History of Today in India – 23 March

Explore the history of today 23 March in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 23 March 2026, 04:30 AM

📜 Important Events on 23 March in World History

23 Mar 2025: Israel Defense Forces kill 15 aid workers in the Rafah paramedic massacre. Read more
23 Mar 2021: A container ship runs aground and obstructs the Suez Canal for six days. Read more
23 Mar 2020: Prime Minister Boris Johnson puts the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown in response to COVID-19. Read more
23 Mar 2019: The Kazakh capital of Astana is renamed to Nur-Sultan. Read more
23 Mar 2019: 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. Read more
23 Mar 2018: 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. Read more
23 Mar 2014: 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. Read more
23 Mar 2010: The Affordable Care Act becomes law in the United States. Read more
23 Mar 2009: 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. Read more
23 Mar 2008: Official opening of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India. Read more
23 Mar 2003: Battle of Nasiriyah, first major conflict during the invasion of Iraq. Read more
23 Mar 2001: The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji. Read more
23 Mar 1999: Gunmen assassinate Paraguay's Vice President Luis María Argaña. Read more
23 Mar 1996: Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President. Read more
23 Mar 1994: At an election rally in Tijuana, Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio is assassinated by Mario Aburto Martínez. Read more
23 Mar 1994: 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. Read more
23 Mar 1994: Aeroflot Flight 593 crashes into the Kuznetsk Alatau mountain, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, killing 75. Read more
23 Mar 1991: 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. Read more
23 Mar 1988: Angolan and Cuban forces defeat South Africa in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. Read more
23 Mar 1983: Strategic Defense Initiative: President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles. Read more
23 Mar 1982: Guatemala's government, headed by Fernando Romeo Lucas García, is overthrown in a military coup by right-wing General Efraín Ríos Montt. Read more
23 Mar 1980: Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador gives his famous speech appealing to men of the El Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing the Salvadorans. Read more
23 Mar 1978: The first UNIFIL troops arrive in Lebanon for a peacekeeping mission along the Blue Line. Read more
23 Mar 1977: The first of The Nixon Interviews (12 will be recorded over four weeks) is videotaped with British journalist David Frost interviewing former United States President Richard Nixon about the Watergate scandal and the Nixon tapes. Read more
23 Mar 1965: NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young). Read more
23 Mar 1956: Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world. This date is now celebrated as Republic Day in Pakistan. Read more
23 Mar 1940: The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan or Qarardad-e-Lahore) is put forward at the Annual General Convention of the All-India Muslim League. Read more
23 Mar 1939: The Hungarian air force attacks the headquarters of the Slovak air force in Spišská Nová Ves, killing 13 people and beginning the Slovak–Hungarian War. Read more
23 Mar 1935: Signing of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Read more
23 Mar 1933: The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany. Read more
23 Mar 1931: Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar are hanged for the killing of a deputy superintendent of police during the Indian independence movement. Read more
23 Mar 1919: In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement. Read more
23 Mar 1918: First World War: On the third day of the German Spring Offensive, the 10th Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment is annihilated with many of the men becoming prisoners of war. Read more
23 Mar 1913: A tornado outbreak kills more than 240 people in the central United States, while an ongoing flood in the Ohio River watershed was killing 650 people. Read more
23 Mar 1909: Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. Read more
23 Mar 1905: Eleftherios Venizelos calls for Crete's union with Greece, and begins what is to be known as the Theriso revolt. Read more
23 Mar 1901: Emilio Aguinaldo, only President of the First Philippine Republic, is captured at Palanan, Isabela by the forces of American General Frederick Funston. Read more
23 Mar 1889: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian, British India. Read more
23 Mar 1888: In England, The Football League, the world's oldest professional association football league, meets for the first time. Read more
23 Mar 1885: Sino-French War: Chinese victory in the Battle of Phu Lam Tao near Hưng Hóa, northern Vietnam. Read more
23 Mar 1879: War of the Pacific: The Battle of Topáter, the first battle of the war, is fought between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. Read more
23 Mar 1868: The University of California is founded in Oakland, California when the Organic Act is signed into law. Read more
23 Mar 1862: American Civil War: The First Battle of Kernstown, Virginia, marks the start of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Although a Confederate defeat, the engagement distracts Federal efforts to capture Richmond. Read more
23 Mar 1857: Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City. Read more
23 Mar 1848: The ship John Wickliffe arrives at Port Chalmers carrying the first Scottish settlers for Dunedin, New Zealand. Otago province is founded. Read more
23 Mar 1839: A massive earthquake destroys the former capital Inwa of the Konbaung dynasty, present-day Myanmar. Read more
23 Mar 1821: Greek War of Independence: Battle and fall of city of Kalamata. Read more
23 Mar 1806: After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery begin their arduous journey home. Read more
23 Mar 1801: Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death inside his bedroom at St. Michael's Castle. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 23 March in World History

23 Mar 1997: Ben Manenti, Australian cricketer Benjamin Andrew Davey Manenti is an Italian-Australian cricketer. He is a right-arm off spin bowler who bats right-handed. He has played for Tasmania, South Australia, the Sydney Sixers, and the Adelaide Strikers. He has also represented the Italy national cricket team, qualifying as a citizen by descent. Read more
23 Mar 1996: Alexander Albon, Thai-British race car driver Alexander Philippe Albon Ansusinha is a Thai and British racing driver who competes under the Thai flag in Formula One for Williams. Read more
23 Mar 1996: Joel Kiviranta, Finnish ice hockey player Joel Kiviranta is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Read more
23 Mar 1995: Kevin Kauber, Estonian footballer Kevin Kauber is an Estonian footballer who plays as a forward for Vaprus. Read more
23 Mar 1995: Jan Lisiecki, Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki is a Canadian classical pianist. He performs internationally with orchestras and conductors. He has been a recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon since the age of 15. At age 18, Lisiecki was the recipient of Gramophone’s Young Artist Award and the Leonard Bernstein Award. Read more
23 Mar 1995: Victoria Pedretti, American actress Victoria Pedretti is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for starring in the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), which established her as a scream queen. She earned further recognition for playing Love Quinn in the Netflix thriller series You. For these roles, she received a MTV Award and nominations at the Critics' Choice and Saturn Awards. Read more
23 Mar 1995: Ozan Tufan, Turkish footballer Ozan Tufan is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor and the Turkey national team. His primary position is attacking midfielder, but he can also play as a striker or a right winger. Read more
23 Mar 1994: Nick Powell, English footballer Nicholas Edward Powell is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for EFL League One club Bradford City. Read more
23 Mar 1994: Oskar Sundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player Oskar Sundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Read more
23 Mar 1994: Bridger Zadina, American actor Bridger Zadina is an American model and actor from northern Wisconsin. He is known for roles on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bosch, and Better Things. He also starred in the 2014 movie Sins of Our Youth. Read more
23 Mar 1993: Eddy Chen, member of violin duo TwoSet Violin TwoSet Violin is a musical comedy duo consisting of Australian-Taiwanese violinists and YouTubers Brett Yang and Eddy Chen. They began by posting classical covers of pop music on their YouTube channel before shifting their focus to musical comedy videos, which gained them greater viewership. In addition to their online content, Yang and Chen have also performed in live concerts and tours. Read more
23 Mar 1993: Quinn Cook, American basketball player Quinn Alexander Cook is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and was one of the top-rated basketball recruits in the class of 2011. Cook won the 2015 NCAA national championship with Duke, and won two NBA championships, one with the Golden State Warriors in 2018 and one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. He has also played for the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Read more
23 Mar 1993: Tomáš Hyka, Czech ice hockey player Tomáš Hyka is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vegas Golden Knights. Read more
23 Mar 1993: Dmitrij Jaškin, Russian-Czech ice hockey player Dmitrij Alexejevič Jaškin is a Russian-born Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing with Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He played five seasons for the St Louis Blues and one season with the Washington Capitals and Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Jaškin was selected first overall in the 2010 KHL Junior Draft by Sibir Novosibirsk, and was drafted by the Blues in the second round, 41st overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Read more
23 Mar 1993: Aytaç Kara, Turkish footballer Aytaç Kara is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Sarıyerspor. Read more
23 Mar 1992: Tolga Ciğerci, German-Turkish footballer Tolga Ciğerci is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for 3. Liga club Energie Cottbus. Born in Germany, he represented it at under-19 and under-20 level, before switching his allegiance to Turkey. Read more
23 Mar 1992: Kyrie Irving, Australian-American basketball player Kyrie Andrew Irving is an Australian-American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. A nine-time All-Star and three-time member of the All-NBA Team, Irving won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016. Read more
23 Mar 1992: Vanessa Morgan, Canadian actress Vanessa Morgan Mziray is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Beatrix "Bird" Castro in the MTV teen drama series Finding Carter, as Amanda Pierce in the Family teen comedy series The Latest Buzz, and as Sarah in the Disney Channel / Teletoon film My Babysitter's a Vampire and the television series of the same name. From 2017 to 2023, she played Toni Topaz in the CW teen drama series Riverdale. Read more
23 Mar 1991: Facundo Campazzo, Argentine basketball player Facundo "Facu" Campazzo is an Argentine professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. At a height of 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) tall, he plays at the point guard position. He is also a member of the senior Argentina national basketball team. Read more
23 Mar 1991: Erik Haula, Finnish ice hockey player Erik Haula is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils. Haula was selected by the Wild in the seventh round, 182nd overall, of the 2009 NHL entry draft. Read more
23 Mar 1991: Gregg Wylde, Scottish footballer Gregg Wylde is a Scottish footballer who plays for Camelon in the East of Scotland League Premier Division. Read more
23 Mar 1990: Jaime Alguersuari, Spanish race car driver Jaime Víctor Alguersuari Escudero, also known by his stage name Squire, is a Spanish former racing driver, broadcaster and DJ, who competed in Formula One from 2009 to 2011. Read more
23 Mar 1990: Mark Barberio, Canadian ice hockey player Mark Barberio is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for HC Bolzano of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). Barberio was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the sixth round, 152nd overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Read more
23 Mar 1990: Princess Eugenie, English royal Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank, is a member of the British royal family. She is the younger daughter of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, and a niece of King Charles III. At birth, Eugenie was sixth in the line of succession to the British throne and is 12th as of 2026. Read more
23 Mar 1990: Gordon Hayward, American basketball player Gordon Daniel Hayward is an American former professional basketball player. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Read more
23 Mar 1990: Robert Zickert, German footballer Robert Zickert is a German footballer who plays for Chemnitzer FC. Read more
23 Mar 1989: Ayesha Curry, Canadian-American chef, author and television personality Ayesha Disa Curry is a Canadian-American businesswoman, restaurateur, author, actress and philanthropist. Read more
23 Mar 1989: Nikola Gulan, Serbian footballer Nikola Gulan is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder. Read more
23 Mar 1989: Luis Fernando Silva, Mexican footballer Luis Fernando Silva Ochoa is a Mexican footballer who plays as a defender. Read more
23 Mar 1988: Dellin Betances, American baseball player Dellin Betances is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and New York Mets from 2011 to 2021. Betances was named an MLB All-Star from 2014 to 2017. Read more
23 Mar 1988: Jason Kenny, English cyclist Sir Jason Francis Kenny is an English former track cyclist, specialising in the individual and team sprints. Kenny is the winner of most Olympic gold medals (7) and medals (9) by a British athlete. Kenny's seven Olympic gold medals place him joint 15th in gold medals won in the Summer Olympic games since 1896. He holds the records for both most Olympic golds and most Olympic medals won by a cyclist. Read more
23 Mar 1988: Michal Neuvirth, Czech ice hockey player Michal Neuvirth is a Czech former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played for the Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, and Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 34th overall by the Washington Capitals in the second round of the 2006 NHL entry draft. Read more
23 Mar 1987: Alan Toovey, Australian footballer Alan Toovey is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Read more
23 Mar 1986: Patrick Bordeleau, Canadian ice hockey player Patrick Bordeleau is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who currently plays for the Jonquiere Marquis in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche. Read more
23 Mar 1986: Andrea Dovizioso, Italian motorcycle racer Andrea Dovizioso is an Italian former professional motorcycle racer. He raced with WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team for the 2022 season but announced his intended-retirement after the Misano round in September.
Dovizioso was the 2004 125cc World Champion, but is best known for his time with the Ducati Team in the MotoGP class, finishing championship runner-up to Marc Márquez for three consecutive seasons in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Read more
23 Mar 1986: Brett Eldredge, American singer-songwriter and musician Brett Ryan Eldredge is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. Eldredge has had five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, three of which came from his debut album, Bring You Back: "Don't Ya", "Beat of the Music", and "Mean to Me". Read more
23 Mar 1986: Kangana Ranaut, Indian actress Kangna Amardeep Ranaut is an Indian actress, filmmaker, and politician serving as a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Mandi since June 2024. Known for her portrayals of strong-willed, unconventional women in female-led Hindi films, she is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards, and has featured six times in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list. In 2020, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award. Read more
23 Mar 1985: Maurice Jones-Drew, American football player Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew, often called "MJD", is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2005. Read more
23 Mar 1985: Bethanie Mattek-Sands, American tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands is an American inactive professional tennis player. She has won nine Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal, and is a former world No. 1 in doubles. She held the top ranking for 32 consecutive weeks. Read more
23 Mar 1984: Ryan Araña, Filipino basketball player Ryan T. Araña is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He played for four teams during his career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Araña played college basketball at the De La Salle University. He was drafted with the twelfth overall pick in the second round of the 2007 PBA draft by the Welcoat Dragons. Read more
23 Mar 1984: Brandon Marshall, American football player Brandon Tyrone Marshall is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. Marshall has also played for the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, New York Giants, and the Seattle Seahawks. After his retirement from the NFL, Marshall became a TV personality, and is a former co-host on FS1's morning show First Things First. Marshall currently cohosts Showtime's Inside the NFL and has been on the show for seven seasons. Read more
23 Mar 1983: Hakan Balta, Turkish footballer Hakan Kadir Balta is a retired Turkish professional footballer who played as a defender for Galatasaray in the Süper Lig. At the start of the 2018/19 season he was released from his contract after over 10 years with the club. Read more
23 Mar 1983: Mo Farah, Somali-English runner Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah is a British former long-distance runner. Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, he holds the record for the most global championship gold medals, making him the most successful male track distance runner in the history of the sport, and he is the most successful British track athlete in Olympic Games history. Read more
23 Mar 1983: Sascha Riether, German footballer Sascha Riether is a German former professional footballer who played as a right back. In addition to playing in the right-back position, Riether has also played in defensive midfield, center back and right midfield positions throughout his whole career. Read more
23 Mar 1983: Jerome Thomas, English footballer Jerome William Thomas is an English former footballer who is the head of academy recruitment at Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. He played predominantly as a left-winger during his career. He scored 25 goals in 292 league and cup appearances throughout a 16-year professional career in the English Football League and Premier League. Read more
23 Mar 1982: José Contreras Arrau, Chilean footballer José Raúl Contreras Arrau is a Chilean former footballer who played as a right-back. Read more
23 Mar 1982: Andrea Musacco, Italian footballer Andrea Musacco is an Italian footballer. Read more
23 Mar 1982: Evgeni Striganov, Estonian ice dancer Evgeni Striganov is an Estonian ice dancer. With partner Marina Timofejeva, he is the 2003 & 2004 Estonian national champion. They were five time competitors at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, with the highest placement of 17th in 2003. They placed 22nd at the 2003 European Figure Skating Championships and 26th at the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships. They were coached by Lea Rand, the mother of fellow Estonian ice dancers Kristjan and Taavi Rand. Read more
23 Mar 1981: Pavel Brendl, Czech ice hockey player Pavel Brendl is a Czech former professional ice hockey forward who last played for the HKM Zvolen in the Slovak Extraliga. He played in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and Phoenix Coyotes. Read more
23 Mar 1981: Erin Crocker, American race car driver Erin Mary Crocker Evernham is an American race car driver and broadcaster with the Motor Racing Network's Winged Nation. In the past, she played soccer, tennis, and varsity lacrosse on both her high school and college teams. She eventually moved to focus more on building a family after starting a personal relationship with her team owner and superior, Ray Evernham, whom she eventually married. Read more
23 Mar 1981: Tony Peña Jr., Dominican baseball player Tony Francisco Peña is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. Peña played shortstop until the 2009 season, when he converted to pitching. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals. Read more
23 Mar 1981: Shelley Rudman, English bobsledder Shelley Rudman is a skeleton athlete who in 2013 became the first British woman to win the world skeleton championship. She also won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and is a former World Cup and two-time European champion. Read more
23 Mar 1981: Giuseppe Sculli, Italian footballer Giuseppe Sculli is a retired Italian footballer who played in several positions; primarily a striker, he could play anywhere along the front-line, and also played as a winger, as a second striker, and even as a right-sided midfielder or as a wingback on the right flank. Read more
23 Mar 1981: Brett Young, American singer-songwriter Brett Charles Young is an American country pop singer, songwriter and guitarist from Anaheim, California. He was a college baseball pitcher but took up songwriting after an elbow injury. His self-titled debut EP, produced by Dann Huff, was released by Republic Nashville on February 12, 2016. The lead single, "Sleep Without You", was released on April 11 of that year and he had a major success with a follow-up single, "In Case You Didn't Know". He released his second major label album Ticket to L.A. in 2018, and the third, Weekends Look a Little Different These Days, in 2021. Read more
23 Mar 1979: Mark Buehrle, American baseball player Mark Alan Buehrle is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World Series with them in 2005. Buehrle also pitched for the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays. Read more
23 Mar 1979: Donncha O'Callaghan, Irish rugby player Donncha O'Callaghan is an Irish retired rugby union player. He spent most of his career with his home province Munster, spending 17 seasons with the province and winning five major trophies, before finishing his career with Worcester Warriors in the English Premiership. Internationally, O'Callaghan represented Ireland and was part of the team that won the Six Nations grand slam in 2009. He also toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2005 and 2009, winning 4 caps. Throughout his career, O'Callaghan played primarily as a lock, though he occasionally provided cover at blindside flanker. Read more
23 Mar 1978: Simon Gärdenfors, Swedish illustrator Simon Gärdenfors is a Swedish cartoonist, rapper, television presenter, and radio host. Read more
23 Mar 1978: Perez Hilton, American blogger Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid photos over which he has added his own captions or "doodles". His blog has garnered controversy for its attitude, its former practice of outing alleged closeted celebrities, and its role in the increasing coverage of celebrities in all forms of media. Read more
23 Mar 1978: Walter Samuel, Argentine footballer Walter Adrián Samuel is an Argentine former professional footballer. Samuel has been regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, and as one of football's toughest defenders, with former international teammate and Inter captain Javier Zanetti referring to him as the "hardest player" he has played with. Read more
23 Mar 1978: Nicholle Tom, American actress Nicholle Tom is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Maggie Sheffield on the CBS sitcom The Nanny (1993–1999). She appeared as Ryce Newton in the film Beethoven (1992), its sequel Beethoven's 2nd (1993), and additionally provided the voice of Ryce for the animated series, Beethoven (1994–1995). Tom voiced Supergirl in the DC Animated Universe and appeared in the role of Tara Wentzel in the sitcom The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman (2006–2007). Read more
23 Mar 1978: Liu Ye, Chinese actor Liu Ye is a Chinese actor. He made his feature film debut in Postmen in the Mountains (1999), and rose to fame for his role in Lan Yu (2001), which earned him a Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor. His other notable works include the film Cock and Bull (2016), as well as the television series Blood Color Romance (2005) and All Quiet in Peking (2014). Read more
23 Mar 1977: Miklos Perlus, Canadian actor and screenwriter Miklos Perlus is a Canadian actor, writer, and story editor. Perlus has appeared on Canadian series Student Bodies, Road to Avonlea and Sidekick. He has written for Degrassi: The Next Generation and other series. He has also worked in television program development for several organizations. Read more
23 Mar 1976: Chris Hoy, Scottish cyclist Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy is a former track cyclist and racing driver from Scotland who represented Great Britain at the Olympic and World Championships and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. Read more
23 Mar 1976: Smriti Irani, Indian actress, producer and politician, Indian Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Zubin Irani is an Indian politician, actress, fashion model, and television producer. She received widespread acclaim for her role of Tulsi Virani in the soap opera Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi by Ekta Kapoor, which became the most watched show at its time and won her numerous accolades. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Irani has held various roles within the Indian Union Cabinet. Before entering politics, Irani had a successful career in the entertainment industry. In 2025, after nearly 2 decades away from acting, Irani reprised her role of Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2. Read more
23 Mar 1976: Dougie Lampkin, English motorcycle racer Douglas Martin Lampkin MBE is an English former professional motorcycle trials and endurocross rider. He competed in the FIM Trial World Championships from 1994 to 2006. Lampkin is notable for being a seven-time motorcycle trials world outdoor champion. He is the second most successful trials rider in history, after Toni Bou with 38. In 2012, Lampkin was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. Read more
23 Mar 1976: Michelle Monaghan, American actress Michelle Lynn Monaghan is an American actress. She has starred in the films Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Made of Honor (2008), Eagle Eye (2008), Trucker (2008), Source Code (2011), Pixels (2015), and Patriots Day (2016). She also received recognition for her role in the action spy film series Mission: Impossible, making appearances in Mission: Impossible III (2006), Ghost Protocol (2011), and Fallout (2018). Read more
23 Mar 1976: Joel Peralta, Dominican baseball player Joel Peralta Gutiérrez is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs. Read more
23 Mar 1976: Keri Russell, American actress Keri Lynn Russell is an American actress. Working mainly in dramatic television since the 1990s, she has received a record eight nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series. She won a Golden Globe Award in 1999 for her lead role in the drama series Felicity, and has received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four additional Golden Globe Award nominations for her roles in The Americans and The Diplomat. In 2017, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to television. Read more
23 Mar 1976: Benny Sa, Chinese television host Benny Sa, also known as Sa Beining is a Chinese television host known for his work for China Central Television (CCTV). He served as the one-time anchor of the documentary program Legal Report (今日说法). Read more
23 Mar 1976: Ricardo Zonta, Brazilian race car driver Ricardo Luiz Zonta is a Brazilian professional racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 10 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross for RCM Motorsport. Read more
23 Mar 1975: Burak Gürpınar, Turkish drummer Burak Gürpınar is a Turkish drummer primarily known for his work with the influential Turkish rock band Kurban. Read more
23 Mar 1975: Andy Turner, English footballer and manager Andrew Peter Turner is a football coach and former professional football player and manager. He is currently Head of Youth Development at Northern Premier League Premier Division club Hednesford Town. Read more
23 Mar 1974: Mark Hunt, New Zealand mixed martial artist Mark Hunt is a New Zealand former professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. As a mixed martial artist, Hunt competed in Pride Fighting Championships from 2004 until 2006, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from 2010 until 2018. As a kickboxer, Hunt achieved success as the winner of the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix. He is known as the "King of Walk-Offs" due to his popularisation of walking away and stopping attacks before the referee officially ends the match. Read more
23 Mar 1974: Randall Park, American actor, director and screenwriter Randall Park is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his roles as Agent Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, FBI Special Agent Edwin Park in the Netflix series The Residence (2025), Louis Huang in the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat (2015–2020), for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016, and for IKEA Heights, a comedy web series. Read more
23 Mar 1973: Jerzy Dudek, Polish footballer Jerzy Henryk Dudek is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
23 Mar 1973: Wim Eyckmans, Belgian race car driver Wim Eyckmans is a Belgian racecar driver who starting in karting in 1986 has been in prototype racing since 2003. He participated in Formula 3000 in 1994 and 1995 and ran the Indy Lights series in 1998. In 1999, he competed in the Indianapolis 500 on behalf of Cheever Racing, finishing 23rd. He now owns a successful karting company. Read more
23 Mar 1973: Jason Kidd, American basketball player and coach Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most versatile point guards ever, Kidd was a 10-time NBA All-Star, a six-time All-NBA Team member, and a nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He won an NBA championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and was a two-time gold medal winner in the Olympics with the U.S. national team in 2000 and 2008. He has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice: in 2018 for his individual career, and in 2025 as a member of the Redeem Team. In 2021, Kidd was honored as one of the league's greatest players by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Read more
23 Mar 1973: Bojana Radulović, Serbian-Hungarian handball player Bojana Radulović, is a retired Serbian-Hungarian handball player who currently leads the handball academy of Dunaújváros. Read more
23 Mar 1972: Jonas Björkman, Swedish-Monégasque tennis player and coach Jonas Lars Björkman is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He is a former world No. 1 in doubles, and also a former world No. 4 in singles. Björkman retired from professional tennis after competing at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup doubles championships. As of 2019, he was ranked in the top 40 on the all-time ATP prize money list with over $14.5 million. As of July 2024 he is still in the top 50 of the all-time ATP prize money list. Read more
23 Mar 1972: Joe Calzaghe, Welsh boxer Joseph William Calzaghe is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including unified and lineal titles at super-middleweight, and the Ring magazine light-heavyweight title. Read more
23 Mar 1972: Judith Godrèche, French actress and author Judith Godrèche is a French actress, author and feminist activist, who has appeared in more than 30 films. Read more
23 Mar 1971: Yasmeen Ghauri, Canadian model Yasmeen Ghauri is a Canadian former fashion model. She had a prominent career in the 1990s, modeling for major fashion houses and appearing in campaigns and editorials for international magazines. Read more
23 Mar 1971: Gail Porter, Scottish model and television host Gail Porter is a Scottish television personality, former model and actress. She started her television career in children's TV, before branching out into modelling and presenting mainstream TV. In 1999, she posed nude for FHM, an image which was projected on to the Houses of Parliament. Later in her career, Porter has been affected by alopecia, a condition which causes hair loss. Read more
23 Mar 1971: Alexander Selivanov, Russian ice hockey player Alexander Yurievich Selivanov ; born March 23, 1971) is a Russian former professional ice hockey left winger who has played in the NHL and also in various European leagues. He quit playing after season 2011-2012. He is currently coaching Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL. Read more
23 Mar 1971: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Japanese wrestler Hiroyoshi Yamamoto is a Japanese professional wrestler who is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name Hiroyoshi Tenzan . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Tag League in NJPW, becoming the only tag team which has done both. He is a four-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and a record twelve-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. He is also a former National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Champion. Read more
23 Mar 1968: Damon Albarn, English singer-songwriter, producer and actor Damon Albarn is an English musician. He is best known as the frontman, main vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band Blur and the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual band Gorillaz. Read more
23 Mar 1968: Mike Atherton, English cricketer and journalist Michael Andrew Atherton is a broadcaster, journalist and a former England international cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England, and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the captaincy of England at the age of 25 and led the side in a then record 54 Test matches. Known for his stubborn resistance during an era of hostile fast bowling, Atherton was described in 2001 as a determined defensive opener who made "batting look like trench warfare". He had several famed bouts with bowlers including South Africa's Allan Donald and Australia's Glenn McGrath. Atherton often played the anchor role at a time when England batting performances lacked consistency. Read more
23 Mar 1968: Fernando Hierro, Spanish footballer and manager Fernando Ruiz Hierro is a Spanish football executive and former player who played as a centre-back, sweeper or defensive midfielder. Read more
23 Mar 1968: Pierre Palmade, French actor and screenwriter Pierre Palmade is a French actor, comedian, stage director and playwright. Read more
23 Mar 1966: Lorenzo Daniel, American sprinter Lorenzo Daniel is an American retired track and field sprinter, best known for setting the 1985 world's best year performance in the men's 200 meters and being one of the fastest to run the event at the time. He did so on May 18, 1985, at a meet in Starkville, Mississippi, clocking 20.07. His fastest-ever 200m dash was 19.87 at Eugene, Oregon in 1988. He attended Mississippi State University, and majored in Sports Communication. Daniel was born in Avera, Georgia and grew up in Wrens, Georgia. He was once the third-fastest man in the world. Though he made the 1988 Olympics, he injured himself before he could attend The Games. He now resides in Dallas, Texas; has a wife, Sissy Sanders-Daniel and three children: Lauren, Lorenzo Jr., and Lorielle. He also founded and currently runs a sports agility company, Turbo Techniques. Read more
23 Mar 1966: Marin Hinkle, American actress Marin Hinkle is an American actress. Among many television and movie roles, she is best known for playing Judy Brooks in the ABC television drama Once and Again (1999–2002), Judith Harper-Melnick in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men (2003–2015), and Rose Weissman in the Amazon Prime Video comedy-drama series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023). For her role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Hinkle was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2019 and 2020. Read more
23 Mar 1966: Vasilis Vouzas, Greek footballer and manager Vasilios Vouzas is a Greek professional football manager and former player. He is the current manager of AEK Athens U19. Read more
23 Mar 1965: Richard Grieco, American actor, artist, and model Richard John Grieco Junior. is an American actor, artist, and former fashion model. He played Detective Dennis Booker in the popular Fox series 21 Jump Street (1988–89) and its spin-off Booker (1989–90). He has also starred in various films, including If Looks Could Kill and Mobsters. He has voiced characters in several video games and appeared as either himself or his 21 Jump Street character in several films and television shows. Since 2009, he worked as a painter, working in a style he calls abstract emotionalism.. In 2000, he had a son, Tony Grieco, who is now a well-known artist and designer with a massive social media following. Read more
23 Mar 1965: Gary Whitehead, American poet and painter Gary Joseph Whitehead is an American poet and educator. He is the author of four books of poetry: Strange What Rises A Glossary of Chickens Measuring Cubits while the Thunder Claps and The Velocity of Dust. His work has appeared in journals, magazines and newspapers and most notably in The New Yorker and Poetry. Read more
23 Mar 1964: Hope Davis, American actress Hope Davis is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. Read more
23 Mar 1963: Juan Ramón López Caro, Spanish footballer and manager Juan Ramón López Caro is a Spanish football manager. Read more
23 Mar 1963: Míchel, Spanish footballer and manager José Miguel González Martín del Campo, known as Míchel, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right midfielder, currently a manager. Read more
23 Mar 1963: Ana Fidelia Quirot, Cuban runner Ana Fidelia Quirot Moré is a former track and field athlete from Cuba, who specialised in the 800 metres but was also successful over 400 m. At 800 metres, she is a two-time World Champion and a two-time Olympic medallist. Her best time of 1:54.44 from 1989 still ranks her fifth on the world all-time list. She is regarded as one of the best female 800 m runners of all time, and probably the best to not have an Olympic gold medal in the event. Read more
23 Mar 1962: Steve Redgrave, English rower Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships golds. He is the most successful male rower in Olympic history, and the only man to have won gold medals at five Olympic Games in an endurance sport. Read more
23 Mar 1961: Roger Crisp, English philosopher and academic Roger Stephen Crisp is fellow and tutor in philosophy at St. Anne's College, Oxford. He holds the university posts of Professor of Moral Philosophy and Uehiro Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy. His work falls principally within the field of ethics, in particular metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. In addition, he is chairman of the Management Committee of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics. Read more
23 Mar 1961: Craig Green, New Zealand rugby player Craig Ivan Green is a New Zealand born former rugby union footballer and coach. He was part of the 1987 Rugby World Cup winning All Blacks team. Read more
23 Mar 1961: Helmi Johannes, Indonesian journalist and producer Helmi Johannes is an Indonesian television newscaster and executive producer. Helmi Johannes now works for the Indonesian service of the Voice of America (VOA), based in Washington, DC. Helmi is responsible for the overall production, program development, talent and day-to-day operations of VOA Indonesian television programming. Read more
23 Mar 1960: Haris Romas, Greek actor, screenwriter, and lyricist Haris Romas is a Greek actor, screenwriter, television director, theatre director, lyricist and politician. Read more
23 Mar 1960: Nicol Stephen, Baron Stephen, Scottish lawyer and politician, 2nd Deputy First Minister of Scotland Nicol Ross Stephen, Baron Stephen is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning from 2005 to 2007. A member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, he was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Aberdeen South from 1999 to 2011, and was leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2005 to 2008. Read more
23 Mar 1959: Catherine Keener, American actress Catherine Keener is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for Being John Malkovich (1999) and for her portrayal of author Harper Lee in Capote (2005). Her performance as Gertrude Baniszewski in An American Crime (2007) earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. Her other accolades include nominations for a BAFTA Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Read more
23 Mar 1958: Etienne De Wilde, Belgian cyclist Etienne De Wilde is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer. De Wilde won races on the road and on the track. He won a silver medal in the madison at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Read more
23 Mar 1958: Hugh Grant, Scottish business executive Hugh Grant is a Scottish business executive, who was the last CEO of Monsanto until its acquisition by Bayer. Read more
23 Mar 1958: Bengt-Åke Gustafsson, Swedish ice hockey player and coach Bengt-Åke Gustafsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey coach and former ice hockey player. Gustafsson is the former head coach of the Sweden senior team, a post he held from February 2005 to May 2010. Read more
23 Mar 1957: Lucio Gutiérrez, Ecuadorian politician, 52nd President of Ecuador Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa is an Ecuadorian politician and former military officer who served as the 43rd president of Ecuador from 2003 until his impeachment in 2005. In 2023, he was elected to the National Assembly. Read more
23 Mar 1957: Robbie James, Welsh footballer and manager (died 1998) Robert Mark James was a Welsh international footballer who played for many teams including Swansea City, Stoke City and Queens Park Rangers. He represented his country on 47 occasions over a period of ten years, scoring a total of seven goals. Read more
23 Mar 1957: Amanda Plummer, American actress Amanda Michael Plummer is an American actress. She is known for her work on stage and for her film roles, including Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), The Fisher King (1991), Pulp Fiction (1994), and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). Plummer won a Tony Award in 1982 for her performance in Agnes of God. She most recently appeared in the third season of Star Trek: Picard (2023). Read more
23 Mar 1956: José Manuel Barroso, Portuguese academic and politician, 115th Prime Minister of Portugal José Manuel Durão Barroso is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He served as the prime minister of Portugal from 2002 to 2004 and as the president of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014. Read more
23 Mar 1955: Moses Malone, American basketball player (died 2015) Moses Eugene Malone Sr. was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, was a 12-time NBA All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA Team selection. Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA championship in 1983, winning both the league and Finals MVP. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001. Malone is widely regarded as one of the greatest centers and players of all time. Read more
23 Mar 1954: Geno Auriemma, Italian-American basketball player and coach Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. He holds the NCAA basketball records for wins and winning percentage with a minimum of 10 seasons. Auriemma also has the most NCAA Division I basketball championships at 12. Read more
23 Mar 1954: Kenneth Cole, American fashion designer, founded Kenneth Cole Productions Kenneth D. Cole is an American designer, social activist, business owner, and philanthropist. His global company, Kenneth Cole Productions, creates clothing and other products under the labels Kenneth Cole New York, Reaction Kenneth Cole, and Unlisted, as well as footwear under the label Gentle Souls. Read more
23 Mar 1954: Mary Fee, Scottish Labour Party politician Mary Christina Fee is a Scottish politician who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West Scotland region from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Scottish Labour Party, she was its deputy spokesperson for a number of portfolios from 2017 to 2019. Read more
23 Mar 1954: Paul Price, English-Welsh footballer and manager Paul Price is a former professional footballer. He played for Welwyn Garden City, Luton Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Swansea City, Minnesota Strikers, Peterborough United, St Albans City and was an international for Wales. He played in the position of central defender. Read more
23 Mar 1953: Bo Díaz, Venezuelan baseball player (died 1990) Baudilio José Díaz Seijas was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1977 to 1989, most prominently with the Cleveland Indians where he rose to prominence as an American League (AL) All-Star player in 1981 and, later with the Philadelphia Phillies where he was a member of the 1983 National League pennant winning team. He earned his second All-Star game berth with the Cincinnati Reds in 1987. Diaz began his career with the Boston Red Sox. He was the first Venezuelan to play regularly as a catcher in Major League Baseball. In 2006, Díaz was posthumously inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame. Read more
23 Mar 1953: Chaka Khan, American singer-songwriter Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer and songwriter. Known as the "Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. With the band she recorded the notable hits "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Do You Love What You Feel", and the platinum-certified "Ain't Nobody". Her debut solo album featured the number-one R&B hit "I'm Every Woman". Khan scored another R&B charts hit with "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" before becoming the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with her 1984 cover of Prince's "I Feel for You". More of Khan's hits include "Through the Fire" and a 1986 collaboration with Steve Winwood that produced a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Higher Love". Read more
23 Mar 1953: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Indian zoologist and businesswoman Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur. She is the executive chairperson and founder of Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited, a biotechnology company based in Bangalore, India and the former chairperson of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. In 2014, she was awarded the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to the progress of science and chemistry. She was on the Financial Times 2011 top 50 women in business list. In 2019, she was listed as the 68th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. She was named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020. Read more
23 Mar 1952: Francesco Clemente, Italian painter and illustrator Francesco Clemente is an Italian contemporary artist. He has lived at various times in Italy, India and New York City. Some of his work is influenced by the traditional art and culture of India. He has worked in various artistic media including drawing, fresco, graphics, mosaic, oils and sculpture. He was among the principal figures in the Italian Transavanguardia movement of the 1980s, which was characterized by a rejection of Formalism and conceptual art and a return to figurative art and Symbolism. Read more
23 Mar 1952: Kim Stanley Robinson, American author Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer best known for his Mars trilogy of novels. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, cultural, and political themes, featuring scientists as heroes. Robinson has won numerous awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the World Fantasy Award. The Atlantic magazine has called Robinson's work "the gold standard of realistic, and highly literary, science-fiction writing." According to an article in The New Yorker magazine, Robinson is "generally acknowledged as one of the greatest living science-fiction writers." Read more
23 Mar 1952: Rex Tillerson, American businessman, engineer and diplomat; 69th United States Secretary of State Rex Wayne Tillerson is an American energy executive and former diplomat who served as the 69th United States secretary of state from 2017 to 2018 in the first administration of Donald Trump. From 2006 to 2016, he was chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of ExxonMobil. Read more
23 Mar 1951: Ron Jaworski, American football player and sportscaster Ronald Vincent Jaworski, nicknamed "Jaws", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He played college football for the Youngstown State Penguins and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1973 NFL draft. After spending four seasons mostly as a backup for the Rams, Jaworski was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1977, where he would lead the Eagles to four consecutive playoff appearances, including a division title and the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in 1980. After 10 seasons with the Eagles, Jaworski signed with the Miami Dolphins, where he would spend two seasons as a backup. Read more
23 Mar 1951: Adrian Reynard, English businessman, founded Reynard Motorsport Adrian John Reynard is a businessman and commercial astronaut. He is the founder of Reynard Motorsport, which was a successful racing car manufacturer before it went bankrupt in 2002. Read more
23 Mar 1950: Corinne Cléry, French actress Corinne Marie-Madeleine Geneviève Pierrette Picolo, better known as Corinne Cléry, is a French actress. Her breakthrough role was as the title character in Story of O (1975), based on the novel of the same name. She subsequently had significant career in Italian cinema, and also played Corinne Dufour in the James Bond film Moonraker (1979). Read more
23 Mar 1950: Phil Lanzon, English keyboard player and songwriter Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969. Their current lineup consists of guitarist Mick Box, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, lead vocalist Bernie Shaw, drummer Russell Gilbrook, and bassist Dave Rimmer. They have experienced numerous lineup changes throughout their 57-year career, leaving Box as the only remaining original member. Former members of the band are vocalists David Byron, John Lawton, John Sloman and Peter Goalby; bassists Paul Newton, Mark Clarke, Gary Thain, John Wetton, Trevor Bolder and Bob Daisley; drummers Alex Napier, Nigel Olsson, Keith Baker, Iain Clark, Lee Kerslake and Chris Slade; and keyboardists Ken Hensley, Gregg Dechert and John Sinclair. Read more
23 Mar 1950: Ahdaf Soueif, Egyptian author and translator Ahdaf Soueif is an Egyptian novelist and political and cultural commentator. Read more
23 Mar 1948: Wasim Bari, Pakistani cricketer Wasim Bari is a Pakistani former international cricketer who played in 81 Test matches and 51 One Day Internationals from 1967 to 1984. Bari was a wicket-keeper and right-handed batsman. He captained Pakistan in Test matches and one-day internationals. At the end of his 17-year career, he was the most-capped player in Pakistani Test history. Read more
23 Mar 1948: Marie Malavoy, German-Canadian educator and politician Marie Malavoy is a Canadian politician and teacher. She was a member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Taillon in the Montérégie region for the Parti Québécois. Following the PQ victory in 2012, Malavoy entered the cabinet as Minister of Education. Read more
23 Mar 1947: Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, American author Elizabeth Ann Scarborough is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy and Registered Nurse who lives in Port Townsend, Washington. She has published over 40 novels, as well as collaborating with Anne McCaffrey on multiple series. Read more
23 Mar 1946: Alan Bleasdale, English screenwriter and producer Alan George Bleasdale is an English screenwriter, best known for social realist drama serials based on the lives of ordinary people. A former teacher, he has written for radio, stage and screen, and has also written novels. Bleasdale's plays typically represented a more realistic, contemporary depiction of life in Liverpool than was usually seen in the media. Read more
23 Mar 1945: Franco Battiato, Italian singer-songwriter and director (died 2021) Francesco "Franco" Battiato was an Italian musician, singer, composer, filmmaker and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter. Battiato's songs explore many themes, and have spanned genres such as experimental pop, electronic music, minimalism, avant-garde, progressive rock, new wave, symphonic music, sound collage, opera, oratorio and movie soundtrack. Read more
23 Mar 1945: David Grisman, American mandolin player and composer David Jay Grisman is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which releases his recordings and those of other acoustic musicians. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in Owensboro, Kentucky in 2023. Read more
23 Mar 1944: Tony McPhee, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2023) Anthony Charles McPhee was an English guitarist and singer. He was the founder of the British blues and rock band the Groundhogs. Read more
23 Mar 1944: Michael Nyman, English composer of minimalist music and pianist Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer, pianist, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film scores, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano. He has written a number of operas, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat; Letters, Riddles and Writs; Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs; Facing Goya; Man and Boy: Dada; Love Counts; and Sparkie: Cage and Beyond. He has written six concerti, five string quartets, and many other chamber works, many for his Michael Nyman Band. He is also a performing pianist. Nyman prefers to write opera over other forms of music. Read more
23 Mar 1944: Ric Ocasek, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer (died 2019) Richard Theodore Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the American new wave band the Cars. In addition to his work with the Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo studio albums. Ocasek's 1986 single, "Emotion in Motion", was a top 20 hit in the United States. Read more
23 Mar 1943: Andrew Crockett, Scottish-English economist and banker (died 2012) Sir Andrew Duncan Crockett was a British banker, economist and public servant. He was the general manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Read more
23 Mar 1943: Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, Finnish singer, author and director (died 2001) Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, known as Áilu in the Northern Sámi language and with the stage name of Áillohaš, was a Finnish Sámi writer, musician and artist. He was one of the most internationally recognised contributors of Sámi culture. He was mostly known for his joiks and poems. He was the official provincial artist of Lapland from 1978 to 1983. He was given the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1991 for his work called Beaivi, áhčážan. Read more
23 Mar 1942: Michael Haneke, Austrian director, producer and screenwriter Michael Haneke is a German-born Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, German, and English and has worked in television and theatre. He also teaches film direction at the Film Academy Vienna. Read more
23 Mar 1942: Jimmy Miller, American record producer and musician (died 1994) Jimmy Miller was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is known primarily for his work with several key musical acts of the 1960s and 1970s. Read more
23 Mar 1942: Walter Rodney, Guyanese historian, scholar and activist (died 1980) Walter Anthony Rodney was a Guyanese historian, political activist and academic. His notable works include How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, first published in 1972. He was assassinated in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1980. Read more
23 Mar 1938: Jon Finlayson, Australian actor and screenwriter (died 2012) Jon Douglas Finlayson was an Australian stage and screen character actor, radio performer, writer, director, producer and singer Read more
23 Mar 1937: Craig Breedlove, American race car driver (died 2023) Norman Craig Breedlove Sr. was an American professional race car driver and a five-time world land speed record holder. He was the first person in history to reach 500 mph (800 km/h), and 600 mph (970 km/h), using several turbojet-powered vehicles, all named Spirit of America. Read more
23 Mar 1937: Tony Burton, American actor, comedian, boxer and football player (died 2016) Anthony Mabron Burton was an American actor and professional boxer. He was best known for his role as trainer Tony "Duke" Evers in the Rocky films. Read more
23 Mar 1937: Robert Gallo, American physician and academic Robert Charles Gallo is an American biomedical researcher. He is best known for his role in establishing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the infectious agent responsible for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and in the development of the HIV blood test, and he has been a major contributor to subsequent HIV research. Read more
23 Mar 1936: Jannis Kounellis, Greek painter and sculptor (died 2017) Jannis Kounellis was a Greek Italian artist based in Rome. A key figure associated with Arte Povera, he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome. Read more
23 Mar 1935: Barry Cryer, English comedian, actor and screenwriter (died 2022) Barry Charles Cryer was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Corbett, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie Howerd, Richard Pryor, Spike Milligan, Mike Yarwood, The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise. Read more
23 Mar 1934: Alan Baddeley, English psychologist Alan David Baddeley CBE FRS is a British psychologist. He is known for his research on memory and for developing the three-component model of working memory. He is a professor of psychology at the University of York. Read more
23 Mar 1934: Ludvig Faddeev, Russian mathematician and physicist (died 2017) Ludvig Dmitrievich Faddeev was a Soviet and Russian mathematical physicist. He is known for the discovery of the Faddeev equations in the quantum-mechanical three-body problem and for the development of path-integral methods in the quantization of non-abelian gauge field theories, including the introduction of the Faddeev–Popov ghosts. He led the Leningrad School, in which he along with many of his students developed the quantum inverse scattering method for studying quantum integrable systems in one space and one time dimension. This work led to the invention of quantum groups by Drinfeld and Jimbo. Read more
23 Mar 1933: Norman Bailey, English opera singer and educator (died 2021) Norman Stanley Bailey was a British operatic bass-baritone who appeared in leading roles in major opera venues. After an early career in Austria and Germany, he settled in England and was associated with the English National Opera. One of his signature roles was Hans Sachs in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which he performed at La Scala in Milan in 1968 and at the Bayreuth Festival the following year. Later that year he was called upon at the last minute to play the part at the Royal Opera House in London when Hubert Hoffman had to pull out with a sore throat. He also played this part in his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1976. Read more
23 Mar 1933: Philip Zimbardo, American psychologist and academic (died 2024) Philip George Zimbardo was an American psychologist and a professor at Stanford University. He was an internationally known educator, researcher, author and media personality in psychology who authored more than 500 articles, chapters, textbooks, and trade books covering a wide range of topics, including time perspective, cognitive dissonance, the psychology of evil, persuasion, cults, deindividuation, shyness, and heroism. He became known for his 1971 Stanford prison experiment, which was later criticized as being based on biased science. He authored various widely used, introductory psychology textbooks for college students, and other notable works, including Shyness, The Lucifer Effect, and The Time Paradox. Read more
23 Mar 1932: Don Marshall, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2024) Donald Robert Marshall was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Read more
23 Mar 1931: Yevgeny Grishin, Russian speed skater (died 2005) Yevgeny Romanovich Grishin was a Soviet and Russian speedskater. Grishin trained for the largest part of his speedskating career at CSKA Moscow. A four-time Olympian, he became European Champion in 1956, and won Olympic gold in the 500 meter and 1500 meter events in both 1956 and 1960 Winter Olympics, competing for the USSR team. Along with his compatriot Lidiya Skoblikova, he was the most successful athlete at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Read more
23 Mar 1931: Viktor Korchnoi, Russian chess player and author (died 2016) Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi was a Soviet and Swiss chess grandmaster (GM) and chess writer. He is considered one of the strongest players never to have become World Chess Champion. Read more
23 Mar 1931: Yevdokiya Mekshilo, Russian skier (died 2013) Yevdokiya Panteleyevna Mekshilo was a female Soviet cross-country skier who competed in the 1960s for Armed Forces sports society. At the 1964 Winter Olympics, she won a gold in the 3 × 5 km relay and a silver in the 10 km event. She was born in Gorno-Altaysk. Read more
23 Mar 1929: Roger Bannister, English middle-distance runner, neurologist and academic (died 2018) Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile. Read more
23 Mar 1929: Michael Manser, English architect and engineer (died 2016) Michael Manser was a British architect. He was a president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and established his own successful architecture practice in 1961. Read more
23 Mar 1929: Mark Rydell, American actor, director and producer Mark Rydell is an American film director, producer and actor. He has directed several Academy Award-nominated films including The Fox (1967), The Reivers (1969), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Rose (1979) and The River (1984). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for On Golden Pond (1981). Read more
23 Mar 1928: Lee Sexton, American banjo player (died 2021) Lee Sexton was an American banjoist from Letcher County, Kentucky. He began playing the banjo at the age of eight and was proficient in the two-finger picking and "drop-thumb" (clawhammer) traditional styles of east Kentucky. He also sang and played fiddle. His Whoa Mule album includes recordings from a 1952 home recording with fiddler Fernando Lusk to recordings made in 2001. Four solo songs also appear on Smithsonian Folkways album Mountain Music of Kentucky. Read more
23 Mar 1925: David Watkin, English cinematographer (died 2008) David Watkin BSC was an English cinematographer, an innovator who was among the first directors of photography to experiment heavily with the usage of bounce light as a soft light source. He worked with such film directors as Richard Lester, Peter Brook, Tony Richardson, Mike Nichols, Ken Russell, Franco Zeffirelli, Sidney Lumet and Sydney Pollack. Read more
23 Mar 1924: Rodney Mims Cook, Sr., American lieutenant and politician (died 2013) Rodney Mims Cook was an American politician who served for over twenty years as Atlanta alderman and member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Read more
23 Mar 1924: Olga Kennard, English crystallographer and academic (died 2023) Olga Kennard, Lady Burgen was a Hungarian-born British scientist who specialised in crystallography. She was the founder of the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre. Read more
23 Mar 1924: John Madin, English architect (died 2012) John Hardcastle Dalton Madin was an English architect. His company, known as John H D Madin & Partners from 1962 and the John Madin Design Group from 1968, was active in Birmingham for over 30 years. Read more
23 Mar 1924: Bette Nesmith Graham, American inventor of Liquid Paper (died 1980) Bette Nesmith Graham was an American inventor, entrepreneur, businesswoman, and philanthropist from the state of Texas. While working as a secretary in the 1950s, she developed the correction fluid known as Liquid Paper. Graham founded the Liquid Paper Company in 1958, built it into a multimillion-dollar business with international reach, and sold it to Gillette Corporation in 1979. She was the mother of musician Michael Nesmith. Read more
23 Mar 1923: Angelo Ingrassia, American soldier and judge (died 2013) Angelo Ingrassia was an American jurist. Read more
23 Mar 1922: Marty Allen, American comedian and actor (died 2018) Morton David Alpern, better known as Marty Allen, was an American comedian, actor, and philanthropist. He worked as a comedy headliner in nightclubs, as a dramatic actor in television roles, and was once called "The Darling of Daytime TV". He also appeared in films, notably the 1966 spy comedy The Last of the Secret Agents?. During his comedy career, Allen also toured military hospitals, and performed for veterans and for active military personnel. Read more
23 Mar 1922: Ugo Tognazzi, Italian actor (died 1990) Ottavio "Ugo" Tognazzi was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. Read more
23 Mar 1921: Donald Campbell, English race car driver (died 1967) Donald Malcolm Campbell, was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s. He remains the only person to set both world land and water speed records in the same year (1964). He died during a water speed record attempt at Coniston Water in the Lake District, England. Read more
23 Mar 1921: Peter Lawler, Australian public servant (died 2017) Sir Peter James Lawler was an Australian senior public servant and diplomat. He served in senior roles under Prime Ministers Menzies, Holt, McEwen, Gorton, McMahon, Whitlam, Fraser and Hawke, and ended his career as Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See. Read more
23 Mar 1920: Tetsuharu Kawakami, Japanese baseball player and manager (died 2013) Tetsuharu Kawakami was a Japanese baseball player and manager, known for his red bat, and his nickname dageki no kamisama . Read more
23 Mar 1920: Neal Edward Smith, American pilot, lawyer and politician (died 2021) Neal Edward Smith was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for the Democratic Party from Iowa from 1959 until 1995, the longest-serving Iowan in the United States House of Representatives. Read more
23 Mar 1919: Carl Graffunder, American architect and educator (died 2013) Carl Graffunder was a mid-century modernist architect whose influence from European modernism, Frank Lloyd Wright and Antonin Raymond manifested in many residential and commercial structures mostly in Minnesota. He was born in Rock Island, Illinois and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota. He received his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Minnesota in 1942 and Master of Architecture from Harvard University in 1948. Graffunder was the chief draftsman for Antonin Raymond in New York City from 1946 to 1947. Graffunder taught for the University of Minnesota School of Architecture from 1948 until his retirement in the 1980s. Read more
23 Mar 1919: Subhadra Joshi, Indian freedom activist and politician (died 2003) Subhadra Joshi was an Indian freedom activist, politician and parliamentarian from Indian National Congress. She took part
in the 1942 Quit India movement, and later remained the president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC). She was from Sialkot. Read more
23 Mar 1918: Stanley Armour Dunham, American sergeant (died 1992) Stanley Armour Dunham was an American furniture salesman and the maternal grandfather of Barack Obama, a former President of the United States. He and his wife Madelyn Payne Dunham raised Obama from the age of 10 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Read more
23 Mar 1918: Helene Hale, American politician (died 2013) Helene Eleanor Hale was an American politician from the state of Hawaii. Read more
23 Mar 1918: Naoki Kazu, Japanese football player (died 1940s) Kazu Naoki was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. Read more
23 Mar 1917: Harry Cranbrook Allen, English historian (died 1998) Harry Cranbrook Allen was a British historian of the United States. Read more
23 Mar 1915: Mary Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe (died 2014) Mary Evelyn Hungerford Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe, born Lady Mary Crewe-Milnes, was a British aristocrat. She was a daughter of Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe, by his marriage to Lady Peggy Primrose, one of the first seven women appointed as magistrates in 1919 following the passing of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919. Her maternal grandparents were Hannah de Rothschild and Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. Read more
23 Mar 1915: Vasily Zaytsev, Russian captain (died 1991) Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev was a Soviet sniper who served in World War II. Read more
23 Mar 1914: Milbourne Christopher, American magician and author (died 1984) Milbourne Christopher was a prominent American illusionist, magic historian, and author. Read more
23 Mar 1913: Abidin Dino, Turko-French painter and illustrator (died 1993) Abidin Dino was a Turkish artist and a well-known painter. Read more
23 Mar 1912: Eleanor Cameron, Canadian-American children's author and critic (died 1996) Eleanor Frances (Butler) Cameron was a children's author and critic. She published 20 books in her lifetime, including The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet (1954) and its sequels, a collection of critical essays called The Green and Burning Tree (1969), and The Court of the Stone Children (1973), which won the U.S. National Book Award in category Children's Books. Read more
23 Mar 1912: Neil McCorkell, English-South African cricketer and coach (died 2013) Neil Thomas McCorkell was an English first-class cricketer. A successor as Hampshire wicket-keeper to George Brown, McCorkell made his debut in first-class cricket in 1932. He played for Hampshire either side of the Second World War, with distinction as both a wicket-keeper and opening batsman. In 396 first-class matches, he scored over 16,000 runs and made 717 dismissals behind the stumps. He was Hampshire's most successful wicket-keeper until his records were surpassed by Bobby Parks. McCorkell never played Test cricket for England, largely due to the concurrent careers of the Kent wicket-keeping duo Les Ames and Godfrey Evans. Read more
23 Mar 1912: Wernher von Braun, German-American physicist and engineer (died 1977) Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun was a German American aerospace engineer and space architect. He became a member of the Nazi Party and then the Allgemeine SS to support his rocket work. He led the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany, and later of rocket and space technology in the US. Read more
23 Mar 1910: Jerry Cornes, English runner, colonial officer and educator (died 2001) John Frederick Cornes also known as Jerry Cornes was an English middle distance runner, colonial officer, and schoolmaster. He was born in Darjeeling, British India. Read more
23 Mar 1910: Akira Kurosawa, Japanese director, producer and screenwriter (died 1998) Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. With a bold and dynamic style strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Known as a hands-on filmmaker, he was heavily involved with all aspects of production as a director, writer, producer, and editor. Read more
23 Mar 1909: Charles Werner, American cartoonist (died 1997) Charles George Werner was an American editorial cartoonist who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1939 and later worked 47 years for the Indianapolis Star. Read more
23 Mar 1907: Daniel Bovet, Swiss-Italian pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1992) Daniel Bovet was a Swiss-born Italian pharmacologist who won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of drugs that block the actions of specific neurotransmitters. He is best known for his discovery in 1937 of antihistamines, which block the neurotransmitter histamine and are used in allergy medication. His other research included work on chemotherapy, sulfa drugs, the sympathetic nervous system, the pharmacology of curare, and other neuropharmacological interests. Read more
23 Mar 1905: Lale Andersen, German chanson singer-songwriter (died 1972) Lale Andersen was a German chanson singer-songwriter born in Lehe. She is best known for her interpretation of the song "Lili Marleen" in 1939, which by 1942 transcended the conflict to become World War II's biggest international hit. Popular with both the Axis and the Allies, Andersen's original recording spawned versions, by the end of the War, in most of the major languages of Europe, and by some of the most popular artists in their respective countries. Read more
23 Mar 1903: Frank Sargeson, New Zealand writer (died 1982) Frank Sargeson was a New Zealand short story writer and novelist. Born in Hamilton, Sargeson had a middle-class and puritanical upbringing, and initially worked as a lawyer. After travelling to the United Kingdom for two years and working as a clerk on his return, he was convicted of indecent assault for a homosexual encounter and moved to live on his uncle's farm for a period. Having already written and published some short stories in the late 1920s, he began to focus on his writing and moved into his parents' holiday cottage where he would live for the rest of his life. Read more
23 Mar 1901: Bhakti Hridaya Bon, Indian guru and religious writer (died 1982) Bhakti Hridaya Bon, also known as Swami Bon, was a disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and a guru in the Gaudiya Math following the philosophy of bhakti, specifically that of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Gaudiya Vaishnava theology. At the time of his death, he left behind thousands of Bengali disciples in India. Read more
23 Mar 1900: Erich Fromm, German psychologist and sociologist (died 1980) Erich Seligmann Fromm was a German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was a German Jew who fled the Nazi regime and settled in the United States. He was one of the founders of The William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis and Psychology in New York City and was associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Read more
23 Mar 1899: Dora Gerson, German actress and singer (died 1943) Dora Gerson was a German cabaret singer and stage and motion picture actress of the silent film era. She was murdered at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Read more
23 Mar 1898: Louis Adamic, Slovenian-American author, translator and politician (died 1951) Louis Adamic was a Slovene-American author and translator, mostly known for writing about and advocating for ethnic diversity of the United States. Read more
23 Mar 1898: Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset, Duchess of Parma (died 1984) Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Parma and Piacenza was the titular Duchess of Parma and Piacenza and was also Carlist Queen of Spain as the wife of Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma, the Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne. Read more
23 Mar 1895: Encarnacion Alzona, Filipino historian and educator (died 2001) Encarnación Amoranto Alzona was a pioneering Filipino historian, educator and suffragist. The first Filipino woman to obtain a Ph.D., she was conferred in 1985 the rank and title of National Scientist of the Philippines. Read more
23 Mar 1895: Dane Rudhyar, French-American astrologer, author and composer (died 1985) Dane Rudhyar, born Daniel Chennevière, was an American author, modernist composer, painter and humanistic astrologer. He was a pioneer of modern transpersonal astrology. Read more
23 Mar 1894: Arthur Grimsdell, English international footballer and cricketer (died 1963) Arthur Grimsdell was an English professional footballer. He was born in Watford, Hertfordshire and played at centre-half and later wing-half for Tottenham Hotspur and England. He captained both teams during the 1920s. Read more
23 Mar 1893: Cedric Gibbons, Irish-American art director and production designer (died 1960) Austin Cedric Gibbons was an American art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons designed the Oscar statuette in 1928, but tasked the sculpting to George Stanley, a Los Angeles artist. He was nominated 39 times for the Academy Award for Best Production Design and won the Oscar 11 times, both of which are records. Read more
23 Mar 1893: Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu, Indian engineer and businessman (died 1974) G. D. Naidu was an Indian technical redesigner and industrial pioneer who transformed imported technologies into practical and affordable innovations for India. He is referred to as one of "the wealth creators of Coimbatore". He is credited with the manufacture of the first electric motor in India. His contributions were primarily industrial but also spanned the fields of electrical, mechanical, agricultural and automobile engineering. Naidu developed an independently internal combustion four stroke engine. He had only primary education but excelled as a versatile genius. He is also known as "Miracle Man". Read more
23 Mar 1891: Po Kya, Burmese author and educationist (died 1942) U Po Kya is considered one of the top Burmese authors and education reformists in 20th century Myanmar. He is regarded as the father of Burmese short stories, a key member of the Nationalist Education movement of the 1930s and also a literary genius. His works continue to be popular with both the young and old in Myanmar. Read more
23 Mar 1887: Josef Čapek, Czech painter and poet (died 1945) Josef Čapek was a Czech artist who was best known as a painter, but who was also noted as a writer and poet. He invented the word 'robot', which was introduced into literature by his brother, Karel Čapek. Read more
23 Mar 1887: Rudolf Kinau, German author (died 1975) Rudolf Kinau, also known as Rudi Kinau was a Low German writer. Read more
23 Mar 1887: Juan Gris, Spanish painter and sculptor (died 1927) José Victoriano González-Pérez , better known as Juan Gris, was a Spanish painter born in Madrid who lived and worked in France for most of his active period. Closely connected to the innovative artistic genre Cubism, his works are among the movement's most distinctive. Read more
23 Mar 1887: Sidney Hillman, Lithuanian-born American labor leader (died 1946) Sidney Hillman was an American labor leader. He was the head of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and was a key figure in the founding of the Congress of Industrial Organizations and in marshaling labor's support for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal coalition of the Democratic Party. Read more
23 Mar 1886: Frank Irons, American long jumper (died 1942) Francis Cleveland Irons was an American athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa and died in Palatine, Illinois. Read more
23 Mar 1885: Platt Adams, American jumper and politician (died 1961) Platt Adams was an American athlete. He competed in various events at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics and won a gold and a silver medal in jumping events in 1912. Read more
23 Mar 1885: Roque González Garza, Mexican general and acting president (1915) (died 1962) Roque Victoriano González Garza was a Mexican general and politician who served as acting President of Mexico from January to June 1915. He was appointed by the Convention of Aguascalientes during the Mexican Revolution, and had previously been an important advisor to President Francisco Madero and a member of the Chamber of Deputies. He was later a founder of the anti-communist, xenophobic, antisemitic, nationalist Revolutionary Mexicanist Action party and its leader from 1933 to 1934. Read more
23 Mar 1884: Joseph Boxhall, English sailor (died 1967) Commander Joseph Groves Boxhall was a British merchant seaman and naval officer who was the fourth officer on the RMS Titanic. When the ship struck the iceberg, Boxhall was on watch and subsequently became the only on-duty officer that night to survive the sinking. At the time of his death, Boxhall was the last surviving former officer of Titanic. Read more
23 Mar 1882: Emmy Noether, Jewish German-American mathematician, physicist and academic (died 1935) Amalie Emmy Noether was a German mathematician who made many important contributions to abstract algebra. She also proved Noether's first and second theorems, which are fundamental in mathematical physics. Noether was described by Pavel Alexandrov, Albert Einstein, Jean Dieudonné, Hermann Weyl, and Norbert Wiener as the most important woman in the history of mathematics. As one of the leading mathematicians of her time, she developed theories of rings, fields, and algebras. In physics, Noether's theorem explains the connection between symmetry and conservation laws. Read more
23 Mar 1881: Lacey Hearn, American sprinter (died 1969) Lacey Earnest Hearn was an American athlete and middle distance runner who competed in the early twentieth century. Individually he specialized in the 1500 Metres, and he won a bronze medal in Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics, held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Hearn's Compatriot James Lightbody took gold. Hearn was also a member of the American distance team which won the silver medal at the 1904 Olympics, competing in the Chicago American team in the 4-mile team race, consisting of James Lightbody, Frank Verner, Hearn, Albert Corey and Sidney Hatch. Read more
23 Mar 1881: Roger Martin du Gard, French novelist and paleographer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1958) Roger Martin du Gard was a French novelist, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize in Literature. Read more
23 Mar 1881: Hermann Staudinger, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1965) Hermann Staudinger was a German organic chemist who demonstrated the existence of macromolecules, which he characterized as polymers. For this work he received the 1953 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Read more
23 Mar 1880: Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician, Finnish Minister of the Interior (died 1922) Heikki Ritavuori was a Finnish lawyer, a politician from the National Progressive Party, a member of the Parliament of Finland and Minister of the Interior. He was the closest colleague of President K. J. Ståhlberg and was Minister of the Interior in J. H. Vennola's first and second cabinets from 1919 to 1922 for a total of 526 days. Minister Ritavuori was shot dead at the door to his home in Helsinki in February 1922. Read more
23 Mar 1878: Franz Schreker, Austrian composer and conductor (died 1934) Franz Schreker was an Austrian composer, conductor, librettist, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic plurality, timbral experimentation, strategies of extended tonality and conception of total music theatre into the narrative of 20th-century music. Read more
23 Mar 1876: Ziya Gökalp, Turkish sociologist, poet and activist (died 1924) Mehmet Ziya Gökalp was a Turkish sociologist, writer, poet, and politician. After the 1908 Young Turk Revolution that reinstated constitutionalism in the Ottoman Empire, he adopted the pen name Gökalp, which he retained for the rest of his life. As a sociologist, Ziya Gökalp was influential in the negation of Islamism, pan-Islamism, and Ottomanism as ideological, cultural, and sociological identifiers. In a 1936 publication, sociologist Niyazi Berkes described Gökalp as "the real founder of Turkish sociology, since he was not a mere translator or interpreter of foreign sociology". Read more
23 Mar 1876: Thakin Kodaw Hmaing, Burmese poet, writer and political leader (died 1964) Thakin Kodaw Hmaing is considered one of the greatest Burmese poets, writers and political leaders in the 20th century history of Burma. He is regarded as the Father of Burmese nationalist and peace movements as well as a literary genius. His legacy and influence on the post-war generations can still be felt in both literature and the ongoing political situation in Myanmar (Burma). Read more
23 Mar 1874: Grantley Goulding, English hurdler (died 1947) Grantley Thomas Smart Goulding was a British athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Read more
23 Mar 1874: J. C. Leyendecker, German-American painter and illustrator (died 1951) Joseph Christian Leyendecker was one of the most prominent and financially successful freelance commercial artists in the United States. He was active between 1895 and 1951 producing drawings and paintings for hundreds of posters, books, advertisements, and magazine covers and stories. He is best known for his 80 covers for Collier's Weekly, 322 covers for The Saturday Evening Post, and advertising illustrations for B. Kuppenheimer men's clothing and Arrow brand shirts and detachable collars. He was one of the few known gay artists working in the early-twentieth century United States. Read more
23 Mar 1872: Michael Joseph Savage, Australian-New Zealand union leader and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1940) Michael Joseph Savage was an Australian-born New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government from 1935 until his death in 1940. Read more
23 Mar 1869: Calouste Gulbenkian, Turkish-Armenian businessman and philanthropist (died 1955) Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petroleum reserves of the Middle East available to Western development and is credited with being the first person to exploit Iraqi oil. Following the "Red Line Agreement", a fixed 5% of the shares of the Turkish Petroleum Company were to be consistently owned by him, for which he earned the nickname "Mr. Five Per Cent". Gulbenkian travelled extensively and lived in a number of cities including his birth city of Constantinople and later London, Paris, and finally Lisbon. Read more
23 Mar 1868: Dietrich Eckart, German journalist and politician (died 1923) Dietrich Eckart was a German völkisch poet, playwright, journalist, publicist, and political activist who was one of the founders of the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor of the Nazi Party. Eckart was a key influence on Adolf Hitler in the early years of the Party, the original publisher of the party newspaper, the Völkischer Beobachter, and the lyricist of the first party anthem, "Sturmlied". He was a participant in the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 and died on 26 December of that year, shortly after his release from Landsberg Prison, of a heart attack. Read more
23 Mar 1862: Nathaniel Reed, American criminal (died 1950) Nathaniel "Texas Jack" Reed was a 19th-century American outlaw responsible for many stagecoach, bank, and train robberies throughout the American Southwest during the 1880s and 1890s. He acted on his own and also led a bandit gang, operating particularly in the Rocky Mountains and Indian Territory. Read more
23 Mar 1860: Horatio Bottomley, British politician and businessman (died 1933) Horatio William Bottomley was an English financier, journalist, editor, newspaper proprietor, swindler, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his editorship of the popular magazine John Bull, and for his nationalistic oratory during the First World War. His career came to a sudden end when, in 1922, he was convicted of fraud and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. Read more
23 Mar 1858: Ludwig Quidde, German activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1941) Ludwig Quidde was a German politician and pacifist who is mainly remembered today for his acerbic criticism of German Emperor Wilhelm II. Quidde's long career spanned four different eras of German history: Otto von Bismarck, the Hohenzollern Empire under Wilhelm II (1888–1918), the Weimar Republic (1918–1933); and Nazi Germany. In 1927, Quidde was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Read more
23 Mar 1842: Friedrich Amelung, Estonian-German historian, businessman and composer (died 1909) Friedrich Ludwig Balthasar Amelung was a Baltic German cultural historian, businessman and chess endgame composer. Read more
23 Mar 1842: Susan Jane Cunningham, American mathematician (died 1921) Susan Jane Cunningham was an American mathematician instrumental in the founding and development of Swarthmore College. She was born in Maryland, and studied mathematics and astronomy with Maria Mitchell at Vassar College as a special student during 1866–67. She also studied those subjects during several summers at Harvard University, Princeton University, Newnham College, Cambridge, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and Williams College. Read more
23 Mar 1838: Marie Adam-Doerrer, Swiss women's rights activist and unionist (died 1908) Marie Adam-Doerrer was a Swiss women's rights activist and unionist. Read more
23 Mar 1834: Julius Reubke, German pianist and composer (died 1858) Friedrich Julius Reubke was a German composer, pianist and organist associated with the school of Romanticism. A pupil of Franz Liszt, his small œuvre includes the Sonata on the 94th Psalm in C minor, renowned as one of the finest organ works in the romantic repertoire. Read more
23 Mar 1826: Ludwig Minkus, Austrian violinist and composer (died 1917) Ludwig Minkus, also known as Léon Fyodorovich Minkus, was an Austrian composer of ballet music, a violinist and teacher of music. Read more
23 Mar 1823: Schuyler Colfax, American journalist and politician, 17th Vice President of the United States (died 1885) Schuyler Colfax Jr. was an American journalist, businessman, and politician who served as the 17th vice president of the United States from 1869 to 1873, and prior to that as the 25th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1863 to 1869. Originally a Whig, then part of the short-lived People's Party of Indiana, and later a Republican, he was the U.S. representative for Indiana's 9th congressional district from 1855 to 1869. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 23 March in World History

23 Mar 2025: Mia Love, American politician (born 1975) Ludmya "Mia" Love was an American political commentator and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was the first Haitian American elected to Congress, the first Black person elected to Congress from Utah, and the first Republican Black woman elected to Congress. Read more
23 Mar 2022: Madeleine Albright, Czechoslovak-American diplomat, 64th United States Secretary of State (born 1937) Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright was a Czech-born American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state under President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman to hold the position. Read more
23 Mar 2021: George Segal, American actor (born 1934) George Segal Jr. was an American actor and musician. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as Ship of Fools (1965) and King Rat (1965), he co-starred in the drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Read more
23 Mar 2021: Julie Pomagalski, French snowboarder (born 1980) Julie Pomagalski was a French snowboarder. Read more
23 Mar 2017: Miroslava Breach, Mexican investigative journalist (born 1962) Miroslava Breach Velducea was a Mexican investigative journalist for La Jornada and Norte de Juárez in Chihuahua City, Mexico known for her reportage of human rights violations, drug trafficking, and government corruption. She was murdered on 23 March 2017 as she was leaving her home. She was one of six journalists killed in Mexico in 2017. Read more
23 Mar 2016: Joe Garagiola, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1926) Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. was an American professional baseball catcher, and later a radio and television personality with a varied career. Read more
23 Mar 2016: Ken Howard, American actor (born 1944) Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 (1972) and as high school basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow (1978–1981). Howard won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1970 for his performance in Child's Play, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his work in Grey Gardens (2009). Read more
23 Mar 2015: Gian Vittorio Baldi, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)
Gian Vittorio Baldi was an Italian film producer, director and screenwriter. Read more
23 Mar 2015: Lee Kuan Yew, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore (born 1923) Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean statesman and barrister who was the first prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. A founding father of the modern Singaporean state, his authoritarian political leadership transformed post-independence Singapore into a highly developed country and one of the four Asian Tigers. Read more
23 Mar 2015: Bobby Lowther, American basketball player and lieutenant (born 1923) Robert Carswell Lowther Sr. was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and then the Waterloo Hawks in the National Basketball League during the 1948–49 season. Lowther averaged 1.9 points per game. Read more
23 Mar 2015: Lil' Chris, English singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality (born 1990) Christopher James Hardman, known professionally as Lil' Chris, was an English singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality. He came to prominence in 2006 after appearing on the Channel 4 series Rock School, which saw Kiss vocalist and bassist Gene Simmons make a rock band at Lil' Chris' school. Later that year he released the single "Checkin' It Out", which charted at number 3, and a self-titled album. In 2008 he hosted his own series, Everybody Loves Lil' Chris. Hardman committed suicide in March 2015 at his home in Lowestoft after struggling with his mental health. Read more
23 Mar 2014: Dave Brockie, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and bass player (born 1963) David Murray Brockie was a Canadian-born American musician. He was the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Gwar, in which he performed as Oderus Urungus, and he was a bassist and lead singer in the bands Death Piggy, X-Cops, and the Dave Brockie Experience (DBX). He additionally played the Oderus Urungus character in the comedy horror TV sitcom Holliston. Brockie died of a heroin overdose in 2014. Read more
23 Mar 2014: Jaroslav Šerých, Czech painter and illustrator (born 1928) Jaroslav Šerých was a Czech painter, printmaker and illustrator. Read more
23 Mar 2014: Adolfo Suárez, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Spain (born 1932) Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister since the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in the country's transition to democracy after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Read more
23 Mar 2013: Boris Berezovsky, Russian-born Soviet-British mathematician and businessman (born 1946) Boris Abramovich Berezovsky, also known as Platon Elenin, was a Russian business oligarch, government official, engineer and mathematician and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He had the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation. Read more
23 Mar 2013: Onofre Corpuz, Filipino economist, historian, and academic (born 1926) Onofre Dizon Corpuz ONS was a Filipino academic, economist, and historian. He served as the Secretary of Education of the Philippines from 1968 to 1971 and was the 13th president of the University of the Philippines System from 1975 to 1979. Dr. Corpuz was later named Minister of Education under the parliamentary system wherein he was also member of the now defunct Batasang Pambansa from 1979 to 1983. Read more
23 Mar 2013: Virgil Trucks, American baseball player and coach (born 1917) Virgil Oliver "Fire" Trucks was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees between 1941 and 1958. He batted and threw right-handed. Read more
23 Mar 2013: Joe Weider, Canadian-American bodybuilder and publisher, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (born 1919) Josef Weider was a Canadian publisher and entrepreneur who co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) alongside his brother Ben Weider. He was also the creator of Mr. Olympia, Ms. Olympia, and the Masters Olympia bodybuilding contests. He was the publisher of various bodybuilding and fitness-related magazines, most notably Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Men's Fitness, and Shape, and the manufacturer of a line of fitness equipment and fitness supplements. In 2014, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. Read more
23 Mar 2012: Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Somalian politician, President of Somalia (born 1934) Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, was a Somali politician and former military official who served as the first President of Puntland from 1998 to 2004. He also played a key role in establishing the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which he led as President of Somalia from 2004 to 2008. Additionally, he was one of the founders of the rebel Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF). Read more
23 Mar 2012: Jim Duffy, American animator, director, and producer (born 1937) Jim Duffy was an American animator whose credits included more than twenty years at Klasky Csupo creating productions for Nickelodeon, as well as earlier stints as an animator for Hanna-Barbera, TVC Animation in London, Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, and others. Duffy received two Primetime Emmy Awards for the 2000s animated show As Told by Ginger, as well as several other nominations for his work on Rugrats. Duffy also won three Daytime Emmy Awards during his tenure at Klasky Csupo, and received additional nominations for his work on Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Duffy was also a director, writer, designer and storyboard artist for live-action television commercials, PSAs, and corporate productions, including a series of safety videos for the National Coal Board. He divided his professional time between Los Angeles and London. His shortform animated films were screened at film festivals worldwide. Read more
23 Mar 2012: Naji Talib, Iraqi politician, 52nd Prime Minister of Iraq (born 1917) Naji Talib Arabic: ناجي طالب was the prime minister of Iraq from 1966 to 1967, replacing Abd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz. Read more
23 Mar 2012: Lonnie Wright, American basketball and football player (born 1945) Lonnie Wright was an American professional basketball and football player who played in the same season for the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association and the Denver Broncos of the American Football League before switching to basketball on a full-time basis. Read more
23 Mar 2011: Jean Bartik, American computer scientist and engineer (born 1924) Jean Bartik was an American computer programmer who was one of the original six programmers of the ENIAC computer. Read more
23 Mar 2011: Rosario Morales, Puerto Rican poet and writer (born 1930) Rosario Morales was a Puerto Rican author and poet. She is best known for her book Getting Home Alive which she co-authored with her daughter Aurora Levins Morales in 1986. She was also significant within the Latina feminist movement and the Communist Party. She describes her own complicated identity in her poem "I am what I am", “I am Puerto Rican I am U.S. American… I am Boricua as Boricuas come… I am naturalized Jewish American… I am what I am. Take it or leave me alone." Read more
23 Mar 2011: Elizabeth Taylor, American-British actress, socialite and humanitarian (born 1932) Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was a British and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. She then became the world's highest-paid movie star in the 1960s, remaining a well-known public figure for the rest of her life. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her seventh on its greatest female screen legends list. Read more
23 Mar 2009: Ghukas Chubaryan, Armenian sculptor (born 1923) Ghukas Chubaryan was a prominent Armenian sculptor, People's Artist of Armenia. He authored numerous works that later became symbols of the Armenian capital. Read more
23 Mar 2009: Raúl Macías, Mexican boxer and trainer (born 1934) Raúl Macías Guevara was a Mexican professional boxer, actor and boxing trainer. He took the NBA World Bantamweight Championship on March 9, 1955. Widely known as "Ratón" Macías, or "Mouse" Macías, he won a bronze medal at the 1951 Pan American Games. Read more
23 Mar 2008: Vaino Vahing, Estonian psychiatrist, author, and playwright (born 1940) Vaino Vahing was an Estonian writer, prosaist, psychiatrist and playwright.
Starting from 1973, he was a member of the Estonian Writers' Union. Read more
23 Mar 2007: Paul Cohen, American mathematician and theorist (born 1934) Paul Joseph Cohen was an American mathematician, best known for his proofs that the continuum hypothesis and the axiom of choice are independent from Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, for which he was awarded a Fields Medal. Read more
23 Mar 2007: Eric Medlen, American race car driver (born 1973) Eric John Medlen was an American NHRA Fuel Funny Car driver. Medlen drove for John Force Racing in 2004, 2005, and 2006, campaigning in the Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang Fuel Funny Car, and in 2007, campaigning in the Auto Club/Pleasant Holiday Ford Mustang Fuel Funny Car. He had a total of six career wins. His first win came during his Rookie season in 2004 at Brainerd International Raceway. Read more
23 Mar 2006: David B. Bleak, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1932) David Bruce Bleak was a soldier of the United States Army during the Korean War. Bleak rose to the rank of staff sergeant and was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration of the United States, for his actions near Minari-gol, South Korea, on 14 June 1952. Read more
23 Mar 2006: Desmond Doss, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1919) Desmond Thomas Doss was a United States Army corporal who served as a combat medic with an infantry company in World War II. Due to his religious beliefs, he refused to carry a weapon. Read more
23 Mar 2006: Cindy Walker, American singer-songwriter and dancer (born 1918) Cindy Walker was an American songwriter, country music singer, and dancer. She wrote many popular and enduring songs recorded by many artists. Read more
23 Mar 2004: Rupert Hamer, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 39th Premier of Victoria (born 1916) Sir Rupert James "Dick" Hamer, was an Australian politician who served as the 39th premier of Victoria from 1972 to 1981, and prior to that, the 18th deputy premier of Victoria from 1971 to 1972. He held office as the leader of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party of Australia (LPA) and a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Kew. Read more
23 Mar 2003: Fritz Spiegl, Austrian-English flute player and journalist (born 1926)
Fritz Spiegl was an Austrian-born English musician, journalist, broadcaster, humorist and collector who lived in Britain from 1939. His works include compiling the Radio 4 UK Theme in 1978. Read more
23 Mar 2002: Eileen Farrell, American soprano (born 1920) Eileen Farrell was an American soprano who had a nearly 60-year-long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. NPR noted, "She possessed one of the largest and most radiant operatic voices of the 20th century." While she was active as an opera singer, her concert engagements far outnumbered her theatrical appearances. Her career was mainly based in the United States, although she did perform internationally. The Daily Telegraph stated that she "was one of the finest American sopranos of the 20th century; she had a voice of magnificent proportions which she used with both acumen and artistry in a wide variety of roles", and described her as having a voice "like some unparalleled phenomenon of nature. She is to singers what Niagara is to waterfalls." Read more
23 Mar 2002: Ben Hollioake, Australian-English cricketer (born 1977) Benjamin Caine Hollioake was an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. Born in Australia, Hollioake moved to England where he made his first-class cricketing debut for Surrey in 1996. A right-handed batsman and right-arm seam bowler, Hollioake's performances as an all-rounder saw him join his brother Adam in the 1997 England ODI team. Later that year, Adam and Ben Hollioake made their England Test debut in the same game, becoming only the third set of brothers to do so. Ben Hollioake made two Test appearances and earned 20 ODI caps before he was killed in a car crash in Australia at the age of 24. Read more
23 Mar 2001: Rowland Evans, American journalist (born 1921) Rowland Evans Jr. was an American journalist. He was known best for his decades-long syndicated column and television partnership with Robert Novak, a partnership that endured, if only by way of a joint subscription newsletter, until Evans's death. Read more
23 Mar 2001: Margaret Jones, British archaeologist (born 1916) Margaret Ursula Jones was an English archaeologist, best known for directing major excavations at Mucking, Essex. Read more
23 Mar 2001: Robert Laxalt, American author (born 1923) Robert Laxalt was an American writer from Nevada. Read more
23 Mar 2001: David McTaggart, Canadian badminton player and environmentalist (born 1932) David Fraser McTaggart was a Canadian badminton player and an environmentalist who played a central part in the foundation of Greenpeace International. Read more
23 Mar 1999: Luis María Argaña, Paraguayan judge and politician, Vice President of Paraguay (born 1932) Luis María del Corazón de Jesús Dionisio Argaña Ferraro was a Paraguayan politician and jurist. A prominent and influential member of the Colorado Party, he was a Supreme Court judge, unsuccessfully ran for the Colorado Party's nomination for president in the 1993 election and eventually was elected Vice-President in the 1998 election, but was assassinated seven months after assuming office in March 1999 at a time when it appeared likely that he would inherit the presidency from Raúl Cubas, who was on the verge of being impeached. The incident and its aftermath is known in Paraguay as Marzo paraguayo. An airport in Paraguay, Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport, is named for him. Read more
23 Mar 1999: Osmond Borradaile, Canadian director and cinematographer (born 1898) Osmond Hudson Borradaile was a Canadian cameraman, cinematographer, and veteran of World War I and World War II. Read more
23 Mar 1995: Davie Cooper, Scottish footballer and coach (born 1956) David Cooper was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a winger. Read more
23 Mar 1994: Luis Donaldo Colosio, Mexican economist and politician (born 1950) Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta was a Mexican politician, economist, and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presidential candidate, who was assassinated at a campaign rally in Tijuana during the presidential campaign of 1994. Read more
23 Mar 1994: Giulietta Masina, Italian actress (born 1921) Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina was an Italian film actress best known for her performances as Gelsomina in La Strada (1954) and Cabiria in Nights of Cabiria (1957), for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. Read more
23 Mar 1992: Friedrich Hayek, Austrian-German economist, philosopher, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1899) Friedrich August von Hayek was an Austrian economist and philosopher. He is known for his contributions to political economy, political philosophy and intellectual history. Hayek shared the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Gunnar Myrdal for work on money and economic fluctuations, and the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena. His account of how prices communicate information is widely regarded as an important contribution to economics that led to him receiving the prize. He was a major contributor to the Austrian school of economics. Read more
23 Mar 1992: Ron Lapointe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1949) Ron Lapointe was a Canadian ice hockey coach. Read more
23 Mar 1991: Margaret Atwood Judson, American historian and author (born 1899) Margaret Atwood Judson was an American historian and writer. Read more
23 Mar 1991: Parkash Singh, Indian soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1913) Major Parkash Singh VC was a Sikh Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Read more
23 Mar 1990: John Dexter, English director and producer (born 1925) John Dexter was an English theatre, opera and film director, described in a 100th anniversary tribute as "one of the towering directors in the English-speaking theatre in the second half of the 20th century". He was associate director of the National Theatre in London from 1963 to 1966 and from 1971 to 1975, and director of production from 1974 to 1981 and the production adviser to 1984 at the Metropolitan Opera New York. Read more
23 Mar 1987: Olev Roomet, Estonian singer and violinist (born 1901)
Olev Roomet was an Estonian musician, a violin player, a player of the torupill and a singer in the State Academic Male Choir of Estonia. He became interested in the Estonian bagpipe in his 50s. At the death of Aleksander Maaker in 1968, Roomer became the only living player of the torupill at that time. Read more
23 Mar 1986: Moshe Feinstein, American Orthodox Rabbi and posek (born 1895) Moshe Feinstein was a Russian-born American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, scholar, and posek. He has been called the most famous Orthodox Jewish legal authority of the 20th century and his rulings are often referenced in contemporary rabbinic literature. Feinstein served as president of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis, chairman of the Council of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of the Agudath Israel of America, and head of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in New York. Read more
23 Mar 1985: Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching, English physicist and engineer (born 1913) Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching, commonly known as Dr Beeching, was a physicist and engineer who for a short but very notable time was chairman of British Railways. He became a household name in Britain in the early 1960s for his report The Reshaping of British Railways, commonly referred to as The Beeching Report, which led to far-reaching changes in the railway network, popularly known as the Beeching Axe. Read more
23 Mar 1985: Peter Charanis, Greek-American scholar and educator (born 1908) Peter Charanis, born Panagiotis Charanis, was a Greek-born American scholar of Byzantium and the Voorhees Professor of History at Rutgers University. Charanis was long associated with the Dumbarton Oaks research library. Read more
23 Mar 1981: Beatrice Tinsley, English-New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist (born 1941) Beatrice Muriel Hill Tinsley was a British-born New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist, and the first female professor of astronomy at Yale University, whose research made fundamental contributions to the astronomical understanding of how galaxies evolve, grow and die. Read more
23 Mar 1981: Mike Hailwood, English motorcyclist (born 1940) Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1958 to 1967, and Formula One between 1963 and 1974. Nicknamed "the Bike", Hailwood was a nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, with four titles in the premier 500cc class with MV Agusta, and won 76 motorcycle Grands Prix across 10 seasons. Read more
23 Mar 1980: Arthur Melvin Okun, American economist and academic (born 1928) Arthur Melvin "Art" Okun was an American economist. Read more
23 Mar 1979: Ted Anderson, English footballer (born 1911) Edward Walton Anderson was an English footballer, who played at either full-back or wing-half. Read more
23 Mar 1978: Haim Ernst Wertheimer, Israeli biochemist and academic (born 1893) Haim Ernst Wertheimer was an Israeli biochemist. Read more
23 Mar 1978: Halyna Kuzmenko, Ukrainian teacher and anarchist revolutionary (born 1897) Agafya "Halyna" Andriivna Kuzmenko was a Ukrainian teacher and anarchist revolutionary. After moving to southern Ukraine, she became a prominent figure within the ranks of the Makhnovshchina, a mass movement to establish a libertarian communist society. Kuzmenko spearheaded the movement's educational activities, promoted Ukrainization and acted as an outspoken advocate of women's rights. Along with her husband, the anarchist military leader Nestor Makhno, in 1921 she fled into exile from the political repression in Ukraine. While imprisoned for subversive activities in Poland, she gave birth to her daughter Elena Mikhnenko, whom she brought with her to Paris. Following the death of her husband, the outbreak of World War II saw her deportation for forced labour, first by the Nazis and then by the Soviets. After her release, she spent her final days with her daughter in Kazakh SSR. Read more
23 Mar 1972: Cristóbal Balenciaga, Spanish fashion designer, founded Balenciaga (born 1895) Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre was a Spanish fashion designer, and the founder of the Balenciaga clothing brand. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior and as "the only couturier in the truest sense of the word" by Coco Chanel, who continued, "The others are simply fashion designers". On the day of his death, in 1972, Women's Wear Daily ran the headline "The King is Dead". Read more
23 Mar 1968: Edwin O'Connor, American journalist and author (born 1918) Edwin Greene O'Connor was an American journalist, novelist, and radio commentator. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1962 for his novel The Edge of Sadness (1961). His ancestry was Irish, and his novels concerned the Irish-American experience and often dealt with the lives of politicians and priests. Read more
23 Mar 1967: Lalla Carlsen, Norwegian singer and actress (born 1889) Lalla Carlsen was a Norwegian singer and actress. She was a very popular singer in Norway. Read more
23 Mar 1965: Mae Murray, American actress, dancer, producer, and screenwriter (born 1885) Mae Murray was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "The Gardenia of the Screen". Read more
23 Mar 1964: Peter Lorre, American actor (born 1904) Peter Lorre was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, appearance, and accented voice, he was frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner. He was caricatured throughout his life and his cultural legacy remains in the media today. Read more
23 Mar 1963: Thoralf Skolem, Norwegian mathematician and logician (born 1887) Thoralf Albert Skolem was a Norwegian mathematician who worked in mathematical logic and set theory. Read more
23 Mar 1961: Albert Bloch, American painter and educator (born 1882) Albert Bloch was an American Modernist artist and the only American artist associated with Der Blaue Reiter, a group of early 20th-century European modernists. Read more
23 Mar 1961: Jack Russell, English cricketer (born 1887) Charles Albert George "Jack" Russell was one of the leading batsmen in county cricket during the period after World War I. Right-handed with both bat and with ball as a medium-slow bowler, Russell's main strength was his leg-side play with the bat. He was a sound batsmen whose watchfulness made him effective on very difficult pitches. Read more
23 Mar 1960: Franklin Pierce Adams, American journalist and author (born 1881) Franklin Pierce Adams was an American columnist known as Franklin P. Adams and by his initials F.P.A. Famed for his wit, he is best known for his newspaper column, "The Conning Tower", and his appearances as a regular panelist on radio's Information Please. A prolific writer of light verse, he was a member of the Algonquin Round Table of the 1920s and '30s. Read more
23 Mar 1960: Said Nursî, Turkish theologian and scholar (born 1878) Said Nursi, known also as Said-i Kurdî, was a Kurdish scholar of Islam from Turkey who wrote the Risale-i Nur Collection, a body of Qur'anic commentary exceeding six thousand pages. His focus was on a revival of personal Islamic faith "through study, self-reform and service of others". Read more
23 Mar 1955: Artur Bernardes, Brazilian politician, 12th President of Brazil (born 1875) Artur da Silva Bernardes was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 12th president of Brazil from 1922 to 1926. Bernades' presidency was marked by the crisis of the First Brazilian Republic and the almost uninterrupted duration of a state of emergency. During his long political career, from 1905 until his death, he was the main leader of the Republican Party of Minas Gerais (PRM) from 1918–1922 until the party's closure in 1937, and founder and leader of the Republican Party (PR). Read more
23 Mar 1953: Raoul Dufy, French painter and illustrator (born 1877) Raoul Dufy was a French painter associated with the Fauvist movement. He gained recognition for his vibrant and decorative style, which became popular in various forms, such as textile designs, and public building decorations. Dufy is most remembered for his artwork depicting outdoor social gatherings. In addition to painting, he was skilled in various other fields, including drawing, printmaking, book illustration, scenic design, furniture design, and planning public spaces. Read more
23 Mar 1953: Oskar Luts, Estonian author and playwright (born 1887) Oskar Luts was an Estonian writer and playwright. Read more
23 Mar 1946: Gilbert N. Lewis, American chemist (born 1875) Gilbert Newton Lewis was an American physical chemist and a dean of the college of chemistry at University of California, Berkeley. Lewis was best known for his discovery of the covalent bond and his concept of electron pairs; his Lewis dot structures and other contributions to valence bond theory have shaped modern theories of chemical bonding. Lewis successfully contributed to chemical thermodynamics, photochemistry, and isotope separation, and is also known for his concept of acids and bases. Lewis also researched on relativity and quantum physics, and in 1926 he coined the term "photon" for the smallest unit of radiant energy. Read more
23 Mar 1931: Shivaram Rajguru, Indian activist (born 1908) Shivaram Hari Rajguru was an Indian anti-colonial revolutionary and independence activist. He is best known for his involvement in the 1928 assassination of a British police officer named John P. Saunders. He was an active member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) and on 23 March 1931, he was hanged by the British government along with his associates Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar. Read more
23 Mar 1931: Bhagat Singh, Indian activist (born 1907) Bhagat Singh was an Indian anti-colonial revolutionary who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer in December 1928 in what was intended to be retaliation for the death of an Indian nationalist. He later took part in a largely symbolic bombing of the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi and a hunger strike in jail, which—on the back of sympathetic coverage in Indian-owned newspapers—turned him into a household name in the Punjab region, and, after his execution at age 23, a martyr and folk hero in Northern India. Borrowing ideas from Bolshevism and anarchism, the charismatic Bhagat Singh electrified a growing militancy in India in the 1930s and prompted urgent introspection within the Indian National Congress's nonviolent, and eventually successful, campaign for India's independence. Read more
23 Mar 1931: Sukhdev Thapar, Indian activist (born 1907) Sukhdev Thapar was an Indian freedom fighter who fought against the British government for Indian independence. He was a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), and was executed along with Shivaram Rajguru and Bhagat Singh on 23 March 1931. Read more
23 Mar 1927: Paul César Helleu, French painter and etcher (born 1859) Paul César Helleu was a French oil painter, pastel artist, drypoint etcher, and designer, best known for his numerous portraits of beautiful society women of the Belle Époque. He also conceived the ceiling mural of night sky constellations for Grand Central Terminal in New York City. He was also the father of Jean Helleu and the grandfather of Jacques Helleu, both artistic directors for Parfums Chanel. Read more
23 Mar 1923: Hovhannes Tumanyan, Armenian poet and author (born 1869) Hovhannes Tumanyan was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia. Read more
23 Mar 1914: Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès, Lebanese saint (born 1832) Rafqa Pietra Chobok, also known as Saint Rafka and Saint Rebecca, was a Lebanese Maronite nun who was canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 10, 2001. Read more
23 Mar 1910: Nadar, French photographer, journalist, and author (born 1820) Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, known by the pseudonym Nadar or Félix Nadar, was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist and balloonist who was a proponent of heavier-than-air flight. In 1858, he became the first person to take aerial photographs. Photographic portraits by Nadar are held by many of the great national collections of photographs. His son, Paul Nadar, continued the studio after his death. Read more
23 Mar 1884: Henry C. Lord, American businessman (born 1824) Henry Clark Lord was the fourth president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. He was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, the son of Dartmouth College president Nathan Lord. Read more
23 Mar 1883: Arthur Macalister, Scottish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Queensland (born 1818) Arthur Macalister, was three times Premier of Queensland, Australia. Read more
23 Mar 1862: Manuel Robles Pezuela, Unconstitutional Mexican interim president, 1858–1859 (born 1817) Manuel Robles Pezuela was a military engineer, military commander, and eventually interim president of Mexico during a civil war, the Reform War, being waged between conservatives and liberals, in which he served as president of the Conservatives, in opposition to President Benito Juárez, head of the Liberals. Read more
23 Mar 1842: Stendhal, French novelist (born 1783) Marie-Henri Beyle, better known by his pen name Stendhal, was a French writer. Best known for the novels Le Rouge et le Noir and La Chartreuse de Parme, he is highly regarded for the acute analysis of his characters' psychology and considered one of the early and foremost practitioners of realism. A self-proclaimed egotist, the neologism for the same characteristic in his characters was "Beylism". Read more
23 Mar 1801: Paul I, Russian emperor (born 1754) Paul I was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Read more

Why is 23 March Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 23 March, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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What happened on 23 March in World history?

On 23 March, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

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History of Today 23 March – Important Events in World History