July 23 Birthday
On July 23, 1967, Detroit police raided an unlicensed bar in a Black neighborhood. Eighty-two people were arrested. The raid triggered five days of rioting that killed forty-three people, injured 1,189, and resulted in 7,200 arrests. 2,509 stores were looted or burned. The National Guard and the 82nd Airborne were deployed. Detroit's population, which had been 1.8 million, never recovered — it fell to 670,000 by 2020. The riot accelerated white flight and disinvestment. The Detroit riot was one of 159 race riots in American cities during the "Long Hot Summer" of 1967. People born on July 23 fall under the zodiac sign of Leo. The birthstone is Ruby and the birth flower is Larkspur. Historical events on July 23 include 1967: Detroit riots begin — 43 killed in five days of looting and arson, 1982: International Whaling Commission votes to ban commercial whaling, 1999: Eileen Collins becomes first woman to command a space shuttle mission. Famous people born on July 23 include Woody Harrelson (1961), Slash (1965), Don Imus (1940).