1923

Events in 1923 65

• 1832 – 1923 Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) Died 27 December 1923, aged 91 Gustave Eiffel was a French civil engineer best known for designing the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Paris World's Fair. He also engineered the internal structure of the Statue of Liberty and numerous bridges and viaducts. He died in Paris at age 91.
• 1844 – 1923 Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) Died 26 March 1923, aged 78 Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage actress widely regarded as the most famous performer of the late 19th century, celebrated across Europe and the Americas as "the Divine Sarah." She continued performing despite having a leg amputated in 1915. She died in Paris after a long career that helped define modern celebrity.
• 1845 – 1923 Wilhelm Rontgen (1845-1923) Died 10 February 1923, aged 77 Wilhelm Rontgen was a German physicist who discovered X-rays in 1895, a finding that transformed medical diagnosis and earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. He donated his prize money to his university and refused to patent his discovery, believing it should benefit humanity freely. He died in Munich at age 77.
• 1848 – 1923 Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) Died 19 August 1923, aged 75 Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist and sociologist known for the Pareto principle and his work on income distribution and elite theory. His concept of Pareto efficiency remains foundational to welfare economics. He died in Celigny, Switzerland.
• 1865 – 1923 Charles Steinmetz (1865-1923) Died 26 October 1923, aged 58 Charles Steinmetz was a German-born American engineer and mathematician whose work on alternating current systems at General Electric helped establish the foundations of modern electrical engineering. Known as the "Wizard of Schenectady," he held roughly 200 patents. He died in Schenectady, New York.
• 1865 – 1923 Warren G. Harding 29th President — died in office, Teapot Dome scandal Warren G. Harding (Nov 2, 1865 – Aug 2, 1923) was the 29th President 1921-1923. He died in office and his administration was later tainted by the Teapot Dome scandal, one of the worst corruption scandals in US history.
• 1878 – 1923 Pancho Villa (1878-1923) Died 20 July 1923, aged 45 Pancho Villa was a leading general of the Mexican Revolution who commanded the Division del Norte and briefly controlled much of northern Mexico. After the revolution he retired to a ranch in Chihuahua, where he was assassinated in an ambush. He remains one of the most recognized figures of the Mexican Revolution.
• 1879 – 1923 Aleksandar Stamboliyski (1879-1923) Died 14 June 1923, aged 43 Aleksandar Stamboliyski was the Prime Minister of Bulgaria and leader of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union, pursuing land reform and a peasant-based political program. He was overthrown in a military coup and killed by his captors days later. His government's fall marked a turning point toward right-wing rule in interwar Bulgaria.
• 1888 – 1923 Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) Died 9 January 1923, aged 34 Katherine Mansfield was a New Zealand-born writer celebrated for her innovative short stories, including collections such as Bliss and The Garden Party. She died of tuberculosis in Fontainebleau, France, at age 34. Her modernist style influenced writers including Virginia Woolf.
• 1903 – 1923 Raymond Radiguet (1903-1923) Died 12 December 1923, aged 20 Raymond Radiguet was a French novelist and poet whose acclaimed novel Le Diable au corps, written as a teenager, scandalized and impressed critics for its precocious depiction of adultery. He died of typhoid fever in Paris at age 20, shortly after finishing his second novel. His close friend Jean Cocteau organized his funeral.
• 1915 – 1923 Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (1915-1923) is the systematic mass murder and deportation of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (Young Turks). Between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians are killed in massacres, death marches through the Syrian desert, and starvation. The genocide is ordered by the triumvirate of Enver, Talaat and Cemal Pashas, who use the cover of World War I to eliminate what they see as a disloyal Christian minority. It is widely recognised by historians and many governments as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey officially denies it.
• 1923 – 2023 Bob Barker (1923-2023) Died 26 August 2023, aged 99 American television host who presented The Price Is Right for thirty-five years.
• 1923 – 1971 Diane Arbus (1923-1971) Died 26 July 1971, aged 48 Diane Arbus was an American photographer known for stark portraits of marginalized and unconventional subjects, including circus performers, transgender people, and psychiatric patients. Her work challenged conventions of beauty and normalcy in documentary photography. She died by suicide in New York City.
• 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake ~140,000 killed; Tokyo and Yokohama devastated On 1 September 1923 a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Kanto plain, destroying much of Tokyo and Yokohama and killing an estimated 140,000 people, many in the firestorms that followed. It remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in Japanese history.
• 1923 – 1953 Hank Williams (1923-1953) Died 1 January 1953, aged 29 Hank Williams was a pioneering American singer-songwriter whose songs helped define modern country music. He died of heart failure in the back seat of his car while being driven to a concert, exacerbated by alcohol and chronic back pain. He remains one of the most influential figures in American popular music.
• 1923 Hollywood sign erected Hollywood sign erected The Hollywood sign was erected in 1923 reading HOLLYWOODLAND, an advertisement for a hillside housing development that was meant to stand for about eighteen months. It was left to decay instead, and the last four letters were removed in 1949. The sign was rebuilt in 1978 with money raised by donors including Hugh Hefner and Alice Cooper.
• 1923 – 1955 Robert Woodruff era Transforms Coca-Cola into a global brand Robert W. Woodruff became president of Coca-Cola in 1923 and led the company for over three decades. He introduced six-bottle cartons, vending machines and coolers, supplied Coca-Cola to every US soldier in WWII for 5 cents regardless of cost, and began international expansion.
• 1923 – 2026 Wembley Stadium London, England The most famous stadium in England. Built in 300 days for the British Empire Exhibition, demolished after 77 years, and rebuilt on the same ground with an arch in place of the twin towers.
• 1923 Wembley Stadium opens London, England The Empire Stadium, built in 300 days for the British Empire Exhibition and opened with the White Horse Final, watched by a crowd estimated at over 200,000. Its twin towers became the most recognisable landmark in world football.
• 1923 German hyperinflation reaches its peak The mark collapses and a new currency is introduced The German mark lost virtually all value in 1923, with prices doubling every few days at the peak of the crisis in November, and workers were paid in wheelbarrows of banknotes. The Weimar government introduced the Rentenmark on November 15 to stabilize the currency and halt the collapse. The crisis wiped out middle-class savings and deepened political instability.
• 1923 – 2003 Sam Phillips (1923-2003) Died 30 July 2003, aged 80 Sam Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded early sides by Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King and Ike Turner before discovering Elvis Presley in 1954. He also recorded Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, shaping the emergence of rock and roll.
• 1923 French occupation of the Ruhr begins French and Belgian troops occupy Germany's industrial heartland France and Belgium sent troops into the Ruhr valley after Germany defaulted on reparations payments set by the Treaty of Versailles. German workers responded with passive resistance and a general strike, deepening the economic crisis and accelerating hyperinflation. The occupation lasted until 1925.
• 1923 – 2013 Jean Stapleton (1923-2013) Died 31 May 2013, aged 90 Jean Stapleton was an American actress best known for playing Edith Bunker on the television sitcom All in the Family. She died at her home in New York City.
• 1923 – 1981 Paddy Chayefsky (1923-1981) Died 1 August 1981, aged 58 American screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, the only person to win three solo Academy Awards for screenwriting, died in New York City on 1 August 1981. He wrote Marty, The Hospital, and Network, the last a scathing satire of television news that proved prophetic. His 1976 Network screenplay is widely regarded as one of the finest in film history.
• 1923 – 2019 Franco Zeffirelli (1923-2019) Died 15 June 2019, aged 96 Franco Zeffirelli was an Italian director of film, opera, and theatre, best known for his 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and his lavish opera productions. He also served as a member of the Italian Senate. He died at his home in Rome.
• 1923 – 2020 Chuck Yeager (1923-2020) Died 7 December 2020, aged 97 Chuck Yeager was a US Air Force test pilot who became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, breaking the sound barrier in 1947. He died on 7 December 2020.
• 1923 Time magazine debuts Briton Hadden and Henry Luce launch a weekly newsmagazine Time, the first weekly news magazine in the United States, published its first issue in New York, founded by Briton Hadden and Henry Luce. Its concise summary format and eventual cover-portrait style would make it one of the most influential publications of the 20th century.
• 1923 – 2009 Ed McMahon (1923-2009) Died 23 June 2009, aged 86 McMahon was an American broadcaster best known as Johnny Carson's longtime sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show for three decades. He also hosted Star Search and appeared in numerous commercials and specials. His catchphrase introductions became a fixture of American late-night television.
• 1923 – 2016 Debbie Reynolds (1923-2016) Died 28 December 2016, aged 93 Reynolds was an American actress and singer best known for her role in Singin' in the Rain. She had a decades-long career in film, television, and Las Vegas performance. She died one day after her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher.
• 1923 Warner Bros. Pictures founded Four brothers incorporate a Hollywood film studio Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner incorporated Warner Bros. Pictures in Burbank, California. The studio grew into one of Hollywood's major film companies, later pioneering synchronized sound in feature films with The Jazz Singer. It remains one of the oldest film studios still in operation.
• 1923 – 2001 Nguyen Van Thieu (1923-2001) Died 29 September 2001, aged 78 Thieu was president of South Vietnam from 1967 until days before the fall of Saigon in 1975, when he resigned and left the country. His government relied heavily on American support and was widely accused of corruption. He spent his last decades in exile in Britain and the United States.
• 1923 – 2004 Ann Miller (1923-2004) American dancer and actress, famous for her machine-gun tap dancing in MGM musicals.
• 1923 Yankee Stadium opens The "House That Ruth Built" debuts in the Bronx Yankee Stadium opened in the Bronx, New York, with the Yankees defeating the Boston Red Sox before some 74,000 spectators; Babe Ruth hit a home run in the inaugural game. It became the largest and most famous ballpark in baseball for decades. The stadium earned the nickname "The House That Ruth Built."
• 1923 – 2000 Tito Puente (1923-2000) Died 31 May 2000, aged 77 Tito Puente was a New York-born bandleader, timbales player and composer known as the "King of Mambo" and "El Rey" of Latin music. Over more than fifty years he recorded around a hundred albums, and his "Oye Como Va" became a hit for Santana. He did much to carry Latin jazz to mainstream American audiences.
• 1923 – 1985 Anne Baxter (1923-1985) American actress, granddaughter of Frank Lloyd Wright, Oscar winner for The Razor's Edge and Eve in All About Eve.
• 1923 Transjordan recognized as autonomous under British mandate Emir Abdullah's territory is separated from Palestine Britain formally recognized the Emirate of Transjordan, under Emir Abdullah bin al-Hussein, as an autonomous state within the British Mandate for Palestine. The arrangement separated the territory east of the Jordan River from the Jewish national home provisions applying west of the river. Transjordan later became the independent Kingdom of Jordan in 1946.
• 1923 Irish Civil War ends Anti-Treaty forces order a ceasefire Anti-Treaty IRA leader Frank Aiken ordered his forces to dump arms and cease fire, ending the civil war that followed Irish independence over the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The conflict had killed more people than the preceding war of independence and left lasting divisions in Irish politics. The pro-Treaty Irish Free State government retained control.
• 1923 – 2023 Henry Kissinger American Diplomat & Statesman German-born American diplomat and political scientist who served as US National Security Advisor (1969–1975) and Secretary of State (1973–1977) under Presidents Nixon and Ford. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in the Vietnam War, one of the most controversial decisions in the award's history. He remained one of the most influential and divisive figures in American foreign policy for over five decades.
• 1923 First Pepsi bankruptcy Sugar speculation ruins Bradham — May 31, 1923 Pepsi-Cola declared bankruptcy on May 31, 1923. Caleb Bradham had gambled heavily on sugar during WWI, buying large stocks anticipating rising prices. When sugar crashed from 28 cents to 2 cents per pound, the company collapsed. Assets were sold to a North Carolina concern for $30,000.
• 1923 – 2005 Prince Rainier III (1923-2005) Died 6 April 2005, aged 81 Prince Rainier III of Monaco, who ruled the principality for 56 years and transformed it into a wealthy tourist and financial centre, died on 6 April 2005. He was married to American actress Grace Kelly from 1956 until her death in 1982. Rainier was succeeded by his son, Prince Albert II.
• 1923 Coup d'etat overthrows Bulgarian government Military and nationalist forces oust Prime Minister Stamboliyski Army officers and the nationalist IMRO overthrew the agrarian government of Prime Minister Aleksandar Stamboliyski in a violent coup. Stamboliyski was captured and killed days later, and Aleksandar Tsankov formed a new right-wing government. The coup triggered a communist-led uprising that was suppressed with heavy bloodshed in September.
• 1923 – 1991 Robert Maxwell (1923-1991) Died 5 November 1991, aged 68 British media proprietor Robert Maxwell, owner of the Mirror Group newspapers, was found dead in the sea off his yacht near the Canary Islands. His death was followed by revelations that he had fraudulently plundered his companies' pension funds. The scandal became one of the largest corporate fraud cases in British history.
• 1923 – present Rudolph A. Marcus Canadian-American Chemist Canadian-born American theoretical chemist who won the 1992 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Marcus theory, which explains the rate at which electrons transfer between molecules. His elegant equations illuminated fundamental processes from photosynthesis and cell metabolism to the functioning of batteries and solar cells. Born in Montreal, he taught himself theory after repeatedly breaking laboratory glassware, and continued active research past his 100th birthday. He died five days before his 103rd birthday.
• 1923 Treaty of Lausanne signed Treaty settles borders of the new Turkish state The Treaty of Lausanne was signed by Turkey and the Allied powers, replacing the unratified Treaty of Sevres and establishing the internationally recognized borders of modern Turkey. It also provided for a large-scale population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The treaty formally ended the state of war stemming from the First World War in the region.
• 1923 – 2016 Shimon Peres (1923-2016) Died 28 September 2016, aged 93 Peres served twice as Prime Minister of Israel and later as its President, holding nearly every senior office in Israeli government over a seven-decade career. He shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Oslo Accords. He remained an active statesman into his nineties.
• 1923 – 1977 Jean Hagen (1923-1977) American actress, the squeaky-voiced Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain.
• 1923 – 2014 Richard Attenborough (1923-2014) Died 24 August 2014, aged 90 Richard Attenborough, the British actor and director who won two Academy Awards for directing "Gandhi," died in England. He also acted in films including "Jurassic Park" and "The Great Escape." He was a prominent figure in British cinema for over six decades.
• 1923 Corfu incident Italy bombards and occupies the Greek island of Corfu After Italian General Enrico Tellini was killed on the Greek-Albanian border, Italy demanded reparations from Greece and, when rebuffed, bombarded and occupied the island of Corfu. The League of Nations brokered a resolution under pressure from Britain, and Italian forces withdrew after Greece paid an indemnity. The crisis was an early test of the League's authority against a major power.
• 1923 – 1984 Peter Lawford (1923-1984) English-born American actor, member of the Rat Pack and brother-in-law of John F. Kennedy.
• 1923 Miguel Primo de Rivera seizes power in Spain A military coup establishes a dictatorship Captain General Miguel Primo de Rivera led a bloodless coup with the acquiescence of King Alfonso XIII, suspending the constitution and establishing a military directorate. His dictatorship lasted until 1930. The coup ended the troubled parliamentary system of the Spanish Restoration.
• 1923 – 2015 Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015) Died 23 March 2015, aged 91 Lee Kuan Yew was the founding prime minister of Singapore, leading the city-state from independence in 1965 until 1990. He is widely credited with transforming Singapore from a small port into one of the world's wealthiest nations. His authoritarian style of governance and emphasis on economic pragmatism influenced leaders across Asia.
• 1923 Ethiopia joins the League of Nations Membership formalizes Ethiopian sovereignty in international law Ethiopia was admitted to the League of Nations, reinforcing its status as one of the few independent states in Africa not under European colonial rule. The membership later proved significant when Ethiopia appealed to the League after Italy's invasion in 1935. Empress Zewditu reigned with Ras Tafari Makonnen as regent at the time of admission.
• 1923 – 2008 Charlton Heston (1923-2008) Died 5 April 2008, aged 84 American actor known for epic film roles in Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments, and for later serving as president of the National Rifle Association. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Ben-Hur.
• 1923 – 1985 Italo Calvino (1923-1985) Died 19 September 1985, aged 61 Calvino was an Italian writer known for inventive works including Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler. He died in Siena, Italy, on 19 September 1985 after a stroke.
• 1923 – 1965 Linda Darnell (1923-1965) American actress, a 20th Century Fox star of the 1940s, known for A Letter to Three Wives and Forever Amber.
• 1923 Walt Disney Company founded Walt and Roy Disney start an animation studio in Los Angeles Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Studio in Los Angeles to produce the Alice Comedies series. The small animation studio grew over the following decades into one of the world's largest entertainment companies. It was later renamed Walt Disney Productions.
• 1923 Hamburg Uprising Communist rebellion fails in Weimar Germany Members of the German Communist Party staged an armed insurrection in Hamburg, seizing police stations in a bid to spark a nationwide revolution amid the year's economic and political turmoil. The poorly coordinated uprising was crushed by police within days. It marked the last major communist attempt to seize power in the Weimar Republic.
• 1923 Nobel Prize awarded for the discovery of insulin Frederick Banting and John Macleod honored for diabetes treatment The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Frederick Banting and John Macleod for the discovery of insulin, first isolated at the University of Toronto in 1921-22. Banting shared his prize money with colleague Charles Best, whom he felt had been unfairly excluded. Insulin therapy transformed diabetes from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition.
• 1923 – 1997 Roy Lichtenstein Pop Art · USA Roy Lichtenstein (October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American Pop Art painter who transformed comic book imagery into fine art. His bold primary colours and Ben-Day dots became one of the most recognisable styles of the 20th century.
• 1923 Republic of Turkey proclaimed Mustafa Kemal Ataturk becomes the first president The Grand National Assembly declared Turkey a republic, ending centuries of Ottoman rule, and elected Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as its first president. The new republic launched sweeping secularizing reforms in law, education, and society over the following years. Ankara was established as the capital.
• 1923 Beer Hall Putsch Hitler's failed attempt to seize power in Munich Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, alongside General Erich Ludendorff, attempted to seize control of the Bavarian government in a Munich beer hall and march on Berlin. Bavarian police crushed the uprising the following day, killing several marchers, and Hitler was arrested and imprisoned. The failed coup later contributed to Hitler's national notoriety.
• 1923 – 1998 Alan Shepard (1923-1998) Died 21 July 1998, aged 74 Alan Shepard, the first American to travel into space aboard Freedom 7 in 1961 and commander of the Apollo 14 Moon landing in 1971, died of leukemia on 21 July 1998. He was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts.
• 1923 – 2014 Nadine Gordimer (1923-2014) Died 13 July 2014, aged 90 Nadine Gordimer, the South African novelist and Nobel laureate who chronicled the moral struggles of apartheid, died in Johannesburg. Several of her books were banned by the apartheid government during her lifetime. She remained an outspoken political and social commentator after the end of apartheid.
• 1923 – 1981 Gloria Grahame (1923-1981) American actress, the film noir femme fatale who won an Oscar for The Bad and the Beautiful.
• 1923 – 1977 Maria Callas (1923-1977) Died 16 September 1977, aged 53 Maria Callas was a Greek-American soprano widely regarded as one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century. She died in Paris, having largely withdrawn from public performance in her final years.