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Explore the historical events that shaped our world on December 23rd. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Pope Boniface V is consecrated on December 23, 61p, almost a year after being elected, waiting for the consent of Emperor Heraclius. Pope Boniface V, played a significant role in the Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England and the strengthening of the church's authority.
During his Papacy he saw the rise of Islam, as the three ancient patriarchates of Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria fell to Islamic rule with Constantinople being the only remaining sole patriarchate of the East.
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President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act into law. The passing of the Federal Reserve act created a system for financial stability which impacted the US economic system domestically and internationally by creating means to regulate inflation, ability to respond to economic panics allowing the promotion and the internationalization of the U.S. Dollar as a stable global currency.
Japanese forces defeat the U.S. troops at the Battle of Wake Islands two weeks after the start of the assault which began simultaneously with the attack on Pearl Harbor naval and air bases in Hawaii on the morning of 8 December 1941. The US forces were eventually overwhelmed and forced to surrender on December 23, 1941.
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Eighty-two crewmen of the USS Pueblo are released after 11 months in captivity by North Korea, which claimed the U.S. Navy intelligence ship had crossed into its waters. One member had been killed when the ship was taken.
Argentina defaults on its external debt and announces the suspension of payments, the biggest debt default in history to date. The government suspended payments on over $132 billion of federal sovereign debt. The default followed a four-year recession and mounting social unrest.
Argentina defaulted again on May 22, 2020, missing a $500 million payment to creditors, marking its ninth default in history. Argentina has a history of debt defaults and restructurings having experiencied nine defaults since gaining independence in 1816. More
