A Day in the Past

On this day: 23 September

128 things happened on 23 September, from 63 BC to 2022. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 10

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

Around the world 22

1957 69 years ago

Little Rock schools integration crisis: President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas, and federalizes the Arkansas National Guard, ordering both to support the integration of Little Rock Central High School.

Find out more: Little Rock Nine (Wikipedia)
1961 65 years ago

U.S. President John F. Kennedy nominates African American civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, although pro-segregation Southern senators manage to delay his confirmation until September 11, 1962.

Find out more: John F. Kennedy (Wikipedia)
2022 4 years ago

Voting begins in the five-day sham annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine, leading to Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Find out more: Election (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

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

  1. In which year did this happen: “American Revolutionary War: British officer John André was captured by Patriot”?

    1. 1338
    2. 1780
    3. 1880
    Show the answer

    B: 1780. 1780 — that’s 246 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Maratha troops were defeated by forces of the British East India Company at”?

    1. 1780
    2. 1642
    3. 1803
    Show the answer

    C: 1803. 1803 — that’s 223 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Maratha troops were defeated by forces of the British East India Company at
    2. American Revolutionary War: British officer John André was captured by Patriot
    3. Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman emperor Henry V agreed the Concordat of Worms
    Show the answer

    C: Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman emperor Henry V agreed the Concordat of Worms. 1803: Maratha troops were defeated by forces of the British East India Company at · 1780: American Revolutionary War: British officer John André was captured by Patriot · 1122: Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman emperor Henry V agreed the Concordat of Worms Find it on the page

  4. “Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman emperor Henry V agreed the Concordat of Worms” happened in 1122. How many years ago was that?

    1. 914 years
    2. 894 years
    3. 904 years
    Show the answer

    C: 904 years. 2026 − 1122 = 904. Find it on the page

Born on this day 39

Famous people whose birthday is 23 September.

Remembering 17

Well-known people who died on 23 September.

Special days 19

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

For older readers 21 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 “September 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.