Historical Events on October 23

  • 1694: British and American colonial forced – under Sir William Phips – attempts and fail to take the city of Quebec away from the French.
  • 1739: British Prime Minister Robert Walpole declares war on Spain. This is the beginning of the War of Jenkins’ Ear.
  • 1861: The writ of habeas corpus is suspended by United States Abraham Lincoln for all military-related cases in Washington, D.C.
  • 1911: An Italian pilot launches from Libya to observe Turkish army lines. This becomes the first reported case of aircraft being used for warfare.
  • 1915: Over thirty thousand women march on Fifth Avenue in New York City to fight for their right to vote.
  • 1939: The Japanese-made Mitsubishi G4M plane – often called the Betty Bomber – leaves on its maiden flight on this day.
  • 1941: Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov takes command of Soviet forces to try and prevent German forces from advancing further into Russia and to prevent the capture of Moscow by the Wehrmacht.
  • 1942: The Battle for Henderson Field starts on this day and would run for 3 more days during World War II.
  • 1944: At the Battle of Leyte Gulf during WWII, the biggest naval battle ever recorded begins in the Philippines.
  • 1973: United States President Richard Nixon agrees that he’ll turn over subpoenaed audio tapes of conversations recorded in the Oval Office.
  • 1982: Police officers and members of the Christ Miracle Healing Center and Church begin shooting at each other in Miracle Valley, Arizona. Two religious cultists are killed and dozens of police officers and cultists are wounded.

Famous Birthdays on October 23

  • English playwright and poet Robert Bridges in born in 1844.
  • American author and historian Neltje Blanchan is born in 1865.
  • American football player and coach, John Heisman is born in 1869.
  • American physicist William D. Coolidge is born in 1873.
  • American author and screenwriter Michael Crichton is born in 1942.
  • Scottish poet Douglas Dunn is born in 1942.