Date·Lore

On This Day · The 54th day of the year

February 23

February 23 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1725 and 2021. J. S. Bach leads his Tafel-Music Shepherd Cantata for the birthday of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.

♓ZodiacPisces ◈BirthstoneAmethyst ❀Birth flowerViolet

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on February 23?

February 23 is the 54th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1725 and 2021. Famous people born on February 23 include George Frideric Handel, Casimir Funk and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.

The shape of the day

From 1725 to 2021, February 23 gathers 296 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

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

Released on February 23

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • TV CIA

2023

  • Game Aces & Adventures
  • Game Gal Guardians: Demon Purge
  • Game Company of Heroes 3

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1725

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    J. S. Bach leads his Tafel-Music Shepherd Cantata for the birthday of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.

  2. 1778

    American Revolutionary War

    American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to help train the Continental Army.

  3. 1847

    Mexican–American War

    Mexican–American War: Battle of Buena Vista: In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

  4. 1861

    Abraham Lincoln

    President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.

  5. 1886

    Charles Martin Hall

    Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of aluminium from the electrolysis of aluminium oxide, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister, Julia Brainerd Hall.

  6. 1941

    Plutonium

    Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.

  7. 1942

    World War II

    World War II: Japanese submarines fire artillery shells at the coastline near Santa Barbara, California.

  8. 1943

    Cavan Orphanage fire

    The Cavan Orphanage fire kills thirty-five girls and an elderly cook.

  9. 1987

    SN 1987A

    Supernova 1987a is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

  10. 2021

    February 2021 Ecuadorian prison riots

    Four simultaneous prison riots leave at least 62 people dead in Ecuador.

Famous birthday twins

Born on February 23

George Frideric Handel

b. 1685

German-English organist and composer

Casimir Funk

b. 1884

Polish biochemist

Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville

b. 1680

Sieur de Bienville, Canadian politician, 2nd Colonial Governor of Louisiana

Radosław Sikorski

b. 1963

Polish journalist and politician, 11th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland

Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria

b. 1417

Duke of Bavaria-Landshut from 1450 to 1479

Victor Fleming

b. 1889

American director, cinematographer, and producer

Hans Herrmann

b. 1928

German racing driver

Karl Jaspers

b. 1883

German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher

Deaths

  • 1969Madhubala
  • 1855Carl Friedrich Gauss
  • 1848John Quincy Adams
  • 1766Stanisław Leszczyński
  • 1464Emperor Yingzong of Ming
  • 1100Emperor Zhezong

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Polycarp of Smyrna
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Rafaela Ybarra de Vilallonga
  • —Christian feast day: Serenus the Gardener
  • —Christian feast day: Willigis
  • —Christian feast day: February 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —The Emperor's Birthday, birthday of Naruhito, the current Emperor of Japan (Japan)
  • —Mashramani-Republic Day (Guyana)
  • —National Day (Brunei)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted 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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