What Happened on August 23?

August 23 is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition — honoring the 1791 uprising in Saint-Domingue — on the same date the Nazi-Soviet pact shocked the world in 1939 and Lunar Orbiter 1 photographed Earth from the Moon in 1966.

• 1305 — Scottish leader William Wallace is executed in London

  On August 23, 1305, William Wallace was executed in London after leading Scottish resistance against English rule — becoming a lasting symbol of freedom. Read the full story →

• 1791 — The Saint-Domingue uprising begins, sparking the Haitian Revolution

  On the night of August 22–23, 1791, enslaved people in Saint-Domingue rose up — launching the revolution that created Haiti, the first Black republic. Read the full story →

• 1926 — Silent-film star Rudolph Valentino dies in New York

  On August 23, 1926, Rudolph Valentino — Hollywood's "Latin Lover" — died at 31, triggering unprecedented public mourning. Read the full story →

• 1939 — Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression pact

  On August 23, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact — a shocking deal that cleared the way for World War II in Europe. Read the full story →

• 1942 — The Battle of Stalingrad intensifies as German forces reach the city

  On August 23, 1942, German troops reached the Volga at Stalingrad, beginning one of World War II's largest and most decisive battles. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Gene Kelly (1912–1996) · Kobe Bryant (1978–2020) · River Phoenix (1970–1993) · Keith Moon (1946–1978)

Days & observances

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition · European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism · National Sponge Cake Day · Ride the Wind Day