Summary of the Day ✨ 23 January (23/01)
In a day marked by tragedy and political upheaval, a Northwest Territories plane crash killed six while Burkinabè soldiers overthrew President Kaboré amid protests, and a powerful Alaska earthquake caused no significant damage despite being one of America’s largest. Meanwhile, Benghazi suffered deadly bombings as the US-China trade war commenced with President Trump imposing tariffs on Chinese products.
Historical Events 📜
- 2024: Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashes after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada, killing six people.
- 2022: Mutinying Burkinabè soldiers led by Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba depose and detain President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré amid widespread anti-government protests.
- 2018: A 7.9 Mw earthquake occurs in the Gulf of Alaska. It is tied as the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded in the United States, but there are no reports of significant damage or fatalities.
- 2018: A double car bombing in Benghazi, Libya, kills at least 33 people and wounds “dozens” of others. The victims include both military personnel and civilians, according to local officials.
- 2018: The China–United States trade war begins when President Donald Trump places tariffs on Chinese solar panels and washing machines.
- 2003: A very weak signal from Pioneer 10 is detected for the last time, but no usable data can be extracted.
- 2002: U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered.
- 2001: Five people attempt to set themselves on fire in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, an act that many people later claim is staged by the Chinese Communist Party to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their persecution.
- 1998: Netscape announces Mozilla, with the intention to release Communicator code as open source.
- 1997: Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State.
- 1987: Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan sends a “letter of death” to Somali President Siad Barre, proposing the genocide of the Isaaq people.
- 1986: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
- 1982: World Airways Flight 30 overshoots the runway at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, and crashes into Boston Harbor. Two people are missing and presumed dead.
- 1968: USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is attacked and seized by the Korean People’s Navy.
- 1967: Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Ivory Coast are established.
Famous Births 👶
- 2004: Julio Enciso, Paraguayan footballer
- 2002: Joško Gvardiol, Croatian footballer
- 2002: Nicola Zalewski, Polish footballer
- 2001: Olga Danilović, Serbian tennis player
- 2000: Fanni Pigniczki, Hungarian rhythmic gymnast
- 1999: Alban Lafont, French footballer
- 1998: XXXTentacion, American rapper (died 2018)
- 1996: Keita Bates-Diop, American basketball player
- 1996: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, English footballer
- 1994: Addison Russell, American baseball player
- 1992: Reina Triendl, Japanese model and actress
- 1991: Steve Birnbaum, American soccer player
- 1990: Alex Silva, Canadian wrestler
- 1987: Leo Komarov, Estonian-Finnish ice hockey player
- 1986: Gelete Burka, Ethiopian runner
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2024: Charles Osgood, American radio and television commentator, writer and musician (born 1933)
- 2024: Melanie Safka, American Emmy winning singer-songwriter (born 1947)
- 2021: Hal Holbrook, American actor and director (born 1925)
- 2021: Larry King, American journalist and talk show host (born 1933)
- 2021: Song Yoo-jung, South Korean actress and model (born 1994)
- 2019: Aloysius Pang, Singaporean actor (born 1990)
- 2019: Oliver Mtukudzi, Zimbabwean Afro Jazz musician (born 1952)
- 2018: Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, composer and singer (born 1939)
- 2018: Wyatt Tee Walker, American civil rights activist and pastor (born 1928)
- 2015: Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach (born 1931)
- 2015: Prosper Ego, Dutch activist, founded the Oud-Strijders Legioen (born 1927)
- 2015: Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (born 1924)
- 2014: Yuri Izrael, Russian meteorologist and journalist (born 1930)
- 2014: Elmira Nazirova, Azerbaijani composer (born 1928)
- 2013: Józef Glemp, Polish cardinal (born 1929)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Bounty Day (Pitcairn Islands)
- Christian feast day:
Abakuh - Christian feast day:
Marianne of Molokai - Christian feast day:
Emerentiana - Christian feast day:
Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Christian feast day:
Ildefonsus of Toledo - Christian feast day:
Phillips Brooks (Episcopal Church (USA)) - Christian feast day:
January 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Jayanti (Assam, Orissa, Tripura, and West Bengal, India)
- World Freedom Day (Taiwan and South Korea)