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

By Tim Lambert This was a Let a notorious case from the early 18th century when murderers were caught because of a head. 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… Continue reading Catherine Hayes

By Tim Lambert Catherine Wilson has the distinction of being the last woman to be hanged in public in London. Public executions drew big crowds as they were free entertainment. Catherine Wilson was a female poisoner. Her poison of choice was colchicum, a kind of crocus. In small doses, it was used as a medicine… Continue reading Catherine Wilson – the Poisoner

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

By Tim Lambert Gordon Cummins was a serial killer in Britain in 1942. He was known as the Blackout Ripper because he killed women during blackouts. During the Second World War, all lights had to be hidden to avoid helping enemy bombers.  Windows were covered to prevent lights in buildings from shining out, and the… Continue reading Gordon Cummins

By Tim Lambert The Murder of Percy Searle Havant has a connection with Jack the Ripper. At the time of the murders, in 1888 a letter with a Portsmouth postmark was sent to a magistrate claiming to be from Jack the Ripper. The writer said not to look for him in London because ‘I’m not… Continue reading Jack the Ripper in Havant?

By Tim Lambert An Unsolved Trunk Murder in Brighton 1934 An unsolved murder took place in Brighton, England in 1934. A body was found in a trunk but the victim was never identified and the case was never solved. On 17th June 1934, a railway employee named William Vinnicombe noticed a horrid odour coming from… Continue reading The Brighton Trunk Murders

By Tim Lambert The Beginning 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. There… Continue reading The Bushranger Ned Kelly

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

By Tim Lambert The Holodomor was a man-made famine in Ukraine in 1932-33. It was caused by Stalin, and it led to the deaths of millions of people. Stalin decided that farms in Ukraine should be collectivized. The peasants would be deprived of their land and domestic animals. They would be made to work as… Continue reading The Holodomor

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