A Day in the Past

On this day: 23 August

147 things happened on 23 August, from 30 BC to 2023. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 7

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 42

1784 242 years ago

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.

Find out more: State of Franklin (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “King George III issued a proclamation that declared elements of the American”?

    1. 1775
    2. 1849
    3. 1914
    Show the answer

    A: 1775. 1775 — that’s 251 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “The Albert Bridge, spanning the River Thames in London, opened to traffic”?

    1. 1873
    2. 1782
    3. 1914
    Show the answer

    A: 1873. 1873 — that’s 153 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of
    2. The Albert Bridge, spanning the River Thames in London, opened to traffic
    3. King George III issued a proclamation that declared elements of the American
    Show the answer

    C: King George III issued a proclamation that declared elements of the American. 1898: The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of · 1873: The Albert Bridge, spanning the River Thames in London, opened to traffic · 1775: King George III issued a proclamation that declared elements of the American Find it on the page

  4. “The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of” happened in 1898. How many years ago was that?

    1. 128 years
    2. 118 years
    3. 138 years
    Show the answer

    A: 128 years. 2026 − 1898 = 128. Find it on the page

Born on this day 38

Famous people whose birthday is 23 August.

Remembering 16

Well-known people who died on 23 August.

Special days 16

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 23 August somewhere in the world.

For older readers 28 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “August 23” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.