In History, Today on January 23

Zhu Yuanzhang ascends to the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, marking the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

The Shaanxi earthquake, the deadliest earthquake on record, strikes Shaanxi province in China, resulting in an estimated 830,000 deaths.

The assassination of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, the Regent of Scotland, occurs, marking the first recorded assassination by firearm.

The Royal Exchange opens in London, founded by financier Thomas Gresham as the first purpose-built center for trading stocks in England.

The Principality of Liechtenstein is created within the Holy Roman Empire.

Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her M.D. by the Geneva Medical College of Geneva, New York, becoming the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.

Elva Zona Heaster is found dead in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, leading to the only known case in the United States where the testimony of a ghost helped to convict a murderer.

The RMS Republic, a passenger ship, sinks off the coast of Nantucket after colliding with another ship, resulting in the first recorded use of the CQD distress signal.

The Netherlands refuses to extradite Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, who had fled to the country after World War I.

World War II: British forces capture Tripoli from the German-Italian Panzer Army.

The Knesset passes a resolution affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The bathyscaphe Trieste descends to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point in the Earth's oceans.

The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in federal elections, is ratified.

U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that a peace accord has been reached in Vietnam.

The first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are announced, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and James Brown.

The 'Yes' campaign for the Treaty of Nice referendum was launched in Ireland, aiming to secure public approval for the treaty which was crucial for the enlargement of the European Union.

Viktor Yushchenko was inaugurated as the President of Ukraine after a re-run of the presidential election, following the Orange Revolution which protested against electoral fraud.

A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska, prompting a tsunami warning that was later canceled without any significant damage reported.

The city of Wuhan in China was placed under a lockdown by the Chinese government in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, marking one of the first major responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.