October 23
October 23 is the 297th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 69 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Scorpio.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On October 23 the Sun's declination is approximately -12.8°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter 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 October 23.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer
- Christian feast day: James the Just (i.e. James, brother of Jesus) (Lutheran, Episcopal Church (USA), Eastern Orthodox)
- Christian feast day: Allucio of Campugliano
- Christian feast day: Amon of Toul (Diocese of Toul)
- Christian feast day: Boethius
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2022 — Xi Jinping is elected as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party by the Central Committee, beginning a third term of the paramount leader of China. ↗(4 years ago)more
Xi Jinping is a Chinese statesman and politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Party Central Military Commission (CMC) since 2012, and the president of China and chairman of the State Central Military Commission since 2013.
2022 — Myanmar Air Force airstrikes a concert in Hpakant Township, Kachin state killing at least 80 people, including senior Kachin Independence Organisation officials, in the Hpakant massacre. ↗(4 years ago)more
The Myanmar Air Force is the aerial branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception has been to provide air bases force protection, anti-aircraft warfare, close air support (CAS), logistical, and transport to the Myanmar Army in counterinsurgency operations.
2020 — Second Libyan Civil War: The Second Libyan Civil War comes to an end as all parties to the 5+5 Joint Libyan Military Commission agree to a ceasefire. ↗(6 years ago)more
The Libyan civil war (2014–2020), also known as the Second Libyan Civil War, was a multilateral civil war which was fought in Libya among a number of armed groups, but mainly the House of Representatives (HoR) and the Government of National Accord (GNA), for six years from 2014 to 2020.
2017 — War against the Islamic State: Philippine defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana declares the end of the Siege of Marawi. ↗(9 years ago)more
Many states began to intervene against the Islamic State (IS), in both the Syrian civil war and the War in Iraq (2013–2017), in response to its rapid territorial gains from its 2014 invasion of Iraq, widely condemned executions, human rights abuses and the fear of further spillovers of the Syrian civil war.
2015 — The lowest sea-level pressure in the Western Hemisphere, and the highest reliably-measured non-tornadic sustained winds, are recorded in Hurricane Patricia, which strikes Mexico hours later, killing at least 13 and causing over $280 million in damages. ↗(11 years ago)more
Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure, is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere is a unit of pressure defined as 101,325 Pa (1,013.25 hPa), which is equivalent to 1,013.25 millibars, 760 torr, about 29.9212 inHg, or about 14.696 psi.
2011 — A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Van Province, Turkey, killing 582 people and injuring thousands. ↗(15 years ago)more
The 2011 Van earthquakes occurred in eastern Turkey near the city of Van. The first earthquake happened on 23 October at 13:41 local time. The shock had a Mww magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).
2011 — The Libyan National Transitional Council deems the Libyan Civil War over. ↗(15 years ago)more
The National Transitional Council (NTC) was a transitional government established in the 2011 Libyan civil war. After rebel forces overthrew the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya of Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011, the NTC governed Libya for a further ten months after the end of the war, holding elections to a General National Congress on 7 July 2012, and handing pow...
2007 — A storm causes the Mexican Kab 101 oil platform to collide with a wellhead, leading to the death and drowning of 22 people during rescue operations after evacuation of the platform. ↗(19 years ago)more
Kab 101 is a Sea Pony-type minimum-facilities light-production oil platform operated by Mexican state-owned oil company PEMEX, and installed about 26 kilometres (16 mi) off the coast of Tabasco, near the port of Dos Bocas, in 1994. The platform was designed by British engineering firm SLP Engineering Limited.
2007 — Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-120, with Pamela Melroy becoming the second female space shuttle commander. ↗(19 years ago)more
Space Shuttle Discovery is a retired American Space Shuttle orbiter. The spaceplane was one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984.
2004 — A powerful earthquake and its aftershocks hit Niigata Prefecture in northern Japan, killing 35 people, injuring 2,200, and leaving 85,000 homeless or evacuated. ↗(22 years ago)more
The Chūetsu earthquake occurred in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, at 17:56:00 JST on 23 October 2004. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) officially named it the "Heisei 16 Niigata Prefecture Chūetsu Earthquake" . The reverse-faulting shock achieved a maximum JMA seismic intensity of Shindo 7 and Modified Mercalli intensity of XI–XII (Extreme).
2002 — Second Chechen War: Chechen separatist terrorists seize the House of Culture theater in Moscow and take approximately 700 theater-goers hostage. ↗(24 years ago)more
The Second Chechen War took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 to April 2009.
2001 — Apple Computer releases the iPod. ↗(25 years ago)more
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley, and known for consumer electronics, software and online services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Computer Company by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, the company was incorporated by Jobs and Wozniak as Apple Computer, Inc.
Notable births
- 2004 — Niccolò Pisilli, Italian footballer ↗(22 years ago)
more
Niccolò Pisilli is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma and the Italy national team.
- 2003 — Jacob Bethell, English Cricket Legend ↗(23 years ago)
more
Jacob Graham Bethell is a cricketer who plays for the England cricket team. He made his international debut in September 2024 against Australia at the Rose Bowl, Southampton and became England's youngest ever captain when led the Twenty20 International side against Ireland in September 2025. In domestic cricket, Bethell represents Warwickshire and Birming...
2002 — Ningning, Chinese singer ↗(24 years ago)more
Ning Yizhuo, known professionally as Ningning (Korean: 닝닝), is a Chinese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group aespa.
1999 — Yui Kobayashi, Japanese idol ↗(27 years ago)more
Yui Kobayashi , also known as Yousti, is a Japanese singer and model. She is a former member of the idol group Sakurazaka46. She is represented by Sony Music Records and is an exclusive model with a fashion magazine with.
1998 — Amandla Stenberg, American actress ↗(28 years ago)more
Amandla Stenberg is an American actress and musician. She began her career as a child actor and received recognition for playing Rue in the action film The Hunger Games (2012). As she grew older, she appeared in the supernatural series Sleepy Hollow (2013–2014) and the romance film Everything, Everything (2017).
1998 — Jordan Goodwin, American basketball player ↗(28 years ago)more
Jordan Goodwin is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Saint Louis Billikens.
Notable deaths
2025 — June Lockhart, American actress (b. 1925) ↗(1 years ago)more
June Kathleen Lockhart was an American actress, beginning a film career in the 1930s and 1940s in films such as A Christmas Carol and Meet Me in St. Louis. She appeared primarily in 1950s and 1960s television and with performances on stage and in film.
2024 — Geoff Capes, British shot putter and strongman (born 1949) ↗(2 years ago)more
Geoffrey Lewis Humberg Capes JP was a British shot putter, strongman, and Highland Games competitor.
2024 — Gary Indiana, American writer, playwright and poet (born 1950) ↗(2 years ago)more
Gary Hoisington, known as Gary Indiana, was an American writer, actor, artist, and cultural critic. He served as the art critic for the Village Voice weekly newspaper from 1985 to 1988. Indiana is best known for his classic American true-crime trilogy, Resentment, Three Month Fever: The Andrew Cunanan Story, and Depraved Indifference, chronicling the less...
2024 — Jack Jones, American singer and actor (born 1938) ↗(2 years ago)more
John Allan Jones was an American singer and actor. He was primarily a straight-pop singer whose forays into jazz were mostly of the big-band/swing music variety. He won two Grammy Awards and received five additional nominations. Notably, he sang the opening theme song for the television series The Love Boat.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (297) | 3^3 × 11 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (69) | 3 × 23 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 23102026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -12.78° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 58 days |