A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on December 23rd. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On December 23, 962, Christian forces under Byzantine commander Nikephoros II Phokas stormed into the city of Aleppo in the Levant, earning the future Byzantine Emperor the title “Pale Death of the Saracens.”
On December 23, 1938, a commercial fisherman pulled in a “living fossil” in his net off the coast of Africa, a creature believed to be extinct since the time of the dinosaurs!
On December 23, 1972, the survivors of an airliner crash in the Andes Mountains were finally rescued after 73 days.
On December 23, 1997, the Seinfeld television comedy show introduced us to a new, secular holiday to be celebrated during the winter season, avoiding the religious friction of Hanukkah vs. Christmas vs. Saturnalia vs. Winter Solstice and the racially charged Kwanzaa.
On December 23, 2002, the first known air to air battle between a manned fighter plane and an unmanned aerial drone took place in the sky above Iraq, when an Iraqi MiG-25 fighter jet shot down an American General Atomics MQ-1 Predator.
On December 23, 2013, Mikhail Kalashnikov, Soviet designer of the AK-47 assault rifle and its entire family of spin-off products, died at the age of 94 in Izhevsk, Russia.
On December 23, 2015, as we approached the end of 2015, we paused to recognize the biggest jerks, idiots, morons, and generally detriments to society, people that have distinguished themselves in some way other than for the betterment of mankind.
On December 23, 2022, we at History and Headlines wished all our great viewers and subscribers a hearty and happy Festivus!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Which event that occurred on today’s date would you like to learn more about?
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.