May 23

May 23 in recent years

2024 (Thursday)

2023 (Tuesday)

2022 (Monday)

2021 (Sunday)

2020 (Saturday)

2019 (Thursday)

2018 (Wednesday)

2017 (Tuesday)

2016 (Monday)

2015 (Saturday)

May 23 is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 222 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 844 – Battle of Clavijo: The Apostle Saint James the Greater is said to have miraculously appeared to a force of outnumbered Asturians and aided them against the forces of the Emir of Cordoba.
• 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to raise the Siege of Compiègne.
• 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
• 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.
• 1568 – Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau, defeat Jean de Ligne, Duke of Arenberg, and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening the Eighty Years' War.
• 1609 – Official ratification of the Second Virginia Charter takes place.
• 1618 – The Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the Thirty Years' War.
• 1701 – After being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London.
• 1706 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, defeats a French army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy in the Battle of Ramillies.
• 1788 – South Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution as the eighth American state.
• 1793 – Battle of Famars during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
• 1829 – Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire.
• 1844 – Declaration of the Báb the evening before the 23rd: A merchant of Shiraz announces that he is a Prophet and founds a religious movement that would later be brutally crushed by the Persian government. He is considered to be a forerunner of the Bahá'í Faith; Bahá'ís celebrate the day as a holy day.
• 1846 – Mexican–American War: President Mariano Paredes of Mexico unofficially declares war on the United States.
• 1873 – The Canadian Parliament establishes the North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
• 1900 – American Civil War: Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Assault on the Battery Wagner in 1863.
• 1907 – The unicameral Parliament of Finland gathers for its first plenary session.
• 1911 – The New York Public Library is dedicated.
• 1915 – World War I: Italy joins the Allies, fulfilling its part of the Treaty of London.
• 1932 – In Brazil, four students are shot and killed during a manifestation against the Brazilian dictator Getúlio Vargas, which resulted in the outbreak of the Constitutionalist Revolution several weeks later.
• 1934 – Infamous American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by police and killed in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
• 1934 – The Auto-Lite strike culminates in the "Battle of Toledo", a five-day melée between 1,300 troops of the Ohio National Guard and 6,000 picketers.
• 1939 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus sinks off the coast of New Hampshire during a test dive, causing the death of 24 sailors and two civilian technicians. The remaining 32 sailors and one civilian naval architect are rescued the following day.
• 1945 – World War II: Heinrich Himmler, head of the Schutzstaffel, commits suicide while in Allied custody.
• 1945 – World War II: The Flensburg Government under Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz is dissolved when its members are captured and arrested by British forces.
• 1948 – Thomas C. Wasson, the US Consul-General, is assassinated in Jerusalem, Israel.
• 1949 – The Federal Republic of Germany is established and the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany is proclaimed.
• 1951 – Tibetans sign the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet with China.
• 1960 – A tsunami killed 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.
• 1992 – Italy's most prominent anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three body guards are killed by the Corleonesi clan with a half-ton bomb near Capaci, Sicily. His friend and colleague Paolo Borsellino will be assassinated less than two months later, making 1992 a turning point in the history of Italian Mafia prosecutions.
• 1995 – The first version of the Java programming language is released.
• 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with roughly 75% voting yes.
• 2002 – The "55 parties" clause of the Kyoto Protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland.
• 2006 – Alaskan stratovolcano Mount Cleveland erupts.
• 2008 – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
• 2013 – The Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River collapses in Mount Vernon, Washington.
• 2014 – Seven people, including the perpetrator, are killed and another 14 injured in a killing spree near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara.
• 2015 – At least 46 people are killed as a result of floods caused by a tornado in Texas and Oklahoma.
• 2016 – Two suicide bombings, conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, killed at least 45 potential army recruits in Aden, Yemen.
• 2016 – Eight bombings were carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in Jableh and Tartus, coastline cities in Syria. One hundred eight-four people were killed and at least 200 people injured.

Births

• 635 – K'inich Kan Bahlam II, Mayan king (d. 702)
• 1052 – Philip I of France (d. 1108)
• 1100 – Emperor Qinzong of Song (d. 1161)
• 1127 – Uijong of Goryeo, Korean monarch of the Goryeo dynasty (d. 1173)
• 1330 – Gongmin of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 1374)
• 1606 – Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Spanish mathematician and philosopher (d. 1682)
• 1614 – Bertholet Flemalle, Flemish Baroque painter (d. 1675)
• 1617 – Elias Ashmole, English astrologer and politician (d. 1692)
• 1629 – William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, noble of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1663)
• 1707 – Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (d. 1778)
• 1718 – William Hunter, Scottish-English anatomist and physician (d. 1783)
• 1729 – Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet and educator (d. 1799)
• 1730 – Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, Prussian prince and general (d. 1813)
• 1734 – Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologer (d. 1815)
• 1741 – Andrea Luchesi, Italian organist and composer (d. 1801)
• 1789 – Franz Schlik, Austrian earl and general (d. 1862)
• 1790 – Jules Dumont d'Urville, French admiral and explorer (d. 1842)
• 1790 – James Pradier, French neoclassical sculptor (d. 1852)
• 1794 – Ignaz Moscheles, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1870)
• 1795 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed the Upper Brook Street Chapel and Halifax Town Hall (d. 1860)
• 1810 – Margaret Fuller, American journalist and critic (d. 1850)
• 1820 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (d. 1887)
• 1820 – Lorenzo Sawyer, American lawyer and judge (d. 1891)
• 1824 – Ambrose Burnside, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1881)
• 1834 – Jānis Frīdrihs Baumanis, Latvian architect (d. 1891)
• 1834 – Carl Bloch, Danish painter and academic (d. 1890)
• 1837 – Anatole Mallet, Swiss mechanical engineer and inventor (d. 1919)
• 1837 – Józef Wieniawski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1912)
• 1838 – Amaldus Nielsen, Norwegian painter (d. 1932)
• 1840 – George Throssell, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (d. 1910)
• 1844 – `Abdu'l-Bahá, Iranian religious leader (d. 1921)
• 1848 – Otto Lilienthal, German pilot and engineer (d. 1896)
• 1855 – Isabella Ford, English author and activist (d. 1924)
• 1861 – József Rippl-Rónai, Hungarian painter (d. 1927)
• 1863 – Władysław Horodecki, Polish architect (d. 1930)
• 1864 – William O'Connor, American fencer (d. 1939)
• 1865 – Epitácio Pessoa, Brazilian jurist and politician, 11th President of Brazil (d. 1942)
• 1875 – Alfred P. Sloan, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1966)
• 1882 – William Halpenny, Canadian pole vaulter (d. 1960)
• 1883 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1939)
• 1884 – Corrado Gini, Italian sociologist and demographer (d. 1965)
• 1887 – Thoralf Skolem, Norwegian mathematician and theorist (d. 1963)
• 1887 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian sailor and captain (d. 1951)
• 1888 – Adriaan Roland Holst, Dutch writer (d. 1976)
• 1888 – Zack Wheat, American baseball player and police officer (d. 1972)
• 1889 – Ernst Niekisch, German educator and politician (d. 1967)
• 1890 – Herbert Marshall, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
• 1891 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
• 1892 – Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, British peer and grandfather of Diana Spencer (d. 1975)
• 1896 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (d. 1966)
• 1897 – Jimmie Guthrie, Scottish motorcycle racer (d. 1937)
• 1898 – Scott O'Dell, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1989)
• 1898 – Josef Terboven, German soldier and politician (d. 1945)
• 1899 – Jeralean Talley, American super-centenarian (d. 2015)
• 1900 – Hans Frank, German lawyer and politician (d. 1946)
• 1900 – Franz Leopold Neumann, German lawyer and theorist (d. 1954)
• 1908 – John Bardeen, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
• 1908 – Hélène Boucher, French pilot (d. 1934)
• 1910 – Margaret Wise Brown, American author and educator (d. 1952)
• 1910 – Hugh Casson, English architect and academic (d. 1999)
• 1910 – Scatman Crothers, American actor and comedian (d. 1986)
• 1910 – Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 2004)
• 1910 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (d. 1962)
• 1911 – Lou Brouillard, Canadian boxer (d. 1984)
• 1911 – Paul Augustin Mayer, German cardinal (d. 2010)
• 1911 – Betty Nuthall, English tennis player (d. 1983)
• 1912 – Jean Françaix, French pianist and composer (d. 1997)
• 1912 – John Payne, American actor (d. 1989)
• 1914 – Harold Hitchcock, English visionary landscape artist (d. 2009)
• 1914 – Celestine Sibley, American journalist and author (d. 1999)
• 1914 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist, journalist, and prominent Catholic layperson (d. 1981)
• 1915 – S. Donald Stookey, American physicist and chemist, invented CorningWare (d. 2014)
• 1917 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (d. 2008)
• 1918 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1997)
• 1919 – Robert Bernstein, American author and playwright (d. 1988)
• 1919 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2011)
• 1920 – Helen O'Connell, American singer (d. 1993)
• 1921 – James Blish, American author and critic (d. 1975)
• 1921 – Humphrey Lyttelton, English trumpet player and composer (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Alicia de Larrocha, Catalan-Spanish pianist (d. 2009)
• 1923 – Irving Millman, American virologist and microbiologist (d. 2012)
• 1924 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (d. 2014)
• 1925 – Joshua Lederberg, American biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
• 1925 – Mac Wiseman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1926 – Basil Salvadore D'Souza, Indian bishop (d. 1996)
• 1926 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-born South African activist and politician (d. 1995)
• 1928 – Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (d. 2002)
• 1928 – Nigel Davenport, English actor (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (d. 2015)
• 1929 – Ulla Jacobsson, Swedish-Austrian actress (d. 1982)
• 1930 – Friedrich Achleitner, German poet and critic
• 1930 – Richard Anuszkiewicz, American painter and sculptor
• 1930 – Charles Kelman, American ophthalmologist (d. 2004)
• 1931 – Barbara Barrie, American actress
• 1932 – Kevork Ajemian, Syrian-French journalist and author (d. 1998)
• 1933 – Joan Collins, English actress
• 1933 – Ove Fundin, Swedish motorcycle racer
• 1934 – Robert Moog, electronic engineer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer (d. 2005)
• 1935 – Julian Grenfell, 3rd Baron Grenfell, English politician
• 1935 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author (d. 2009)
• 1936 – Ingeborg Hallstein, German soprano and actress
• 1936 – Charles Kimbrough, American actor
• 1939 – Michel Colombier, French-American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
• 1939 – Reinhard Hauff, German director and screenwriter
• 1940 – Giles Gordon, Scottish author and agent (d. 2003)
• 1940 – Gérard Larrousse, French race car driver
• 1940 – Bjørn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (d. 2002)
• 1940 – Cora Sadosky, Argentinian mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
• 1941 – Martin Puryear, American sculptor
• 1942 – Zalman King, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
• 1942 – Gabriel Liiceanu, Romanian philosopher, author, and academic
• 1942 – Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao, Indian director, screenwriter, and choreographer
• 1943 – General Johnson, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2010)
• 1943 – Peter Kenilorea, Solomon Islands politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (d. 2016)
• 1943 – Alan Walden, American businessman and manager, co-founded Capricorn Records
• 1944 – Tiki Fulwood, American R&B/funk/jazz drummer (d. 1979)
• 1944 – John Newcombe, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
• 1945 – Padmarajan, Indian director, screenwriter, and author (d. 1991)
• 1946 – David Graham, Australian golfer
• 1946 – Danny Klein, American rock bass player
• 1946 – Stephen Marks, English businessman
• 1947 – Bernard Comrie, English-American linguist and academic
• 1947 – Jane Kenyon, American poet and translator (d. 1995)
• 1948 – Myriam Boyer, French actress, director, and producer
• 1949 – Daniel DiNardo, American cardinal
• 1949 – Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 93rd President of Peru
• 1950 – Martin McGuinness, Irish republican and Sinn Féin politician, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 2017)
• 1951 – Anatoly Karpov, Russian chess player
• 1951 – Antonis Samaras, Greek economist and politician, 185th Prime Minister of Greece
• 1952 – Martin Parr, English photographer and journalist
• 1954 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American boxer and actor
• 1955 – Luka Bloom, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1956 – Ursula Plassnik, Austrian politician and diplomat, Foreign Minister of Austria
• 1956 – Buck Showalter, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1956 – Andrea Pazienza, Italian illustrator and painter (d. 1988)
• 1958 – Mitch Albom, American journalist, author, and screenwriter
• 1958 – Drew Carey, American actor, game show host, and entrepreneur
• 1958 – Lea DeLaria, American actress and singer
• 1958 – Shelly West, American country singer
• 1959 – Marcella Mesker, Dutch tennis player and sportscaster
• 1962 – Karen Duffy, American actress
• 1963 – Viviane Baladi, Swiss mathematician
• 1964 – Ruth Metzler, Swiss lawyer and politician
• 1965 – Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo, Spanish footballer
• 1965 – Paul Sironen, Australian rugby league player
• 1965 – Tom Tykwer, German director, producer, screenwriter, and composer
• 1966 – Graeme Hick, Zimbabwean-English cricketer and coach
• 1966 – Gary Roberts, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1967 – Luis Roberto Alves, Mexican footballer
• 1967 – Anna Ibrisagic, Swedish politician
• 1967 – Philip Selway, English drummer and songwriter
• 1968 – Guinevere Turner, American actress and screenwriter
• 1969 – Mindi Abair, American saxophonist and composer
• 1970 – Nanette Burstein, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Matt Flynn, American drummer and producer
• 1970 – Bryan Herta, American race car driver and businessman, co-founded Bryan Herta Autosport
• 1971 – George Osborne, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
• 1972 – Rubens Barrichello, Brazilian race car driver
• 1972 – Martin Saggers, English cricketer and umpire
• 1973 – Maxwell, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1974 – Ken Jennings, American computer scientist, author, and game show contestant
• 1974 – Jewel, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, and poet
• 1974 – Manuela Schwesig, German politician, German Federal Minister of Family Affairs
• 1975 – Darren Styles, English record producer
• 1976 – Ricardinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1976 – Sinha, Brazilian-Mexican footballer
• 1977 – Ilia Kulik, Russian figure skater
• 1978 – Mike Gonzalez, American baseball player
• 1978 – Scott Raynor, American drummer
• 1979 – Rasual Butler, American basketball player
• 1979 – Brian Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Ben Ross, Australian rugby league player
• 1981 – Pierre Lapointe, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1982 – Tristan Prettyman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1984 – Hugo Almeida, Portuguese footballer
• 1985 – Sebastián Fernández, Uruguayan footballer
• 1985 – Wim Stroetinga, Dutch cyclist
• 1985 – Ross Wallace, Scottish footballer
• 1986 – Ryan Coogler, American film director and screenwriter
• 1986 – Alexei Sitnikov, Russian-Azerbaijani figure skater
• 1986 – Alice Tait, Australian swimmer
• 1986 – Ruben Zadkovich, Australian footballer
• 1987 – Gracie Otto, Australian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1987 – Bray Wyatt, American wrestler
• 1988 – Rosanna Crawford, Canadian biathlete
• 1988 – Morgan Pressel, American golfer
• 1989 – Ezequiel Schelotto, Italian footballer
• 1990 – Kristína Kučová, Slovak tennis player
• 1990 – Dan Evans, British tennis player
• 1990 – Oliver Venno, Estonian volleyball player
• 1991 – Lena Meyer-Landrut, German singer-songwriter
• 1991 – Aaron Donald, American football player
• 1993 – Andy Janovich, American football player
• 1993 – Stephon Tuitt, American football player
• 1995 – Tyus Bowser, American football player
• 1995 – Riley Woodcock, Australian footballer
• 1996 – Katharina Althaus, German ski jumper
• 1996 – John Requejo, American footballer
• 1996 – Emmanuel Boateng, Ghanaian footballer
• 1997 – Pedro Chirivella, Spanish footballer
• 1997 – Coy Craft, American footballer
• 1997 – Joe Gomez, English footballer
• 1997 – Gustaf Nilsson, Swedish footballer
• 1997 – Sam Timmins, New Zealand basketball player
• 1998 – Sérgio Sette Câmara, Brazilian racing driver
• 1998 – Luca de la Torre, American footballer
• 1998 – Salwa Eid Naser, Bahraini track and field sprinter
• 1998 – Ross Cunningham, Scottish footballer
• 1998 – Daniel Köstl, Czech footballer

Deaths

• 230 – Pope Urban I
• 779 – Emperor Daizong of Tang (b. 727)
• 922 – Li Sizhao, Chinese general and governor
• 1125 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1081)
• 1304 – Jehan de Lescurel, French poet and composer
• 1370 – Toghon Temür, Mongol emperor (b. 1320)
• 1423 – Antipope Benedict XIII (b. 1328)
• 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian friar and preacher (b. 1452)
• 1523 – Ashikaga Yoshitane, Japanese shogun (b. 1466)
• 1524 – Ismail I, First Emperor of Safavid Empire (b. 1487)
• 1591 – John Blitheman, English organist and composer (b. 1525)
• 1662 – John Gauden, English bishop (b. 1605)
• 1670 – Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1610)
• 1691 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer and instrument maker (b. 1622)
• 1701 – William Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)
• 1749 – Abraham ben Abraham, Polish martyr (b. 1700)
• 1752 – William Bradford, English-American printer (b. 1663)
• 1754 – John Wood, the Elder, English architect, designed The Circus and Queen Square (b. 1704)
• 1783 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1725)
• 1813 – Géraud Duroc, French general and diplomat (b. 1772)
• 1815 – Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg, American clergyman and botanist (b. 1753)
• 1841 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1765)
• 1855 – Charles Robert Malden, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1797)
• 1857 – Augustin-Louis Cauchy, French mathematician and academic (b. 1789)
• 1868 – Kit Carson, American general (b. 1809)
• 1886 – Leopold von Ranke, German historian and academic (b. 1795)
• 1893 – Anton von Schmerling, Austrian politician (b. 1805)
• 1895 – Franz Ernst Neumann, German mineralogist, physicist, and mathematician (b. 1798)
• 1906 – Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian director, playwright, and poet (b. 1828)
• 1908 – François Coppée, French poet and author (b. 1842)
• 1920 – Svetozar Boroević, Croatian-Austrian field marshal (b. 1856)
• 1921 – August Nilsson, Swedish shot putter and tug of war competitor (b. 1872)
• 1934 – Clyde Barrow, American criminal (b. 1909)
• 1934 – Mihkel Martna, Estonian journalist and politician (b. 1860)
• 1934 – Bonnie Parker, American criminal (b. 1910)
• 1937 – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company and Rockefeller University (b. 1839)
• 1938 – Frederick Ruple, Swiss-American painter (b. 1871)
• 1942 – Panagiotis Toundas, Greek composer and conductor (b. 1886)
• 1945 – Heinrich Himmler, German commander and politician, Reich Minister of the Interior (b. 1900)
• 1947 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss author and poet (b. 1878)
• 1949 – Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter and illustrator (b. 1872)
• 1956 – Gustav Suits, Latvian-Estonian poet and politician (b. 1883)
• 1960 – Georges Claude, French engineer and inventor, created Neon lighting (b. 1870)
• 1962 – Louis Coatalen, French engineer (b. 1879)
• 1963 – August Jakobson, Estonian author and politician (b. 1904)
• 1965 – Earl Webb, American baseball player and coach (b. 1897)
• 1966 – Demchugdongrub, Mongolian politician (b. 1902)
• 1975 – Moms Mabley, American comedian and actor (b. 1894)
• 1979 – S. Selvanayagam, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (b. 1932)
• 1981 – Gene Green, American baseball player (b. 1933)
• 1981 – Rayner Heppenstall, English author and poet (b. 1911)
• 1981 – George Jessel, American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1898)
• 1981 – David Lewis, Belarusian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
• 1986 – Sterling Hayden, American actor (b. 1916)
• 1988 – Aya Kitō, Japanese author (b. 1962)
• 1989 – Georgy Tovstonogov, Russian director and producer (b. 1915)
• 1989 – Karl Koch, German computer hacker (b. 1965)
• 1991 – Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist and composer (b. 1895)
• 1991 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1907)
• 1991 – Fletcher Markle, Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1921)
• 1992 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (b. 1948)
• 1992 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (b. 1939)
• 1994 – Olav Hauge, Norwegian poet (b. 1908)
• 1996 – Kronid Lyubarsky, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1934)
• 1998 – Telford Taylor, American general and lawyer (b. 1908)
• 1999 – Owen Hart, Canadian-American wrestler (b. 1965)
• 2002 – Sam Snead, American golfer and journalist (b. 1912)
• 2006 – Clifford Antone, American businessman (b. 1949)
• 2006 – Lloyd Bentsen, American colonel and politician, 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1921)
• 2006 – Ian Copeland, Syrian-American talent agent (b. 1949)
• 2006 – Kazimierz Górski, Polish footballer and manager (b. 1921)
• 2008 – Nigel Anderson, Australian-born English soldier, landowner and politician (b. 1920)
• 2008 – Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, Spanish mountaineer (b. 1967)
• 2008 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1935)
• 2009 – Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean soldier and politician, 9th President of South Korea (b. 1946)
• 2010 – José Lima, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1972)
• 2010 – Simon Monjack, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1970)
• 2011 – Xavier Tondo, Spanish cyclist (b. 1978)
• 2012 – T. Garry Buckley, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 72nd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Paul Fussell, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Hal Jackson, American journalist and radio host (b. 1915)
• 2012 – Joseph Lesniewski, American soldier (b. 1920)
• 2012 – William C. Wampler, American soldier and politician (b. 1926)
• 2013 – William Demby, American author (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Epy Guerrero, Dominican baseball player, coach, and scout (b. 1942)
• 2013 – Hayri Kozakçıoğlu, Turkish police officer and politician, 15th Governor of Istanbul Province (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Georges Moustaki, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
• 2013 – Flynn Robinson, American basketball player (b. 1941)
• 2013 – Luis Zuloaga, Venezuelan baseball player (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Mikhail Egorovich Alekseev, Russian linguist and academic (b. 1949)
• 2014 – Michael Gottlieb, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1945)
• 2014 – Richard Kolitsch, German footballer (b. 1989)
• 2014 – Madhav Mantri, Indian cricketer (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Anand Modak, Indian composer and director (b. 1951)
• 2014 – Panagiotis Poikilidis, Greek wrestler (b. 1965)
• 2015 – Leo Berman, American businessman and politician (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Anne Meara, American actress, comedian and playwright (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Aleksey Mozgovoy, Ukrainian sergeant (b. 1975)
• 2015 – Alicia Nash, Salvadoran-American physicist and engineer (b. 1933)
• 2015 – John Forbes Nash, Jr., American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1928)
• 2017 – Roger Moore, English actor (b. 1927)
• 2017 – Cortez Kennedy, American football player (b. 1968)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)
  • Desiderius of Vienne
  • Giovanni Battista de' Rossi
  • Julia of Corsica
  • Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Quintian, Lucius and Julian
  • May 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (Germany)
• Earliest day on which Declaration of the Báb can fall, while May 24 is the latest; observed on ‘Aẓamat 8 (Bahá'í Faith)
• Earliest day on which National Heroes' Day can fall, while May 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Monday of May. (Turks and Caicos Islands)
• Labour Day (Jamaica)
• Students' Day (Mexico)
• World Turtle Day

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada