Famous people born on May 23 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is May 23, you share it with Carl Linnaeus, Douglas Fairbanks, Drew Carey — and you were born under Gemini, the sign of the curious, quick-witted, and endlessly social.
Birthday basics for May 23
Gemini ♊
Zodiac sign
Emerald
Birthstone
Lily of the Valley
Birth flower
143rd
Day of the year
May 23 is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years), with 222 days still to come.
Famous people born on May 23
Carl Linnaeus — Swedish botanist who created the modern system for naming species (born 1707).
Douglas Fairbanks — American silent-film star and swashbuckling screen legend (born 1883).
Drew Carey — American comedian and host of The Price Is Right (born 1958).
Also sharing the day:
Franz Mesmer (b. 1734) — German physician whose theory of "animal magnetism" gave us the word mesmerize.
Rosemary Clooney (b. 1928) — American singer and White Christmas star, aunt of George Clooney.
Jewel (b. 1974) — Alaskan singer-songwriter whose debut Pieces of You became a multi-platinum hit.
May 23 in history
1785 — Benjamin Franklin revealed his invention of bifocal glasses in a letter to a friend.
1911 — The New York Public Library was dedicated, with President William Howard Taft presiding.
1995 — The Java programming language was officially released by Sun Microsystems.
1873 — Canada established the North-West Mounted Police, forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
1900 — Civil War sergeant William Harvey Carney received the Medal of Honor, the first Black American so recognized for gallantry.
1949 — The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was established with the signing of its Basic Law.
May 23 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is May 23?
Anyone born on May 23 is a Gemini — curious, quick-witted, and endlessly social.
What is the birthstone for May 23?
The birthstone for a May 23 birthday is Emerald, and the birth flower is the Lily of the Valley.
Who is the most famous person born on May 23?
Carl Linnaeus is among the best known — Swedish botanist who created the modern system for naming species (born 1707).
What happened on May 23?
In 1785, Benjamin Franklin revealed his invention of bifocal glasses in a letter to a friend.
What day of the year is May 23?
May 23 is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years), with 222 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on May 23? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.