By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, May 23, the 144th day of 2008. 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, La.

On this date:
In 1430, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English.

In 1701, Captain William Kidd was hanged in London after he was convicted of piracy and murder.

In 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

In 1940, Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, the Pied Pipers and featured soloist Frank Sinatra recorded "I'll Never Smile Again" in New York for RCA.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces bogged down in Anzio, Italy, began a major breakout offensive.

In 1945, Nazi official Heinrich Himmler committed suicide while imprisoned in Luneburg, Germany.

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 1993, a jury in Baton Rouge, La., 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.)

Ten years ago: Official returns showed two convincing "yes" votes for the Northern Ireland peace accord: a surprisingly strong 71.1 percent in British-linked Northern Ireland, and 94.4 percent in the Republic of Ireland.

Five years ago: By the narrowest of margins, Congress sent President Bush the third tax cut of his presidency - a $330 billion package of rebates and lower rates for families and new breaks for businesses and investors.
One year ago: President Bush, speaking at the U.S. Coast Guard commencement, portrayed the Iraq war as a battle between the U.S. and al-Qaida and contended that Osama bin Laden was setting up a terrorist cell in Iraq to strike targets in America. Jordin Sparks was crowned the latest "American Idol" on the Fox reality show.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Betty Garrett is 89. Pianist Alicia de Larrocha is 85. Bluegrass singer Mac Wiseman is 83. Actress Barbara Barrie is 77. Actress Joan Collins is 75. Actor Charles Kimbrough is 72. Actress Lauren Chapin is 63. Country singer Misty Morgan is 63. Country singer Judy Rodman is 57. Singer Luka Bloom is 53. Actor-comedian Drew Carey is 50. Country singer Shelly West is 50. Actor Linden Ashby is 48. Actress-model Karen Duffy is 47. Rock musician Phil Selway (Radiohead) is 41. Actress Laurel Holloman is 40. Rock musician Matt Flynn (Maroon 5) is 38. Singer Lorenzo is 36. Country singer Brian McComas is 36. Singer Maxwell is 35. Singer Jewel is 34. Actor Lane Garrison is 28. Actor Adam Wylie is 24.

Thought for Today: "When you shut one eye, you do not hear everything." - Swiss proverb.