KNOW YOUR WORLD (past and present)

One of the tigers can then be seen dragging the man away by his foot, The man was rushed to hospital in East China’s Zhejiang Province but it is unclear whether he survived the attack. A tourist killed by three tigers in front of his horrified wife and child jumped into the enclosure to avoid paying the zoo's £15 entrance fee, it has been reported. Named locally as Mr Zhang, the man is said to have scaled three fences after his wife and child went in because he could not afford another entrance fee of 130 yuan (£15).  A pal of the doomed man joined him for part of his fence-scaling, but gave up half way through and turned back, leaving Zhang to clamber over the two three metre-high walls and a barbed wire fence himself He then landed in the tiger enclosure yesterday afternoon where a trio of roaring beasts jumped on him and began ripping him apart - as his horrified family watched on.  A relative of Zhang, who was mauled to death, has blamed the zoo for not implementing "effec...

Execution of rebellious tribal leaders in Yemen, 1962. The tribal leaders are being publicly executed in the town square, by sword. This is the moment of execution of one of the condemned. Mode of execution by sword decapitation, of the Toucouleur army of enemy soldiers in Sekou, capital on the banks of the Niger River.  Engraving to illustrate the voyage to Western Sudan of Lieutenant (Navy) M.Mage, in 1863-1866, published in “Le tour du monde, nouveau journal des voyages”, under the direction of Edouard Charton, 1868, Paris. Selva Collection. In the Middle Ages, decapitations were executed with regular swords, and the earliest known specifically designed executioner's sword dates to ca. 1540. They were in wide use in 17th-century Europe, but fell out of use quite suddenly in the early 18th century. The last executions by sword in Europe were carried out in Switzerland in 1867 and 1868, when Niklaus Emmenegger in Lucerne and Héli Freymond in Moudon were beheaded for murder. Swords...

the dominant organized crime group in this part of Mexico, The note said some Gulf Cartel members were responsible for the kidnapping and killings and apologized for their actions. Half-naked woman hanged on a bridge Members of a drug cartel kidnapped a woman from her house and hung her half-naked on a road bridge as a warning to their enemies.  It is likely that the incident happened in Mexico... ,5 alleged Mexican cartel members charged in kidnapping of 4 Americans Five alleged members of a powerful Mexican cartel were charged with aggravated kidnapping and murder on Friday in connection to the kidnapping of four Americans, and the killing of two of them, in the border city of Matamoros. The Attorney General's Office of Tamaulipas announced the charges a day after the Gulf Cartel allegedly took responsibility for the kidnapping.  The five men were found tied up near a pickup truck on Thursday morning and a handwritten note was found placed on the windshield of the truck, who...

In 1904, a man named General Lee was accused of knocking on a white woman's door in Reevesville, South Carolina. He was lynched by a white mob General Lee was lynched on January 13, 1904, near Reevesville, Dorchester County, South Carolina.  He was an African American man, approximately thirty years old, with a wife named Henrietta and six children named Willie, Curtis, Bertha, Timothy, Nellie, and Lila. At the time of his death his estate did not exceed $50. He reportedly had a bad reputation among the other African American people in his neighborhood, with The Manning Times reporting that members of his community expressed surprise that he had not been lynched earlier due to his behavior. He was accused of the attempted burglary and rape of Miss A.P. Wimberly, a white widow, in her home. He had allegedly been stalking her at the store she owned before attempting to burglarize her home and rape her. Wimberly claimed that she frightened him away by her cries for help. Several piece...

On this date in 1946, Soviet Gen. Andrei Vlasov and 11 fellow members of the Russian Liberation Army were condemned to death in Moscow for German collaboration, and immediately hanged.* Vlasov was at the peak of his career at the outset of World War II, and earned a decoration for his part in defending Moscow against the Nazi invasion. So far fortunate, the Red Army ran him out at the head of an army mounting an ill-fated attempt to lift the withering Siege of Leningrad. Vlasov was encircled and captured. And then, as a German prisoner, he switched sides. The conversion of a top Soviet general, who now professed anti-bolshevism, was a stupefying propaganda coup for Germany, and the recent hero of Moscow was quickly employed authoring anti-Soviet leaflets and persuading POWs of the virtues of working for Berlin. Somewhat more guarded were the Germans when it came to forming up the military unit our defector was supposed to be head of, the Russian Liberation Army, a phantom force of patr...

but the Germans thought otherwise, and designed KL Ravensbrück precisely as a place for women. The camp, for years hidden behind the Iron Curtain and overshadowed by places like Auschwitz, received only cursory mentions in the literature on German Nazi terror.  However, to quote author Sarah Helm, “Just as Auschwitz was the capital of the crime against Jews, so Ravensbrück was the capital of the crime against women.” Over 100,000 of them went through Ravensbrück, and between 30,000 and 92,000 died there. They came from 30 countries, but the largest group were 40,000 Poles.  In the six years of its existence, the camp and the population of the inmates grew severalfold, spawning nearly forty sub-camps, to great satisfaction of Heinrich Himmler, the camp founder. The women were worked to death, beaten, shot, hanged, gassed and experimented on, and most of the dozens of Polish “Beinoperierte” who had their leg muscles cut or bones splintered – the wounds then infected to test trea...

This event had taken place on the 20th of July 1941. As the German troops were pushing towards the Soviet union their main stop before crossing the borders were the Yugoslavian partisans fighting against fascism.  Most of the partisan members did not flee towards the Soviet Union as they wanted to die in their country, protecting it.  The guerilla group did have the will to fight however, with their poor armament and small numbers they did not stand a chance against the German forces and their blitzkrieg tactics. Some of the people that have been executed on that date were civilians, the Germans knew this was a war crime but their intent of killing these civilians was to stop them from joining the partisans. Even before the date at hand, the Germans would often round up people from villages and execute them with not much of a particular reason apart from their potential to one day fight back. However, on the 20th of July 1941 something went very different. Josef Schulz (1909–1...

An avowed atheist and free speech advocate, Percy Bysshe Shelley was a poet and playwright who married Mary Godwin in 1815, the famed author of "Frankenstein."  On this day in 1822, Percey boarded his new boat in the Mediterranean Sea, only to be hit by a violent storm during which he was thrown overboard and killed. A month later, his body was cremated in front of friends and family on a beach in Italy. For reasons that remain unknown today, his heart resisted burning, and one of his friends kept the seared heart and preserved it in wine. Visit the link in our profile for more about the life and death of the husband of Mary Shelley and more important events that happened on this day in history. David is actually Welsh, though he grew up in London, but of course there is a famous and very long association with the English and Tuscany, perhaps because of The Grand Tour. Or because from the hills above Pietrasanta you are looking towards the Italian coastal resort of Viarregio ...

The photographed French soldiers were all from the 65th Infantry Regiment; Colonel Xavier Desgrées du Loû holding the flag, with his nephew Yves Desgrées du Loû and a Lieutenant Lerbet behind him.  All men were killed in the attack that ensued. The soldier on the left, Captain de Corta, was seriously wounded but survived. Today 107 years ago, on September 25, 1915, the Second Battle of Champagne began on the Western Front. In 1915, the Allies enjoyed a numerical superiority in troops on the Western Front. Seeking to exploit this and decisively break the trench stalemate, ejecting the Germans from France, the Allies planned offensives along the front. The main assault would be launched in Champagne by the French, who would also attack further north in Artois, being supported by a British assault at Loos-en-Gohelle, also in Artois. On September 21, 1915, the French began a 4-day-long artillery bombardment of the German trenches in Champagne. The Germans had anticipated the French ass...

In ancient Egypt crimes are acts against other persons or the state. Punishments are official, not private sanctions against persons who committed crimes. The term for “crime” is  bt3 . A capital crime is  bt3 ‘3  ( n mwt ), “great crime” (worthy of death). Egyptian sources for crimes and punishments are extremely diverse but are primarily texts such as royal decrees, administrative texts, such as court proceedings, and private texts, including biographies or letters. Most legal texts are from the Ramesside period (Dynasties 18-20), which makes comparison with other times difficult. A written criminal law code does not exist. Crimes against the state, or better, the king, comprise treason,  lese majesty , and desertion. Crimes against other human beings include killings, injuries, adultery and rape, robbery and theft. There is no Egyptian word for “treason,” only paraphrases such as “great crime worth of death,” “great abomination of the country,” or “abomination ...

Violette Szabo was a young British woman who served as a secret agent during World War II. She joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a British organization that conducted espionage and sabotage missions in occupied Europe. Szabo's mission was to aid the French Resistance in sabotaging German communications and transportation lines. In June 1944, she was sent to France to carry out her mission. Szabo's work with the French Resistance was dangerous and required her to constantly move from place to place. However, she was able to establish strong relationships with members of the Resistance and helped to coordinate their efforts. In July 1944, Szabo and her group were betrayed by a collaborator and ambushed by the Germans. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, Szabo fought back fiercely, allowing some of her comrades to escape. She was eventually captured and taken to a prison in Germany. Szabo's refusal to give up any information about her mission or her fellow ag...

This horrifying story begins with the Mizocz Ghetto of World War II, set up in occupied Poland by the German Nazi army to gather the local Jews there. The Jews in the area had settled there since the 18th century. It is estimated that at that time there were about 2000 Jews living in that area. While in 1939 Mizocz was under the control of the Red Army, in 1941, the Werhmacht occupied it after their  invasion of the Soviet Union.  Of the 2,000 Jews, about 300 followed the Red Army on their retreat In October 1942,  all the Jews in the camp where had gathered, and a group of the Ukrainian and German police arrived to exterminate the 1,700 Jews.  The photos of the executions were taken by the Oberwachtmeister Hille's from Austria who was working in the “Feldpolizei.

On Monday 12th of March 1716 William Jennings (also given as Jenkins and Atkins) was hanged at Tyburn for housebreaking.  His age was reported as just 12 in a newspaper of the time, but there is no Ordinary’s report to corroborate this.   Sixteen year old Thomas Smith was hanged at Tyburn on Wednesday, the 25th of April 1716 together with William King who was 18, also for housebreaking. Edward Elton was hanged there the following year for the same offence.  Four teenagers were hanged at Tyburn on Monday, the 20th of May 1717. They were 18 year old Martha Pillah (also Pillow) who had been convicted of stealing in a shop, 17 year old Thomas Price and 18 year old Joseph Cornbach for housebreaking and 17 year old Christopher Ward for burglary.  16 year old James Booty suffered at Tyburn on Monday, the 21st of May 1722 for the rape of a five year old girl.  On Saturday 18th March 1738, sixteen year old Mary Grote (also given as Troke and Groke) was tied a hurdle...

Three people are currently awaiting the death penalty in South Carolina. After the state passed a new law, those people will be forced to choose how they are executed.  In addition to lethal injection and execution, the new law adds firing squads to the list of acceptable methods. While that might seem like a relic of the distant past, it is now very much a reality in 2021 South Carolina. On May 14, South Carolina governor Henry McMaster signed S. 200 into law. He announced its signing on Twitter. This weekend, I signed legislation into law that will allow the state to carry out a death sentence,” he wrote. “The families and loved ones of victims are owed closure and justice by law. Now, we can provide it.” Previously, people on death row could choose between electrocution and lethal injection. When lethal injections weren’t available, state law left those people in limbo. The new bill gives people on death row a choice between lethal injection, electrocution and firing squad for t...

There’s a sculpture in the Paris catacombs created by artist Jean Marais in 1989, the sculpture known as Le Passe-Muraille portrays Dutilleul, hero of Marcel Aymé's short story Le Passe-Muraille (The Walker through Walls) In 1943, Dutilleul discovered his ability to pass through walls, used it for mischief and crime, and one lost his power and became stuck. Dutilleul, the protagonist of "Le Passe-Muraille," is initially an ordinary and unremarkable government clerk. When he discovers his ability to walk through walls, he begins to use this power for both personal and mischievous pursuits. The story delves into the challenges and comedic situations that arise as Dutilleul navigates his newfound ability, including love interests, legal troubles, and interactions with the authorities. Marcel Aymé's tale is known for its blend of fantasy, humor, and a touch of satire as it explores the consequences of an extraordinary gift in an otherwise ordinary life.

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.

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...

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...

In order to crush partisan resistance in Ljubljana, Fascist Italy carried out raids beginning in February 1942 and the majority of arrested civilians were sent to Rab (or Arbe in Italian). the largest concentration camp in Italian-occupied territory. Established in July 1942, the camp held 10,000-15,000 people until it was disbanded in September 1943. Rab was notorious for having the worst sanitary and living conditions of all the Fascist camps. Today, the island of Rab, located off the coast of Croatia, is a popular tourist destination. At first glance, one would be surprised to learn that it was once the site of not one but two Fascist internment camps. The two camps, one to protect foreign Jews and the other to intern ex-Yugoslavian civilians, were situated next to each other so as to underline the differences in Fascist policy. Somewhere between 12-22% of the inhabitants of Ljubljana were interned in various concentration camps and about 3500-4,700 died in Rab alone...

Humans have long came up with methods of punishing criminals, villains, or anyone who’s unlucky enough to mess with the wrong people, at the wrong place and time.  Hanging, burning, stoning, caning, those are among the popular ones, the ones we are all familiar with. But what about the ones that are just plain mad and cruel, the craziest ones. These are torture method that causes not only physical pain, but is psychologically destructive, leaves deep mental scar if not crippled for the rest of their lives or worse, death. Also known as “Slow slicing” or “Death by 1000 cuts”. The convict was tied to a post and small slices are carefully made, ensuring that vital organs and arteries are not cut.  Then, bits of skin and limbs were removed one at a time, slowly to ensure that they suffer through the process. Some records state that salt is poured on the wounds to make it worse for the convict. Used in China from as early as the 10th century and was banned in 1905 - a thousand year...

The first month of the Korean War was chaotic and full of military failures for the South Korean army and its allied U.S. Army. The invasion came as a complete surprise and the North Korean army quickly captured Seoul and rolled southward with little opposition. American forces had been quickly deployed from Japan where the soldiers were enjoying a cushy life. WWII had been over for five years and American GI’s were ill-prepared for a new war. They were poorly trained, poorly equipped, and poorly led. It is no surprise their performance was substandard.  The first month was one of continuous retreats, some of them of the panicky variety. “Bugging out” became slang for those precipitous withdrawals. As American and ROK units retreated, so did thousands of civilians who did not want to live under communism. The sneaky North Koreans sometimes put soldiers disguised as civilians in the midst of the refugees.  It only took a couple of Incidents of being shot at from behind after re...