December 24, 1945 Fayetteville, West Virginia Five children from the Sodder family die in or disappear following a house fire On Christmas Eve, George and Jennie Sodder awoke to find their home engulfed in flames. They brought their 2-year-old daughter Sylvia, whose crib was in her parents’ room, from the house, and three other children… Continue reading Five children are killed or disappear after house fire
Tag: 1940s
Actress kills self rather than seek an abortion when the child’s father refuses to marry her
December 14, 1944 Los Angeles, California Actress Lupe Vélez dies from an intentional overdose of sleeping pills Vélez was four months pregnant at the time of her suicide. She left behind two suicide notes, one to her former lover and father of her child Harald Ramond, and the to her secretary and close friend Beulah… Continue reading Actress kills self rather than seek an abortion when the child’s father refuses to marry her
Flight 19’s disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle
December 5, 1945 Bermuda Triangle A group of five torpedo bombers known collectively as Flight 19 disappear without a trace The bombers were returning from a navigation training flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when United States Navy Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor informed base his compasses were not functional and he did not know his location.… Continue reading Flight 19’s disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle
Toni Jo Henry: first woman executed in Louisiana
November 28, 1942 Lake Charles, Louisiana Toni Jo Henry is executed in the electric chair Henry was 26 when she was executed for murder, carried out to get her husband released from his 50-year jail term. In 1940, Henry devised a plan with Harold Burks to rob a bank to fund a defense team for… Continue reading Toni Jo Henry: first woman executed in Louisiana
Killers Charles Starkweather, Ted Bundy born
November 24, 1938 Lincoln, Nebraska Spree killer Charles Starkweather is born November 24, 1946 Burlington, Vermont Serial killer Ted Bundy is born Starkweather was 20 during his two-month killing spree, accompanied by his 14-year-old girlfriend. He claimed the lives of 11. Bundy confessed to murdering 30 women from 1974 to 1978, decapitating at least 12… Continue reading Killers Charles Starkweather, Ted Bundy born
