Here’s a look at what happened on this date in history.
In 1814, a third version of Beethoven’s only opera, “Fidelio,” had its world premiere in Vienna.
This is an undated sketch of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was born in Bonn on Dec. 17, 1770 and died in Vienna on March 26, 1827.
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to death in a police ambush in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
In this photo, people crowd around the abandoned bullet-riddled 1934 Ford automobile in which Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrows were killed by federal agents in Arcadia, Louisiana.
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
In 1939, the Navy submarine USS Squalus sank during a test dive off the New England coast. 32 crew members and one civilian were rescued, but 26 others died; the sub was salvaged and recommissioned the USS Sailfish.
This is a photo of the submarine USS Squalus as it breaks through the surface of the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, during a failed salvaged attempt on May 28, 1939.
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces bogged down in Anzio began a major breakout offensive.
Pvt. Robert L. Bowman, left, of Hogansville, Ga., poses for Stars and Stripes artist Sgt. Bill Mauldin, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy during World War II in May, 1944. The completed picture will be known as “G.I. Joe.”
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
In 1945, Nazi official Heinrich Himmler committed suicide by biting into a cyanide capsule while in British custody in Luneburg, Germany.
The undated file photo shows German Nazi party official and head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler. at unknown location in Germany. German newspaper Welt am Sonntag has published a trove of letters believed to be written by Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler. On seven full pages the paper on Sunday Jan. 26,2014 showed pictures of Himmler and his family smiling into the camera during a fishing trip, the top Nazi taking a bath in a lake or feeding a little fawn. The newspaper, which says the material is contained in an eight-part series it plans to publish, also quotes excerpts from Himmler’s love letters addressing his wife as “my sweet, beloved little woman.” Welt said it worked together with Israeli film director Vanessa Lapa, whose family had the documents in its possession.
(AP Photo/str/file)
AP Photo/str/file
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.
In this 2001 photo, Koop meets reporters at the National Press Club in Washington on Nov. 27 to discuss a National Cancer Institute report that says that people who believe they are reducing their risk of getting smoking-related diseases by using “low-tar” or light cigarettes are wrong.
(AP Photo/Joe Marquette)
AP Photo/Joe Marquette
Five years ago: A 22-year-old armed with knives and a gun went on a rampage near the University of California, Santa Barbara; Elliot Rodger killed six students and wounded 13 other people before taking his own life. In a report potentially exposing the Catholic Church to new legal arguments by clerical sex abuse victims, a U.N. committee found that the Vatican did exercise worldwide control over its bishops and priests, and had to comply with the U.N.’s anti-torture treaty.
In this May 24, 2014, file photo, a woman looks at the bullet holes on the window of IV Deli Mark where a mass shooting took place near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus, in the Isla Vista beach community. In response to the killing rampage of Elliot Rodger, 22, that left seven people, including himself dead, lawmakers approved and California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law which requires law enforcement agencies to develop policies that encourage officers to search the state’s database of gun purchases as part of routine welfare checks. More than 900 laws approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor will take effect Jan. 1, 2015.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Today is Thursday, May 23, the 143rd day of 2019. 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 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 re-commissioned the USS Sailfish.
In 1944, during World War II, 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 1975, comedian Jackie “Moms” Mabley, 81, died in White Plains, New York.
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 out of 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.
In 1993, a jury in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, acquitted Rodney Peairs of manslaughter in the shooting death of Yoshi Hattori, a Japanese exchange student he’d mistaken for an intruder. (Peairs was later found liable in a civil suit brought by Hattori’s parents.)
In 1994, funeral services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Ten years ago: Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, 62, leapt to his death amid a widening corruption scandal. Charles Donald Albury, co-pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, died in Orlando, Florida, at 88.
Five years ago: A 22-year-old armed with knives and a gun went on a rampage near the University of California, Santa Barbara; Elliot Rodger killed six students and wounded 13 other people before taking his own life. In a report potentially exposing the Catholic Church to new legal arguments by clerical sex abuse victims, a U.N. committee found that the Vatican did exercise worldwide control over its bishops and priests, and had to comply with the U.N.’s anti-torture treaty.
One year ago: NFL owners approved a new policy allowing players to protest during the national anthem by staying in the locker room, but forbidding players from sitting or taking a knee if they’re on the field. A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump violates the First Amendment when he blocks critics on Twitter because of their political views. For the first time in the 36 seasons of TV’s “Survivor,” the season finale ended in a deadlock, and a tiebreaker was needed to crown Wendell Holland as the champ.
