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December 22CalendarDecember 24
This Day
23December

16 indexed achievements across recorded history.


583
Yohl Ik’nal
Politics

Accession to the throne of Palenque

Yohl Ik’nal acceded to the throne of Palenque on December 23, 583.

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Yohl Ik’nal·Mesoweb - Palenque: Señora Yohl Ik’nal
1693
Elisabetha Koopman Hevelius
Science

Burial of Elisabetha Koopman Hevelius in Danzig

Burial of Elisabetha Hevelius in Danzig, recorded the day after her death.

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Elisabetha Koopman Hevelius·Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers
1805
Geneviève Thiroux d'Arconville
Science

Death of Geneviève Thiroux d'Arconville in Paris

Died in Paris at age 85, closing a decades-long, largely anonymous career as an experimental chemist, anatomist, translator, historian, and moralist.

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Geneviève Thiroux d'Arconville·Geneviève Thiroux d'Arconville and the Chemistry of Decay - SciHi Blog
1815
Jane Austen
Science

Publication of 'Emma'

On 23 December 1815, Austen's novel 'Emma' was published, dedicated by permission to the Prince Regent, later George IV.

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Jane Austen·Jane Austen - Wikipedia
1836
Georgia Female College
Law

Charter of Georgia Female College — World's First College Chartered to Grant Degrees to Women

Georgia legislature chartered Georgia Female College in Macon, GA, the world's first college chartered to grant degrees to women.

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Georgia Female College·Marker Monday: Wesleyan College, World's First College Chartered to Grant Degrees to Women
1867
Madam CJ Walker
Activism

Birth of Sarah Breedlove (Madam C. J. Walker)

Sarah Breedlove, later known as Madam C. J. Walker, was born near Delta, Madison Parish, Louisiana, the first free-born child in her family.

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Madam CJ Walker·Madam C. J. Walker - Wikipedia
1867
Sarah Breedlove
Activism

Birth as first child in her family born free after slavery

Sarah Breedlove was born in Louisiana, becoming the first of her parents’ children born into freedom after emancipation.

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Sarah Breedlove·TIME - Sarah Breedlove Walker
1873
Sarah Grimké
Activism

Death of Sarah Grimké

Sarah Grimké died in Hyde Park, Massachusetts, at age 81, having devoted her life to abolition and women's rights.

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Sarah Grimké·Sarah Moore Grimké - Wikipedia
1906
Alice Kober
Science

Born in New York City

Alice Elizabeth Kober was born in New York City to Hungarian immigrant parents.

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Alice Kober·Alice Kober - Wikipedia
1912
Anna Jane Harrison
Science

Birth of Anna Jane Harrison in Benton City, Missouri

Anna Jane Harrison was born on December 23, 1912, in Benton City, Missouri, to a farming family.

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Anna Jane Harrison·Anna J. Harrison - Wikipedia
1919
Alice H Parker
Science

Granted U.S. Patent for Heating Furnace Design

Alice H. Parker received U.S. Patent No. 1,325,905 for a natural gas-fueled central heating furnace, a pioneering advance in home heating technology.

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Alice H Parker·Lemelson-MIT: Alice H. Parker
1925
Bessie Rayner Parkes
Activism

Death of Bessie Rayner Parkes

Bessie Rayner Parkes died on 23 December 1925, having lived to see major advances in women's rights she had helped pioneer.

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Bessie Rayner Parkes·Bessie Rayner Parkes - Wikipedia
1938
Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer
Science

Discovery and preservation of first living coelacanth specimen

Courtenay-Latimer discovered and preserved the first living coelacanth specimen known to Western science.

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Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer·Rhodes University Journal: The Coelacanth - ICH Article
1971
Mary Lasker
Medicine

Signing of the National Cancer Act by President Nixon

President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, with Mary Lasker as a key catalyst, launching the 'War on Cancer'.

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Mary Lasker·Mayo Clinic Press: The Story of One Woman's Revolutionary Crusade to Take Down Cancer
2002
Ann Kiessling
Science

Patent Application Published for Disinfecting and Fixing Biological Fluids

U.S. Patent Application Publication US2002/0197430 A1, listing Ann A. Kiessling as inventor, published December 23, 2002.

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Ann Kiessling·US Patent Application US2002/0197430 A1 - Google Patents
2010
Jayaben Desai
Activism

Death of Jayaben Desai

Jayaben Desai passed away on December 23, 2010, leaving a legacy of activism.

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Jayaben Desai·Jayaben Desai dies aged 77 | The Guardian