March 23
March 23 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 283 days remain until the year's end. It falls in spring (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Aries.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On March 23 the Sun's declination is approximately +0.8°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a March 23.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
No widely-observed holidays catalogued for this day in our base set. See the external almanacs above for region-specific observances.
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1775 — Patrick Henry delivered his "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech. ↗(251 years ago)more
"Give me liberty or give me death!" is a quotation attributed to American politician and orator Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia.
1839 — "OK" was first published in the Boston Morning Post, beginning its rise to global ubiquity. ↗(187 years ago)more
OK, with spelling variations including okay, O.K. and many others, is an English word denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, acknowledgment, or a sign of indifference. OK is frequently used as a loanword in other languages. It has been described as the most frequently spoken or written word on the planet.
1933 — The German Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, granting Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers. ↗(93 years ago)more
The Enabling Act of 1933 was a law that gave the German Cabinet—most importantly, the chancellor, Adolf Hitler—the power to make and enforce laws without the involvement of the Reichstag or President Paul von Hindenburg.
1956 — Pakistan became the world's first Islamic republic. ↗(70 years ago)more
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. Islamabad is the nation's capital, while Karachi is its largest city and financial centre. Pakistan is the 33rd-largest country by area.
2001 — The Mir space station was de-orbited and disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean. ↗(25 years ago)more
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russian Federation. Mir was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996. It had a greater mass than any previous spacecraft.
Notable births
1857 — Fannie Farmer, American culinary expert. ↗(169 years ago)more
Fannie Merritt Farmer was an American culinary expert whose Boston Cooking-School Cook Book became a widely used culinary text.
1881 — Roger Martin du Gard, French novelist and Nobel laureate. ↗(145 years ago)more
Roger Martin du Gard was a French novelist, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Notable deaths
1842 — Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle), French novelist. ↗(184 years ago)more
Marie-Henri Beyle, better known by his pen name Stendhal, was a French writer. Best known for the novels Le Rouge et le Noir and La Chartreuse de Parme, he is highly regarded for the acute analysis of his characters' psychology and considered one of the early and foremost practitioners of realism.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (83) | 83 · prime |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (283) | 283 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 23032026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +0.81° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 89 days |