23 December
December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). There are 8 days remaining.
Events
Births
- 1537 - John III of Sweden, King of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1582 - Severo Bonini, composer (d. 1663)
- 1732 - Richard Arkwright, industrialist, and inventor of the Water Frame (d. 1792)
- 1790 - Jean François Champollion, egyptologist, deciphered the Rosetta Stone (d. 1832)
- 1805 - Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement (d. 1844)
- 1822 - Wilhelm Bauer, engineer (d. 1875)
- 1885 - Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
- 1891 - Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter/photographer (d. 1956)
- 1918 - Helmut Schmidt, German Bundeskanzler 1974-1982
- 1918 - José Greco, dancer (d. 2000)
- 1922 - Calder Willingham, writer (d. 1995)
- 1922 - Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician
- 1923 - James Stockdale, United States Navy admiral
- 1926 - Robert Bly, American poet
- 1933 - Akihito, Emperor of Japan
- 1935 - Paul Hornung, American football star
- 1940 - Jorma Kaukonen, musician
- 1941 - Tim Hardin, musician
- 1943 - Harry Shearer, actor, voice actor (This Is Spinal Tap, The Simpsons)
- 1943 - Silvia, Queen of Sweden
- 1944 - Wesley Clark, US General and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander
- 1947 - Susan Lucci, soap opera actress
- 1948 - Jack Ham, American football star
- 1956 - Dave Murray, musician (Iron Maiden)
- 1958 - Victoria Williams, singer
- 1961 - Carol Smillie, British television personality
- 1964 - Eddie Vedder, musician (Pearl Jam)
- 1969 - Martha Byrne, soap opera actress
- 1970 - Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
- 1971 - Corey Haim, actor
- 1971 - Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite
- 1978 - Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1978 - Estella Warren, actress
Deaths
- 913 - Conrad of Franconia (b. c. 890)
- 1568 - Roger Ascham, Elizabeth I's tutor (b. c.1515)
- 1834 - Thomas Malthus, English demographer and economist (b. 1766)
- 1872 - Theophile Gautier, poet, novelist (b. 1811)
- 1939 - Anthony Fokker, aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
- 1948 - Hideki Tojo (Prime Minister of Japan), hanged for war crimes (b. 1884)
- 1953 - Lavrenty Beria, Soviet Communist leader (b. 1899)
- 1970 - Charles Ruggles, actor
- 1973 - Charles Atlas, bodybuilder
- 1973 - Irna Phillips, soap opera writer, director, producer
- 1979 - Peggy Guggenheim, art collector (b. 1898)
- 1982 - Jack Webb, actor, producer, director (b. 1920)
- 1992 - Eddie Hazel, guitarist, originally with Funkadelic (b. 1950)
- 2000 - Victor Borge, Danish/American humorist and pianist (b. 1909)
- 2000 - Billy Barty, actor
Holidays and observances
December 22 - December 24 - November 23 - January 23 -- listing of all days
