August 11, 1961 Mascoutah, Illinois 4-year-old Michele LeAnn Morgan dies from injuries inflicted by her stepmother Michele had been beaten and stomped on by her stepmother, Mary Morgan, after Michele supposedly lied about something which the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Dec. 5, 1996) reported was “so trivial [Michele’s brother] doesn’t remember what it was.” As Michele’s… Continue reading 4-year-old dies after being stomped on by stepmother
Category: Illinois
The beginning of the Chicago Race Riot (1919)
July 27, 1919 Chicago, Illinois The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 begins, leaving 38 dead and over 500 injured and 1000 homeless by the time the riot ends on August 3 The riots were sparked when a black teen drowned after being stoned by white youths for violating an unofficial segregation at a Lake Michigan… Continue reading The beginning of the Chicago Race Riot (1919)
Ship capsized while docked, kills 844
July 24, 1915 Chicago, Illinois The S.S. Eastland capsizes while docked, killing 844 passengers and crew The ship had recently complied to the Seamen's Act which, following the disaster of the Titanic three years before, required passenger vehicles to increase their number of lifeboats. This caused the ship, which was already top-heavy, to become severely… Continue reading Ship capsized while docked, kills 844
Mother kills daughter with hammer, claims she doesn’t know why
July 24, 1946 Chicago, Illinois Lucille Grider (34 or 38) kills her daughter, Carole, with a hammer Carole (alt. spelling Carol) was either 7 or 8 at the time of her murder (sources vary). According to The Ludington Daily News (July 26, 1946), Grider stated “I don’t know what happened. Carol put her arms around… Continue reading Mother kills daughter with hammer, claims she doesn’t know why
The death of John Dillinger, Public Enemy No. 1
July 22, 1934 Chicago, Illinois Public Enemy No. 1 John Dillinger is killed by federal agents as he leaves a theater Dillinger was a bank robber during the Depression Era and, like other bank robbers at the time including Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson, had achieved a sort of celebrity… Continue reading The death of John Dillinger, Public Enemy No. 1
