Category: Articles of the key ‘dark’ historical events across the world

By Tim Lambert Jack the Ripper was a mysterious figure who stalked the East End of London in 1888. Jack the Ripper’s Victims Martha Tabram (?) Nobody is certain how many women Jack the Ripper killed. Most people think there were 5 victims but there may have been others. One possible victim was Martha Tabram.… Continue reading A Biography of Jack the Ripper

By Tim Lambert Ivan the Terrible is remembered as a cruel tyrant although he also strengthened Russia. (When Ivan was born Russia was much smaller than it is now and much less powerful). Ivan was born on 25 August 1530. His father was Grand Prince Vasily III of Moscow. However, the Grand Prince died in… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Ivan the Terrible

By Tim Lambert Slavery in the Ancient World Slavery is the ownership of one human being by another. It has existed throughout history in many cultures and is by no means extinct today. In the distant past, people often slaughtered their enemies but sometimes they were taken prisoner and used as slaves. In the Ancient… Continue reading A Brief History of Slavery

By Tim Lambert For centuries arsenic was used to dispose of unwanted relatives. It was called the widowmaker or inheritance powder. Here are the stories of some infamous arsenic poisoners. Gesche Gottfried Gesche Gottfried was born in 1785. She poisoned at least fifteen people with arsenic in Germany between 1813 and 1827, including both her… Continue reading A History of Arsenic

By Tim Lambert Auschwitz is perhaps the most notorious concentration camp where more than a million innocent people were murdered. During the First World War, a camp for immigrant workers was built by the Polish town of Oswiecim, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the war it Oswiecim became part of the… Continue reading A History of Auschwitz

By Tim Lambert Hanging was the most common method of execution in England from Saxon times until the 20th century. At first, the criminal stood on a ladder, which was pulled away, or on a cart, which was moved. From the 18th century, he stood on a trapdoor. Sometimes the hanged man broke his neck… Continue reading A History of Capital Punishment in the UK

By Tim Lambert Early Corporal Punishment Corporal punishment is derived from a Latin word meaning body. It meant physical punishment and in the past, it was very common. In the past corporal punishment was by no means limited to children. It was used on adults as well. Whipping has been a common punishment since ancient… Continue reading A History of Corporal Punishment

By Tim Lambert Domestic violence or partner-on-partner violence is probably as old as the human race. In 1655 Massachusetts Bay Colony in North America decreed ‘No man shall strike his wife nor any woman her husband’. The punishment was a heavy fine or corporal punishment. This was one of the first laws in the Western… Continue reading A History of Domestic Violence

By Tim Lambert The idea of robbing people while they travel along roads is a very old one. In the Middle Ages, there were plenty of outlaws ready to rob travelers. However, the ‘golden age’ of highwaymen was the 17th century and 18th century. At that time trade and commerce were increasing and there were… Continue reading A History of Highwaymen

By Tim Lambert The Rise of the Nazis The depression of the early 1930s was a disaster for Germany. While unemployment was 1.4 million in 1928 it rose to 4.8 million in 1931. By 1932 it was 6 million. About one man in three was out of work. One effect of the depression was that… Continue reading A History of Nazi Germany