Today is Monday, May 23, the 144th day of 2016. There are 222 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to death in a police ambush in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
On this date:
In 1430, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English.
In 1533, the marriage of England’s King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon was declared null and void.
In 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
In 1814, a third version of Beethoven’s only opera, “Fidelio,” had its world premiere in Vienna.
In 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary during World War I.
In 1939, the Navy submarine USS Squalus sank during a test dive off the New England coast. Thirty-two crew members and one civilian were rescued, but 26 others died; the sub was salvaged and recommissioned the USS Sailfish.
In 1945, Nazi official Heinrich Himmler committed suicide by biting into a cyanide capsule while in British custody in Luneburg, Germany.
In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was established.
In 1967, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships, an action which precipitated war between Israel and its Arab neighbors the following month.
In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeals of former Nixon White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman and former Attorney General John N. Mitchell in connection with their Watergate convictions.
In 1984, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop issued a report saying there was “very solid” evidence linking cigarette smoke to lung disease in non-smokers. “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” starring Harrison Ford, was released by Paramount Pictures.
In 1991, talk show host Johnny Carson stunned an NBC affiliates’ meeting in New York by announcing his retirement from “The Tonight Show” effective in one year.
Ten years ago: In a recording posted on the Internet, a voice purported to be that of Osama bin Laden said Zacarias Moussaoui (zak-uh-REE’-uhs moo-SOW’-ee) — the only person convicted in the U.S for the 9/11 attacks — had nothing to do with the al-Qaida operation. Former U.S. senator, vice-presidential candidate and Treasury secretary Lloyd Bentsen died in Houston at age 85.
Five years ago: President Barack Obama opened a six-day European tour in Ireland, where he paid tribute to his Irish ancestors before heading to Britain. The European Union imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad over the continuing crackdown on anti-government protesters. Pakistani commandos recaptured a major naval base from Taliban attackers after a bloody 18-hour standoff.
One year ago: Cleveland patrolman Michael Brelo (BREE’-loh), who fired down through the windshield of a suspect’s car at the end of a 137-shot barrage that left the two unarmed black occupants dead, was acquitted of criminal charges by a judge who said he could not determine the officer alone fired the fatal shots. Salvadorans rejoiced as Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero, slain by an assassin in 1980, was declared a martyr for the faith. John Forbes Nash Jr., 86, a mathematical genius whose struggle with schizophrenia was chronicled in the 2001 movie “A Beautiful Mind,” and his wife, Alicia Nash, 82, were killed in a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. Actress-comedian Anne Meara, 85, whose comic work with husband Jerry Stiller helped launch a 60-year career in film and TV, died in New York. Jazz trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, 78, died in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Today’s Birthdays: Bluegrass singer Mac Wiseman is 91. Actress Barbara Barrie is 85. Actress Joan Collins is 83. Actor Charles Kimbrough is 80. International Tennis Hall of Famer John Newcombe is 72. Actress Lauren Chapin is 71. Country singer Misty Morgan is 71. Country singer Judy Rodman is 65. Chess grandmaster Anatoly Karpov is 65. Boxing Hall of Famer Marvelous Marvin Hagler is 62. Singer Luka Bloom is 61. Actor-comedian-game show host Drew Carey is 58. Actress Lea DeLaria is 58. Country singer Shelly West is 58. Actor Linden Ashby is 56. Actress-model Karen Duffy is 55. Actress Melissa McBride is 51. Rock musician Phil Selway (Radiohead) is 49. Actress Laurel Holloman is 48. Rock musician Matt Flynn (Maroon 5) is 46. Singer Lorenzo is 44. Country singer Brian McComas is 44. Actor John Pollono is 44. Singer Maxwell is 43. Singer Jewel is 42. Game show contestant Ken Jennings is 42. Actress Kelly Monaco is 40. Actor D.J. Cotrona is 36. Actor Lane Garrison is 36. Actor-comedian Tim Robinson is 35. Actor Adam Wylie is 32. Movie writer-director Ryan Coogler is 30. Folk/pop singer/songwriter Sarah Jarosz (juh-ROHZ’) is 25.
Thought for Today: “Sometimes you have to be silent in order to be heard.” — Swiss proverb.
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