A Brief History On December 31, 192, Roman Emperor Commodus was assassinated, one of many Roman emperors that met an untimely end. Today, we take a look at just a select few of those people that died in 2022. Who else would you include on this list? Digging Deeper Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister Madeline Albright, Diplomat Kirstie Alley, actress Louie Anderson, Comedian Benedict, Pope Emeritus Peter Bogdanovich, Writer and director James Caan, Actor Irene Cara, Singer Coolio, Rapper Tony Dow, Actor Judith Durham, Singer Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet President Gilbert Gottfried, Comedian Franco…
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A Brief History On December 30, 1977, serial murderer Ted Bundy escaped from jail in Colorado, only to continue his murderous ways. Incredibly, he had also escaped only 6 months previously. Today, we ask, what was the most infamous great escape? Digging Deeper Here are some to pick from: John Dillinger, Bank Robber, in 1934 escaped from jail, purportedly using a fake gun carved from a bar of soap. Henri Charrière, Safe Cracker and murderer, in 1944 escaped from Devil’s Island, writing about it in his book, Papillon. Pablo Escobar, Drug Lord, in 1992 escaped from a Columbian prison he…
A Brief History On December 29, 1916, the Russian known as “Rasputin,” or “The Mad Monk,” was murdered by a group of Russian noblemen, finally dying the next day after surviving being poisoned with cyanide and shot three times, and ultimately having to be drowned. Today, we look at some of history’s toughest characters that were hard to kill. Digging Deeper Blackbeard the Pirate: In 1718, the most notorious pirate of them all was finally killed in spectacular fashion, only after being shot five times and slashed by swords 20 times! Hugh Glass: A tough as nails Mountain Man and…
A Brief History On December 28, 1918, Countess Constance Markievicz was elected to the British Parliament, the first woman to achieve that feat. Incredibly, she was in jail for anti-conscription activity when elected! Digging Deeper Constance Gore-Booth was born in London to minor nobility, a Baronet of partially Irish heritage, and his lady, and was somewhat privileged in her youth. She later married Count Casimir Markievicz, a Polish playwright. Constance was active in social causes such as Women’s Suffrage and various Irish nationalist organizations. Not only was she elected to Parliament in an historic election, but she was also later…
A Brief History On December 27, 1771, French engineer, Henri Pitot, died at the age of 76. Although you may not be familiar with him, his invention, the Pitot Tube, has probably served you well in your life, as it is the primary instrument used for measuring the speed of aircraft and boats, as well as other liquids and gases. Today, we take time to remember some of the famous folks that died on December 27th. Digging Deeper 1834: Charles Lamb, English essayist and poet. 1836: Stephen Austin, known as “The Father of Texas” and the namesake of the state’s…