What Happened on January 23?

January 23 is National Handwriting Day — time to practice your very own 'John Hancock.' It's also the day America got its first woman doctor and the Constitution fixed its 'lame duck' problem!

• 1849 — Elizabeth Blackwell becomes America's first woman medical school graduate

  Rejected by 29 schools before one let her in, Blackwell graduated at the top of her class from Geneva Medical College in New York, earning the first M.D. ever given to a woman in America. Read the full story →

• 1933 — The 'Lame Duck Amendment' joins the Constitution

  The Twentieth Amendment was ratified, moving presidential inaugurations to January 20 and ending long waits when defeated officials stayed in office for months. Read the full story →

• 1950 — The Israeli Knesset proclaims Jerusalem the capital

  Israel's parliament declared Jerusalem the country's capital, a decision whose status remains debated internationally to this day. Read the full story →

• 1556 — The deadliest earthquake in history strikes Shaanxi, China

  A massive earthquake struck China's Shaanxi province, destroying whole hillsides of cave homes and becoming the deadliest quake ever recorded. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

John Hancock (1737–1793) · Édouard Manet (1832–1883) · Derek Walcott (1930–2017) · Mariska Hargitay (1964)

Days & observances

National Handwriting Day · National Pie Day · National Measure Your Feet Day