In History, Today on February 23

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into the eastern Ukraine regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, after recognizing them as independent states. This marked an escalation in the conflict leading to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Riots erupt in Delhi, India, over the Citizenship Amendment Act, leading to significant violence and casualties.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó attempts to bring humanitarian aid into Venezuela from Colombia, leading to clashes at the border as President Nicolás Maduro's government blocks the aid, escalating the political crisis in the country.

NASA announces the discovery of seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1, three of which are in the habitable zone.

The Netherlands confirms its first known songbird-related case of avian influenza since 2012, announcing that a virus had been found in a dead wigeon in Friesland.

The closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics is held in Sochi, Russia, marking the end of the games that were notable for their high cost and controversies surrounding human rights and security.

The Libyan Civil War intensifies as protests against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi spread throughout Libya. The international community begins to respond to the violence.

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, causing a tsunami warning to be issued, although no significant damage or injuries are reported.

The United States Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber crashes on Guam, marking the first crash of a B-2 bomber.

Japanese Finance Minister Hiroshi Watanabe resigns due to health reasons, leading to notable changes within the financial administration.

The powerful Storm Julia strikes Mozambique, inflicting catastrophic damage and resulting in devastating floods across the region.

Scottish scientists announced that they had successfully cloned a sheep named Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.

In the Gulf War, ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Iraq, marking the beginning of the ground phase of Operation Desert Storm.

An attempted coup d'état takes place in Spain when Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero storms the Congress of Deputies, holding lawmakers hostage for 18 hours.

The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines and a Navy corpsman raise the American flag atop Mount Suribachi, an event captured in the iconic photograph by Joe Rosenthal.

Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Arthur Wahl, and Joseph Kennedy at the University of California, Berkeley.

Benito Mussolini forms the Fascist Party in Italy.

Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity."

Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing "J'accuse," a letter accusing the government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully imprisoning Alfred Dreyfus.

The American Party, also known as the Know Nothing movement, convened in New York City for its first public convention. The party was primarily anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic, gaining short-lived prominence in American politics.

The Battle of Buena Vista occurs during the Mexican-American War, where U.S. forces under General Zachary Taylor repel the Mexican army led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas, as Mexican troops under General Antonio López de Santa Anna launch an assault on the Alamo Mission.

Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome to face the Inquisition for advocating the heliocentric model of the universe, a theory that positioned the sun at the center of the solar system contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.

The town of Placentia (Piacenza) is captured by Emperor Frederick II during the Holy Roman Empire's campaigns in Italy.

The Roman Emperor Diocletian issues the first of his edicts against Christians, marking the beginning of the Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.