By Tim Lambert Catherine Hayes was executed for killing her husband in 1726. She was born Catherine Hall near Birmingham in 1690. She moved around the country working as a domestic servant. Eventually, she was employed by a farmer named Hayes in Warwickshire. In 1713 she married the farmer’s son John, who was a carpenter… Continue reading Catherine Hayes
Category: Articles of the key ‘dark’ historical events across the world
Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia
By Tim Lambert Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia was the victim of an unsolved murder that took place in 1947. She was just 22. Her body was found on the morning of Wednesday 15 January 1947 on a vacant building plot in the Leimert Park district of Los Angeles in California. Her naked… Continue reading Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia
Fanny Adams
By Tim Lambert Fanny Adams was an 8-year-old girl who was murdered in Alton, Hampshire in 1867. Fanny was born on 30 April 1859. Her father was a bricklayer named George. Her mother was named Harriett. Fanny was the fourth of six children. She had three sisters and two brothers. Fanny was tall for her… Continue reading Fanny Adams
Fascist Italy
By Tim Lambert Mussolini Seizes Power When the First World War began a Socialist called Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), who was editor of the newspaper Avanti! opposed Italy joining the war. However, he soon changed his mind. By October 1914 Mussolini decided Italy should join. He resigned from Avanti! and founded his own newspaper called Popolo… Continue reading Fascist Italy
The Bushranger Ned Kelly
By Tim Lambert The Beginning n In the 19th century Australia had a number of outlaws or bushrangers; the most famous is Ned Kelly. Edward or Ned Kelly was born in 1855 of Irish parents. Ned Kelly became a bushranger in 1878 when policemen called Alexander Fitzpatrick went to arrest his brother for horse stealing.… Continue reading The Bushranger Ned Kelly
The Great Fire of London 1666
By Tim Lambert In 1666 London was devastated by a terrible fire. The Great Fire of London destroyed a great deal of property but fortunately, only a small number of people were killed. In the 17th century fire was a constant danger in towns when many houses were made of wood and streets were narrow.… Continue reading The Great Fire of London 1666
The Guillotine
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 The Guillotine
The Katyn Massacre
By Tim Lambert In 1939 Stalin made a treaty with Hitler and they agreed to split Poland between them. Germany invaded Poland from the west on 1 September 1939. The Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east on 17 September. All Polish resistance ceased on 5 October 1939. Afterward, Germany occupied about 2/3 of Poland… Continue reading The Katyn Massacre
The Shark Arm Case Sydney
By Tim Lambert The Shark Arm Case happened in Sydney, Australia in April 1935. Fishermen caught a 14-foot-long live tiger shark. It was put on display in Coogee Aquarium but at about 5 pm on 25 April 1935 (Anzac Day) the shark regurgitated a tattooed human arm. The arm was well preserved and it had… Continue reading The Shark Arm Case Sydney