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On this day in History Archives
 
At PaulsQuiz.com we aim to provide you with as much information as we possibly can. That's why we have built our On This Day in History section, to do just that. Our database is forever growing, we're adding more and more events from history to help you write your quiz questions.

Simply enter a date using the drop-down boxes below and click the 'Go' button to display events from the past that ocurred on that day.
 

 
23 February, 2008
a B-2 Spirit of the USAF crashes at Guam. The crew survived but the aircraft was written off, making it the most expensive air crash in human history (the aircraft alone cost $1.2Bn).
23 February, 2007
Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea.
23 February, 2007
A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, United Kingdom, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
23 February, 2006
Dubai Ports World agrees to postpone its plans to take over management of six U.S. ports after the proposal ignited harsh bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.
23 February, 2005
Slovakia Summit 2005 begins, marking the first occasion when a sitting American President visits Slovakia; George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin are in attendance.
23 February, 2005
Vote of the controversial French law on colonialism, repealed start of 2006.
23 February, 1999
Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
23 February, 1999
An avalanche destroys the Austrian village of Galtür, killing 31.
23 February, 1998
Kissimmee Tornado Outbreak: Tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42.
23 February, 1998
Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders.
23 February, 1997
A large fire occurs in the Russian Space station, Mir.
23 February, 1995
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 30.28 to close at 4,003.33, closing above 4,000 for the first time.
23 February, 1992
The Socialist Labour Party is founded in Georgia.
23 February, 1991
Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabia border and enter Iraq, thus starting the ground-phase of the war.
23 February, 1991
In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup détat, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
23 February, 1987
Supernova 1987a: A supernova is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
23 February, 1983
The Spanish Socialist government of Felipe González and Miguel Boyer nationalizes Rumasa, a holding of José María Ruiz Mateos.
23 February, 1983
The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.
23 February, 1981
23-F, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup détat by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
23 February, 1980
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Irans parliament would decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
23 February, 1975
In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly two months early in the United States.
23 February, 1974
The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
23 February, 1966
A military coup in Syria replaces the previous government.
23 February, 1958
Cuban rebels kidnap 5-time world driving champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
23 February, 1957
The founding congress of the Senegalese Popular Bloc is opened in Dakar.
23 February, 1955
First meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
23 February, 1954
The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh.
23 February, 1947
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.
23 February, 1945
World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines and a commonly forgotten U.S. Navy Corpsman, reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag. The photo would later win a Pulitzer Prize.
23 February, 1945
World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by American forces.
23 February, 1945
World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznan, the city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
23 February, 1945
World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is completely destroyed by a raid of 379 British bombers.
23 February, 1945
World War II: The Verona Philharmonic Theatre is bombed by Allied forces. It would later be re-opened in 1975.
23 February, 1944
Forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people to Central Asia.
23 February, 1941
Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
23 February, 1934
Léopold III becomes King of Belgium.
23 February, 1927
The Federal Radio Commission (later renamed the Federal Communications Commission) begins to regulate the use of radio frequencies.
23 February, 1919
Benito Mussolini forms the Fascist Party in Italy.
23 February, 1918
First victory of Red Army over the Kaisers German troops near Narva and Pskov. Since 1923 this date become the Day of Red Army in honour of this victory.
23 February, 1917
First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution.
23 February, 1909
The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
23 February, 1905
Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the worlds first service club.
23 February, 1904
The United States gains control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million.
23 February, 1903
Cuba leases Guantanamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
23 February, 1900
In South Africa, the Boers and British troops fight in the Battle of Harts Hill.
23 February, 1898
Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing "Jaccuse", a letter accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully placing Captain Alfred Dreyfus in jail.
23 February, 1887
The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
23 February, 1883
Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law.
23 February, 1870
Military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
23 February, 1861
President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after an assassination attempt in Baltimore, Maryland.

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