Our front page for October 23 — written and set by The Yesterday Times from the events below. Not an archival document.
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On October 23 in 1868, 158 years ago, Mutsuhito Proclaims Meiji Era After Seizing Shogunate's Seat at Edo. This page reports 11 stories from the date, 25 people born on this day.
The stories in full
Imperial Intelligence
1868 — Mutsuhito Proclaims Meiji Era After Seizing Shogunate's Seat at Edo
The young emperor declares his restored capital Tokyo — ancient court ritual gives way to a new age of power.
The Emperor stands in formal court attire at the palace — Wikimedia Commons
TOKYO, October 23 — In the long rhythm of Japanese governance, where emperors once ruled and shoguns long held the sword, a single pronouncement this day marks the close of one epoch and the opening of another. Mutsuhito, having taken the shogunate's seat of power at Edo and declared it his new capital as Tokyo, has proclaimed the start of the Meiji era.
The imperial court at Kyoto had for centuries been the seat of ceremony, while the Tokugawa shoguns governed from Edo, that great eastern fortress. The young emperor's removal to Edo and his rechristening of it as Tokyo — Eastern Capital — signals that the ancient division between symbol and administration has ended. The court stands where power resides.
The restoration of direct imperial rule, announced after months of civil strife that saw the shogunate's armies defeated, places the fifteen-year-old sovereign at the head of a nation whose face he intends to turn toward the wider world. The name Meiji, meaning "enlightened rule," has been selected to mark the reign.
What policies the new era shall bring remains the subject of earnest speculation in diplomatic circles. The emperor, standing in formal court attire at the palace, presents to the world the image of a sovereign whose authority is no longer borrowed but his own.
Meiji Restoration: Having taken the shogunate's seat of power at Edo and declared it his new capital as Tokyo, Mutsuhito proclaims the start of the new Meiji era.
2001 — Apple Releases iPod, Its New Pocket Music Player
The computer company bets on portable digital audio.
CUPERTINO, Calif., October 23 — Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, took the stage this morning to unveil a device he said would put "1,000 songs in your pocket." Apple Computer has released the iPod, a portable digital music player that marks the company's first major move beyond personal computing.
The white-shelled device, roughly the size of a deck of cards, uses a small hard disk to store music files transferred from a Macintosh computer through a high-speed FireWire connection. Apple is betting that consumers will pay $399 for the convenience of carrying their entire music library.
The iPod enters a market crowded with MP3 players from Creative, Diamond, and others, though most rely on flash memory that limits storage. Apple's device, developed in partnership with Toshiba, offers 5 gigabytes of space.
The company has struggled in recent years to expand beyond its core computer business.
1956 — Thousands March as Hungarian Students Demand Reform
The peaceful demonstration for sixteen demands ends in blood at the radio building — a siege lasts until morning.
Students march through central Budapest carrying flags toward the parliament building — Pesti srác2
BUDAPEST, October 23 — Thousands of students marched through central Budapest today, their procession swelling as it moved toward the parliament building in what began as a peaceful demonstration for political and economic reform. By midnight, the capital had descended into armed insurrection.
The demonstration, attracting students and workers alike, carried sixteen demands for change in Hungary's Soviet-aligned system. A delegation entered the Magyar Rádió building to broadcast these demands nationwide. They were detained inside. Police from the ÁVH, the security service, responded with gunfire outside the building, fatally shooting several students.
The crowd that had gathered turned on the security forces. The siege of the Radio building began shortly after midnight and continued until approximately 8:00 am, when revolutionaries gained control and took prisoners. During the fighting, ÁVH officer Major Fehér was executed with a shot to the back of the head.
The students had sought reform, not revolution. The government's answer has made the choice for them. Soviet tanks remain stationed outside the capital.
A delegation of students entered the Magyar Rádió building to broadcast sixteen demands for political and economic reforms.
Police from the ÁVH fatally shot several students outside the radio building after the delegation was detained.
The siege of the Radio building began shortly after midnight and ended around 8:00 am, with revolutionaries taking prisoners.
ÁVH officer Major Fehér was executed with a shot to the back of the head during the siege of the Radio building.
The student demonstration attracted thousands while marching through central Budapest to the parliament building.
VAN, Turkey, October 23 — A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Van Province in eastern Turkey today, killing 582 people and injuring thousands. The quake flattened buildings across the region near the Iranian border, leaving rescue workers scrambling through rubble in search of survivors.
The temblor hit in mid-afternoon, when many residents were inside homes and offices that proved no match for the shaking. In the city of Van and surrounding villages, concrete structures pancaked, trapping victims beneath tons of debris.
Emergency crews from across Turkey have converged on the disaster zone.
A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Van Province, Turkey, killing 582 people and injuring thousands.
35 dead, 2,200 injured, 85,000 homeless after Niigata tremors.
A house tilts and splinters after the earthquake strikes Niigata — Wikimedia Commons
NIIGATA, October 23 — A house tilts and splinters on its foundation, the front door now six feet above the driveway. That single image, repeated across northern Japan this morning, captures the force of the magnitude 6.6 earthquake that struck Niigata Prefecture at 5:56 p.m. Saturday.
The death toll stands at 35. Another 2,200 people were injured, many when older wooden structures collapsed. Officials report 85,000 residents are homeless or have evacuated to emergency shelters.
The main shock, centered offshore in the Sea of Japan, triggered dozens of aftershocks that continued through the night. Railways suspended service across the region. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, the world's largest by output, automatically shut down three reactors; officials said no radiation leaked.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi established an emergency headquarters in Tokyo and dispatched 2,000 Self-Defense Forces troops to assist rescue operations. The quake was the deadliest to hit Japan since the Kobe disaster of 1995. Landslides buried several mountain roads, cutting off at least twelve remote villages. Heavy rain forecast for Sunday night raised fears of further slides.
A powerful earthquake and its aftershocks hit Niigata Prefecture in northern Japan, killing 35 people, injuring 2,200, and leaving 85,000 homeless or evacuated.
1983 — Beirut Barracks Bombings Kill 299 U.S., French Troops
Suicide truck bombs hit multinational force barracks in single morning.
BEIRUT, October 23 — The deadliest single-day loss for U.S. forces since Vietnam, and the worst for French forces since Algeria, struck within minutes this morning. The blast at the Marine compound leveled the four-story building. French paratroopers died minutes later in a similar attack at their headquarters in the Ramlet al-Baida district.
Lebanese Civil War: The U.S. Marines Corps barracks in Beirut is hit by a truck bomb, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. A French Army barracks in Lebanon is also hit that same morning, killing 58 troops.
2015 — Hurricane Patricia Becomes Strongest Cyclone in Western Hemisphere
Winds hit 215 mph, pressure drops to 872 mbar south of Mexico.
MIAMI, October 23 — In an era of increasingly powerful storms, nature still finds ways to rewrite the record books. Patricia packed winds of 215 mph and a pressure of 872 millibars, second only to Typhoon Tip globally. The storm intensified from tropical storm to Category 5 in 24 hours. Damage reached $462.8 million with six deaths across Central America.
Hurricane Patricia reached peak maximum sustained winds of 215 mph (345 km/h) on October 23, 2015.
Patricia's minimum atmospheric pressure dropped to 872 mbar, making it the second-most intense cyclone worldwide behind Typhoon Tip.
Patricia intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just 24 hours, a near-record pace.
Patricia made landfall near Cuixmala, Jalisco, Mexico, with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), the strongest Pacific hurricane landfall at the time.
Total damage from Patricia was estimated at least $462.8 million (2015 USD), with Mexico alone suffering over MX$5.4 billion in losses.
1972 — Nixon Ends Operation Linebacker, Most Intensive Bombing of North Vietnam Since 1968
The five-month campaign deployed 209 B-52s to interdict supplies for Hanoi's Nguyen Hue Offensive.
President Richard Nixon ordered the cessation today of Operation Linebacker. The campaign ran from May 9 to October 23. It was the first continuous bombing effort against North Vietnam since Operation Rolling Thunder ended in November 1968. Strategic Air Command dispatched 124 B-52s from the U.S. to Guam. Laser-guided bombs destroyed the Paul Doumer and Thanh Hóa bridges.
Operation Linebacker was conducted from 9 May to 23 October 1972.
It was the first continuous bombing effort against North Vietnam since Operation Rolling Thunder ended in November 1968.
The campaign aimed to halt supplies for the Nguyen Hue Offensive, launched by 30,000 PAVN troops on 30 March 1972.
U.S. forces deployed 176 F-4s and 12 F-105s to Thailand between 1 April and 11 May in Operation Constant Guard.
Strategic Air Command dispatched 124 B-52s from the U.S. to Guam, bringing total B-52 strength to 209.
1945 — Kansas City Monarchs Star Jackie Robinson Signs Contract With Montreal Royals, Breaking Organized Baseball's Color Line
The 26-year-old shortstop becomes the first Black player in the modern history of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization — Branch Rickey announces historic deal after secret negotiations in New York.
MONTREAL, October 23 — Jackie Robinson, shortstop of the Kansas City Monarchs, signed a contract today with the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers' top farm club, shattering the color barrier that has barred Black players from Organized Baseball since the 1880s.
Branch Rickey, president of the Dodgers, announced the signing after months of secret meetings with Robinson in New York. The 26-year-old California native will report to spring training with the Royals in 1946.
Robinson, an Army veteran and former UCLA football star, batted .387 for the Monarchs this season.
Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signs a contract with the Brooklyn Dodger's minor league team, the Montreal Royals, breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier.
2001 — Grand Theft Auto III Debuts, Redefining Open-World PlayStation Games With Mature Liberty City
DMA Design's 23-person Edinburgh team ships the PlayStation 2 title two months late after altering content following the September 11 attacks.
Liberty City's three islands opened to virtual criminals today as Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto III, the first 3D entry in a series that has sold millions. The PlayStation 2 title, developed by DMA Design in Edinburgh and published by Rockstar in New York, arrives two months late. Developers altered content following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, removing references and gameplay deemed inappropriate after the catastrophe. Grand Theft Auto III became the best-selling video game of 2001, with sales exceeding 14.5 million copies.
Grand Theft Auto III was released on October 23, 2001, for the PlayStation 2.
It is the first 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto series, developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games.
The game's open world design lets the player freely roam Liberty City, which consists of three islands.
Grand Theft Auto III was the best-selling video game of 2001, selling over 14.5 million copies overall.
The game was delayed following the September 11 attacks to change references and gameplay deemed inappropriate.
1940PeléEdson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his nickname Pelé, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward.
1875Gilbert N. LewisGilbert Newton Lewis was an American physical chemist and a dean of the college of chemistry at University of California, Berkeley.
1920Ted FujitaTetsuya Theodore Fujita was a Japanese and American meteorologist whose research primarily focused on severe weather.
1942Michael CrichtonJohn Michael Crichton was an American author and filmmaker.
1964Robert Trujillo(62 this year)Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz is an American musician, best known as the fourth and current bassist for heavy metal band Metallica.
1931Johnny KitagawaJohn Hiromu Kitagawa, known professionally as Johnny Kitagawa, was a Japanese business magnate, promoter, and record producer.
1951Charly García(75 this year)Carlos Alberto García Moreno, better known by his stage name Charly García, is an Argentine singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer, considered one of the most important rock musicians in Argentine and Latin American music.
1634Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-GottorpHedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp was Queen of Sweden from 1654 until 1660 as the wife of King Charles X Gustav.
1796Stefano FransciniStefano Franscini was a Swiss politician and statistician.
1894Rube BresslerRaymond Bloom "Rube" Bressler was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1914 to 1916 and Cincinnati Reds from 1917 to 1920, before being converted to an outfielder and first baseman for Cincinnati from 1918 to 1927, the Brooklyn Robins from 1928 to 1931 and the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals in his final year of 1932.
1900Douglas JardineDouglas Robert Jardine was a cricketer who played 22 Test matches for England, captaining the side in 15 of those matches between 1931 and 1934.
1909Zellig HarrisZellig Sabbettai Harris was an American linguist, mathematical syntactician, and methodologist of science widely considered to have been influential in his fields.
1920Vern StephensVernon Decatur Stephens was an American professional baseball player.
1925Fred SheroFrederick Alexander Shero was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager.
1936Philip Kaufman(90 this year)Philip Kaufman is an American film director and screenwriter who has directed fifteen films over a career spanning nearly five decades.
1937Carlos LamarcaCarlos Lamarca was a Brazilian Army Captain who deserted to join the armed struggle against the Brazilian military dictatorship.
1939C. V. Vigneswaran(87 this year)Canagasabapathy Visuvalingam Vigneswaran, PC is a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, judge, politician and Member of Parliament.
1946Alicia Borinsky(80 this year)Alicia Borinsky, is a US-based Argentine novelist, poet and literary critic.
1953Taner Akçam(73 this year)Altuğ Taner Akçam is a Turkish-German historian and sociologist.
1953Joaquín Lavín(73 this year)Joaquín José Lavín Infante is a Chilean politician of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party and former mayor of Las Condes, in the northeastern zone of Santiago.
1957Paul Kagame(69 this year)Paul Kagame is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the president of Rwanda since 2000.
1958Michael Eric Dyson(68 this year)Michael Eric Dyson is an American academic, author, Baptist minister, and radio host.
1959"Weird Al" Yankovic(67 this year)Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor.
1960Mirwais Ahmadzaï(66 this year)Mirwais Ahmadzaï, known mononymously as Mirwais, is a French electronic dance music record producer and songwriter, born in Lausanne, Switzerland to an Afghan father and an Italian mother.
1969Trudi Canavan(57 this year)Trudi Canavan is an Australian writer of fantasy novels, best known for her best-selling fantasy trilogies The Black Magician and Age of the Five.
Quote of the Day
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.” — William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
October 23 History Quiz
What year did Jackie Robinson sign with the Montreal Royals, his first professional contract?
1945
Which Emperor proclaimed the start of the Meiji Era in Japan on October 23, 1868?
Emperor Meiji
What was the death toll from the 1983 Beirut Marine Barracks bombing?
Every event on this page was picked by hand from the historical record, written up as a news report, and checked against its source. Photographs are matched to the event they illustrate and verified before they are used. Sources are linked on each story.
The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone
The Day of the Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller
The Dark Tower, Stephen King
Fall of Giants, Ken Follett
The Wish, Nicholas Sparks
