On This Day - November 23rd
November 23rd isn’t just another dark November day! In fact, it is an incredibly important date to people all over the world – it might well be a special day for you for personal reasons – in which case, take a load off and celebrate your big day by clueing yourself in on these surprising facts about November 23rd.
On this day
Phocas came to power.
In 602, the Byzantine senate elected Phocas, an army officer, to emperor in a mutiny against the then-Emperor, Maurice. Emperor Maurice was then killed, as was his entire family.
The Conquest of Seville took place.
In 1248, the Conquest of Seville took place. Christian troops serving under King Ferdinand III of Castile took Seville after the city capitulated.
The St Clemens Flood took place.
In 1334, the St Clemens Flood took place as a storm surge overwhelmed dikes along the Flemish and Dutch North Sea coast. The storm killed thousands of people.
Perkin Warbeck was hanged.
In 1499, Perkin Warbeck, a Flemish pretender to the English throne, was hanged for reportedly attempting to escape from the Tower of London. He invaded England in 1497, claiming to be the lost son of King Edward IV.
A species of rhino was declared extinct.
In 2019, the Sumatran rhino was officially declared extinct in Malaysia. This was after the last specimen, 25-year-old Ian, died of cancer in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. It’s safe to say conservationists are doing all they can to protect other species under threat.
Special Days Falling on November 23rd
This November 23rd, why not join people around the world in their celebrations and commemorations? Here are some of the most interesting events taking place around the globe today.
Fibonacci Day
Fibonacci Day honors Leonardo Fibonacci, also known as Leonardo Bonacci and Leonardo of Pisa. This fascinating man invented a unique counting pattern that continues to play an important role in maths and technology to this day. The pattern involves using numbers that sum the previous two numbers before it. For example, the pattern goes 1,1,2,3,5,8,13, and so on. See how far you can count it!
Thankful for my Dog Day
This special day is a day dog owners and lovers get to give thanks to their four-legged friends. Dogs truly are man’s best friend, and they have proved it to us time and time again. For those of us lucky to have that kind of bond with any animal, we know how special it is and how much our dogs mean to us. But let them know it a bit more today and spoil your pups!
Wolfenoot
For the people of New Zealand, November 23rd is Wolfenoot. The day is dedicated to the celebration of the Spirit of the Wolf and kindness. The day is also there to encourage everyone to be kind to animals. What’s interesting about this holiday is that it was actually invented by a young boy who told his mother he had just invented this holiday – and she quickly took to Twitter to tell the world. Eventually, the tweet went viral, and now people all over the world celebrate Wolfenoot!
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This page was last modified on November 20, 2023. Suggest an edit
This month in history
In 1890, the death of King William III of the Netherlands ushered in his daughter, Princess Wilhelmina as the new Queen – at just ten years old at the time. Queen Emma, William’s widow and Wilhelmina’s mother, would hold fort as regent for some time.
Famous Birthdays on November 23rd
If you were born on November 23rd…
…you’re a Sagittarius! You are hilarious, very honest, and very fair. You’re a great friend and partner to have, especially for those in need of a good time! That said, like anyone, you have a few flaws to balance out your brilliant bits. You tend to be a little opinionated at times, for example!
Be sure to head over to our Sagittarius facts page and learn more!
