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Posted by: Heather Thomas
On a peaceful Sunday in 1859 in the nation's capital, Congressman Daniel E. Sickles shot and killed U.S. District Attorney Philip Barton Key in broad daylight on Lafayette Square. The murder and subsequent trial captivated antebellum America and sparked nationwide debates about male honor, female virtue, insanity, and the rule of law.
Posted in: Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers
Posted by: Heather Thomas
One hundred years ago, the world was a very different place. But many things from 1920 changed the course of history and, in a lot of ways, helped to shape the world we live in today.
Posted in: African American History, Baseball, Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Sports, Women's History
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Without a flicker of emotion, Russian aristocrat, Prince Felix Yussupov, declared on the witness stand that he killed Russia’s “Mad Monk,” Rasputin. Yussupov described in detail how he helped poison, shoot, beat, and drown him, as part of a larger conspiracy to murder the mystical “holy man,” who had gained powerful influence over the Imperial …
Posted in: Biography, Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers
Posted by: Heather Thomas
The infamous trials throughout the early 20th century provide great theater for the masses. A look at these trials gives a snapshot of the issues of class, wealth, status, and race that pervade the time period.
Posted in: Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers
Posted by: Heather Thomas
There are some cases that capture the public's imagination and cause a media frenzy. There's the political trials, which cover treason, spying, dissidents, and radicals. Celebrity trials that involve high-profile people, whether victims or defendants. And the "whodunit" trials that are surrounded in mystery. Whatever the case, 19th century America has its share of legendary trials that captivate the public interest and newspapers deliver all the sensational details.
Posted in: African American History, Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Gunfire erupts on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on March 1, 1954, when four Puerto Rican nationalists shoot at random from the spectators' galleries, shouting "Viva Puerto Rico libre!"--"Long live free Puerto Rico!" Five members of Congress are injured, one seriously.
Posted in: Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Hispanic American History, Newspapers
Posted by: Heather Thomas
One minute they’re here, the next they’re gone. The history of infamous kidnappings in America is long and stretches back centuries. In some cases, the missing are released and recovered alive, while others are not so lucky. Other disappearances remain unsolved. Cynthia Ann Parker May 19, 1836, Waco—The 9-year-old Texan girl is kidnapped by Comanche …
Posted in: Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Mystery, Newspapers
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Diabolical and prolific serial killers existed early in America at a time when police were still devising investigative methods to link related murders. Newspapers reported the gory details of their crimes to a terrified, yet fascinated public.
Posted in: Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers
Posted by: Heather Thomas
It was the result of pure serendipity—a deadly assassin impeded by casual effects. Ordinary items that were unintentionally but strategically placed by the victim in a breast pocket that blocked the course of an otherwise lethal bullet.
Posted in: Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents