May 23rd, 1478

Born on May 23rd, 1478

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 199,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 597 days, exactly on December 21st, 2025, people who were born on May 23rd, 1478 will be 200,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on May 23rd?

May 23rd, 2008

The International Court of Justice awarded the Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore, resolving a 29-year-old territorial dispute in the Singapore Strait.

May 23rd, 1999

Professional wrestler Owen Hart died immediately before a match after dropping 70 feet (21 m) onto the ring during a botched entrance.

May 23rd, 1974

The Airbus A300, the first twin-engined wide-body airliner, went into service with Air France.

May 23rd, 1939

The U.S. Navy submarine Squalus sank off Portsmouth, New Hampshire, during tests, causing 26 men to drown.

May 23rd, 1895

Backed by Samuel J. Tilden, the Astor Library and the Lenox Library agreed to merge and form the New York Public Library.

May 23rd, 1873

The North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was established to bring law and order to and assert Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Territories.

May 23rd, 1862

American Civil War: Confederate troops under Stonewall Jackson defeated a Union force at the Battle of Front Royal in Virginia, taking around 700 prisoners.

May 23rd, 1706

War of the Spanish Succession: The Grand Alliance armies routed the Franco-Spanish-Bavarian army in Ramillies, present-day Belgium.

May 23rd, 1555

Gian Pietro Carafa became Pope Paul IV, beginning a tumultuous four-year papacy during which the Papal States suffered a serious military defeat.

May 23rd, 1533

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Henry VIII's marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon (pictured), beginning events that would culminate in the English Reformation.

May 23rd, 1430

Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc (pictured) was captured by Burgundian forces at the Siege of Compiègne.

May 23rd, 1949

Cold War: The Western occupying powers approve the Basic Law and establish a new German state, the Federal Republic of Germany.

May 23rd, 1948

Thomas C. Wasson, the US Consul-General, is assassinated in Jerusalem, Israel.

May 23rd, 1945

World War II: Germany's Flensburg Government under Karl Dönitz is dissolved when its members are arrested by British forces.

May 23rd, 1939

The U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus sinks off the coast of New Hampshire during a test dive, causing the death of 24 sailors and two civilian technicians. The remaining 32 sailors and one civilian naval architect are rescued the following day.

Birthdays
... of famous people, actors, celebrities and stars on May 23rd

Same Day
Who's birthday is on May 23rd?

70

Carl Linnaeus

Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (1707–1778)

*May 23rd, 1707, Råshult †January 10th, 1778, Linnaeus Hammarby

31

Jordan Rakei

New Zealander-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer

*May 23rd, 1992, Hamilton

35

Sara Hjort Ditlevsen

Danish actress

*May 23rd, 1988, Copenhagen

66

Martin McGuinness

Sinn Féin politician and deputy First Minister (1950-2017)

*May 23rd, 1950, Derry †March 21st, 2017, Altnagelvin Area Hospital

32

Lena Meyer-Landrut

German singer

*May 23rd, 1991, Hanover

90

Gayatri Devi

Maharani of Jaipur and Indian politician (1919–2009)

*May 23rd, 1919, London †July 29th, 2009, Jaipur

90

Joan Collins

English actress, author and columnist

*May 23rd, 1933, London

56

Wotan Wilke Möhring

German actor

*May 23rd, 1967, Detmold

65

Lea DeLaria

American actor, comedian and singer

*May 23rd, 1958, Belleville

72

Anatoly Karpov

Russian chess player

*May 23rd, 1951, Zlatoust

65

Thomas Bestvater

Swiss actor

*May 23rd, 1958, Herrliberg

36

Bray Wyatt

American professional wrestler (1987–2023)

*May 23rd, 1987, Brooksville †August 24th, 2023, Clermont

77

John Payne

American actor (1912-1989)

*May 23rd, 1912, Roanoke †December 6th, 1989, Malibu

26

Cassandre Beaugrand

French triathlete

*May 23rd, 1997, Livry-Gargan

82

John Bardeen

American physicist and engineer

*May 23rd, 1908, Madison †January 30th, 1991, Boston

51

Rubens Barrichello

Brazilian racing driver

*May 23rd, 1972, São Paulo

69

Alan García

President of Peru (1985–1990 and 2006–2011)

*May 23rd, 1949, Lima †April 17th, 2019, Lima

88

Susan Cooper

English-American fantasy writer

*May 23rd, 1935, Burnham

40

Margaret Fuller

American writer and women's activist (1810–1850)

*May 23rd, 1810, Cambridge †July 19th, 1850, Fire Island

46

Hans Frank

German lawyer, Nazi politician, General Governor of Nazi occupied Poland and convicted war criminal (1900-1946)

*May 23rd, 1900, Karlsruhe †October 16th, 1946, Nuremberg

Same year
Born in 1478

57

Thomas More

English statesman, lawyer and philosopher (1478–1535)

*February 7th, 1478, London †July 6th, 1535, Tower Hill

50

Baldassarre Castiglione

Italian Renaissance author (1478-1529)

*December 6th, 1478, Marcaria †February 8th, 1529, Toledo

63

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire

*March 16th, 1478, Trujillo, Cáceres †June 26th, 1541, Lima

56

Clement VII

Pope of the Catholic Church from 1523 to 1534

*May 26th, 1478, Florence †September 25th, 1534, Rome

72

Gian Giorgio Trissino

Italian Renaissance humanist

*July 8th, 1478, Vicenza †December 8th, 1550, Rome

28

Philip I of Castile

Duke of Burgundy and King of Castile

*June 22nd, 1478, Bruges †September 25th, 1506, Burgos

32

Giorgione

Venetian Renaissance painter (1478-1510)

*January 1st, 1478, Castelfranco Veneto †January 1st, 1510, Venice

19

John, Prince of Asturias

Prince of Asturias

*June 30th, 1478, Seville †October 4th, 1497, Salamanca

65

Louis V

Elector Palatine

*July 2nd, 1478, Heidelberg †March 16th, 1544, Heidelberg

43

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham

3rd Duke of Buckingham, born in Wales

*February 3rd, 1478, Brecon †May 17th, 1521, Tower Hill

49

Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland

English noble

*January 14th, 1478, Alnwick Castle †May 19th, 1527, Wressle Castle

55

Barbara Jagiellon

Duchess consort of Saxony and Margravine consort of Meissen (1478-1534)

*July 15th, 1478, Sandomierz †February 15th, 1534, Leipzig

78

Konrad Pellikan

Conradus Pellicanus of Rouffach (8 January 1478 - 6 Aprl 1556), Old Testament scholar and a correspondent of Desiderius Erasmus

*January 8th, 1478, Rouffach †April 6th, 1556, Zürich

82

Giulio d'Este

Illegitimate son of Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (1478-1561)

*July 13th, 1478, Ferrara †March 13th, 1561, Ferrara

56

Anastasia von Brandenburg

(1478-1534)

*March 14th, 1478, Ansbach †July 4th, 1534, Ilmenau

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on May 23rd

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day) which are celebrated on May 23rd.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

No: With 365 days 1478 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1478