Died On This Date

May 23
Kidd, Capt. William
b. 1645 d. May 23, 1701
Legendary pirate. He was born in Greenock, Scotland. He emigrated to New York. During trip to England, Kidd was offered a privateer's commission for the purpose of attacking pirates by noble lords. Kidd had to sell his ship the Antigua to raise funds. The new ship, the Adventure Galley, was equipped with 34 cannons and 150 men. However Kidd’s enterprise was not a success.
Rockefeller Sr., John D.
b. July 8, 1839 d. May 23, 1937
American financier, oil magnate and philanthropist. Best known as the patriarch of the socially prominent Rockefeller family of New York, founder of the Standard Oil Company and founder of the Rockefeller Foundation. He was born John Davison Rockefeller on July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York, the son of William Avery Rockefeller, a traveling quack doctor, and Eliza Davison Rockefeller, who was very religious and disciplined. She taught John D. to work, to save, and to give to charities.

Parker, Bonnie
b. October 1, 1910 d. May 23, 1934
Legendary Outlaw. She was the middle child and oldest daughter of Henry and Emma Parker. After the death of her father in 1914, her mother moved the family to the West Dallas area called “Cement City.” In her youth, she was known for being kind, an Honor Student and a writer of poetry (and other creative writing endeavors). In 1926, She married high-school sweetheart Roy Thornton. Despite the rocky and sometimes abusive marriage and Roy’s imprisonment in 1929, she remained married to him. Cause of death: Shot to death with Clyde Barrow by officers in an ambush near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

Barrow, Clyde
b. March 24, 1909 d. May 23, 1934
Outlaw. His first crime was auto theft in 1926. He met partner Bonnie Parker when he was on parole in 1932. During two years of kidnapping and robbery they killed 12 people. He and Bonnie were shot and killed by Texas Rangers near Gibsland, Louisiana.