Ruth Ellis – The Final Woman to Hang in Britain By Patricia Thompson Ruth Ellis was the 15th and last woman to be hanged in the UK on 13th July 1955; her death was instrumental in bringing about the abolition of capital punishment. May 28, 2022 • 12 min read
The Tragic Life & Death of David Reimer, The Boy Raised as a Girl By Emily G. Thompson David Reimer was born male but raised as female when his penis was injured during a botched circumcision. Dr. John Money had used David as a guinea pig to try and prove his theory that parental influences and society form sexual identity. May 27, 2021 • 4 min read
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard By Emily G. Thompson Isaac Woodard was a highly decorated African America World War II veteran. When returning home from service, he was brutally attacked by Sheriff Lynwood Shull after a bus driver lied and claimed he was causing trouble. He had simply asked to use the restroom. The beating was so severe that it left Isaac Woodard permanently blind. Apr 30, 2021 • 3 min read
The Day Muhammad Ali Saved a Suicidal Man By Emily G. Thompson In January of 1982, Muhammad Ali rushed to the scene of a suicidal man, threatening to throw himself off a building. May 15, 2020 • 2 min read
Morbidology the Podcast – 44: James Byrd Jr. By Emily G. Thompson Jasper is a small timber town around 100 miles northeast of Houston, Texas. It’s a quaint area that holds an annual Butterfly Festival the first October every year. However, in June of 1998, Jasper was rocked by a brutal hate crime that still reverberates across the nation today. Apr 20, 2020 • 6 min read
Self Isolation in a Ghost Town By Patricia Thompson The whole world is on lockdown right now and most of us can admit to feeling bored at times. But as the saying goes, things could always be worse: Brent Underwood is currently self-isolating in the abandoend Cerro Gordo mining town in California! Apr 18, 2020 • 3 min read
The First Woman African American Pilot – Bessie Coleman By Emily G. Thompson Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman to hold a pilot license, which she achieved in 1921. She died at just 34-years-old when her faulty plane took a nosedive at 2,000 feet, sending her crashing to the ground, Jan 1, 2020 • 3 min read
The Lynching of Laura & L.D. Nelson By Emily G. Thompson At one point in American history, there was nothing quite as entertaining as a lynching. During the late 19th and early 20th century, lynchings were common practice. The “Lynching Era” is one of the darkest chapters in American history. Disturbingly, it was big business to create postcards of these so-called events. Oct 19, 2019 • 3 min read
The Only White Woman to be Killed in the Fight for Civil Rights – Viola Liuzzo By Emily G. Thompson In 1965, Viola Liuzzo – a mother of five – paid the ultimate price to march in support of civil rights: her life. She was the only white woman to be murdered during the civil rights movement. Oct 10, 2019 • 4 min read
The Mother of Judo – Rena Kanokogi By Emily G. Thompson Rena Kanokogi posted as a man to enter the New York State YMCA judo championships. She won a medal but had to return it upon discovery that she was a woman. She inspired the sports world to think differently about the notion of women in competitive sports. Sep 21, 2019 • 3 min read
The Crimes of Burke and Hare By Douglas MacGowan Ironically, the duo known as the foremost of the 19th century’s Scottish grave-robbers were neither. William Burke and William Hare were natives of Ireland, and there is no evidence that any of the bodies they sold to an Edinburgh medical school were taken from cemeteries - but both eventually confessed to obtaining bodies by a more direct method: murder. Sep 11, 2019 • 4 min read
Eyam – The Plague Village By Patricia Thompson Eyam is a small village in England which lies within the Peak District National Park. It is well known as ‘the plague village' due to the collective act of self-sacrifice the villagers made during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1665/1666, when they chose to isolate themselves to prevent the infection spreading to neighbouring villages and the wider community.. Sep 4, 2019 • 6 min read
