On this day

November 23, 1944

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from November 23, 1944

Notable Births

1944Joe Eszterhas, Hungarian-American screenwriter and producer[†]

József Antal Eszterhás, credited as Joe Eszterhas, is a Hungarian-American writer. Born in Hungary, he grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. After an early career as a journalist and editor, he entered the film industry. His first screenwriting credit was for the film F.I.S.T. (1978). He co-wrote the script for Flashdance, which became one of the highest-grossing films of 1983, and set off a lucrative and prolific run for his career. By the early 1990s, he was known as the highest-paid writer in Hollywood, and noted for his work in the erotic thriller genre. He was paid a then-record $3 million for his script Love Hurts, which was produced as Basic Instinct (1992), and following its success, news outlets reported he earned seven-figure payouts solely on the basis of two-to-four page outlines.

Peter Lindbergh

1944Peter Lindbergh, German-French photographer and director (died 2019)[†]

Peter Lindbergh was a German fashion photographer and film director.

James Toback

1944James Toback, American actor, director, and screenwriter[†]

James Lee Toback is an American screenwriter and film director. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1991 for Bugsy. He has directed films including The Pick-up Artist, Two Girls and a Guy and Black and White.

Historical Events

Lotta Svärd

1944World War II: The Lotta Svärd Movement is disbanded under the terms of the armistice treaty in Finland after the Continuation War.[†]

Lotta Svärd was a Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women. The women were called lotat in Finnish. Formed originally in 1918, it had a large membership undertaking volunteer social work in the 1920s and 1930s. It was formed to support the White Guard. During the Second World War, it mobilized to replace men conscripted into the army. It served in hospitals, at air raid warning positions, and other auxiliary tasks in close cooperation with the army. The women were officially unarmed except for an antiaircraft battery in 1944. Virtanen argues that, their "accountability to the nation took a masculine and military form in public, but had a private, feminine side to it including features like caring, helping and loving." The organisation was disbanded by the government after the war.