Browsing: Crime

A Brief History On August 5, 1305, William Wallace, the Scottish hero known as “Braveheart” in the 1995 movie, was captured by the English and then executed for treason in the gory way “traitors” were put to death at that time. Digging Deeper Wallace was a landowner.  Born in Renfrewshire, Scotland around 1270, he had some noble blood.  When the throne of Scotland was up for grabs in the late 1280s, the King of England, Edward I, stepped in to play kingmaker and selected John Balliol to play his puppet.  King John, Edward’s “yes man,” was considered weak by his fellow Scots and…

A Brief History On August 5, 1861, the Federal Government of the United States instituted its first income tax to help pay for the Civil War.  With a tax rate of only 3% on all income over $800, it may seem like a bargain today, but at the time it was about as popular as emptying the chamber pot.  Governments have a way of irritating their people with unpopular laws, and here we list 10 such legislative actions.  Some have been rescinded, while others just will not go away.   Digging Deeper 10. Income Tax. Everyone seems to have their own…

A Brief History On August 3, 1921, the Commissioner of Baseball, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, reaffirmed the ban from baseball of the 8 players involved in the “Black Sox” scandal, even though they had just been acquitted in criminal court.  Accused of throwing the 1919 World Series, the group included the immortal Shoeless Joe Jackson, one of the game’s most popular players.  The world of sports has since been beset by scandals over the years.  Here we list 10 of the most famous and most interesting cases.  Which cases would you include in this list?  Do we need a sequel? (Hint:…

A Brief History On July 30, 1975, Teamsters leader James R. Hoffa was last seen outside a suburban Detroit restaurant.  He has not been seen since, and as of July 30, 1982 has been presumed dead.  Ever since, speculation about what happened to the fiery 62 year old union leader has run wild.  Digging Deeper Rumors about who killed him and why have abounded, as have a plethora of places his body is alleged to have been hidden or disposed of.  Is he buried under the Giants stadium at the Meadowlands?  Or under tons of concrete at a Detroit building…

A Brief History On July 29, 1993, Ukrainian-American retired auto worker, John Demjanjuk, was finally acquitted by the Supreme Court of Israel and was a free man.  Or was he? Digging Deeper The long sad story began when Demjanjuk was born in the Ukraine in 1920.  Life was normal (which in the 1930’s Ukraine was starvation during Stalin’s famine) until World War II when he was drafted into the Red Army of the Soviet Union.  Captured by the Germans, he finished the war as a POW under horrible conditions.   This moment is where the story hit’s a snag.  According to…