History of Today 23 August: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 23 August. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 23 August. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 23 August 2026, 01:00 AM

Important Events on 23 August in History

23 Aug 2023: Chandrayaan-3 mission initiated first Moon landing in Indian history. Read more
23 Aug 2023: A business jet carrying key leadership members of the Russian private military company Wagner Group crashes, killing all ten people on board. Read more
23 Aug 2013: A riot at the Palmasola prison complex in Santa Cruz, Bolivia kills 31 people. Read more
23 Aug 2012: A hot-air balloon crashes near the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, killing six people and injuring 28 others. Read more
23 Aug 2011: A magnitude 5.8 (class: moderate) earthquake occurs in Virginia. Damage occurs to monuments and structures in Washington, D.C. and the resulted damage is estimated at 200 million–300 million USD. Read more
23 Aug 2011: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is overthrown after the National Transitional Council forces take control of Bab al-Azizia compound during the Libyan Civil War. Read more
23 Aug 2010: The Manila hostage crisis occurred near the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines killing 9 people including the perpetrator while injuring 9 others. Read more
23 Aug 2007: The skeletal remains of Russia's last royal family members Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia, and his sister Grand Duchess Anastasia are discovered near Yekaterinburg, Russia. Read more
23 Aug 2006: Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten, escapes from her captor Wolfgang Přiklopil, after eight years of captivity. Read more
23 Aug 2000: Gulf Air Flight 072 crashes into the Persian Gulf near Manama, Bahrain, killing 143. Read more
23 Aug 1994: Eugene Bullard, the only African American pilot in World War I, is posthumously commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Read more
23 Aug 1991: The World Wide Web is opened to the public. Read more
23 Aug 1990: Saddam Hussein appears on Iraqi state television with a number of Western "guests" (actually hostages) to try to prevent the Gulf War. Read more
23 Aug 1990: Armenia declares its independence from the Soviet Union. Read more
23 Aug 1990: West and East Germany announce that they will reunite on October 3. Read more
23 Aug 1989: Singing Revolution: Two million people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania stand on the Vilnius–Tallinn road, holding hands. Read more
23 Aug 1985: Hans Tiedge, top counter-spy of West Germany, defects to East Germany. Read more
23 Aug 1975: The start of the Wave Hill walk-off by Gurindji people in Australia, lasting eight years, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 Paul Kelly song and an annual celebration. Read more
23 Aug 1975: The Pontiac Silverdome opens in Pontiac, Michigan, 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Detroit, Michigan Read more
23 Aug 1973: A bank robbery gone wrong in Stockholm, Sweden, turns into a hostage crisis; over the next five days the hostages begin to sympathise with their captors, leading to the term "Stockholm syndrome". Read more
23 Aug 1970: Organized by Mexican American labor union leader César Chávez, the Salad Bowl strike, the largest farm worker strike in U.S. history, begins. Read more
23 Aug 1966: Lunar Orbiter 1 takes the first photograph of Earth from orbit around the Moon. Read more
23 Aug 1958: Chinese Civil War: The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis begins with the People's Liberation Army's bombardment of Quemoy. Read more
23 Aug 1954: The first flight of the Lockheed C-130 multi-role aircraft takes place. Read more
23 Aug 1954: The Cruise of the Kings, a royal cruise organised by the Queen Consort of Greece, Frederica of Hanover, departs from Marseille, France. Read more
23 Aug 1948: The World Council of Churches is formed by 147 churches from 44 countries. Read more
23 Aug 1946: Ordinance No. 46 of the British Military Government constitutes the German Länder (states) of Hanover and Schleswig-Holstein. Read more
23 Aug 1945: World War II: Soviet–Japanese War: The USSR State Defense Committee issues Decree no. 9898cc "About Receiving, Accommodation, and Labor Utilization of the Japanese Army Prisoners of War". Read more
23 Aug 1944: World War II: Marseille is liberated by the Allied forces. Read more
23 Aug 1944: World War II: King Michael of Romania dismisses the pro-Nazi government of Marshal Antonescu, who is later arrested. Romania switches sides from the Axis to the Allies. Read more
23 Aug 1944: Freckleton air disaster: A United States Army Air Forces B-24 Liberator bomber crashes into a school in Freckleton, England, killing 61 people. Read more
23 Aug 1943: World War II: Kharkiv is liberated by the Soviet Red Army for the second time after the Battle of Kursk. Read more
23 Aug 1942: World War II: Beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad. Read more
23 Aug 1939: World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In a secret protocol to the pact, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania are divided into German and Soviet "spheres of influence". Read more
23 Aug 1929: Hebron Massacre during the 1929 Palestine riots: Arab attacks on the Jewish community in Hebron in the British Mandate of Palestine occur, continuing until the next day, resulting in the death of 65–68 Jews and the remaining Jews being forced to leave the city. Read more
23 Aug 1927: Italian anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti are executed after a lengthy, controversial trial. Read more
23 Aug 1923: Captain Lowell Smith and Lieutenant John P. Richter perform the first mid-air refueling on De Havilland DH-4B, setting an endurance flight record of 37 hours. Read more
23 Aug 1921: British airship R-38 experiences structural failure over Hull in England and crashes in the Humber Estuary; of her 49 British and American training crew, only four survive. Read more
23 Aug 1914: World War I: The British Expeditionary Force and the French Fifth Army begin their Great Retreat before the German Army. Read more
23 Aug 1914: World War I: Japan declares war on Germany. Read more
23 Aug 1904: The automobile tire chain is patented. Read more
23 Aug 1898: The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, departs from London. Read more
23 Aug 1873: The Albert Bridge in Chelsea, London opens. Read more
23 Aug 1866: The Austro-Prussian War ends with the Treaty of Prague. Read more
23 Aug 1864: American Civil War: The Union Navy captures Fort Morgan, Alabama, thus breaking Confederate dominance of all ports on the Gulf of Mexico except Galveston, Texas. Read more
23 Aug 1839: The United Kingdom captures Hong Kong as a base as it prepares for the First Opium War with Qing China. Read more
23 Aug 1831: Nat Turner's rebellion of enslaved Virginians is suppressed. Read more
23 Aug 1813: At the Battle of Großbeeren, the Prussians under Von Bülow repulse the French army. Read more

Famous Births on 23 August

23 Aug 2000: Boryana Kaleyn, Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast and Olympic silver medalist Boryana Nikolaeva Kaleyn is a Bulgarian retired individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2024 Paris Olympic all-around silver medalist. She is the 2023 European all-around champion, the 2024 European champion with hoop, the 2021 and 2022 European all-around silver medalist, and the 2022 European champion with ball, ribbon, and in the team competition. Kaleyn is also the 2023 World Team all-around champion and the 2022 World Cup Series all-around champion in Sofia and runner-up in Baku. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing fifth in the all-around. Read more
23 Aug 1999: Saya Sakakibara, Australian cyclist Saya Sakakibara is an Australian cyclist competing in BMX racing events. Read more
23 Aug 1998: P. J. Washington, American basketball player Paul Jamaine Washington Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. Read more
23 Aug 1997: Lil Yachty, American rapper and singer Miles Parks McCollum, known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer and professional wrestling manager. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night", the lead single from his debut extended play (EP), Summer Songs. He released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016, and signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music in June of that year. Read more
23 Aug 1996: Alejo Igoa, Argentine YouTuber Alejo Igoa is an Argentine YouTuber. He is the most-subscribed Spanish-language creator on YouTube, with more than 121 million subscribers. Read more
23 Aug 1995: Gabriela Lee, Romanian tennis player Gabriela Lee is a Romanian professional tennis player. Read more
23 Aug 1995: Cameron Norrie, British tennis player Cameron Norrie is a British professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 8, achieved on 12 September 2022 and a doubles ranking of No. 117, achieved on 13 June 2022. He is currently the No. 1 British singles player. Read more
23 Aug 1994: August Ames, Canadian pornographic actress (died 2017) Mercedes Grabowski, known professionally as August Ames, was a Canadian pornographic actress. She appeared in more than 250 films, including a non-pornographic film in 2016, and was nominated for several AVN Awards. With a self-disclosed history of sexual abuse and mental illness, Ames died by suicide in 2017 at the age of 23 after a social media backlash following a tweet she posted, due to some perceiving the tweet as homophobic. Read more
23 Aug 1994: Jusuf Nurkić, Bosnian basketball player Jusuf Nurkić is a Bosnian professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the senior Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Nurkić was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, before being traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft night. He has also played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns and the Charlotte Hornets. Read more
23 Aug 1993: Taylor Decker, American football player Taylor Decker is an American professional football offensive tackle. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was a consensus All-American. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. Read more
23 Aug 1993: Tyler Glasnow, American baseball player Tyler Allen Glasnow is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays. Glasnow made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2016 and was traded to the Rays during the 2018 season. After six seasons with the Rays, Glasnow was traded to the Dodgers following the 2023 season, was named an All-Star in 2024, and won his first title in the 2024 World Series over the New York Yankees and his second 2025 World Series title over the Toronto Blue Jays. Read more
23 Aug 1993: Iván López, Spanish professional footballer Iván López Mendoza is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Read more
23 Aug 1992: Nicola Docherty, Scottish footballer Nicola Docherty is a Scottish international footballer who currently plays as a left sided defender for Rangers in the Scottish Women's Premier League. Read more
23 Aug 1992: Will Toledo, American singer-songwriter William Barnes, known professionally as Will Toledo, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founding member of the indie rock band Car Seat Headrest. Read more
23 Aug 1990: Seth Curry, American basketball player Seth Adham Curry is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one year at Liberty University before transferring to Duke. He is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry and the younger brother of NBA player Stephen Curry. He currently ranks seventh in NBA history in career three-point field goal percentage. Read more
23 Aug 1990: Mike Yastrzemski, American baseball player Michael Andrew Yastrzemski, nicknamed "Yaz", is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals. Yastrzemski played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores, and was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14th round of the 2013 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Giants. He is the grandson of Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. Read more
23 Aug 1989: Lianne La Havas, British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Lianne Charlotte Barnes, known professionally as Lianne La Havas, is a British singer-songwriter. Her career began after being introduced to various musicians, including singer Paloma Faith, for whom she sang backing vocals. In 2010, La Havas signed to Warner Bros. Records, spending two years developing her songwriting, before releasing any music. La Havas' debut studio album, Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012), was released to positive reviews from critics and earned her a nomination for the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll and awards for the iTunes Album of The Year 2012. She has released two other studio albums since, Blood in 2015 and Lianne La Havas in 2020. She was nominated once for a Grammy award in 2016 and twice for the Brit Awards, in 2017 and 2021. She currently lives in London. Read more
23 Aug 1989: Trixie Mattel, American drag queen, actor, and country singer Brian Michael Firkus, better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, singer-songwriter, DJ, and entrepreneur originally from Marinette County, Wisconsin. She is known for her exaggerated, 1960s-influenced style, distinctive eye makeup, and musical repertoire that blends comedy with acoustic pop and folk-country music, with skills in guitar and the autoharp. In 2015, she competed in the seventh season of the drag reality television competition series RuPaul's Drag Race and returned to win the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Mattel has also made guest appearances in various iterations of the Drag Race franchise, additionally appearing as a judge on the spinoff series Queen of the Universe (2021–2023). Read more
23 Aug 1989: Heiko Schwarz, German footballer Heiko Schwarz is a German footballer who plays for ASCK Simbach/Inn. Read more
23 Aug 1989: TeddyLoid, Japanese musician Teddy Sakakibara , known professionally as TeddyLoid, is a Japanese DJ and music producer. He is known for producing several songs in the soundtrack of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, which charted on Oricon Albums Chart. He is also known for partnering with Daoko in "ME!ME!ME!", an anime music video submitted to the 2014 Japan Animator Expo. Read more
23 Aug 1988: Olga Govortsova, Belarusian tennis player Olga Alekseyevna Govortsova is a Belarusian professional tennis player. On 23 June 2008, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 35. On 29 August 2011, she peaked at No. 24 in the doubles rankings. Read more
23 Aug 1988: Carl Hagelin, Swedish ice hockey player Carl Oliver Hagelin is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, and Washington Capitals. Hagelin was drafted by the Rangers in the sixth round, 168th overall, of the 2007 NHL entry draft, and won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Hagelin played the most playoff games of any NHL player in the 2010s decade, with 128. Prior to his professional career, Hagelin played four seasons NCAA Division I collegiate men's ice hockey with the University of Michigan Wolverines, serving as an alternate captain during his third year and a co-captain during his fourth year. Internationally, Hagelin won a silver medal with Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Read more
23 Aug 1988: Jeremy Lin, American basketball player Jeremy Shu-How Lin is an American former professional basketball player. He unexpectedly led a winning turnaround with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 2011–12 season, sparking a cultural phenomenon known as "Linsanity". Lin is the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, and is one of the few Asian Americans to have played in the league. He is also the first Asian American player to win an NBA championship, having done so with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. Read more
23 Aug 1988: Kim Matula, American actress Kim Matula is an American actress. She made her television debut playing Tara Conner in the teen comedy film Queen Sized (2008) and later starred as Hope Logan in the CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from 2010 to 2016, receiving a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series nomination. Matula later starred in the second season of Lifetime comedy-drama series, Unreal, and played the leading role in the Fox comedy series LA to Vegas (2018). In 2024, Matula played Jane Curtin in the comedy-drama film Saturday Night. Read more
23 Aug 1988: Miles Mikolas, American baseball player Miles Tice Mikolas is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Nationals, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants. He was an All-Star in 2018, tied with Jon Lester and Max Scherzer for the lead in the National League in wins that season, and finished sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting that year. He was also an All-Star in 2022. Read more
23 Aug 1987: Darren Collison, American basketball player Darren Michael Collison is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Collison played four seasons of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He earned All-Pac-10 conference honors three times, and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award his senior year as the top college player standing 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) or under. He was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round with the 21st overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft. Collison also played for the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers. Read more
23 Aug 1986: Sky Blu, American rapper and DJ Skyler Austen Gordy, better known by his stage name Sky Blu, is an American singer, rapper, record producer, DJ, and dancer. He is known as part of the EDM duo LMFAO, which he formed with his half-uncle Redfoo in 2006. The duo are best known for their 2011 singles "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy and I Know It," both of which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100. They released two studio albums, Party Rock (2009) and Sorry for Party Rocking (2011), before disbanding in 2012. As a solo act, Gordy has released the albums Rebel Music (2013) and Fxck Yeah: Chaos To Consciousness (2016). Read more
23 Aug 1986: Neil Cicierega, American comedian and musician Neil Stephen Cicierega is an American musician, filmmaker, YouTuber, and animator. He is known as the creator of Potter Puppet Pals, "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny", and various music albums under the name Lemon Demon, along with a series of mashup albums under his own name. Read more
23 Aug 1986: Ayron Jones, American musician Ayron Jones is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His music blends elements of grunge, rock, hip-hop, soul and other genres. After years performing in local venues of his hometown Seattle with his trio Ayron Jones and the Way, he was noticed by producer Sir Mix-a-Lot and lead an independent career until he signed with John Varvatos/Big Machine. His first major album was released on May 21, 2021. Read more
23 Aug 1986: Brett Morris, Australian rugby league player Brett Morris is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played on the wing and as a fullback for the St George Illawarra Dragons, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level. Read more
23 Aug 1986: Josh Morris, Australian rugby league player Joshua Morris is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played as a centre for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and Australia at international level. Read more
23 Aug 1985: Valeria Lukyanova, Moldovan-Ukrainian model and singer Valeria Valeryevna Lukyanova is a Ukrainian model best known for her resemblance to a Barbie doll. She currently has property in Mexico and lives in Moscow. To enhance the Barbie effect Lukyanova uses makeup and contact lenses over her naturally green/gray/blue eyes. She has stated that she has had breast implants, but that the rest of her body is natural and slender due to daily gym workouts and a particular diet. Read more
23 Aug 1984: Glen Johnson, English footballer Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson is an English former professional footballer who played as a right back. Read more
23 Aug 1984: Eric Tai, New Zealand rugby player and actor Eric Tai is a New Zealand actor based in the Philippines. He is also a professional Arena of Valor esports player and former rugby union player who played for the Alabang Eagles and represented the Philippines national rugby union team in 15s and 7s. He was also one of the hosts of It's Showtime, where he went by the screen name Eruption. Read more
23 Aug 1983: James Collins, Welsh footballer James Michael Collins is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a defender. Read more
23 Aug 1983: Athena Farrokhzad, Iranian-Swedish poet, playwright, and critic Athena Farrokhzad is an Iranian-Swedish poet, playwright, translator and literary critic. Read more
23 Aug 1983: Sun Mingming, Chinese basketball player Sun Mingming is a Chinese former professional basketball player. He was the tallest professional basketball player in the world and was measured by the Guinness World Records as 2.36 m tall and weighing 168 kg (370 lb). Read more
23 Aug 1983: Tony Moll, American football player Anthony Gene Moll is an American former professional football player who was a guard and offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack. Read more
23 Aug 1983: Fiona Onasanya, British politician and criminal Fiona Oluyinka Onasanya is a former British politician and solicitor. She was elected as a Labour Party MP in the 2017 United Kingdom general election for the constituency of Peterborough and was removed from that office in 2019 following a successful recall petition triggered by her conviction of perverting the course of justice. Read more
23 Aug 1983: Bruno Spengler, Canadian race car driver Bruno Spengler is an Alsatian-born Canadian racing driver. A long-term Mercedes-AMG and BMW factory driver, he currently works for Bugatti. He was the 2012 DTM champion. Read more
23 Aug 1982: Natalie Coughlin, American swimmer Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstroke in less than one minute. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she became the first U.S. female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympiad, and the first woman ever to win a 100-meter backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, in her third and final Olympic appearance, she earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Read more
23 Aug 1982: Scott Palguta, American soccer player Scott Thomas Palguta is an American former soccer player. He was named the head men's soccer coach at Colorado College on February 6, 2015. Read more
23 Aug 1982: Cristian Tudor, Romanian footballer (died 2012) Cristian Dorin Tudor was a Romanian football striker. Read more
23 Aug 1981: Carlos Cuéllar, Spanish footballer Carlos Javier Cuéllar Jiménez is a Spanish former professional footballer, and the current manager of Elche Ilicitano. Mainly a central defender, he could also operate as a right-back. Read more
23 Aug 1981: Jaime Lee Kirchner, American actress Jaime Lee Kirchner is an American actress, dancer and singer, known for her roles on television. She is best known for the role of Danny James in Bull. Read more
23 Aug 1981: Stephan Loboué, Ivorian footballer Stephan Raphaël Loboué is a professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for German 3. Liga side SSV Jahn Regensburg. Born in Germany, he is a former Ivorian international. Read more
23 Aug 1980: Denny Bautista, Dominican baseball player Denny M. Bautista Germán is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. Bautista is 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and weighs 190 pounds (86 kg). He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Francisco Giants from 2004 to 2010. From 2011 through 2013, he played for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League. He bats and throws right-handed. Bautista throws three pitches: a fastball, a curveball, and a changeup. He has struggled with control throughout his career. Read more
23 Aug 1980: Nadine Jolie Courtney, American journalist, reality personality and author Nadine Jolie Courtney is an American lifestyle writer, novelist, and former media personality. She is the author of the YA novel All-American Muslim Girl, Romancing the Throne, Beauty Confidential: The No Preaching, No Lies, Advice-You'll-Actually-Use-Guide to Looking Your Best, and Confessions of a Beauty Addict. Her blog "Jolie in NYC" received international press in 2005 after Courtney, a former beauty editor, was outed and dooced for anonymously blogging about the beauty industry. The New York Post subsequently dubbed her "the poster girl for the blogger generation". Read more
23 Aug 1980: Joanne Froggatt, English actress Joanne Froggatt is a British actress. From 2010 to 2015, she portrayed Anna Bates in the ITV period drama series Downton Abbey, for which she received three Emmy nominations and won the 2014 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. From 2017 to 2020, she starred as Laura Nielson in the ITV/Sundance drama series Liar. She also plays a prominent role of Jan De Souza in MobLand Read more
23 Aug 1980: Rex Grossman, American football player Rex Daniel Grossman III is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. Grossman played college football for the Florida Gators, winning AP College Football Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year in 2001 en route to a victory in the 2002 Orange Bowl. He was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft. Read more
23 Aug 1980: Nenad Vučković, Serbian handball player Nenad Vučković is a Serbian handball player for Dinamo Pančevo. Read more
23 Aug 1979: Jessica Bibby, Australian basketball player Jessica Bibby is an Australian sportswoman. She has played nearly 400 games in the WNBL and won several WNBL Championships. She has played for the Dandenong Rangers and Canberra Capitals. She was drafted by the WNBA's New York Liberty in 2000 and played for the team. She has played for the Australian national basketball team at junior and senior level. Read more
23 Aug 1979: Saskia Clark, English sailor Saskia Clark is a British sailor and Olympic gold medalist. She competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics and she was selected, along with Hannah Mills, to sail in the women's 470 event for Team GB. They went on to win silver at the 2012 Olympics and a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics. Read more
23 Aug 1979: Edgar Sosa, Mexican boxer Édgar Alejandro Sosa Medina is a Mexican professional boxer. He is the former WBC Light flyweight champion and went on to make ten title defenses. Read more
23 Aug 1979: Zuzana Váleková, Slovak tennis player Zuzana Váleková is a former Slovak tennis player. Read more
23 Aug 1978: Kobe Bryant, American basketball player and businessman (died 2020) Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Black Mamba", he played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant was a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA MVP, and two-time gold medal recipient on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. He is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Read more
23 Aug 1978: Julian Casablancas, American singer-songwriter and producer Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band the Strokes, with which he has released seven studio albums since its founding in 1998. Casablancas released a solo studio album, Phrazes for the Young, in 2009, and has released three albums with the experimental rock band the Voidz. Read more
23 Aug 1978: Randal Tye Thomas, American journalist and politician (died 2014) Randal Tye Thomas served as Mayor of Gun Barrel City, Texas. He was also a member of the Electoral College in the 2000 Presidential Election. Read more
23 Aug 1978: Andrew Rannells, American actor and singer Andrew Scott Rannells is an American actor. He is best known for originating the role of Elder Kevin Price in the 2011 Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. He received his second Tony nomination, for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, in 2017 for his performance as Whizzer in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos. Other Broadway credits include Hairspray (2005), Jersey Boys (2009), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2014), Hamilton (2015), The Boys in the Band (2018), and Gutenberg! The Musical! (2023). For his performance in the off West End production of Tammy Faye, he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. Read more
23 Aug 1977: Douglas Sequeira, Costa Rican footballer and manager Douglas Esteban Sequeira Solano is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender. Read more
23 Aug 1977: Jared Fogle, American spokesman and criminal Jared Scott Fogle is an American child sex offender and former spokesman. He appeared in advertising campaigns for Subway from 2000 to 2015, until an FBI investigation led to him being convicted of child sex tourism and possessing child pornography. Read more
23 Aug 1976: Scott Caan, American actor Scott Caan is an American actor, director, photographer, writer, and former rapper. He received his breakthrough role in Ocean's Eleven as Turk Malloy, whom he played in the Ocean's trilogy, and starred as Detective Danny "Danno" Williams in the CBS television series Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2020), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Caan had a recurring role as manager Scott Lavin in the HBO television series Entourage (2009–2011). In the 1990s, he was a rapper and was a part of hip hop group The Whooliganz with The Alchemist, under the pseudonym Mad Skillz. Read more
23 Aug 1976: Pat Garrity, American basketball player and executive Patrick Joseph Garrity is an American former professional basketball player who is the general manager of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's and women's teams. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic from 1998 to 2008 as a power forward best known as a three-point marksman. He previously served as an assistant general manager of the Detroit Pistons from 2016 to 2020. Read more
23 Aug 1975: Eliza Carthy, English folk musician Eliza Amy Forbes Carthy, MBE is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson. Carthy is recognized as a fiddle-singing pioneer. Read more
23 Aug 1975: Sean Marks, New Zealand basketball player and manager Sean Andrew Marks is a New Zealand-American basketball executive and former player and coach who is the general manager of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the first New Zealand-born player to play in the NBA. Marks won two championships with the San Antonio Spurs: one as a player in 2005 and another as an assistant coach in 2014. Read more
23 Aug 1975: Jarkko Ruutu, Finnish ice hockey player Jarkko Samuli Ruutu ; born 23 August 1975) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks. He is currently serving as a European development coach for the Buffalo Sabres. Read more
23 Aug 1974: Lexi Alexander, American film and television director Alexandra Mirai, known professionally as Lexi Alexander, is a German-Palestinian-American filmmaker and martial artist. A former competitor in karate-point fighting and kickboxing, Alexander entered the film industry as a stunt performer, before earning an Academy Award nomination for her debut short film Johnny Flynton (2002). She subsequently directed Green Street (2005), a crime drama about British football hooliganism, and Punisher: War Zone (2008), an adaptation of the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Read more
23 Aug 1974: Mark Bellhorn, American baseball player Mark Christian Bellhorn is an American former professional baseball infielder. In his ten-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Bellhorn was best known for being the starting second baseman for the Boston Red Sox during their 2004 World Series championship season. Read more
23 Aug 1974: Benjamin Limo, Kenyan runner Benjamin Kipkoech Limo is a Kenyan former middle- and long-distance runner. His races ranged distances from 1500 m to 10,000 m, but Limo mainly competed in 5000 metres, where he has won international medals. Read more
23 Aug 1974: Konstantin Novoselov, Russian-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Sir Konstantin Sergeevich Novoselov is a Russian–British physicist. His work on graphene with Andre Geim earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Novoselov is a professor at the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials, National University of Singapore and is also the Langworthy Professor of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester, and serves as President of Constructor University in Bremen, Germany. Read more
23 Aug 1974: Ray Park, Scottish actor and stuntman Raymond Park is a British actor, martial artist and stuntman. He is best known for physically portraying Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Solo: A Star Wars Story, along with a motion capture performance in the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Toad in X-Men, Snake Eyes in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and Edgar in Heroes. Read more
23 Aug 1973: Casey Blake, American baseball player William Casey Blake is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He had alternated between playing at third base and first base before becoming a full-time third baseman with the Indians. In 2005, Blake moved to right field to accommodate the Indians' signing of third baseman Aaron Boone, and stayed there for two seasons before moving back to third base. Read more
23 Aug 1973: Kerry Walmsley, New Zealand cricketer Kerry Peter Walmsley is a New Zealand former international cricketer. He played three Test matches and two One Day Internationals for the national side between 1995 and 2003 as a fast bowler. In domestic cricket Walmsley played for Auckland from the 1994–95 season until 1999–2000, Otago from 2000–01 to 2002–03, and Auckland again from 2003–04 to 2005–06. Read more
23 Aug 1972: Mark Butcher, English cricketer and singer Mark Alan Butcher is an English cricket commentator and former English Test cricketer, who played county cricket for Surrey from 1992 until his retirement in 2009. He was a left-handed batsman, and occasional right-arm medium-pace bowler who was also capable of bowling off spin. Read more
23 Aug 1972: Raul Casanova, Puerto Rican-American baseball player Raúl Casanova is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher who played recurrently from 1996 to 2008. Read more
23 Aug 1972: Anthony Calvillo, Canadian football player Anthony Calvillo is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was professional football's all-time passing yards leader from 2011 to 2020, and is first in all-time CFL passing yards. In his career, he passed for 79,816 yards and is one of ten professional quarterbacks to have completed over 400 touchdown passes. His passing-yards reign ended in 2020 when Brees surpassed his record. Read more
23 Aug 1972: Martin Grainger, English footballer and manager Martin Grainger is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He made 380 appearances and scored 44 goals in the Football League and Premier League. He was an attacking left back who could also play further up the field or even as a winger and was a dead ball specialist. Read more
23 Aug 1972: Manuel Vidrio, Mexican footballer, coach, and manager Manuel Vidrio Solís is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Read more
23 Aug 1971: Demetrio Albertini, Italian footballer and manager Demetrio Albertini is an Italian football administrator and former player who is the sporting director of Parma. He was previously the vice-president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). Read more
23 Aug 1971: Tim Gutberlet, German footballer Tim Gutberlet is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made three appearances in the 2. Bundesliga for FC St. Pauli during his playing career. Read more
23 Aug 1971: Gretchen Whitmer, 49th Governor of Michigan Gretchen Esther Whitmer is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and in the Michigan Senate from 2006 to 2015. Read more
23 Aug 1970: Lawrence Frank, American basketball player and coach Lawrence Adam Frank is an American basketball coach and executive who serves as president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Frank formerly served as head coach of the Detroit Pistons and the New Jersey Nets, and has been an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. Read more
23 Aug 1970: Jason Hetherington, Australian rugby league player Jason Hetherington is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Hetherington played club football for the Gold Coast Seagulls and Canterbury-Bankstown in Australia and for the London Broncos in the Super League. Read more
23 Aug 1970: Jay Mohr, American actor, producer, and screenwriter Jon Ferguson "Jay" Mohr is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and radio host. He is known for playing film producer Peter Dragon in the television comedy series Action in 1999, Professor Rick Payne in the television series Ghost Whisperer from 2006 to 2008 and the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried from 2008 to 2010. He was also a featured cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1993 to 1995. Read more
23 Aug 1970: River Phoenix, American actor (died 1993) River Jude Phoenix was an American actor and musician. The older brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix, he was known as a teen actor before taking on leading roles in critically acclaimed films, becoming one of the preeminent acting talents of his generation. Phoenix's numerous accolades include the Volpi Cup and the Independent Spirit Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award. Read more
23 Aug 1969: Tinus Linee, South African rugby player and coach (died 2014) Marthinus "Tinus" Linee was a South African rugby union player. Linee played predominantly at centre. He played all his provincial rugby for Western Province. He represented Western Province and the Stormers in Super Rugby. He played nine tour games for the Springboks between 1993 and 1994, but never played in a test for South Africa. Read more
23 Aug 1969: Jack Lopresti, English soldier and politician Giacomo "Jack" Lopresti is a British Conservative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Filton and Bradley Stoke from 2010 to 2024. Lopresti was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party in February 2023. Read more
23 Aug 1969: Jeremy Schaap, American journalist and author Jeremy Schaap is an American sportswriter, television reporter and author. Schaap is an 11-time Emmy Awards winner for his work on ESPN's E:60, SportsCenter, and Outside the Lines. Read more
23 Aug 1969: Keith Tyson, English painter and illustrator Keith Tyson is an English artist. In 2002, he was the winner of the Turner Prize. Tyson works in a wide range of media, including painting, drawing and installation. His artistic philosophy rejects the notion of a fixed self or a singular artistic style. Read more
23 Aug 1968: Laura Claycomb, American soprano Laura Claycomb is an American lyric coloratura soprano singer. Read more
23 Aug 1968: Chris DiMarco, American golfer Christian Dean DiMarco is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. DiMarco has won eight tournaments as a pro, including three PGA Tour events. Read more
23 Aug 1968: Cortez Kennedy, American football player (died 2017) Cortez C. Kennedy was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle for his entire 11-season career with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. He redefined and expanded the possibilities of how a large-bodied interior lineman could be used. In 1992, he won the Defensive Player of the Year award despite his team finishing 2–14. Read more
23 Aug 1967: Jim Murphy, Scottish lawyer and politician, Minister of State for Europe James Francis Murphy is a Scottish former politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2014 to 2015 and Secretary of State for Scotland from 2008 to 2010. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for East Renfrewshire, formerly Eastwood, from 1997 to 2015. He identifies as a social democrat and has expressed support for a foreign policy of Western interventionism. He has been described as being on the political right of the Labour Party. Read more
23 Aug 1967: Richard Petrie, New Zealand cricketer Richard George Petrie is a former New Zealand international cricketer who played 12 One Day Internationals. Read more
23 Aug 1966: Rik Smits, Dutch-American basketball player Rik Smits, nicknamed "the Dunking Dutchman", is a Dutch former professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 2.24 m center was drafted by the Pacers out of Marist College with the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. An NBA All-Star in 1998, Smits reached the NBA Finals in 2000. Read more
23 Aug 1965: Roger Avary, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter Roger Roberts Avary is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work with Quentin Tarantino on the script for Pulp Fiction (1994), for which they won Best Original Screenplay at the 67th Academy Awards. Avary has also directed films such as Killing Zoe (1993) and The Rules of Attraction (2002), and wrote the screenplays for Silent Hill (2006) and Beowulf (2007). Read more
23 Aug 1964: Ray Ferraro, Canadian ice hockey player and broadcaster Raymond Vincent Ferraro is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current broadcaster for ESPN/ABC and select Vancouver Canucks games on CBC Sports/Sportsnet. He played for 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whalers (1984–1990), New York Islanders (1990–1995), New York Rangers (1995–1996), Los Angeles Kings (1996–1999), Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2002), and St. Louis Blues (2002). Read more
23 Aug 1964: Kong Hee, Singaporean minister and criminal Kong Hee is the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church. Read more
23 Aug 1963: Park Chan-wook, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter Park Chan-wook is a South Korean filmmaker and former film critic. Widely regarded as a leading figure in South Korean and 21st-century world cinema, he is known for films that blend crime, mystery, and thriller elements with other genres. His films are noted for their cinematography, framing, black humor, and often brutal subject matter. Read more
23 Aug 1963: Glória Pires, Brazilian actress Glória Maria Cláudia Pires de Morais is a Brazilian actress. She is best known for her roles in TV Globo telenovelas such as Dancin' Days, Vale Tudo, Mulheres de Areia and O Rei do Gado. She is also known for starring in films such as Academy Award-nominated O Quatrilho, box-office hit If I Were You and its sequel, and Lula, Son of Brazil, which is the second most expensive Brazilian film of all time, after Nosso Lar. Read more
23 Aug 1963: Richard Illingworth, English cricketer and umpire Richard Keith Illingworth is an English former cricketer, who is currently an umpire. The bulk of his domestic cricketing career was with Worcestershire, although he had a spell with Derbyshire, and overseas with Natal. He played in nine Tests and twenty-five ODIs for England, including participating in the 1992 and 1996 Cricket World Cups. He was a part of the English squad which finished as runners-up at the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Read more
23 Aug 1963: Kenny Wallace, American race car driver Kenneth Lee Wallace is an American race car driver and former reporter for Fox NASCAR. He retired from NASCAR in 2015 after driving in the national series since 1988. In a career spanning 25 years in NASCAR, Wallace had nine wins, all occurring in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. Now retired from NASCAR competition, he continues to race on local dirt tracks across the country as a hobby. Read more
23 Aug 1962: Martin Cauchon, Canadian lawyer and politician, 46th Canadian Minister of Justice Martin Cauchon is a Canadian lawyer and politician in Quebec Canada. He served as a Liberal Cabinet minister in the government of Jean Chrétien. He unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada in 2013, losing to Justin Trudeau. Read more
23 Aug 1962: Shaun Ryder, English singer-songwriter and actor Shaun William George Ryder is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. As the lead vocalist of the rock band Happy Mondays, he was a leading figure in the Madchester cultural scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1993, he formed Black Grape with former Happy Mondays dancer Bez. He was the runner-up on the tenth series of I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!. In 2005, Ryder collaborated with Gorillaz on "Dare", which peaked at number one on the UK singles chart in September 2005, becoming the band's only UK number one single. Ryder is known for his distinctive sprechgesang and lyricism. Read more
23 Aug 1961: Dean DeLeo, American guitarist and songwriter Dean DeLeo is an American guitarist known for his work with rock band Stone Temple Pilots. DeLeo is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone. He is the older brother of Robert DeLeo, who plays bass for Stone Temple Pilots. Read more
23 Aug 1961: Alexandre Desplat, French composer and conductor Alexandre Michel Gérard Desplat is a French film composer and conductor. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Grammy Awards. Desplat was made an Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite and a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres both in 2016. Read more
23 Aug 1961: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranian commander and politician, 54th Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is an Iranian politician, pilot, and former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) brigadier general, who has served as Speaker of the Parliament of Iran since 2020. As of April 2026, he has been described as handling the strategic matters of Iran. Read more
23 Aug 1961: Gary Mabbutt, English footballer Gary Vincent Mabbutt is an English former footballer who made more than 750 professional appearances, first playing for Bristol Rovers and going on to play 619 games for Tottenham Hotspur, despite being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 17. During his career he also won 16 caps for the England national team. He mostly played in central defence but was a versatile player who excelled also in midfield, winning both the 1984 UEFA Cup and 1991 FA Cup. Read more
23 Aug 1961: Hitomi Takahashi, Japanese actress Hitomi Takahashi is a Japanese actress. Read more
23 Aug 1960: Gary Hoey, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer Gary Hoey is an American hard rock and latterly blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has recorded over 20 albums. Read more
23 Aug 1959: Edwyn Collins, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist Edwyn Stephen Collins is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in 1985, Collins started a solo career. His 1994 single "A Girl Like You" was a worldwide hit. Read more
23 Aug 1959: George Kalovelonis, Greek tennis player and coach George Kalovelonis is a former tennis player from Greece, who represented his native country as a lucky loser at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. There he was defeated in the first round by fellow lucky loser Bong-Soo Kim from South Korea. The right-hander reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 23 June 1986, when he became World Number 208. Read more
23 Aug 1958: Julio Franco, Dominican baseball player and manager Julio César Franco Robles is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder and coach. He spent most of his playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), entering the major leagues in 1982 and last appearing in 2007, at which time he was the oldest active big league player. During that stretch, Franco also spent two seasons playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and one season playing in the KBO. Read more
23 Aug 1957: Tasos Mitropoulos, Greek footballer and politician Tasos Mitropoulos is a Greek politician and former international footballer who played as a attacking midfielder. He was given the nickname "Rambo" by the fans of Olympiacos. Read more
23 Aug 1956: Andreas Floer, German mathematician and academic (died 1991) Andreas Floer was a German mathematician who made seminal contributions to symplectic topology, and mathematical physics, in particular the invention of Floer homology. Floer's first pivotal contribution was a solution to a special case of Arnold's conjecture on fixed points of a symplectomorphism. Because of his work on Arnold's conjecture and his development of instanton homology, he achieved wide recognition and was invited as a plenary speaker for the International Congress of Mathematicians held in Kyoto in August 1990. He received a Sloan Fellowship in 1989. Read more
23 Aug 1956: Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, Norwegian educator and politician, Norwegian Minister of Culture Valgerd Svarstad Haugland is a Norwegian teacher, politician and civil servant. Read more
23 Aug 1956: Skipp Sudduth, American actor Robert Lee "Skipp" Sudduth IV is an American theater, film and television actor and director. He appeared in the 1998 film Ronin and the TV drama Third Watch. Read more
23 Aug 1955: David Learner, British actor David Francis Somerville Learner is a British actor who is best known for playing Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Pickle in the CITV adventure game show Knightmare.
He studied at RADA alongside Alan Rickman and Trevor Eve and has appeared in numerous stage plays and radio productions. Read more
23 Aug 1954: Charles Busch, American actor and screenwriter Charles Louis Busch is an American actor, screenwriter, playwright and drag queen, known for his appearances on stage in his own camp style plays and in film and television. He wrote and starred in his early plays off-off-Broadway beginning in 1978, generally in drag roles, and also acted in the works of other playwrights. He also wrote for television and began to act in films and on television in the late 1990s. His best known play is The Tale of the Allergist's Wife (2000), which was a success on Broadway. Read more
23 Aug 1954: Halimah Yacob, Singaporean unionist and politician, 9th Speaker and 8th President of Singapore Halimah binte Yacob is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who was the eighth president of Singapore from 2017 to 2023, making her the first woman to serve in this role after being elected uncontested in the 2017 presidential election. Read more
23 Aug 1953: Bobby G, English singer-songwriter Bobby G, also known as Bobby Gee, is a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, best known for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and for achieving three UK number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982). Read more
23 Aug 1952: Santillana, Spanish footballer Carlos Alonso González, known as Santillana, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
23 Aug 1952: Georgios Paraschos, Greek footballer and manager Georgios Paraschos is a Greek professional football manager and former player. Read more
23 Aug 1951: Mark Hudson, American record producer and musician Mark Jeffery Anthony Hudson is an American musician, record producer, actor and songwriter based in both Los Angeles and New York City. After first rising to prominence as a performer, songwriter and TV personality in the 1970s as a member of the Hudson Brothers trio, Hudson achieved independent success as record producer and songwriter, working with a broad variety of artists including Cher, Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Hanson, Harry Nilsson and the Baha Men. Read more
23 Aug 1951: Jimi Jamison, American singer-songwriter and musician (died 2014) Jimmy Wayne Jamison was an American singer. Best known as Jimi Jamison, he earned recognition as the frontman for the rock bands Target, Cobra, and Survivor from 1984 to 1988, performing the songs "Burning Heart" from the film Rocky IV (1985) and "The Moment of Truth" from The Karate Kid (1984), along with other top-20 Survivor hits "I Can't Hold Back", "High On You", "The Search Is Over", and "Is This Love". He officially rejoined Survivor from 2000, until 2006, and rejoined again in 2011. Acclaimed for his vocal abilities, Jamison is also known for having co-written and performed the theme song "I'm Always Here" for the 1990s TV series Baywatch. Read more
23 Aug 1951: Akhmad Kadyrov, Chechen cleric and politician, 1st President of the Chechen Republic (died 2004) Akhmat-Khadzhi Abdulkhamidovich Kadyrov was a Russian politician and revolutionary who served as Chief Mufti of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in the 1990s during and after the First Chechen War. At the outbreak of the Second Chechen War he switched sides, offering his service to the Russian government, and later became the President of the Chechen Republic from 5 October 2003, having acted as head of administration from July 2000. Read more
23 Aug 1951: Queen Noor of Jordan Noor Al Hussein is an American-born Jordanian philanthropist and activist who was the fourth wife and widow of King Hussein of Jordan. She was Queen of Jordan from their marriage on June 15, 1978, until Hussein's death on February 7, 1999. Read more
23 Aug 1950: Luigi Delneri, Italian footballer and manager Luigi Delneri, often incorrectly written as Del Neri, is an Italian football manager and a former player. Read more
23 Aug 1949: Vicky Leandros, Greek singer and politician Vasiliki Papathanasiou, known professionally as Vicky Leandros, is a Greek singer based in Germany. She is the daughter of singer, musician and composer Leandros Papathanasiou. In 1967, she achieved worldwide fame after gaining fourth place for the country of Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "L'amour est bleu", which became a worldwide hit. She further established her career by winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972 with the song "Après toi", again representing Luxembourg. Read more
23 Aug 1949: Shelley Long, American actress Shelley Lee Long is an American actress, singer, and comedian. For her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, Long received five Emmy nominations, winning in 1983 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also won two Golden Globe Awards for the role. Long reprised her role as Diane Chambers in three episodes of the spin-off Frasier, for which she received an additional guest star Emmy nomination. From 2009 to 2018, she played the recurring role of DeDe Pritchett on the ABC comedy series Modern Family. Read more
23 Aug 1949: Rick Springfield, Australian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Richard Lewis Springthorpe, known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut single, "Speak to the Sky", which reached the top 10 in Australia in mid-1972. When he moved to the United States, he had a No. 1 hit with "Jessie's Girl" in 1981 in both Australia and the US, for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. He followed with four more top 10 US hits: "I've Done Everything for You", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody". Springfield's two US top 10 albums are Working Class Dog (1981) and Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982). Read more
23 Aug 1948: Atef Bseiso, Palestinian intelligence officer (died 1992) Atef Bseiso was the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) liaison officer with foreign intelligence agencies. He was assassinated in Paris in 1992. Several theories exist regarding the reason for his murder. According to one, alleging he played a role in the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, his execution was part of a Mossad assassination campaign. Others argue it was an Israeli operation aiming to disrupt relations of the PLO with Western intelligence agencies. The PLO denied Bseiso had any connection to the Munich operation. Read more
23 Aug 1948: Andrei Pleșu, Romanian journalist and politician, 95th Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Gabriel Pleșu is a Romanian philosopher, essayist, journalist, literary and art critic. He has been intermittently involved in politics, having been appointed Minister of Culture (1989–1991), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997–1999) and presidential counsellor for external affairs (2004–2005). Read more
23 Aug 1948: Rudy Ruettiger, American football player Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger is an American motivational speaker and author who played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. His early life and career at Notre Dame were the inspiration for the 1993 film Rudy. Read more
23 Aug 1948: Lev Zeleny, Russian physicist and academic Lev Matveevich Zelenyi is a Soviet and Russian physicist, an expert in space plasma physics, the physics of solar-terrestrial relations, nonlinear dynamics and planetary research. Read more
23 Aug 1947: David Robb, Scottish actor David Robb is a Scottish actor. Read more
23 Aug 1947: Willy Russell, English playwright and composer William Russell is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, Blood Brothers and Our Day Out. Read more
23 Aug 1947: Linda Thompson, English folk-rock singer-songwriter Linda Thompson is a British singer-songwriter. Read more
23 Aug 1946: Keith Moon, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (died 1978) Keith John Moon was an English musician who was the drummer for the rock band the Who. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music, he was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, self-destructive behaviour. Read more
23 Aug 1945: Rayfield Wright, American football player and coach (died 2022) Larry Rayfield Wright was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2006. Read more
23 Aug 1944: Antonia Novello, Puerto Rican-American physician and admiral, 14th Surgeon General of the United States Antonia Coello Novello is a Puerto Rican physician and public health administrator. She was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as 14th Surgeon General of the United States from 1990 to 1993. Novello was the first woman and first Hispanic person to serve as Surgeon General. Novello also served as Commissioner of Health for the State of New York from 1999 to 2006. Novello has received numerous awards including more than fifty honorary degrees, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2000, and has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Her memoir, Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service, was published in English and in Spanish in 2024. Read more
23 Aug 1943: Dale Campbell-Savours, Baron Campbell-Savours, English businessman and politician Dale Norman Campbell-Savours, Baron Campbell-Savours is a British Labour Party politician. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Workington from 1979 to 2001, he retired from the House of Commons due to ill health, and now sits in the House of Lords. Read more
23 Aug 1943: Nelson DeMille, American lieutenant and author (died 2024) Nelson Richard DeMille was an American author of action adventure and suspense novels. His novels include Plum Island, The Charm School, and The General's Daughter. DeMille also wrote under the pen names Jack Cannon, Kurt Ladner, Ellen Kay, and Brad Matthews. Read more
23 Aug 1943: Peter Lilley, English politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Peter Bruce Lilley, Baron Lilley, PC is a British politician and life peer who served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) Hitchin and Harpenden from 1997 to 2017 and, prior to boundary changes, St Albans from 1983. Read more
23 Aug 1943: Pino Presti, Italian bass player, composer, conductor, and producer Giuseppe Prestipino Giarritta, professionally known by his pseudonym Pino Presti, is an Italian conductor, arranger, bassist, composer and record producer from Milan. He is a 5th-dan black belt in Shotokan Karate. Read more
23 Aug 1943: Rodney Alcala, American serial killer, rapist, and kidnapper (died 2021) Rodney James Alcala, also known as John Berger and John Burger, was an American serial killer and convicted sex offender who was sentenced to death in California for five murders committed between 1977 and 1979. He pleaded guilty and received two sentences, both twenty-five years to life, for two further murders committed in New York State. He was also indicted for one murder in Wyoming, although the charges filed there were dropped. While Alcala has been conclusively linked to nine murders, the true number of victims remains unknown and could be as high as 130. Read more
23 Aug 1942: Nancy Richey, American tennis player Nancy Richey is an American former tennis player. Richey won two major singles titles and four major women's doubles titles. She was ranked world No. 2 in singles at year-end in 1969. Richey won 73 singles titles during her career and helped the US win the Federation Cup in 1969. She won the singles title at the U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships a record six consecutive years, from 1963 through 1968. Read more
23 Aug 1941: Onora O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve, British philosopher, academic, and politician Onora Sylvia O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve is a British philosopher and a crossbench member of the House of Lords. Read more
23 Aug 1940: Galen Rowell, American mountaineer and photographer (died 2002) Galen Avery Rowell was an American wilderness photographer, adventure photojournalist and mountaineer. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972. Read more
23 Aug 1940: Richard Sanders, American actor and screenwriter Richard Sanders is a retired American actor and screenwriter. He played quirky news anchorman Les Nessman on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982). Most of his acting career has been on television. Read more
23 Aug 1938: Giacomo Bini, Italian priest and missionary (died 2014) Giacomo Bini was a Franciscan priest. Ordained in 1964, he worked as a missionary in Africa, and was appointed Minister General of the Order of the Friars Minor (OFM) for the period 1997–2003. He was fluent in Italian, French, English, Spanish, and Kiswahili. Read more
23 Aug 1938: Roger Greenaway, English singer-songwriter and producer Roger John Reginald Greenaway is an English singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for his collaborations with Roger Cook and Tony Burrows. His compositions have included "You've Got Your Troubles" and the transatlantic million-selling songs "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing " and "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress". They were the first UK songwriting partnership to be granted an Ivor Novello Award as 'Songwriters of the Year' in two successive years. Read more
23 Aug 1936: Rudy Lewis, American R&B singer (died 1964) Rudy Lewis was an American rhythm and blues singer known for his work with the Drifters. In 1988, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Read more
23 Aug 1936: Henry Lee Lucas, American murderer (died 2001) Henry Lee Lucas, also known as the Confession Killer, was an American murderer who was convicted of murdering his mother in 1960 and two others in 1983. He rose to infamy as a claimed serial killer while incarcerated for these crimes, falsely confessing to approximately 600 other murders to the Texas Rangers and other law enforcement officials. Many unsolved cases were closed based on the confessions and the murders officially attributed to Lucas. He was convicted of murdering eleven people and condemned to death for a single case with a then-unidentified victim, later identified as Debra Jackson. Read more
23 Aug 1935: Roy Strong, English historian, curator, and author Sir Roy Colin Strong, is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Strong was knighted in 1982, and made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2016. Read more
23 Aug 1934: Sonny Jurgensen, American football player and sportscaster (died 2026) Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Jurgensen played college football for the Duke Blue Devils. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. Jurgensen was also a color commentator for Washington's radio broadcast crew from 1981 to 2019. Read more
23 Aug 1933: Robert Curl, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2022) Robert Floyd Curl Jr. was an American chemist who was Pitzer–Schlumberger Professor of Natural Sciences and professor of chemistry at Rice University. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 for the discovery of the nanomaterial buckminsterfullerene, and hence the fullerene class of materials, along with Richard Smalley and Harold Kroto of the University of Sussex. Read more
23 Aug 1933: Don Talbot, Australian swim coach and administrator (died 2020) Donald Malcolm Talbot was an Australian Olympic swimming coach and sport administrator. Read more
23 Aug 1933: Pete Wilson, American commander and politician, 36th Governor of California Peter Barton Wilson is an American attorney and politician who served as the 36th governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Wilson previously served as a United States senator from California from 1983 to 1991, and as mayor of San Diego from 1971 to 1983. Read more
23 Aug 1932: Houari Boumediene, Algerian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Algeria (died 1978) Houari Boumédiène was an Algerian military officer, revolutionary, and politician who was the second head of state of independent Algeria from 1965 until his death in 1978. He served as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Algeria from 19 June 1965 until 12 December 1976 and thereafter as president of Algeria until his death. At age 32, Boumédiène remains the youngest person to serve as head of state of Algeria. Read more
23 Aug 1932: Enos Nkala, Zimbabwean soldier and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Defence (died 2013) Enos Mzombi Nkala was one of the founders of the Zimbabwe African National Union. Read more
23 Aug 1932: Mark Russell, American comedian and pianist (died 2023) Marcus Joseph Ruslander, better known as Mark Russell, was an American political satirist and comedian. He is best known for his series of bimonthly comedy specials on PBS television between 1975 and 2004. His routines were a mix of political stand-up humor covering current events and musical parodies in which he accompanied himself on his trademark American flag-themed piano. Read more
23 Aug 1931: Barbara Eden, American actress and singer Barbara Eden is an American actress and singer. She is known for starring as the title character in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970). Her other roles included Roslyn Pierce opposite Elvis Presley in Flaming Star (1960), Lieutenant (JG) Cathy Connors in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), and a single widowed mother, Stella Johnson, in the film comedy Harper Valley PTA (1978) and in the spinoff television series. Read more
23 Aug 1931: Hamilton O. Smith, American microbiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2025) Hamilton Othanel Smith was an American microbiologist and Nobel laureate. Read more
23 Aug 1930: Michel Rocard, French civil servant and politician, 160th Prime Minister of France (died 2016) Michel Rocard was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the Revenu minimum d'insertion (RMI), a social minimum welfare program for indigents, and achieved the Matignon Accords regarding the status of New Caledonia. He was a member of the European Parliament, and was strongly involved in European policies until 2009. In 2007, he joined a Commission under the authority of Nicolas Sarkozy's Minister of Education, Xavier Darcos. Read more
23 Aug 1930: Vera Miles, American actress Vera June Miles is an American former actress. She is known for appearing in John Ford's Western films The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and for playing Lila Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and Richard Franklin's sequel Psycho II (1983). Read more
23 Aug 1929: Vladimir Beekman, Estonian poet and translator (died 2009) Vladimir Beekman was an Estonian writer, poet and translator. Read more
23 Aug 1929: Zoltán Czibor, Hungarian footballer (died 1997) Zoltán Czibor was a Hungarian footballer who played for several Hungarian clubs, including Ferencváros and Budapest Honvéd, and the Hungary national team before joining CF Barcelona. Czibor played as a left-winger or striker and was notable for having a powerful shot, good pace and excellent ball control. During the 1950s he was part of the Magical Magyars, reaching the World Cup final with them in 1954. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution he moved to Spain where he became a prominent member of the successful FC Barcelona team of the late 1950s. After three seasons at Barcelona, he joined their local rivals Español for the 1961–62 season. After brief spells at FC Basel, Austria Wien and Primo Hamilton FC, he retired as a professional footballer and returned to Hungary. He died there in 1997, aged 68. Read more
23 Aug 1929: Peter Thomson, Australian golfer (died 2018) Peter William Thomson was an Australian professional golfer, often cited as the greatest and most successful golfer in Australian golf history. In the late 1940s, Thomson turned professional and immediately had success on the Australasian circuits, then posted his first international win at the 1950 New Zealand Open followed by the 1951 Australian Open. Read more
23 Aug 1928: Marian Seldes, American actress (died 2014) Marian Hall Seldes was an American actress. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for A Delicate Balance in 1967, and received subsequent nominations for Father's Day (1971), Deathtrap (1978), Ring Round the Moon (1999), and Dinner at Eight (2003). She also won a Drama Desk Award for Father's Day. Read more
23 Aug 1927: Dick Bruna, Dutch author and illustrator (died 2017) Hendrik Magdalenus "Dick" Bruna, 23 August 1927 – 16 February 2017) was a Dutch author, artist, illustrator and graphic designer. Read more
23 Aug 1927: Allan Kaprow, American painter and author (died 2006) Allan Kaprow was an American performance artist, installation artist, painter, and assemblagist. He helped to develop the "Environment" and "Happening" in the late 1950s and 1960s, as well as their theory. His Happenings — some 200 of them — evolved over the years. Eventually Kaprow shifted his practice into what he called "Activities", intimately scaled pieces for one or several players, devoted to the study of normal human activity in a way congruent to ordinary life. Fluxus, performance art, and installation art were, in turn, influenced by his work. Read more
23 Aug 1927: Martial Solal, Algerian-French pianist and composer (died 2024) Martial Solal was a French jazz pianist and composer. Read more
23 Aug 1926: Clifford Geertz, American anthropologist and academic (died 2006) Clifford James Geertz was an American anthropologist who was known for his influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology and who was considered "for three decades … the single most influential cultural anthropologist in the United States." He served until his death as professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. Read more
23 Aug 1926: Gyula Hernádi, Hungarian author and screenwriter (died 2005) Gyula Hernádi was a Hungarian writer and screenwriter. He wrote for 36 films between 1965 and 2005, mostly for director Miklós Jancsó. He also wrote many novels, mostly surrealistic science fiction or horror stories with unique twists. Read more
23 Aug 1925: Robert Mulligan, American director and producer (died 2008) Robert Patrick Mulligan was an American director and producer. His dramas include To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Summer of '42 (1971), The Other (1972), Same Time, Next Year (1978), and The Man in the Moon (1991). He collaborated with producer Alan J. Pakula in the 1960s. Read more
23 Aug 1924: Ephraim Kishon, Israeli author, screenwriter, and director (died 2005) Ephraim Kishon was a Hungarian-born Israeli author, dramatist, screenwriter, and Oscar-nominated film director. He was one of the most widely read contemporary satirists in Israel and was also particularly popular in German-speaking countries. Read more
23 Aug 1924: Madeleine Riffaud, French poet, journalist and Resistance member (died 2024) Marie-Madeleine Riffaud was a French Resistance fighter, poet, journalist and war correspondent. After active resistance to the German occupation of France during World War II, in the course of which she was imprisoned and tortured, Riffaud reported for the Communist newspaper L'Humanité and other left-wing publications on the Algerian War and on the French, and subsequently American, wars in Vietnam. Her reporting on Vietnam was informed by four years she spent in the North in the early 1950s, and in the 1960s by the connections she developed in the South with the Viet Cong. Read more
23 Aug 1924: Robert Solow, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2023) Robert Merton Solow, GCIH was an American economist known for his studies of economic growth and the development of the Solow–Swan model, for which he won the 1987 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Read more
23 Aug 1922: Nazik Al-Malaika, Iraqi poet and academic (died 2007) Nazik al-Malaika was an Iraqi poet. Al-Malaika is noted for being among the first Arabic poets to use free verse. Read more
23 Aug 1922: Jean Darling, American actress and singer (died 2015) Jean Darling was an American child actress who was a regular in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1927 to 1929. Prior to her death, she was one of four surviving cast members from the silent era cast of Our Gang. At the time of her death in 2015, Darling was, along with Baby Peggy, one of the last surviving actors who worked in the silent film era. Read more
23 Aug 1922: George Kell, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2009) George Clyde Kell was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1943 to 1957, most prominently as a member of the Detroit Tigers, where he became a perennial All-Star player and won the American League (AL) batting championship in 1949. Read more
23 Aug 1921: Kenneth Arrow, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2017) Kenneth Joseph Arrow was an American economist, mathematician and political theorist. He received the John Bates Clark Medal in 1957, and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1972, along with John Hicks. Read more
23 Aug 1921: Sam Cook, English cricketer and umpire (died 1996) Cecil "Sam" Cook was an English first-class cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and in one Test match for the England cricket team. Read more
23 Aug 1919: Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin, Azerbaijani mathematician and theorist (died 1984) Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin was a Soviet mathematician, who made numerous contributions in algebraic topology, geometry, measure theory, probability theory, ergodic theory and entropy theory. Read more
23 Aug 1917: Tex Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1985) Sollie Paul "Tex" Williams was an American Western swing singer and musician. He is best known for his talking blues style; his biggest hit was the novelty song, "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! ", which held the number-one position on the Hot Country Songs chart for 16 weeks in 1947. "Smoke" was the number-five song on Billboard's Top 100 list for 1947, and was number one on the country chart that year. Read more
23 Aug 1913: Bob Crosby, American swing singer and bandleader (died 1993) George Robert Crosby was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younger brother of famed singer and actor Bing Crosby. On TV, Bob Crosby guest-starred in The Gisele MacKenzie Show. He was also a regular cast member of The Jack Benny Program, on both radio and television, taking over the role of bandleader after Phil Harris' departure. Crosby hosted his own afternoon TV variety show on CBS, The Bob Crosby Show (1953–1957). Crosby received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for television and radio. Read more
23 Aug 1912: Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, and dancer (died 1996) Eugene Curran Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style. Kelly sought to create a new form of American dance accessible to the general public, which he called "dance for the common man". He starred in, choreographed, and, with Stanley Donen, co-directed some of the best-regarded musical films of the 1940s and 1950s. Read more
23 Aug 1912: Igor Troubetzkoy, Russian aristocrat and race car driver (died 2008) Prince Igor Nikolayevich Troubetzkoy was a French aristocrat and athlete of Russian descent. He was styled His Serene Highness, but did not use the style often. Read more
23 Aug 1911: Betty Robinson, American sprinter (died 1999) Elizabeth R. Schwartz was an American athlete and winner of the first Olympic 100 metres for women. Read more
23 Aug 1911: J.V. Cunningham, American poet, literary critic, and translator (died 1985) James Vincent Cunningham was an American poet, literary critic and teacher. Read more
23 Aug 1910: Lonny Frey, American baseball player and soldier (died 2009) Linus Reinhard Frey was an American infielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1933 through 1948 for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1933–1936), Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees (1947–1948), and New York Giants (1948). He was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, and was listed as 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 160 pounds (73 kg). Read more
23 Aug 1910: Giuseppe Meazza, Italian footballer and manager (died 1979) Giuseppe Meazza was an Italian football manager and player. Throughout his career, he played mainly for Inter Milan in the 1930s, scoring 284 goals in 408 games for the club, and winning three Serie A titles, as well as the Coppa Italia; he later also played for two seasons for local rivals Milan, as well as Turin rivals Juventus for one season, in addition to his spells with Varese and Atalanta. At the international level, he led Italy to win two consecutive World Cups: in 1934 on home soil, and in 1938 as captain, being named to the All-star Team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players of the 20th century, and one of the greatest Italian strikers in the history of the sport. Read more
23 Aug 1909: Syd Buller, English cricketer and umpire (died 1970) John Sydney Buller was an English first-class cricketer and international umpire. He was a wicket-keeper. Read more
23 Aug 1908: Hannah Frank, Scottish sculptor and illustrator (died 2008) Hannah Frank was an artist and sculptor from Glasgow, Scotland. She was known for her Art Nouveau monochrome drawings until she decided to concentrate on sculpture in 1952. Read more
23 Aug 1906: Zoltan Sarosy, Hungarian-Canadian chess master (died 2017) Zoltan Sarosy was a Hungarian-Canadian professional chess master and supercentenarian. He was born in Budapest and won numerous tournaments in his native country before immigrating to Canada in the early 1950s. Read more
23 Aug 1905: Ernie Bushmiller, American cartoonist (died 1982) Ernest Paul Bushmiller Jr. was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the comic strip character Nancy in 1933, now in print for over 90 years. His work is noted for its simple graphic style. In 1976, he received the Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society for his work on Nancy. Read more
23 Aug 1905: Constant Lambert, English composer and conductor (died 1951) Leonard Constant Lambert was a British composer, conductor, and author. He was the founding music director of the Royal Ballet, and he was a major figure in the establishment of the English ballet as a significant artistic movement. Read more
23 Aug 1904: William Primrose, Scottish viola player and educator (died 1982) William Primrose was a Scottish violist and teacher. He performed with the London String Quartet from 1930 to 1935. He then joined the NBC Symphony Orchestra where he formed the Primrose Quartet. He performed in various countries around the world as a soloist throughout his career. He also taught at several universities and institutions. He authored several books on viola technique. Read more
23 Aug 1901: Guy Bush, American baseball player and manager (died 1985) Guy Terrell Bush was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, nicknamed "the Mississippi Mudcat". Read more
23 Aug 1901: John Sherman Cooper, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 2nd United States Ambassador to East Germany (died 1991) John Sherman Cooper was an American politician, jurist, and diplomat. He served three non-consecutive, partial terms in the United States Senate before being elected to two full terms in 1960 and 1966, representing Kentucky. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to India from 1955 to 1956 and U.S. Ambassador to East Germany from 1974 to 1976. He was the first Republican to be popularly elected to more than one term as a senator from Kentucky and, in both 1960 and 1966, he set records for the largest victory margin for a Kentucky senatorial candidate from either party. Read more
23 Aug 1900: Frances Adaskin, Canadian pianist (died 2001) Frances Alice Adaskin, was a Canadian pianist. Read more
23 Aug 1900: Ernst Krenek, Austrian-American composer and educator (died 1991) Ernst Heinrich Krenek was an Austrian, later American, composer. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including Music Here and Now (1939), a study of Johannes Ockeghem (1953), and Horizons Circled: Reflections on my Music (1974). Krenek wrote two pieces using the pseudonym Thornton Winsloe. Read more
23 Aug 1900: Malvina Reynolds, American singer-songwriter and activist (died 1978) Malvina Reynolds was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her songwriting, particularly the songs "Little Boxes", "What Have They Done to the Rain" and "Morningtown Ride". Read more
23 Aug 1897: Henry F. Pringle, American historian and journalist (died 1958) Henry Fowles Pringle was an American historian and writer most famous for his witty but scholarly biography of Theodore Roosevelt which won the Pulitzer prize in 1932, as well as a scholarly biography of William Howard Taft. His work in the field of journalism reached many aspects of public and private life. Read more
23 Aug 1894: John Auden, English solicitor, deputy coroner and a territorial soldier (died 1959) John Lorimer Auden MC, was an English solicitor, deputy coroner for Staffordshire and a territorial soldier who served in the First World War. He was a collector of natural history. Read more
23 Aug 1891: Roy Agnew, Australian pianist and composer (died 1944) Roy Ewing "Robert" Agnew was an Australian composer, pianist, teacher, and radio announcer. He was described as "the most outstanding of the early twentieth-century Australian composers" by Morris Hinson. Read more
23 Aug 1891: Minna Craucher, Finnish socialite and spy (died 1932) Minna Craucher was the pseudonym of Maria Vilhelmiina Lindell, a Finnish socialite and spy. Her home was a noted salon for various writers and artists. She also did espionage, originally for the Cheka, the Soviet secret police, and was arrested three times for fraud. She also had connections to the right-wing Lapua Movement. She became the subject of several books and stories. In 1932 she was murdered by Olavi Runolinna. Read more
23 Aug 1890: Harry Frank Guggenheim, American businessman and publisher, co-founded Newsday (died 1971) Harry Frank Guggenheim was an American businessman, diplomat, publisher, philanthropist, aviator, and horseman. Read more
23 Aug 1884: Will Cuppy, American author and critic (died 1949) William Jacob Cuppy was an American humorist and literary critic, known for his satirical books about nature and historical figures. Read more
23 Aug 1884: Ogden L. Mills, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 50th United States Secretary of the Treasury (died 1937) Ogden Livingston Mills was an American lawyer, businessman and politician. He served as United States Secretary of the Treasury in President Herbert Hoover's cabinet, during which time Mills pushed for tax increases, spending cuts and other austerity measures that would deepen the economic crisis. A member of the Republican Party, Mills also represented New York in the United States House of Representatives, served as
Undersecretary of the Treasury during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge, and was the Republican nominee in the 1926 New York gubernatorial election. Read more
23 Aug 1883: Jonathan M. Wainwright, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1953) Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV was a United States Army general, the commander of Allied forces in the Philippines, and prisoner of war during World War II. Read more
23 Aug 1882: Volin, Russia anarchist intellectual (died 1945) Vsevolod Mikhailovich Eikhenbaum, commonly known by his pseudonym Volin, was a Russian anarchist intellectual. He became involved in revolutionary socialist politics during the 1905 Russian Revolution, for which he was forced into exile, where he gravitated towards anarcho-syndicalism. Read more
23 Aug 1880: Alexander Grin, Russian sailor and author (died 1932) Aleksandr Stepanovich Grinevsky, better known by his pen name Alexander Green or Grin, was a Russian writer, notable for his romantic novels and short stories, mostly set in an unnamed fantasy land with a European or Latin American flavor. Most of his writings deal with the sea, adventures, and love. Read more
23 Aug 1877: István Medgyaszay, Hungarian architect and academic (died 1959) István Medgyaszay was a Hungarian architect and writer. He was one of the first to employ Hungarian folk idioms, particularly from Transylvania, and combine them with influences ranging from the far east to organic architecture. Read more
23 Aug 1875: William Eccles, English physicist and engineer (died 1966) William Henry Eccles, FRS was an English physicist who was a pioneer in the development of radio communication. Read more
23 Aug 1875: Eugene Lanceray, Russian painter and sculptor (died 1946) Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Lanceray, also often spelled Eugene Lansere, was a Russian graphic artist, painter, sculptor, mosaicist, and illustrator, associated stylistically with Mir iskusstva. Read more
23 Aug 1872: Tanguturi Prakasam, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Andhra (died 1957) Tanguturi Prakasam, also known as Prakasam Pantulu, was an Indian jurist, politician, and Gandhian anti-colonial nationalist. During a demonstration against the Simon Commission in Madras, he exposed his chest to armed police and dared them to shoot. A major anti-colonial leader, his actions earned him the epithet 'Andhra Kesari' among his admirers. He served as the premier of the Madras Presidency from 1946 to 1947 and played a major role in the abolition of Zamindari in the region. Following Indian independence, Tanguturi served as the first chief minister of the newly created Andhra State, from 1953 to 1954. Read more
23 Aug 1868: Edgar Lee Masters, American lawyer, author, poet, and playwright (died 1950) Edgar Lee Masters was an American attorney, poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology (1915), The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, The Great Valley, The Serpent in the Wilderness, An Obscure Tale, The Spleen, Mark Twain: A Portrait, Lincoln: The Man, and Illinois Poems. In all, Masters published twelve plays, twenty-one books of poetry, six novels and six biographies, including those of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Vachel Lindsay, and Walt Whitman. Read more
23 Aug 1867: Edgar de Wahl, Ukrainian-Estonian linguist and academic (died 1948) Edgar von Wahl was a Baltic German mathematics and physics teacher who lived in Tallinn, Estonia. He also used the pseudonym Julian Prorók, and is best known as the creator of Interlingue, an international auxiliary language that was known as Occidental throughout his life. Read more
23 Aug 1864: Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek lawyer, jurist, and politician, 93rd Prime Minister of Greece (died 1936) Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos was a Cretan Greek statesman and prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movement. As the leader of the Liberal Party, Venizelos served as prime minister of Greece for over 12 years, spanning eight terms from 1910 to 1933. Read more
23 Aug 1854: Moritz Moszkowski, Polish-German pianist and composer (died 1925) Moritz Moszkowski was a German-Polish composer, pianist, and teacher. His brother Alexander Moszkowski was a famous writer and satirist in Berlin. Read more
23 Aug 1852: Radha Gobinda Kar, Indian physician and philanthropist (died 1918) Radha Gobinda Kar was an Indian physician and philanthropist. R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal is named after him. Read more
23 Aug 1852: Clímaco Calderón, Colombian lawyer and politician, 15th President of Colombia (died 1913) Clímaco Calderón Reyes was a Colombian lawyer and politician, who became 15th President of Colombia for one day, following the death of President Francisco Javier Zaldúa. Read more
23 Aug 1852: Arnold Toynbee, English economist and historian (died 1883) Arnold Toynbee was an English economic historian also noted for his social commitment and desire to improve the living conditions of the working classes. Toynbee Hall in London was named in his honour. Read more
23 Aug 1850: John Cockburn, Scottish-Australian politician, 18th Premier of South Australia (died 1929) Sir John Alexander Cockburn was Premier of South Australia from 27 June 1889 to 18 August 1890. Read more
23 Aug 1849: William Ernest Henley, English poet and critic (died 1903) William Ernest Henley was an English poet, writer, critic, and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, the one-legged Henley was an inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's character Long John Silver, while his young daughter Margaret Henley inspired J. M. Barrie's choice of the name Wendy for the heroine of his play Peter Pan (1904). Read more
23 Aug 1847: Sarah Frances Whiting, American physicist and astronomer (died 1927) Sarah Frances Whiting was an American physicist and astronomer. In February 1896 Whiting founded both the physics and astronomy departments; and was the first professor of physics and astronomy at Wellesley College, where she taught for over 30 years. At Wellesley College, Whiting instructed several notable astronomers and physicists, including Annie Jump Cannon. Whiting was one of the founders and the first director of the Whitin Observatory. Read more
23 Aug 1846: Alexander Milne Calder, Scottish-American sculptor (died 1923) Alexander Milne Calder was a Scottish-American sculptor. He produced over 250 architectural sculptures over 30 years for the construction of Philadelphia City Hall including the 37-foot statue of William Penn atop the structure. Additional works include the Equestrian statue of George Meade in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. His son, Alexander Stirling Calder, and grandson Alexander Calder were also sculptors. Read more
23 Aug 1843: William Southam, Canadian publisher (died 1932) William Southam was a Canadian newspaper publisher. Read more
23 Aug 1829: Moritz Cantor, German mathematician and historian (died 1920) Moritz Benedikt Cantor was a German historian of mathematics. Read more
23 Aug 1814: James Roosevelt Bayley, American archbishop (died 1877) James Roosevelt Bayley was an American Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Newark (1853–1872) and as Archbishop of Baltimore (1872–1877). Read more
23 Aug 1805: Anton von Schmerling, Austrian judge and politician (died 1893) Anton Ritter von Schmerling was an Austrian statesman. Read more
23 Aug 1800: Evangelos Zappas, Greek patriot, philanthropist, and businessman (died 1865) Evangelos or Evangelis Zappas was a Greek philanthropist and businessman who is recognized today as one of the founders of the modern Olympic Games, which were held in 1859, 1870, 1875, and 1888 and preceded the Olympic Games that came under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. These Games, known at the time simply as Olympics, came before the founding of the International Olympic Committee itself. The legacy of Zappas, as well as the legacy of his cousin Konstantinos, was also used to fund the Olympic Games of 1896. Read more

Notable Deaths on 23 August

23 Aug 2023: Dmitry Utkin, Russian army officer, founder of Wagner Group (born 1970) Dmitry Valerievich Utkin was a Russian military officer and mercenary. He served as a special forces officer in the GRU, where he held the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was the co-founder and military commander of the Russian state-funded Wagner Group, with his military alias reportedly being Wagner. Utkin was a neo-Nazi. He rarely made public appearances, but was allegedly the commander of the private military company, while Yevgeny Prigozhin was its owner and public face. Utkin was awarded four Orders of Courage of Russia. Read more
23 Aug 2023: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian businessman, chief of Wagner Group (born 1961) Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin was a Russian mercenary leader, rebel commander, and oligarch. He led the Wagner Group, a private military company, and was a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin until he launched a one-day rebellion in June 2023. Prigozhin was sometimes referred to as "Putin's chef" because he owned restaurants and catering businesses that provided services to the Kremlin. Once a convict in the Soviet Union, Prigozhin controlled a network of influential companies whose operations, according to a 2020 investigation, were "tightly integrated with Russia's Defence Ministry and its intelligence arm, the GRU". Read more
23 Aug 2023: Terry Funk, American professional wrestler (born 1944) Terrance Dee Funk was an American professional wrestler and actor. Funk is known for the length of his career, which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements. He is also known for his influential hardcore wrestling style he pioneered in the latter part of his career. Read more
23 Aug 2021: Elizabeth Blackadder, Scottish painter and printmaker (born 1931) Dame Elizabeth Violet Blackadder, Mrs Houston, was a Scottish painter and printmaker. She was the first woman to be elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy of Arts. Read more
23 Aug 2015: Augusta Chiwy, Congolese-Belgian nurse (born 1921) Augusta Marie Chiwy was a Belgian nurse who was a volunteer during the Siege of Bastogne in 1944. She worked with the U.S. Army physician John Prior and with fellow Belgian nurse Renée Lemaire, treating injured soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge. Read more
23 Aug 2015: Guy Ligier, French rugby player and race car driver (born 1930) Guy Camille Ligier was a French racing driver and team owner. He maintained many varied and successful careers over the course of his life, including rugby player, butcher, racing driver and Formula One team owner. Read more
23 Aug 2015: Enrique Reneau, Honduran footballer (born 1971) Germán Enrique Centeno Reneau, known as "Quique" Renau was a Honduran football player. Read more
23 Aug 2015: Paul Royle, Australian lieutenant and pilot (born 1914) Flight Lieutenant Paul Gordon Royle was an Australian Royal Air Force pilot who was one of the last two survivors of the 76 men who were able to escape from the Stalag Luft III German prisoner-of-war camp in World War II in what became known as The Great Escape. Read more
23 Aug 2014: Albert Ebossé Bodjongo, Cameroonian footballer (born 1989) Albert Dominique Ebossé Bodjongo Dika was a Cameroonian footballer who played in Cameroon, Malaysia and Algeria. Read more
23 Aug 2014: Annefleur Kalvenhaar, Dutch cyclist (born 1994) Annefleur Kalvenhaar was a Dutch cyclist and mountain biker. She won the U23 European Cyclo-cross Championships in 2013. She began her career at the age of 13. She participated for the first time in a World Cup in 2012. In Houffalize and La Bresse she finished second place in the top 10. She was born in Wierden, the Netherlands. Read more
23 Aug 2014: Birgitta Stenberg, Swedish author and illustrator (born 1932) Birgitta Alma Sofia Stenberg was a Swedish author, translator and illustrator. She was the 2005 winner of the Selma Lagerlöf Prize. Read more
23 Aug 2014: Jaume Vallcorba Plana, Spanish philologist and publisher (born 1949) Jaume Vallcorba Plana was a Spanish philologist and publisher. Read more
23 Aug 2013: Richard J. Corman, American businessman, founded the R.J. Corman Railroad Group (born 1955) Richard Jay Corman was the founder and owner of R. J. Corman Railroad Group, a Nicholasville, Kentucky-based railroad services and short line operating company. Read more
23 Aug 2013: William Glasser, American psychiatrist and author (born 1925) William Glasser was an American psychiatrist. He was the developer of W. Edwards Deming's workplace ideas, reality therapy and choice theory. His innovations for individual counseling, work environments and school, highlight personal choice, personal responsibility and personal transformation. Glasser positioned himself in opposition to conventional mainstream psychiatrists, who focus instead on classifying psychiatric syndromes as "illnesses" and prescribe psychotropic medications to treat mental disorders. Read more
23 Aug 2013: Charles Lisanby, American production designer and set director (born 1924) Charles Alvin Lisanby Jr. was an American production designer who had a formative role for scenic design in early color television. During his career, Lisanby was nominated for sixteen Emmys and won three. In January 2010, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame at the nineteenth annual ceremony alongside Don Pardo, the Smothers Brothers, Bob Stewart, and Gene Roddenberry. Aside from his success in the entertainment industry, Lisanby was known for his friendship with the artist Andy Warhol. Read more
23 Aug 2013: Konstanty Miodowicz, Polish ethnographer and politician (born 1951) Konstanty Bronisław Miodowicz was a Polish politician. He was a member of Sejm from 1997 until mid-2013, mostly as a candidate from the Civic Platform. Read more
23 Aug 2013: Vesna Rožič, Slovenian chess player (born 1987) Vesna Rožič was a Slovenian chess player. She received the FIDE title of Woman International Master (WIM) in April 2006. Rožič was ranked the second best Slovenian female chess player, after Anna Muzychuk. She won the Slovenian women's championship in 2007 and 2010. In 2007, Rožič also became the Mediterranean women's champion in Antalya. In team events, she represented Slovenia in four Women's Chess Olympiads, four Women's European Team Chess Championships, six Women's Mitropa Cups and four European Girls U18 Team Championships. In the Women's Mitropa Cup, Rožič won two team golds, four team silvers and two individual gold medals. Read more
23 Aug 2013: Tatyana Zaslavskaya, Russian sociologist and economist (born 1927) Tatyana Ivanovna Zaslavskaya was a Russian economic sociologist and a theoretician of perestroika. She was the prime author of the Novosibirsk Report and several books on the economy of the Soviet Union and in sociology of the countryside. She was a member of the Consulting Committee to the President of Russia from 1991 to 1992 and also a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Zaslavskaya was the founder of RPORC and also its director in the years from 1987 to 1992. In 2000 she was the Laureate of the Demidov Prize and the honorary president of the Levada Center. Read more
23 Aug 2012: Jerry Nelson, American puppeteer and voice actor (born 1934) Jerry Nelson was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with the Muppets. Known for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and various Muppet movies and specials. Read more
23 Aug 2012: Josepha Sherman, American anthologist and author (born 1946) Josepha Sherman was an American author, folklorist, and anthologist. In 1990 she won the Compton Crook Award for the novel The Shining Falcon. Read more
23 Aug 2008: John Russell, English-American author and critic (born 1919) John Russell CBE was an English art critic and journalist. Read more
23 Aug 2006: Maynard Ferguson, Canadian trumpet player and bandleader (born 1928) Walter Maynard Ferguson CM was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served as stepping stones for up-and-coming talent, his versatility on several instruments, and his ability to play in a high register. Read more
23 Aug 2005: Brock Peters, American actor (born 1927) Brock Peters was an American actor, best known for playing the villainous "Crown" in the 1959 film version of Porgy and Bess, and Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird. He made his Broadway debut in the 1965 Norman Rosten play Mister Johnson. He was nominated for a Tony Award and won a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his lead role as Rev. Stephen Kumalo in the 1972 Broadway revival of the musical Lost in the Stars. He received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1991 and a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992. Read more
23 Aug 2003: Bobby Bonds, American baseball player and manager (born 1946) Bobby Lee Bonds was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1981. He played for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs. Read more
23 Aug 2003: Jack Dyer, Australian footballer and coach (born 1913) John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM, nicknamed Captain Blood, was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1931 and 1949. One of the game's most prominent players, he was one of 12 inaugural "Legends" inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. He later turned to coaching and work in the media as a popular broadcaster and journalist. Read more
23 Aug 2003: Jan Sedivka, Czech-Australian violinist and educator (born 1917) Jan Boleslav Sedivka, Czech-born, was one of Australia's foremost violinists and teachers. Read more
23 Aug 2003: Michael Kijana Wamalwa, Kenyan lawyer and politician, 8th Vice President of Kenya (born 1944) Michael Christopher Kijana Wamalwa was a renowned Kenyan politician who at the time of his death was serving as the eighth Vice-President of Kenya. Read more
23 Aug 2002: Hoyt Wilhelm, American baseball player and coach (born 1922) James Hoyt Wilhelm, nicknamed "Old Sarge", was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers between 1952 and 1972. Wilhelm was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. Read more
23 Aug 2001: Kathleen Freeman, American actress (born 1919) Kathleen Freeman was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost invariably to comic effect. In film, she is perhaps best remembered for appearing in 12 Jerry Lewis comedies in the 1950s and 1960s and The Blues Brothers (1980). Read more
23 Aug 2001: Peter Maas, American journalist and author (born 1929) Peter Maas was an American journalist and author. He was born in New York City and attended Duke University. Maas had Dutch and Irish ancestry. Read more
23 Aug 2000: John Anthony Kaiser, American priest and missionary (born 1932) John Anthony Kaiser was a Roman Catholic priest and Mill Hill father from Perham, Minnesota, US, who was assassinated near his mission at Morendat, near Naivasha, Rift Valley Province, Kenya. Read more
23 Aug 1999: Norman Wexler, American screenwriter (born 1926) Norman Wexler was an American screenwriter. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, Best Original Screenplay for Joe (1970) and Best Adapted Screenplay for Serpico (1973). Read more
23 Aug 1999: James White, Irish author (born 1928) James White was a Northern Irish author of science fiction. He was born in Belfast and returned there after spending some early years in Canada. After a few years working in the clothing industry, he worked at Short Brothers Ltd., an aircraft company based in Belfast, from 1965 until taking early retirement in 1984 as a result of diabetes. White married Margaret Sarah Martin, another science fiction fan, in 1955 and the couple had three children. He died of a stroke. Read more
23 Aug 1997: Eric Gairy, Grenadian educator and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Grenada (born 1922) Sir Eric Matthew Gairy PC was the first Prime Minister of Grenada, serving from his country's independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by Maurice Bishop in 1979. Gairy also served as head of government in pre-independence Grenada as Chief Minister from 1961 to 1962 and as Premier from 1967 to 1974. Read more
23 Aug 1997: John Kendrew, English biochemist and crystallographer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917) Sir John Cowdery Kendrew, was an English biochemist, crystallographer, and science administrator. Kendrew shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Max Perutz, for their work at the Cavendish Laboratory to investigate the structure of haem-containing proteins. Read more
23 Aug 1996: Margaret Tucker, Australian author and activist (born 1904) Margaret Lilardia Tucker MBE was an Aboriginal Australian activist and writer who was among the first Aboriginal authors to publish an autobiography If Everyone Cared, in 1977; a new edition of this work was published in 2024. Read more
23 Aug 1995: Alfred Eisenstaedt, German-American photographer and journalist (born 1898) Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-born American photographer and photojournalist. He began his career in Germany prior to World War II but achieved prominence as a staff photographer for Life magazine after moving to the U.S. Life featured more than 90 of his pictures on its covers, and more than 2,500 of his photo stories were published. Read more
23 Aug 1994: Zoltán Fábri, Hungarian director and screenwriter (born 1917) Zoltán Fábri was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. His films The Boys of Paul Street (1969) and Hungarians (1978) were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His 1965 film Twenty Hours shared the Grand Prix with War and Peace at the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1969 film The Toth Family was entered into the 7th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1975 film 141 Minutes from the Unfinished Sentence was entered into the 9th Moscow International Film Festival, where he won a Special Prize for Directing. Read more
23 Aug 1990: David Rose, American pianist and composer (born 1910) David Daniel Rose was a British-American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His best known compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody". He also wrote music for many television series, including It's a Great Life, The Tony Martin Show, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, and Highway Patrol, some under the pseudonym Ray Llewellyn. Read more
23 Aug 1989: Mohammed Abed Elhai, Sudanese poet and academic (born 1944) Mohammed Abdul-Hayy or Muhammad Abd al-Hayy was a member of the first generation of post-colonial Sudanese writers and academics. Together with Ali El-Mak and Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, he is regarded as a pioneer of modern poetry in Sudan. Read more
23 Aug 1989: R. D. Laing, Scottish psychiatrist and author (born 1927) Ronald David Laing, usually cited as R. D. Laing, was a Scottish psychiatrist who wrote extensively on mental illness, particularly psychosis and schizophrenia. Politically, Laing was regarded as a thinker of the New Left. He has been theatrically portrayed by Mike Maran, Alan Cox, Billy Mack, and David Tennant in the 2017 film Mad to Be Normal. Read more
23 Aug 1987: Didier Pironi, French race car and boat driver (born 1952) Didier Joseph Louis Pironi was a French racing driver and offshore powerboat racer, who competed in Formula One from 1978 to 1982. Pironi was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1982 with Ferrari, and won three Grands Prix across five seasons. In endurance racing, Pironi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 with Renault. Read more
23 Aug 1982: Stanford Moore, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913) Stanford Moore was an American biochemist. He shared a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1972, with Christian B. Anfinsen and William Howard Stein, for work done at Rockefeller University on the structure of the enzyme ribonuclease and for contributing to the understanding of the connection between the chemical structure and catalytic activity of the ribonuclease molecule. Read more
23 Aug 1977: Naum Gabo, Russian sculptor and academic (born 1890) Naum Gabo was a Russian and American constructivist sculptor and theorist. He was a key figure in the Russian avant-garde and the subsequent development of 20th-century sculpture. Read more
23 Aug 1975: Faruk Gürler, Turkish general (born 1913) Ömer Faruk Gürler was a Turkish general. He was the 15th Commander of the Turkish Army during the 1971 Turkish coup d'état, and then Chief of the General Staff of Turkey (1972–1973). He was the military's candidate in the 1973 Presidential Election, but lost to Fahri Korutürk chosen by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Read more
23 Aug 1974: Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychiatrist and author (born 1888) Roberto Assagioli was an Italian psychiatrist in the fields of humanistic and transpersonal psychology. Assagioli founded the psychological movement known as psychosynthesis, which is still being developed today by therapists and psychologists who practice the psychological methods and techniques he developed. Read more
23 Aug 1967: Georges Berger, Belgian race car driver (born 1918) Georges Berger was a racing driver who raced a Gordini in his two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix. Read more
23 Aug 1967: Nathaniel Cartmell, American runner and coach (born 1883) Nathaniel John Cartmell, also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games. Importantly, Nate was on first racially integrated Men's Medley relay team that won Olympic gold medal at the 1908 London Olympics, which Nate helped form and featured Nate's fellow University of Pennsylvania alumnus and former teammate, Dr. John Baxter Taylor Jr., the first black athlete in America to win a gold medal in the Olympics. Nate is also known for being the first head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team Read more
23 Aug 1966: Francis X. Bushman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1883) Francis Xavier Bushman was an American film actor and director. His career as a matinee idol started in 1911 in the silent film His Friend's Wife. He gained a large female following and was one of the biggest stars of the 1910s and early '20s. Read more
23 Aug 1964: Edmond Hogan, Australian politician, 30th Premier of Victoria (born 1883) Edmond John "Ned" Hogan was an Australian politician who was the 30th Premier of Victoria. He was born in Wallace, Victoria, where his Irish-born parents were small farmers. After attending a Roman Catholic primary school, he became a farm worker and then a timber worker, and spent some time on the goldfields of Western Australia. Read more
23 Aug 1962: Walter Anderson, Russian-German ethnologist and academic (born 1885) Walter Arthur Alexander Anderson was a Baltic German ethnologist (folklorist) and numismatist. Read more
23 Aug 1962: Hoot Gibson, American actor, director, and producer (born 1892) Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned from silent films to become a leading performer in Hollywood's growing cowboy film industry. Read more
23 Aug 1960: Oscar Hammerstein II, American director, producer, and composer (born 1895) Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Many of his songs are standard repertoire for vocalists and jazz musicians. He co-wrote 850 songs. Read more
23 Aug 1954: Jaan Sarv, Estonian mathematician and scholar (born 1877) Jaan Sarv was an Estonian mathematician and educator. Most of his life he worked as a professor at the University of Tartu. Sarv laid the foundation of Estonian language mathematical education. Read more
23 Aug 1949: Helen Churchill Candee, American geographer, journalist, and author (born 1858) Helen Churchill Candee was an American author, journalist, interior decorator, feminist, and geographer. She is best remembered as a survivor of the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912, and for her later work as a travel writer and explorer of southeast Asia. Read more
23 Aug 1944: Abdülmecid II, Ottoman caliph (born 1868) Abdülmecid II or Abdul Mejid II, commonly known as Abdülmecid Efendi, was the last Ottoman caliph, the only caliph elected by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and head of the Osmanoğlu family from 1926 to 1944. Unlike previous caliphs, he used the title Halîfe-i Müslimîn instead of Emîrü'l-Mü'minîn. Read more
23 Aug 1944: Stefan Filipkiewicz, Polish painter and illustrator (born 1879) Stefan Filipkiewicz was a Polish painter and designer. He was born in Tarnów, Austria-Hungary, and died in Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, Nazi Germany, during the Holocaust. Notable for his landscapes inspired by the Young Poland movement, he was a leading representative of the Polish Art Nouveau style of painting. Read more
23 Aug 1937: Albert Roussel, French composer (born 1869) Albert Charles Paul Marie Roussel was a French composer. He spent seven years as a midshipman, turned to music as an adult, and became one of the most prominent French composers of the interwar period. His early works were strongly influenced by the Impressionism of Debussy and Ravel, while he later turned toward neoclassicism. Read more
23 Aug 1933: Adolf Loos, Austrian architect and theoretician, designed Villa Müller (born 1870) Adolf Franz Karl Viktor Maria Loos was an Austrian and Czechoslovak architect, influential European theorist, polemicist of modern architecture. He was inspired by modernism and a widely-known critic of the Art Nouveau movement. His controversial views and literary contributions sparked the establishment of the Vienna Secession movement and postmodernism. Read more
23 Aug 1927: Nicola Sacco, Italian anarchist convicted of murder (born 1891) Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants and anarchists, controversially accused of murdering Alessandro Berardelli and Frederick Parmenter, a guard and a paymaster, during the April 15, 1920, armed robbery of the Slater and Morrill Shoe Company in Braintree, Massachusetts, United States. Seven years later, they were executed in the electric chair at Charlestown State Prison, on the same day as Celestino Medeiros, who had confessed to the crime. Most historians consider their conviction unfair due to prejudice against immigrants and radicals. Read more
23 Aug 1927: Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian anarchist convicted of murder (born 1888) Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants and anarchists, controversially accused of murdering Alessandro Berardelli and Frederick Parmenter, a guard and a paymaster, during the April 15, 1920, armed robbery of the Slater and Morrill Shoe Company in Braintree, Massachusetts, United States. Seven years later, they were executed in the electric chair at Charlestown State Prison, on the same day as Celestino Medeiros, who had confessed to the crime. Most historians consider their conviction unfair due to prejudice against immigrants and radicals. Read more
23 Aug 1926: Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor (born 1895) Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaele Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla, known professionally as Rudolph Valentino or just as Valentino, was an Italian-born actor and dancer. Dubbed the Latin Lover, he became one of the most iconic stars of American silent cinema and an enduring symbol of old Hollywood glamour. Rising to international fame in the early 1920s, Valentino was celebrated for his exotic screen persona, romantic intensity, and expressive performances, which helped redefine male stardom during the silent era. Read more
23 Aug 1924: Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (born 1856) Heinrich Berté, born Heinrich Bettelheim was an Austrian-Hungarian composer of operas and operettas. Read more
23 Aug 1900: Kuroda Kiyotaka, Japanese general and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1840) Count Kuroda Kiyotaka was a Japanese politician and general who served as prime minister of Japan from 1888 to 1889. He was one of the genrō, or senior statesman of the Meiji era. Born in the Satsuma Domain to a samurai family, Kuroda was involved in the colonization of Hokkaido, the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876, and the suppression of the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877. After his tenure as prime minister, which ended due to his inability to revise the unequal treaties imposed on Japan, Kuroda also served as Minister of Communications and President of the Privy Council. Read more
23 Aug 1892: Deodoro da Fonseca, Brazilian field marshal and politician, 1st President of Brazil (born 1827) Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca was a Brazilian politician and military officer who served as the head of provisional government and the first president of Brazil. He was born in Alagoas in a military family, followed a military career, and became a national figure. Fonseca took office as provisional president after heading a military coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II and established the First Brazilian Republic in 1889, disestablishing the Empire. After his election in 1891, he stepped down the same year under great political pressure when he dissolved the National Congress. He died less than a year later. Read more
23 Aug 1880: William Thompson, British boxer (born 1811) William Abednego Thompson, also known as Bendigo Thompson and mononymously as Bendigo, was an English bare-knuckle boxer who won the heavyweight championship of England from James Burke on 12 February 1839. He was inducted into The Ring magazine Hall of Fame in 1955, the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. His nickname of "Bendigo" lives on in the name of a city and creek in Australia. Read more
23 Aug 1867: Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy, French poet and author (born 1796) Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy was a French satirical poet. His name can hardly be separated from that of his friend and compatriot, Joseph Méry (1798–1866), with whom he carried on so intimate a collaboration that it is not possible to distinguish their personalities in their joint works. Read more
23 Aug 1853: Alexander Calder, American lawyer and politician (born 1806) Alexander Calder was the first mayor of Beaumont, Texas, on August 8, 1840. Read more
23 Aug 1845: Thomas R. Gray, American author and diplomat (born 1800) Thomas Ruffin Gray was an American attorney, diplomat, and author. He represented several slaves during their trials in the wake of Nat Turner's Rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia in 1831. Gray interviewed Nat Turner and published The Confessions of Nat Turner, the first detailed account of the slave rebellion. Later, Gray was appointed as the U.S. Consul for Tabasco, Mexico and Trinidad de Cuba, Cuba. Read more
23 Aug 1831: Ferenc Kazinczy, Hungarian author and poet (born 1759) Ferenc Kazinczy was a Hungarian author, poet, translator, neologist, an agent in the regeneration of the Hungarian language and literature at the turn of the 19th century. Today his name is connected with the extensive Language Reform of the 19th century, when thousands of words were coined or revived, enabling the Hungarian language to keep up with scientific progress and become an official language of the nation in 1844. For his linguistic and literary works he is regarded as one of the cultural founders of the Hungarian Reform Era along with Dávid Baróti Szabó, Ferenc Verseghy, György Bessenyei, Mátyás Rát and János Kis. Read more
23 Aug 1831: August Neidhardt von Gneisenau, Prussian field marshal (born 1760) August Wilhelm Antonius Graf Neidhardt von Gneisenau was a Prussian field marshal. He was a prominent figure in the reform of the Prussian military and the War of Liberation. Read more
23 Aug 1819: Oliver Hazard Perry, American commander (born 1785) Oliver Hazard Perry was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. A prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and Captain Christopher Raymond Perry, and older brother of Commodore Matthew C. Perry. Read more
23 Aug 1813: Alexander Wilson, Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, and illustrator (born 1766) Alexander Wilson was a Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, naturalist, and illustrator. Identified by George Ord as the "Father of American Ornithology", Wilson is regarded as the greatest American ornithologist before Audubon. Read more
23 Aug 1806: Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, French physicist and engineer (born 1736) Charles-Augustin de Coulomb was a French officer, engineer, and physicist. He is best known as the eponymous discoverer of what is now called Coulomb's law, the description of the electrostatic force of attraction and repulsion. He also did important work on friction, and his work on earth pressure formed the basis for the later development of much of the science of soil mechanics. Read more

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