May 23rd, 1686

Born on May 23rd, 1686

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 123,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 574 days, exactly on November 22nd, 2025, people who were born on May 23rd, 1686 will be 124,000 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

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

40

Margaret Fuller

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

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

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

80

Franz Anton Mesmer

German physician

*May 23rd, 1734, Iznang †March 5th, 1815, Meersburg

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 1686

50

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

German-Polish physicist and engineer (1686-1736)

*May 24th, 1686, Gdańsk †September 16th, 1736, The Hague

73

Christoph Matthäus Pfaff

German theologian

*December 25th, 1686, Stuttgart †November 19th, 1760, Giessen

27

Charles of France, Duke of Berry

French noble

*August 31st, 1686, Versailles †May 4th, 1714, Marly-le-Roi

76

Giovanni Battista Somis

Italian violinist and composer (1686-1763)

*December 25th, 1686, Turin †August 14th, 1763, Turin

80

Archibald Bower

Scottish Historian

*January 17th, 1686, Dundee †September 3rd, 1766, London

71

Antoine de Jussieu

French botanist (1686-1758)

*July 6th, 1686, Lyon †April 22nd, 1758, Paris

52

Cosmas Damian Asam

German artist (1686-1739)

*September 28th, 1686, Benediktbeuern †May 10th, 1739, Munich

81

Nicola Porpora

Italian composer

*August 17th, 1686, Naples †March 3rd, 1768, Naples

72

Hans Egede

Missionary to Greenland, Lutheran pastor (1686-1758)

*January 31st, 1686, Harstad Municipality †November 5th, 1758, Stubbekøbing

64

Vasily Tatishchev

Russian historian (1686-1750)

*April 19th, 1686, Pskov †July 15th, 1750, Boldino

36

William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

*January 8th, 1686, Ansbach †January 7th, 1723, Schwabach

59

Jean-Joseph Fiocco

Belgian composer

*December 15th, 1686, Brussels metropolitan area †March 30th, 1746, Brussels metropolitan area

52

Benedetto Marcello

Italian composer, writer, advocate, magistrate, and teacher

*August 9th, 1686, Venice †July 24th, 1739, Brescia

69

Jean-Baptiste Oudry

French painter and printmaker (1686-1755)

*March 17th, 1686, Paris †April 30th, 1755, Beauvais

50

Antonina Houbraken

Dutch artist (1686-1736)

*May 30th, 1686, Dordrecht †December 12th, 1736, Amsterdam

66

Adolphus Frederick III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1686-1752)

*June 7th, 1686, Neustrelitz †December 11th, 1752, Neustrelitz

87

Bernard Gates

Composer

*April 23rd, 1686, The Hague †November 15th, 1773, North Aston

71

José Manuel da Câmara de Atalaia

Portuguese cardinal of the Catholic Church

*December 25th, 1686, Lisbon †July 9th, 1758, Atalaia

43

Karl Joseph von Kuenburg

Austrian priest

*May 27th, 1686, Salzburg †December 10th, 1729, Schloss Tüßling

60

Andrey Osterman

Russian noble

*May 30th, 1686, Bochum †May 20th, 1747, Beryozovo

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 1686 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1686