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
The Festival of Samhain By Douglas MacGowan November 1st marks the annual and ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a celebration that marked the beginning of the new year and paid homage to the supernatural influences that inhabited the dark days of the coming winter. Jul 21, 2019 • 3 min read
Sir Christopher Lee & A Slice of Death By Robert Walsh June 17, 1939 wasn’t an ordinary summer’s day for Parisians, nor for 17-year-old Englishman Chrisopher Lee. Decades before portraying French executioner Charles-Henri Sanson in 1989’s ‘La Revolution Francaise,’ Lee had his own close encounter with what the French called their ‘National Razor.’ Apr 23, 2019 • 4 min read
The Only Woman Medal of Honor Recipient – Dr. Mary Walker By Emily Thompson Out of the nearly 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients, only one was a woman. Dr. Mary Walker was an American abolitionist, prohibitionist, prisoner of war, and surgeon. Mar 15, 2019 • 2 min read
The Incan Child Sacrifices By Emily Thompson More than 500 years ago, three children climbed up the Llullaillaco volcano on the border of Argentina and Chile and never came back down. They were the probable victims of human sacrifice. Mar 5, 2019 • 3 min read
Befriending the KKK By Emily Thompson Daryl Davis - an African American blues musician - has spent the last 35 years befriending members of the Ku Klux Klan in a bid to understand them and make them see the error of their ways. Jan 27, 2019 • 3 min read
The Unsolved Civil Rights Murder of William Lewis Moore By Emily Thompson The struggle for civil rights in the United States has a long and murderous history. William Lewis Moore was murdered while waging a one-man protest against segregation. Oct 29, 2018 • 5 min read
Wojtek – The Polish Soldier Bear By Emily Thompson Wojtek was an orphaned bear who was adopted by the Polish Second Corps during WWII. Wojtek accompanied the soldiers into battle and was even enlisted into the 22nd Artillery Transport Company and given the rank of private. Oct 6, 2018 • 4 min read
5 Horrific Circus Tragedies By Emily Thompson Circus life can be perilous; whether malfunctioning high wires, animal tragedies, or fires, when something goes wrong, it can be life-threatening. Here, we count down five of the most horrific circus tragedies in history. Jul 13, 2018 • 9 min read
