Saturday, the 23rd of May, 2015 is the 143th day in 2015 and in the 21st calendar week.
General Events:
World Turtle Day
May 23, 2015 in the World
The World Turtle Day 2015 is on May, 23. The purpose of the observance is to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive. Turtle Day is celebrated worldwide in a variety of ways, from dressing up as turtles to saving turtles caught on highways, to research activities. It is sponsored yearly since 2000 by the nonprofit corporation American Tortoise Rescue.
World Turtle Day was to increase respect and knowledge for the world’s oldest creatures. Turtles are reptiles, characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. These gentle animals have been around for about 200 million years, yet they are rapidly disappearing as a result of the exotic food industry, habitat destruction and the cruel pet trade.
You can do a few small things that can help to save turtles and tortoises for the next generation. Never buy them from a pet shop as it increases demand from the wild. Never remove turtles or tortoises from the wild unless they are sick or injured. If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the same direction it was going. Report cruelty or illegal sales of turtles and tortoises to your local animal control shelter.
Where is the event?
Worldwide
World Crohn’s and Colitis Day
May 23, 2015 in the World
Crohn’s disease is named after the doctor who first described it in 1932. (Since he did not have the disease itself, it is sometimes more accurately called Crohn disease). Worldwide, five million people live with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, conditions known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
The inflammation from Crohn’s can strike anywhere in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from mouth to anus, but is usually located in the lower part of the small bowel and the upper end of the colon. Patches of inflammation are interspersed between healthy portions of the gut, and can penetrate the intestinal layers from inner to outer lining. Crohn’s can also affect the mesentery, which is the network of tissue that holds the small bowel to the abdomen and contains the main intestinal blood vessels and lymph glands.
The first annual World Crohn’s and Colitis Day (WCCD) was celebrated on May 23, 2007. The event was created by Josh Golder and recognized by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, as well as by people from around the world. Josh is a prominent figure and activist in the Crohn’s and Colitis community (who himself has Crohn’s disease), who directed and produced the internationally known, community-wide movie, “True Guts: Struggle and Triumph over Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis” (which is more commonly known as “True Guts”). Josh created WCCD as a way to bring people affected by either disease together, as well as friends and family members of those individuals, and even those who knew nothing about either disease in order to increase awareness of them.
Where is the event?
Worldwide
Shavuot 2015
May 23, 2015 in the World
Shavuot 2015 begins at sunset on Saturday, May 23 and will end on the evening of Monday, May 25.
Shavuot, the feast of weeks, is celebrated seven weeks after the second Passover seder. Although Shavuot began as an ancient grain harvest festival, the holiday has been identified since biblical times with the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
Shavuot is one of the lesser-known Jewish holidays among secular Jews in the Jewish diaspora, while those in Israel are more aware of it. According to Jewish law, Shavuot is celebrated in Israel for one day and in the Diaspora (outside of Israel) for two days. Reform Judaism celebrates only one day, even in the Diaspora.
Where is Shavuot 2015?
Worldwide
National Taffy Day
May 23, 2015 in the USA
National Taffy Day is celebrated annually on May 23.  Taffy candy has been made and sold for many years and has become a popular souvenir of many vacationers.
“Taffy is made by stretching or pulling a sticky mass of boiled sugar, butter or vegetable oil, flavorings, and coloring until fluffy.”  It is then rolled and cut into small pieces before it is wrapped in a waxed paper which keeps it soft.  Taffy is noted for its fruit flavors however there are other flavors available as well, including licorice.
Atlantic City, New Jersey invented the salt water taffy in 1883.
Where is the event?
Nationwide USA
Historical Events on 23rd May:
1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at Compiegne & sold to the English
1568 – The Netherlands declare independence from Spain
1618 – 2nd Defenestration of Prague; beginning of 30 Years War. Two Catholic Lords Regent and their secretary thrown out of window – they were not seriously injured by the 70 foot fall
1701 – Captain William Kidd is hanged in London after being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore
1774 – Chestertown tea party occurs (tea dumped into Chester River)
1813 – South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador (“The Liberator”)
1844 – Declaration of Bab (Baha’i festival) (‘Azamat 7, 1)
1865 – -24] Victory parade in Washington, DC (Grand Review)
1873 – Canada’s North West Mounted Police Force forms (it didn’t get the “Royal” until 1904)
1883 – Baseball game between one-armed & one-legged players
1907 – The single chamber Parliament of Finland gathers for its first plenary session
1922 – Walt Disney incorporates his 1st film company Laugh-O-Gram Films
1934 – The Auto-Lite Strike culminates in the “Battle of Toledo”, a five-day melée between 1,300 troops of the Ohio National Guard and 6,000 picketers
1940 – 1st great dogfight between Spitfires and Luftwaffe
1945 – Lord Haw-Haw (William Joyce) arrested at Danish boundary
1949 – Federal Republic of [West] Germany proclaimed (Republic Day)
1958 – Mao Zedong starts “Great leap forward” movement in China
1960 – Israel announces capture of Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Argentina
1969 – BBC orders 13 episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus
1970 – A fire breaks out in the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits in north Wales contributing to its partial destruction and causing approximately £1,000,000 worth of fire damage
1977 – Moluccan extremists hold 105 schoolchildren & 50 others hostage on a hijacked train in Neth, children released May 27, siege ends June 11
1983 – Radio Moscow announcer Vladimir Danchev praises Afghanistan Muslims standing up to Russia; he is removed from the air
1991 – Last Cubans troops leave Angola
1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes
2002 – The “55 parties” clause of the Kyoto protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland
2008 – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries