A Brief History On September 21, 1809, the British government was rocked by a duel fought between Secretary of War Lord Castlereagh and Foreign Secretary George Canning. Neither aggrieved party was killed, although Canning was shot in the thigh. Digging Deeper Epic cases of one-on-one combat are found throughout history, sometimes formal affairs and sometimes matters of chance. Some of those epic battles include: A London duel between women, in 1782, pitted Lady Almeria Braddock against Mrs. Elphinstone who claimed the former was 30 years older than Braddock stated. When pistol shots proved errant, a sword fight ensued, with Elphinstone…
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A Brief History On September 16, 2007, Americans and Iraqis found out just how dangerous it is when nations hire private “security,” basically mercenaries, during time of armed conflict. Agents of Blackwater Worldwide, a paramilitary “security” firm employed by the US in Iraq gunned down 17 Iraqi citizens, an event called “Nisour Square massacre.” Digging Deeper The incident brought international shame on the US, and only after seven years were the perpetrators tried, one convicted of murder and three of manslaughter. After finally saving some moral high ground with the convictions, in 2020 President Trump pardoned all four mercenaries! The…
A Brief History On September 15, 1440, Gilles de Rais, a knight, baron, and lord of France that had been a military leader for the French during the Hundred Years’ War that had fought alongside French saint, Joan of Arc, was arrested by Catholic Church authorities for the suspected crime of being a serial killer of children. Digging Deeper Baron de Rais had earned the criticism of his family by squandering his inheritance on an extravagant lifestyle. He continued to irritate authorities by assaulting a church official and seizing a castle, resulting in his arrest. Charged with heresy and sodomy,…
A Brief History On September 8, 1952, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, having been broadcasting radio since 1936, made its first TV broadcast on a subject seldom associated with The Great White North, the second escape from jail by the notorious Boyd Gang of criminals operating out of Toronto. Digging Deeper Canada has a reputation for being a country of nice folks, many of whom have gone on to great success in the United States, but there is more to Canada than poutine and snow, including some nasty criminals. Named for Edwin Boyd who cut his criminal teeth in Saskatchewan and…
A Brief History On September 7, 1978, a Bulgarian secret agent assassinated Bulgarian dissident, Georgi Markov, as the unfortunate man was strolling across the Waterloo Bridge in London. The novel means of committing this murder was firing or jabbing a poison Ricin pellet from a specially adapted umbrella. Markov thought little of the minor sting at the time but died four days later. Digging Deeper Some other unusual methods or weapons used in assassinations include: Edward II, King of England, had a red hot fireplace poker shoved up his butt in 1327. Alexander Litvinenko was the first ever murder victim…