Date·Lore

On This Day · The 235th day of the year

August 23

August 23's recorded history is unusually compressed, gathered within recent centuries rather than reaching into antiquity. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

♍ZodiacVirgo ◈BirthstonePeridot ❀Birth flowerGladiolus

Virgo is the sign for August 23 — read more on the Virgo page, or see August's birthstone & birth flower.

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on August 23?

August 23 is the 235th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1799 and 2006. Famous people born on August 23 include Louis XVI, Michel Rocard and Peter Lilley.

Released on August 23

Movies, games, albums & shows

2024

  • TV Dating Naked UK

2022

  • Game Midnight Fight Express

2021

  • Game Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1799

    Napoleon

  2. 1873

    Albert Bridge, London

  3. 1898

    Southern Cross Expedition

  4. 1914

    World War I

  5. 1939

    World War II

  6. 1954

    Cruise of the Kings

  7. 1989

    Singing Revolution

  8. 1990

    Armenia

  9. 1991

    World Wide Web

  10. 2006

    Natascha Kampusch

Famous birthday twins

Born on August 23

Louis XVI

b. 1754

Michel Rocard

b. 1930

Peter Lilley

b. 1943

Kobe Bryant

b. 1978

Santillana (footballer)

b. 1952

Henry Lee Lucas

b. 1936

Nancy Richey

b. 1942

Moritz Cantor

b. 1829

Deaths

  • 1995Alfred Eisenstaedt
  • 1962Walter Anderson (folklorist)
  • 1933Adolf Loos
  • 1305William Wallace
  • -30Caesarion

Holidays & observances

  • —Battle of Kursk Day (Russia)
  • —Christian feast day: Ascelina
  • —Christian feast day: Asterius, Claudius, and Neon
  • —Christian feast day: Éogan of Ardstraw
  • —Christian feast day: Lupus (Luppus) of Novae
  • —Christian feast day: Philip Benitius
  • —Christian feast day: Quiriacus and companions, of Ostia
  • —Christian feast day: Rose of Lima

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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