May 23rd, 1866

Born on May 23rd, 1866

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 57,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 316 days, exactly on March 10th, 2025, people who were born on May 23rd, 1866 will be 58,000 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, 1866

78

Gustav Aschaffenburg

German psychiatrist

*May 23rd, 1866, Zweibrücken †September 2nd, 1944, Baltimore

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

90

Gayatri Devi

Maharani of Jaipur and Indian politician (1919–2009)

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

66

Martin McGuinness

Sinn Féin politician and deputy First Minister (1950-2017)

*May 23rd, 1950, Derry †March 21st, 2017, Altnagelvin Area Hospital

70

Carl Linnaeus

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

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

32

Lena Meyer-Landrut

German singer

*May 23rd, 1991, Hanover

90

Joan Collins

English actress, author and columnist

*May 23rd, 1933, London

77

John Payne

American actor 1912-1989

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

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

76

Epitácio Pessoa

Brazilian politician and judge (1865-1942)

*May 23rd, 1865, Umbuzeiro †February 13th, 1942, Petrópolis

82

John Bardeen

American physicist and engineer

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

36

Bray Wyatt

American professional wrestler (1987–2023)

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

48

Otto Lilienthal

German aviation pioneer (1848-1896)

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

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

57

René Nicklès

French geologist

*May 23rd, 1859, Nancy †November 30th, 1916, Dommartemont

75

Herbert Marshall

Actor (1890-1966)

*May 23rd, 1890, London †January 22nd, 1966, Beverly Hills

83

Pär Lagerkvist

Swedish writer (1891–1974)

*May 23rd, 1891, Växjö †July 11th, 1974, Danderyd

Same year
Born in 1866

78

Romain Rolland

French author (1866-1944)

*January 29th, 1866, Clamecy †December 30th, 1944, Vézelay

79

H. G. Wells

English writer (1866–1946)

*September 21st, 1866, Bromley †August 13th, 1946, London

87

Jacinto Benavente

Spanish writer (1866-1954)

*August 12th, 1866, Madrid †July 14th, 1954, Málaga

78

Wassily Kandinsky

Russian painter (1866–1944)

*December 4th, 1866, Moscow †December 13th, 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine

63

Jeppe Aakjær

Danish poet and novelist

*September 10th, 1866, Åkær †April 22nd, 1930, Jenle

44

Gustav Adolf von Götzen

German explorer, diplomat and colonial administrator

*May 12th, 1866, Ścinawka Górna †December 2nd, 1910, Berlin

79

Thomas Hunt Morgan

American biologist (1866–1945)

*September 25th, 1866, Lexington †December 4th, 1945, Pasadena

59

Erik Satie

French composer and pianist (1866-1925)

*May 17th, 1866, Honfleur †July 1st, 1925, Paris

58

Sun Yat-sen

Chinese politician, physician, and revolutionary (1866–1925)

*November 12th, 1866, Tripteroides †March 11th, 1925, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

52

Alfred Werner

Swiss chemist Nobel laureate (1866-1919)

*December 12th, 1866, Mulhouse †November 15th, 1919, Zürich

58

René Quinton

French biologist, invented the treatment "Quinton serum", abandoned by modern medicine

*December 15th, 1866, Chaumes-en-Brie †July 9th, 1925, 17th arrondissement of Paris

63

Jean Francis Auburtin

French painter (1866-1930)

*December 2nd, 1866, 10th arrondissement of Paris †May 22nd, 1930, Dieppe

71

Ramsay MacDonald

British prime minister in 1924 and 1929 to 1935

*October 12th, 1866, Lossiemouth †November 9th, 1937, Atlantic Ocean

86

Benedetto Croce

Italian philosopher (1866-1952)

*February 25th, 1866, Pescasseroli †November 20th, 1952, Naples

33

Sigbjørn Obstfelder

Norwegian writer

*November 21st, 1866, Stavanger Municipality †July 29th, 1900, Copenhagen

69

Charles Nicolle

French microbiologist

*September 21st, 1866, Rouen †February 28th, 1936, Tunis

65

Nathan Söderblom

Swedish clergyman and archbishop

*January 15th, 1866, Trönö †July 12th, 1931, Uppsala

77

Beatrix Potter

British children's writer and illustrator (1866–1943)

*July 28th, 1866, South Kensington †December 22nd, 1943, Near Sawrey

70

Hans von Seeckt

German general (1866-1936)

*April 22nd, 1866, Schleswig †December 27th, 1936, Berlin

75

André Bellessort

French writer

*March 19th, 1866, Laval †January 22nd, 1942, 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 1866 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1866