23 October 1687

A Thursday in history

Weekday

Thursday

Season

Autumn (N. Hemisphere)

Century

17th century

Records

453

  1. 2022

    Myanmar civil war: Burmese military forces launched airstrikes that killed at least 80 concertgoers in Kachin State.

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  2. 2022

    Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif is shot and killed by local police in Kajiado, Kenya.

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  3. 2018

    An escalator accident in Rome left 24 people injured, mostly fans of the CSKA Moscow football team who were in town for a UEFA Champions League match against Roma.

    Source
  4. 2015

    Hurricane Patricia, the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Western Hemisphere, peaked with maximum sustained winds of 215 mph (345 km/h) south of Mexico.

    Source
  5. 2011

    During the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, Marco Simoncelli (pictured) collided with two other riders, resulting in his death due to serious trauma to the head, neck, and chest.

    Source
  6. 2001

    Grand Theft Auto III was released, helping to popularize open-world and mature-content video games.

    Source
  7. 1995

    The runway show for Alexander McQueen's collection The Hunger was staged at London's Natural History Museum.

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  8. 1972

    Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker, a U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam in response to its Easter Offensive, ended after five months.

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  9. 1957

    A screening of Mother India, one of the most influential Indian films in history, was held for President Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru two days before its release.

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  10. 1956

    The Hungarian Revolution began as a peaceful student demonstration that attracted thousands while marching through central Budapest to the parliament building.

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  11. 1955

    The State of Vietnam voted in a referendum to become a republic.

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  12. 1942

    World War II: Japanese troops began an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands from American forces.

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  13. 1934

    Jeannette Piccard (pictured) piloted a hot-air balloon flight that reached 57,579 feet (17,550 m), becoming the first woman to fly in the stratosphere.

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  14. 1906

    Alberto Santos-Dumont flew his biplane 14-bis for 50 metres (160 ft) at an altitude of about four metres (13 ft).

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  15. 1850

    The inaugural National Women's Rights Convention, presided over by American activist Paulina Wright Davis (pictured), began in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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  16. 1798

    War of the Second Coalition: The Ottoman–Albanian forces of Ali Pasha of Janina defeated French troops and captured the town of Preveza at the Battle of Nicopolis.

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  17. 1641

    Irish Catholic gentry in Ulster tried to seize control of Dublin Castle, the seat of English rule in Ireland, to force concessions to Catholics.

    Source
  18. 1157

    The Battle of Grathe Heath ended the Danish Civil War.

    Source

Photo archive

24 historic images from this day — tap to open the gallery.

What was life like?

Prices, jobs, food, music and everyday routine — the world as it felt to live in.

Sources & fact check

Every claim is traced to primary sources, archives, universities and the press — with an explicit confidence rating. Dossiers are generated once and cached permanently.