San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Sunday, May 23, the 143rd day of 2021. There are 222 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight
On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to death in a police ambush in Bienville Parish, La.
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 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer.
In 1911, the newly completed New York Public Library was dedicated by President William Howard Taft, Gov. John Alden Dix and Mayor William Jay Gaynor.
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 1944, Allied forces bogged down in Anzio began a major breakout offensive.
In 1945, Nazi official Heinrich Himmler committed suicide by biting into a cyanide capsule while in British custody in Luneburg, Germany.
In 1967, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, an action which helped precipitate war between Israel and its Arab neighbors the following month.
In 1977, Moluccan extremists seized a train and a primary school in the Netherlands; the hostage drama ended June 11 as Dutch marines stormed the train, resulting in the deaths of six of the nine hijackers and two hostages, while the school siege ended peacefully.
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 1994, funeral services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
In 2007, President George W. Bush, speaking at the U.S. Coast Guard commencement, portrayed the Iraq war as a battle between the U.S. and al-qaeda and said Osama bin Laden was setting up a terrorist cell in Iraq to strike targets in America.
Ten 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.
Today’s birthdays
Actor Barbara Barrie is 90. Actor Joan Collins is 88. Actor Charles Kimbrough is 85. International Tennis Hall of Famer John Newcombe is 77. Actor Lauren Chapin is 76. Chess grandmaster Anatoly Karpov is 70. Singer Luka Bloom is 66. Former baseball manager Buck Showalter is 65. Actor-comedian-game show host Drew Carey is 63. Actor Lea Delaria is 63. Author Mitch Albom is 63. Actormodel Karen Duffy is 60. Actor Melissa Mcbride is 56. Singer Jewel is 47. Game show contestant Ken Jennings is 47.