KNOW YOUR WORLD (past and present)

50 Years Before Ted Bundy, Earle Nelson Was The Most Prolific Serial Killer In American History,Why "Gorilla Man" Earle Nelson was America's worst murderer long before the term "serial killer" was even invented. In the era before the likes of Ted Bundy and the Zodiac Killer, plenty of serial killers roamed throughout the United States and committed unspeakable acts of murder — even though the very term “serial killer” hadn’t yet been invented and the public wasn’t yet fascinated by these murderers like it is today. And in that era before serial killers were mainstays on front pages and movie screens, one of America’s grisliest and most prolific murderers was a man named Earle Nelson. The tragedy of Earle Nelson began a mere 15 months after his birth in San Francisco on May 12, 1897. It was then that his parents both died of syphilis, causing him to go live with his maternal grandparents, Lars and Jennie Nelson. The Nelsons lived a puritan lifestyle and sought to...

At the time, Wöbbelin held thousands of inmates. Most, including George Salton, were sent there from other camps in the last weeks of the war. I was liberated in spring of 1945. I was, by that time, a prisoner in various concentration camps for over three years, and it was the tenth camp," George remembered.  It was a camp that apparently the Germans didn't finish when we arrived there. The buildings were not finished, there were no floors in the few barracks, no windows." By the time Allied troops arrived there, they found sick, starving inmates who were barely surviving. I had basically deteriorated very badly physically. I couldn't, I couldn't walk very well...," George recalled. " I think if I wasn't liberated, in a matter of days, I would have been one of those bodies that was laying in mountains of dead in front of the toilets." The original caption of this photo taken by the US Army Signal Corps at  Wöbbelin reads, "New Nazi horror c...

In fact, Kapampangan women, throughout history, were as empowered, and empowering, as their male counterparts, on these day two Kapampangan women, Dionisia Talangpaz and Cecilia Talangpaz of Calumpit, Bulacan, founded the Congregation of the Augustinian. Just because you see very few women in Kapampangan history does not mean they weren’t there, or didn’t play crucial roles, or merely stayed home while their men were out changing the world. In fact, Kapampangan women, throughout history, were as empowered, and empowering, as their male counterparts. For example, as early as the 1300s and 1400s powerful women with names like Panginuan (‘the Revered One”) and Sasamban (“the Worshipped One”) were already enjoying co-ruler status witn their husbands in the ancient Kapampangan-Tagalog communities around the Pampanga and Pasig rivers. Their daughters, daughters-in-law, nieces and granddaughters, with names like Kalangitan, Makayabongdili, Mandik, Samak, Monmon, Bayinda and Taui, founded or c...

According to Strabo(63BC-23AD),  the Baja were a Black-skinned people who were used to raiding and pillaging on the fringes of the desert.... "  The Baja were a people around the Nile in Egypt and the Sudan, fond of daggers, swords, scimitars and camels; their hair was made curly by a hot knife" (instead of weaving the hair, like the male Luwata and Gatuleg). They 'were as black as tar' and weren't "good to have as a  friend or foe". These were among some of the ancient tribes that made up what was most of north Africa before the coming of the Persians, the Assyrians (during the reign of Ashur banipal), the Greeks, the Romans,  the Hyksos and the coming of the Caucasoid groups known today as the Arabs in the 3rd century CE, a situation that intensified in the 7th and 8th century CE with the spread of Islam and Arab slave trade as well as the trans-saharan trade. The effects of concubinage, Barbary slavery, migration and earlier encroachments of Europeans...

EUNUCH,Definition of eunuch 1: a castrated man placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chamberlain in a palace 2: a man or boy deprived of the testes or external genitals Castrated African Slaves,Did you know that Arabs gutted over 10 million Black boys to get barely 200,000 eunuchs for their harems?  During the Trans-Saharan EnSlavement Trade millions of African men were captured from Darfur, Abyssinia, Kordofan, Zanzibar, and other African nations and then ultimately castrated in Arab-controlled regions in Arabian and Africa.  Ironically their lack of sexual function did not prevent them from obtaining privileges such as working as Harem guards and palace courtiers. These forced castrations which made African boys into Eunuchs were done by Arabs known as the Chamba. Young boys, victims of raids and wars were subjected to the horrid monstrous, inhumane process of castration without anesthesia which had a 60% mortality. To stop the bleeding hot coals were cast into the na...

German woman named Shani Louk who was said to have been killed, stripped naked, and paraded by Hamas militants is alive, according to reports. She was reportedly found alive in a hospital. Her mother Ricarda has also released a video message asking the German government to act quickly to get her daughter out of the war-torn region. We now have information that Shani is alive but has a serious head injury and is in critical condition. Every minute is critical. And we ask...no, we demand the German government to act quickly," Ricarda can be heard saying in the video. One should not argue about the question of jurisdiction. One must act quickly to get Shani out of the Gaza Strip," the woman urges the German authorities. "This is really my desperate call to the entire country of Germany to help me get my Shani back home healthy," she adds. Days ago, a video clip of the woman's body being paraded naked by Hamas militants had surfaced online. It was believed that the ...

Today is April 28,  and on this date in history, in 1945, in northern Italy, Benito Mussolini and his mistress were shot by a firing squad of Communist partisans.  Mussolini and his girl friend were attempting to escape to Germany with retreating German troops.   After shooting them, Mussolini and Clara Petacci, his mistress, were ignominiously hung upside down in a square in Milan, Italy. Mussolini came to power in Italy in the early 1920's and although his fascist economic policies had varying degrees of success, as a general rule Italy benefited by his programs. His fascism was widely admired and copied by other countries especially after the Great Depression started.   Fascism is essentially the symbiotic co-operation of government and business in the economic area, at least, and parts of F. D. Roosevelt's New Deal were copied directly from Mussolini. Mussolini's downfall began with the rise of Hitler in Germany in 1933.  At first Mussolini was mor...

Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army during the Vistula-Oder Offensive 75 years ago. More than one million people, most of them Jews, had been murdered at Auschwitz by the Nazis and by January 1945 there were approximately 60,000 prisoners at the site.  As the Red Army approached the camp, the majority of the prisoners were forced to leave on death march westwards while 7,000 were left behind. The liberation was not a specific goal for the Red Army but they had already liberated camps in the Baltic area during 1944.  Soviet soldiers from the 322nd Rifle Division arrived at Auschwitz at 3pm on 27 January. 231 Red Army troops actually died in fighting around Monowitz (a sub-camp of Auschwitz), Birkenau and Auschwitz I as well as the local towns of Oswecim and Brzezinka.  The SS guards at Auschwitz had left and the majority of the 7,000 prisoners were seriously ill. Most were middle-aged adults or children younger than 15. The Red Army also found 600 co...

Flakhelfer; anti-aircraft warfare helpers of 15 to 17 year old German students during World War II.)  According to the story that Henke maintained throughout his life, he was based in Stettin with a battery of 88mm guns.  As the Soviets advanced so the German forces were pushed back towards Rostock.  It was here where the Soviets finally overran their unit, that these photographs were taken. The alternative story is given by the American photojournalist John Florea.  He alleges that he took these photographs in Hessen, in the village of Hüttenberg-Rechtenbach, which is just north of Frankfurt am Main.  The area in which the photos of Hans-Georg were taken is incontrovertibly Hessen. John Florea is adamant that Hans-Georg is not sobbing because his world had crumbled but rather due to combat shock after being overrun by the American forces. The sole motive for Henke dissembling on this issue must relate to the fact that after the war he elected to join the Commun...

Today 108 years ago, on August 23, 1914, the Battle of Mons began, in which a strange, mythical event known as the "Angels of Mons" occurred. The British troops were heavily outnumbered, but managed to hold off the German attacks time after time. After 48 hours, the Germans finally broke through, in part due to the sheer number of German troops and artillery overwhelming the exhausted British defenders, and the British and French withdrew to the Marne. On September 29, 1914, Welsh author Arthur Machen published a short story named "The Bowmen" in a London newspaper.  The story described how phantom bowmen from the Battle of Agrincourt on October 25, 1415 in the Hundred Years' War came to the aid of the British soldiers at Mons and helped them repulse the Germans. Despite Machen stating it was fictional numerous times, the story went viral in the British public, and soon the entire world. Instead of bowmen, the popular version of the story went that it was angeli...

39 year old Antonio “Babe” Mancini was an Italian immigrant and was a known gangster as well as being the manager of the Palm Beach club at 37 Wardour Street in London’s Soho district.  Above the club was a billiards hall. There was a strong rivalry and turf war between the Italian and Jewish gangs in Soho leading to regular fights.  On the evening of Thursday the 1st of May 1941, a fight broke out in the billiards room and Mancini went upstairs to investigate, armed with a knife. As he entered, he heard a familiar voice say “Here’s Babe, let’s get him!”  Mancini was then confronted by Edward Fletcher, a member of the Hoxton Gang, whom he had previously banned from the club and 36 year old Henry “Hubby” Distleman.   Fletcher attempted to hit Mancini with a chair but Mancini stabbed him in the wrist.  Distleman was not so lucky and was stabbed through the heart, the knife entering under his armpit. His final words were “I’m stabbed. Babe’s done it”. Mancini ...

On Wednesday the 30th of October 1935, Robert Baxter would conduct his final execution, at London’s Pentonville prison.  His sight was failing and he could no longer adequately see what he was doing.  He was removed from the Home Office list the following day. The subject of this execution would be 27 year old Alan James Grierson who was to die for the murder of 62 year old Louise Bertha Gann.  Grierson was recorded as being 5’ 8 1/2” tall and weighing 182 lbs.    He was given a drop of 6’ 2”.  Baxter was assisted by Henry Pollard.  Despite his failing eyesight, the hanging was carried out in a satisfactory manner, according to the LPC4 form. Outside the prison, Maxine Gann, Louise’s daughter, sat in her car with friends while the execution took place. In April 1935, Grierson had met Maxine Gann at a club in Hammersmith.  Louise had been asked to look after a flat at 19 Gloucester Road in Regent’s Park, London, owned by her long time friend D...

The Emperor Trajan in full Imperial military regalia. His Paludamentum is in "Imperial Purple" with intricate gold embroidery further highlighting his position, power and wealth.  A full length cloak such as this in this shade of purple was illegal for all except the Emperor and sometimes commanders of extremely high station.  Similarly, the blue pteruges with gold stitching and twirled cotton tassles was also of a shade reserved for only the Emperor and perhaps Governors and Commanders in favour with the Imperial household.  His command sash again is in the Imperial Purple and his Attic-Style Helmet is of exceptional quality and that twin wedged V Shaped crest would be from an aquila (eagle) and are dyed a deep military red.  He wears a white/grey tunic with military braccae (pants that reached just below the knees) and then highly detailed greaves with semi-articulated patella guards (knee caps) have Roman Aquila etched into them.  Not to long after this greav...

Two of the gruesome images recorded on October 4, 1862, by St. Louis photographer Nicholas Brown, depicting Confederate dead at Corinth, MS in front of Battery Robinette the morning after the Second Battle of Corinth, appear below.  They probably will be covered -- so click on the covers if you wish to see them. Bob Zeller, President of The Center for Civil War Photography, wrote in his essential book -- THE BLUE AND GRAY IN BLACK AND WHITE -- that in the first image, below,  Col. William P. Rogers of the 2nd Texas Infantry is visible on the far left.  The man leaning on his shoulder is said to be either Col. William H. Moore of the 43rd Mississippi Infantry or Capt. George W. Foster of the 42nd Alabama Infantry.  Historian Bruce Catton, in his landmark work GRANT MOVES SOUTH, writes “A Union officer watched, fascinated, as a Texas colonel led his men straight up to the battery.  He looked neither right nor left, neither at his men or at mine, but with his eyes ...

Starting on the night of July 16, 1918, and continuing into the next morning, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, his wife Alexandra, their five children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei, and their servants were brutally killed by the revolutionary Bolsheviks. For months beforehand, the Romanov family had been held captive following Nicholas II's abdication of the throne. Moved from place to place by their captors during the Russian Revolution, they had no idea that the Ipatiev House would be their final destination.  On the night of their execution, the imperial family was originally told that they were merely taking a photograph to quiet rumors that they had escaped the Bolsheviks.  It was only moments before the execution began that they were informed that they were about to die, and what followed was an excruciating 20-minute ordeal that involved bullets, bayonets, and brute force.

Sylvia Conner, who worked as a seamstress in New Bern, NC. She was photographed June 5th 1863 during the Union occupation of the city - A Union soldier, Henry A. Clapp, said to be taken with her - had a photographer take this photo and another of her sister-in-law, Mary Jane Conner What little is known about Sylvia and Mary Ann Conner comes from Private Clapp from Dorchester, Massachusetts, who was quite taken by both her and her sister-in-law, Mary Ann Conner. Private Clapp was 21 years old when he arrived in New Bern, North Carolina in the Fall of 1862. He was Harvard educated – a graduate and halfway through his law studies at Harvard when he enlisted, joining the 44th Regiment from Massachusetts. They were sent to New Bern after it's already under federal control.  Clapp participates in a variety of military missions leading him into different parts of eastern North Carolina. He also is the chief census taker among African Americans in New Bern. Clapp writes home to his family ...

Maj Gen William Tecumseh Sherman.was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–65), for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the scorched earth policies he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States. Sherman was born into a prominent political family. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1840 and was stationed in California. He married Ellen Ewing Sherman and together they raised eight children. Sherman's wife and children were all devout Catholics, while Sherman was originally a member of the faith but later left it. In 1859, he gained a position as superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy. Living in the South, Sherman grew to respect Southern culture and sympathize with the practice of Southern slavery, although he opposed se...

Frank had been a typical 40-year-old dad in Kansas. He was proud of what he’d achieved in life, from his successful plumbing business to his comfortable home.  His beloved wife, Sarah, had made him the happiest man by giving him a son, Jeremy. Life had been great for their little family. That was until trouble reared its head. Jeremy, once a healthy baby, had suddenly fallen ill. Frank and Sarah were overwhelmed with worry, rushing their little angel to the emergency room.  They hoped it was just a severe stomachache, but the doctor’s grave expression upon returning from his examination told them otherwise. The diagnosis was chronic kidney failure, a gut-wrenching blow. Frank couldn’t believe his ears, and Sarah, a strong-willed woman, was trying to hold herself together even in the face of such devastating news. She was researching every available option for Jeremy. The doctor explained that diagnosing kidney failure in children was notoriously challenging because symptoms ty...

There was considerable Unionist sentiment in North Texas following that state’s secession and widespread objection to the Confederate Conscription Act that went into effect in April 1862.  Opposition to the draft led to rumors of a Unionist plot to seize state arsenals. In response to the rumors, Texas militia entered Cooke County in late September 1862 and arrested over 150 suspected Unionists, charging them with treason and insurrection. A “citizens court” was convened in Gainesville to try the accused. During the first ten days of October, the vigilante “court” convicted and hanged seven of the accused, and two were killed while trying to escape. Meanwhile, the proceedings had attracted an angry mob to Gainesville, and on October 13 they seized and lynched 14 of the defendants, without benefit of trial. The following week, under pressure from the mob, the court re-tried 19 of the accused who had been acquitted, convicted them without any further evidence, and hanged them as well...

Charles Peace, a name that struck fear into the hearts of the wealthy and sent chills down the spines of law enforcement in 19th-century England. Born in 1832, Peace embarked on a criminal career that would make him one of the most notorious burglars of his time. With his keen intellect and meticulous planning, he became a master of breaking into heavily fortified mansions, leaving no trace behind. Peace's uncanny ability to crack even the most intricate security systems earned him a reputation as the ultimate intruder. Peace was not just a master thief but also a master of disguise. Known for his chameleon-like ability to change his appearance, he would often assume various personas to avoid detection. From a respectable gentleman to a humble tradesman, Peace seamlessly blended into different social circles, making it nearly impossible for authorities to identify him. This skill, combined with his audacity and quick thinking, allowed him to outwit the police time and time again. H...

On a field near what is now Azincourt, in northern France, the English army under the personal command of King Henry V stood in line of battle facing their French enemies. After the armies stared each other down for a couple of hours, Henry surprised the French by ordering his heavily outnumbered men to advance. The flower of French nobility was on the field that day, mostly knights in the cavalry. Seeing the impetuous English advance, the French cavalry charged. What followed was the Battle of Agincourt, one of the most pivotal battles in world history. Of the approximately 7,500 English troops on the field at Agincourt, over 6,000 of them were archers—men of the English and Welsh middling classes who had been raised to the longbow. An expert archer could fire as many as ten arrows a minute. As the French cavalry galloped toward the English lines atop their armored warhorses, they were met with a lethal rain of English arrows. In some cases, the arrows pierced the French armor. In oth...