March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar (83rd in
Leap years). There are 283 days remaining.
- 752 - Stephen II becomes Pope
- 1708 - James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth
- 1775 - American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his speech - "give me liberty or give me death[?]" in Williamsburg, Virginia.
- 1806 - After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their journey home
- 1839 - First recorded use of "OK" oll korrect (Boston Morning Post[?])
- 1857 - Elisha Otis[?]' first elevator is installed (at 488 Broadway, New York City)
- 1868 - The University of California is founded in Oakland, California when the Organic Act is signed into law.
- 1889 - Land Run[?]: President Benjamin Harrison opens Oklahoma to white settlement starting on April 22.
- 1903 - The Wright Brothers apply for a patent on their invention of the first successful airplane.
- 1909 - Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society.
- 1919 - In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement.
- 1933 - The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act, giving Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers over German legislation.
- 1935 - Signing of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
- 1942 - World War II: In the Indian Ocean, Japanese forces capture the Anadaman Islands.
- 1956 - Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic.
- 1965 - NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-person space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young).
- 1983 - Strategic Defense Initiative: President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles. The media dub this plan "Star Wars."
- 1989 - Stanley Pons[?] and Martin Fleischmann[?] announce cold fusion at the University of Utah.
- 1989 - A 1,000-foot diameter Near-Earth asteroid misses the Earth by 400,000 miles.
- 1996 - The Republic of China on Taiwan holds its first direct elections for president
- 1999 - Gunmen assassinate Paraguay's Vice President Luis Maria Argana[?].
- 1749 - Pierre Simon de Laplace, mathematician and astronomer (+ 1827)
- 1769 - William Smith, geologist/cartographer (+ 1839)
- 1823 - Schuyler Colfax, Vice President of the United States (+ 1885)
- 1882 - Emmy Noether, mathematician (+ 1935)
- 1887 - Juan Gris, painter and graphic artist (+ 1927)
- 1900 - Erich Fromm, psychoanalyst (+ 1980)
- 1904 or 1908 - Joan Crawford, actor (+ 1977)
- 1910 - Lale Andersen[?], singer and cabaretist (+ 1972)
- 1910 - Akira Kurosawa, film director (+ 1998)
- 1912 - Wernher von Braun, physicist and engineer (+ 1977)
- 1929 - Sir Roger Bannister, athlete, first "Miracle Mile"
- 1949 - Ric Ocasek[?], musician ("The Cars")
- 1952 - Kim Stanley Robinson, science fiction author
- 1953 - Chaka Khan[?], singer
- 1972 - Judith Godrèche, actress/author
Deaths:
See Also:
March 22 - March 24 - February 23 - April 23 -- listing of all days
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December