Crime
Impregnable U.S. Mint
Back in 1938, the new U.S. mint building in San Francisco was widely advertised as being impregnable and "invasion proof." But, of course, as two teenage boys quickly proved, all the fancy anti-robbery gadgets in the world are useless if you forget to close the windows.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 06, 2015 -
Comments (7)
Category: Crime, 1930s
Santa still at large
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 20, 2014 -
Comments (9)
Category: Crime
Criminals Named Christmas
There was Christmas Jones, sent to prison for debt in January 1815.Christmas Allen (father and son), both charged with larceny.
And Christmas Crisp, who did six months for larceny in 1837. His son, Christmas Crisp Junior, appears to have been an honest man.
Perhaps being named Christmas was the 19th Century equivalent of having the middle name Wayne. [via Criminal Historian]
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 13, 2014 -
Comments (3)
Category: Crime, Holidays, Odd Names, Nineteenth Century
Real or Fake?
Would you drive by the above and keep going thinking it was fake? A man beheaded his mother and kicked her head around before stepping in front of a train. Passers-by said they thought it was a Halloween prank.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 30, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Crime, Evil, Dismemberment, Nausea, Revulsion and Disgust
Orange Is the Old Black
To investigate the conditions in the New York State prison system for women circa 1916, socialist reformer Madeleine Zabriskie Doty arranges to have herself incarcerated, masquerading as a real criminal, under the name "Maggie Martin."
Read her experiences here, in SOCIETY'S MISFITS.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 20, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Crime, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Reformers, Do-gooders, Agitators and SJWs, Performance Art, Books, 1910s
The Coldest Case
It appears that the 126 year old cold case of Jack the Ripper has been solved by DNA testing. A shawl that was alleged to have been found next to Catherine Eddowes, one of the Ripper's victims, carries mitochondrial DNA profiles from both Eddowes' line and the familial line of one of the Ripper suspects. Polish immigrant Aaron Kosminski, who subsequently spent his later years in mental asylums, lived in the area of the killings, and was a suspect, left his DNA behind on a bloody shawl. That shawl turned out to be a time capsule for justice.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 19, 2014 -
Comments (9)
Category: Crime, Death, Evil, Science, Historical Figure, Seventeenth Century, Blood
Busted by a tornado
A tornado recently ripped through the town of Kingsport, Tennessee, damaging homes and scattering belongings, including all the stuff that Jerrod Christian had in his home, allowing his neighbors to see it and realize that 'Hey, wait a second! That looks like our stuff that was recently stolen.'One of Christian's neighbors said, "I kind of had suspicions, but you can't just accuse people without proof."
Christian is now locked up, awaiting trial. [ABC News]
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 30, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Crime
They Don’t Make Titles Like That Anymore
Read the whole book here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 01, 2014 -
Comments (5)
Category: Crime, Death, Books, Nineteenth Century
Jeez! The Kid’s Got a Real Gun!
What are the actual odds that Billy would be deader'n a doornail as a result of his impetuous behavior?
Original ad here. (On page 35.)
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 24, 2014 -
Comments (10)
Category: Crime, Stupid Criminals, Death, Toys, Comics, 1940s
Catch Us If You Can
Proof that you do not need video games as flight simulators to encourage hijacking.Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 13, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Crime, Flight, Children, 1940s
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |