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THE ASSASSINATION OF JULIUS CAESAR
It is the 15th March 44 BCE and Julius Caesar has declared himself dictator for life. There are many who are unhappy with this move and are seeking to end his leadership and his life. Caesar had led his army across the Rubicon River into northern Italy plunging the Roman Republic into a civil war. Caesars army defeated the army of his rival but not before Pompey managed to escape to Greece. Caesar chased his man down defeating his armies as he went before finally catching up with him in Egypt, well, not the man himself but his severed head, which was delivered to Caesar, instead of an extended hand…
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Sawney Bean
According to legend, Alexander “Sawney” Bean was the leader of a 48-member clan in 15th- or 16th-century Scotland and he was supposedly executed for the mass murder and cannibalisation of over 1,000 people. Sawney along with his unknown wife made their home in the caves near either Galloway, Ayrshire or Ballantrae on Bennane Head. The family grew to include 14 children and 32 grandchildren, all from incestuous relationships. Over the course of 25 years, it was said that they killed more than 1,000 people. They started out preying on single travelers, but as they grew in numbers they would start attacking groups of people on the road, then kill them…
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The Axeman of New Orleans
From May 16, 1912 to October 1919 a string of people were attacked in their homes by a person wielding an axe. Most of the victims were attacked with an axe that belonged to the victims themselves. In most cases, the back door of a home was smashed, followed by an attack on one or more of the residents with either an axe or straight razor. No robbery was involved and the perpetrator never removed items from his victims’ homes. Most of the Axeman’s victims were Italian-American, leading many to believe that the crimes were racially motivated. Many media outlets drew on that aspect of the crimes, even suggesting Mafia…
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H.H. Holmes America’s first serial killer
H.H. Holmes was born Herman Webster Mudgett on May 16, 1861, in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. Sometimes referred as the “Beast of Chicago,” H.H. Holmes killed many of the city’s inhabitants in his specially constructed home, which was later nicknamed the “Murder Castle.” He has also been linked to deaths in other parts of the United States and Canada. Holmes parents were Levi Horton Mudgett and Theodate Page Price, both of whom were descended from the first European settlers in the area. It has been said that he appeared to be unusually intelligent at an early age. Still there were haunting signs of what was to come. He expressed an interest…
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Frances Howard, the Queen of Hearts and her deadly tarts
The court of James I of England was a breathtaking place, but not built for a beautiful young woman. James I was a well documented lover of male beauty, and a stunning Howard girl was wasted on him. Luckily, young Frances Howard was not one to wait around to be noticed. Born to Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, and granddaughter of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, Frances had a noble pedigree. She was married off as a child bride to Robert Deveraux, 3rd Earl of Essex. His pedigree was nothing to sneeze at either as he was the son of the infamous Lord Essex, favorite of Queen Elizabeth, and…
