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Today in History, July 23rd

On July 23, 1914, Austria-Hungary delivered the ultimatum to Serbia that led to World War I. Plus Ulysses S. Grant's death and the Detroit riot.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Published July 23, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

July 23 is best known for 1914, when Austria-Hungary handed Serbia the ultimatum that set off World War I. The date also saw former president Ulysses S. Grant die in 1885 and the Detroit riot of 1967 begin.

The big story: Austria-Hungary’s ultimatum to Serbia (1914)

Almost a month after Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary made its move. At 6 p.m. on July 23, 1914, its ambassador in Belgrade, Baron Giesl von Gieslingen, delivered a list of demands to Serbia’s foreign ministry. Serbia was to shut down anti-Austrian propaganda, root out militant groups such as the Black Hand and let Austro-Hungarian officials take part in investigating the murder. The clock was set at 48 hours. Vienna had worked out its plan with Germany’s foreign office and hoped for a fast war that would be over before Russia could react. Serbia turned to Russia, whose ministers met the next day and began mobilization preparations. On July 25, just before the deadline, Prime Minister Nikola Pasić delivered Serbia’s answer in person. It accepted nearly everything but the outside role in its own investigation. That was not enough. The ambassador cut relations and left town, and Austria-Hungary declared war on July 28. A regional quarrel became a world war.

More events on July 23

Year	What happened
1885	Ulysses S. Grant, Union commander in the Civil War and 18th U.S. president, died at age 63.
1952	Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Free Officers seized power in Egypt, soon forcing King Farouk to give up the throne.
1967	A police raid on an illegal after-hours club in Detroit set off five days of rioting, among the deadliest in U.S. history.
1973	President Richard Nixon refused to turn over tapes of his secretly recorded conversations, by then a key issue in the Watergate scandal.
1982	Actor Vic Morrow and two child actors were killed in a helicopter accident while filming Twilight Zone: The Movie.
1984	Vanessa Williams became the first Miss America to resign the title.
1988	Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” entered the Billboard Top 40, the band’s popular breakthrough.
1996	The U.S. women’s gymnastics team won its first Olympic team gold at the Atlanta Games.
1999	Woodstock ’99 opened in upstate New York, 30 years after the original festival.
2011	Grammy-winning British singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London home at age 27.
2021	Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team announced it would change its name from the Indians to the Guardians.

Born on July 23

1892: Haile Selassie, emperor who ruled Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, born near Harer.
1971: Alison Krauss, American bluegrass fiddler and singer, born in Decatur, Illinois.
1989: Daniel Radcliffe, British actor who played Harry Potter on film, born in London.