October 23

Events

42 BC – Liberators' civil war: Second Battle of Philippi – Mark Antony and Octavian decisively defeat Brutus's army. Brutus commits suicide.

425 – Valentinian III is elevated as Roman emperor at the age of six.

501 – The Synodus Palmaris, called by Gothic king Theoderic the Great, discharges Pope Symmachus of all charges, thus ending the schism of Antipope Laurentius.

1086 – At the Battle of Sagrajas, the army of Yusuf ibn Tashfin defeats the forces of Castilian King Alfonso VI.

1157 – The Battle of Grathe Heath ends the civil war in Denmark. King Sweyn III is killed and Valdemar I restores the country.

1295 – The first treaty forming the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France against England is signed in Paris.

1641 – Irish Catholic gentry from Ulster tried to seize control of Dublin Castle, the seat of English rule in Ireland, to force concessions to Catholics.

1642 – Battle of Edgehill: First major battle of the First English Civil War.

1694 – British/American colonial forces, led by Sir William Phips, fail to seize Quebec from the French.

1707 – The first Parliament of Great Britain meets.

1739 – War of Jenkins' Ear starts: British Prime Minister Robert Walpole, reluctantly declares war on Spain.

1812 – Claude François de Malet, a French general, begins a conspiracy to overthrow Napoleon Bonaparte, claiming that the Emperor died in Russia and that he is now the commandant of Paris.

1850 – The first National Women's Rights Convention begins in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.

1861 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in Washington, D.C., for all military-related cases.

1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Westport: Union forces under General Samuel R. Curtis defeat Confederate troops led by General Sterling Price at Westport, Missouri, near Kansas City.

1867 – Seventy-two Senators are summoned by Royal Proclamation to serve as the first members of the Canadian Senate.

1870 – Franco-Prussian War: The Siege of Metz concludes with a decisive Prussian victory.

1906 – Alberto Santos-Dumont flies an airplane in the first heavier-than-air flight in Europe at Champs de Bagatelle, Paris, France.

1911 – First use of aircraft in war: Italo-Turkish War: An Italian pilot takes off from Libya to observe Turkish army lines.

1912 – First Balkan War: The Battle of Kumanovo between the Serbian and Ottoman armies begins.

1915 – Women's suffrage: In New York City, 25,000–33,000 women march on Fifth Avenue to advocate their right to vote.

1917 – Lenin calls for the October Revolution.

1929 – Wall Street Crash of 1929. After a steady decline in stock market prices since a peak in September, the New York Stock Exchange begins to crash.

1935 – Dutch Schultz, Abe Landau, Otto Berman, and Bernard "Lulu" Rosencrantz are fatally shot at a saloon in Newark, New Jersey in what will become known as The Chophouse Massacre.

1939 – The Japanese Mitsubishi G4M twin-engine "Betty" Bomber makes its maiden flight.

1941 – World War II: Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov takes command of Red Army operations to prevent the further advance into Russia of German forces and to prevent the Wehrmacht from capturing Moscow.

1942 – World War II: Second Battle of El Alamein: At El Alamein in northern Egypt, the British Eighth Army under Field Marshal Montgomery begins a critical offensive to expel the Axis armies from Egypt.

1942 – All 12 passengers and crewmen aboard an American Airlines DC-3 airliner are killed when it is struck by a U.S. Army Air Forces bomber near Palm Springs, California. Amongst the victims is award-winning composer and songwriter Ralph Rainger ("Thanks for the Memory", "Love in Bloom", "Blue Hawaii").

1942 – World War II: The Battle for Henderson Field begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign and ends on October 26.

1944 – World War II: Battle of Leyte Gulf: The largest naval battle in history begins in the Philippines.

1946 – The United Nations General Assembly convenes for the first time, at an auditorium in Flushing, Queens, New York City.

1955 – Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm defeats former emperor Bảo Đại in a referendum and founds the Republic of Vietnam.

1956 – Thousands of Hungarians protest against the government and Soviet occupation. (The Hungarian Revolution is crushed on November 4).

1958 – The Springhill Mine bump: An underground earthquake traps 174 miners in the No. 2 colliery at Springhill, Nova Scotia, the deepest coal mine in North America at the time. By November 1, rescuers from around the world had dug out 100 of the victims, marking the death toll at 74.

1958 – The Smurfs, a fictional race of blue dwarves, later popularized in a Hanna-Barbera animated cartoon series, appear for the first time in the story La flute à six schtroumpfs, a Johan and Peewit adventure by Peyo, which is serialized in the weekly Spirou magazine.

1965 – Vietnam War: The 1st Cavalry Division (United States) (Airmobile), in conjunction with South Vietnamese forces, launches a new operation seeking to destroy North Vietnamese forces in Pleiku in the II Corps Tactical Zone (the Central Highlands).

1970 – Gary Gabelich sets a land speed record in a rocket-powered automobile called the Blue Flame, fueled with natural gas.

1972 – Operation Linebacker, a US bombing campaign against North Vietnam in response to its Easter Offensive, ends after five months.

1973 – The Watergate scandal: US President Richard M. Nixon agrees to turn over subpoenaed audio tapes of his Oval Office conversations.

1982 – A gunfight breaks out between police officers and members of a religious cult known as the "Christ Miracle Healing Center and Church" in Miracle Valley, Arizona. The shootout leaves two cultists dead and dozens of cultists and police officers injured.

1983 – Lebanese Civil War: The U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut is hit by a truck bomb, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. A French army barracks in Lebanon is also hit that same morning, killing 58 troops.

1989 – The Hungarian Republic is officially declared by president Mátyás Szűrös, replacing the communist Hungarian People's Republic.

1993 – The Troubles: A Provisional IRA bomb prematurely detonates in the Shankill area of Belfast, killing the bomber and nine civilians.

1995 – Yolanda Saldívar is found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of popular Latin singer Selena. Three days later, Saldívar was sentenced to life in prison, eligible for parole in 2025

1998 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat reach a "land for peace" agreement.

2002 – Moscow theater hostage crisis: Chechen terrorists seize the House of Culture theater in Moscow and take approximately 700 theater-goers hostage.

2004 – A powerful earthquake and its aftershocks hit Niigata Prefecture in northern Japan, killing 35 people, injuring 2,200, and leaving 85,000 homeless or evacuated.

2007 – A powerful cold front in the Bay of Campeche causes the Usumacinta jackup rig to collide with Kab 101, leading to the death and drowning of 22 people during rescue operations after evacuation of the rig.

2011 – A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Van Province, Turkey, killing 582 people and injuring thousands.

2011 – The Libyan National Transition Council deems the Libyan Civil War over.

2012 – After 38 years, the world's first teletext service (BBC's Ceefax) ceases broadcast due to Northern Ireland completing the digital switchover.

2015 – The lowest sea-level pressure in the Western Hemisphere, and the highest reliably-measured non-tornadic sustained winds, are recorded in Hurricane Patricia, which strikes Mexico hours later, killing at least 13 and causing over $280 million in damages.

Births

64 BC – Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Roman general and politician (d. 12 BC)

1516 – Charlotte of Valois (d. 1524)

1634 – Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1715)

1654 – Johann Bernhard Staudt, Austrian composer (d. 1712)

1698 – Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed the École Militaire (d. 1782)

1705 – Maximilian Ulysses Browne, Austrian field marshal (d. 1757)

1713 – Pieter Burman the Younger, Dutch philologist, poet, and educator (d. 1778)

1715 – Peter II of Russia (d. 1730)

1762 – Samuel Morey, American engineer (d. 1843)

1766 – Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy, French general (d. 1847)

1790 – Chauncey Allen Goodrich, American minister, lexicographer, and educator (d. 1860)

1796 – Stefano Franscini, Swiss statistician and politician (d. 1857)

1801 – Albert Lortzing, German singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1851)

1805 – John Russell Bartlett, American linguist and historian (d. 1886)

1813 – Ludwig Leichhardt, German-Australian explorer (d. 1848)

1815 – João Maurício Vanderlei, Baron of Cotejipe, Brazilian politician (d. 1889)

1817 – Pierre Larousse, French lexicographer and author (d. 1875)

1835 – Adlai Stevenson I, American lawyer and politician, 23rd Vice President of the United States (d. 1914)

1844 – Robert Bridges, English poet and playwright (d. 1930)

1857 – Juan Luna, Filipino painter and sculptor (d. 1899)

1863 – Mirko Breyer, Croatian writer, bibliographer, antiquarian, and one of the notable alleged and false victims of the Stara Gradiška concentration camp (d. 1946)

1865 – Neltje Blanchan, American historian and author (d. 1918)

1869 – John Heisman, American football player and coach (d. 1936)

1870 – Francis Kelley, Canadian-American bishop (d. 1948)

1873 – William D. Coolidge, American physicist and engineer (d. 1975)

1874 – Charles Kilpatrick, American runner and educator (d. 1921)

1875 – Gilbert N. Lewis, American chemist and academic (d. 1946)

1876 – Franz Schlegelberger, German judge and politician, Reich Ministry of Justice (d. 1970)

1880 – Una O'Connor, Irish-American actress and singer (d. 1959)

1885 – Lawren Harris, Canadian painter and educator (d. 1970)

1888 – Onésime Gagnon, Canadian scholar and politician, 20th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 1961)

1894 – Rube Bressler, American baseball player (d. 1966)

1894 – Emma Vyssotsky, American astronomer and academic (d. 1975)

1896 – André Lévêque, French soldier and engineer (d. 1930)

1896 – Lilyan Tashman, American actress (d. 1934)

1897 – John Baker, English air marshal (d. 1978)

1897 – Marjorie Flack, American author and illustrator (d. 1958)

1900 – Douglas Jardine, Indian-English cricketer and lawyer (d. 1958)

1902 – Robert Eberan von Eberhorst, Austrian engineer (d. 1982)

1904 – Harvey Penick, American golfer and coach (d. 1995)

1905 – Felix Bloch, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)

1905 – Yen Chia-kan, Chinese lawyer and politician, President of the Republic of China (d. 1993)

1905 – Gertrude Ederle, American swimmer (d. 2003)

1908 – František Douda, Czech shot putter (d. 1990)

1908 – Ilya Frank, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)

1909 – Zellig Harris, American linguist and methodologist (d. 1992)

1910 – Richard Mortensen, Danish painter and educator (d. 1993)

1910 – Hayden Rorke, American actor (d. 1987)

1911 – Jack Keller, American hurdler (d. 1978)

1918 – Augusta Dabney, American actress (d. 2008)

1918 – James Daly, American actor (d. 1978)

1918 – Paul Rudolph, American architect and academic, designed the Lippo Centre (d. 1997)

1919 – Manolis Andronikos, Greek archaeologist and academic (d. 1992)

1920 – Ted Fujita, Japanese-American meteorologist and academic (d. 1998)

1920 – Bob Montana, American illustrator (d. 1975)

1920 – Vern Stephens, American baseball player (d. 1968)

1922 – Jean Barker, Baroness Trumpington, English politician

1922 – Coleen Gray, American actress (d. 2015)

1922 – Chris Alcaide, American actor (d. 2004)

1923 – Aslam Farrukhi, Indian-Pakistani linguist, author, and scholar (d. 2016)

1923 – Ned Rorem, American composer and author

1924 – Arthur Brittenden, English journalist (d. 2015)

1925 – Johnny Carson, American comedian and talk show host (d. 2005)

1925 – Manos Hatzidakis, Greek composer and theorist (d. 1994)

1925 – Fred Shero, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1990)

1927 – Sonny Criss, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1977)

1927 – Dezső Gyarmati, Hungarian water polo player and coach (d. 2013)

1927 – Leszek Kołakowski, Polish-English historian and philosopher (d. 2009)

1929 – Shamsur Rahman, Bangladeshi poet and journalist (d. 2006)

1931 – Jim Bunning, American baseball player and politician

1931 – William P. Clark, Jr., American judge and politician, 12th United States National Security Advisor (d. 2013)

1931 – Diana Dors, English actress (d. 1984)

1932 – Vasily Belov, Russian novelist, poet and playwright (d. 2012)

1933 – Carol Fran, American singer-songwriter and pianist

1935 – Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Puerto Rican-American golfer

1935 – JacSue Kehoe, American Neuroscientist

1936 – Charles Goodhart, English economist and academic

1936 – Philip Kaufman, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1937 – Carlos Lamarca, Brazilian captain (d. 1971)

1937 – Deven Verma, Indian actor, director, and producer (d. 2014)

1938 – Alan Gilzean, Scottish footballer and manager

1939 – C. V. Vigneswaran, Sri Lankan lawyer, judge, and politician, 1st Chief Minister of the Northern Province

1940 – Pelé, Brazilian footballer and actor

1940 – Ellie Greenwich, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Raindrops) (d. 2009)

1940 – Jane Holzer, American model, actress, producer, and art collector

1941 – Colin Milburn, English cricketer (d. 1990)

1941 – Igor Smirnov, Moldovan engineer and politician, 1st President of Transnistria

1942 – Michael Crichton, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)

1942 – Douglas Dunn, Scottish poet, critic, and academic

1942 – Bernd Erdmann, German footballer and manager

1942 – Anita Roddick, English businesswoman and activist, founded The Body Shop (d. 2007)

1943 – Alida Chelli, Italian actress and singer (d. 2012)

1944 – Mike Harding, English singer-songwriter and comedian

1945 – Maggi Hambling, English sculptor and painter

1945 – Kim Larsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Gasolin')

1946 – Graeme Barker, English archaeologist and academic

1946 – Mel Martínez, American lawyer and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

1946 – Miklós Németh, Hungarian javelin thrower

1947 – Kazimierz Deyna, Polish footballer (d. 1989)

1947 – Greg Ridley, English rock bass player (d. 2003)

1948 – Hermann Hauser, Austrian-English businessman, co-founded Acorn Computers and Olivetti Research Laboratory

1948 – Gerry Robinson, Irish-born British businessman, arts patron and television personality

1948 – Brian Ross, American journalist

1949 – Würzel, English singer and guitarist (d. 2011)

1949 – Nick Tosches, American journalist, author, and poet

1949 – Krešimir Ćosić, Croatian soldier and politician

1950 – Maths O. Sundqvist, Swedish businessman (d. 2012)

1951 – Charly García, Argentine singer-songwriter and keyboard player

1951 – Fatmir Sejdiu, Kosovan academic and politician, 2nd President of Kosovo

1952 – Pierre Moerlen, French drummer (Gong) (d. 2005)

1952 – Ken Tipton, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1953 – Taner Akçam, Turkish sociologist and historian

1954 – Ang Lee, Taiwanese-American director, producer, and screenwriter

1956 – Dianne Reeves, American singer

1956 – Dwight Yoakam, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

1957 – Paul Kagame, Rwandan soldier and politician, 6th President of Rwanda

1957 – Graham Rix, English footballer and coach

1958 – Michael Eric Dyson, American activist, author, and academic

1958 – Rose Nabinger, German singer

1958 – Frank Schaffer, German sprinter

1959 – Nancy Grace, American lawyer and journalist

1959 – Sam Raimi, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1959 – "Weird Al" Yankovic, American singer-songwriter, comedian, and actor

1960 – Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Swiss-French keyboard player, songwriter, and producer

1960 – Katoucha Niane, French model and actress (d. 2008)

1960 – Randy Pausch, American author and academic (d. 2008)

1960 – Wayne Rainey, American motorcycle racer

1961 – Laurie Halse Anderson, American author

1961 – Andoni Zubizarreta, Spanish footballer and sportscaster

1962 – Doug Flutie, American football player, sportscaster, and drummer

1963 – Gordon Korman, Canadian-American author

1964 – Robert Trujillo, American bass player and songwriter

1965 – Augusten Burroughs, American author and screenwriter

1965 – Al Leiter, American baseball player and sportscaster

1966 – Alex Zanardi, Italian race car driver and cyclist

1967 – Dale Crover, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer

1967 – Walt Flanagan, American actor and illustrator

1967 – Jaime Yzaga, Peruvian tennis player

1969 – Dolly Buster, Czech film producer and director, actress and author

1969 – Trudi Canavan, Australian author and illustrator

1969 – Bill O'Brien, American football player and coach

1969 – Brooke Theiss, American actress

1970 – Matthew Barzun, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom

1970 – Grant Imahara, American engineer

1970 – Steve Wilder, American actor

1970 – Zoe Wiseman, American model and photographer

1971 – Carlo Forlivesi, Italian-Japanese composer and scholar

1971 – Chris Horner, American cyclist

1972 – Bryan Pratt, American lawyer and politician

1972 – Jimmy Wayne, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1973 – Christian Dailly, Scottish footballer

1974 – Aravind Adiga, Indian journalist and author

1974 – Beatrice Faumuina, New Zealand discus thrower

1974 – Sander Westerveld, Dutch footballer

1974 – Christine Yoshikawa, Canadian pianist

1975 – Jessicka, American singer-songwriter

1975 – Michelle Beadle, American sportscaster

1975 – Phillip Gillespie, Australian cricket umpire

1975 – Yoon Son-ha, South Korean actress and singer

1975 – Keith Van Horn, American basketball player

1976 – Cat Deeley, English model, actress, and television host

1976 – Ryan Reynolds, Canadian-American actor and producer

1977 – Brad Haddin, Australian cricketer

1977 – Alex Tudor, English cricketer and coach

1978 – Jimmy Bullard, English footballer

1978 – Steve Harmison, English cricketer and sportscaster

1978 – John Lackey, American baseball player

1978 – Archie Thompson, New Zealand-Australian footballer

1979 – Ramón Castro, Venezuelan baseball player

1979 – Simon Davies, Welsh footballer

1979 – Jorge Solís, Mexican boxer

1979 – Bud Smith, American baseball player

1980 – Mate Bilić, Croatian footballer

1980 – Pedro Liriano, Dominican baseball player

1981 – Jeroen Bleekemolen, Dutch race car driver

1981 – Leticia Dolera, Spanish actress

1981 – Ben Francisco, American baseball player

1981 – Jackie Long, American actor and producer

1981 – Huo Siyan, Chinese actress

1982 – Valentin Badea, Romanian footballer

1982 – Rickey Paulding, American basketball player

1982 – Kristjan Kangur, Estonian basketball player

1982 – Aleksandar Luković, Serbian footballer

1982 – Rodolfo Dantas Bispo, Brazilian footballer

1983 – Filippos Darlas, Greek footballer

1983 – Goldie Harvey, Nigerian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)

1984 – Simone Masini, Italian footballer

1984 – Keiren Westwood, English footballer

1984 – Jeffrey Hoogervorst, Dutch footballer

1984 – Meghan McCain, American journalist and author

1984 – Michael Sim, Australian golfer

1985 – Miguel, American singer-songwriter and producer

1985 – Mohammed Abdellaoue, Norwegian footballer

1985 – Masiela Lusha, Albanian-American actress, poet, and humanitarian

1985 – Chris Neal, English footballer

1985 – Luca Spinetti, Italian footballer

1985 – Panagiotis Vouis, Greek footballer

1986 – Briana Evigan, American actress and dancer

1986 – Jake Robinson, English footballer

1986 – Jessica Stroup, American actress

1986 – Emilia Clarke, English actress

1987 – Faye, Swedish singer-songwriter (Play)

1987 – Robin Copeland, Irish rugby player

1987 – Félix Doubront, Venezuelan baseball player

1987 – Kyle Gibson, American baseball player

1987 – Miyuu Sawai, Japanese model and actress

1987 – Seo In-guk, South Korean singer and actor

1987 – Naomi Watanabe, Japanese actress

1988 – Jordan Crawford, American basketball player

1988 – Aleksandr Salugin, Russian footballer

1988 – Carolin Schiewe, German footballer

1989 – Viktor Agardius, Swedish footballer

1989 – Anisya Kirdyapkina, Russian race walker

1990 – Paradise Oskar, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist

1991 – Jorge Taufua, Australian rugby league player

1992 – Álvaro Morata, Spanish footballer

1993 – Josh Ruffels, English footballer

1993 – Taylor Spreitler, American actress

Deaths

42 BC – Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, Roman general and politician (b. 85 BC)

877 – Ignatios of Constantinople, Byzantine patriarch (b. 797)

891 – Yazaman al-Khadim, Abbasid general and politician

902 – Ibrahim II of Ifriqiya, Aghlabid emir (b. 850)

930 – Daigo, Japanese emperor (b. 885)

1134 – Abu al-Salt, Andalusian polymath

1157 – Sweyn III, Danish king (b. c. 1125)

1456 – John of Capistrano, Italian priest and saint (b. 1386)

1550 – Tiedemann Giese, Polish bishop (b. 1480)

1581 – Michael Neander, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1529)

1590 – Bernardino de Sahagún, Spanish-born Franciscan, compiler of the Florentine Codex of Aztecs history in Mexico (b. 1499)

1616 – Leonhard Hutter, German theologian and academic (b. 1563)

1688 – Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange, French philologist and historian (b. 1610)

1730 – Anne Oldfield, English actress (b. 1683)

1764 – Emmanuel-Auguste de Cahideuc, Comte Dubois de la Motte, French admiral (b. 1683)

1774 – Michel Benoist, French missionary and astronomer (b. 1715)

1867 – Franz Bopp, German linguist and academic (b. 1791)

1869 – Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1799)

1872 – Théophile Gautier, French journalist, author, and poet (b. 1811)

1885 – Charles S. West, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, Secretary of State of Texas (b. 1829)

1893 – Alexander of Battenberg (b. 1857)

1910 – Chulalongkorn, Thai king (b. 1853)

1915 – W. G. Grace, English cricketer and physician (b. 1848)

1916 – Richard McFadden, Scottish footballer and soldier (b. 1889)

1917 – Eugène Grasset, Swiss illustrator (b. 1845)

1921 – John Boyd Dunlop, Scottish businessman, founded Dunlop Rubber (b. 1840)

1935 – Charles Demuth, American painter and educator (b. 1883)

1939 – Zane Grey, American dentist and author (b. 1872)

1942 – Ralph Rainger, American pianist and composer (b. 1901)

1943 – Wakashima Gonshirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 21st Yokozuna (b. 1876)

1944 – Charles Glover Barkla, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877)

1944 – Hana Brady, Czech holocaust victim (b. 1931)

1950 – Al Jolson, Lithuanian-American actor and singer (b. 1886)

1953 – Adrien de Noailles, French son of Jules Charles Victurnien de Noailles (b. 1869)

1957 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded Christian Dior S.A. (b. 1905)

1959 – George Bouzianis, Greek painter (b. 1885)

1959 – Gerda Lundequist, Swedish actress (b. 1871)

1964 – Frank Luther Mott, American historian and journalist (b. 1886)

1978 – Maybelle Carter, American singer and autoharp player (Carter Family) (b. 1909)

1983 – Jessica Savitch, American journalist (b. 1947)

1984 – Oskar Werner, Austrian-German actor (b. 1922)

1986 – Edward Adelbert Doisy, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1893)

1988 – Asashio Tarō III, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 46th Yokozuna (b. 1929)

1989 – Armida, Mexican-American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)

1990 – Thomas Williams, American author and academic (b. 1926)

1994 – Robert Lansing, American actor (b. 1928)

1996 – Bob Grim, American baseball player (b. 1930)

1997 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1916)

1998 – Barnett Slepian, American physician (b. 1946)

2000 – Yokozuna, American wrestler (b. 1966)

2001 – Josh Kirby, English illustrator (b. 1928)

2001 – Daniel Wildenstein, French art dealer and historian (b. 1917)

2002 – Adolph Green, American playwright and songwriter (b. 1915)

2003 – Tony Capstick, English actor and singer (b. 1944)

2003 – Soong Mei-ling, Chinese wife of Chiang Kai-shek, 2nd First Lady of the Republic of China (b. 1897)

2004 – Robert Merrill, American actor and singer (b. 1919)

2004 – Bill Nicholson, English footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1919)

2005 – William Hootkins, American actor (b. 1948)

2005 – John Muth, American economist and academic (b. 1930)

2005 – Stella Obasanjo, Nigerian wife of Olusegun Obasanjo, 10th First Lady of Nigeria (b. 1945)

2006 – Lebo Mathosa, South African singer (Boom Shaka) (b. 1977)

2007 – John Ilhan, Turkish-Australian businessman, founded Crazy John's (b. 1965)

2007 – Lim Goh Tong, Malaysian-Chinese businessman (b. 1918)

2008 – Kevin Finnegan, English boxer (b. 1948)

2009 – Lou Jacobi, Canadian-American actor (b. 1913)

2010 – Fran Crippen, American swimmer (b. 1984)

2010 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (b. 1923)

2011 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American chemist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)

2011 – John McCarthy, American computer scientist and academic, developed the Lisp programming language (b. 1927)

2011 – Marco Simoncelli, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1987)

2012 – William Joel Blass, American lawyer and politician (b. 1917)

2012 – Wilhelm Brasse, Polish photographer (b. 1917)

2012 – Roland de la Poype, French soldier and pilot (b. 1920)

2012 – Sunil Gangopadhyay, Indian author and poet (b. 1934)

2012 – Michael Marra, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1952)

2013 – Wes Bialosuknia, American basketball player (b. 1945)

2013 – Anthony Caro, English sculptor and academic (b. 1924)

2013 – Niall Donohue, Irish hurler (b. 1990)

2013 – Gypie Mayo, English guitarist and songwriter (Dr. Feelgood and The Yardbirds) (b. 1951)

2013 – Bill Mazer, Ukrainian-American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1920)

2014 – Ghulam Azam, Bangladeshi politician (b. 1922)

2014 – John Bramlett, American football player (b. 1941)

2014 – Bernard Mayes, English-American journalist and academic (b. 1929)

2014 – Joan Quigley, American astrologer and author (b. 1927)

2014 – Tullio Regge, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1931)

2014 – Alvin Stardust, English singer and actor (b. 1942)

2015 – Leon Bibb, American-Canadian singer (b. 1922)

2015 – Roger De Clerck, Belgian businessman (b. 1924)

2015 – Jim Roberts, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1940)

2015 – Fred Sands, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded the Museum of Contemporary Art (b. 1938)

2016 – Jack Chick, American cartoonist and publisher (b. 1924)

2016 – Wim van der Voort, Dutch speed skater (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius

Giovanni da Capistrano

Ignatios of Constantinople

Severin of Cologne

October 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Aviator's Day (Brazil)

Chulalongkorn Day (Thailand)

Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle (Republic of Macedonia)

Liberation Day (Libya)

Mole Day (International observance)

National Day (Hungary)

Paris Peace Agreement Day (Cambodia)