Once Upon A Time – April 23 – 1968 – 1st Decimal Coins Issued In Britain

215 BC A temple, built on the Capitoline Hill, is dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene

1014 King Brian Boru of Ireland defeats Viking forces at Battle of Clontarf, freeing Ireland from foreign control

1597 William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I of England in attendance

1861 Robert E. Lee named commander of Virginia Confederate forces (US Civil War)

1968 1st decimal coins issued in Britain (5 & 10 new pence, replacing shilling and two-shilling pieces)

1984 AIDS-virus identified as HTLV-III (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)

Historical Events Today

Today In Film & TV

2016 Beyoncé releases her 6th album “Lemonade” with a 1-hour film on HBO

Today In Sport

2013 West Indian cricketer, Chris Gayle, smashes the fastest century in history (30 balls)

2009

Gamma ray burst (GRB) 090423 is observed for 10 seconds, the most distant object of any kind and also the oldest known object in the universe

1989 Wine merchant William Sokolin breaks a bottle of 1787 Château Margaux, possibly belonging to Thomas Jefferson, worth $500,000 at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York