Box-office #1
The Empire Strikes Back
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
Sci-fiStar Wars $538M worldwide
On this day
August 23 Sunday, August 23, 2026
A curious almanac of what happened on August 23 across the years — history, birthdays, the songs that ruled the charts, the films that packed cinemas, and the science that nudged the world forward.
12
Events
7
Birthdays
6
Holidays
1628
UK history 398 years ago
George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, is assassinated by John Felton.
John Felton, a disgruntled army officer, stabs George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham and favorite of King Charles I, to death in Portsmouth.
History
What happened on August 23
12 verified entries Full timeline
- 79Disaster
Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.
Mount Vesuvius shows signs of activity on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.
- 476European history
Odoacer, chieftain of the Germanic tribes (Herulic, Scirian foederati), is proclaimed rex Italiae ("King of Italy") by his troops.
Odoacer is proclaimed King of Italy by his troops, marking the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
- 1244World history
Siege of Jerusalem: The city surrenders to the Khwarazmiyya, ending Christian control of the Jerusalem for the next 672 years.
Jerusalem surrenders to the Khwarazmian forces, ending Christian control of the city until 1917.
- 1268European history
The Battle of Tagliacozzo: The army of Prince Conradin is nearly destroyed by Charles of Anjou, ending Hohenstaufen control over the Kingdom of Sicily and leaving the Angevins in control.
Conradin's army is defeated by Charles of Anjou at Tagliacozzo, ending Hohenstaufen rule in Sicily and establishing Angevin dominance.
- 1328War
Battle of Cassel: French troops stop an uprising of Flemish farmers.
French royal forces crush a Flemish peasant rebellion at the Battle of Cassel, reasserting control over the county of Flanders.
- 1382War
The Golden Horde, led by Khan Tokhtamysh, begins the Siege of Moscow, which ends four days later with the storming of the city and the death of Muscovite Prince Ostei.
Khan Tokhtamysh's Golden Horde sieges Moscow, storms the city four days later, and kills Prince Ostei.
- 1514War
The Battle of Chaldiran ends with a decisive victory for the Sultan Selim I, Ottoman Empire, over the Shah Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty.
Sultan Selim I defeats Shah Ismail I in the Battle of Chaldiran, securing Ottoman control over eastern Anatolia and northern Iraq.
- 1572European history
French Wars of Religion: Mob violence against thousands of Huguenots in Paris results in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
Thousands of Huguenots are massacred by a mob in Paris, marking one of the bloodiest episodes of the French Wars of Religion.
- 1600World history
Battle of Gifu Castle: The eastern forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu defeat the western Japanese clans loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori, leading to the destruction of Gifu Castle and serving as a prelude to the Battle of Sekigahara.
Tokugawa Ieyasu's eastern forces defeat the western clans loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori, leading to Gifu Castle's destruction and setting the stage for the Battle of Sekigahara.
- 1628UK history
George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, is assassinated by John Felton.
John Felton, a disgruntled army officer, stabs George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham and favorite of King Charles I, to death in Portsmouth.
- 1784US history
Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it is not accepted into the United States, and only lasts for four years.
Western North Carolina declares independence as the state of Franklin but fails to gain U.S. recognition and dissolves after four years.
- 1831US history
Nat Turner's rebellion of enslaved Virginians is suppressed.
Nat Turner's rebellion is crushed, ending a violent uprising by enslaved Virginians that had alarmed the South.
Born today
Famous birthdays on August 23
7 this date All birthdays
🎂 38
Carl Hagelin
Swedish ice hockey player
Carl Hagelin, a Swedish former NHL forward who won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, turns 37 today.
Born
1988
Turns 38
today
Zoltán Czibor
Hungarian footballer
1929 – 1997
Rick Springfield
Australian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
b. 1949 · 77
Kobe Bryant
American basketball player and businessman
1978 – 2020
Andrew Rannells
American actor and singer
b. 1978 · 48
Lianne La Havas
British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
b. 1989 · 37
Trixie Mattel
American drag queen, actor, and country singer
b. 1989 · 37
Music
The number one songs on August 23
Across the years Full chart history
🇬🇧 #1 on August 23, 1981
"Stand and Deliver"
by Adam and the Ants
The dandy highwayman spent five weeks at the top — a brash, glam-pop coronation.
#1 for 5 weeks
Also #1 on this day
- 1965"Ticket To Ride"— The Beatles
- 1972"Metal Guru"— T. Rex
- 2003"Make Luv"— Room 5 ft. Oliver Cheatham
Film & TV
At the movies
Box office #1 and premieres All releases
🏆 Sport August 23, 1982
Aston Villa shock Bayern Munich for the European Cup
In Rotterdam, late substitute Peter Withe scores the winner as Villa lift the trophy on their first attempt.
Read the story
🔬 Science August 23, 2023
Chandrayaan-3 mission initiated first Moon landing in Indian history.
India successfully lands a spacecraft on the Moon with the Chandrayaan-3 mission, marking the country's first lunar touchdown.
Read the storyToday is also
Holidays & observances
6 celebrated today
Battle of Kursk Day (Russia)
International
The Days of Military Honour are special memorable dates in the Russian Armed Forces dedicated to the most outstanding victories won by Russia
Day of the National Flag (Ukraine)
International
23 August is celebrated as the Day of the National Flag in Ukraine; since in 2004
European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism or Black Ribbon Day (European Union and other countries), and related observances: Liberation from Fascist Occupation Day (Romania)
International
The 1944 Romanian coup d'état, better known in Romanian historiography as the Act of 23 August, was a coup d'état led by King Michael I of Romania during World War II on 23 August 1944
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
International
The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is an international day celebrated 23 August of each year, the day designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic
National Day for Physicians (Iran)
International
National Doctors' Day is a day celebrated to recognize the contributions of physicians to individual lives and communities
The memorial day for the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis(the August 23 shelling war) ( Taiwan)
International
The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, also known as the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was a conflict between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC)