May 23rd, 1678

Born on May 23rd, 1678

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 126,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 587 days, exactly on February 8th, 2026, people who were born on May 23rd, 1678 will be 127,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on May 23rd?

May 23rd, 1568

The Dutch Revolt broke out when rebels led by Louis of Nassau (pictured) invaded Friesland at the Battle of Heiligerlee.

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 World Wrestling Federation 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.

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

32

Jordan Rakei

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

*May 23rd, 1992, Hamilton

36

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

33

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

91

Joan Collins

English actress, author and columnist

*May 23rd, 1933, London

57

Wotan Wilke Möhring

German actor

*May 23rd, 1967, Detmold

66

Lea DeLaria

American actor, comedian and singer

*May 23rd, 1958, Belleville

73

Anatoly Karpov

Russian chess player

*May 23rd, 1951, Zlatoust

66

Thomas Bestvater

Swiss actor

*May 23rd, 1958, Herrliberg

63

Philippe Cochet

French politician

*May 23rd, 1961, 6th arrondissement of Lyon

77

John Payne

American actor (1912-1989)

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

36

Bray Wyatt

American professional wrestler (1987–2023)

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

73

Johann Bernhard Bach the elder

German composer (1676-1749)

*May 23rd, 1676, Erfurt †June 11th, 1749, Eisenach

82

John Bardeen

American physicist and engineer

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

40

Margaret Fuller

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

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

89

Susan Cooper

English-American fantasy writer

*May 23rd, 1935, Burnham

27

Cassandre Beaugrand

French triathlete

*May 23rd, 1997, Livry-Gargan

52

Rubens Barrichello

Brazilian racing driver

*May 23rd, 1972, São Paulo

Same year
Born in 1678

63

Antonio Vivaldi

Italian composer and violinist (1678-1741)

*March 4th, 1678, Venice †July 28th, 1741, Vienna

32

Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor

Emperor from 1705 till his death in 1711

*July 26th, 1678, Vienna †April 17th, 1711, Vienna

56

Yongzheng Emperor

Emperor of Qing-dynasty China from 1722 to 1735

*December 13th, 1678, Forbidden City †October 8th, 1735, Beijing

78

Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole

English diplomat; (1678-1757)

*December 8th, 1678, Houghton Hall †February 5th, 1757, Whitehall

64

Daniel Neal

English historian (1678–1743)

*December 14th, 1678, London †April 4th, 1743, London

64

John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll

Led government army against Jacobites in 1715

*October 10th, 1678, Petersham †October 4th, 1743, Petersham

35

Anna Waser

Painter from Switzerland (1678-1714)

*October 16th, 1678, Zürich †September 20th, 1714, Zürich

73

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke

English politician and Viscount (1678-1751)

*September 16th, 1678, Battersea †December 12th, 1751, Battersea

57

Filippo Juvarra

Italian architect and stage set designer

*March 7th, 1678, Messina †January 31st, 1736, Madrid

69

Amaro Rodríguez Felipe

Spanish corsair (1678–1747)

*May 3rd, 1678, San Cristóbal de La Laguna †October 4th, 1747, San Cristóbal de La Laguna

72

Peter von Lacy

Irish general in Russia

*October 30th, 1678, Killeedy †April 19th, 1751, Riga

60

Friedrich Wilhelm von Grumbkow

Generalfeldmarschall and Prussian statesman

*October 4th, 1678, Berlin †March 18th, 1739, Berlin

64

Dominique Marie Varlet

French bishop (1678-1742)

*March 15th, 1678, Paris †May 14th, 1742, The Hague

59

Adolf of Dalberg

German Prince-Abbot

*May 29th, 1678, Speyer †November 3rd, 1737, Schloss

69

Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

German noble (1678-1747)

*November 26th, 1678, Grabow †November 28th, 1747, Dömitz

70

Heinrich Nicolaus Trebs

Organ builder

*August 10th, 1678, Bad Frankenhausen †August 16th, 1748, Weimar

87

Adrien Maurice de Noailles

Marshal of France (1678-1766)

*September 29th, 1678, Paris †June 24th, 1766, Paris

41

Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve, Count of Samsø

17th and 18th-century Danish nobleman and admiral (1678-1719)

*June 14th, 1678, Samsø †December 8th, 1719, Copenhagen

69

Madeleine de Verchères

Canadian battle hero (1678-1747)

*March 3rd, 1678, Verchères †August 8th, 1747, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade

70

Sophie Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel

Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1678-1749)

*July 16th, 1678, Kassel †May 30th, 1749, Bützow

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 1678 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1678