May 23rd, 1588

Born on May 23rd, 1588

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 159,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 778 days, exactly on June 16th, 2026, people who were born on May 23rd, 1588 will be 160,000 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

79

Paul Siefert

German composer and organist (1586-1666)

*May 23rd, 1586, Gdańsk †May 6th, 1666, Gdańsk

77

John Payne

American actor 1912-1989

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

76

Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz

Spanish mathematician and theologian

*May 23rd, 1606, Madrid †September 7th, 1682, Milan

82

John Bardeen

American physicist and engineer

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

26

Cassandre Beaugrand

French triathlete

*May 23rd, 1997, Livry-Gargan

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

Same year
Born in 1588

91

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher (1588–1679)

*April 5th, 1588, Westport †December 4th, 1679, Derbyshire

59

Marin Mersenne

French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist, often referred to as the "father of acoustics" (1588-1648)

*September 8th, 1588, Oizé †September 1st, 1648, Paris

65

Claudius Salmasius

French classical scholar, writer and professor in Leiden (1588-1653)

*April 15th, 1588, Semur-en-Auxois †September 3rd, 1653, Spa

59

Godard van Reede

Dutch politician and diplomat (1588-1648)

*September 30th, 1588, Utrecht †June 25th, 1648, Utrecht

65

Nicolaes Eliaszoon Pickenoy

Dutch painter of Flemish origin (1588-1650)

*January 10th, 1588, Amsterdam †November 30th, 1653, Amsterdam

42

Constance of Austria

Queen consort of Poland and Sweden

*December 24th, 1588, Graz †July 10th, 1631, Warsaw

61

Alessandro Varotari

Painter from Italy (1588-1649)

*April 4th, 1588, Padua †July 20th, 1649, Venice

62

Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan

Consort of Ahmed, Valide Sultan and regent of Murad IV and Ibrahim I, grandmother and regent of Mehmed IV, regent 3 times and valide 2

*November 30th, 1588, Tinos †September 2nd, 1651, Istanbul

61

Anthon von Ditfurth

German poet (1588-1650)

*November 26th, 1588, Stadthagen †May 7th, 1650, Stadthagen

35

Johann Affelmann

German theologian

*November 25th, 1588, Soest †February 28th, 1624, Rostock

45

Johann von Aldringen

Nobleman

*December 10th, 1588, Grund †July 22nd, 1634, Landshut

61

Francesco Gessi

Italian painter (1588-1649)

*January 20th, 1588, Bologna †September 15th, 1649, Bologna

23

Frederick IX, Margrave of Brandenburg

Margrave of Brandenburg (1588–1611)

*March 22nd, 1588, Old Cölln †May 19th, 1611, Słońsk

47

Egon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg

Count von Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg, Bavarian Field-marshal and commander in the Thirty Years' War (1588-1635)

*May 21st, 1588, Speyer †August 24th, 1635, Constance

61

Franz Christoph von Khevenhüller-Frankenburg

Austrian historian, diplomat and politician (1588-1650)

*February 21st, 1588, Landskron Castle †January 1st, 1650, Baden

47

Martin Trost

German orientalist (1588-1636)

*November 11th, 1588, Höxter †April 8th, 1636, Lutherstadt Wittenberg

56

Peder Gustafsson Banér

Swedish politician (1588-1644)

*June 28th, 1588, Djursholm †July 13th, 1644, Stockholm

42

Bénédict Turrettini

Genevan theologian

*November 9th, 1588, Zürich †March 4th, 1631, Geneva

52

Wolrad IV of Waldeck-Eisenberg

German count

*July 7th, 1588, Korbach †October 6th, 1640, Bad Arolsen

77

Nicholas Lanier

English composer, singer, lutenist and painter (1588-1666)

*September 10th, 1588, London †December 31st, 1665, Greenwich

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

Yes: 1588 is a leap year, therefore has a 29th of February with an additional leap day and a total of 366 days (instead of the usual 365 days in a normal year).

Calendar
May 1588