This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened on 23rd May!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 23rd May”.
1934: Police kill famous American outlaws Bonnie and Clyde
Texas and Louisiana state police shot notorious criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in an ambush near Sailes, Louisiana. Bonnie met Clyde and helped him escape prison when she was 19. Soon after, they hooked up and started a life of crime together. They formed the Barrow Gang and robbed a string of banks in five states. They were responsible for the deaths of 13 people, including nine police officers. People still see Parker and Barrow as romantic Robin Hood figures, especially after the success of the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.
1984: Bachendri Pal becomes the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest
Bachendri Pal became India’s first woman mountaineer to conquer Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain peak. She also became the first woman mountaineer to reach the peak a day before turning thirteen. Pal accomplished her dreams at a time when women were not encouraged to participate in sports. Her family had also raised objections against her decision. Some of her accolades include the Padma Shri in 1984, Arjuna Award in 1986, National Adventure Award in 1994, and Padma Bhushan in 2019. She has also published her autobiography, ‘Everest – My journey to the Top’ through National Book Trust, Delhi.
2000: Eminem releases Grammy winner ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’
The Marshall Mathers LP is Eminem’s third studio album, with hit tracks like Stan, The Real Slim Shady, The Way I am and I’m Back. Despite the controversy of the album, it received acclaim from critics, who praised Eminem’s lyrical ability and considered the album to have emotional depth. The album stayed atop at number one on the Billboard 200 for eight consecutive weeks. Rolling Stone named it the best album of 2000. It has sold 21 million copies worldwide and certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards, while The Real Slim Shady won Best Rap Solo Performance. In 2013, Eminem released the album’s sequel, The Marshall Mathers LP 2.
2015: Ireland legalizes same-sex marriage
Ireland became the cause of celebration for thousands of LGBTQ activists celebrated as it became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage through a referendum. The referendum passed with 62% of voters (1.2 million people) voting yes and all but one of the 43 parliamentary constituencies voting in favour. Many politicians welcomed the result. Minister for Health Leo Varadkar publicly revealed he was gay and called the win a ‘historical day.’ Ireland’s first same-sex marriage happened on November 17, 2015, almost six months after the vote. The couple, Richard Dowling and Cormac Gollogly, both 35, had been together for 12 years when they finally married. Same-sex marriage is now legal in nearly 30 nations and all 50 American states.
2019: BJP wins the re-election in a landslide over Congress
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won re-election in a landslide over the opposition Congress Party. BJP become the single largest party in the House and surpassed expectations to win 303 seats. Its alliance partners brought the NDA to a total of 353 seats. Reasons attributed to the victory included the personal popularity of Narendra Modi, effective voter turnout drives by the NDA, a surge in public nationalism following the Pulwama attack, the consolidation of Hindu voters in a multi-caste coalition and the successful implementation of social welfare programmes during the First Modi ministry’s term.
