What Happened on April 23rd in History
30 historical events on this date
In Portugal, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Lisbon, killing at least 60 people and injuring 75.
The 1909 Benavente earthquake occurred on 23 April at 17:39 GMT with an epicenter in the Lisbon region of Portugal. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude of 6.0 and had maximum Mercalli...
World War I: The British Royal Navy makes a raid in an attempt to neutralise the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge.
World War I, or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the...
The Estonian Constituent Assembly is held in Estonia, which marks the birth of the Estonian Parliament, the Riigikogu.
The Estonian Constituent Assembly was elected on 5â7 April 1919, called by the Estonian Provisional Government during the Estonian War of Independence.
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) is founded in Ankara. The assembly denounces the government of Sultan Mehmed VI and announces the preparation of a temporary constitution.
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey is the unicameral legislative branch of the Turkish government. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the unitary Turkish Constitution.
Cardiff City defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, the only time it has been won by a team not based in England.
Cardiff City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, but will compete in the EFL...
The Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
The April Constitution of Poland was the general law passed by the act of the Polish Sejm on 23 April 1935. It introduced in the Second Polish Republic an authoritarian presidential system that no...
The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people.
The Rhythm Club fire was a fire in a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi on the night of April 23, 1940, which killed 209 people and severely injured many others. Hundreds of people were trapped...
World War II: The Greek government and King George II evacuate Athens before the invading Wehrmacht.
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...
World War II: Baedeker Blitz: German bombers hit Exeter, Bath and York in retaliation for the British raid on LĂŒbeck.
The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids was a series of bombing raids by the Luftwaffe on the United Kingdom during World War II in April and May 1942. Towns and cities in England were targeted for...
World War II: Adolf Hitler's designated successor, Hermann Göring, sends him a telegram asking permission to take leadership of Nazi Germany. Martin Bormann and Joseph Goebbels advise Göring that the telegram is treasonous.
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Germany during the Nazi era from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party,...
Manuel Roxas is elected the last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
Manuel Acuña Roxas was the fifth president of the Philippines, serving from 1946 until his death in 1948. He served briefly as the third and last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines...
Chinese Civil War: Establishment of the People's Liberation Army Navy.
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermittently from 1...
Cold War: American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia.
The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist...
During the Algiers putsch by French generals, President Charles de Gaulle announces he has assumed emergency powers, and calls on troops and civilians to support him.
The Algiers putsch, also known as the putsch of the generals, was a failed coup d'Ă©tat intended to force French President Charles de Gaulle not to abandon French Algeria, the resident European...
Aeroflot Flight 2723 crashes into the Caspian Sea off the Absheron Peninsula, killing 33 people.
Aeroflot Flight 2723 was a Soviet domestic passenger flight from Bina International Airport to Makhachkala Airport. On 23 April 1966 the Ilyushin Il-14 operating the route ditched in the Caspian Sea...
Soviet space program: Soyuz 1 (Russian: ĐĄĐŸŃĐ· 1, Union 1), a crewed spaceflight carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov, is launched into orbit.
The Soviet space program was the state space program of the Soviet Union, active from 1951 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Unlike its Space Race competitor, the United States,...
Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university.
The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while...
Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army and Razakars massacre approximately 3,000 Hindu emigrants in the Jathibhanga area of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
The Bangladesh Liberation War, also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East...
SAETA Flight 011 crashes in Pastaza Province, Ecuador, killing all 57 people on board. The wreckage was not discovered until 1984.
On 23 April 1979, SAETA Flight 011, a Vickers Viscount passenger aircraft of Ecuadorian airline SAETA, crashed in a mountainous region of Pastaza Province, Ecuador, killing all 57 people on board....
Blair Peach, a British activist, is fatally injured after being knocked unconscious during an Anti-Nazi League demonstration against a National Front election meeting in Southall, London.
Clement Blair Peach was a New Zealand teacher who was killed during an anti-racism demonstration in Southall, London, England. A campaigner and activist against the far right, in April 1979 Peach...
Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than...
Namibia becomes the 160th member of the United Nations and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the...
Eritreans vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. Its capital and largest city is Asmara. The country is bordered by Ethiopia to the south, Sudan to...
Sri Lankan politician Lalith Athulathmudali is assassinated while addressing a gathering, approximately four weeks ahead of the Provincial Council elections for the Western Province.
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal,...
NATO bombs the headquarters of Radio Television of Serbia, as part of their aerial campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance between 32 member statesâ30 in Europe and two in North America. Founded in the aftermath of World War II, NATO...
The first YouTube video, titled "Me at the zoo", is published by co-founder Jawed Karim.
YouTube is an American online video-sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen who were all former employees at PayPal....
At least 111 people are killed and 233 injured as violence breaks out in Hawija, Iraq.
The 2013 Hawija clashes relate to a series of violent attacks within Iraq, as part of the 2012â2013 Iraqi protests and Iraqi insurgency (2011â2013). On 23 April, an army raid against a protest...
A vehicle-ramming attack kills 11 people and injures 15 in Toronto. A 25-year-old suspect, Alek Minassian, is arrested.
On April 23, 2018, a vehicle-ramming attack occurred when a rented van was driven along Yonge Street through the North York City Centre business district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The driver,...
The April 2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse in Myanmar kills four miners and two rescuers, with at least 50 others missing and presumed dead.
On 22 April 2019, a landslide triggered the collapse of a jade mine near Maw Wun Kalay, Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar, trapping at least 54 miners. The deaths of four miners were confirmed, along...
The 2024 Lumut mid-air collision in Malaysia kills 10 people while rehearsing for the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
On 23 April 2024 at 09:32 MYT, two Royal Malaysian Navy helicopters â an AgustaWestland AW139 and a Eurocopter Fennec â collided over the Malaysian town of Lumut during a military parade rehearsal...