The Date-A-Base Book 2023: 3,000 historical anniversaries in 2023
More than 3,000 historical anniversaries in 2023.
Includes significant historical events, inventions, discoveries, and famous births and deaths.
Fully cross-checked for accuracy.
Perfect for writers, journalists, broadcasters, producers, production companies, and event planners.
Packed with ideas for newspaper and magazine articles, TV and radio features, films and documentaries, and more.
Ideal for “On This Day in History” features and historical anniversary tie-ins.
Size: 11.5″ x 8.5″ (Letter). 228 pages.
E-book: $16.45 (approx.)
PDF format + free Excel spreadsheet.
(View or print with the free Adobe Reader.)
Paperback: $14.99 (approx.)
Product details
This book gives details of more than 3,000 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in 2023.
Every entry has been fully cross-checked with official sources for complete accuracy.
We only list significant anniversaries (for example 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 years ago) not 17, 54 or 101 years ago.
NOTE:
- If you buy the e-book edition you will receive two volumes: the anniversaries listed in chronological order and sorted by date. (See the sample pages below.)
You will also receive a free Excel spreadsheet so you can sort, group and search the anniversaries however you like. - If you buy the printed edition the anniversaries are only listed in chronological order.
We will be happy to send you the e-book version of the sorted-by-date edition plus the spreadsheet too,
for no extra charge. Just send us a message (mail@ideas4writers.com) with your proof of purchase.
16th annual edition.
Sample pages
(please view on a larger screen)
Sample page (chronological order)
Anniversary | Date | Event |
750 |
Jan 14, 1273 |
Birth of Joan I of Navarre, Queen of Navarre and Countess of Champagne
(1274–1305). Queen consort of France. Wife of King Philip IV (1285–1305). |
500 |
Jan 20, 1523 |
King Christian II of Denmark and Norway was deposed and forced into
exile. He was succeeded by Frederick I. |
250 |
Jan 1, 1773 |
The hymn Amazing Grace was first performed in Olney, Buckinghamshire,
UK. It was written by poet and clergyman John Newton to accompany his
sermon – as a religious poem rather than a hymn. The tune was added in
1835, though the words were sung to various traditional tunes before that. |
250 |
Jan 12, 1773 |
The Charleston Museum was founded in South Carolina. It is regarded as
the first museum in America. It opened to the public in 1824. |
250 |
Jan 17, 1773 |
Captain James Cook’s ship HMS Resolution became the first ship to cross the
Antarctic Circle (during his second voyage). |
200 |
Jan 3, 1823 |
Birth of Robert Whitehead, British engineer who developed the first
effective torpedo. |
200 |
Jan 8, 1823 |
Birth of Alfred Russel Wallace, British naturalist, biologist and explorer. He independently conceived the theory of evolution. His work led Charles Darwin to publish On the Origin of Species. |
200 |
Jan 26, 1823 |
Death of Edward Jenner, British physician and immunologist who created
the first vaccine (for smallpox). |
200 |
Jan 27, 1823 |
The USA appointed its first U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. He was the first U.S. Ambassador in South America. |
175 |
Jan 3, 1848 |
Joseph Jenkins Roberts became the first President of Liberia. |
175 |
Jan 9, 1848 |
Death of Caroline Herschel, German astronomer. Sister of William
Herschel. The first woman to hold a government position in England, and
the first female scientist to receive a salary. She discovered several comets. |
175 |
Jan 20, 1848 |
Death of Christian VIII, King of Denmark (1839–48), King of Norway (1814) (as Christian Frederick). |
175 |
Jan 24, 1848 |
California Gold Rush: the first gold was discovered by construction worker
James W. Marshall. He found flakes of gold in the South Fork American
River while constructing Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento. |
150 |
Jan 2, 1873 |
Birth of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, French Carmelite nun. Also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, The Little Flower of Jesus, or The Little Flower. One of the most popular saints in the history of the Catholic church. |
150 |
Jan 7, 1873 |
Birth of Adolph Zukor, Austro–Hungarian-born American film producer. Co-founder of Paramount Pictures. He signed many early film stars, and produced films including The Prisoner of Zenda. |
150 |
Jan 9, 1873 |
Death of Napoleon III, first President of France (1848–52) and last Emperor
of France (1852–70). Nephew of Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte). |
Sample page (sorted by date)
Anniversary |
Date |
Event |
250 |
Jan 1, 1773 |
The hymn Amazing Grace was first performed in Olney, Buckinghamshire,
UK. It was written by poet and clergyman John Newton to accompany his
sermon – as a religious poem rather than a hymn. The tune was added in
1835, though the words were sung to various traditional tunes before that. |
125 |
Jan 1, 1898 |
The modern City of New York was formed when Brooklyn, the County of
New York, the County of Richmond, and the western portion of the County
of Queens were consolidated. Staten Island was added on 25th January. |
100 |
Jan 1, 1923 |
The Railways Act of 1921 came into effect and Britain’s 120 railway
companies were grouped into the ‘Big Four’: Great Western Railway
(GWR); London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS); London and North
Eastern Railway (LNER); and Southern Railway (SR). |
90 |
Jan 1, 1933 |
The French radio station Radio Paris began broadcasting sponsored shows
in English each Sunday, because commercial broadcasting was banned in
the UK. In December, Radio Paris became a state-run service, and the
English broadcasts switched to Radio Luxembourg. (See also: 3rd December 1933.) |
90 |
Jan 1, 1933 |
Birth of Joe Orton, British playwright.
Known for his outrageous farces and black comedies. (Died 1967.) |
80 |
Jan 1, 1943 to Oct 9 |
World War II: German forces began withdrawing from the Caucasus and
formed the heavily fortified Kuban bridgehead on the Taman Peninsula in
Russia. The Soviet Red Army eventually broke through, forcing the
Germans to evacuate to the Crimea. |
75 |
Jan 1, 1948 |
Benelux came into effect. It is a politico-economic union of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. |
75 |
Jan 1, 1948 |
Britain’s ‘Big Four’ railway companies were nationalised to form British
Railways. (It was renamed British Rail in 1965, then gradually privatised
between 1994 and 1997. Its operations are now owned by over 100 separate
companies.) |
75 |
Jan 1, 1948 |
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) went into effect. (It was superseded by the World Trade Organisation in 1995.) |
75 |
Jan 1, 1948 |
The Constitution of Italy came into effect. Enrico De Nicola, the Provisional
Head of State of Italy, became its first President. |
65 |
Jan 1, 1958 |
The European Economic Community (EEC or Common Market) began
operating. It was incorporated in the European Union (EU) in 1993 as the
European Community (EC). |
65 |
Jan 1, 1958 |
Death of Maurice Chevalier, French actor, singer and entertainer. |
40 |
Jan 1, 1983 |
Chinese leader Mao Zedong announced the Great Leap Forward, a 5-year
plan to transform China from an agrarian economy into a socialist society
via rapid industrialisation and collective farming. (The plan failed and the
economy shrank. Tens of millions died from mass killings, starvation and
forced labour. The Great Leap Forward was halted two years early, in 1961.) |
50 |
Jan 1, 1973 |
Britain, Ireland and Denmark were admitted into the European Economic
Community (EEC – now the European Union). Britain left it in 2020. |
40 |
Jan 1, 1983 |
The internet was created when the USA’s ARPANET switched to using
Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). |
Reminder: the e-book edition includes both versions: chronological and sorted by date, plus a free Excel spreadsheet.
Customer reviews
Browse through the dates and names and let your imagination go in to overdrive. These are “must have” lists for you reference library. The allure of these people, places and times are indeed a Pandora’s Box for the enquiring mind of storytellers everywhere. Just the gift for a fellow writer.
Frances Johnson, Gold Coast Writers’ Association, Queensland, Australia.
What a magnificent tool. It’s easy to find out what happened on a particular day or month. Or you can dip straight in and find something to write about and, with your own added research, submit your work well ahead of the game. The information can also be used for quizzes, authenticating historical articles, and a multitude of other formats. Go for it!
Dee Watson, Writer, Editor, Proofreader and Reviewer
Magazines have notoriously long lead-in times, so if you’re an aspiring (or indeed successful) writer of articles you need to be looking well ahead for that all-important “hook” to get the editor interested. That’s where The Date-A-Base Book comes in. Hundreds of notable events, births, deaths, anniversaries of myriad kind from 10 years ago to 1000 years ago. Whatever your area of interest you’ll find something in here to get you started, or to flesh out your background or your characters, or to use in your marketing. The only problem with it is that you might get too engrossed in the who, what, where, and when to actually do any writing.
Lesley Mason
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