April 23

Events

Pre-1600

• 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
• 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico, defeating queen Yohl Ik'nal and sacking the city.
• 711 – Dagobert III succeeds his father King Childebert III as King of the Franks.
• 1014 – Battle of Clontarf: High King of Ireland Brian Boru defeats Viking invaders, but is killed in battle.
• 1016 – Edmund Ironside succeeds his father Æthelred the Unready as King of England.
• 1343 – St. George's Night Uprising commences in the Duchy of Estonia.
• 1348 – The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III is announced on St. George's Day.
• 1500 – Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvarez Cabral reaches new coastline (Brazil).
• 1516 – The Munich Reinheitsgebot (regarding the ingredients of beer) takes effect in all of Bavaria.
• 1521 – Battle of Villalar: King Charles I of Spain defeats the Comuneros.

1601–1900

• 1635 – The first public school in the United States, the Boston Latin School, is founded.
• 1655 – The Siege of Santo Domingo begins during the Anglo-Spanish War, and fails seven days later.
• 1660 – Treaty of Oliva is established between Sweden and Poland.
• 1661 – King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is crowned in Westminster Abbey.
• 1724 – Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Du Hirte Israel, höre, BWV 104, illustrating the topic of the Good Shepherd in pastoral music.
• 1815 – The Second Serbian Uprising: A second phase of the national revolution of the Serbs against the Ottoman Empire, erupts shortly after the annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire.
• 1879 – Fire burns down the second main building and dome of the University of Notre Dame, which prompts the construction of the third, and current, Main Building with its golden dome.
• 1891 – Chilean Civil War: The ironclad Blanco Encalada is sunk at Caldera Bay by torpedo boats.

1901–present

• 1909 – In Portugal, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Lisbon, killing at least 60 people and injuring 75.
• 1918 – World War I: The British Royal Navy makes a raid in an attempt to neutralise the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge.
• 1919 – The Estonian Constituent Assembly is held in Estonia, which marks the birth of the Estonian Parliament, the Riigikogu.
• 1920 – The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) is founded in Ankara. The assembly denounces the government of Sultan Mehmed VI and announces the preparation of a temporary constitution.
• 1927 – Cardiff City defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, the only time it has been won by a team not based in England.
• 1935 – The Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
• 1940 – The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people.
• 1941 – World War II: The Greek government and King George II evacuate Athens before the invading Wehrmacht.
• 1942 – World War II: Baedeker Blitz: German bombers hit Exeter, Bath and York in retaliation for the British raid on Lübeck.
• 1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler's designated successor, Hermann Göring, sends him a telegram asking permission to take leadership of Nazi Germany. Martin Bormann and Joseph Goebbels advise Göring that the telegram is treasonous.
• 1946 – Manuel Roxas is elected the last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
• 1949 – Chinese Civil War: Establishment of the People's Liberation Army Navy.
• 1951 – Cold War: American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia.
• 1961 – During the Algiers putsch by French generals, President Charles de Gaulle announces he has assumed emergency powers, and calls on troops and civilians to support him.
• 1966 – Aeroflot Flight 2723 crashes into the Caspian Sea off the Absheron Peninsula, killing 33 people.
• 1967 – Soviet space program: Soyuz 1 (Russian: Союз 1, Union 1), a crewed spaceflight carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov, is launched into orbit.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university.
• 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army and Razakars massacre approximately 3,000 Hindu emigrants in the Jathibhanga area of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
• 1979 – SAETA Flight 011 crashes in Pastaza Province, Ecuador, killing all 57 people on board. The wreckage was not discovered until 1984.
• 1979 – Blair Peach, a British activist, is fatally injured after being knocked unconscious during an Anti-Nazi League demonstration against a National Front election meeting in Southall, London.
• 1985 – Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.
• 1990 – Namibia becomes the 160th member of the United Nations and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
• 1993 – Eritreans vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
• 1993 – Sri Lankan politician Lalith Athulathmudali is assassinated while addressing a gathering, approximately four weeks ahead of the Provincial Council elections for the Western Province.
• 1999 – NATO bombs the headquarters of Radio Television of Serbia, as part of their aerial campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
• 2005 – The first YouTube video, titled "Me at the zoo", is published by co-founder Jawed Karim.
• 2013 – At least 111 people are killed and 233 injured as violence breaks out in Hawija, Iraq.
• 2018 – A vehicle-ramming attack kills 11 people and injures 15 in Toronto. A 25-year-old suspect, Alek Minassian, is arrested.
• 2019 – The April 2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse in Myanmar kills four miners and two rescuers, with at least 50 others missing and presumed dead.
• 2024 – The 2024 Lumut mid-air collision in Malaysia kills 10 people while rehearsing for the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1141 (probable) – Malcolm IV of Scotland (died 1165)
• 1185 – Afonso II of Portugal (died 1223)
• 1408 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (died 1462)
• 1420 – George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia (died 1471)
• 1464 – Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (died 1505)
• 1464 – Robert Fayrfax, English Renaissance composer (died 1521)
• 1484 – Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian physician and scholar (died 1558)
• 1500 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian and academic (died 1565)
• 1500 – Johann Stumpf, Swiss writer (died 1576)
• 1512 – Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel, Chancellor of the University of Oxford (died 1580)
• 1516 – Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian, and archaeologist (died 1571)
• 1564 – William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (died 1616)
• 1598 – Maarten Tromp, Dutch admiral (died 1653)

1601–1900

• 1621 – William Penn, English admiral and politician (died 1670)
• 1628 – Johannes Hudde, Dutch mathematician and politician (died 1704)
• 1661 – Issachar Berend Lehmann, German-Jewish banker, merchant and diplomat (died 1730)
• 1715 – Johann Friedrich Doles, German composer and conductor (died 1797)
• 1720 – Vilna Gaon, Lithuanian rabbi and author (died 1797)
• 1744 – Princess Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (died 1770)
• 1748 – Félix Vicq-d'Azyr, French physician and anatomist (died 1794)
• 1791 – James Buchanan, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 15th President of the United States (died 1868)
• 1792 – Thomas Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist (died 1882)
• 1794 – Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar and author (died 1856)
• 1805 – Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz, German philosopher and academic (died 1879)
• 1812 – Frederick Whitaker, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1891)
• 1813 – Stephen A. Douglas, American educator and politician, 7th Illinois Secretary of State (died 1861)
• 1813 – Frédéric Ozanam, Italian-French historian and scholar (died 1853)
• 1818 – James Anthony Froude, English historian, novelist, biographer and editor (died 1894)
• 1819 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1901)
• 1853 – Winthrop M. Crane, American businessman and politician, 40th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1920)
• 1856 – Granville Woods, American inventor and engineer (died 1910)
• 1857 – Ruggero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (died 1919)
• 1858 – Max Planck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1947)
• 1860 – Justinian Oxenham, Australian public servant (died 1932)
• 1861 – Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, English field marshal and diplomat, British High Commissioner in Egypt (died 1936)
• 1861 – John Peltz, American baseball player and manager (died 1906)
• 1865 – Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Russian-Azerbaijani general (died 1943)
• 1867 – Johannes Fibiger, Danish physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1928)
• 1876 – Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, German historian and author (died 1925)
• 1880 – Michel Fokine, Russian dancer and choreographer (died 1942)
• 1882 – Albert Coates, English composer and conductor (died 1953)
• 1888 – Georges Vanier, Canadian general and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (died 1967)
• 1889 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (died 1942)
• 1894 – Frank Borzage, American actor and director (died 1962)
• 1895 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author and director (died 1982)
• 1897 – Folke Jansson, Swedish athlete (died 1965)
• 1897 – Lester B. Pearson, Canadian historian and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (died 1972)
• 1898 – Lucius D. Clay, American general (died 1978)
• 1899 – Bertil Ohlin, Swedish economist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1979)
• 1899 – Minoru Shirota, Japanese physician and microbiologist, invented Yakult (died 1982)
• 1900 – Jim Bottomley, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 1959)
• 1900 – Joseph Green, Polish-American actor and director (died 1996)

1901–present

• 1901 – E. B. Ford, English biologist and geneticist (died 1988)
• 1902 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1998)
• 1903 – Guy Simonds, English-Canadian general (died 1974)
• 1904 – Clifford Bricker, Canadian long-distance runner (died 1980)
• 1904 – Louis Muhlstock, Polish-Canadian painter (died 2001)
• 1904 – Duncan Renaldo, American actor (died 1985)
• 1907 – Lee Miller, American model and photographer (died 1977)
• 1907 – Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor, designed the Wotruba Church (died 1975)
• 1908 – Myron Waldman, American animator and director (died 2006)
• 1910 – Sheila Scott Macintyre, Scottish mathematician (died 1960)
• 1910 – Simone Simon, French actress (died 2005)
• 1911 – Ronald Neame, English-American director, cinematographer, producer, and screenwriter (died 2010)
• 1913 – Diosa Costello, Puerto Rican-American entertainer, producer, and club owner (died 2013)
• 1915 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer, academic, and businessman (died 2000)
• 1916 – Ivo Lola Ribar, Yugoslav communist politician, military leader, and People's Hero of Yugoslavia (died 1943)
• 1916 – Yiannis Moralis, Greek painter and educator (died 2009)
• 1916 – Sinah Estelle Kelley, American chemist (died 1982)
• 1917 – Dorian Leigh, American model (died 2008)
• 1917 – Tony Lupien, American baseball player and coach (died 2004)
• 1918 – Maurice Druon, French author and screenwriter (died 2009)
• 1919 – Oleg Penkovsky, Russian colonel (died 1963)
• 1920 – Eric Grant Yarrow, 3rd Baronet, English businessman (died 2018)
• 1921 – Judy Agnew, Second Lady of the United States (died 2012)
• 1921 – Cleto Bellucci, Italian archbishop (died 2013)
• 1921 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (died 2007)
• 1921 – Warren Spahn, American baseball player and coach (died 2003)
• 1923 – Dolph Briscoe, American lieutenant and politician, 41st Governor of Texas (died 2010)
• 1923 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (died 1993)
• 1924 – Chuck Harmon, American baseball player and scout (died 2019)
• 1924 – Bobby Rosengarden, American drummer and bandleader (died 2007)
• 1926 – J.P. Donleavy, American-Irish novelist and playwright (died 2017)
• 1926 – Rifaat el-Mahgoub, Egyptian politician (died 1990)
• 1928 – Shirley Temple, American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat (died 2014)
• 1929 – George Steiner, French-American philosopher, author, and critic (died 2020)
• 1932 – Halston, American fashion designer (died 1990)
• 1932 – Jim Fixx, American runner and author (died 1984)
• 1932 – Rafał Gan-Ganowicz, Polish mercenary, activist, and journalist (died 2002)
• 1933 – Annie Easley, American computer scientist, mathematician, and engineer (died 2011)
• 1934 – George Canseco, Filipino composer and producer (died 2004)
• 1936 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter (died 1988)
• 1937 – Victoria Glendinning, English author and critic
• 1937 – David Mills, English cricketer (died 2013)
• 1937 – Barry Shepherd, Australian cricketer (died 2001)
• 1939 – Jorge Fons, Mexican director and screenwriter (died 2022)
• 1939 – Bill Hagerty, English journalist (died 2025)
• 1939 – Lee Majors, American actor
• 1939 – Ray Peterson, American pop singer (died 2005)
• 1940 – Michael Copps, American academic and politician
• 1940 – Dale Houston, American singer-songwriter (died 2007)
• 1940 – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (died 2014)
• 1941 – Jacqueline Boyer, French singer and actress
• 1941 – Arie den Hartog, Dutch road bicycle racer (died 2018)
• 1941 – Paavo Lipponen, Finnish journalist and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Finland
• 1941 – Michael Lynne, American film producer, co-founded New Line Cinema (died 2019)
• 1941 – Ed Stewart, English radio and television host (died 2016)
• 1941 – Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer (died 2016)
• 1942 – Sandra Dee, American model and actress (died 2005)
• 1943 – Gail Goodrich, American basketball player and coach
• 1943 – Tony Esposito, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2021)
• 1943 – Frans Koppelaar, Dutch painter
• 1943 – Hervé Villechaize, French actor (died 1993)
• 1944 – Jean-François Stévenin, French actor and director (died 2021)
• 1946 – Blair Brown, American actress
• 1946 – Carlton Sherwood, American soldier and journalist (died 2014)
• 1947 – Robert Burgess, English sociologist and academic (died 2022)
• 1947 – Glenn Cornick, English bass player (died 2014)
• 1947 – Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Irish civil rights leader and politician
• 1948 – Pascal Quignard, French author and screenwriter
• 1948 – Serge Thériault, Canadian actor
• 1949 – Paul Collier, English economist and academic
• 1949 – David Cross, English violinist
• 1949 – John Miles, British rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist (died 2021)
• 1950 – Rowley Leigh, English chef and journalist
• 1950 – Barbara McIlvaine Smith, Sac and Fox Nation Native American politician
• 1951 – Martin Bayerle, American treasure hunter
• 1952 – Narada Michael Walden, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer
• 1953 – James Russo, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1954 – Stephen Dalton, English air marshal
• 1954 – Michael Moore, American director, producer, and activist
• 1955 – Judy Davis, Australian actress
• 1955 – Tony Miles, English chess player (died 2001)
• 1955 – Urmas Ott, Estonian journalist and author (died 2008)
• 1955 – Serge Vohor, Vanuatuan politician, 4th Prime Minister of Vanuatu (died 2024)
• 1957 – Neville Brody, English graphic designer, typographer, and art director
• 1957 – Jan Hooks, American actress and comedian (died 2014)
• 1958 – Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Icelandic composer and producer
• 1958 – Ryan Walter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1959 – Unity Dow, Botswanan judge, author, and rights activist
• 1960 – Valerie Bertinelli, American actress
• 1960 – Steve Clark, English guitarist and songwriter (died 1991)
• 1960 – Barry Douglas, Irish pianist and conductor
• 1960 – Léo Jaime, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1960 – Claude Julien, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1961 – George Lopez, American comedian, actor, and talk show host
• 1961 – Pierluigi Martini, Italian race car driver
• 1962 – John Hannah, Scottish actor and producer
• 1962 – Shaun Spiers, English businessman and politician
• 1963 – Paul Belmondo, French race car driver
• 1963 – Robby Naish, American windsurfer
• 1964 – Gianandrea Noseda, Italian pianist and conductor
• 1965 – Leni Robredo, Filipina human rights lawyer, 14th Vice President of the Philippines
• 1966 – Jörg Deisinger, German bass player
• 1966 – Matt Freeman, American bass player
• 1966 – Lembit Oll, Estonian chess Grandmaster (died 1999)
• 1967 – Rhéal Cormier, Canadian baseball player (died 2021)
• 1967 – Melina Kanakaredes, American actress
• 1968 – Bas Haring, Dutch philosopher, writer, television presenter and professor.
• 1968 – Ken McRae, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1968 – Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist, Oklahoma City bombing co-perpetrator (died 2001)
• 1969 – Martín López-Zubero, American-Spanish swimmer and coach
• 1969 – Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast (died 2018)
• 1970 – Egemen Bağış, Turkish politician, 1st Minister of European Union Affairs
• 1970 – Dennis Culp, American singer-songwriter and trombonist
• 1970 – Andrew Gee, Australian rugby league player and manager
• 1970 – Hans Välimäki, Finnish chef and author
• 1970 – Tayfur Havutçu, Turkish international footballer and manager
• 1971 – Uli Herzner, German-American fashion designer
• 1972 – Pierre Labrie, Canadian poet and playwright
• 1972 – Peter Dench, English photographer and journalist
• 1972 – Amira Medunjanin, Bosnian singer
• 1973 – Patrick Poulin, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1974 – Carlos Dengler, American bass player
• 1974 – Michael Kerr, New Zealand-German rugby player
• 1975 – Bobby Shaw, American football player
• 1976 – Gabriel Damon, American actor
• 1976 – Aaron Dessner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1977 – John Cena, American professional wrestler and actor
• 1977 – Andruw Jones, Curaçaoan baseball player
• 1977 – David Kidwell, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
• 1977 – Willie Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1977 – John Oliver, English comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1977 – Kal Penn, Indian-American actor
• 1977 – Bram Schmitz, Dutch cyclist
• 1977 – Lee Young-pyo, South Korean international footballer
• 1978 – Gezahegne Abera, Ethiopian runner
• 1979 – Barry Hawkins, English snooker player
• 1979 – Jaime King, American actress and model
• 1979 – Joanna Krupa, Polish-American model and television personality
• 1979 – Samppa Lajunen, Finnish skier
• 1980 – Nicole den Dulk, Dutch Paralympic equestrian
• 1982 – Kyle Beckerman, American footballer
• 1982 – Tony Sunshine, American singer-songwriter
• 1983 – Leon Andreasen, Danish international footballer
• 1983 – Daniela Hantuchová, Slovak tennis player
• 1983 – Ian Henderson, English rugby league player
• 1984 – Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russian chess player
• 1984 – Moose, American professional wrestler and football player
• 1984 – Jesse Lee Soffer, American actor
• 1985 – Angel Locsin, Filipino actress, producer, and fashion designer
• 1986 – Sven Kramer, Dutch speed skater
• 1986 – Alysia Montaño, American runner
• 1986 – Rafael Fernandes, Brazilian baseball player
• 1987 – Michael Arroyo, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1987 – John Boye, Ghanaian footballer
• 1987 – Emily Fox, American basketball player
• 1988 – Victor Anichebe, Nigerian footballer
• 1988 – Sandra Borch, Norwegian politician
• 1988 – Alistair Brownlee, English triathlete
• 1988 – Patrick Maroon, American ice hockey player
• 1988 – Signe Ronka, Canadian figure skater
• 1988 – Lenka Wienerová, Slovak tennis player
• 1989 – Nicole Vaidišová, Czech tennis player
• 1990 – Rui Fonte, Portuguese footballer
• 1990 – Dev Patel, English actor
• 1991 – Britt Baker, American professional wrestler
• 1991 – Nathan Baker, English footballer
• 1991 – Caleb Johnson, American singer-songwriter
• 1991 – Kyle Juszczyk, American football player
• 1991 – Paul Vaughan, Australian-Italian rugby league player
• 1994 – Patrick Olsen, Danish footballer
• 1994 – Song Kang, South Korean actor
• 1995 – Gigi Hadid, American fashion model and television personality
• 1995 – Jamie Hayter, English professional wrestler
• 1996 – Carolina Alves, Brazilian tennis player
• 1997 – Zach Apple, American swimmer
• 1999 – Son Chaeyoung, South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter
• 1999 – Laufey, Icelandic singer-songwriter and musician
• 2000 – Chloe Kim, American snowboarder
• 2000 – Lee Jeno, South Korean rapper, vocalist and dancer
• 2018 – Prince Louis of Wales, British royal

Deaths

Pre-1600

• AD 303 – Saint George, Roman soldier and martyr
• 711 – Childebert III, Frankish king (born 670)
• 725 – Wihtred of Kent
• 871 – Æthelred of Wessex (born 837)
• 915 – Yang Shihou, Chinese general
• 944 – Wichmann the Elder, Saxon nobleman
• 990 – Ekkehard II, Swiss monk and abbot
• 997 – Adalbert of Prague, Czech bishop, missionary, and saint (born 956)
• 1014 – Brian Boru, Irish king (born 941)
• 1014 – Domnall mac Eimín, Mormaer of Mar
• 1016 – Æthelred the Unready, English son of Edgar the Peaceful (born 968)
• 1124 – Alexander I of Scotland (born 1078)
• 1151 – Adeliza of Louvain (born 1103)
• 1170 – Minamoto no Tametomo, Japanese samurai (born 1139)
• 1196 – Béla III of Hungary (born c. 1148)
• 1200 – Zhu Xi, Chinese philosopher (born 1130)
• 1217 – Inge II of Norway (born 1185)
• 1262 – Aegidius of Assisi, companion of Saint Francis of Assisi
• 1266 – Gilles of Saumur, French archbishop
• 1307 – Joan of Acre (born 1272)
• 1400 – Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford, English politician and nobleman (born c. 1338)
• 1407 – Olivier de Clisson, French soldier (born 1326)
• 1501 – Domenico della Rovere, Catholic cardinal (born 1442)
• 1554 – Gaspara Stampa, Italian poet (born 1523)

1601–1900

• 1605 – Boris Godunov, Russian ruler (born 1551)
• 1616 – William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (born 1564)
• 1616 – Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Spanish writer and historian (born 1539)
• 1620 – Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, Jewish scholar (born 1542)
• 1625 – Maurice, Prince of Orange (born 1567)
• 1695 – Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet and author (born 1621)
• 1702 – Margaret Fell, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (born 1614)
• 1781 – James Abercrombie, Scottish general and politician (born 1706)
• 1784 – Solomon I of Imereti (born 1735)
• 1792 – Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and author (born 1741)
• 1794 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French lawyer and politician (born 1721)
• 1827 – Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek general (born 1780)
• 1839 – Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, French admiral and explorer (born 1768)
• 1850 – William Wordsworth, English poet and author (born 1770)
• 1850 – John Joel Glanton, American outlaw, soldier, mercenary, and Texas ranger (born ~1819)
• 1865 – Silas Soule, American soldier and whistleblower of the Sand Creek Massacre (born 1838)
• 1889 – Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, French author and critic (born 1808)
• 1895 – Carl Ludwig, German physician and physiologist (born 1815)

1901–present

• 1905 – Gédéon Ouimet, Canadian politician, 2nd Premier of Quebec (born 1823)
• 1907 – Alferd Packer, American prospector and convicted cannibal (born 1842)
• 1915 – Rupert Brooke, English poet (born 1887)
• 1936 – Teresa de la Parra, French-Venezuelan author (born 1889)
• 1951 – Jules Berry, French actor and director (born 1883)
• 1951 – Charles G. Dawes, American banker and politician, 30th Vice President of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (born 1865)
• 1959 – Bak Jungyang, Korean politician (born 1872)
• 1965 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (born 1891)
• 1966 – George Ohsawa, Japanese founder of the Macrobiotic diet (born 1893)
• 1981 – Josep Pla, Catalan journalist and author (born 1897)
• 1983 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (born 1908)
• 1984 – Red Garland, American pianist (born 1923)
• 1985 – Sam Ervin, American lawyer and politician (born 1896)
• 1985 – Frank Farrell, Australian rugby league player and policeman (born 1916)
• 1986 – Harold Arlen, American composer (born 1905)
• 1986 – Jim Laker, English international cricketer and sportscaster; holder of world record for most wickets taken in a match (born 1922)
• 1986 – Otto Preminger, Ukrainian-American actor, director, and producer (born 1905)
• 1990 – Paulette Goddard, American actress (born 1910)
• 1991 – Johnny Thunders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1952)
• 1992 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921)
• 1992 – Tanka Prasad Acharya, Nepalese politician, 27th Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1912)
• 1993 – Cesar Chavez, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers (born 1927)
• 1995 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian farmer and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (born 1895)
• 1995 – Howard Cosell, American lawyer and journalist (born 1918)
• 1995 – Riho Lahi, Estonian journalist (born 1904)
• 1995 – John C. Stennis, American lawyer and politician (born 1904)
• 1996 – Jean Victor Allard, Canadian general (born 1913)
• 1996 – P. L. Travers, Australian-English author and actress (born 1899)
• 1997 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and footballer (born 1918)
• 1998 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, 172nd Prime Minister of Greece (born 1907)
• 1998 – James Earl Ray, American assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. (born 1928)
• 1998 – Thanassis Skordalos, Greek singer-songwriter and lyra player (born 1920)
• 2003 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French-American photographer (born 1910)
• 2004 – Herman Veenstra, Dutch water polo player (born 1911)
• 2005 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (born 1911)
• 2005 – Robert Farnon, Canadian-English trumpet player, composer and conductor (born 1917)
• 2005 – Al Grassby, Australian journalist and politician (born 1928)
• 2005 – John Mills, English actor (born 1908)
• 2005 – Romano Scarpa, Italian author and illustrator (born 1927)
• 2005 – Earl Wilson, American baseball player, coach and educator (born 1934)
• 2006 – Phil Walden, American record producer and manager, co-founder of Capricorn Records (born 1940)
• 2007 – Paul Erdman, Canadian-American economist and author (born 1932)
• 2007 – David Halberstam, American journalist, historian and author (born 1934)
• 2007 – Peter Randall, English sergeant (born 1930)
• 2007 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (born 1931)
• 2010 – Peter Porter, Australian-born British poet (born 1929)
• 2011 – James Casey, English comedian, radio scriptwriter and producer (born 1922)
• 2011 – Tom King, American guitarist and songwriter (born 1943)
• 2011 – Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, English businessman and politician (born 1921)
• 2011 – Max van der Stoel, Dutch politician and Minister of State (born 1924)
• 2011 – John Sullivan, English screenwriter and producer (born 1946)
• 2012 – Lillemor Arvidsson, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 34th Governor of Gotland (born 1943)
• 2012 – Billy Bryans, Canadian drummer, songwriter and producer (born 1947)
• 2012 – Chris Ethridge, American bass player and songwriter (born 1947)
• 2012 – Raymond Thorsteinsson, Canadian geologist and paleontologist (born 1921)
• 2012 – LeRoy T. Walker, American football player and coach (born 1918)
• 2013 – Bob Brozman, American guitarist (born 1954)
• 2013 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (born 1943)
• 2013 – Tony Grealish, English footballer (born 1956)
• 2013 – Antonio Maccanico, Italian banker and politician (born 1924)
• 2013 – Frank W. J. Olver, English-American mathematician and academic (born 1924)
• 2013 – Kathryn Wasserman Davis, American philanthropist and scholar (born 1907)
• 2014 – Benjamín Brea, Spanish-Venezuelan saxophonist, clarinet player, and conductor (born 1946)
• 2014 – Michael Glawogger, Austrian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (born 1959)
• 2014 – Jaap Havekotte, Dutch speed skater and producer of ice skates (born 1912)
• 2014 – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (born 1911)
• 2014 – F. Michael Rogers, American general (born 1921)
• 2014 – Mark Shand, English conservationist and author (born 1951)
• 2014 – Patric Standford, English composer and educator (born 1939)
• 2015 – Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (born 1944)
• 2015 – Ray Jackson, Australian activist (born 1941)
• 2015 – Pierre Claude Nolin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Canadian Senate (born 1950)
• 2015 – Jim Steffen, American football player (born 1936)
• 2015 – Francis Tsai, American author and illustrator (born 1967)
• 2016 – Inge King, German-born Australian sculptor (born 1915)
• 2016 – Banharn Silpa-archa, Thai politician, Prime Minister from 1995 to 1996 (born 1932)
• 2019 – Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick, American soprano singer and presenter (born 1983)
• 2019 – Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (born 1921)
• 2021 – Dan Kaminsky, American internet security researcher (born 1979)
• 2022 – Orrin Hatch, American politician, President pro tempore of the United States Senate (born 1934)
• 2024 – Frank Field, British politician (born 1942)
• 2024 – Helen Vendler, American Literary Critic (born 1933)
• 2026 - Łukasz Litewka, Polish Parliment Member (born 1989)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Adalbert of Prague
  • Felix, Fortunatus, and Achilleus
  • Saint George
  • Blessed Giles of Assisi
  • Gerard of Toul
  • Ibar of Beggerin (Meath)
  • Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu
  • Toyohiko Kagawa (Episcopal and Lutheran Church)
  • Saint George's Day and its related observances:
    • Saint George's Day (Catalonia)
    • Saint George's Day (England)
  • Blessed Teresa Maria Manetti
  • April 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Canada Book Day (Canada)
• Castile and León Day (Castile and León)
• International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
• Khongjom Day (Manipur)
• National Sovereignty and Children's Day (Turkey and Northern Cyprus)
• Navy Day (China)
• World Book Day
• UN English Language Day (United Nations)
• UN Spanish Language Day (United Nations)

Bibliography

• Hill, Alan (1998). Jim Laker: A Biography. London: Andre Deutsch Ltd. ISBN 978-02-33050-43-0.

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• Template:NYT On this day
• Historical Events on April 23