Major Events
- 971 War elephant corps of the Southern Han defeated at Shao by crossbow fire from Song Dynasty troops forcing the Southern Han state to submit to the Song Dynasty. First regular war elephant corps in the Chinese army.
- 1368 In a coronation ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang, aged 40, ascends to the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, initiating Ming Dynasty rule over China that would last for three centuries
- 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake, the deadliest ever recorded, kills 830,000 in Shaanxi Province, China
- 1950 Israeli Knesset resolves Jerusalem is capital of Israel
- 1973 US President Richard Nixon announces an accord has been reached to end the Vietnam War
- 1978 Sweden becomes the first nation in the world to ban aerosol sprays, due to their harmful effect on the earth's ozone layer.
- 2020 China locks down the city of Wuhan and its 9 million people, in a belated but ultimately successful effort to control the city's COVID-19 epidemic
- More January 23 Events
Jan 23 in Film & TV
- 1977 Mini-series "Roots" premieres on ABC
Jan 23 in Music
- 1986 Inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chuck Berry; James Brown; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Fats Domino; The Everly Brothers; Buddy Holly; Jerry Lee Lewis; Elvis Presley; Little Richard; Robert Johnson; Jimmie Rodgers; Jimmy Yancey; Alan Freed; John Hammond; and Sam Phillips
Jan 23 in Sport
- 2018 LeBron James becomes the 7th and youngest (33 years 24 days) to reach the 30,000 NBA point milestone during 114-102 loss to San Antonio Spurs
Did You Know?
Agoston Haraszthy, 1st vintner in Sonoma Valley, California imports 10,000 grape vine cuttings
John Hancock
Edouard Manet
Antonio Gramsci
John Polanyi
Chesley Sullenberger
Pavlo Lazarenko
Mariska Hargitay
Django Reinhardt
XXXTentacion
Adrian Quist
Yani Tseng
Fun Fact About January 23
Elva Zona Heaster is found dead in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Resulting murder trial of her husband perhaps only case in US history where the alleged testimony of a ghost helped secure a conviction.
Famous Weddings
- 1045 Edward the Confessor, King of England (40), marries Edith, daughter of the Earl of Godwin
- 1906 Composer Igor Stravinsky (23) weds Yekaterina Nosenko
- 1976 Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier (48) weds Canadian actress Joanna Shimkus
More January 23 Weddings
Ferdinand II of Aragon
William Pitt the Younger
Edvard Munch
Johnny Carson
Ernie Banks
Larry KingArticles, Photos and Quiz
Dutch Fleet Captured
Cavalry capturing the Dutch fleet at the battle of Den Helder
January 23, 1795
America’s Agony Is Over: Vietnam War Ends
A ceasefire agreement was signed on this day, heralding the end of the vicious and bitter Vietnam War – America’s attempt to halt the spread of communism.
January 23, 1973
