculate Reception is caught by Franco Harris to win the Pittsburgh Steelers their first ever playoff victory, after defeating the Oakland Raiders.
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, surviving by cannibalism.
1972 Nicaragua earthquake
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes the Nicaraguan capital of Managua killing more than 10,000.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a one-party state.
1 World Trade Center (1970–2001)
The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York is topped out at 417 metres (1,368 ft), making it the tallest building in the world.
USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.
Oven homicide
Hilkka Saarinen née Pylkkänen is murdered in the so-called "oven homicide" case in Krootila, Kokemäki, Finland.
Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower, then the world's tallest freestanding tower, opened.
Australia national cricket team
Leading the Australia national cricket team, Ian Craig became the youngest-ever Test cricket captain at the time.
Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919
The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act was enacted, lifting most of the existing common-law restrictions on women in the United Kingdom.
World War I
First World War: Allied forces gained a strategic victory at the Battle of Magdhaba on the Sinai Peninsula.
Mental disorder
During a bout of mental illness, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (pictured) severed part of his left ear and gave it to a woman in a brothel in Arles, France.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen's novel Emma was first published, the last novel released during her lifetime.
George Washington
George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis (painting shown).
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: American troops, overwhelmed by British reinforcements, retreated from the Battle of Iron Works Hill.
Yohl Ikʼnal
Yohl Ikʼnal (signature pictured) acceded to the throne of the Maya city-state of Palenque.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Dési Bouterse
Dési Bouterse, Surinamese general and politician, 9th President of Suriname (born 1945)
Brandon Montrell
Brandon Montrell, American TikTok personality and stand-up comedian (born 1979)
Bülend Ulusu
Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1923)
Alfred G. Gilman
Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1941)
Jean-Marie Pelt
Jean-Marie Pelt, French biologist, pharmacist, and academic (born 1933)
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian general and weapons designer, designed the AK-47 rifle (born 1919)
Robert W. Wilson (philanthropist)
Robert W. Wilson, American philanthropist and art collector (born 1928)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Behnam, Sarah, and the Forty Martyrs
Christian Feast Day: Behnam, Sarah, and the Forty Martyrs (Coptic Church)
Dagobert II
Christian Feast Day: Dagobert II
O Antiphons
Christian Feast Day: O Emmanuel
John Cantius
Christian Feast Day: John Cantius
Psote
Christian Feast Day: Psote (Coptic Church)
Flag flying days in Sweden
Birthday of the Queen Silvia, an official flag flying day (Sweden)
Children's Day
Children's Day (South Sudan and Sudan)
Abassad
Christian Feast Day: Abassad (Coptic Church)
Spread across the centuries
- 6th century1
- 18th century2
- 19th century2
- 20th century37
- 21st century30
Earliest: Yohl Ikʼnal (583). Most recent: Harmony Jets Flight 185 (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about December 23
What day of the year is December 23?
December 23 is the 357th day of the year, with 8 days left after it.
What star sign is December 23?
December 23 falls under Capricorn (December 22 – January 19), a earth sign ruled by Saturn. The birthstone for the month is Turquoise or Tanzanite or Zircon.
How many things happened on December 23?
We record 80 entries for December 23: 32 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 583 to 2025.
Who was born on December 23?
Finn Wolfhard (2002) is among the notable births on December 23. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the December 23 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like December 23
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.