February 23 Historical Events
The following events took place on February 23. The list is arranged in chronological order.
Found 58 events. Showing 1 - 30.
- 303Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
- 532Byzantine emperor Justinian I orders the building of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia.
- 1455Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
- 1554Mapuche forces, under the leadership of Lautaro, score a victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Marihueñu in Chile.
- 1739Richard Palmer is identified at York Castle, by his former schoolteacher, as the outlaw Dick Turpin.
- 1778American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to help to train the Continental Army.
- 1820Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.
- 1821Alexander Ypsilantis starts the Greek War of Independence in Iași, Wallachia (now part of Romania).
- 1836Texas Revolution: The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas.
- 1847Mexican–American War: Battle of Buena Vista – In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
- 1854The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
- 1861President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1870Reconstruction Era: Post-U.S. Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
- 1883Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an anti-trust law.
- 1885Sino-French War: French Army gains an important victory in the Battle of Đồng Đăng in the Tonkin region of Vietnam.
- 1886Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of man-made aluminum, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister Julia Brainerd Hall.
- 1887The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
- 1896The Tootsie Roll is invented.
- 1898Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing “J'accuse”, a letter accusing the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
- 1900Second Boer War: Boers and British troops fight in the Battle of Hart’s Hill.
- 1903Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States “in perpetuity”.
- 1905Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world’s first service club.
- 1909The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
- 1917First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution.
- 1918Last monarch of Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz commits suicide.
- 1927U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill by Congress establishing the Federal Radio Commission (later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.
- 1927German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg writes a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he describes his uncertainty principle for the first time.
- 1934Leopold III becomes King of Belgium.
- 1941Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
- 1942World War II: Japanese submarines fire artillery shells at the California coastline near Santa Barbara.
12
What no one tells you about your first name’s personality. Are there magical powers hidden in your given name? Every moniker has an undeniable character and personality. Check out Oscar’s personality and get smart about names today. (Sponsored links)