August 23 in History

Historical Events on August 23

406 Gothic king Radagaisus is executed after he is defeated by Roman general Stilicho and 12,000 "barbarians" are incorporated into the Roman army or sold as slaves.

1775 American Revolutionary War: King George III delivers his Proclamation of Rebellion to the Court of St James's stating that the American colonies have proceeded to a state of open and avowed rebellion.

1784 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.

1799 Napoleon I of France leaves Egypt for France en route to seizing power.

1839 The United Kingdom captures Hong Kong as a base as it prepares for war with Qing China. The ensuing three-year conflict will later be known as the First Opium War.

1914 World War I: Battle of Mons: The British Army begins withdrawal.

1939 World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. In a secret addition to the pact, the Baltic states, Finland, Romania, and Poland are divided between the two nations.

1990 Armenia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

2011 Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is overthrown after the National Transitional Council forces take control of Bab al-Azizia compound during the Libyan Civil War.

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Famous Birthdays on August 23

1864 Eleftherios Venizelos

1963 Kenny Wallace

1978 Kobe Bryant

1988 Jeremy Lin

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Famous Deaths on August 23

634 Abu Bakr

1819 Oliver Hazard Perry

1927 Nicola Sacco

1927 Bartolomeo Vanzetti

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