1684 English King Charles II revokes the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter due to repeated violations of the charter’s terms including trading with other countries and running an illegal mint.
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On 23rd October 1739, the War of Jenkins' Ear Began. It was a conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748.
Robert Jenkins, from Llanelli, was captain of a British merchant ship, returning home from the West Indies when his ship was boarded by the Spanish on suspicion of smuggling. The Spanish commander bound Jenkins to the mast and cut off one of his ears. He then told him to tell his King, that he would get the same.
On his return, Jenkins exhibited his severed ear in Parliament and this was the spark that ignited a simmering resentment towards the Spanish, who had reneged on an agreement for Britain to sell slaves in Spanish America. After 1742, this war became part of the much larger, War of the Austrian Succession, in which most of the states in Europe became involved. In particular, France and Britain, who were fighting each other for control of the American and Asian Colonies. …
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On 23rd October 1863, the Festiniog Railway was the first public narrow gauge railway in the world to introduce steam locomotives into general service.
1915 An estimated 25,000 supporters in a women's suffrage march on New York's Fifth Ave, led by Anna Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt, founder of the League of Women Voters.
1915 First national horseshoe throwing championship in Kellerton, Iowa
1922 The shortest term of office (20th century)for a British Prime Minister began on this day when Andrew Bonar Law took office. Due to ill health, he was replaced six months later by Stanley Baldwin.
1951 Conservative leader, Winston Churchill, wound up his election campaign by denying that he was a warmonger: "If I remain in public life at this juncture it is because I believe I may be able to make an important contribution to the prevention of a 3rd World War."
1954 Britain, the US, France and the USSR agreed to end the occupation of Germany. On the same day, the Western nations agreed to allow West Germany to enter NATO.
The Guildhall in Swansea was formally opened on 23rd October 1934.
2012 The switchover to digital televison in the UK was complete when the analogue TV signal in Northern Ireland was turned off on Tuesday night at 23:30 BST. Simultaneously BBC Ceefax, the world's first teletext service, launched on 23rd September 1974 took its final bow with a series of graphics on Ceefax's front page.
23 Oct 1963 The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Mickie Most, The Rolling Stones, Julie Grant and The Flintstones all appeared at Odeon Theatre, Nottingham, England.
23 Oct 1963 The Beatles completed the final session for their second album 'With the Beatles' recording 'I Wanna Be Your Man.' The group then drove to London airport for a flight to Stockholm, Sweden to start their first foreign tour. The Fab four were met at Stockholm airport by hundreds of girl fans that had taken the day of school.
