23 January in Indian and World History is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons. 23 January is the birth anniversary of Veer Surendra Sai, Subhash Chandra Bose, Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray, and Achal Kumar Jyoti.
23 January is also observed as the death anniversary of Narendra Mohan Sen, and Amiya Kumar Das.
Birth Anniversary on 23 January
23 January in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:
Veer Surendra Sai (23 January 1809 – 28 February 1884) was an Indian revolutionary. He was a descendant of Maharaja Madhukar Sai of Sambalpur of the Chauhan dynasty in the 16th century. He had started the fight against foreign rule even before the rebellion of 1857 and continued it even after the rebellion had subsided. He raised a fighting force of about 1500 men in Sambalpur. He continued the guerrilla war against the British from 1857 to 1862. Veer Surendra Sai was born on 23 January 1809 in Khinda Village, Sambalpur, Orissa.
Subhash Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945), was a commander, a brave soldier, a wonderful player of politics, and one who can sit and discuss diplomacy and discussions on par with internationally renowned men and leaders. There has been no such personality in the history of India. For India’s independence, Subhash Chandra Bose awakened almost the whole of Europe. Bose was a monk by nature, a devotee of God. He was born on 23 January 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa.
Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray (23 January 1926 – 17 November 2012) was a famous politician from the state of Maharashtra, India. He formed a Hindu nationalist party called Shiv Sena. He was born on 23 January 1926.
Achal Kumar Jyoti has been the 21st Chief Election Commissioner of India. He held this position from 6 July 2017 to 23 January 2018. He has also been the Chief Secretary of Gujarat. He retired as the Chief Election Commissioner of Gujarat in January 2013 at that time Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Achal Kumar Jyoti was born on 23 January 1953 in Punjab.
Read More: 22 January in Indian and World History
Death Anniversary on 23 January
23 January in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:
Narendra Mohan Sen (13 August 1887 – 23 January 1963) was one of India’s famous revolutionaries. Leaving his education midway, he joined the ‘Anushilan Samiti’. He was arrested in the ‘Barisal Conspiracy Case’ and then later in 1914, he was put under house arrest. Sen died on 23 January 1963 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Amiya Kumar Das (1895 – 23 January 1975) was an Indian social worker, follower of Gandhiji’s ideas, writer, and prominent national leader of Assam. He was also popular as a folk hero. He died on 23 January 1975 in Guwahati, Assam.
Read More: 21 January in Indian and World History
Notable events on 23 January in Indian and World History
23 January 1556 – Thousands of people were killed in a devastating earthquake in the Shensi province of China.
23 January 1570 – The Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland, is assassinated.
23 January 1668 – England and Holland made a mutual cooperation agreement.
23 January 1793 – The Humane Society of Philadelphia was formed.
23 January 1799 – French troops capture Naples Italy.
23 January 1857 – Andrija Mohorovičić, a Croatian meteorologist and seismologist who is best known for his discovery of the Mohorovičić discontinuity, was born.
23 January 1872 – Jože Plečnik, a Slovene famous architect, was born.
23 January 1897 – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born in Cuttack.
23 January 1910 – Django Reinhard, a Romani-Belgian jazz guitarist, was born.
23 January 1913 – Nazim Pasha was killed in Turkey’s military revolution.
23 January 1918 – Gertrude B. Elion, an American biochemist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.
23 January 1920 – Holland refused to hand over Germany’s William II to the Allies as a World War I criminal.
23 January 1929 – John Polanyi, a Canadian scientist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.
23 January 1930 – Derek Walcott, a Saint Lucian poet, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.
23 January 1939 – Ed Roberts, the first wheelchair user to attend the University of California, Berkeley, was born.
23 January 1950 – Luis Alberto Spinetta, an Argentine singer, guitarist, composer, and poet, was born.
23 January 1962 – Stephen Keshi, a Nigerian football player and manager, was born.
23 January 1968 – North Korea seizes the US ship USS Pueblo, accusing it of violating its maritime boundary.
23 January 1993 – Iraq announced to follow the ceasefire, denying the allegation of attack on American fighter jets with anti-aircraft cannons.
23 January 2005 – Army personnel threw 6 people out of Farakka Expressway in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. 5 people died and one was injured.
23 January 2007 – A declaration was signed between India and Russia for the production of medium-sized multipurpose transport aircraft.
23 January 2018– Hugh Masekela, a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer, and composer who was described as “the father of South African jazz”, died.
23 January Historical Significance
January 23 has witnessed several significant events throughout history. On this day in 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, breaking barriers in the field of medicine. In 1943, during World War II, British forces captured Tripoli, the capital of Libya, marking a crucial victory in the North African Campaign. The year 1950 saw the establishment of the Knesset, Israel’s national legislature, following the country’s declaration of independence. In 1960, the bathyscaphe Trieste, piloted by Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh, reached the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point in Earth’s oceans, marking a milestone in deep-sea exploration. Additionally, January 23, 1973, marked the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which recognized a woman’s legal right to an abortion, profoundly impacting reproductive rights in America. These events highlight January 23 as a day of pioneering achievements and significant historical milestones.
Important Days of 23 January in History
National Handwriting Day: This day encourages people to embrace the art of handwriting and to recognize its historical and cultural significance.
International Day of Education: This day emphasizes the importance of education for achieving sustainable development goals and promoting global peace and prosperity.
National Pie Day (USA): A day dedicated to celebrating the delicious dessert known as pie, with various events and activities held across the United States.
