Dec
January 2025
Feb
On This Day 5 mins Read

January 23: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Did you know that on this day, January 23, 1909, a Morse code distress call was made, which led to the first radio sea rescue?

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January 23rd celebrates Handwriting Day and Measure Your Feet Day.

We are now on the twenty third day of the year, congratulations for making it this far into 2025. There are 342 days remaining in 2025.

We’re happy to inform you that today you’ve made it through the first two million seconds of the year!

If January 23 is a special day for you or your loved ones, then you’ll want to know all you can about things that happened on this day. We’ve put together some facts and events you won’t want to miss.

Did you know that on this day, January 23, 1909, a Morse code distress call was made, which led to the first radio sea rescue? The code read “CQD”, meaning “Come Quick Danger”.

Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about January 23rd in history!

Historical Events

What memorable events happened on January 23 in history? Keep reading to find out!

Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage.

Twelve camels found to have Botox in their lips were disqualified from a Camel Beauty Contest.

The King Abdulaziz Camel Beauty Contest is in Saudi Arabia, and camels are judged on how beautiful their lips and humps are.

A category five blizzard occurred in the Mid-Atlantic and North East US, which covered the area in 3 feet of snow.

OTD in 2016: A category five blizzard occurred in the Mid-Atlantic and North East US

The historic event killed 55 people and caused around $850 million economic damage, according to Planalytics.

Adrian Hidalgo set the world record for spinning a diabolo around his leg 117 times in 1 minute.

The last signal from the Pioneer 10 space probe was received.

The Pioneer 10 space probe launched from Cape Canaveral on March 3, 1972, on a mission to Jupiter. After becoming the first spacecraft to complete a mission to Jupiter, it used the planet's gravitational field to slingshot out of the solar system, becoming one of the first five artificial objects to go beyond the solar system's edge. Communication with the probe was ultimately lost due to a loss of power to the radio transmitter. Pioneer 10 was already 7.46 billion miles (12 billion km) from Earth by this point.

The programming language “Java” was released.

American action-adventure series “A-Team” first aired on NBC.

OTD in 1983: American action-adventure series "A-Team" first aired on NBC.

Prospect Creek Camp in Alaska recorded -80°F, making it the coldest temperature recorded in US history.

Walter Frederick Morrison sold the rights to the Pluto Platter to Wham-O, who soon changed the toy’s name to “Frisbee.”

Seventeen people went on trial in the second Moscow Trials.

OTD in 1937: Seventeen people went on trial in the second Moscow Trials.

Many were sent to death for their crimes in the Great Purge.

A Morse code distress call was made at sea, which led to the first radio sea rescue.

The incident involved "Republic" and "Florida" - two sea vessels that collided, causing the Republic to eventually sink.

US cavalrymen massacred 200 Piegan Blackfeet in the Marias Massacre.

The 200 Native Americans were almost all women, children, or elders and were meant to be under the protection of the US government.

Hawaii was shaken by an eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano that lasted 300 days and destroyed a coastal village.

OTD in 1859: Hawaii was shaken by an eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano that lasted 300 days and destroyed a coastal village.

The Royal Exchange in London was opened by Queen Elizabeth I.

The most deadly earthquake in history was recorded in China in Shaanxi’s province.

The powerful earthquake killed around 830,000 people.

Famous Births

Are you celebrating your birthday today? If so, did you know that you share the same birthday as John Hancock? See what other famous people were born on this day.

1998

XXXTentacion

American Rapper

Died On

Jun 18, 2018 (Age 20)

Born IN

Florida, USA

1986

Michael Stevens

American Educator

Age

39 years old

Born IN

Missouri, USA

1964

Mariska Hargitay

American Actress

Age

61 years old

Born IN

California, USA

1737

John Hancock

American Politician

Died On

Oct 8, 1793 (Age 56)

Born IN

Massachusetts, USA

Birthday & Zodiac

Everyone who was born on January 23 shares the star sign of Aquarius.

Aquarius is the eleventh zodiac sign and is symbolized by the Water Bearer, a symbol of the Gods bringing essential nutrients to Earth.

People born in January all have the Garnet birthstone. The garnet is undoubtedly a gift to the wearer as it brings them love, friendships, loyalty, health, and luck.

Carnations, the primary birth flower for January, captures the enduring strength and warmth of those born in this month. The secondary birth flower, snowdrops, embodies purity and optimism.

People born on this day were likely conceived on or around May 2 in the previous year.

Babies conceived on January 23, 2025, will likely be born around October 16, 2025.

Famous Deaths

Unfortunately, January 23rd has also been a day where we've had to say some goodbyes over the years…

1904 — 1989

Salvador Dalí

Spanish Artist Salvador Dalí was born on May 11, 1904. He died on this day in 1989, at age 84 in Catalonia, Spain.

Special Holidays

If you're looking for something to do today, maybe these special holidays might just help to cure your boredom!

United States

Measure Your Feet Day

Your feet are likely an essential part of your body, so today is all about paying them some attention for once! Have you been experiencing any foot pain recently? Then today, you should measure your feet and make sure you have a perfectly fitting shoe!

United States

National Handwriting Day

From love letters to poems or notes, some things are just better when written with ink. So handwriting Day is all about ditching your keyboards and pulling out your favorite pens to write down something meaningful.

Fact Of The Day

Days Until

Your countdown to 2025's upcoming special days!

  • Groundhog Day

    10 days

  • Valentine's Day

    22 days

  • Women's Day

    44 days

  • St Patrick's Day

    53 days

  • Halloween

    281 days

  • Christmas Day

    336 days

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About The Author

Luke Ward
Owner

Luke Ward is the owner of FactstoryHub. He has over 14 years of experience in researching, informative writing, fact-checking, SEO & web design. In his spare time, he loves to explore the world, drink coffee & attend trivia nights.

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