International observance days, weeks, and months for August 23, 2026. Plus historical events and birthdays.
August 23, 2026 celebrates Black Ribbon Day, plus 1 more. Every year on August 23, the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism remembers victims of totalitarian regimes. These include Stalinist, communist, Nazi and fascist regimes. The day is also known as Black Ribbon Day.
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On August 23, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade & its Abolition is set aside to pause and remember the tragedy of the slave trade.
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Actress easily recognized for her role as Diane in the sitcom Cheers.
The first professor of physics and astronomy at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
Notre Dame football player whose life was depicted in the movie Rudy.
Actor who played the character Les on WKRP in Cincinnati.
NBA guard and champion (2000-02 and 2009-10); NBA MVP (2008); 18 x NBA All Star; Olympic Gold medalist (2008-12).
Events that occurred on August 23 throughout history
Western North Carolina declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin. The name was not accepted into the U.S. and only lasts for four years. The name was eventually changed to Tennessee.
The first National Women's Rights Convention convenes in Worcester, Massachusetts. More than 1,000 people were in attendance to discuss equal pay, better jobs, education access, and property rights for married women.
Country artist Kitty Wells becomes the first woman to reach #1 on Billboard Country Charts with the hit It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels. She had 35 top-10 singles and earned top female vocalist awards for 14 straight years during her musical career.
After 16 days of train transport, the first carload of freight containing boots and shoes arrives in San Francisco, California. Before this delivery, moving commercial goods from the East Coast to the West Coast required months of treacherous travel by wagon train or sailing ships navigating around Cape Horn.
Harry D. Weed receives a patent for his "Grip-Tread for Pneumatic Tires." His invention was the first anti-skid automobile tire chain to make for better traction during winter and on muddy roads.