On This Day: 23 November

23 November in Indian history

• 1996Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 is hijacked, then crashes into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125.India
• 1635Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa: Soldiers from the Dutch East India Company (flag depicted) razed the village of Mattau, now part of modern-day Tainan, Taiwan.India

23 November in world history

• 2011Arab Spring: After months of protests in Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to transfer power to Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.
• 2009The Maguindanao massacre occurs in Ampatuan, Philippines; 58 opponents of Andal Ampatuan Jr. are kidnapped and killed.
• 2003Rose Revolution: Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as President of Georgia following weeks of mass protests over disputed election results.
• 2002Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-113 to the International Space Station carrying the Expedition 6 crew and the P1 truss.
• 1992The first smartphone, the IBM Simon, is introduced at COMDEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• 1985Gunmen hijack EgyptAir Flight 648 en route from Athens to Cairo. When the plane lands in Malta, Egyptian commandos storm the aircraft, but 60 people die in the raid.
• 1981Iran–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.
• 1971Representatives of the People's Republic of China attend the United Nations, including the United Nations Security Council, for the first time.
• 1963The first episode of Doctor Who, the world's longest-running science fiction television show, was broadcast on BBC television, starring William Hartnell as the first incarnation of the title role.
• 1959French President Charles de Gaulle declares in a speech in Strasbourg his vision for "Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals".
• 1944World War II: The Lotta Svärd Movement is disbanded under the terms of the armistice treaty in Finland after the Continuation War.
• 1939World War II: HMS Rawalpindi is sunk by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
• 1924The New York Times published evidence from Edwin Hubble stating that the Andromeda Nebula, previously believed to be part of the Milky Way, is in fact another galaxy.
• 1867The Manchester Martyrs were hanged in Manchester, England, for involvement in a scheme to free two Irish nationalists from custody in which a police officer was killed.
• 1700A papal conclave, which had been deadlocked due to concerns over how a successor would respond to the impending death of Charles II of Spain, ended with the election of Clement XI.
• 1644In opposition to licensing and censorship during the English Civil War, John Milton's Areopagitica was published, arguing for the right to free expression.

Born on 23 November

• 1984Amruta Khanvilkar, Indian actress and dancerIndia
• 1962Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan union leader and politician, President of Venezuela
• 1950Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, Indian indologist, author, and academicIndia
• 1930Geeta Dutt, Indian singer and actress (died 1972)India
• 1860Hjalmar Branting, Swedish journalist and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Sweden, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1925)
• 1760François-Noël Babeuf, French journalist and activist (died 1797)

Died on 23 November

• 2012Larry Hagman, American actor, director, and producer (born 1931)
• 1996Idries Shah, Indian author, thinker and teacher in the Sufi tradition.India
• 1937Jagadish Chandra Bose, Indian physicist, biologist, botanist, and archaeologist (born 1858)India
• 386Jin Feidi, emperor of the Jin Dynasty (born 342)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 23 November in history?

2011: Arab Spring: After months of protests in Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to transfer power to Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. 2009: The Maguindanao massacre occurs in Ampatuan, Philippines; 58 opponents of Andal Ampatuan Jr. are kidnapped and killed. 2003: Rose Revolution: Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as President of Georgia following weeks of mass protests over disputed election results. 2002: Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-113 to the International Space Station carrying the Expedition 6 crew and the P1 truss.

What happened on 23 November in Indian history?

1996: Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 is hijacked, then crashes into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125. 1635: Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa: Soldiers from the Dutch East India Company (flag depicted) razed the village of Mattau, now part of modern-day Tainan, Taiwan.

Which famous people were born on 23 November?

Amruta Khanvilkar, Indian actress and dancer (1984); Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan union leader and politician, President of Venezuela (1962); Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, Indian indologist, author, and academic (1950); Geeta Dutt, Indian singer and actress (died 1972) (1930).

Which day is observed on 23 November?

Labor Thanksgiving Day (Japan); Repudiation Day (Frederick County, Maryland, United States); St George's Day (Georgia) or Giorgoba (Georgia).