May 23rd, 1779

Born on May 23rd, 1779

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 89,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 539 days, exactly on October 20th, 2025, people who were born on May 23rd, 1779 will be 90,000 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

Born on May 23rd, 1779

82

Rita Pérez de Moreno

Insurgent and heroine of the Mexican War of Independence

*May 23rd, 1779, San Juan de los Lagos †August 27th, 1861, San Juan de los Lagos

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

90

Gayatri Devi

Maharani of Jaipur and Indian politician (1919–2009)

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

32

Lena Meyer-Landrut

German singer

*May 23rd, 1991, Hanover

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

40

Margaret Fuller

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

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

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

75

Ignaz Moscheles

Bohemian conductor, music educator, composer and pianist (1794-1870)

*May 23rd, 1794, Prague †March 10th, 1870, Leipzig

82

John Bardeen

American physicist and engineer

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

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

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

51

Rubens Barrichello

Brazilian racing driver

*May 23rd, 1972, São Paulo

Same year
Born in 1779

72

Thomas Moore

Irish poet, singer and songwriter (1779–1852)

*May 28th, 1779, Dublin †February 25th, 1852, Bromham

29

Mustafa IV

Ottoman Sultan (1779-1808)

*September 8th, 1779, Constantinople †November 17th, 1808, Constantinople

69

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne

British politician (1779–1848)

*March 15th, 1779, London †November 24th, 1848, Hertfordshire

63

Washington Allston

American artist (1779-1843)

*November 5th, 1779, Charleston †July 9th, 1843, Cambridge

68

Jöns Jacob Berzelius

Swedish chemist (1779-1848)

*August 20th, 1779, Väfversunda †August 7th, 1848, Adolf Fredriks parish

65

Christoph Johann Jakob Arnold

German architect (1779-1844)

*June 1st, 1779, Karlsruhe †July 17th, 1844, Heidelberg

85

Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre

French general and statesman (1779-1865)

*November 27th, 1779, Paris †January 8th, 1865, Glisolles

73

Alexis de Garaudé

French composer and university teacher (1779-1852)

*March 21st, 1779, Nancy †March 23rd, 1852, Paris

36

Miguel de Pombo

Colombian politician (1779-1816)

*November 16th, 1779, Popayán †July 6th, 1816, Colombia

78

Józef Dwernicki

Polish general (1779-1857)

*March 19th, 1779, Warsaw †September 23rd, 1857, Lopatyn

72

Joel Roberts Poinsett

Politician and diplomat (1779-1851)

*March 2nd, 1779, Charleston †December 12th, 1851, Stateburg

41

Stephen Decatur

United States Navy officer

*January 5th, 1779, Berlin †March 22nd, 1820, Bladensburg

70

Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily

Italian princess (1779-1849)

*January 17th, 1779, Caserta †March 11th, 1849, Savona

59

John Galt

Scottish writer (1779-1839)

*May 2nd, 1779, Irvine †April 11th, 1839, Greenock

63

Antonia Nava de Catalán

Mexican military personnel

*November 18th, 1779, Tixtla de Guerrero †March 19th, 1843, Chilpancingo

72

Karl Agricola

Austrian artist (1779-1852)

*October 18th, 1779, Bad Säckingen †May 15th, 1852, Vienna

63

William Hedley

British inventor and industrial engineer (1779-1843)

*July 13th, 1779, Newburn †January 9th, 1843, Lanchester

64

Burkhard Wilhelm Seiler

German physician

*April 11th, 1779, Erlangen †September 27th, 1843, Dresden

73

William Badger

American politician

*January 13th, 1779, Gilmanton †September 21st, 1852, Gilmanton

80

Carl Ritter

German geographer (1779-1859)

*August 7th, 1779, Quedlinburg †September 28th, 1859, Berlin

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 1779 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1779