August 23rd, 1940

Born on August 23rd, 1940

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 30,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 441 days, exactly on July 8th, 2025, people who were born on August 23rd, 1940 will be 31,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on August 23rd?

August 23rd, 1954

The Cruise of the Kings, a royal cruise organised by the Queen Consort of Greece, Frederica of Hanover, departs from Marseille, France.

August 23rd, 2010

A former Philippine National Police officer hijacked a tourist bus in Manila, holding its occupants hostage for nearly eleven hours and killing eight of them before being killed by police himself.

August 23rd, 2006

Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten in Vienna, escaped from her captor's house in Strasshof an der Nordbahn after more than eight years in captivity.

August 23rd, 1989

Singing Revolution: Approximately two million people joined hands to form a human chain spanning 675.5 kilometres (419.7 mi) across the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Soviet republics to demonstrate their desire for independence.

August 23rd, 1944

King Michael dismissed the pro-Axis government of General Ion Antonescu, placing Romania on the side of the Allies for the remainder of World War II.

August 23rd, 1943

Second World War: A decisive Soviet victory against German forces at the Battle of Kursk gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war.

August 23rd, 1939

Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a ten-year mutual non-aggression treaty, which also secretly divided northern and eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence.

August 23rd, 1933

The Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane made landfall in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and went on to cause at least 47 deaths in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region.

August 23rd, 1914

In their first major action of the First World War, the British Expeditionary Force engaged German troops in Mons, Belgium.

August 23rd, 1898

The Southern Cross Expedition (dogsled team pictured), the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, departed London.

August 23rd, 1873

The Albert Bridge, spanning the River Thames in London, opened to traffic.

August 23rd, 1775

King George III issued a proclamation (copy pictured) that declared elements of the American colonies of Great Britain to be in a state of "open and avowed rebellion".

August 23rd, 1514

Ottoman forces defeated the Safavids at the Battle of Chaldiran, gaining control of eastern Anatolia and northern Iraq.

August 23rd, 1305

William Wallace, a leader of Scottish resistance against England during the Wars of Scottish Independence, was hanged, drawn and quartered.

August 23rd, 2023

A business jet carrying key leadership members of the Russian private military company Wagner Group crashes, killing all ten people on-board.

Birthdays
... of famous people, actors, celebrities and stars on August 23rd

Born on August 23rd, 1940

78

Thomas A. Steitz

American biochemist

*August 23rd, 1940, Milwaukee †October 9th, 2018, Branford

83

Tony Bill

American actor, producer and director

*August 23rd, 1940, San Diego

74

Arndt Frauenrath

German businessperson and entrepreneur

*August 23rd, 1940, Heinsberg †March 31st, 2015, Heinsberg

77

Zoe Petre

Romanian historian of classical antiquity (1940-2017)

*August 23rd, 1940, Bucharest †September 1st, 2017, Bucharest

83

Jean-Paul Mathieu

Bishop of Saint-Dié des Vosges (France)

*August 23rd, 1940, Hadol

83

Richard Sanders

American actor

*August 23rd, 1940, Harrisburg

50

Vicki Brown

English pop, rock and contemporary classical singer (1940–1991)

*August 23rd, 1940, Liverpool †June 16th, 1991, Henley-on-Thames

61

Galen Rowell

Wilderness photographer, mountaineer, and author (1940–2002)

*August 23rd, 1940, Oakland †August 11th, 2002, Bishop

81

Carmen de la Maza

Spanish actress

*August 23rd, 1940, San Sebastián †January 14th, 2022, Madrid

Same Day
Who's birthday is on August 23rd?

95

Kenneth Arrow

American economist (1921-2017)

*August 23rd, 1921, New York City †February 21st, 2017, Palo Alto

67

Valgerd Svarstad Haugland

Norwegian politician

*August 23rd, 1956, Kvam Municipality

89

Philippe Mestre

French politician and writer

*August 23rd, 1927, Talmont †April 25th, 2017, 6th arrondissement of Paris

76

Willy Russell

British dramatist, lyricist and composer

*August 23rd, 1947, Whiston

74

Jacques Weber

French actor, film director and screenwriter

*August 23rd, 1949, Paris

85

Michel Rocard

French politician (1930–2016)

*August 23rd, 1930, Courbevoie †July 2nd, 2016, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital

89

Dick Bruna

Dutch writer and illustrator

*August 23rd, 1927, Utrecht †February 16th, 2017, Utrecht

86

Marian Seldes

American stage, film, radio, and television actress (1928 – 2014)

*August 23rd, 1928, Manhattan †October 6th, 2014, New York City

41

Kobe Bryant

American basketball player (1978–2020)

*August 23rd, 1978, Philadelphia †January 26th, 2020, Calabasas

76

Linda Thompson

British singer

*August 23rd, 1947, London

74

William Lane Craig

American Christian apologist and theologian

*August 23rd, 1949, Peoria

49

Konstantin Novoselov

Russian-British physicist known for graphene work

*August 23rd, 1974, Nizhny Tagil

88

Robert Curl

American chemist

*August 23rd, 1933, Alice †July 3rd, 2022, Houston

45

Andrew Rannells

American actor and singer

*August 23rd, 1978, Omaha

69

Augustin Deleanu

Romanian footballer (1944-2014)

*August 23rd, 1944, Măgurele †March 27th, 2014, Bucharest

81

Patricia McBride

American ballet dancer

*August 23rd, 1942, Teaneck

80

Nelson DeMille

American writer

*August 23rd, 1943, Jamaica

83

Gene Kelly

American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer (1912-1996)

*August 23rd, 1912, Pittsburgh †February 2nd, 1996, Beverly Hills

46

Jared Fogle

American former Subway spokesperson

*August 23rd, 1977, Indianapolis

69

Halimah Yacob

8th President of Singapore

*August 23rd, 1954, Singapore

Same year
Born in 1940

83

Onur Öymen

Turkish politician and diplomat

*October 18th, 1940, Kadıköy

84

Lorns Skjemstad

Norwegian cross-country skier

*March 10th, 1940, Inderøy Municipality

40

John Lennon

British musician (1940–1980)

*October 9th, 1940, Liverpool †December 8th, 1980, New York City

83

Jeannie Seely

American singer

*July 6th, 1940, Titusville

76

Al Jarreau

American singer (1940–2017)

*March 12th, 1940, Milwaukee †February 12th, 2017, Los Angeles

82

Pelé

Brazilian footballer (1940–2022)

*October 23rd, 1940, Três Corações †December 29th, 2022, Morumbi District

83

Al Pacino

American actor (born 1940)

*April 25th, 1940, Manhattan

77

Michael Parks

American actor (1940–2017)

*April 24th, 1940, Corona †May 9th, 2017, Los Angeles

83

Annie Ernaux

French writer (born 1940)

*September 1st, 1940, Lillebonne

82

James Caan

American actor (1940–2022)

*March 26th, 1940, The Bronx †July 6th, 2022, Los Angeles

80

Wolfgang Clement

German politician

*July 7th, 1940, Bochum †September 27th, 2020, Bonn

84

Nancy Pelosi

American politician (born 1940)

*March 26th, 1940, Baltimore

32

Bruce Lee

Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor (1940–1973)

*November 27th, 1940, San Francisco Chinese Hospital †July 20th, 1973, Kowloon Tong

84

Jana Brejchová

Czech actress

*January 20th, 1940, Prague

55

Joseph Brodsky

Russian-American poet (1940-1996)

*May 24th, 1940, Saint Petersburg †January 28th, 1996, Brooklyn

76

Manfred Jung

German singer and operatic tenor

*July 9th, 1940, Oberhausen †April 14th, 2017, Essen

79

Tilo Prückner

German actor and author

*October 26th, 1940, Augsburg †July 2nd, 2020, Berlin

83

Ringo Starr

British musician, drummer for the Beatles

*July 7th, 1940, Liverpool

83

Patrick Stewart

British actor (born 1940)

*July 13th, 1940, Mirfield

77

John Hurt

British actor (1940–2017)

*January 22nd, 1940, Chesterfield †January 25th, 2017, Norfolk

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on August 23rd

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day, European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism or Black Ribbon Day) which are celebrated on August 23rd.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Born on August 23rd, 1940
Future birthdays

Leap year

Yes: 1940 is a leap year, therefore has a 29th of February with an additional leap day and a total of 366 days (instead of the usual 365 days in a normal year).

Calendar
August 1940