May 23rd, 1839

Born on May 23rd, 1839

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 67,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 454 days, exactly on July 26th, 2025, people who were born on May 23rd, 1839 will be 68,000 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?

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

70

Carl Linnaeus

Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (1707–1778)

*May 23rd, 1707, Råshult †January 10th, 1778, Linnaeus Hammarby

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

48

Otto Lilienthal

German aviation pioneer (1848-1896)

*May 23rd, 1848, Anklam †August 10th, 1896, Berlin

56

Wotan Wilke Möhring

German actor

*May 23rd, 1967, Detmold

65

Lea DeLaria

American actor, comedian and singer

*May 23rd, 1958, Belleville

77

John Payne

American actor 1912-1989

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

72

Anatoly Karpov

Russian chess player

*May 23rd, 1951, Zlatoust

65

Thomas Bestvater

Swiss actor

*May 23rd, 1958, Herrliberg

68

Ernst von Ihne

German architect (1848-1917)

*May 23rd, 1848, Elberfeld †April 21st, 1917, Berlin

40

Margaret Fuller

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

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

36

Bray Wyatt

American professional wrestler (1987–2023)

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

55

Carl Bloch

Danish painter (1834-1890)

*May 23rd, 1834, Copenhagen †February 22nd, 1890, Copenhagen

82

John Bardeen

American physicist and engineer

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

68

Alfred Kirchhoff

German geographer and naturalist

*May 23rd, 1838, Erfurt †February 8th, 1907, Mockau

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

Same year
Born in 1839

57

Carl Humann

German architect, engineer and archeologist (1839-1896)

*January 4th, 1839, Steele †April 12th, 1896, İzmir

72

Heinrich Nissen

German historian of classical antiquity, epigraphican and archaeologist of roman provinces (1839-1912)

*April 3rd, 1839, Haderslev †February 29th, 1912, Bonn

97

John D. Rockefeller

American business magnate and philanthropist (1839–1937)

*July 8th, 1839, Richford †May 23rd, 1937, Ormond Beach

67

Paul Cézanne

French painter (1839–1906)

*January 19th, 1839, Aix-en-Provence †October 22nd, 1906, Aix-en-Provence

74

Charles Sanders Peirce

American philosopher, logician, mathematician, and scientist (1839-1914)

*September 10th, 1839, Cambridge †April 19th, 1914, Milford

84

Hilaire de Chardonnet

French engineer

*May 1st, 1839, Besançon †March 11th, 1924, Paris

69

Machado de Assis

Brazilian writer

*June 21st, 1839, Rio de Janeiro †September 29th, 1908, Rio de Janeiro

20

Oliver Brown

American abolitionist

*March 9th, 1839, Franklin †October 18th, 1859, Harpers Ferry

68

Sully Prudhomme

French poet, Nobel prize for literature winner 1901

*March 16th, 1839, 10th arrondissement of Paris †September 6th, 1907, Châtenay-Malabry

42

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

Russian composer (1839–1881)

*March 9th, 1839, Karevo †March 16th, 1881, Saint Petersburg

75

Carol I of Romania

King of Romania from 1881 to 1914

*April 20th, 1839, Sigmaringen †October 10th, 1914, Peleș Castle

76

Théodule-Armand Ribot

French psychologist (1839-1916)

*December 18th, 1839, Guingamp †December 9th, 1916, Paris

37

Crazy Horse

Oglala Sioux chief (1840–1877)

*November 30th, 1839, South Dakota †September 5th, 1877, Fort Robinson

90

Elisabeth Järnefelt

Finnish mother of Finnish art and culture

*January 11th, 1839, Saint Petersburg †February 3rd, 1929, Helsinki

58

Henry George

American political economist and journalist (1839–1897)

*September 2nd, 1839, Philadelphia †October 29th, 1897, New York City

64

Josiah Willard Gibbs

American scientist (1839–1903)

*February 11th, 1839, New Haven †April 28th, 1903, New Haven

59

Alfred Sisley

British painter (1839-1899)

*October 30th, 1839, Paris †January 29th, 1899, Moret-sur-Loing

69

Ouida

British novelist (1839–1908)

*January 1st, 1839, Bury St Edmunds †January 25th, 1908, Viareggio

49

Nikolay Przhevalsky

Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888)

*March 31st, 1839, Kimborovo †October 20th, 1888, Karakol

68

Redvers Buller

Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1839-1908)

*December 7th, 1839, Crediton †June 2nd, 1908, Crediton

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 1839 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1839