1913 – Coulterville Road Opened to Automobiles
On 23 August 1913 park authorities opened the Coulterville Road into Yosemite Valley to private automobiles. The opening required the park to establish traffic-control outposts to manage the new automobile traffic, and it marked the beginning of formally regulated vehicular access to the valley. Contemporary and later Yosemite histories record the decision and the date, and the event is documented in National Park Service cultural landscape material and local park histories that describe how access policies were adjusted to accommodate private automobiles on that route.
1922 – Chitty-Bang-Bang Tops Southsea Speed Carnival
At the Southsea Speed Carnival held on 23 August 1922, Count Louis Zborowski drove his aero-engined car known as Chitty-Bang-Bang to the fastest time over the one-kilometre course, a performance officially recorded at 73.07 mph (reported as approximately 73.1 mph). Contemporary coverage in periodicals such as Light Car reported the meeting date and the fastest-time result, and later firsthand recollections and motorsport histories have corroborated the account and the recorded speed for that day’s kilometre trials on the Southsea esplanade.
1939 – John Cobb Sets a 367.91-MPH Land Speed Record
On August 23, 1939, British racing driver John Cobb set a new world land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, driving the streamlined Railton Special to a two-way average of 367.91 mph. Powered by two supercharged Napier Lion W12 aircraft engines, the massive purpose-built machine produced more than 2,500 horsepower. Cobb’s faster one-way run reached 369.74 mph, pushing the record significantly higher just days before Europe descended into World War II. His achievement reinforced Bonneville’s growing reputation as the world’s premier venue for extreme-speed record attempts and established Cobb as one of the era’s leading land-speed competitors.
1953 – Alberto Ascari Secures Second World Championship at Bremgarten
At the Bremgarten circuit on 23 August 1953 Alberto Ascari won the Swiss Grand Prix, a race run over 65 laps. Contemporary race records and authoritative season summaries list Ascari as the race winner and record that the victory put him beyond reach in the 1953 points standings, thereby securing his second consecutive Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Official race result listings and season overviews confirm the event date, the Bremgarten venue, and the championship-clinching effect of Ascari’s win in the 1953 campaign.
2018 – Nissan Announces $170M U.S. Assembly Investment for Altima
On 23 August 2018 Nissan North America announced a $170 million investment to upgrade its Smyrna, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi assembly plants to support production of the all‑new 2019 Nissan Altima. The company marked the announcement by noting the start of Altima production at the Smyrna plant on that same date; corporate materials accompanying the press release include an image and statement that the first Altima rolled off the Smyrna line on 23 August 2018. The primary Nissan press release and its supporting materials provide the investment figure, the plants named, and the production start date.
