What Happened on August 23
Important Events
- 1542 Rabbi Joseph Caro completes his commentary of Tur Code
- 1850 1st US National Women's Rights Convention convenes in Worcester, Massachusetts
- 1942 Battle of Stalingrad: 600 Luftwaffe planes bomb Stalingrad (40,000 die)
- 1996 Osama bin Laden issues message entitled "A declaration of war against the Americans occupying the land of the two holy places"
- 2005 Hurricane Katrina forms over the Bahamas, later becoming a category 5 hurricane
Aug 23 in Film & TV
- 1933 First televised boxing match — 6-round exhibition at Broadcasting House in London between middleweights Archie Sexton and Lauri Raiteri; aired by BBC-TV
- 1946 "The Big Sleep" directed by Howard Hawks and starring Humphrey Bogart (Philip Marlowe) and Lauren Bacall first premieres
Aug 23 in Music
- 1994 Jeff Buckley releases his album "Grace", featuring his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"
Aug 23 in Sport
- 1933 First televised boxing match — 6-round exhibition at Broadcasting House in London between middleweights Archie Sexton and Lauri Raiteri; aired by BBC-TV
Did You Know?
World War II: last cavalry charge in history takes place at Isbushenskij, Russia; the Italian Savoia Cavalleria charges Soviet infantry
On August 23, 1942
Famous Birthdays
Louis XVI
(1754 - 1793)- Vera Miles
91 Years Old - Barbara Eden
89 Years Old - Keith Moon
(1946 - 1978) - River Phoenix
(1970 - 1993) - Kobe Bryant
(1978 - 2020)
Louis XVI
Vera Miles
Barbara Eden
Keith Moon
River Phoenix
Kobe BryantFamous Weddings
- 1876 Sharp Shooter Annie Oakley weds traveling show marksman Frank E. Butler
- 1942 "King Kong" actress Fay Wray (34) weds screenwriter and playwright Robert Riskin (45)
- 1962 John Lennon, musician and member of the Beatles, weds Cynthia Powell
Famous Divorces
- 2010 Former Swedish model Elin Nordegren (30) divorces professional golfer Tiger Woods (34) after 6 years of marriage
William Wallace
George Villiers
Rudolph Valentino
Ed WarrenArticles, Photos and Quiz
August in History
Thomas Cromwell Backs The Wrong Horse
Thomas Cromwell became chief advisor to King Henry VIII and led the hunt for a new royal wife. Unfortunately for him he championed the cause of Anne of Cleves.
August 22, 1540Captain Webb Conquers the English Channel
After 22 hours in the water Captain Matthew Webb stepped ashore at Calais on this day – the first person ever to swim across the Channel from England to France.
August 25, 1875Krakatoa: The World’s Mightiest Explosion
The world’s biggest-ever explosion – 13,000 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb – happened on this day as eruptions of the Krakatoa volcano reached a climax
August 27, 1883How 200 Conquistadors Conquered an Empire of 10 Million
How did a mere 200 Spanish conquistadors capture the Incan Emperor-god Atahualpa, execute him and conquer an entire empire?
August 29, 1533
