Today in History for 23rd February 2026

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Historical Events

1854 - Great Britain and Orange Free state sign Convention of Bloemfontein
1966 - Military coup in Syria ends Bitar government
2007 - A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
2014 - 56th Daytona 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr. breaks a 55-race winless streak to win his 2nd Great American Race
2019 - Sri Lanka becomes first Asian cricket team to clinch a Test series in South Africa chasing down 197 in the 2nd Test in Port Elizabeth; Kusal Mendis 84no, Oshada Fernando 75no

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Famous Birthdays

1615 - Nicolas Fouquet, French politician and Superintendent of Finances (1653-61) who became fabulously wealthy and later imprisoned for maladministration of state funds, born in Paris (d. 1680)
1744 - Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German Jewish banker and founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty, born in Frankfurt (d. 1812)
1803 - John Sutter, German-Swiss-American colonist who established Sutter's Fort in what is now Sacramento and where gold was first discovered in California, born in Kandern, Margraviate of Baden, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1880)
1933 - Donna J. Stone, American poet (Wielder of Words), born in Ohio (d. 1994)
1947 - Shakira Caine, British-Guyanese actress and model (Man Who Would Be King), born in St. Cuthbert's Mission, British Guiana

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Famous Deaths

1792 - Joshua Reynolds, English portrait painter (Simplicity), dies at 68
1974 - Florence Rice, American actress (Fast Company, Double Wedding, Riding on Air), dies from lung cancer at 67
2012 - Bruce Surtees, American cinematographer (Dirty Harry, Lenny), dies at 74
2016 - Lennie Baker, American rock saxophonist musician (Sha Na Na, 1970-99), dies at 69
2020 - Stefan Florenski, Polish soccer defender (11 caps; Górnik Zabrze), dies at 86

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