2026 Colombian Air Force Lockheed C-130 crash
An Aerospace Force Lockheed C-130 crashes during take-off in Puerto Leguízamo, Colombia, killing 69 people.
What happened on March 23
37 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1868 to 2026.
Standout on March 23
2026
2026 Colombian Air Force Lockheed C-130 crash
An Aerospace Force Lockheed C-130 crashes during take-off in Puerto Leguízamo, Colombia, killing 69 people.
About March 23
March 23 is the 82nd day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 82 of 365 (83 in leap years)283 days left in the year (283 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Monday in 2026, Tuesday in 2027, Thursday in 2028, Friday in 2029, Saturday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 13 of 2026 · Q1
- Zodiac sign
- ♈ Aries (March 21 – April 19)
- Season
- Spring in the north · Autumn in the south
- March birthstone
- Aquamarine / Bloodstoneserenity, courage and health
- March birth flower
- Daffodil / Jonquilnew beginnings and rebirth
- Next occurrence
- In 147 days
- Roman numerals
- XXIII.IIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thAlex Albon1996
- 30thJoel Kiviranta1996
- 30thLee Teng-hui1996
- 30thTaiwan1996
- 25thAnna Hall (heptathlete)2001
- 25thMir2001
- 25thRoscosmos2001
- 10thJoe Garagiola2016
March 23 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Ken Howard · Joe Garagiola
- 25 years ago2001
- Mir · Roscosmos · Anna Hall (heptathlete)
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on March 23 — ages this year
- 2001Anna Hall (heptathlete)turns 25
- 1997Ben Manentiturns 29
- 1996Alex Albonturns 30
- 1996Joel Kivirantaturns 30
- 1995Victoria Pedrettiturns 31
- 1995Kevin Kauberturns 31
Historical events 37
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Gaza war
Gaza war: Israel Defense Forces killed 15 aid workers in the Rafah paramedic massacre.
Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces kill 15 aid workers in the Rafah paramedic massacre.
2021 Suez Canal obstruction
A container ship ran aground and obstructed the Suez Canal for six days.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister Boris Johnson puts the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown in response to COVID-19.
Battle of Baghuz Fawqani
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces capture the town of Baghuz in Eastern Syria, declaring military victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant after four years of fighting, although the group maintains a scattered presence and sleeper cells across Syria and Iraq.
Kazakhstan
The Kazakh capital of Astana is renamed to Nur-Sultan.
President of Peru
President of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigns from the presidency amid a mass corruption scandal before certain impeachment by the opposition-majority Congress of Peru.
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports cases of Ebola in the forested rural region of southeastern Guinea, marking the beginning of the largest Ebola outbreak in history.
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act becomes law in the United States.
FedEx Express Flight 80
FedEx Express Flight 80: A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 flying from Guangzhou, China crashes at Tokyo's Narita International Airport, killing both the captain and the co-pilot.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
Official opening of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India.
Texas City refinery explosion
A fire and explosion at an oil refinery in Texas City, the third-largest in the United States, killed 15 workers.
Battle of Nasiriyah
Battle of Nasiriyah, first major conflict during the invasion of Iraq.
Mir
The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji.
Roscosmos
The Russian space agency deorbited the space station Mir, causing it to reenter the Earth's atmosphere and break up over the Pacific Ocean.
Paraguay
Gunmen assassinate Paraguay's Vice President Luis María Argaña.
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui was elected President of the Republic of China in the first direct presidential election in Taiwan.
Taiwan
Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President.
Aeroflot Flight 593
Aeroflot Flight 593 crashed into a hillside in Russia's Kemerovo Oblast, killing all 75 people on board, after the pilot's 15-year-old son unknowingly disabled the autopilot while seated at the controls.
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
A United States Air Force (USAF) F-16 aircraft collides with a USAF C-130 at Pope Air Force Base and then crashes, killing 24 United States Army soldiers on the ground alongside destroying a Starlifter by accident. This later became known as the Green Ramp disaster.
Tijuana
At an election rally in Tijuana, Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio is assassinated by Mario Aburto Martínez.
Kowloon Walled City
The demolition of Kowloon Walled City, a densely crowded slum in Hong Kong, began.
Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began with the invasion of the Revolutionary United Front, in an attempt to overthrow President Joseph Saidu Momoh.
Revolutionary United Front
The Revolutionary United Front, with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia, invades Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow Joseph Saidu Momoh, sparking the 11-year Sierra Leone Civil War.
Cold fusion
Two researchers announced the discovery of cold fusion, a claim that was later discredited.
Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
Angolan and Cuban forces defeated South Africa in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale.
Fernando Romeo Lucas García
Guatemala's government, headed by Fernando Romeo Lucas García was overthrown in a military coup by right-wing General Efraín Ríos Montt.
David Frost
British journalist David Frost began a series of interviews with former U.S. president Richard Nixon, starting with the Watergate scandal.
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party took the first step in the Gleichschaltung process by having the Enabling Act passed, giving the government the right to make laws without the involvement of the Reichstag.
Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh, one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement, and two others were executed by the British authorities for their murder of a police officer.
Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini and his supporters founded the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, the predecessor of the National Fascist Party.
Durham Stevens
American diplomat Durham Stevens, an employee of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was fatally shot in San Francisco by two Korean immigrants unhappy with his support of increased Japanese presence in Korea.
Crete
About 1,500 Cretans, led by Eleftherios Venizelos, met at the village of Theriso to call for the island's unification with Greece, beginning the Theriso revolt.
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the Ahmadiyya Islamic religious movement in British India.
William McGregor (football)
Chaired by William McGregor, a meeting of ten English football clubs was held in London, eventually resulting in the establishment of the Football League.
Henry Huntly Haight
Governor of California Henry Huntly Haight signed a law establishing the University of California, today a public university system that is considered a model for public institutions across the United States.
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.
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright, Czechoslovak-American diplomat, 64th United States Secretary of State (born 1937)
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore (born 1923)
Gian Vittorio Baldi
Gian Vittorio Baldi, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)
Lil' Chris
Lil' Chris, English singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality (born 1990)
Dave Brockie
Dave Brockie, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and bass player (born 1963)
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Spain (born 1932)
Boris Berezovsky (businessman)
Boris Berezovsky, Russian-born Soviet-British mathematician and businessman (born 1946)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Joseph Oriol
Christian feast day: Joseph Oriol
Saint Gwinear
Christian feast day: Gwinear
Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès
Christian feast day: Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès (Maronite Church)
Gregory the Illuminator
Christian feast day: Gregory the Illuminator (Episcopal Church)
March 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: March 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Turibius of Mogrovejo
Christian feast day: Turibius of Mogrovejo
Ottone Frangipane
Christian feast day: Ottone Frangipane
Victorian, Frumentius and Companions
Christian feast day: Victorian, Frumentius and Companions
Spread across the centuries
- 19th century3
- 20th century37
- 21st century37
Earliest: Henry Huntly Haight (1868). Most recent: 2026 Colombian Air Force Lockheed C-130 crash (2026).
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 March 23
What day of the year is March 23?
March 23 is the 82nd day of the year, with 283 days left after it.
What star sign is March 23?
March 23 falls under Aries (March 21 – April 19), a fire sign ruled by Mars. The birthstone for the month is Aquamarine or Bloodstone.
How many things happened on March 23?
We record 85 entries for March 23: 37 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1868 to 2026.
Who was born on March 23?
Anna Hall (heptathlete) (2001) is among the notable births on March 23. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the March 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 March 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.