Evil in the Air
Two nights August 8 and 9, 1969 rocked Los Angeles. On the night of the August 8th at the rental home of Roman Polanski and his pregnant wife Sharon Tate a group of deranged hippies gruesomely killed Steven Parent, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, Abigail Folger, Sharon Tate and Sharon Tate’s unborn child. Polanski was in [...]
420
One of the terms that many seem to be seeing in personal ads and even sometimes a a text code is 420. Today it is generally used to signify illegal drug use or more specifically the use of marijuana. But where did the term come from. According to snopes.com it started to be used by [...]
Alice of Wonderland
There is a lot of buzz about the new Alice in Wonderland movie. The film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and stars Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Michael Sheen and others is not a retelling of the original books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the [...]
The First of the Year
In ancient Rome the first month of the new year was the same one in which spring began. That month was called Martius after the God of War, Mars. Today we call the month March. Spring would seem a natural time for the new year to begin, since that’s when the climate changes and the [...]
The Black Dahlia
When Elizabeth Short left San Diego for Los Angeles on January 9, 1947 she was simply a 22 year old aspiring actress. On that day she hitched a ride to LA with salesman Robert Manley. He dropped her off at the Bilmore Hotel at around 6:30 PM. A few hours later she was seen leaving [...]
The Mystery Dies
December 3, 1926 was a quiet Friday evening. Mystery writer Agatha Christie was well on her way as an established writing having just published her seventh book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. After giving her daughter a goodnight kiss she suddenly left the house for a car ride. The next morning the car was discovered [...]
Attempting One Thing; Developing Another
Sometimes while trying to do one thing, another completely different item will turn up. Here are a few accidental discoveries that many of us would not want to do without. One day in the 1940’s while George de Mestral, a Swiss inventor, was walking his dog he noticed that his pants got covered with cockleburs. [...]
A Third Friday the 13th
2009 is one of those rare years when there are three months that have a Friday the 13th. The first was February followed a month later in March. The third is today. Instead of repeating the Friday the 13th post from earlier in the year, just take a look at it: Friday the 13th
Happy Birthday Charlie
Charles Manson was born on November 12, 1934. His mother Kathleen Maddox was a 16-year-old unmarried mother. When he was born he was first known as ‘no name Maddox’. Then he was called Charles Miles Maddox and finally Charles Miles Manson. Kathleen Maddox was married for a time after his birth to William Manson. This [...]
Jack’s Last Victim
Who was Jack the Ripper? There are many theories and he (if it was a man) will probably never be identified. Nor perhaps will the exact number of his victims will be established. It is generally agreed that there were five victims and the last Mary Jane Kelly is assumed to have been murdered in [...]
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