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National days, ongoing national weeks and months, and global observances for May 23, 2026. Plus historical events and birthdays.
These observances last the full month; this date is part of that month-long celebration.
Showing the first 12 on this date; there are more month-long observances. See the full months list for May.
International and other global observances on this date (may include days, weeks, or months).
Events that occurred on May 23 throughout history
Ben Franklin announces his invention of bifocals.
South Carolina becomes 8th state to join the Union.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is formed, replacing an old night watch system.
Postal cards sold in San Francisco for first time. The cards were sold for 1-cent and featured the Goddess of Liberty.
William Harvey Carney becomes the first African-American soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Civil War.
The first automobile trip across the U.S. leaves San Francisco for New York. Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson, mechanic Sewall K. Crocker, and their bulldog Bud started in San Francisco on May 23 and ended in New York City on July 26. The journey took 63 day and proved that automobiles were practical for long-distance travel.
Walt Disney incorporates his first film company (Laugh-O-Gram Films). The company produced fairy tale and advertising cartoons. Disney then moved to Hollywood and created The Walt Disney Company.
Outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are killed by police in an ambush near Sailes, Louisiana.
U.S. schools become the first to use Cliff's Notes. The original release consisted of 16 guides covering works by Shakespeare.
The Grateful Dead performs for the first time outside the U.S. at the The Hollywood Rock Music Festival, in Newcastle under Lyme, England.
The horror film The Shining is released starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The movie was based on the book by Stephen King.
President Ronald Reagan awards Jimmy Stewart the Presidential Medal of Freedom and promotes him to Major General on the Retired List. Stewart entered the Army as a private in 1941 and served as a bomber pilot and squadron commander during World War II. He flew 20 combat missions over Nazi Germany, earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and retired from the Air Force Reserves in 1968 as a Brigadier General.
The last slave ship to smuggle slaves to America from Africa, the Clotilda. The ship sunk in 1860 and was found found in Mobile river, Alabama.
People born on May 23
Engineer who designed the Eads Bridge (over the Mississippi River in Missouri).
Author of the children's books Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny.
Physicist, electrical engineer and co-inventor of the transistor.
The first actor to play Zorro. He was one of the biggest actors of the silent movie era and was often referred to as the "King of Hollywood."
American journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate who was the first female foreign correspondent and the first female war correspondent for a U.S. newspaper. She from the frontlines during the 1848 Italian Revolution for the New-York Tribune.
Founder of modern chaos theory, a form of mathematics focusing on the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. Specifically, the theoretical basis of weather and climate predictability.
Physicist and chemist who invented Corning-Ware.
Super-centenarian who was the oldest living American at the time of her death. She was 116 years and 25 days when she died.
Game show host for Jeopardy! He is best known for his 74-game winning streak on Jeopardy! in 2004, which earned him $2.52 million and the title of the show's highest-earning contestant.
