November 23: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

2020 Charli D’Amelio became the first person to reach 100 million followers on TikTok.

2004 Blizzard released World of Warcraft for PC and Mac, changing the MMORPG scene forever.

Most people know someone addicted to World of Warcraft (WoW) at some point in their lives, and that's not even an exaggeration! With expansion pack after expansion pack releasing, it's no surprise that WoW keeps dragging players back to the game.

1980 The National Black Independent Political Party (NBIPP) was formed in the US.

The African-American community in the US was becoming increasingly worried about their place in the US's political world, so they started the NBIPP. The party was created over a three-day convention held in Philadelphia from November 21-23. The group separated after just six years of political activity.

1972 The fourth and final attempt to launch the Soviet Union’s N1 rocket failed.

1963 President Lyndon Johnson had his first day in office after becoming the 36th president of the United States.

1924 The New York Times published Edwin Hubble’s discovery that the Andromeda “nebula” is actually a galaxy.

Before Hubble's discovery, it was commonly thought that the entire universe was contained within our galaxy, the Milky Way. The discovery was made at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California, which had the world's largest telescope. Hubble's findings completely changed the way we view the universe.

1921 US President Warren G. Harding signed the Willis-Campbell Act, which took effect from this day.

The Willis-Campbell Act was a bill that stopped doctors from prescribing patients beer or alcohol as medication.

1897 J. L. Love patented his pencil sharpener in the US.

1890 King William III of the Netherlands died at age 73 and had no male heirs. His throne was given to his daughter Princess Wilhelmina.

1889 The jukebox was presented for the first time at a Palais Royale, Saloon in San Francisco, California, US.

1867 The Manchester Martyrs of the IRA were hung in front of 10,000 people at Salford Gaol, Manchester, UK.

The three men were responsible for the shooting and death of a police officer who was transporting two leaders of the group they belonged to, the "Irish Republican Brotherhood."

1852 Lake Merced, California, was found to have sunk 30 feet (9 meters).

There were reports of a large rumble heard at about 11:00 the night before. People discovered the lake's water significantly drained the next night.

1765 Frederick County, Maryland, US, refused to pay the British Stamp Tax.

This is one of the key events leading up to the American Revolutionary War.

1654 Religious philosopher Blaise Pascal had an intense dreamlike experience he believed to be a religious vision.

This experience dramatically changed his life, and he kept a written account of his experience in his coat until he died eight years after.

534 BC Thespis of Icaria, an ancient Greek poet, became the first recorded person to act out a character in a play.

Before this, actors would merely speak as themselves instead of as other fictional or non-fictional characters. Thespis was also responsible for inventing the form of theatre known as Greek Tragedy.