All Events

Historical Events on November 23

  • Saladin

    1174

    Saladin enters Damascus, and adds it to his domain.

  • Seville

    1248

    Conquest of Seville by Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile.

  • Ottoman Empire

    1510

    First campaign of the Ottoman Empire against the Kingdom of Imereti (modern western Georgia). Ottoman armies sack the capital Kutaisi and burn Gelati Monastery.

  • John Milton

    1644

    John Milton publishes Areopagitica, a pamphlet decrying censorship.

  • American Civil War

    1863

    American Civil War: Battle of Chattanooga begins: Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant reinforce troops at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and counter-attack Confederate troops.

  • Mexican Revolution

    1914

    Mexican Revolution: The last of U.S. forces withdraw from Veracruz, occupied seven months earlier in response to the Tampico Affair.

  • World War II

    1939

    World War II: HMS Rawalpindi is sunk by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.

  • Iran-Contra affair

    1981

    Iran-Contra affair: Ronald Reagan signs the top secret National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), giving the Central Intelligence Agency the authority to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

  • Arab Spring

    2011

    Arab Spring: After 11 months of protests in Yemen, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh signs a deal to transfer power to the vice president, in exchange for legal immunity.

All Births

Famous Birthdays on November 23

All Deaths

Famous Deaths on November 23

22. November

24. November