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The Hangman Who Loved His Job – William Calcraft

William Calcraft, a 19th century English hangman, was in the hanging trade for 45 years. Originally a cobbler, it is believed that he carried out…

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Barrel Flogging – US Prison Punishment

Being put over a barrel was a popular prison punishment in the United States. While many different methods are described in the newspaper archives, it…

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The Treadmill was a Form of Punishment

People spend good money to buy a decent treadmill, but little do they know that the treadmill has a dark history in the prisons of…

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Black River Falls Strange Light 1899

Strange Light in the Sky Source: The Indianapolis Journal. November 30, 1899, Page 2. Indianapolis, Indiana. Looked Like Half the Tail of the Great Ante-War…

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Strange Airship Over Indianapolis 1903

Strange Airship Over Indianapolis Source: Evening Journal. September 14, 1903, Page 5. Wilmington, Delaware. Indianapolis, Sept. 14. – A torpedo-shaped airship about 30 feet long,…

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SS Eastland Disaster of 1915

On the morning of July 24, 1915, passengers boarded the SS Eastland. They were the families and employees of the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works,…

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Strange Blue Bullet Shaped Light Seen West of Chapel Hill N.C. 1956

Source: The Chapel Hill Weekly. December 04, 1956, Page 1. Duncan Ivey Sees Strange Blue Light Duncan Ivey, who lives in the country west of…

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Strange Light in Sky Mystifying to Peasants of France 1922

Strange Light in Sky Mystifying to Peasants of France Source: Brownsville Herald. December 24, 1922, Page 1. Angers, France, Dec. 23. – Superstitious peasants of…

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Strange Light in Alaska 1933

Strange Light Reported Source: Evening Star. February 24, 1933, Page A-2. Washington, DC. Anchorage, Alaska, February 24. – Dr. Ralph Tuck, Government geologist with the…

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Airship Passed Here

Airship Passed Here Source: Wood County Reporter. April 15, 1897. Page 1. That mystifying and strange airship, balloon, meteor, tailless comet, wandering star, headlight of…

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