What happened on May 23

54 documented historical events happened on May 23, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was captured by Burgundian forces at the Siege of Compiègne. On the same day, in another year: Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Henry VIII's marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon, beginning events that would culminate in the English Reformation. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.

160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on May 23, including John Bardeen, Hélène Boucher, Margaret Wise Brown. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.

92 people with a Wikipedia article died on May 23, including Pope Urban I, Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, Jehan de Lescurel. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.

14 observances are celebrated on May 23 around the world: Aromanian National Day, Christian feast day: Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church), Christian feast day: Desiderius of Vienne, Christian feast day: Giovanni Battista de' Rossi, Christian feast day: Julia of Corsica, Christian feast day: Michael of Synnada. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.