At A Glance

23 April 1969 at a glance

Day of the week
23 April 1969 was a Wednesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)” by The 5th Dimension.
Top Film of 1969
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1969 was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Bestselling Novel of 1969
“Portnoy's Complaint” by Philip Roth was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1969.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1969–70 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 23 April is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 23 April 1969 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 23 April 1969 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 23 April

  • 1951 Cold War: American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia.
  • 1961 During the Algiers putsch by French generals, President Charles de Gaulle announces he has assumed emergency powers, and calls on troops and civilians to support him.
  • 1967 Soviet space program: Soyuz 1 (Russian: Союз 1, Union 1), a crewed spaceflight carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov, is launched into orbit.
  • 1968 Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university.
  • 1985 Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.

Famous people born on April 23

  • William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (1564–1616)
  • John Cena, American professional wrestler and actor (born 1977)
  • Gigi Hadid, American fashion model and television personality (born 1995)
  • Shirley Temple, American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat (1928–2014)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1969 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1969 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 9 – The Boeing 747 makes its maiden flight, from Paine Field at Everett, Washington.
  • May 25 – Midnight Cowboy, an X-rated, Oscar-winning John Schlesinger film, is released.
  • June 28 – The Stonewall riots in New York City mark the start of the modern gay rights movement in the U.S.

Life in the US in 1969

President

Richard Nixon

Gas (per gallon)

$0.35

Loaf of Bread

$0.24

Average House

$17,400

Weekly Wage

$130

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1960s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →