Today in History for 23rd April 2026

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Historical Events

1516 - Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria endorses "The German Beer Purity Law" (Reinheitsgebot) and adds to it standards for the sale of beer in Bavaria, ensuring beer is only brewed from three ingredients: water, barley, and hops
1949 - Netherlands annex several German territories, including Elten and Tuddern, as apart of post-Wold War II border adjustments
1977 - Czech chess master, Vlastimil Hort, plays 201 games simultaneously; won-174, drew-17, lost-10
2012 - Rangers F.C. owner, Craig Whyte, is banned for life from any involvement in Scottish football
2019 - At least 54 jade miners buried by a mudslide in Kachin state, Myanmar

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Famous Birthdays

1725 - Saint Gerard Majella, Catholic saint, born in Muro, Naples, Italy (d. 1755)
1881 - Claude Carter, South African cricket spin bowler (19 Tests, 28 wickets, BB 6/50; Natal, Transvaal), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1952)
1900 - Henry Barraud, French composer, born in Bordeaux, France (d. 1997)
1918 - James Kirkup, British travel writer, poet and novelist (African in Greenland), born in South Shields, England (d. 2009)
1960 - Jodie Mudd, American golfer (Players C'ship 1990), born in Louisville, Kentucky

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Famous Deaths

1762 - Johann Samuel Endler, German composer, musician, and conductor, dies at 67
1986 - Jim Laker, English cricket spin bowler (46 Tests; 193 wickets; world best 19-90 4th Test v Australia 1956), dies from complications of gall bladder surgery at 64
1992 - Satyajit Ray, Indian director (Distant Thunder, Agantuk), dies at 70
2006 - Johnnie Checketts, New Zealand fighter pilot, dies at 94
2025 - Jonnie Boer, Dutch chef with three Michelin Stars and a pioneer of the New Nordic food movement, dies of a pulmonary embolism at 60

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