December 23
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Featured Event
© Art Media/Print Collector—Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Vincent van Gogh cut off part of his own left ear on this day in 1888 after an argument with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, with whom he had been sharing a house. Van Gogh reportedly then delivered his ear to a nearby brothel. Art historians have debated the incident, often framing it within his brief, prolific career and his struggles with mental health. [Read today’s edition of Today in History >>]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Kiyoshi Ota—Getty Image News/Thinkstock
Japanese Emperor Akihito—who was born this day in 1933, the eldest son of Hirohito, and whose reign was designated Heisei (“Achieving Peace”)—broke a 1,500-year-old tradition by marrying a commoner, Shōda Michiko, in 1959. He abdicated in 2019 in favour of his eldest son.
Famous Birthdays
More on December 23
© Anshuman Poyrekar—Hindustan Times/Getty Images
2024
Shyam Benegal, a leading Indian director of nonmainstream Hindi cinema and one of its most prolific filmmakers, died in Mumbai.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
2001
Argentina announced the suspension of payments on its external debt—the biggest debt default in history to date. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about South America.]
Doug Benc/Getty Images
1972
Running back Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers made “the Immaculate Reception,” a dramatic catch that is regarded as one of the most famous plays in NFL history. [Test your knowledge of American football.]
© Znm/Dreamstime.com
1968
Eighty-two crewmen of the USS Pueblo were released after being held in captivity for 11 months by North Korea, which claimed the U.S. Navy intelligence ship had crossed into its waters.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1941
Early in World War II, invading Japanese forces defeated U.S. troops at the Battle of Wake Island. [Sort fact from fiction in our wars throughout history quiz.]
Prestige Records
1929
Jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker, who was noted for the plaintive, fragile tone of both his playing and his singing, was born in Yale, Oklahoma. [Test your knowledge of music.]
©Adam Parent/Shutterstock.com
1913
With the signing of the Federal Reserve Act by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, the Federal Reserve System came into being. [Take our quiz about the history of currency.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1876
The first comprehensive constitution of the Ottoman Empire went into effect, giving the sultan full executive power. [How much do you know about the Ottoman Empire?.]
© 1996 Miramax Films
1815
Jane Austen published her fourth novel, Emma, which centres on a precocious young woman whose misplaced confidence in her matchmaking abilities occasions several romantic misadventures. [Test your knowledge of Jane Austen.]
Courtesy of the Community of Christ, Independence, Missouri
1805
Joseph Smith, an American prophet who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was born in Sharon, Vermont. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about religions.]
Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Gift of Jean McGinley Draper, 1954.9.2
1783
Before the Continental Congress, George Washington resigned as commander in chief of the Continental Army. [Did George Washington really say, “I can’t tell a lie”?]