Summary of the Day ✨ 23 March (23/03)
A deadly C-130 plane crash in Colombia claimed 70 lives while Israeli forces tragically killed 15 aid workers in the Rafah paramedic massacre. Meanwhile, a container ship blocked the Suez Canal for six days, the UK entered its first national COVID-19 lockdown under Boris Johnson, and Kazakhstan renamed its capital from Astana to Nur-Sultan.
Historical Events 📜
- 2026: An Aerospace Force Lockheed C-130 crashes during take-off in Puerto Leguízamo, Columbia, killing 70 people.
- 2025: Israel Defense Forces kill 15 aid workers in the Rafah paramedic massacre.
- 2021: A container ship runs aground and obstructs the Suez Canal for six days.
- 2020: Prime Minister Boris Johnson puts the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown in response to COVID-19.
- 2019: The Kazakh capital of Astana is renamed to Nur-Sultan.
- 2019: The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces capture the town of Baghuz in Eastern Syria, declaring military victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant after four years of fighting, although the group maintains a scattered presence and sleeper cells across Syria and Iraq.
- 2018: President of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigns from the presidency amid a mass corruption scandal before certain impeachment by the opposition-majority Congress of Peru.
- 2014: The World Health Organization (WHO) reports cases of Ebola in the forested rural region of southeastern Guinea, marking the beginning of the largest Ebola outbreak in history.
- 2010: The Affordable Care Act becomes law in the United States.
- 2009: FedEx Express Flight 80: A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 flying from Guangzhou, China crashes at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, killing both the captain and the co-pilot.
- 2008: Official opening of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India.
- 2003: Battle of Nasiriyah, first major conflict during the invasion of Iraq.
- 2001: The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji.
- 1999: Gunmen assassinate Paraguay’s Vice President Luis María Argaña.
- 1996: Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President.
Famous Births 👶
- 2001: Anna Hall, American world champion heptathlete
- 1997: Ben Manenti, Australian cricketer
- 1996: Alexander Albon, Thai-British race car driver
- 1996: Joel Kiviranta, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1995: Kevin Kauber, Estonian footballer
- 1995: Jan Lisiecki, Canadian pianist
- 1995: Victoria Pedretti, American actress
- 1995: Ozan Tufan, Turkish footballer
- 1994: Nick Powell, English footballer
- 1994: Oskar Sundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1994: Bridger Zadina, American actor
- 1993: Quinn Cook, American basketball player
- 1993: Tomáš Hyka, Czech ice hockey player
- 1993: Dmitrij Jaškin, Russian-Czech ice hockey player
- 1993: Aytaç Kara, Turkish footballer
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2026: Valerie Perrine, American actress (born 1943)
- 2026: Chip Taylor, American singer and songwriter (born 1940)
- 2025: Mia Love, American politician (born 1975)
- 2022: Madeleine Albright, Czechoslovak-American diplomat, 64th United States Secretary of State (born 1937)
- 2021: George Segal, American actor (born 1934)
- 2021: Julie Pomagalski, French snowboarder (born 1980)
- 2017: Miroslava Breach, Mexican investigative journalist (born 1962)
- 2016: Joe Garagiola, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1926)
- 2016: Ken Howard, American actor (born 1944)
- 2015: Gian Vittorio Baldi, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)
- 2015: Lee Kuan Yew, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore (born 1923)
- 2015: Bobby Lowther, American basketball player and lieutenant (born 1923)
- 2015: Lil’ Chris, English singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality (born 1990)
- 2014: Dave Brockie, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and bass player (born 1963)
- 2014: Jaroslav Šerých, Czech painter and illustrator (born 1928)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Christian feast day:
Gregory the Illuminator (Episcopal Church) - Christian feast day:
Gwinear - Christian feast day:
Joseph Oriol - Christian feast day:
Ottone Frangipane - Christian feast day:
Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès (Maronite Church) - Christian feast day:
Turibius of Mogrovejo - Christian feast day:
Victorian, Frumentius and Companions - Christian feast day:
March 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Day of Hungarian-Polish Friendship (Hungary and Poland)
- Day of the Sea (Bolivia)
- Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Day (Azerbaijan)
- Pakistan Day (Pakistan)
- Promised Messiah Day (Ahmadiyya)
- World Meteorological Day