23 July - Definition and Overview

July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining.

Events

• 1632 - 300 colonists bound for New France depart Dieppe, France.
• 1829 - In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the first typewriter.
• 1862 - American Civil War: Henry W. Halleck takes command of the Union Army.
• 1903 - Dr. Ernst Pfenning of Chicago, Illinois becomes the first owner of a Ford Model A.
• 1914 - Austria-Hungary issues an ultimatum to Sebia allowing the Austrians to find out who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand. When Serbia denied Austria-Hungary of their demands World War I is sparked on July 28, 1914
• 1926 - Fox Film buys the patents of the Movietone sound system for recording sound onto film.
• 1940 - US Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles`s declaration on the US non-recognition policy of the Soviet annexation and incorporation of three Baltic States - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
• 1952 - General Muhammad Naguib leads the Free Officers Movement (formed by Gamal Abdel Nasser - the real power behind the coup) in the overthrow of King Farouk of Egypt.
• 1956 - The Loi Cadre is passed by the French Republic in order to order French oversee territory affairs.
• 1962 - Telstar relays the first live trans-Atlantic television signal.
• 1967 - 12th Street Riot: In Detroit, Michigan, one of the worst riots in United States history begins on 12th Street in the predominantly African American inner city (43 killed, 342 injured and ~1,400 buildings burned).
• 1972 - The United States launches Landsat 1, first Earth-resources satellite.
• 1973 - Robert Anton Wilson, the occultist/philosopher, either achieved contact with extraterrestrials from Sirius or started a long-term period of having wild hallucinations, depending on which way you want to look at it.
• 1982 - The International Whaling Commission decides to end commercial whaling by 1985-86.
• 1983 - Gimli Glider: Air Canada flight 143 crash-lands in Gimli, Manitoba.
• 1984 - Vanessa Williams becomes the first Miss America to resign when she surrenders her crown after nude photos of her appeared in "Penthouse" magazine.
• 1986 - In London, Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey.
• 1997 - Digital Equipment Company files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
• 1999 - Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, is crowned King Mohammed VI of Morroco at the death of his father.
• 2003 - Operation Warrior Sweep is the first major military deployment of the Afghan National Army.
• 2004 - 11 years after its destruction, Stari most (the Old Bridge) in Mostar is reopened.

Births

• 1301 - Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria
• 1626 - Sabbatai Zevi, Jewish false Messiah (d. 1676)
• 1649 - Pope Clement XI (d. 1721)
• 1777 - Philipp Otto Runge, painter (d. 1810)
• 1796 - Franz Berwald, composer (d. 1868)
• 1884 - Emil Jannings, actor (d. 1950)
• 1888 - Raymond Chandler, author (d. 1959)
• 1892 - Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia (d. 1975)
• 1893 - Karl Menninger, psychiatrist (d. 1990)
• 1899 - Gustav Heinemann, politician, President of the Federal Republic of Germany (d. 1976)
• 1906 - Vladimir Prelog, Croat chemist, Nobel Prize (d. 1998)
• 1923 - Witto Aloma, Major League Baseball player (d. 1997)
• 1936 - Don Drysdale, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1993)
• 1938 - Bert Newton, actor, TV show host
• 1938 - Götz George, actor
• 1942 - Myra Hindley, Moors murderess (d. 2002)
• 1947 - David Essex, rock and roll singer
• 1950 - Alex Kozinski, Circuit Judge
• 1961 - Woody Harrelson, actor
• 1961 - Martin L. Gore, musician, songwriter (Depeche Mode)
• 1965 - Slash (born "Saul Hudson"), guitarist (Guns N Roses)
• 1967 - Philip Seymour Hoffman, actor
• 1971 - Alison Krauss, bluegrass singer, musician
• 1973 - Nomar Garciaparra, baseball star
• 1973 - Monica Lewinsky, Congressional intern
• 1974 - Maurice Greene, American athlete
• 1978 - Stefanie Sun, Singaporean songstress
• 1989 - Daniel Radcliffe, actor

Deaths

• 1373 - Saint Birgitta, prophet, author and saint.
• 1757 - Domenico Scarlatti, composer
• 1773 - George Edwards, naturalist (b. 1693)
• 1885 - Ulysses S. Grant, general, 18th U.S. president
• 1916 - Sir William Ramsay, chemist and Nobel prize winner
• 1920 - Conrad Kohrs, rancher
• 1948 - D. W. Griffith, film director
• 1951 - Henri Philippe Pétain, leader of Vichy France
• 1955 - Cordell Hull, former Secretary of State
• 1966 - Montgomery Clift, actor
• 1971 - Van Heflin, actor
• 1973 - Eddie Rickenbacker, aviation pioneer
• 1982 - Vic Morrow, actor
• 1983 - Georges Auric, French composer
• 1997 - Chuhei Nambu, Japanese athlete
• 1999 - King Hassan II of Morocco
• 2001 - Eudora Welty, author (b. 1909)
• 2002 - Leo McKern, actor
• 2002 - Dr. William L. Pierce, author, leader of the National Alliance
• 2002 - Chaim Potok, novelist
• 2003 - James E. Davis, New York City councilman (murdered)
• 2004 - Carlos Paredes, musician and composer
• 2004 - Mehmood, Indian actor

Holidays and observances

• Egypt - Revolution Day (1952)
• Libya - Revolution Day
• Papua New Guinea - Remembrance Day
• Roman Empire - Neptunalia held in honor of Neptune
• Rastafarianism - Celebration of the birthday of Haile Selassie

July 22 - July 24 - June 23 - August 23 -- listing of all days