The Bloody Benders

 I wrote about the Bloody Benders, a family of murderers in Kansas in the 1870s 

History of Light

 I wrote a history of light. Today, we take artificial light for granted, but for our ancestors, it was very different. 

Milwaukee History

 I wrote a brief history of Milwaukee 

Banff, Alberta

 I have uploaded some pictures of my trip to Banff, Alberta 

An Alaskan Cruise

 These are some pictures I took during a cruise from Vancouver to Alaska 

Benin History

 I wrote a brief history of Benin 

Mauritania History

 I wrote a little history of Mauritania 

History of Comets

 I wrote a brief history of comets. Human beings have observed them for thousands of years. 

History of Radio

 I wrote a brief history of radio 

History of Plastic

 I wrote a brief history of plastic. It's a modern material that has become vital to our daily lives. 

Mars History

 I wrote a little history of the planet Mars 

History of Asteroids

 I wrote a brief history of the asteroids, those small heavenly bodies between Jupiter and Mars.

Brighton Trunk Murders

 I wrote about the Brighton trunk murders, two cases that took place in 1934.

Wakefield History

 I wrote a brief history of the town of Wakefield in Yorkshire 

History of Sex Work

I wrote a brief history of sex work. It's often called the World's oldest profession. 

Pigs History

 I wrote a little history of pigs 

Edfu History

 This is a look at Edfu in Egypt 

Bricks History

 I wrote a brief history of bricks 

History of Eating Birds

 People have eaten birds since Prehistoric times. I wrote a history of birds as food. 

History of Shaving

I wrote a brief history of shaving through the ages 

A look at women in the Middle Ages

 I made a video about women in the Middle Ages 

Boston Timeline

 I wrote a timeline of the city of Boston 

Hilsea

 Seven years ago I made this video about the history of Hilsea 

Hay-on-Wye

 I took some pictures of the small but historic town of Hay-on-Wye, which is famous for its bookshops

Was Anne of Cleves a Flanders Mare?

 I made a video about the myth that Henry VIII called Anne of Cleves a Flanders Mare 

Castle Toilets

 I made a video about toilets in castles 

Myths about the 16th Century

 I made a video about myths about the 16th century 

Sleep Tight

 I made a video about a myth about the phrase sleep tight 

Piss Poor Myth

 I made a video about a myth about the phrase piss poor 

Myths About Archery

 I made a video about some myths about archery 

Daylight Robbery

 I made a video about a myth about the saying daylight robbery 

A Myth about the Phrase Upper Crust

 I made a video about a myth about the phrase upper crust 

Assassinated on the toilet

 I made a video about an English king who was assassinated on the toilet 

Four Poster Beds Myth

 I made a video about a myth about four-poster beds 

The myth that people only had a bath once a year

 I made a video to debunk the myth that people only had a bath once a year.

Queen Elizabeth I's last words

 I made a video about a myth about Queen Elizabeth I's last words. 

Henry VIII's Toilet

 I made video about Henry VIII's toilet. 

Could People in the Past Swim?

 I made a YouTube video about the question could people in the past swim? 

Rule of Thumb myth video

 I made a video about a myth about the saying rule of thumb 

Tudor Portsmouth

 I made a video about Tudor Portsmouth

Who invented the lifeboat

 I made a video about who invented the lifeboat. 

History of Chocolate Video

 I made a YouTube video about the history of chocolate 

Blossom Alley 1923

 I made a video about an unsolved murder in Blossom Alley, Portsmouth in 1923.

Did the Tudors throw bones on the floor?

 I made a video about the myth that the Tudors threw bones on the floor at feasts 

Myth About Spices

 I made a video about a myth about spices 

Children's Vocabulary

 A look at vocabulary development 

Bradford on Avon

 I wrote a history of the charming Wiltshire town of Bradford on Avon 

Calne History

 I wrote a little history of the market town of Calne in Wiltshire

Eric Brown - the landmine murder

 Eric Brown killed his father. He used a most unusual murder weapon, a landmine. Eric lived with his father, Archibald, and his mother, Doris. His father was partially paralysed and used a wheelchair. He was a bully who ruled over his family with an iron rod. 

His wheelchair was kept in an air raid shelter in the garden. On 23 July 1943, a nurse, Doris Mitchell, went to fetch it but found it locked. Eric emerged from the air raid shelter. Doris then got the wheelchair and took Archibald for a walk. After a while, she lit a cigarette for Archibald, but as he made himself comfortable, there was an explosion. 

Nurse Mitchell survived without serious injuries, but Archibald Brown was blown to pieces. The explosion was caused by a type of mine used to destroy tanks. It had exploded two feet above the ground. The police surmised it had been placed under the cushion Archibald was sitting on. 

They soon found that Eric had learned about this type of mine while in the army. He was on leave when his father was killed, and he had been seen in the air raid shelter. Eric soon confessed. He was brought to trial on 4 November 1943, but a doctor testified that he was a schizophrenic. The jury found him guilty of murder but insane. Eric was sentenced to be detained during his majesty’s pleasure. He died in 1975. 

Marlborough

 I wrote a brief history of Marlborough, a historic market town in Wiltshire 

Alfred Rouse - the burning car murder

 Alfred Rouse was hanged for the murder of an unknown man. Rouse was born in London on 6 April 1894. In 1914 he joined the army but he married Lily May Watkins before he departed for France. In 1915 he was wounded. He suffered head injuries and as well as injuries to his leg. Rouse slowly recovered. He was discharged from the army with a pension in 1916. However In 1920 a doctor examined him and his pension was stopped as he had completely recovered. However Rouse found work as a car mechanic.

In 1929 Rouse got a job as a salesman. It was a well paid position and it involved a lot of travelling by car. Rouse was also a womaniser who had many affairs. He had several illegitimate children and faced having to pay maintenance for them. With his financial situation strained Rouse looked for a way out. He turned to murder.

Rouse thought of a plan. He would offer a lift to a down and out and then kill the man. He would set the car on fire. He hoped he could make it look like an accident. The man’s body would be so badly burned it would be unidentifiable but the cars number plates would survive. Rouse hoped the police would identify the car as his and assume the dead body was him. If he was believed to be dead he could make a fresh start. 

However, Rouse bungled the murder. In Britain 5 November is Bonfire Night when people light bonfires and fireworks. At 2 am on 6 November 1930 two young men were returning from a Bonfire Night Dance in Northamptonshire. They saw a fire in the distance. Strangely they saw a man on the opposite side of the road climb out of a ditch. He was carrying a briefcase. The man said ‘It looks like someone is having a bonfire’. He then walked off in the opposite direction to the two men. They soon discovered the burning car. As Rouse hoped, the police quickly identified the burning car. 

The police spoke to his wife. She said she had last seen Alfred at 2 am on 6 November. (Rouse later said it was actually about 6.30 am). They showed pieces of the dead man’s clothing to Mrs Rouse. She was not certain if they were his. 

The police were naturally keen to talk to the mysterious man who climbed out of a ditch. It had been a moonlight night and the two young men who saw him were able to describe him to the police. He matched the description of Alfred Rouse. So if he wasn’t the victim who was? 

Meanwhile, Rouse went to his house in London then hitchhiked to the house of his mistress, who was heavily pregnant in Wales. She asked where his car was. He told her it had been stolen. 

However his mistress showed him a newspaper that named him as the owner of the burned car. Rouse decided to leave and he caught a coach to London.  He told his mistress where he was going and she told the police. They were waiting to arrest him when he arrived. 

The police also found that the fire was not accidental. The feeder pipe from the petrol tank to the carburetor had been loosened allowing petrol to leak out. Across the two front seats of the car was the body of a man burned beyond recognition. The post mortem showed he was alive but unconscious when the fire started. 

Rouse had a not very convincing explanation for the fire. He had picked up a man near St Albans and later stopped the car to go to the toilet. He asked the hitch hiker to fill the petrol tank with fuel from a can. The man then asked if he had a cigarette. Rouse did not smoke cigarettes but he had a cigar and gave the man one. He then went into a field. Looking back he saw the car on fire. According to Rouse the passenger must have accidentally ignited the petrol when he lit his cigar. Rouse claimed he tried to rescue the hitch hiker from the burning car but he could not.

The police were skeptical. Why had Rouse taken his briefcase when he got out of the car to relieve himself? (The two men who discovered the burning car saw him carrying one). Rouse claimed that he panicked and fled the scene. 

However the police soon discovered that several of Rouse’s mistresses were taking out had child maintenance orders against him. He would be unable to pay them so he set fire to his car with an unconscious hitchhiker inside hoping he would be mistaken for the dead man. 

He hoped could begin a new life with a new identity. On 27 November 1930 Rouse was arrested for the murder of an unidentified man. 

His trial began on 26 January 1931. Expert witnesses testified that the victim was unconscious when the fire started. It was also revealed that a fragment of his clothing, which had survived the fire had been soaked in petrol.  Rouse stood by his claim that the death was an accident. However the jury did not believe him. On 31 January he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Alfred Rouse was hanged on 10 March 1931. 

While awaiting execution Rouse sent a letter to a newspaper, the Daily Sketch confessing to the murder. Rouse claimed he met a man outside a pub in London and promised him a job in the Midlands and arranged to drive him there. Rouse got the man drunk by giving him a bottle of whisky. When he was sufficiently drunk Rouse strangled the man until he was unconscious. Rouse admitted he had deliberately loosened a pipe to let petrol flow out. He also poured petrol over the man. He then set the car on fire. 

Huntingdon History

 I wrote a brief history of the town of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire

Melksham History

 I wrote a little history of the market town of Melksham in Wiltshire 

Animal Related Facts

 I wrote about some animal-related history facts 

Weather Related Facts

 I wrote a list of some weather-related history facts 

Jack the Stripper

 The Thames Nude Murders were a series of murders in London in the 1960s. Because the killer removed the victims’ clothes, he became known as Jack the Stripper.

It’s not certain how many women he killed but on 2 February 1964, the body of Hannah Tailford was found floating in the River Thames near Hammersmith Bridge in London. 

She was naked apart from her stockings. The unfortunate woman was strangled and several of her teeth were missing. Her knickers had been stuffed down her throat. 

The police surmised she had been dumped in the river at Dukes Meadows, a parkland in Chiswick, London. Hannah was a sex worker. She was from Northumberland, and she was 30 at the time of her death.

On 8 April 1964, a second body was found on the shore of the Thames at Chiswick. The victim was Irene Lockwood, aged 26. 

Like Hannah Tailford she was a sex worker. The police realised that both women were probably killed by the same man.

A third victim was found on 24 April 1964 in an alleyway in Brentford. The woman had been strangled, and three of her front teeth were missing. She was identified as Helen Barthelemy, aged 22, from Glasgow. She was naked and specks of lead-based paint were found on her skin. It was the kind of paint used in the car industry and the police surmised that her body had been stored in a workshop where a high-pressure paint sprayer was used.

A fourth victim, Mary Fleming, was discovered on 14 July 1964 in Berrymede Road in Chiswick, London. Mary, a Scottish woman was a sex worker. She was 30 years old. This time, too, specks of paint were found on the victim’s body.

Another victim, Frances Brown AKA Margaret McGowan, was found in a car park in Kensington on 25 November 1964. Frances was a sex worker. She was born in Glasgow. At the time of her death, she was 21.

On 16 February 1965, the body of Bridget O’Hara, known as ‘Bridie’ was found by a shed behind the Heron Trading Estate in Acton, London. Again, flecks of paint were found on the body. Bridget was born in Dublin, and she was 27 years old.

The murders then stopped, perhaps because the killer committed suicide. Or perhaps he was arrested for an unrelated offence. Thames Nude Murders, also called the Hammersmith Nude Murders, were never officially solved.

Forced Contraception in Greenland

 By chance, I found out about this scandal of forced contraception in Greenland 😠

Thomas Crapper Day

 27 January is Thomas Crapper Day. He was a great designer of toilets, but Mr Crapper did not actually invent the flushing toilet.

Wellingborough

 I wrote a little history of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire

Aberdeen

 This is my history of Aberdeen 

Newark on Trent

 I wrote a little history of Newark on Trent in Nottinghamshire 

Axminster

 I wrote a little history of Axminster in Dorset

Devizes

 I wrote a short history of Devizes 

Tiverton

 I wrote a brief history of the town of Tiverton in Devon 

The Axeman of New Orleans

 The axeman of New Orleans was an unknown serial killer in the years 1918-1919. As his title suggests, he killed people with an axe. He usually chiseled out a panel of a back door to gain access to people’s homes. His first victims were Joseph Maggio, an Italian grocer and his wife, Catherine. On 23 May 1918, the axeman broke into the couple’s home, cut their throats with a razor and then hit them both with an axe. The motive for the murders was unclear. It was not robbery, as nothing was taken.

The axeman next struck on 27 June 1918. He broke into the home of Louis Bessumer, another Italian grocer and Harriet Lowe. He struck both of them with an axe. Fortunately, both survived although Harriet suffered from partial facial paralysis for the rest of her life. Once again nothing was stolen.

The next attack was on 5 August 1918. The axeman broke into the home of Anna Schneider. He struck her with an object (some accounts say an axe, others say a bedside table lamp) but she survived. Anna was 8 months pregnant at the time of the attack but luckily the baby was not harmed. Anna gave birth shortly afterward.

The next victim was an elderly man named Joseph Romano. Joseph lived with his two nieces. On 10 August they were woken by the sounds of a struggle. On investigating they found their uncle had been hit with an axe. He was still alive but he died two days later.

The axeman did not strike again until 10 March 1919. This time he struck in Gretna, Louisiana. He broke into the home of Italian grocer Charles Cortimiglia. He struck Charles and his wife with an axe. Both survived. Sadly, their two year old daughter Mary was also hit with an axe and she died. Rosie accused Iorlando Jordano and his son Frank of being the attackers. Both men were convicted of murder. Iorlando was sentenced to life imprisonment while his son was sentenced to death. 

However, they could not have been guilty. Iorlando was nearly 70 and in poor health. His son, Frank, was a tall and heavily built man. The killer had chiseled out a panel of a door to gain entry. Frank would not have been able to squeeze through. Charles Cortimiglia said his wife was lying and the Jordano’s were innocent. 

Eventually, Rosie Cortimiglia admitted she lied and the two men were released. (Her motive for accusing two innocent men is not known).

Steve Boca was attacked by a man with an axe on 10 August 1919. Fortunately, he survived. Sarah Laumann was attacked on 3 September 1919. She too survived. 

The last murder by the New Orleans Axeman happened on 27 October 1919. A man named Mike Pepitone was attacked and killed in his bed. The attacks then ceased. The case remains a mystery.

Barnstaple History

 I wrote a brief history of Barnstaple, a town in Devon 

Telephones History

 I wrote a little history of telephones

Blaby

 I wrote a little history of Blaby, in Leicestershire

Women Astronomers

 I wrote about some famous women astronomers 

Mali

 I wrote a brief history of Mali 

Gabon History

 I wrote a history of Gabon, a small country in Africa.

Cartoons History

 I wrote a little history of cartoons

The Discovery of Dinosaurs

 I wrote another article, not about dinosaurs themselves but about how they were discovered.

Syria

 I wrote a brief history of Syria 

History of Armenia

 I wrote a brief history of Armenia