May 23rd, 1601

Born on May 23rd, 1601

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 154,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 528 days, exactly on October 7th, 2025, people who were born on May 23rd, 1601 will be 155,000 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

76

Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz

Spanish mathematician and theologian

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

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

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

40

Margaret Fuller

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

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

88

Susan Cooper

English-American fantasy writer

*May 23rd, 1935, Burnham

Same year
Born in 1601

63

Pierre de Fermat

French mathematician and lawyer

*August 17th, 1601, Beaumont-de-Lomagne †January 12th, 1665, Castres

41

Louis XIII of France

King of France and Navarre (1610–1643)

*September 27th, 1601, Fontainebleau †May 14th, 1643, Saint-Germain-en-Laye

66

Alonso Cano

Spanish painter, architect and sculptor (1601-1667)

*March 19th, 1601, Granada †September 3rd, 1667, Granada

64

Anne of Austria

Queen, consort of Louis XIII, King of France, lived (1601-1666)

*September 22nd, 1601, Valladolid †January 20th, 1666, Paris

64

Marie de La Tour d'Auvergne

17th-century French noblewoman

*January 17th, 1601, Turenne †May 24th, 1665, Thouars

53

Antonius Matthaeus

German jurist (1601-1654)

*November 15th, 1601, Herborn †December 25th, 1654, Utrecht

57

Baltasar Gracián

Aragonese Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher in Castilian language (1601-1658)

*January 8th, 1601, Belmonte de Gracián †December 6th, 1658, Tarazona

73

Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha

Duke of Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Altenburg (1601-1675)

*December 25th, 1601, Altenburg †March 26th, 1675, Gotha

68

Johann Michael Moscherosch

German writer

*March 7th, 1601, Willstätt †April 4th, 1669, Worms

53

Balthasar Gloxin

Roman jurist (1601-1654)

*January 10th, 1601, Burg auf Fehmarn †August 1st, 1654, Schleswig

59

Gerhard Coccejus

German jurist, diplomat and university professor

*July 1st, 1601, Bremen †July 27th, 1660

43

Otto Henrich Callenberg

German politician (1601-1644)

*October 20th, 1601, Wettesingen †November 23rd, 1644, Lucklum

67

Philippus Brietius

French historian

*March 6th, 1601, Abbeville †December 9th, 1668, Paris

61

Heinrich Rahn

German jurist, university lecturer and rector

*February 14th, 1601, Brunswick †April 2nd, 1662, Rostock

47

Antoine Daniel

Jesuit missionary and martyr (1601-1648)

*May 27th, 1601, Dieppe †July 4th, 1648, Springwater

54

Andreas Rivinus

German author (1601-1656)

*October 17th, 1601, Halle (Saale) †April 4th, 1656, Leipzig

65

Georges de Scudéry

French writer (1601-1667)

*August 22nd, 1601, Le Havre †May 14th, 1667, Paris

71

José Ximénez

Spanish composer and organist from baroque period (baptized 25 December 1601; died 9 August 1672)

*January 1st, 1601, Zaragoza †August 9th, 1672, Zaragoza

78

Jean Eudes

French missionary

*November 14th, 1601, Ri †August 19th, 1680, Caen

55

Charles de Schomberg d' Halluin

Mariscal de Francia (1601-1656)

*February 16th, 1601, Nanteuil-le-Haudouin †June 6th, 1656, Paris

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 1601 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1601