May 23 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2015

Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote

In a historic referendum, 62% of Irish voters approved marriage equality, a remarkable shift for a traditionally Catholic nation. The result was annou...

2002

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft found signs of large ice deposits on Mars

NASA announced that the orbiter had detected hydrogen signatures indicating vast amounts of water ice just below the Martian surface, especially near...

1995

The first version of the Java programming language was released by Sun Microsystems

Java 1.0 promised "Write Once, Run Anywhere" functionality, revolutionizing software development for the internet age. The language would go on to pow...

1992

Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show for the final time

After 30 years and nearly 5,000 episodes as host, Carson signed off with an emotional farewell watched by 50 million viewers. His final guest was Bett...

1967

Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping

This blockade was considered an act of war by Israel and became one of the immediate triggers for the Six-Day War two weeks later. The strait was Isra...

1960

Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announced the capture of Adolf Eichmann

Major

Mossad agents had kidnapped the Nazi war criminal from Argentina and smuggled him to Israel for trial. Eichmann, a chief architect of the Holocaust, h...

1949

The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was officially established

The Basic Law came into effect, creating a democratic state from the western occupation zones. This formalized the division of Germany that would last...

1788

South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution

The state convention voted 149-73 to approve the Constitution, bringing the new nation one step closer to the required nine states for ratification. S...

1701

Captain William Kidd was hanged for piracy in London

The Scottish privateer-turned-pirate was executed at Execution Dock, and his body was gibbeted over the River Thames as a warning to other sailors. Th...

1618

The Second Defenestration of Prague occurred, sparking the Thirty Years' War

Major

Protestant nobles threw two Catholic imperial regents and their secretary out of a window in Prague Castle, starting one of Europe's most devastating...

1533

Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon was declared null and void

Major

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer officially annulled Henry's 24-year marriage, paving the way for his union with Anne Boleyn. This declaration was a pivotal...

1430

Joan of Arc was captured by Burgundian forces at Compiègne

Major

The 19-year-old French military leader was pulled from her horse and taken prisoner during a skirmish. She would be sold to the English, put on trial...