What Really Happened on August 23? Exploding Emperors & Secret Pacts! Today in History

Exploding Emperors, Secret Pacts & Ice-Cold Mysteries. Welcome to Today in History, where the past is packed with plot twists! August 23 is a swirling cocktail of surprise: volcanoes erupt, emperors detonate, tyrants shake hands, and a ghost ship freezes time. Every story is wild, real, and waiting to blow your mind.
Number 20: August 23, 79 CE
Pliny the Elder observed strange smoke from Mount Vesuvius near Pompeii. A day later, the volcano would obliterate the city—and Pliny would perish trying to document it up close.
Number 19: August 23, 1305
Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace was executed in London by hanging, drawing, and quartering. He became a martyr for Scottish independence—and later, a Mel Gibson action figure.
Number 18: August 23, 1572
The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre began in Paris. Thousands of Huguenots were slaughtered by Catholic mobs. The wave of religious violence shocked Europe and shattered hopes of peace.
Number 17: August 23, 1617
The first one-way streets in the world were officially designated in London. Horses and carts were banned from going the wrong way. 400 years later, people still ignore this rule.
Number 16: August 23, 1799
Napoleon Bonaparte abandoned his army in Egypt and returned secretly to France. His troops were left behind—but Napoleon went on to become First Consul. Ghosting, but make it imperial.
Number 15: August 23, 1833
Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act, ending slavery in most of its empire. Over 800,000 enslaved people were freed. Slave owners were compensated. The enslaved? Not a single coin.
Number 14: August 23, 1866
Austro-Prussian War ended with the Treaty of Prague. Prussia emerged dominant, and Austria bowed out of German politics. The groundwork for German unification—and future world wars—was laid.
Number 13: August 23, 1904
Harry Dacre’s hit song “Daisy Bell” was copyrighted in the U.S.—the same song later sung by HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey while being deactivated. That’s one creepy callback.
Number 12: August 23, 1927
Italian immigrants Sacco and Vanzetti were executed in Boston after a controversial trial. Their case sparked global protests, raising questions about justice, xenophobia, and political bias in America.
Number 11: August 23, 1939
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression treaty with a secret clause to divide Poland. Ten days later, World War Two began.
Number 10: August 23, 1942
Germany launched a massive air raid on Stalingrad, marking the start of one of the bloodiest battles in history. Over 40,000 civilians died in one day. The siege had begun.
Number 9: August 23, 1958
The USS Nautilus completed the first submerged trip to the North Pole. Powered by nuclear energy, it proved submarines could go anywhere—quietly, coldly, and without needing to surface.
Number 8: August 23, 1966
The Lunar Orbiter 1 sent back the first photograph of Earth from the Moon’s orbit. Earth looked small, round, and very lonely. Cue existential dread for future astronauts.
Number 7: August 23, 1973
A hostage crisis in Stockholm, Sweden, led to the coining of the term “Stockholm Syndrome.” Captives began sympathizing with their captors. It was weird, awkward, and entirely real.
Number 6: August 23, 1989
Over two million people formed a 600-kilometre human chain across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Known as the “Baltic Way,” it protested Soviet occupation—and helped set three nations free.
Number 5: August 23, 1990
Armenia declared independence from the USSR. Just one more crack in the Soviet iceberg before it melted completely in 1991. Lenin statues were on notice.
Number 4: August 23, 1994
DNA tests confirmed that a skeleton found in Russia was Tsarevich Alexei Romanov, son of the last Russian Tsar. One of the great royal mysteries was finally solved by science.
Number 3: August 23, 2000
The remains of HMS Erebus and Terror, lost in the doomed Franklin Arctic expedition, were declared a national historic site in Canada—140 years after vanishing into icy mystery.
Number 2: August 23, 2007
Hashtag was first used on Twitter by Chris Messina. He asked if people liked using “#” for topics. They did. #Hashtag was born. #HistoryWasNeverTheSame.
Number 1: August 23, 2010
Libyan rebels captured Muammar Gaddafi’s Bab al-Azizia compound in Tripoli. It marked the symbolic fall of his 42-year rule. Gaddafi was on the run—and history was about to catch up.

Coming Tomorrow – Napoleon’s Pet Pigeons, Astronaut Mix-Ups & The Unluckiest Royal in History! August 23 delivered high drama and high weirdness. But August 24 is next—and it’s bringing pigeon-powered emperors, Martian blunders, and one very unlucky Roman who should’ve skipped breakfast. Subscribe now and return tomorrow for more mind-blowing moments on Today in History!
#MountVesuvius #WilliamWallace #StBartholomewsDay #NapoleonReturns #SlaveryAbolitionAct #MolotovRibbentropPact #StockholmSyndrome #BalticWay #FirstHashtag #LunarOrbiter