Browsing: Crime

A Brief History On December 24, 1865, six former Confederate veterans of the recently concluded US Civil War formed the first known chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, an organization largely founded on the principles of White Supremacy and violence against African Americans and those not in agreement with Klan beliefs.  Klansmen were characterized by their scary apparel that hid the identity of the individuals, evolving into the familiar white robes and hoods. Digging Deeper As disaffected Confederate veterans across the South formed other chapters and similar organizations, a loose umbrella organization developed with former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest…

A Brief History On December 22, 69 AD, the reigning Emperor of Rome, Vitellius, was captured and murdered on the Gemonian Stairs in Rome, proving once again how dangerous it was to be a Roman Emperor. Digging Deeper The year 69 AD is also known as “The Year of the Four Emperors” which should give something of a clue as to how short one’s reign may be.  The guy that succeeded Vitellius, known as Vespasian, managed to stay on the throne for 10 years, die of natural causes and be succeeded by his son Titus, who also died of natural…

A Brief History On December 16, 1773, Americans proved that they were not willing to be pushed around by a government that levied onerous taxes upon them, and this displeasure was expressed in the civil act of defiance known to us today as The Boston Tea Party. Digging Deeper Today’s anti-tax minded Americans calling themselves the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party Movement (circa 2010) finds its origins in this step leading to the American Revolutionary War. The Tea Act of May 10, 1773 had been passed by Parliament in England to tax tea headed for the colonies in America, and…

A Brief History On December 13, 1294, Pope Celestine V, also known as Saint Celestine, resigned from the office of Pope of the Roman Catholic Church after only five months as pope.  An ineffective and incompetent pope, Celestine pulled stunts such as appointing several people to the same high position and acting as a puppet for King Charles II of Naples.  The successor to Celestine as Pope, Boniface VIII, imprisoned Celestine and overturned the various decrees Celestine managed to publish.  One of these decrees was the right of a Pope to abdicate, the right under which Celestine quit.  Obviously, both…

A Brief History On December 8, 2012, Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent was driving drunk at high speed with fellow Cowboy, linebacker Jerry Brown, as a passenger.  Brent lost control of his car when it hit a curb, flipping the car and catching on fire.  Brent recovered from his injuries, but Brown died that same night. Digging Deeper Not only were the 2 men teammates on the Cowboys, but they had also both attended Illinois and were teammates there as well.  Although emotional and devastated by the news, the Cowboys actually won their game against the Bengals the next…