May 23 in A.A. History

1888: Dr. Nathan Clark Burnham and Matilda Hoyt Spelman [left, respectively, c. 1888] were married in Brooklyn, New York, likely at the local Swedenborgian Church [right: Clark St. & Monroe Place, 1922]. Their first child was Lois, who would marry Bill W.

May in A.A. History—day unknown

1966: The AA Exchange Bulletin, later renamed Box 4-5-9, in a short item named “AA on TV,” announced [left] the creation of four 60-second A.A. television spots. Public Information Committees, Groups, and Central Offices could purchase these spots for $20 each [~$206 in 2026].
    These spots featured real A.A. members, whose faces were not visible, but who represented a diverse cross-section of society: a truck driver, a housewife, a switchboard operator, and a business executive. Each concluded with an appearance by Dr. John “Jack” L. Norris, the Class A (non-alcoholic) chairman of the General Service Board [right, 1967]. He affirmed that while A.A. did not solicit members, it stood ready to assist anyone struggling with their drinking.
    These spots were intended for local television stations to air as Public Service Announcements (PSAs). Stations broadcast PSAs at no charge, fulfilling their legal requirement to provide free airtime for a certain number of them.

A.A. History—year, month & day unknown

Early 1860s: After five years in Sing Sing prison [left], Jeremiah “Jerry” McAuley [near right] was moved to tears at a Sunday chapel service. The cause: Hezekiah Orville “Awful” Gardner [far right], a man with whom Jerry had collaborated on many corrupt enterprises, was testifying to his Christian conversion. Jerry immediately recognized Orville’s sincerity.
    Orville’s powerful testimony ignited Jerry’s own search for answers in the Bible. Night after night, he read, fueling a burning desire to experience the same transformation he had witnessed in Orville. A still, small voice within him urged, “Pray,” but Jerry felt utterly unable to. The inner voice then reminded him of the publican’s prayer: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Still, he couldn’t bring himself to pray, and the struggle continued.
    “It was as if God were fighting the devil for me,” Jerry later recalled. “To every thought that came up, there came a verse of Scripture.”
    For three or four weeks, this internal battle persisted. Many times, he would drop to his knees, only to quickly jump up again, prayer eluding him. One day, a female missionary visited the prison. Her fervent prayers, as she literally cried out to the Lord, moved Jerry deeply and intensified his already profound struggle. That night, he resolved to remain on his knees until he found forgiveness. As he later recounted in his autobiography, Transformed:; or, The History of a River Thief, Briefly Told [right: 1st edition title page]:

    All at once it seemed as if something supernatural was in my room. I was afraid to open my eyes. I was in an agony and the tears rolled off my face in great drops. How I longed for Gods [sic] mercy! Just then, in the very height of my distress, it seemed as if a hand was laid upon my head and these words came to me: “My son, thy sins which are many are forgiven.” I do not know if I heard a voice, yet the words were distinctly spoken in my soul. I jumped from my knees. I paced up and down my cell. A heavenly light seemed to fill it. A softness and a perfume like the fragrance of flowers. I did not know if I was living or not. I clapped my hands and shouted, “Praise God! Praise God!”