- 27 BC 23 Jan Octavian in granted the title 'Augustus' - meaning 'lofty' or 'serene' - by the Roman senate.
- 1924 23 Jan Ramsay Macdonald becomes Britain's first Labour prime minister, leading a minority government.
- 1960 23 Jan The USS 'Trieste' bathyscaphe makes the deepest recorded dive of 35,800ft into the Challenger Deep.

