23rd November

On this day back in 1963, the first episode of the longest running science fiction show on television aired on the BBC and Doctor Who was born. The story titled 'An Unearthly Child' starred William Hartnell as the first Doctor and was transmitted the day after the assassination of American President John F. Kennedy.

To celebrate this factoid here are a few others regarding the 23rd November (today). Source: Wikipedia.

1. 1654 - French mathematician, scientist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal experiences an intense mystical vision that marks him for life.
2. 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Chattanooga begins - Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant reinforce troops at Chattanooga, Tennessee and counter-attack Confederate troops.
3. 1867 - The Manchester Martyrs were hanged in Manchester, England for rescuing two Irish men from jail.
4. 1869 - In Dumbarton, Scotland, the clipper Cutty Sark is launched - one of the last clippers ever to be built, and the only one still surviving to this day.
5. 1955 - The Cocos Islands are transferred from the control of the United Kingdom to Australia.
6. 1990 - The first all woman expedition to the south pole (3 Americans, 1 Japanese and 12 Russians), sets off from Antarctica on the 1st leg of a 70 day, 1287 kilometre ski trek.
7. 1993 - Rachel Whiteread wins both the £20,000 Turner Prize award for best British modern artist and the £40,000 K Foundation art award for the worst artist of the year.
8. 2004 - Alex Ferguson takes charge of his 1000th game as manager of Manchester United Football Club.

Boris Karloff, Harpo Marx & Zoe Ball were born today in 1887, 1888 & 1970 respectively and the world lost Roald Dahl in 1990