What Happened On
Photo Credit: Erik Liljeroth, Nordiska museet
Photo Credit: Erik Liljeroth, Nordiska museet
Nylon Invented
May 23, 1934
Nylon is invented, by Dr. Wallace Carothers of the E.I. du Pont Company. Its first commercial use was in 1938 for toothbrush bristles. Nylon stockings went on sale in 1939.
Bonnie and Clyde Killed
May 23, 1934
Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker are ambushed and killed while headed to their Bienville Parish, Louisiana hideout. A posse ambushed them and riddled them and their car with over 130 rounds of ammo. The duo and their gang are believed to have killed at least nine police officers and several civilians.
Imprisoned in Attic for 26 Years by Her Mother
May 23, 1901
French police receive an anonymous letter about a woman who had been locked in an attic for the past quarter century. When the police went to investigate, they found socialite Blanche Monnier locked in a small attic room covered in bugs, feces, urine, and old food and she weighed only 55 pounds (25 kg).
When Blanche was 25 years old, her mother locked her in the room. Her mother disapproved of her intentions to marry an older lawyer, stating that she would not allow her daughter to marry a "penniless lawyer". She said she would not release her until she agreed to break off the courtship, which Blanche refused to do. Blanche was renowned for her beauty and had attracted many other potential suitors for marriage. After her imprisonment, her mother and brother continued on with their daily lives, pretending to mourn Blanche's disappearance. During the time of her imprisonment she had no outside contact, not even exposure to sunlight.
Her mother was arrested, but fell ill and died 15 days later. Her brother was tried and found guilty and sentenced to 15 months in prison, but was acquitted on appeal claiming that Blanche could have left at any time, but chose not to.
First Actions by an African-American to Earn the Medal of Honor
May 23, 1900
Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in 1863 during the Civil War. During the assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, Carney, although seriously wounded, struggled across the battlefield carrying the Union flag. His citation reads, "When the color sergeant was shot down, this soldier grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and planted the colors thereon. When the troops fell back he brought off the flag, under a fierce fire in which he was twice severely wounded."
Although his were the first actions for which a Medal of Honor was awarded to an African American, he wasn't awarded his medal until 1900, during which time other African Americans had received their award for actions which occurred after his heroics.
It is believed he escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad.
This battle is portrayed in the film Glory (1989).
Pirate William Kidd Hanged
May 23, 1701
The Scottish pirate, Capt. William Kidd is hanged. He had been commissioned by the King to hunt pirates, but instead became one, for which he was hanged in London.
Tom Cruise "Jumps the Couch" on Oprah
May 23, 2005
Tom Cruise jumps on Oprah Winfrey's couch and professes his love for girlfriend Katie Holmes. The incident spawned the phrase "jumping the couch" to describe someone going off the deep end in public.
Cruise and Holmes, known in the media as "TomKat", wed in 2006, divorcing in 2012.
Raven Arms MP-25, one of the first low-cost guns
Raven Arms MP-25, one of the first low-cost guns
Gun Control - First Ban of "Saturday Night Specials"
May 23, 1988
Maryland becomes the first U.S. state to ban the sale of cheap hand guns, commonly called "Saturday night specials."
Mother Teresa and Sinatra Receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom
May 23, 1985
Mother Teresa and Frank Sinatra receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
First Successful Reimplantation of a Human Limb
May 23, 1962
The right arm of a 12-year-old boy is reattached by doctors in Boston.
Ordination of Women Ministers
May 23, 1955
The ordination of women ministers is approved by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church.
Rayon
May 23, 1924
Rayon is officially adopted as the name for artificial silk, by the National Retail Dry Goods Association.
First National League No-Hitter
May 23, 1876
Pitched by Joe Borden of Boston.
South Carolina
May 23, 1788
South Carolina becomes the 8th state.
Bifocals Invented
May 23, 1785
Benjamin Franklin makes a pair of glasses in which the lenses consist of an upper and lower part, each with a different focusing power.
Birthdays
(left to right) Bardeen, Shockley, and Brattain
(left to right) Bardeen, Shockley, and Brattain
John Bardeen
Born May 23, 1908 d. 1991
American Nobel-winning physicist. He is the co-inventor of the transistor and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the invention of the transistor; and again in 1972 with Leon N. Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer for a fundamental theory of conventional superconductivity (BCS theory).
Ornithopter Flight - 1894
Ornithopter Flight - 1894
Inventor of the First Successful Gliders
Otto Lilienthal
Born May 23, 1848 d. 1896
German aviation pioneer. Inventor of the first successful gliders. He died from injuries sustained in a gliding accident.
"Marvelous" Marvin Hagler
Born May 23, 1954 d. 2021
American Hall of Fame boxer, middleweight champion (1980-87).
Robert Arthur Moog
Born May 23, 1934 d. 2005
American inventor. He created the Moog synthesizer (1964), the first widely-used electronic musical instrument.
Joan Collins
Born May 23, 1933
British actress. TV: Batman (1967, The Siren) and Dynasty (1981-89, Alexis). Film: Tales from the Crypt (1972).
Barbara Barrie
Born May 23, 1931
American actress. TV: Barney Miller (Barney Miller's wife).
Rosemary Clooney
Born May 23, 1928 d. 2002
American singer, actress. The 1978 TV movie Escape From Madness dramatized her confinement in a California mental hospital.
Helen O'Connell
Born May 23, 1920 d. 1993
American big band singer, popularized the songs Green Eyes, Tangerine, and I Remember You. She hosted the Miss Universe pageant for nine years.
Betty Garrett
Born May 23, 1919 d. 2011
American actress. TV: All in the Family (1973-75, Irene Lorenzo) and Laverne & Shirley (1976-81, Edna Babish).
Scatman Crothers (Benjamin Sherman Crothers)
Born May 23, 1910 d. 1986
American actor, singer, musician. TV: Chico and the Man (the garbage man). Film: The Shining (1980, Dick Hallorann).
Artie Shaw (Arthur Arshawsky)
Born May 23, 1910 d. 2004
American band leader, Jazz clarinetist. Music: Begin the Beguine (1938, #1). Quote: "I could never understand why people wanted to dance to my music. I made it good enough to listen to."
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (Douglas Elton Ullman)
Born May 23, 1883 d. 1939
American actor. First of the Hollywood swashbucklers. He co-founded United Artists (1919).
Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr.
Born May 23, 1875 d. 1966
American industrialist. As president (1923-37) and chairman (1937-56) of General Motors, he made it one of the greatest industrial enterprises in history.
Edward Hitchcock, Jr.
Born May 23, 1828 d. 1911
American physician. The first U.S. professor of physical education and hygiene (1861). He was appointed by Amherst College of Massachusetts. His program of physical education became a model for college and secondary school programs worldwide.
Sarah Margaret Fuller
Born May 23, 1810 d. 1850
American writer, critic. She wrote Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845), the first American book on feminism. She was the first American woman foreign correspondent for the New York Tribune (1846).
Franz Mesmer
Born May 23, 1734 d. 1815
German physician. Created the theory of mesmerism, the forerunner to hypnotism.
Deaths
Photo Credit: Helge Øverås
Photo Credit: Helge Øverås
Tina Turner (Annie Mae Bullock)
Died May 23, 2023 b. 1939
American-born Swiss singer, with ex-husband Ike Turner. "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll." In 2013, she obtained Swiss citizenship and relinquished her American citizenship. Music: Proud Mary (1971). Film: Tommy (1975, Acid Queen) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).
Photo Credit: Allan warren
Photo Credit: Allan warren
Roger Moore
Died May 23, 2017 b. 1927
English actor. Film: The James Bond movies (1973-85, "Bond, James Bond"). TV: The Saint (1962-69, Simon Templar) and Maverick (1960-61, Beau "Pappy" Maverick - Sean Connery had turned down the role).
Moore was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for his services to charity.
Inventor of the Neon Light
Georges Claude
Died May 23, 1960 b. 1870
French physicist. He invented the neon light (1910).
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
Heinrich Himmler
Died May 23, 1945 b. 1900
German Nazi official. Himmler was Adolf Hitler's second in command, organized and led the S.S. (1929), headed the Gestapo (1936), and was the German interior minister (1943). He committed suicide by biting down on a cyanide capsule two days after he was captured by the Allies.
Clyde (of Bonnie & Clyde)
Clyde Barrow
Died May 23, 1934 b. 1909
American bank robber, of Bonnie and Clyde fame. He and Bonnie Parker and their gang are believed to have killed at least nine police officers and several civilians. The duo was killed by a Texas ranger and his posse, who riddled them and their car with over 130 rounds of ammo.
Bonnie (of Bonnie & Clyde)
Bonnie Parker
Died May 23, 1934 b. 1910
American bank robber. She and her partner Clyde Barrow and their gang are believed to have killed at least nine police officers and several civilians. The duo was killed by a Texas ranger and his posse, who riddled them and their car with over 130 rounds of ammo.
Anne Meara
Died May 23, 2015 b. 1929
American actress. TV: Archie Bunker's Place (1979-82, Veronica), Alf (1987-89, Dorothy), and King of Queens (2003-07, Spencer's mom). She was half of the comedy team Stiller and Meara with her husband Jerry Stiller.
Sam Snead
Died May 23, 2002 b. 1912
American Hall of Fame golfer. 3-time Masters winner (1949, 52, 54), 3-timer winner of the PGA Championship (1942, 49, 51), and winner of the British Open (1946), 6-time winner of the Seniors Championship (1964-65, 67, 70, 72-73).
The Funniest Woman in the World
Jackie "Moms" Mabley (Loretta Mary Aiken)
Died May 23, 1975 b. 1894
American comedienne. She was one of the most successful entertainers of the black vaudeville stage and was billed as "The Funniest Woman in the World."
Austin driving an Austin Seven
Photo Credit: Birmingham Museums Trust
Austin driving an Austin SevenPhoto Credit: Birmingham Museums Trust
Lord Herbert Austin
Died May 23, 1941 b. 1866
English automaker. He founded the Austin Motor Co. (1905), which became one of Britain's largest automakers.
Statue of Morris Frank and Buddy
Photo Credit: Kritzolina
Statue of Morris Frank and BuddyPhoto Credit: Kritzolina
Buddy
Died May 23, 1938 b. circa 1927
Swiss-born German shepherd, first seeing-eye dog in the U.S. (1928). He was brought from Switzerland by blind owner Morris Frank who co-founded The Seeing Eye, the first dog guide school in the U.S.
John Davison Rockefeller, Sr.
Died May 23, 1937 b. 1839
American philanthropist. Co-founded Standard Oil Company (1870). Considered the wealthiest American of all time, he gave away over $750,000,000. He was the grandfather of U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller.
Kit Carson (Christopher Carson)
Died May 23, 1868 b. 1809
American frontiersman.
William Bradford
Died May 23, 1752 b. 1663
American colonial printer. Founder of the New York Gazette (1725), the first New York newspaper.
Capt. William Kidd
Died May 23, 1701 b. 1645
Scottish pirate. He was commissioned by the King to hunt pirates, but instead became one, for which he was hanged in London.
Henry V
Died May 23, 1125 b. 1086
King of Germany (1099-1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (1111-25).
Saint Urban I
Died May 23, 230 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 17th Pope (222-230).