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

By Tim Lambert Hanging was the most common method of execution in England from the Anglo-Saxon Era until the 20th century. At first, the prisoner was made to stand 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 prisoner… Continue reading A History of Hanging

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

By Tim Lambert A pirate is a person who robs ships. The idea is not new! There have been pirates since ancient times. After 800 BC a people called the Phoenicians from what is now Lebanon had many merchant ships carrying valuable cargoes across the Mediterranean. As they sailed near the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea… Continue reading A History of Pirates

By Tim Lambert Banishment Since Ancient Times forcing an offender to leave his home and go abroad or to another region either permanently or for a fixed period has been used as a punishment. Bastinado Bastinado was beating a person on the soles of their feet with a stick. Because the soles of the feet… Continue reading A History of Punishments

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 History of Slavery

By Tim Lambert Most of us associate the guillotine with the French Revolution. However, mechanical devices for beheading people were used in Europe long before then. One was recorded in Dublin in 1307. The Scots had a beheading device called The Maiden, which was used between 1564 and 1710. Meanwhile, in the town of Halifax… Continue reading A History of The Guillotine

By Tim Lambert The Titanic is probably the most famous shipwreck of all time. The Titanic is remembered both because it sank on its maiden voyage and because of the terrible loss of life but also, perhaps because so many lives could easily have been saved (The Titanic did not have enough lifeboats for everybody).… Continue reading A History of The Titanic

By Tim Lambert The Background to the Witch Trials From the late 15th century to the late 18th century a wave of persecution washed across parts of Europe. Tens of thousands of people were executed for witchcraft. So what happened? Belief in magic was almost universal in the past. Almost all cultures believed that you… Continue reading A History of the Witch Trials in Europe

By Tim Lambert An unsolved murder happened in Portsea, Portsmouth in 1923. The victim was Mary Frances Pelham, aged 37. According to newspaper reports she was born in ‘the north of England’. During the First World War, she moved to Brighton and later to Portsmouth. She was separated from her husband. Mary was a kind… Continue reading An Unsolved Murder in Portsmouth 1923