Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party is sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia after winning the 2022 Australian federal election, ending 9 years of conservative rule.
What happened on May 23
30 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1430 to 2024.
Standout on May 23
2022
Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party is sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia after winning the 2022 Australian federal election, ending 9 years of conservative rule.
About May 23
May 23 is the 143rd day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 143 of 365 (144 in leap years)222 days left in the year (222 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Saturday in 2026, Sunday in 2027, Tuesday in 2028, Wednesday in 2029, Thursday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 21 of 2026 · Q2
- Zodiac sign
- ♊ Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
- Season
- Spring in the north · Autumn in the south
- May birthstone
- Emeraldrebirth, love and wisdom
- May birth flower
- Lily of the valley / Hawthornsweetness, humility and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 208 days
- Roman numerals
- XXIII.Vday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thEmmanuel Boateng (footballer, born 1996)1996
- 30thKatharina Schmid1996
- 30thRăzvan Marin1996
- 25thBrennan Johnson2001
- 20thStratovolcano2006
- 10thIslamic State2016
- 5thEric Carle2021
- 5thRon Hill2021
May 23 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Islamic State
- 25 years ago2001
- Brennan Johnson
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on May 23 — ages this year
- 2007Rayane Messiturns 19
- 2005Alexandra Ealaturns 21
- 2001Brennan Johnsonturns 25
- 2000Felipe Drugovichturns 26
- 2000Israel Reyesturns 26
- 1999Sandro Mamukelashviliturns 27
Historical events 30
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Ryanair Flight 4978
Ryanair Flight 4978 was forced to land by Belarusian authorities, who detained dissident journalist Roman Protasevich.
Stresa–Mottarone cable car crash
A cable car crashed, killing 14 people near Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao following the Maute Group attack on Marawi.
Islamic State
Two suicide bombings, conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, kill at least 45 potential army recruits in Aden, Yemen.
Tornado outbreak and floods of May 23–26, 2015
At least 30 people are killed as a result of floods and tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma, and northern Mexico.
Isla Vista attacks
Seven people, including the perpetrator, are killed and another 14 injured in a killing spree near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara.
Interstate 5 in Washington
A freeway bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Skagit River collapses in Mount Vernon, Washington.
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice awarded the Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore, resolving a 29-year-old territorial dispute in the Singapore Strait.
Stratovolcano
Alaskan stratovolcano Mount Cleveland erupts.
Kyoto Protocol
The "55 parties" clause of the Kyoto Protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland.
Owen Hart
Professional wrestler Owen Hart died immediately before a World Wrestling Federation match after dropping 70 feet (21 m) onto the ring during a botched entrance.
Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with roughly 75% voting yes.
Java (programming language)
The first version of the Java programming language is released.
Giovanni Falcone
Italy's most prominent anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three body guards are killed by the Corleonesi clan with a half-ton bomb near Capaci, Sicily. His friend and colleague Paolo Borsellino will be assassinated less than two months later, making 1992 a turning point in the history of Italian Mafia prosecutions.
Aeroflot Flight 8556
Aeroflot Flight 8556 crashes at Pulkovo Airport, killing 13.
The Shining (film)
The Shining, the psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick (pictured), premiered on 10 screens in New York City and Los Angeles.
Tupolev Tu-144
A Tupolev Tu-144 crashes near the Russian town of Yegoryevsk, killing two.
Airbus A300
The Airbus A300, the first twin-engined wide-body airliner, went into service with Air France.
Grand Hotel Bucharest
The Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest opens, becoming the second-tallest building in the city.
Aviogenex Flight 130
Seventy-eight people are killed when Aviogenex Flight 130 crashes on approach to Rijeka Airport in present-day Rijeka, Croatia (then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia).
USS Sailfish (SS-192)
The U.S. Navy submarine Squalus sank off Portsmouth, New Hampshire, during tests, causing 26 men to drown.
Samuel J. Tilden
Backed by Samuel J. Tilden, the Astor Library and the Lenox Library agreed to merge and form the New York Public Library.
North-West Mounted Police
The North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was established to bring law and order to and assert Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Territories.
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate troops under Stonewall Jackson defeated a Union force at the Battle of Front Royal in Virginia, taking around 700 prisoners.
War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession: The Grand Alliance armies routed the Franco-Spanish-Bavarian army in Ramillies, present-day Belgium.
Eighty Years' War
The Dutch Revolt broke out when rebels led by Louis of Nassau (pictured) invaded Friesland at the Battle of Heiligerlee.
Pope Paul IV
Gian Pietro Carafa became Pope Paul IV, beginning a tumultuous four-year papacy during which the Papal States suffered a serious military defeat.
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Henry VIII's marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon, beginning events that would culminate in the English Reformation.
Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was captured by Burgundian forces at the Siege of Compiègne.
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.
Eric Carle
Eric Carle, American children's book designer, illustrator, and writer best known for The Very Hungry Caterpillar (born 1929)
John Forbes Nash Jr.
John Forbes Nash Jr., American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1928)
Mikhail Alekseev (linguist)
Mikhail Egorovich Alekseev, Russian linguist and academic (born 1949)
Hayri Kozakçıoğlu
Hayri Kozakçıoğlu, Turkish police officer and politician, 15th Governor of Istanbul Province (born 1938)
Georges Moustaki
Georges Moustaki, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1934)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Martyrology of Rabban Sliba
Christian feast day: Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)
Nicolaus Copernicus
Christian feast day: Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA))
Aromanian National Day
Aromanian National Day
Desiderius of Vienne
Christian feast day: Desiderius of Vienne
Giovanni Battista de' Rossi (priest)
Christian feast day: Giovanni Battista de' Rossi
Quintian, Lucius and Julian
Christian feast day: Quintian, Lucius and Julian
Julia of Corsica
Christian feast day: Julia of Corsica
Michael of Synnada
Christian feast day: Michael of Synnada
Spread across the centuries
- 15th century1
- 16th century3
- 18th century1
- 19th century3
- 20th century28
- 21st century34
Earliest: Hundred Years' War (1430). Most recent: Caleb Carr (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 May 23
What day of the year is May 23?
May 23 is the 143rd day of the year, with 222 days left after it.
What star sign is May 23?
May 23 falls under Gemini (May 21 – June 20), a air sign ruled by Mercury. The birthstone for the month is Emerald.
How many things happened on May 23?
We record 78 entries for May 23: 30 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1430 to 2024.
Who was born on May 23?
Rayane Messi (2007) is among the notable births on May 23. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the May 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 May 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.