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On This Day · The 327th day of the year

November 23

A look at November 23 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Miley Cyrus and Franklin Pierce, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♐ZodiacSagittarius ◈BirthstoneTopaz ❀Birth flowerChrysanthemum
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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2011

    Arab Spring

    Arab Spring: After 11 months of protests in Yemen, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh signs a deal to transfer power to the vice president, in exchange for legal immunity.

    2010s protests and revolutions
  2. 2007

    MV Explorer (1969)

    MS Explorer, a cruise liner carrying 154 people, sinks in the Antarctic Ocean south of Argentina after hitting an iceberg near the South Shetland Islands. There are no fatalities.

    Antarctic Ocean cruise ship
  3. 2003

    Rose Revolution

    Rose Revolution: Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze resigns following weeks of mass protests over flawed elections.

    2003 popular uprising in
  4. 1991

    Queen (band)

    Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury announces in a statement that he is HIV-positive. He dies the following day.

    British rock band
  5. 1980

    1980 Irpinia earthquake

    The 6.9 Mw Irpinia earthquake shakes southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 2,483–4,900, and injuring 7,700–8,934.

    1980 earthquake in southern
  6. 1976

    Jacques Mayol

    Jacques Mayol is the first man to reach a depth of 100 m (330 ft) undersea without breathing equipment.

    French free diver (1927–2001)
  7. 1943

    Tarawa

    World War II: Tarawa and Makin atolls fall to American forces.

    Atoll and capital of
  8. 1939

    World War II

    World War II: HMS Rawalpindi is sunk by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.

    1939–1945 global conflict
  9. 1867

    Manchester Martyrs

    The Manchester Martyrs are hanged in Manchester, England, for killing a police officer while freeing two Irish Republican Brotherhood members from custody.

    Three Irish nationalists hanged
  10. 1863

    American Civil War

    American Civil War: Battle of Chattanooga begins: Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant reinforce troops at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and counter-attack Confederate troops.

    1861–1865 conflict in the
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Famous birthday twins

Born on November 23

Miley Cyrus

b. 1992

American singer-songwriter and actress

Franklin Pierce

b. 1804

American general, lawyer, and politician, 14th President of the United States

Anatoly Lunacharsky

b. 1875

Russian journalist and politician

Anne Burns

b. 1915

British aeronautical engineer and glider pilot

Mary Landrieu

b. 1955

American politician

Otto the Great

b. 912

Holy Roman Emperor

Angelo Sodano

b. 1927

Italian cardinal

Alfonso X of Castile

b. 1221

King of Castile and León from 1252 to 1284

Deaths

  • 2014Dorothy Cheney, American tennis player
  • 1995Louis Malle, French-American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1990Roald Dahl, British novelist, poet, and screenwriter
  • 1905John Burdon-Sanderson, English physiologist and academic
  • 1572Bronzino, Italian painter and poet
  • 386Emperor Fei of Jin, emperor of the Jin Dynasty

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Alexander Nevsky (Repose, Russian Orthodox Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro – one of Saints of the Cristero War (Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Columbanus
  • —Christian feast day: Felicitas of Rome
  • —Christian feast day: Paulinus of Wales
  • —Christian feast day: Pope Clement I (Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and the Lutheran Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Trudo (or Trond)
  • —Christian feast day: Wilfetrudis (or Vulfetrude)

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