Northwestern Air Flight 738
Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people.
What happened on January 23
36 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1264 to 2024.
Standout on January 23
2018
Benghazi
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.
About January 23
January 23 is the 23rd day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 23 of 365 (23 in leap years)342 days left in the year (343 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Friday in 2026, Saturday in 2027, Sunday in 2028, Tuesday in 2029, Wednesday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 4 of 2026 · Q1
- Zodiac sign
- ♒ Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)
- Season
- Winter in the north · Summer in the south
- January birthstone
- Garnetprotection, friendship and trust
- January birth flower
- Carnation / Snowdroplove, devotion and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 88 days
- Roman numerals
- XXIII.Iday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 40thGelete Burka1986
- 40thJosé Enrique (footballer, born 1986)1986
- 40thMarc Laird1986
- 40thRock and Roll Hall of Fame1986
- 40thSandro Viletta1986
- 40thSteven Taylor (footballer)1986
- 30thKeita Bates-Diop1996
- 30thRuben Loftus-Cheek1996
January 23 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Nothing recorded
- 25 years ago2001
- 2001 Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident · Olga Danilović
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on January 23 — ages this year
- 2004Julio Enciso (footballer, born 2004)turns 22
- 2002Nicola Zalewskiturns 24
- 2002Joško Gvardiolturns 24
- 2001Olga Danilovićturns 25
- 2000Fanni Pigniczkiturns 26
- 1999Alban Lafontturns 27
Historical events 36
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba
Mutinying Burkinabè soldiers led by Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba depose and detain President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré amid widespread anti-government protests.
2018 Gulf of Alaska earthquake
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.
China–United States trade war
The China–United States trade war begins when President Donald Trump places tariffs on Chinese solar panels and washing machines.
Benghazi
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.
NASA
The final signal was detected from the NASA space probe Pioneer 10, then about 12 billion kilometres (7.5 billion miles) from Earth.
Pioneer 10
A very weak signal from Pioneer 10 is detected for the last time, but no usable data can be extracted.
Daniel Pearl
American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and later murdered by al-Qaeda agents in Karachi, Pakistan.
2001 Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident
Five people attempted to set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, an act that many later claimed to have been staged by the Chinese Communist Party to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their persecution.
Netscape
Netscape announces Mozilla, with the intention to release Communicator code as open source.
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright was sworn in as the first female United States Secretary of State, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government at that time.
NCSA Mosaic
The first version of Mosaic, created by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina, was released, becoming the first popular web browser.
Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan
Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan sends a "letter of death" to Somali President Siad Barre, proposing the genocide of the Isaaq people.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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.
World Airways Flight 30
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.
USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
USS Pueblo was seized by North Korean forces, who claimed that it had violated their territorial waters while spying.
Diplomacy
Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Ivory Coast are established.
Milton Keynes
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.
Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.
Guinea-Bissau War of Independence
The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence officially begins when PAIGC guerrilla fighters attack the Portuguese Army stationed in Tite.
Bathyscaphe
The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) in the Pacific Ocean.
1958 Venezuelan coup d'état
After a general uprising and rioting in the streets, President Marcos Pérez Jiménez leaves Venezuela.
Walter Frederick Morrison
American inventor Fred Morrison sold the rights to his "flying disc" to the Wham-O toy company, who later renamed it the "Frisbee"
World War II
World War II: Japan began an invasion of the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea.
John Chilembwe
Rebels led by John Chilembwe attacked local plantation owners, beginning an uprising regarded as a key moment in the history of Malawi.
Tottenham Outrage
Two men committed an armed robbery in Tottenham, London, and led police on a two-hour chase, partially by tram, that ended in the perpetrators' suicides.
Imperial Japanese Army
In the most fatal recorded mountaineering accident, 199 of the 210 members of an Imperial Japanese Army unit perished in a blizzard on the Hakkōda Mountains.
American Indian Wars
American Indian Wars: In the Marias Massacre, the United States Army killed about 200 Piegan Blackfeet, mostly women, children, and the elderly.
Elizabeth Blackwell
Elizabeth Blackwell (pictured) graduated from Geneva Medical College in New York, making her the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States.
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia partitioned the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth for the second time.
John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore)
Bishop John Carroll purchased a plot of land that would become the home of the future Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States.
Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I opened the Royal Exchange in London, giving it its royal title.
James Hamilton (assassin)
James Hamilton killed James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, in the first recorded assassination of a head of government using a firearm.
1556 Shaanxi earthquake
One of the deadliest earthquakes in history struck Shaanxi, China, resulting in at least 100,000 direct deaths.
Hongwu Emperor
The Hongwu Emperor (pictured) ascended the throne, initiating the Ming dynasty, which would rule China for three centuries.
Louis IX of France
King Louis IX of France issued the Mise of Amiens, a settlement between King Henry III of England and barons led by Simon de Montfort heavily favouring the former, which later led to the Second Barons' War.
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.
Charles Osgood
Charles Osgood, American radio and television commentator, writer and musician (born 1933)
Wyatt Tee Walker
Wyatt Tee Walker, American civil rights activist and pastor (born 1928)
Robert W. Scott
Robert W. Scott, American farmer and politician, 67th Governor of North Carolina (born 1929)
Syed Hussein Alatas
Syed Hussein Alatas, Malaysian sociologist and politician (born 1928)
Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson, American talk show host, television personality, and producer (born 1925)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
January 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: January 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Bounty Day
Bounty Day (Pitcairn Islands)
Phillips Brooks
Christian feast day: Phillips Brooks (Episcopal Church (USA))
Ildefonsus
Christian feast day: Ildefonsus of Toledo
Emerentiana
Christian feast day: Emerentiana
Marianne Cope
Christian feast day: Marianne of Molokai
Synaxaire Arabe-Jacobite
Christian feast day: Abakuh
Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Christian feast day: Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Spread across the centuries
- 13th century1
- 14th century1
- 16th century3
- 18th century2
- 19th century2
- 20th century34
- 21st century33
Earliest: Louis IX of France (1264). Most recent: Northwestern Air Flight 738 (2024).
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 January 23
What day of the year is January 23?
January 23 is the 23rd day of the year, with 342 days left after it.
What star sign is January 23?
January 23 falls under Aquarius (January 20 – February 18), a air sign ruled by Uranus (traditionally Saturn). The birthstone for the month is Garnet.
How many things happened on January 23?
We record 84 entries for January 23: 36 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1264 to 2024.
Who was born on January 23?
Julio Enciso (footballer, born 2004) (2004) is among the notable births on January 23. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the January 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 January 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.