Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on January 23rd?

Saint Emerentiana, a Christian martyr, is stoned to death in Rome during the Diocletianic Persecution.

The Rashidun Caliphate is established following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Emperor Otto III, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, dies unexpectedly at the age of 22.

Pope Clement V officially dissolves the Knights Templar by papal decree.

The Council of Ten established in Venice to safeguard internal security and stability.

Treaty of Paris between England and Scotland recognizes Scottish independence.

The Ming Dynasty officially begins in China with the ascension of Zhu Yuanzhang as the Hongwu Emperor.

Pope Gregory XI sends a letter to England denouncing the teachings of John Wycliffe.

The Great Schism in the Catholic Church begins when Pope Gregory XI dies, leading to rival papal claimants.

King Charles III of Naples is crowned King of Hungary in Naples, beginning a personal union between the two kingdoms.

Ming forces under Zhu Yuanzhang defeat the Mongol army at the Battle of Yongtai, consolidating Ming control in China.

The University of St. Andrews in Scotland receives its papal bull of confirmation from Pope Martin V.

The siege of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire begins, leading to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453.

The Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed with movable type in the West, begins production in Mainz, Germany.

Construction of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican City begins.

The Habsburg Charles I of Spain becomes the ruler of the Spanish Empire after the death of Ferdinand II of Aragon.

1528, January 23 - England and France sign the Treaty of Westminster, establishing peace between the two nations.

The stipulations of the 1571 Marriage Act in England are published, requiring approval from the Queen or Privy Council for marriages of nobles.

The Battle of Gembloux sees Spanish forces defeat the rebel States Army during the Eighty Years' War.

The States-General of the Netherlands declare independence from Spain with the Act of Abjuration.

The Thirty Years' War begins with the Defenestration of Prague, where Protestant officials are thrown from a window.

Galileo Galilei publishes "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems," defending the Copernican theory of heliocentrism.

The Dutch surrender Recife, Brazil, to the Portuguese after an unsuccessful attempt to regain control.

The South Sea Bubble bursts, leading to a financial crisis in England and affecting the stock market.

1743, January 23 - The French defeat the Austrians at the Battle of Campo Santo during the War of the Austrian Succession.

The Pall Mall Gazette becomes the first London newspaper to be published daily.

Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree.

The San Francisco steamer sinks in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in a significant loss of life.

The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Bear River Massacre (also known as the Marias Massacre or the Baker Massacre) was the largest massacre of Indigenous people in present-day Montana. Over 150 Blackfeet—most of whom were women, children, the elderly, and those suffering from disease—were massacred by U.S. Second Cavalry soldiers under the command of Major Eugene Baker near the Marias River. More

The first electric dental drill is patented by George F. Green in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Franklin D. Roosevelt institutes the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to aid the struggling U.S. economy during the Great Depression.

Alger Hiss, a former State Department official, is convicted of perjury for lying about being a Soviet spy.

North Korea, using three torpedo boats, two sub chasers and a couple of MiG fighters opens fire on the USS Pueblo (AGER-2) —and captures the virtually unarmed U.S. Ship outfitted as an electronic surveillance platform, in international waters off North Korea’s east coast in the Sea of Japan. More

The Chinese city of Wuhan is placed under lockdown due to the spread of COVID-19.

Anti-government protests erupt in Russia, demanding the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.